SHARPER || Chishiya Alice in Boarderland

-21- A Sacrifice Made

My composure, the resolve that carried me through the game, shatters. Tears well up in my eyes, and I turn to look at Key. His expression is a mirror of my own pain and defeat, his eyes filled with a sorrow that breaks my heart. But there's also a hardness in his gaze. A final decision made. Acceptance.

"No," I whisper, shaking my head as the tears begin to fall.

Key's face twists in anguish. "You have to survive this."

"You can't!" I cry, my voice rising in desperation.

Key takes a deep breath and steps closer, his voice steady but pained. "It's going to be okay, Yuki. I'll do it."

"No." I snap back, my voice steady. "I'm not letting you do that."

Key grabs his gun, clicking it. "Look away," he pleads, his voice soft and filled with sorrow.

"No." I firmly say, though I'm deathly terrified.

"I'm sorry." He says, raising the hun to his temple.

"No!" I scream, grabbing my knife and throwing it at him. The dull side hits his hand, and he drops the gun with a clatter. "I said no."

He sighs, defeated, and his eyes lock onto mine, filled with a mix of frustration and desperation. "Please, Yuki. Don't fight this."

As he bends down to pick up the gun, I throw another knife to the floor beside it, the blade sticking into the concrete with a sharp thud. "I'll hurt you."

"You won't hurt me."

"I will." I say, drawing my last knife, "If it means you'll survive."

Key's eyes widen, and he takes a step back. "What makes you think I'll let you die?"

"It's not up for debate," I say, my voice firm. "You're not dying because of me."

"And you're not dying for me." He retorts.

"I am."

He pauses, his eyes searching mine. "What about Chishiya?" he asks me pointedly.

"He will survive," I respond, my voice breaking slightly.

"Will he really?" Key presses, unconvinced.

Before I can answer, the King of Hearts shouts, "Time is running out!"

Panic surges through me, my heart pounding in my chest like a war drum. Every instinct screams at me to act, to end this nightmare before it can take Key from me.

I grab my last knife, the blade glinting ominously in the dim light, and press it against my stomach, ready to plunge it in.

"No!" Key shouts, his voice breaking through my haze of desperation.

Before I can drive the blade home, Key lunges at me with a force born of sheer determination. His body collides with mine, and we crash to the ground in a tangled heap. The knife clatters away, lost in the chaos.

We struggle intensely, our limbs thrashing as we wrestle for control. His hands grip my wrists, trying to pin me down, but I twist and turn, refusing to submit. Our breaths come in ragged gasps, the air thick with our exertion and desperation.

"Yuki, stop!" Key pleads, his voice raw with emotion. "Don't do this!"

I can feel his knee press into my back, pinning me down with an iron grip. My mouth tastes of blood, the metallic tang sharp against my tongue. I thrash beneath him, my mind a whirlwind of fear and grief.

"Let me go!" I scream, my voice cracking with anguish. "I can't let you die, Key!"

"I won't let you die either!" he retorts, his grip tightening as he tries to subdue me. "Please, Yuki, just listen!"