Axe Time! Sword Time! Shields Are Splintered!

Axe time! Sword time! Shields are splintered! 

I miss you - Niragi One Shot

Written to the song Deep End by Felix (Stray Kids) 

Finding herself in Borderland, it became a task to survive. The games took some getting used to, but in the end, her mind kept drifting back to someone she used to know. Someone she once loved so deeply that she hoped he hadn’t gotten stuck in this world with her. As days passed, there were no signs of him anywhere, and hope bloomed in her that he was somewhere safe, living his life happily. 

But then she found herself at the beach, and that’s when that hope shattered before her. Clad in a bathing suit as was standard attire, she was perched on one of the beach chairs by the pool, enjoying a conversation with Kuina when he came around. There was no mistaking that face, the sound of his laugh familiar yet so strange. 

The man before her was nothing like she remembered. The kind eyes that she could get lost in were replaced by eyes that were intense and gruel. The kind smile was a smug smirk, and his laugh was deranged. Before her stood a monster and her heart broke into pieces. “Suguru?” Her voice was a whisper, the sneer he gave her causing her to step back. 

“And who the hell do you think you are to call me that.” He spat, looking her over. If he remembered her at all, he made no indication and the way his eyes scanned her like she was nothing more than a toy made her sick to her stomach. “But if you want, we can get to know each other in my room.” he added, leaning close to her face. 

Clenching her jaw, she eyed him just like he had her before scoffing. “I had you confused with someone worth my time.” She shot back before walking away, doing her best to keep control of her emotions until she was locked safely in her room. The boy that had stollen her heart was gone. The one that always answered her messages, no matter the time of the day. The shared lunches and laughs were just a painful memory.  

He was her lifeline in a world where she was alone, the only person that cared if she lived or died. They saved each other so many times growing up and now, she had no doubt he’d kill her if it meant he would live. 

Shedding the last of her tears, she wiped her face and sighed. Looking in the mirror, she barely recognized herself. There was no longer life in her eyes, and the desire to survive the next game was gone. She felt numb, and would continue to do so, because the only thing that mattered to her was gone. She had nothing to return to, no one to worry about her. 

Welcome to the new age part 13

The beach seemed to be in a daze. While most still went off to the party, there seemed to be this fog around everyone in regard to the change in command. Everyone gave the militants more room than normal, and Asuna did everything she could to avoid them as much as possible.  

With Kuina posted up on one part of the hall, Asuna kept her eyes on another part, walkie in hand as Chishiya went to work. Now that they knew where the real safe was, it was now time to get the cards and run. But after the stunt with Arisu there was the fear that there would be eyes on the room. Of course, the militants were too busy throwing their weight and partying to really care. Aguni was sulking somewhere, and Niragi was busy. 

There was a bitter taste in both women’s mouths when thinking about what would happen to Usagi, but Asuna planned to get her and Arisu and escape as quickly as possible. Closing her eyes, she let out a breath before bringing the walking up. “Hurry up cat eyes.” She said softly, smiling at the nickname she had given him the night before.  

“That was supposed to stay between us.” He said back, a hint of annoyance in his voice, but she could also hear the amusement. Kuina didn’t have to say anything, but there was no doubt in Asuna’s mind that she was smiling.  

Asuna was lost in thought for a moment when she heard “Remind me not to get on your bad side.” Came from Kuina. It was a thought that had crossed her mind as well, and she wondered what happened to those that did. She glanced around the empty hall, making sure to keep a lookout as Chishiya replied back “Yeah, I get that a lot.” 

Before long, he was victorious and had the cards. “I’m going to go get Arisu and Usagi.” She said into the walkie, pushing off the wall. She waited for a reply, her feet carrying her towards Niragi’s room.  

“Asuna, leave them. We have to leave before anyone realizes the cards are gone.” Chishiya called back, and she stopped walking. She knew he was right. If they got caught the punishment would be bad, but she couldn’t just leave Usagi.  

“I can’t leave her to Niragi.” She stated, starting to walk again when that bad feeling in her gut hit again. She ran to Niragi’s room, her boots thudding on the floor, echoing in the empty hall. She stepped into her brother’s room just in time to see the TV turned on, the white screen bright.  

Niragi looked at her in anger for stepping into his room, already knowing why she was there, but his eyes settled on the TV, laughing when the 10 of hearts was shown on the screen. “I called it.” She groaned, rubbing her temples. She hadn’t expected The Beach to become one of the Arena’s, but it made sense. Though how the game masters knew about those problems within the beach in order to choose this night for a game made her suspicious. One of the game masters had to be an executive.  

A thought for another day she told herself as she pulled Usagi out of the room. “Go find Arisu. He has to be locked in one of the rooms and he needs to be a part of this game.” Shoving the girl down the hall, Asuna ran to the main entrance, meeting up with Chishiya and Kuina. 

“You were right.” He said simply, glancing over at her. His hook was pulled over his head, something he seemed to do every game. She nodded, glancing at him. 

“I didn’t expect this to be the Arena, but it makes sense. Considering everything that has happened.” She muttered back, closing her eyes for a moment. “I sent Usagi to find Arisu. He needs to participate in this game to up his visa, and we have no choice but to play.” Chishiya nodded, his eyes on the body before them. 

She finally took in the sight before them, looking at the body on the floor. Someone had killed her and left her in the place with the most traffic. However, it would also be empty for a time, meaning it would be a perfect spot for murder.  

Game: Witch Hunt. 

Time Limit: 2 hours. 

There is a witch among you all. They have murdered one of your own and you must find them. When you find the witch, burn them in the fire of judgement to clear the game. Players win when the witch is found. Players lose if the with is not found within the time limit. 

The announcement started, everyone looking at a fire was lit in the back. Just as everyone started to panic, Asuna looked at Chishiya. “This is going to be really bad.” She whispered, her eyes landing on Niragi and Aguni as they pushed through the crowd. 

“We have guns, so we’re not the Witch.” Aguni said, hands in his pockets. This didn’t seem to settle anyone, as fingers started to point at Momoka’s friend, then at Usagi. “Start burning people until we find the witch.” Aguni added after a moment, causing Niragi to cheer and let off a few shots. 

A hand on hers brought her out of her panicked thoughts, brain buzzing with ways to stop her brother. How to save everyone. Who the witch could be. Chishiya dragged her and Kuina into the surveillance room, the door shutting and locking. 

“Let’s lay low here and see what we can find out.” He squeezed her hand, looking at her in a way that told her to breathe. He saw all the ways her brain was working and knew it wouldn’t help anyone if she couldn’t focus. 

Finally getting her breathing under control, she nodded her head before looking at the screens. “It’s going to be a blood bath.” She sighed, never once letting go of Chishiya’s hand despite Kuina’s questioning look.  

Welcome to the new age Part 9

(This is a bit of how Asuna's feelings developed. Italics means Flashback)

Since she and Chishiya had formed the plan to annoy her brother, she found she spent most of her time with him and Kuina. The other woman would force her to the pool to sunbathe or drink, something she enjoyed but would put up a fight over. She didn’t want anyone to see through the walls she had carefully put up. But as time went on, she let herself relax, laughing with Kuina as they had fun. She was always aware that Chishiya was close by, eyes on her as she spent time with the other woman. 

She had known that Chishiya would wait for her when she’d come back from games, seeing him in the crowd next to Kuina. When he seemed satisfied that she was okay, he’d nod before walking away. She soon started to do the same, both forming the habit of checking on one other without making it obvious. But she always seemed to know when he was looking for her, finding his gaze in the crowd. He grounded her when she needed It most and he was not aware of the effect he had on her. 

If she was not out by the pool, she would be in the room with Chishiya working on something. Whatever his mind came up with, she was right there helping him. It started as his way of distracting from nightmares, something he had witnessed while passing her room. She was crying for help, and he had come in, waking her up before she fell off the bed. He asked for her help, ignoring the reason he had woken her to begin with, thus starting the routine.  

Waking from another nightmare, she trudged to his room, opening the door without even thinking and stepping inside. She found him hunched over his desk, fingers working on something. She leaned against the desk, looking down at the contraption that looked like a bomb. She watched for a moment, a smirk on her lips as he huffed in annoyance as the wires refused to stay so he could secure them.  

Leaning over, she pushed his hands away before grabbing the wires, holding them in place as he went back to work. They continued in comfortable silence, working together without a single word, she’d look at him every so often, taking in how his lips formed a thin line as he worked out the best way to make things work. His hair was tied back, but some fell into his face, only giving her the satisfaction of seeing his eyes when his head would tilt to the side in thought. 

She couldn’t deny that he looked like a cat in many ways, and it was endearing to her. His brown eyes sparked with flecks of gold, the light on the desk making them seem brighter as they shone with satisfaction when the first of many were done. His fingers brush hers as he moved the completed project aside, causing her skin to burn in the best way possible. She shuddered at the touch, though he gave no indication that he noticed.  

As they worked in comfortable silence, she watched his hands, his fingers working carefully with the skill of a surgeon. She idly wondered what his hands would feel like on her skin, before shaking the thought from her head. She knew she was getting in too deep; her heart skipping beats every time he looked at her. It was when she looked at his face again, eyes landing on his lips and wondered what it would be like to kiss him that she stepped back, stretching her arms over her head as if she didn’t need space to think. 

The demons in her head reminded her that she was branded. Marked by the man she was engaged to but did not love one bit. No, the man that had her heart was sitting next to her, tinkering away without a glance her way. He did not break her walls down, but instead found a way in and made himself at home. It scared her to think that she felt this way about him, but she couldn't deny it anymore. He had her heart, and there was no getting back. It was firmly held in his hands, and he could break her without a second thought. 

As much as she knew she should put distance between them, she couldn’t bring herself to do that. He made her feel alive. Wanted. And she would rather die than give that up. 

Welcome to the new age part 14

Watching through the screens how people got shot was shocking. Sure, the games were all about survival, and death was inevitable in this world. But she hadn’t expected everyone to suddenly turn on one another so quickly. But that was the beauty of hearts games. It was meant to play with your mind, twist everything around you and break you down. Kill you in every way possible and see if you could make it out in the end. 

But this was another level that shouldn’t have happened. Logically, they would have talked it out. Tried to see if there was a way to get fingerprints off the knife and go from there. But with the change in leadership, it was all shoot first and don’t ask any questions. 

“We have to find the Witch.” She said, never once taking her eyes off the screen. Outside, people ran, and they were picked off one by one. No doubt her brother was on the roof, enjoying himself. And there she was, hiding from the chaos while people died, and the witch was still on the loose. Kuina leaned in to look at one of the screens, looking back at them. They all saw the movement in the morgue and seemed to have the same thought. 

“I’ll deal with Niragi.” Chishiya said, giving her hand one last squeeze before letting it go. She looked at him, worry crossing her features for a moment before nodding. “Kill the fucker if you have to.” she finally said, resigning herself to the fact that her brother was probably going to die. He nodded, Kuina mentioning she was headed to the morgue. That allowed her to find Arisu and get him in the game.  

Going their separate ways, she took off down the halls, checking rooms on her way. Every time she heard gunshots, she stopped, listening for the direction before moving on. Moving up a floor, she found Usagi, sighing in relief. 

“Have you found him?” Usagi asked, frowning when there was a nod. With more gunshots, they took off again, checking every room possible. Eventually they stumbled into one of the rooms to hide, finding a militant hiding in the bathroom. Usagi questioned him, finding out the floor Arisu was on. They took off again, and Asuna hoped Chishiya and Kuina were having better luck. She hoped they were safe and would get out of this alive.  

She felt the wind leave her lungs, the wall hitting her back. One of the militants had attacked her, a knee coming up to connect with her face. Looking up at Usagi, she nodded, letting her know to go on without her. Standing up, she moved away from the woman before her, smiling wide as she eyed the woman. 

“What. Still upset I beat up Niragi?” she asked, dodging a punch to the face. Catching the hand, she flipped the woman and threw her to the ground, stepping around her. “I see. You got a thing for him. Hate to say it, he probably doesn’t even remember your name. Or that he fucked you.” 

Asuna was goading the woman. As much as she wanted to get the fight done with and get back to Usagi, she wasn’t going to miss a chance to let off some steam. A kick to the woman’s side brought her back down to the ground, and then another kick to the face made the woman fall on her back. Asuna was smart. She wouldn’t turn her back on someone who wanted a fight, so she waited for the woman to get up. 

Grabbing her hair, she lifted her up, punching her face until her hands were bloody, satisfied that the other woman wouldn’t be moving for a while. Turning around, she hissed in pain, seeing that a knife had been stabbed into her leg. She had been so focused on knocking the woman out that she hadn’t noticed the pain. Groaning, she pulled the knife out, safely tucking it in her boot before tearing off the end of her shirt. Once it was wrapped around the wound, she continued on, stumbling through the hall. 

As time went on, she was found by Tata, who helped her back down to the lobby. Arisu of course tried to get everyone to listen to reason, earning Aguni’s ire. But it didn’t stop there. Arisu saw what Asuna saw. The pain Aguni held close to him, causing him to claim to be the witch. The larger man wanted to die so badly because of what he did to Hatter. And as Arisu was barely holding on from the beating, he endured, Ann came in. She showed the bullet, making sure everyone knew Hatter was murdered. More than that, Momoka killed herself and was the witch. 

Just as they put the body on the fire, it was announced that the game was cleared. Everyone let out a little breath, but it was short lived. Niragi came in, shirt tied around his head. He had been burned and she knew that it was Chishiya that had done that. She had helped him build the particular gadget that would have caused those kinds of burns and there was pride within her in the fact that she had caused her brother to look like that. But before Niragi could continue his murderous spree, Aguni charged him, carrying him into the fire that was engulfing the building.  

Leaning against the wall, Asuna waited, looking at the table to see the card. Just as everyone cleared out, she saw the two people she hoped would have made it. Limping over to them, she smiled, glad the game was over with, and they could leave like they planned. Chishiya put his arm over his shoulder as she held the card, smiling wide at him. 

“Well, now we just need the face cards.” She groaned, feeling her back spasm, her body finally registering the pain. With Kuina’s help, they carried her outside, sitting her down so Chishiya could look her over. Kuina would get her first and hopefully only chance to see the brand on her back, glancing at the blond who shook his head. 

“What happened to you?” he asked, examining her back to see a large bruise forming. She groaned as he touched her back, trying to sit up straight. 

“One of Niragi’s last bed mates decided to pick a fight with me. I guess she didn’t like that I ruined Niragi’s face.” She snarked back, finally laying back with help, glad for the cold ground beneath her. She glanced at the blond when he pulled the cloth off her leg, his face giving nothing away. He pulled something out of his pocket and got to work stitching her leg up. 

“Were you a doctor or something before this?” she asked, looking up at Kuina, giving her a reassuring smile.  

“Or something.” He answered, finishing his work. “Come on, we have one last thing to do.” Helping her up, they moved along, eventually ending up underground. They made it to a door that was left open, carefully going inside to find that it was empty. All that was left were bodies and so many questions. 

“Someone’s coming.” Asuna whispered, following them into the shadows. They watched, looking to see that it was Arisu and Usagi. Stepping out, Usagi seemed relieved to see Asuna okay. Chishiya revealed how he found the place, a map left in the pocket of one of the players from the tag game.  

“Now we just need the face cards.” As if on cue the screens above them turned on, and Asuna narrowed her eyes. She should have known Mira would have been one of the game masters. It made sense how she, someone who was so good at hearts games, knew about the tension at The Beach.  

She announced the next round of games, and dread settled between them. They had some time to rest, but it wasn’t enough. Asuna knew she would be hindered by her leg, but she would still fight as much as she could. If Mira wanted to ramp up the games, then she’d make sure that the former executive learned how resilient the group was. They would make it out of this alive and return home.  

Though a part of her didn’t want to go back to the life she had left behind, she felt she could do it if she had Chishiya by her side. As long as she had him, everything would be fine. 

Welcome to the new age Part 11

Arisu and Asuna had crossed paths a few times throughout their stay at the beach, but nothing major to really leave an impact. She watched as he defended Usagi in front of Niragi and Aguni, thinking he was stupid but brave. He seemed to care for the young girl, and that showed in his actions around her. Usagi seemed to care for him as well but was just as closed off as the rest of the people around.  

When an executive meeting had been called, she wasn’t shocked to see Arisu there. He was Hatters favorite at the moment, and that seemed to work well for him; especially when it came to keeping Usagi safe from her brother. Sitting on the arm of Chishiya’s chair, she watched her brother’s eye twitch as he glared that them, Chishiya looking innocent as always. 

It went unnoticed by most that Chishiya had his hand on her leg under the table, but it seemed like Niragi noticed the position of the blond man’s arm and the faint blush on his sister’s cheek. Since the kiss on the roof, the two ended up sharing a bed for the night. It seemed like they couldn’t part from one another and so they decided to curl up in each other’s arms and sleep. 

Waking up next to Chishiya was different. She had grown used to sleeping alone and once the moment of panic faded, she realized the arms around her waist belonged to someone she was starting to care for deeply. She watched him sleep, noting how relaxed he seemed as he slept. The contraptions they had been working on were forgotten not long after they started working on them, finding they wanted to spend time together. 

Hatter droned on about the cards, explaining that the last one aside from the face cards was the 10 of hearts. Ann mentioned it was hard to pinpoint which arena would hold that card, much to Hatter’s annoyance. Leaning back slightly, Asuna sighed, turning her attention to the number one man. 

“Consider what Hearts games entail, and the fact that it happens to be a card no one in Borderland has ever come across, logic dictates that it would be somewhere least expected. Probably some place where there is already tension rising. If there is already tension, then anything the game masters have in mind will make things worse. It could make or break us.” She stated simply, the bored expression on her face never leaving. 

Everyone seemed to take this in for a moment before Niragi started to laugh, leaning against the table. His nose was taped up, but you could see the bruising forming under his eyes. “You think you’re so smart Asuna.” He sneered, leaning back in his seat with a scoff. Asuna shrugged, her hands in her lap, one hand resting on Chishiya’s. 

“Well, I am a doctor.” She stated simply, earning a side glance from Ann. “Phycology.” She added, earning a nod from the other woman. Aguni glanced at Niragi who had rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath. Chishiya had to cough to cover up the laugh that had started, looking away from everyone for a moment. 

Hatter sighed after a moment and stood up. “Either way, my visa is about to expire. I’ll have to participate in one of the games to extend it, and I hope it is the 10 of hearts.” He seemed so excited at the idea but failed to notice the shared looks between the three militants in the room. Glancing at Chishiya, Asuna frowned slightly before looking at Hatter.  

“I’ll go with you. If the game requires someone to die, better me than you.” Asuna said as she stood up, earning a glare from Niragi and Chishiya. Hatter simply laughed and walked over, putting his hands on her shoulders. 

“Do you have little faith in my abilities?” he asked, the smile wide on his face. He was a cocky man, and it seemed that the longer he stayed as number one, the further from reality he got.  

“I know you can pass any game. But think of everyone here at the beach. They need you to keep us safe and get us home. You gave them hope when Borderland took that away. These games are life and death, and we cannot afford for you to die.” She stated simply, feeling the glare burning into the side of her head.  

Hatter patted her shoulders before looking at Aguni. “I’ll have the head of the Militants with me. I’ll come back safe. Don’t you worry your little head.” Turning, he walked to the wall with the cards painted on it, looking over it. “Tomorrow night, I will attend a game.” He said finally, motioning the end of the meeting. 

Walking out of the room, she caught the look Chishiya gave her and knew she had to find Kuina. Whatever he had been planning, she was now part of it, and it was time to get everything in motion. Finding the tall woman was easy, motioning for her to follow. In Chishiya’s room, they saw that Arisu was there as well, all four of them sitting in various spots. 

“Aguni is going to make his move tomorrow night.” Asuna said simply, running her fingers through her hair. Kuina hung her head while Arisu seemed confused. “The militants have wanted power over The Beach for some time. Whatever bond between Hatter and Aguni has been the only thing keeping the peace, but that bond is breaking. They plan to kill Hatter tomorrow night and take control.” she added, seeing the realization cross his face. 

Chishiya sat down, hands clasped in front of him. “That means Usagi will no longer be safe.” He cut right to the chase, looking at Arisu. The one thing the hopeful man had cared about in this broken world was the key to getting him to agree to help. “If you want to keep her safe, we need your help.” 

Arisu thought for a moment before nodding his head. “What do I need to do?” he asked, a fire in his eyes once more. 

“We need to steal the cards from Hatter’s room and leave.”