Botanicle Gardens

The mid morning sun shone down on Chishiya as he exited the shop and made his way to the flashy sports car that their friends had arrived in. He could now see the chaos of the street, rubble and shattered glass lay beside the motionless bodies of the ex king’s victims. It was quite impressive that Ann had managed to manoeuvrer the car through it all. One stray shard of glass or metal, and the wheels would have been completely destroyed.

“Sorry guys, I know there isn’t much room. Who wants to sit in the front? “asked Ann, who had already claimed the driver's seat.

Kuina slid eagerly into the passenger seat, grinning slightly at the others misfortune. The car only had three seats in the back, Tatta, Chishiya, Usagi and Arisu would all be rather squished.

“Losers, you should have been faster.”

They all gave her a collective glare, with Arisu being the first to make his way into the car and buckle his seatbelt. He was completely silent as he budged as close as he could to the far corner.

“Ok, who wants to get in next?” Ann said, looking slightly annoyed at the time they were taking. She drummed her nails on the steering wheel as Kuina spoke.

“Chishiya should sit next to Arisu-” She started, but was cut off by the brooding figure.

“No.” interrupted Arisu, poorly concealed anger swelling in his voice.

“Come on Tatta, you should sit next to me,”

He added, refusing to look anyone in the eye. His hands were clasped in his lap, and Chishiya could see them trembling slightly. Tatta didn’t complain, he ducked inside the car and sat next to Arisu hesitantly, after casting the group a confused look, sending a flash of pity in Chishiya’s direction.

Usagi came after Tatta, and then Chishiya. It was a very tight fit, and uncomfortable, but they managed to make it work. The car began to move, their plan was to follow the king of club’s blimp, and make camp in the area before they faced him.

Chishiya looked out at the passing scenery as they drove, with Usagi’s elbow digging rather painfully into his side. Every so often the car would jolt to the side as Ann struggled to avoid obstacles in the road, which sent jarring shudders through his aching body. Raising a hand to his temple, he scowled, he could feel a headache coming already.

God, he hated the morning.

Luckily for Chishiya, he was no longer cold, his jacket ensured that, but there was definitely something wrong with him. A strange feeling was swirling in his core, it was unpleasant, and it hurt.

...Why did it hurt?

He thought back to Arisu, the pure anger in the taller man's eyes had made him feel this way, his biting words were like a knife in his chest. Chishiya should have known Arisu’s fondness towards him would shatter the moment Usagi entered the equation, no one could tolerate being close to Chishiya for long. Moments like this had happened before, when he had been in school. The few friends he had managed to gain all ended up turning on him, hating him. But it had never hurt this much before.

Chishiya had felt hope with Arisu, when the man had trusted him, when he had fallen asleep in his arms. But, as Chishiya knew all too well, hope was a deadly thing, and it always ended up stabbing him in the back.
He adjusted his position slightly, trying not to pay attention to the silent tension in the car. He couldn’t really see the people around him from his angle, but he could hear Usagi's quiet sniffles next to him. He could hear Arisu’s shaky breathing, and he could see the concerned expression on Kuina’s face, from the reflection in the window.

Chishiya wasn’t dumb, he knew Arisu and Usagi had had a fight, he had heard her shouting, although he hadn’t been able to catch the words exchanged. They had clearly heavily affected Arisu though, caused him to lash out. Maybe it was for the best that their connection had been severed, caring for anyone other than himself made Chishiya weak, it would put him in danger. But still, the horrible feeling continued to gnaw at him, the thought of Arisu never talking to him, never touching him again, hurt.

And it hurt a lot.

He had heard the anger in the younger man's voice when Kuina suggested they sit together, the resentment for him was evident.

But what had Usagi said to work him up so badly, and how did Chishiya have anything to do with it? For one of the first times in his life, Chishiya was completely baffled. Usagi’s tears had been obvious, despite her effort to cover them, it must have been a touchy subject for them both. The car suddenly swerved to the right, causing Chishiya’s head to hit the window with a loud thump, which definitely didn’t help his ongoing headache.

Today really wasn’t his day.

Arisu knew he had messed up.

The blonde man had done so much for him, he had saved his life, and even trusted Arisu enough to tell him his history, which was no small deal. And Arisu had betrayed him. He had just been so angry after Usagi, and it had been easy to snap at Chishiya. The guilt was tearing at his stomach as he stared out of the window, how could he possible regain the level of trust that they had built?
The truth was, Arisu’s feelings scared him. He knew now that he might actually feel something towards different towards Chishiya, and hearing Usagi accuse him of it made him afraid, and angry. It worried him how easily he could picture being with Chishiya forever, caring for the man.

Was he really that easy to read? He continued to sulk in silence for the remainder to the car journey, completely lost in his thoughts.

Arisu didn’t notice the car stopping until he felt Tatta prodding his side, urging to follow him out. Arisu did so, his arm stinging painfully, and looked where they had stopped. They were parked in the entrance of a large warehouse, the King of Clubs blimp was visible in the distance. It's metal body was simmering brightly in the sun, with the giant kings face peering out from the massive playing card. No matter how menacing the sight was, Arsu could not deny that it was also magnificent. It lived up to its title of king.

It was about midday, and the warehouse was lit with dirty windows in it’s roof. It didn’t look very comfortable, but it would have to do. They had brought with them all the leftover food and water that they could scavenge from the shop, enough for a small lunch, but it would not last long.

Arisu followed the group as they made their way inside, a slight chill hitting him as he passed into the shade. They settled as well as they could beside a crumbling wall, and ate their meagre provisions, Kuina and Tatta chatting away to each other. Something about a TV show they had both watched, but Arisu wasn’t really paying attention.

After a while Kuina stretched and jumped to her feet, pulling Chishiya with her as she went. She was still wearing her blue bikini from the beach, but she had also adopted some comfortable jeans. Arisu thought they suited her.

“Chishiya and I are going to see if we can find any more food for us, we drove past some promising looking shops earlier.” she said, a strange look on her face. Anger? No, it was softer.

“Don’t go too far.” Ann said, she looked like she was about to sleep for a bit, her tired eyes were closed as she rested her body against the wall.

“We don’t know if there are any dangers around here.”

Kuina nodded in her direction, her face turning a curious shade of pink, she didn’t realize that Ann couldn’t see her, and dragged a grumpy looking Chishiya through the warehouse's entrance. He stumbled slightly as he tried to match her fast pace, their very obvious height difference causing a laugh to bubble in Arisu’s throat, which he quickly swallowed down.

“I think I’m going to go out too.” Arisu said, about ten minutes later.

“We need warmer clothes, and some blankets.”

He didn’t actually care about supplies, but the thick atmosphere was killing him. Ann was asleep now, Usagi was raging silently, and Tatta looked like he was about to cry after Usagi had glared at him. He had been trying to start a conversation about cars, and Usagi really wasn’t having it. Arisu needed to escape, to gather his thoughts.

“Please take me with you-” Tatta started desperately , but Arisu had already gone. He loved Tatta, but he needed to be alone right now. Although he did feel guilty for leaving him alone with Usagi, in her current state. Tatta would have to manage for a bit until he came back.

It was true that there were some shops near the warehouse, Arisu wandered towards a clothing shop with his hands in his pockets. He pushed open the door, and the bell jingled ominously. The area looked practically untouched, the borderlands inhabitants must not have raided it yet. Rows of clothes stared at him, and Arisu began to pick some things out. They needed to be practical, and easy to run in , pockets were a good idea. He pulled out various pieces of sportswear, and some warm trousers for them all. A few shirts and jumpers joined the mix too, and several packs of socks.

The atmosphere was quite pleasant here, away from the group and their troubles, and Arisu felt himself savouring it as he grabbed some plastic bags from behind the counter. They weren’t massive, so he needed quite a few to fit his prizes into. He was ready to leave now, but he didn’t really want to. It almost felt like he was shopping back in the real world, despite the lack of people.After a bit of thought, he decided to stay for a while and try on a few new clothes, just to amuse himself. A pink t-shirt had caught his eye, he had an idea...

Kuina dragged Chishiya away from the warehouse without saying a word to him. Her grip on his arm was beginning to hurt, but he ignored it. He couldn’t tell what emotions were coursing through her, or what she was thinking, but it was fairly obvious that she didn’t just want to go shopping. Well, scavenging.

After a while the warehouse was out of view and Kuina stopped, turning to face him.

“Ok Chishiya, I want you to tell me exactly what's going one with you and Arisu. I can’t stand the tension between you two any more. First we find you guys cuddling, with Arisu wearing your jacket. It was cute, but definitely unexpected. But now you guys seem to hate each other again? Arisu was nearly crying in the car, Chishiya! Please, I want you guys to be ok, we are a team.”

Chishiya sighed, he should have expected something like this. Kuina was good at reading people's emotions, and too kind for her own good.

“Nothing's wrong Kuina, your just overthinking things. Arisu and I are fine.”
“Oh please, you can’t lie to me Chishiya. I know you too well. Now spill.” She narrowed her eyes at him, before softening them slightly.

“Please, Chishiya, I’m your friend, you can talk to me”

Well, he tried. Perhaps it would do him some good to get it off his chest, he knew he could trust her to keep it a secret. And she was quite scary when she was angry. He paused for a second, and Kuina waited patiently.

“I think I love him Kuina.” He said eventually, his voice quiet and unsure.
She made a small noise of understanding, and pulled the shorter man into a hug. It had been a long time since someone had hugged him like this, and a wave of emotion rushed to his heart. He felt warm, and safe, her embrace grounded him. For the first time in years he felt tears misting in his eyes, he couldn’t help it. His realisation just hurt so much, and it scared him.

“Arisu and Usagi had a fight, which made him angry with me. I don’t know what I did wrong Kuina, I don’t want him to hate me. I don’t want to lose him.” He added with a shaky voice.

Admitting it out loud made Chishiya understand the warm feeling he felt towards the gamer, the longing in his heart. But Arisu would never be his. Kuina continued to hold him as the tears multiplied and ran down his face, he was trembling slightly and his head still hurt. She was muttering soothing words to him, and one of her hands stroked his hair, a foreign but comforting feeling.

They stayed there until Chishiya calmed down, then began to walk back. She had not lectured him, or tried to give him stupid advice. She had just been there for him, which meant everything to Chishiya. He was truly blessed to know her.

Kuina was talking easily with him, with the weight off his chest he found himself smiling a little and laughing at her jokes.

Suddenly she stopped walking, and fell silent.

“No...fucking...way” she whispered, amazement laced into her voice. Chishiya followed her eyes, which were pointed to a clothing store to their right. The inside was dark, but Chishiya could see a figure moving inside.

“Is that...Arisu?” asked Chishiya, struggling to hold back a laugh.

The dark haired man was facing a mirror by the entrance, wearing a neon pink-t shirt, a pair of massive sunglasses (which were similar to Ann's, despite the bright green frame) and a pair of duck pyjama bottoms. He was laughing to himself as he did a little dance in the mirror, oblivious to the two pairs of eyes watching him. He must have found the clothes very amusing.

“He’s so weird... shall we go and say hi?” laughed Kuina, moving closer to the shops glass door.

“Hey!Arisu!” She shouted, and knocked on the door.

Chishiya watched as Arisu went deathly still, his head turning towards the door like he was in a horror movie. He looked absolutely mortified, and his face went a strange shade of red, mixed with a bit of purple. Kuina had to support herself on the doorway as she howled with laughter, his expression had killed her. Chishiya was trying his hardest not to chuckle a bit, but he failed. Arisu just looked so stupid.

“Shut up!” The gamer spluttered, ducking behind a clothing rack to change into something more suitable. Kuina had given up standing, she was crouched wheezing on the floor, tears of laughter dripping down her chin. It was the funniest thing she had seen in years.

“I wish I had a camera right now,” She managed to say, before bursting into another fit of giggles.
Arisu strode out from behind the rack, he was wearing a new, thicker shirt and black cargo trousers. His face was still burning, and he looked like he wanted to die. The gamer grabbed several bags that were laying by the shop door, before addressing the pair.

“You will speak of this to no one.” He said dangerously. Kuina was standing again, trying, and failing, to keep a straight face.

“Of course” She giggled, and then added:

“Come on, we should get back to the others.”

The trio began to walk in comfortable silence, Kuina and Chishiya had taken some of the bags off Arisu.

“By the way Arisu...” said Chishiya quietly, addressing him for the first time. Arisu met his eyes hesitantly. They were full of guilt, and fear of what Chishiya was about to say.

“Pink really isn’t your colour.”

Arisu turned red again, and hit Chishiya on the arm with his free hand. The three friends laughed together, and Chishiya couldn’t help but hope. Hope that they would be ok.