take me back to eden | niragi x oc

二

Morning comes and they set out to do what they've been doing for days. It's midday by the time they head up to street level. They've changed their clothes for the day to maintain some semblance of normalcy, their bag is hoisted onto their back and they have a couple reusable ones stuffed inside. It's hot as they step out into the sun, but that's unsurprising given how hot it had been lately. Thinking back to the day they'd arrived in this world, it had been strangely hot then too. Their only respite had been the coolness of air conditioning inside the cafe. Now, with no power anywhere, they were left to the elements.

As they walk, they silently pray for rain, even just a drizzle or a mist. When no stretch of grey clouds suddenly appear in the blue spread of sky above the buildings, Hiyori sighs.

Turning, they push into a store. It would be dark inside, but with the sun streaming in, it's just bright enough to see. The place looks like it had been dug through already, much like every other shop. Strolling through the aisles, they nudge aside broken and empty packages, looking for anything that was salvageable. As they leave, they mark by the door with a twist of red spray paint.

With the games only happening at night, this is the way they spent their days.

Eventually, as the day dwindles into afternoon, they stop for a late 'lunch'. Sitting in an empty park, they lean against the trunk of a tree, pulling packets of half-melted chocolates and honey butter biscuits out of their bag. They'd been hoping to find emergency ration packs, but it seemed like those had been scavenged out of every store. It felt almost crazy to think, but they were starting to get sick of snack food, not even their sweet tooth could stand it. They didn't even have a way of boiling water for the packs on instant noodles they'd found and the packs of bottled water they had found were quickly running out.

Their mind wanders away to think of the foods they missed: fresh sweetsour strawberries, grilled rice balls still hot from the pan, oden and yakitori from the store near their apartment. Thinking of it all does nothing to quell the hunger in their gut, only further worsening how much they missed it all.

Sighing, they pop another chocolate into their mouth, letting it melt on their tongue. They needed to figure out a new plan. Maybe they could try a different part of Tokyo, make their way over to Shinagawa or Minato and see if it's any better there.

They take a mouthful from their water bottle then start to pack away the rubbish, getting up and dusting the grass from their pants. By the time they got back to the train to drop off what little amount of supplies they had found, it would be time to go looking for a game. Swinging their backpack on, they lean down to grab their other bags and head off.

Another night, another game, and - luckily - another win.

Walking out of the game arena, they heave out a weary sigh. They can feel sweat slicking the back of their neck, sticking their hair to their skin. It makes them grimace to think about heading back to the train cab and not being able to actually shower. They're starting to feel disgusting, there's only so clean wet wipes can make one feel.

Legs aching, they lean to rub at their sore knees before turning to start walking down the dark street. The other players all head off in other directions, none of them talking to each other; they were all strangers again, no longer needing to be chummy without their necks on the line.

Hiyori frowns down at their newly-won card. They scratch their thumbnail over the black spade suit of it. Twisting the card in their hand, their thumb flips it over to the decorated back. Their eyes trace over the eerie red print and the mirrored ram heads. Something about it is unsettling but they're not sure where the feeling comes from. It's just a card, paper in their hand. What power could it possibly possess?