SHARPER || Chishiya Alice in Boarderland

-17- All alone

The screams escape my throat in a raw, gut-wrenching symphony of grief, each one echoing the pain that grips my soul. Key, his face a mask of helplessness, grips my shoulders, desperately trying to provide some anchor in the storm of emotion.

"Yuki, I'm here," he murmurs, his voice strained with concern. "Let it out. I can't imagine the pain you're feeling, but I'm here for you."

But the pain is relentless, tearing through me with an intensity that leaves me gasping for breath. My hands clutch at my chest, as if trying to contain the anguish that threatens to consume me.

Chishiya, still frozen in place, gazes at me with eyes that reflect his own torment. His features, usually so composed, are now a canvas of pain and sorrow. He clings to my sister's lifeless form, an emblem of the tragedy that has befallen us.

Unable to bear the weight of the scene, I stumble forward, my legs trembling beneath me. "No, no, no," I repeat, as if the sheer force of denial could rewrite the cruel reality before me. Chishiya, seeing my pain, makes a tentative move towards me, his eyes pleading for understanding.

"Yuki," he begins, his voice fragile and broken, but I cut him off with a sharp gesture.

"Don't. Just... don't," I choke out, the words catching in my throat. The world spins, and I feel the world slipping away. Key tightens his grip, offering what little stability he can in the face of overwhelming loss.

The weight of Chishiya's gaze remains on me, as he holds my sister's lifeless body with a tenderness that makes my heart ache even more. The stillness of the moment is punctuated only by my cries, a haunting melody of grief and despair.

"No... no, it can't be," I murmur, a wave of anguish washing over me. The initial relief transforms into a searing pain, and I feel guilty for having felt happy. Again. While my sibling is dead.

Chishiya's eyes meet mine, and I see the unspoken grief mirrored in his gaze. The reality sets in – the sister I had hoped to reunite with, gone. Key is still holding me, "Yuki, I'm so sorry," he whispers, his voice drowned out between my screams.

As the smoke clears completely, revealing the harsh reality, I cling to Key for support. The world blurs into a nightmarish haze as I rush towards Chishiya, desperate to reach my sister. His arms relinquish the lifeless form of Mariko, 15-years old, as I pull her into my embrace. The reality hits me like a tidal wave, and I sob uncontrollably as I cradle her fragile body.

"I'm so sorry, Yuki," Chishiya stammers, his voice trembling with guilt. "I tried to protect her, but I couldn't..."

My grief-fueled rage surges, and I cut him off with a sharp gesture. "Just... just shut up," I choke out, my voice laced with pain. The acid-burned face of Mariko is almost unrecognizable, a cruel statement to the brutality of the game.

"I need to wake her up," I murmur, my voice filled with a shaky determination. I cradle her face, desperately searching for any sign of life. "Mariko, wake up. It's all alright now. You're safe."

Denial courses through my veins as I speak to her, my mind refusing to accept the truth. "You know, we've been through worse. You can't leave me now. We need to stick together." My words are a desperate attempt to convince myself that this is just another nightmare, a figment of my imagination.

"Yuki—"

"No! She needs to hear my voice!", I yell. Tears stream down my face as I continue to talk to her, my voice cracking with each word. "Don't you remember, Mari? We used to make plans for the future. You were going to be a brilliant scientist, and I was going to be right there cheering you on." The image of her vibrant smile flashes in my mind, and I grip onto the hope that she'll wake up and make those dreams come true.