"It is Hearts."
Chishiya should have known that this woman is too stubborn to let him take the risk alone. Just why would she suffer like this, maybe even take the risk of dying simply to tell him something he already knows?
Of course it is Hearts. It has been a wild guess since Chishiya figured out the sequence, but the King himself confirmed it to him just before his sacrifice. And when she tried to convince him to not rely on his calculations as well, there was not a single doubt left.
It's not only her fault though. Chishiya shouldn't have expected her to think it through the way he did. She is no Diamonds player after all, and this is no Diamonds game. She cared too much about him to reconsider her own life, and she was ready to sacrifice herself so he could live. Not that it'd be of much use if the King has said the truth and they both need to stay alive to win the game.
A game that turned out to be more amusing than Chishiya would have thought, and he would have even been able to enjoy it if someone else had been placed on that chair. It is something he doesn't like to admit, but he has grown fond of the woman inside the other room.
Which becomes clear once more when she is being electrocuted for one last time, as Chishiya automatically turns his eyes back to the camera at the sound of her pained screams. He doesn't care for the suffering of others, because there's no need to. Those people usually cause their own misery, or they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time – either way, it's none of his business. And yet his fingers twitch at the aching voice of hers, and the next breath doesn't fill his lungs as easily.
The knob of the Hearts door is still sticky from the King's touch, and the moment Chishiya turns it around, the screams stop all of a sudden. There is no rattled breathing, no sobs or whimpers.
Just silence.
There is a chance that cameras and audio have been turned off because he is about to leave the entrance hall. It doesn't have to mean that she's dead, because if she was, he'd be killed as well.
Then why are his lungs having such a hard time to fill with air?
The Hearts room is still filled with a metallic scent, and Chishiya can't help but wonder how the King has died. Dark red spots cover the likewise red carpet, but there is no sign of the corpse and thus no reason to remain inside this room longer than necessary.
An almost empty room greets him on the other side, built exactly like the entrance just without a food table in the middle. Only a huddled body is lying in the corner, mostly covered by a blood-stained jacket, even though the blood has to be quite old already. It's the girl that has been remarkably clever yet foolish enough to eat those fruits.
It seems that the King didn't lie with anything he said. He had spoken the truth about the last door as well as the fate of this girl, so there would have been no reason for him to lie about the last shock, and Chishiya almost finds this thought confirmed as he turns to the left.
Past the Diamonds and Spades doors, another door has been opened to the surveillance room where the other surviving players have gathered. They barely pay him any attention as he steps into the darkness, only lit up by the other room now that the monitors have shut down. And there she is.
The only reason Chishiya knows for sure that she is still breathing is because the rest of them is too. Her body has slumped off the chair and is now curled together in an unhealthy position on the ground, covered in wires that mostly lead to the electric chair itself. Her wrists are brightly red, with blood seeping through microscopic wounds all around them, and blood is covering her mouth as well. She has most likely bitten her tongue during the shock, and the colorful liquid sticks out almost painfully against the white skin.
Too white.
Yet there are no signs of pain written on her face. If it wasn't for the blood, she could as well have just been sleeping, dreaming one of those stupid dreams that often make her smile during the nights. Chishiya has watched her more than once while he himself couldn't fall asleep, how her face was just lit up by moonlight and how she'd suddenly start to smile and murmur something he couldn't understand.
It has been a sight that, for some reason, managed to calm him down and ease his thoughts, but right now there is nothing soothing about her condition, in fact it is more than questionable.
The treacherous peace in her features while her body is bleeding and most likely severely hurt. Chishiya has seen this dozens of times already in the hospital he has worked in: she is about to give up.
And if she does, all of them will be killed.
Not that he'd care too much about his own life. It won't be such a big deal if he dies, and he couldn't care less about the other people lurking around her helpless figure. But somehow, Chishiya doesn't want her to die.
He didn't save her from the King of Spades just to have her succumb to death here now.
Chishiya kneels down right next to her and feels her pulse. It is weak, barely noticeable against his fingers, and it's slowing down. She is, in fact, dying.
And there is nothing he can do against it. Death is such a fascinating thing, because it's unpredictable. Chishiya has seen many people die even though their bodies were still functioning properly, where no medical equipment would help to bring them back as soon as they had given in to death, and he had seen other patients coming back to life even though it should have been impossible.
All the time, there had been relatives holing their hands, kissing their faces, crying and pleading for them to stay. Chishiya had witnessed so many pathetic confessions, false promises and what not in those last moments, and it had always felt ludicrous. When you have been living a lie all your life, why confess it in the moment of death? Why not take it into the grave with you?
But now that he is looking into this face, calm and peaceful as if she is just sleeping while her chest moves less and less with every breath, he understands why all those people did that. Because suddenly he feels the need to talk to her, which is completely feeble-minded. Ridiculous.
Even more because he doesn't know what he could tell her. That she is stupid? That she could have saved them both this drama if she had simply listened to him?
His hand moves to her forehead to strike a strand of hair out of her face. Her skin is covered in cold sweat, and it's not hard to imagine the pain she has been going through. Chishiya heard the screams, after all.
It doesn't feel right for her to die just like this, to leave without the slightest struggle, because she is a fighter. Stubborn, naïve – yes. Thinking with her heart instead of her brain – true, most of the time. Impulsive? Definitely.
But a fighter nonetheless.
If there is something Chishiya wants to tell her, than it is to come back and fight. To be stubborn enough to resist death.
"Stay."
He doesn't expect anything to happen, and of course there is no miracle. The players behind him are arguing heavily about how they are supposed to stay alive if she dies, and the truth couldn't be simpler. They can't.
And as his hand drops down to feel her pulse once more, he is there just in time to witness how her chest moves up one last time, and how one last pulse runs through her veins.
Then it stops.
Chishiya slowly retreats his hand and leans back on his heels. There was no last fight. How disappointing.
He should probably be scared of his own death that is now to come, but in fact he feels nothing. A hollow shell, turned completely cold the moment she stopped breathing. As if she has been the one giving him warmth… what a ridiculous thought.
Chishiya doesn't believe in god, or in fairy tales. He doesn't believe in miracles.
And yet nothing but a miracle happens the moment her whole body gives a jerk and she lets out a scream.
It's a weak noise, breathed and trembling, but it's almost like music.
Her eyes open wide, and they stare straightforward with panic and ache, disorientated as if she can't see anything. So many times have those eyes watched him, fascinated and mesmerized, and right now Chishiya just feels the same. They should be dull and lifeless, but they're the exact opposite – they're sparkling with life.
She is alive.
The moment Chishiya realizes she still isn't breathing, the man wearing a suit and a side cut steps forward and gives her a clout right into her face. Chishiya's hand automatically raises to the direction of his face, but someone else has taken that part already.
"Heavenly Lord, there was no need to slap her in the face!" It's the aged woman who only got here to take revenge, and she has pulled the man by his hair and is now dragging him away from her.
"But it help-OUCH!" Chishiya witnesses out of the corner of his eye how the old woman knees the punky-looking guy in the groin, and an acknowledging smirk appears on his face since he wouldn't have given someone like her credit for such a move.
There is no time to care about the fact that this guy just beat his companion, because her eyes are focusing more and more and it seems she finally returned to the world of the living. The old lady notices too and immediately squeezes past him to engulf the younger woman in a tight hug – too tight, according to the weak sounds of protest.
"Dear god, you made it! I prayed to the Lord that you'd wake up, and here you are."
Chishiya doubts that this is the fault of any god, and his brows turn into a deep frown as she starts to cough, a rattling and pained sound that is followed by blood spilling out of her mouth. The old one is shoved aside and Chishiya grabs her shoulders to raise up her upper body. Through the touch, he can feel how much effort it takes her to fill her lungs, and her eyes still don't focus.
"Careful. Breathing should be easier now."
There is movement in her eyes, as if she recognizes his voice and searches for the source now.
"Ch… Chishiya…"
While he doesn't like the weak sound of her voice, it is good as long as she says something because it means she is alive. A pained groan escapes her mouth when she fully sits up, and another bloody cough follows before her breath seems to find a rhythm.
Chishiya keeps his eyes on her lips to see if more blood comes out, but that doesn't seem to be the case. If her lungs had been injured, there'd be nothing he could do. She would just suffocate through her own blood, but there doesn't come more.
She raises her hand, trembling and insecure, and Chishiya takes it with both his hands. It's not unusual for her to have cold hands, but they have never been this cold before, although this isn't surprising considering what her body has just went through.
While her eyesight slowly seems to return, Chishiya remains in his position, holding her hand as well as her gaze. This is the moment were people in the hospital would tell the patients that everything is going to be alright, that the pain will soon come to an end and that there is nothing to be afraid of anymore.
Chishiya says nothing like that, and she doesn't need him to. The touch of his hand is enough for her to understand, and soon enough she has regained enough strength to look around the room.
The punky man has retreated back to the door, probably bringing as much distance between him and the grandma as possible. "We're five people now, aren't we? Shouldn't this damned game let us out now?"
"Maybe we have to get her out of the monitoring room first?"
While he doesn't care whoever said this, it could be the truth. And Chishiya wouldn't be surprised if there was some kind of time limit once the last person left the entrance, so he lets go off her hand and instead grabs hold of her shoulders again. "You need to get up."
Her voice is filled with doubt and fear when she answers. "Don't think I can…"
You have to. Prove that you are indeed a fighter.
"Let me help with that!" Together with the elderly woman, Chishiya manages to get her out of the dim room and into the brightly lit hall with the white walls and doors. He can clearly see the discomfort she feels upon the sudden change of light, but then she catches sight of the corpse in the corner.
CONGRATULATIONS, GAME CLEAR!
Chishiya will probably never understand how she always manages to get attached to people who will die soon after. But luckily for them, it wasn't the King this time.
He can feel the shifting of her body as she tries to avoid looking towards the girl while the other players one by one leave the game area. The only one to turn around once more is the grandma, and Chishiya already smirks in expectation of the blessing she will most likely give him once more.
When a wrinkled hand is placed upon his shoulder, he feels the strong urge to push it away, but he swallows it down because it would have hurt the woman still steadying herself on his other side.
"God sent you to me so I could revenge my friends, and now they can finally rest in peace. Blessings to you, my friends. May you stay lucky until the end of this nightmare."
Chishiya watches her leave, but it's a blessing she could as well have saved for someone else. There is no god, and even if there was one, Chishiya would be the last one to achieve a blessing. Not that he cares about that the slightest.
The woman next to him takes a step forward, and Chishiya adjusts his arm around her so she won't fall over.
"She shouldn't have died. Those damned fruits…"
"It's a shame. She was quite clever." And he means it. Not only had she been the only one to understand when he explained the sequence, but she had been able to make those calculations herself afterwards to figure out what door she had to go through.
A sudden weight pulls down his arm, and Chishiya reacts just quickly enough to catch her before her legs collapse next to him. With the heavy trembling, she won't be able to walk, and Chishiya realizes that it won't be enough to just support her.
He lifts her up with a sigh, a movement that causes her another wave of pain concluding by her muffled groans. But it will be better than walking herself, and the way back to the caravan won't be too long.
"I want to go home…"
The way she snuggles her face into the crook of his neck feels so familiar, and Chishiya can smell the shampoo they both use. Home. The caravan isn't his home, neither should it be hers. It's just a place where they both came to spent the last days, and they will probably spend the next days there as well until all games are cleared.
His home is in a different Tokyo, in a different world. Home is the apartment he has, the address printed on his ID. It is a fact Chishiya has never questioned before. But returning to this apartment from a long shift or classes in university has never felt as rightful as returning to the caravan feels now.
And as Chishiya watches the body he is carrying, still pale but not unhealthy white anymore, and with the warmth slowly returning to her limbs, he realizes that home doesn't have to be defined just by a place or an address.
"Yes. Let's go home."