Running
Arisu seemed uncomfortable.
Judging from the light inside the building, it had been around half an hour since Chishiya had found the sleeping man, and he still showed no signs of waking, much to his disappointment. Chishiya was tired,and he needed Arisu to wake up before he could sleep, to make sure he was ok. He was tossing and turning on the hard floor, shivering slightly in the night air and mumbling illegible phrases. Tears were still leaking slowly from his eyes, suggesting that his dream was far from pleasant. Also, the words he was muttering didn’t make an awful lot of sense, but Chishiya could tell they were frantic.
Something about a Karube?
Chishiya was not sure what to do with him.
Maybe he should try to make him more comfortable. Or wake him up.
However, due to him fainting, it seemed as though he needed as much sleep as possible. He would need it if they joined a game, as would Chishiya.
Chishiya decided to try and act on the first option.
But that was easier said than done. It wasn’t like there was a comfortable bed around the corner, or warm food. They had no resources or provisions with them.
What Chishiya did notice was that Arisu was wearing a thin white shirt, stained with mud and grime. There was a chill in the air, and Arisu must have been freezing since the clothing offered little to no warmth.
Well, that was one thing Chishiya could probably help with. Without a second thought, he shrugged off his jacket and tucked it gently around Arisu's sleeping form, carefully guiding his limp arms into the sleeves, as to not touch his bandaged arm. This seemed to help a little, as the man curled into the newfound warmth he let out a small sign and seemed to relax. He was properly asleep now, and hopefully a little more comfortable.
Chishiya allowed his gaze to fix on Arisu. Like before, it surprised Chishiya how different Arisu looked when he was asleep, anxiety didn’t radiate off him like it usually did. He couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to see Arisu like this all the time, to wake up to it in the morning. Usagi was a lucky girl.
That thought brought a rush of sadness to Chishiya, Usagi was the one who held his heart. And as soon as they regrouped, Arisu would leave him for her.
But why should he care? He shouldn't be feeling like this, he shouldn't want the younger man to stay with him, he didn’t deserve that. Arisu should have the best, which definitely wasn’t Chishiya.
He had never felt this much longing for someone before and he didn’t like it. Strange emotions tumbled around in his chest as he watched him. Chishiya had originally intended for Arisu to be a disposable pawn, along with Usagi, but Chishiya had somehow managed to get attached. Arisu simply cared too much, even after Chishiya had betrayed him at the beach, he still continued to look out for him, and keep him by his side.
“Are you alright, Chishiya?”
Chishiya thought back what Arisu had said earlier. The way Arisu had looked at him with such worry made butterflies flutter in his stomach. He couldn’t deny that the man had a strange effect on him, and it was bound to make him do something stupid.
Dammit.
Arisu woke again on the hard floor with a groan. He must have fainted again. How embarrassing.
But what had happened? He remembered waking up after their encounter with the kind of spades. He remember the pain in his arm, and plants?
He had been taken somewhere by Chishiya?
Oh.
He remembered.
He remembered waking up on his own, plagued by the memory of his friends.
Karube, Chota.
He was back there. Had it been a dream?
Burning panic seeped into his chest again as he struggled to sit up, realizing that he was still surrounded by the cruel foliage. In front of him was the handrail, Karube’s handrail.
He was still in the gardens.
Tears welled in his eyes as he struggled to pull himself together, he needed to get out, he needed to find Chishiya. He tried to move, but the fear had wound a slimy hand around his heart, paralysing him. Flashes of Karube's demise ran though his heat, elevating his heart rate and driving him into the ground. He could taste the phantom blood on his lip; feel it on his skin.
He needed to get away.
Arisu flung his arms around the closest thing possible, hopefully a tree or rock that he could anchor himself too, to calm down. Instead he was met with a very confused Chishiya, who he hadn't noticed sitting next to him. The older man had zoned out a bit waiting for Arisu to awake, and he hadn’t noticed Arisu stirring until he felt warm, panicked arms around his waist, and a fluffy head of hair under his chin.
...huh?
Arisu had gone from sleeping relatively peacefully next to Chishiya, to grabbing onto him like he was dying. Thick sobs were heaving from Arisu’s core and he was practically screaming with misery into Chishiya’s chest. Chishiya put a tentative arm around him, and held him as he cried. This was definitely worrying. Why was Arisu so worked up? Maybe it was the place they were in? Perhaps Arisu had played a game here at some point at particularly affected him.
Then it clicked.
Of course, the seven of hearts game. Usagi had explained it to him a few weeks prior, how Arisu had seen his best friends murdered right in front of him. And how Arisu had blamed himself for their death. His reaction had all made sense now, this must have been the venue where the game had been held.
Chishiya had noticed the empty look in Arisu’s eyes when he had first arrived at the beach. It was the look of someone who had lost everything to the games, someone who had no reason to carry on living.
The blonde cursed himself for taking Arisu here, he should have pushed himself to find a convenience store or something in the area. It would definitely helped with the gnawing hunger in his stomach.
Not the time Chishiya.
A few minutes went by and Arisu seemed to have calmed down a little, and he slowly unwound himself from Chishiya, the sense tricking back into his eyes.
“Sorry...” he whispered with a hoarse voice and wiped his eyes.
“I don’t know why I did that,”
He sounded so broken that all Chishiya wanted to do was pull him into another hug and shield him from the world. He resisted the urge however and pulled himself to his feet, swaying slightly from the numbness in his legs.
Arisu followed suite, his shoulders still trembling with emotion.
“We should leave, I saw a shop nearby, we can spend the rest of the night there.” Chishiya told the man softly. He would wait to confront him, he would wait until he was in the right mind to do so.
Arisu simply nodded, looking at the ground with shame. He had obviously had no control over his action, hugging Chishiya had been a natural reaction to the fear he was feeling.
This pleased the older man, knowing that he was someone Arisu could go to for comfort.
The duo made there way back to the gardens entrance as quickly as possible, with Arisu walking closely behind Chishiya, letting the shorter man lead the way. He looked a lot better now, and was breathing more easily, when the last of the tears had fallen. It looked as though a great weight had been lifted from the gamer’s shoulders, maybe his episode had helped him make peace with his past a little.
They slipped through the door and crouched behind a red car in the parking lot, Chishiya scanning the dark streets for the King with precision. He could be prowling anywhere in the night, waiting for an opportunity to strike. The shop that Chishiya had seen earlier was only on the other side of the street, if they ran they would get there practically instantaneously.
“We should make a break for it, are you ok to run?” Chishiya said in a hushed tone, his eyes flitting back to Arisu.
“Yea.”
Chishiya frowned slightly, his voice still sounded extremely hoarse giving Chishiya his simple answer, he must have torn it apart with his screaming. Face hardening, he captured Arisu’s hand in his own, entwining it like they had done earlier in the day. The raven haired boy didn’t complain, which brought a spark of hope to Chishiya's heart. This was quickly snuffed out by the gravity of the situation, Chishiya swallowed and checked their path again.
“Are you ready?”
Chishiya didn’t wait for an answer as he sprung to his feet, and began to run, with Arisu in tow.
They pelted across the small stretch of tarmac, the king was nowhere in sight. He could see the hazy outline of bodies lying on the street, victims who were too slow to live. They ran past.
Breathing heavily, they slipped inside the shop, which was luckily unlocked. The door slammed shut behind them and they were left in darkness.