Botanicle Gardens

Tatta was dead.

Those words seemed unreal to Arisu, as he stared at the pathetic excuse for a grave they had created. Just a mound, with a stick with Tatta's hat resting above it. Their friend deserved so much more than this.

Grief was a funny feeling to experience.

Sometimes, like when he had lost Karube and Chota, all Arisu could do was cry, and scream, and curse God for letting him live on. He had experienced so many different emotions, so much rage, which were all then swallowed by the desperate desire to die. He had laid in that street for days, until Usagi found him, willing for himself to just wither away, and cease to exist.

But with Tatta, it felt so much different. Not a single tear had managed to make it's way out of Arisu's eyes, and all he could feel was emptiness as he watched their group begin to walk away, away from their buried companion. He should be crying, he knew he was supposed to be feeling anything other than... disappointment.

That's right.

Instead of mourning the loss of his friend with tears and sadness, like he should be doing, he merely felt disappointed and enraged that he had not done better.

During the game, when he had left Tatta, in a pool of his own strikingly crimson blood, to confront Kyuma, he had felt optimism. He had been certain they would be alright. That once he brought Tatta too Chishiya, then he would have gotten better. That's what doctors were for, right?

But he had been wrong. Arisu had been too late, unable to find Chishiya in time. And for that, Tatta had paid the ultimate price. It was his fault.

It was always his fault.

If he had been faster, done it better, been a better leader, then perhaps Tatta would have left with them, and they could celebrate their victory with happiness, as a group. But he hadn't, and now they were leaving without him.

It was hard to comprehend that he would never see his friend again, with his contagious sunny smile. Never hear him speak, or feel his comforting presence in the room with them. Tatta's bright personality had always cheered him up, and he could really use it right now .

But he couldn't have it, and he would never have it again.

Arisu was dimly aware of a gentle hand resting on his shoulder, leading him back to the car.

Kuina.

She was crying gently, but she still kept her composure.

The gamer looked to the people around him, all of whom showed similar states of sadness. There was Ann, trying to hide her face as tears steamed from her eyes, looking angry at herself, and the world.

She had been an impeccable player in the game, finding objects and winning battles with Kuina quickly, but she still blamed herself. They hadn't truly won, not without their teammate with them. Kuina moved from Arisu's side to wrap her into a hug, and the pair clambered into the back of the car together, unable to face the others.

Usagi followed them into the back after a moment. She was trying her best not to show weakness, but her trembling hands gave her away.

Arisu knew she had done everything she could.

But did she know that?

Arisu thought back to Tatta and Usagi's newly formed friendship, their small conversations that had meant so much to her. Tatta had been there when she was fighting with Arisu, and she had never really showed her appreciation for him.

But it was too late now, and she never would get too.

A development that should have surprised Arisu however, was Niragi.

The burnt shell of a man had played amazingly well with the group, working as if he has been part of their team forever. It had been a welcome change to his previously trigger happy personality, it seemed as if he truly regretted following Aguni's every word. Arisu had been proud of the smile that had blossomed on the man's face when he made small victory's, working with Usagi and the others. He had however, half expected Niragi to try and pull something when he was alone with the climber, and he had been hesitant to leave the two, but he had kept his hands to himself.

Maybe he was not such a despicable character after all. Arisu had been curious about him during his time at the beach. It was obvious that the man's mental state was extremely fragile, and had been manipulated by Hatter, Aguni and the militants. He had been transformed into the perfect attack dog for them, just a weapon to be used, and disposed of if necessary. If he had spiraled out of their control.

But had that been what he had wanted? Maybe not.

Either way, he was with them now. Hopefully his apparent redemption would remain intact, as he was a good player, a useful asset to join them. The man was smarter than he looked, and a good puzzle solver.

Niragi looked slightly hesitant as he approached the flashy car, carefully sliding next to Usagi in the backseat. The man seemed tentative to  be too close to them all, but he would have to manage for now. Maybe Chishiya could look at his burns when they got back to camp.

The shorter man was the only person other than Arisu waiting to get into the car now, and he cast the gamer a quick look. He was not visibly mourning, but Arisu could tell he was experiencing grief.

The sad thing about the man, was that instead of expressing his feelings like normal, he covered them with a layer of sarcasm and made it seem like he didn't care. A strange coping mechanism, and a harmful one. He was similar to Arisu in a way, he was only doing harm to himself by bottling up his emotions.

"Shall I drive?"

"...yea, thanks."

Arisu made his way to the passenger seat as Chishiya started the engine, and none of the group said a word. They hadn't discussed it, but he assumed they would make their way back to the warehouse. They knew it was safe, and an ok area to sleep in, despite the cold.

Him and his friends needed some time to grieve, and decide what to do next. They needed sleep, and food. Arisu shuddered involuntarily at the thought of more soup, and vowed to do a food run when he got back, and find something actually edible. Maybe he should take Niragi with him, and sort out some ground rules.

Arisu still didn't trust him, no matter how sorry he seemed. Murderous intentions usually didn't evaporate overnight, he could be planning something. But he didn't have to energy to be overly suspicious right now.
Just focus on the drive, he told himself.

It was nearly dusk when they pulled into the warehouse's vast interior, stumbling out of the car with haste. Arisu looked around, it was exactly as they had left it. That was good,if anything.

"Guys, I'll go out and find something for us to eat. Niragi, will you come with me?"

The rest of the group nodded, whilst Niragi looked torn between being worried, and pleased at Arisu's offer. It was obvious he wasn't sure what to expect. He followed Arisu hesitantly, as he began to make his way back outside, after grabbing two of the clothes bags, which he would hopefully use to carry their bounty. If they found anything.

"Wait!"

Chishiya voice rang out behind the pair, and Arisu turned with curiosity. Was he ok? His tone was slightly confusing, and Arisu could quite identify the emotion laced into it.

They locked eyes, and Arisu was surprised to see the slight concern nestled in their dark expanse.

Oh.

He must be worried about Arisu being alone with Niragi, which was honestly fair enough. He was certainly unpredictable, and dangerous.

"I'll come with you guys. Wouldn't want you to get lost"

The older man tried to make his voice seem nonchalant, but the slight desperation was obvious to him. Arisu gave him an empty smile, as he sauntered up to the pair, hands in his pockets. Niragi looked slightly scared of the man who was now next to him, it was him who had burned him after all. They shared a moment of tense eye contact, before the trio began to walk.

The air was crisp around him, but Arisu couldn't bring himself to enjoy how it felt on his skin. It just seemed so meaningless.

He was unaware of the tense silence around him, too busy wrapped up in his own thoughts. Chishiya however, was experiencing it first hand. He and Niragi were walking side by side, with Chishiya in the middle. Every so often, one of them would send the other a small glare, and Chishiya felt bitter hated pooling in his gut.

The truth was, he really didn't understand why Arisu had decided to let the snake come with them. He had been blinded by Niragi's apparent change, and allowed him to slide close to the group. It was dangerous, and Chishiya found himself despising Arisu's kind heart.

No...

That wasn't true.

He really loved it,as it made Arisu who he was, but it really got in the way sometimes.

Chishiya was glad he had decided to accompany his friend however, he didn't want to give Niragi a chance to try anything, especially since Arisu was practically floating through life right now. He didn't look as if he cared what happened to him anymore, and the look in his eyes had burnt Chishiya like pure acid. How could one man make him feel so many different things?!

Tsk.

Emotions were difficult and annoying things.

If they had been alone, Chishiya would like to think they could have mourned properly together, offered each other as much comfort as possible. The man knew that Arisu had detected the sadness he had tried to lock away from sight, he had read him like an open book. Normally, being exposed like that would have brewed severe anxiety in his gut. He would have lashed out, to protect himself. But for some weird reason, he didn't mind at all that the taller man had seen through him. In fact, he was almost glad of it. Chishiya wished they were on their own to find food, where they could talk freely

But Niragi squashed that dream entirely with his stupid presence. God, he hated him so much right now. Arisu had obviously not seen him like Chishiya had, murdering innocent beach residents with glee. Even if he seemed calm now, the man was a ticking time bomb, a rabid animal, that would bring them all down the first chance he got.

Chishiya couldn't let that happen.

"Hey, let's look in there."

Chishiya winced slightly at how dull and monotone the gamer's voice sounded, before looking to the shop they had stopped in front of. It was an abandoned supermarket, and even though there was still daylight outside, it's interior was nearly pitch black. They would be able to see, but not well.

"Looks creepy." Niragi rasped, before a heavy cough doubled him over. The two waited rather awkwardly for him to finish, wiping the blood away from his mouth.

"My bad"

Chishiya couldn't help but roll his eyes slightly, and Arisu have him a small wack on his arm. Woops, he hadn't meant for him to see that.

"Let's just go in. Niragi, can you start from that side of the store, and Chishiya and I will take the other? Look for anything useful, food ,water or medical equipment."

The scarred man nodded as Arisu handed him a bag, before the trio stepped into the shop. It was not as dark as Chishiya had expected, he could see Arisu clearly next to him, his features striking in the dark.

He couldn't help but let his eyes linger in his face, and take note of how beautiful he really was. Wow, that was sappy. But true.

Arisu and Chishiya began to walk down the closest isle, while Niragi separated from them to the far end of the building. The shorter man was glad of his departure, and the wheezing breathing he took with him. It left the two of them alone as well.

" Do you think it's a good idea to let him go on his own?"

Arisu turned his head with a slight hum , and considered his answer before his replied.

"If he wanted to run he wouldn't have come in the car with us."

"That's not what I meant, he could find a weapon or something."

An amused snort made it's way out of Arisu's mouth, and Chishiya felt a small smile tweak at his lips. He wasn't quite sure what Arisu had found funny, but he was proud to have broken his depressed state, at least for a small while.

"Trust me, if he wanted to hurt us he would have picked up a brick or something. I saw plenty of sharp things as we walked. Besides, there's not really many things he could actually use here, it's mostly food."

"That's true, I just don't trust him to be on his own."

Arisu paused slightly, and sighed.

"You really hate him, don't you."

He sounded sad, and Chishiya regretted expressing his probably meaningless worries. But still, he needed Arisu to understand just how dangerous he was.

"You didn't know him for as long as I did. I know you like to see the best in people, but Niragi is unchangeable. He's an animal! Just because he is playing nice for now, doesn't mean he won't rip your throat out the first chance he gets."

Chishiya dropped his voice to a whisper, even though he could hear Niragi moving quite far away, it was for the best he didn't hear this conversation. His reaction would definitely be interesting.

"I..."

The gamer sounded like he was about to snap at him, but he stopped, and thought for a second. That was nice of him.

"I'm sorry, I should have made sure you were ok with him coming with us."

"If he-If he really makes you feel uncomfortable, then we can ask him to leave. It's not like we owe him anything anyway, and your feelings are much more important than his. I want you to feel safe, a team has to trust it's members...I just hoped he had changed. I wanted to give him a chance."

Well, that definitely surprised Chishiya. He wasn't used to being cared for like this, having someone take his feelings into account. To think that Arisu would set aside his nobel goals in order to make him feel safe, made something warm flutter in his stomach. He was really blessed to have someone like him with him.

"No, I think you are right to give him a chance. I just want to make sure you are careful around him. I don't mind him staying with our group, I just don't want him to hurt you- anyone."

Chishiya felt his face burn as he stumbled his words embarrassingly. This was supposed to be a serious conversation god dammit!

Arisu laughed at his mistake, getting over his previous sincerity.

"Aww, is Mr Serious worried about me?"

"Shut it"

Even though he was currently burning with embarrassment, he allowed an easy smile to spread across his face. It seemed Arisu has forgotten his grief, well, at least a small amount of it for the time being. And he should make the most of that.

"Hey Chishiya?"

"Yea?"

"Can you read this label for me please? I can't quite see it."

The dark haired man held out a package of something to him, and Chishiya squinted in the gloom, slowly making out the words and conveying them to Arisu. He made a sound of satisfaction, and placed it into the bag he held in his right hand.

They continued like this for several minutes, placing multiple packaged foods and a few drinks into their growing collection. None of it looked overly appetising, but it was certainly better than the soup from yesterday. Ew, he didn't need to remember that.

"I think we have all we need here, let's wait for Niragi to finish. I could do with a quick sit down anyway."

Arisu said, making his way to sit by the shop's far wall. There was a thin layer of rubbish which Chishiya ignored as he sat as well, facing the dark haired man. Now then. What to say?

"