Chapter 1
She could feel her body shut down, her vision was getting blurrier by the seconds and breathing was near impossible.
She knew it was a miracle to even be able to feel all of this considering the number of times she had been shot.
She should know, death was her area of expertise.
Most people would be terrified by death, but not An Rizuna. To her it was the natural continuation of life. Nothing more, nothing less.
Everyone dies, and her time had come.
It was a shame she would not be there to witness the end of it all. She knew Arisu would be able to defeat the Queen of heart and save whoever was left to save after the final show of the King of spades. He had proven time and time again his skills when it came to these games.
At least, she did not have to die alone. Kuina was by her side.
In their world, both girls would have passed each other without a second glance.
They were so different…
But this place had managed to bring people from different horizons closer, and she was thankful for that. Kuina had become a precious ally throughout the games, she was full of surprises, strong, and way smarter than people gave her credits for.
She would have never admitted it out loud or even dared to think too much about it, but it did not matter now… The truth was, if only one of them had to survive, she really hoped it was Kuina. Even if she never showed it, she always had a soft spot for her.
They could have been friends in another life…
Hopefully in their next…
“Stay with us ma’am !”, Ann heard from afar.
“We got a heartbeat !”
And it was dark again.
When she regained consciousness, the first thing she could feel was her head. It was without a doubt the worst headache she had ever had. Her biggest hangover was a joke compared to what she was experiencing.
She could feel a tube in her mouth, going down her throat. She could feel her entire body like she had been run over by a truck.
Or… Shot ?
Shot multiple times even.
…
She had been shot, she was sure of it.
With that thought, everything came back to her, the fireworks, the games, the cards… the deaths. So many deaths.
Her own death even.
If she were really dead, why was she in so much pain ? Wasn’t death supposed to be an 'eternal rest' or whatever ?
And if she was not dead… Then where was she ?
She finally decided to try and open her eyes. They felt heavy, like an anchor.
White was the first thing she saw. Everything was so white, and so bright. Too bright. It took some time to adjust but she managed eventually.
There was no doubt, she was in a hospital room. In bed. Under a lot of covers, but somehow she was still freezing. She could hear the noise of the machines she seemed to be plugged to. It explained the tube that made her throat so sore.
Clearly, she had left the Borderland. But was it her world ? The one she came from ? Was she really alive, after everything ?
The door at the end of her room suddenly opened and there stood a young woman, younger than her, with a shocked expression on her face. “ You’re awake ? Oh my god, I have to go find the doctor !”. And before she could give Ann more explanations, the woman who seemed to be a nurse was gone.
After a few minutes, the doctor finally came. He was an older man with bags under his eyes. He explained to her what had happened, the meteorite, her clinical death, the extent of her injuries… Everything.
She had been in a critical state for a few days, and underwent 3 surgeries in the span of a week.
They repeated multiple times how ‘it was a miracle that she was still alive’. They also removed the respirator as she seemed to be able to breath on her own now.
All she cared about though, was that she had made it. The nightmare was over… At least the Borderland one.
Kuina was still limping from her injuries, and the pain in her stomach was still there. Although it did not matter. She was used to pain. She could handle it.
She still had one night left at the hospital and then life would go back to normal. Well… Almost.
Her parents had offered to take her in while she searched for a new apartment. Hers had been completely destroyed by the meteorite. It felt weird to know she would be sleeping in her old room tomorrow night.
She was not really comfortable with it but she did not have any close friends, or much money… Besides, her mother had insisted and she could not say no to her. She knew the woman would probably spend more time at the hospital than at home, though.
Her father had been uncharacteristically warm to her, in his own way. She was not used to this. But he had seemed to come to terms with her identity. She knew asking for an apology would be pointless though, he never apologized for anything and he would not start now. Still, she appreciated his efforts. And she really needed that bedroom too…
It was almost 2 p.m, and she decided to take her usual stroll around the hospital.
She already knew the vicinity because of her mother but since the accident, the place had been filled with people. She had made a habit to go on an afternoon walk, both to exercise, per the doctor’s request, and to observe.
Hospital life could be really boring for her, and she had stopped smoking so she needed a distraction, everyone would in her situation.
Her new hobby was observing people. Trying to guess their stories.
Every day she would find herself on the same path.
First, she would walk down the corridors of her floor, the second one, and take the elevator to the cafeteria for a snack. There, she would often find a white haired man on his own in the back corner of the room. He, too, seemed to like observing people. Kuina could tell he was smart. He seemed calm and composed. Everything she was not. And yet ? She could not help but think they could have been great friends in another life. Maybe they could share these biscuits he seemed to enjoy so much.
On her way to the third floor, she looked by the window and saw a couple. At least she thought they were one.
On her first days here she kept seeing the petite woman alone. She seemed lonely… Empty even. A feeling Kuina knew too well. But 3 days ago, that boy started to tag along with her and ever since he did, the girl smiled. If they were not already a couple, she thought they would make a cute one.
Finally, she arrived on the third floor. Only patients in critical conditions stayed there. She only included that floor on her itinerary about 4 days ago.
Ever since she saw her.