Pain. There has never been so much of it in Chishiya's life. But then again, he has never been shot before, so it's only natural, right?

Within the blink of an eye, a single bullet has set his whole shoulder on fire, knocking him off his feet and hurling him across the street. He doesn't notice the rain soaking his clothes and running into his eyes, since the searing flames quickly spread all over his arm and chest. How annoying!

Only slowly, the other senses return. Chishiya blinks against the rain and waits for the rushing noise in his ears to ebb down, only to hear a familiar laughter, a voice that definitely doesn't belong to Arisu. A third player has joined their little party, and there is just one in all of the Borderlands who will shoot precisely enough not to kill him and then laugh like a maniac.

Niragi.

It's obvious that the former Militant didn't plan to kill him. If Chishiya was intended to die, the bullet would have struck his heart or head instead and not his shoulder. The left one on top of that, where it is still a huge bother but won't disable his main arm. Niragi wants a fight. He wants to end the never ending strife between the two of them, maybe three if Arisu is counted as a real part and not just an appendage.

"I'm so happy we meet again!" shouts the Militant and another shot follows, but no new pain erupts in Chishiya's body. Arisu pants and seems to scramble across the floor, and Chishiya can see out of the corner of his eye that the clever boy is hiding behind one of the many cars covering the street. If only the pain wasn't so strong… makes it much harder to focus.

"What are you up to? Why the hell did you shoot Chishiya?!"

So naïve, after everything that happened. Just like his stubborn. How convenient that she ran away, because she will be spared the chaos like this. The least thing Chishiya wants is to see her shot by Niragi. She has nothing to do with all of this. Even if it means that he will most likely never see her again… she'll be safe.

"Should I have hugged him instead?" Niragi laughs with a rattling sound, and it is obvious that his health has seen much better days. Without proper treatment outside of the Borderlands he will die, but he wants to take other people with him. Sadistic asshole until the very end. "The three of us don't have that sort of relationship! Let's kill each other – that's the only possible thing the three of us could be doing!"

Chishiya coughs, a sudden wave of fresh blood sputtering across his lips when the sound turns into a dry chuckle. He must have bitten his tongue with the shot, since there is no internal damage that could have caused it. "You purposefully missed my vitals…" because you don't want to go down without a fight. And what fight would that be if I were already dead?

"I ain't going to let things end with a surprise attack. Hurry up and get up; let's get things started!" He reloads his rifle, and Chishiya clenches his teeth while he manages to sit up and rob towards another car that will shelter him at least for the moment. Niragi wants a fight, but he has never been the most patient one. And listening to Arisu's begging won't reach up to his expectations.

"Us players are supposed to be on the same side", the puppy boy shouts out while hiding behind a car as well. Chishiya can see him close, quickly growing desperate over the fact that this won't be a fight to be solved with words.

"Come to think of it", Niragi ponders, "the three of us are pretty similar. Born from being unable to adapt to society; always being selfish… no touch with reality, desiring real world experience – wanderers." A bit too poetic especially for a brutish man like him, and his speech is interrupted by a heavy cough, followed by much more blood than covering Chishiya's lips. Opposite to him, Niragi is obviously suffering internal and lethal damage, and he's aware of the fact. "Sorry – but I don't have the time left to be worrying about the next stage or clearing games. Isn't this fine? As similar souls, won't you entertain me?"

Entertainment, that's all there is. All there has ever been. Niragi has been right in that point – they are driven by the same urge, the same need to find a purpose. Chishiya has been searching this purpose in clearing the games, in proving the world that he's the smartest head all over the place. Niragi's entertainment obviously looks a bit different, but broken down into the basics, it remains the same.

But… what about Arisu? The boy whose cleverness has never been appreciated, who has always been undervalued and ignored by those around him? He doesn't seem to agree at all, as Chishiya notices how he tries to sneak away from the drama.

No. If he is forced to stay, they all are.

How practical that he has picked up the gun not long before, so now he can shoot the ground next to Arisu's feet. Being honest to himself, Chishiya would probably not have managed to shoot him even if he wanted, because if there's one thing he can't master immediately, it's handling shooting weapons. Physical fights have never been his advantage, but if he even gets the slightest chance to shoot a bullet through Niragi's head, this entertainment will be just the right thing.

"Sounds fun", he smirks towards Arisu, who is panting heavily and clearly shocked at Chishiya holding a weapon as well, "you better stay too. You should have a debt to settle with him; this is the perfect opportunity. You don't have much choice – let's do this."

No one has a choice in this. Niragi is dying and eaten alive from the inside out by pure hate, Arisu is desperate and Chishiya… well, he is lonely. Something he has been for most of his life, but now that he knows how it feels like to be whole, the hollowness is much harder to endure.

Niragi laughs so loud that it can probably be heard all over the city. "For the time being, let's call this an exhibition game. A Battle Royale!"

The storm is getting stronger, and the cold rain is more than bothersome. It blurs Chishiya's sight and stings in his shoulder, but the pain is the easiest to get used to. A couple of shots follow, both from Niragi and Chishiya, but all miss their target. The cars and the rain make it hard to aim properly, and the pain still takes away some of Chishiya's focus.

So this is where it ends. He has experienced what it's like to be loved even in a dark world like this, he has cleared all the Diamonds games, and now he will die in a makeshift battle of lonely and lost souls desperate to find meaning in their life. Not that the wound in his shoulder would kill him; the bleeding has almost stopped already as long as he tries to keep his left arm still. But there is no chance Niragi will let him leave with a still breathing heart, and unless he manages to kill the Militant first, it will be the end. Just as meaningless as his entire life.

"Stop it, Niragi!" Arisu, on the other side, has not come to accept yet what this truly is about. "Let's stop this! What good will come from this?! Stop involving others in your own self-abandonment!"

Niragi climbs onto a car, obviously tired of playing hide and seek and searching for a place with better view. "Self-abandonment? That's not it at all. I'm simply doing exactly what I want to do!" Even from a distance, Chishiya can see fresh blood pouring down his covered face as he speaks. "Aren't you two the same? Open your mouth and it's Me! Me! Me!"

Can't I ask you to set back your own desires of some stupid games, just for once? For me?

He couldn't, because Niragi is right. Chishiya is nothing but selfish – a fact that has always been and will hardly be changed. What about Arisu, though? The boy always seems to think about others more than his own life, but is this really the case?

They all are smart, or at least they believe they are. All of them Diamonds players, one cruel enough to shoot hundreds of people, one able to see through hearts and minds of others and the other cold and uncaring as long as it's not about him. Pieces of trash that'll never grow up, as Niragi says now. They will never change, none of them. No matter the love or hate they experience.

"That might be true… For pieces of trash like us, a shootout amongst ourselves might be perfectly apt." For a moment, Chishiya believes that Arisu has accepted the truth that can't be denied, but like always, he manages to surprise. "…that's why right here, we have to change."

Even Niragi is startled, lowering his gun as the boy continues. "Niragi – thanks. Saying that the three of us are the same really hit close to home. I never imagined that you would be the one to bring me to my senses… I see; I just wanted to change. I have no idea what it would take for me to change; I'm also sure it won't be easy, but I know for sure that I don't want to stay the powerless and weak person I am now. I want to see what's at the end of this tunnel. I'm not participating. I will not pull this trigger for my own sake!"

Hypocrite. Arisu's gun drops to the ground with a splashing noise as if to underline his statement. But hasn't he given anything but proof that Niragi was right? All Arisu did was talking about himself – how he wants to change his own weak being and change who he has been all along. He, He, He. It can never be about anyone else, can it?

Be my strength.

Chishiya barely realizes how his hands lower the gun he's holding. Where is she? Is she still alive? He hopes that's the case, he really does. His life doesn't matter, but hers…

"Man, what a downer." Niragi is the last to drop his hands, and as the shotgun points to the ground, it seems that they arrived at some kind of stalemate. Just in time, it seems, because another figure appears in the pouring rain. It's a woman, and for the hint of a second, Chishiya is afraid that his stubborn has actually found him. But it turns out to be Usagi instead, the climber girl from the Beach, her right arm put into a sling and eyes wide with shock.

"What are you guys doing!?" Her eyes settle on Arisu, and it's pretty clear that the puppy boy is the one she's been searching for.

Arisu's eyes widen as well, and it's an expression Chishiya knows all too well. It shows exactly what he has felt for a heartbeat because he didn't want to see his stubborn in danger. There has always been something going on between those two, although Arisu seemed to be too naïve to notice back in the Beach. That obviously has changed now. Funny just how similar Chishiya and Arisu really are.

"Usagi?!" said boy shouts out, "why are you here?!"

The girl crosses her arms, or at least tries to do so with that sling, oblivious to the imminent danger she has gotten herself into. "Why? You were late coming back. So that sound earlier really was a gunshot? Don't tell me… you guys!" It's almost hilarious, and Chishiya can see why they fit together. They both believe the world can still be changed by a couple of words, and they either cannot or don't want to see the truth behind it all.

Niragi does, though, and it becomes clear now that he bursts out laughing again. "So it's you… That's right, you're still here too. Since you're here, this kid will never come to our side…"

Yes, Usagi has probably been the reason Arisu refuses to fight. Because she is the one able to change him and to save him from the darkness he has been trapped in all along, and Arisu finally realized that. If she dies, that speck of hope inside the boy will die as well, leaving only rage and desperation. Women… just what power do they hold over one's heart?

While Arisu orders her to run in a panicked voice, Niragi has lifted up his gun once more, now aiming at the climber girl standing in the open. "If you disappear, the three of us will return to being the same… I don't want to be alone anymore!"

But Arisu is not alone. He has found his strength, and so did Chishiya before he told his stubborn to leave. And for once, he knows exactly what he has to do.

It all happens at the same time. Arisu curses and reaches for his gun, Niragi pulls the trigger and Usagi finally realizes her dire mistake. She won't have the time to dodge the shot, and Niragi will definitely not miss her vitals this time. This girl is not part of the game; she's an obstacle that needs to be removed. Only that Chishiya knows one way to turn the tables… even though it won't be bode well him.

He steps forward so fast he won't be able to regret it before it's too late, and then… someone calls out his name. The one voice he has longed to hear since they parted the day before, but he doesn't have the time to retreat.

The face of his stubborn is the last thing he sees before a second bullet pierces trough his skin, this time ripping muscles and organs apart and lighting a fire in his stomach with pain as brightly as he never imagined to be possible. The world turns and blurs around him, and he barely notices how he falls to the concrete, but something is there to ease the impact. Someone, he realizes.

No, not someone. The only one who clearly is not anybody.

She came back…

She survived.

What sense of irony that she came in time to witness his death now.

Hands are pressing onto his stomach, probably trying to stop the bleeding. Chishiya can see Usagi's face next to his stubborn's, both equally distorted with shock and disbelief.

"The bleeding won't stop!" Is that Usagi? His stubborn is crying, he can hear her hiccups and sobs. She shouldn't cry; he'd much rather see her smile one last time.

"There's likely internal damage…" speaking is hard, and yet he does his best despite pain torturing his whole chest every time he tries to breathe in. "Without the proper facilities in this country, I… only have a few more hours… or maybe half a day left…"

It's funny. He can feel how the blood is spreading inside his body, most of it not even visible on the outside. That's not even what causes the pain, since it's more like a very uncomfortable pressure, only that it comes along with the fire of the bullet still stuck within his muscles.

"Stop it. Stop talking such nonsense. I won't hear any of it!" What, is his woman too stubborn now to accept his death? Will she try to negotiate a treaty with death to keep him alive?

Warm fingers trace the skin on his forehead, and the heat emerging from them is so much more comfortable than the volcano inside his chest. He has missed it, and at least he doesn't have to die without feeling it one last time. Without looking into those eyes one last time.

"Chishiya…" her voice is begging him, so hard to understand with all the sobbing. She cries too much. "You're the med student. Tell me… tell us what to do, so we can fix you up! There has to be something I can do."

Smile for me.

"Why did you cover me? That's uncharacteristic of you." Usagi's face comes in sight, clearly not as shaken as his stubborn, but still shocked. Chishiya would have given her a proper explanation if it wasn't so hard to talk, so he keeps it short instead.

"Maybe I just wanted to try being 'uncharacteristic'… I came to accept that… the prospect of changing in order to see the future ahead… didn't sound all too bad. That's all." He would have liked to see his own future, the one his stubborn talked about just yesterday, but he let distractions come into his way. It might be too late for him, but it's not too late for Arisu.

"What are you talking about-" she doesn't understand. Of course she doesn't. How could she, since she missed all of their previous conversation?

Another voice joins in, this time it's Arisu. Judging by the calmness in it, it's likely that Niragi has somehow been made unable to fight, and Chishiya almost wants to hope that he's dead. Only that a soulless monster can't be killed that easily. "Hey, Chishiya. Before this shootout… You had something you wanted to talk about? What was that about?"

Why not say it now? He closes his eyes for a moment, simply focusing on the warmth of hands and lips caressing his face in desperate attempts to keep him alive. It might not cure his wounds, but it makes the pain easier to endure, even though a new pressure is building up inside his chest.

"I… used to view humans as foolish beings… I couldn't stop the psychological abuse… I…"

All of a sudden, his whole body is shaken by coughs that come along with the taste of fresh blood. Not from biting his tongue this time, though.

His stubborn tries to help him by lifting up his head, with meager effect. "Please, you have to stop talking!"

That wouldn't change anything. "I couldn't get by without hurting someone… Well… I was probably jealous… They had things I didn't have… It was like I existed to show… just how empty a human can be…"

An exhibition piece, gifted with superior knowledge and skill, but nothing of any true value. Neither his knowledge nor his skill can help him now that his body is shaken by coughs, and nothing prevents him from spilling blood all over his face and clothes.

"Don't. Things changed! You have me now, right?" His stubborn's voice is desperate yet determined, and her eyes tell him so much more than just that. She did not come back simply to watch their little battle; she wanted to set things right again.

"…Yes. It seems I found my purpose… only a bit late." It was not only the games. It has been this woman as well, for much longer than he realized.

She cuddles up next to him, on the dirty street and in the drizzling rain as if there was no typhoon currently messing everything up. Apparently wet clothes and bloodied shirts don't count that much when someone is dying. Through a cotton-like cover that begins to form all around him and softens everything he senses, Chishiya can feel a kiss on his neck. His lips are obviously too much covered in blood to be worthy a kiss.

"I'm sorry that I left like that. If only I had returned to you sooner…"

In that case, Chishiya would have never ended up here in this situation. They both would probably sit in the caravan right now, drink some tea and coffee and chat about weird or annoying topics like moving together or family planning. The thought even makes him chuckle, if the noise coming from his lips can be called that. He wants to wrap his arm around her like he used to, only that the pain is too strong for him to accomplish that. Those damn bullets. "It would have spared me two gunshots."

Through the growing dizzy state, Chishiya barely realizes what happens next when a sudden noise erupts all around them. Way too late, even more because hands are firmly pressing against his ears, is his clouded mind able to put the pieces together of the noise and the dust and parts falling down around them.

Another cleared game.

"A blimp?! The King of Spades… was defeated?!" This sounds like Arisu, and Chishiya would have laughed if it didn't hurt that much. Someone actually managed to kill the sniper, and with that, the last threat is gone. His stubborn doesn't have to fear for her life any longer, she doesn't have to play more games and no one will try and hunt her down. Not even Niragi. To be aware of that… is calming.

The hands are removed from his ears, but Chishiya rarely notices a difference. Everything seems so far, far away. He does hear the announcement, though, despite the words taking longer to make sense for him.

FOR ALL PLAYERS RESIDING IN THE BORDERLANDS: THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT. CONGRATULATIONS! OF THE FACE CARD GAMES, THERE IS ONLY ONE REMAINING. YOU'RE WITHIN REACH OF CLEARING ALL GAMES. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR FINAL GAME!

"Have you heard that, Chishiya?" his stubborn whispers, close to him and the only sound he can hear clearly, "hold on a bit longer, and we can get you out of this!"

Almost adorable how she still refuses to accept his state. With the blood coughing, the vanishing sensation in his limbs and the fading of everything around him, it should be more than clear to anyone that he's dying. Chishiya has never been afraid of that, however he has to admit that suffering so much pain really is bothersome. At least he can be sure that it will fade as well, eventually.

Following the conversation between the others is too tiring, so Chishiya focuses on the easier things instead. He can't feel any more rain rattling down on his face, and is that a glimpse of sunshine making its way through the clouds?

The light disappears when a body leans over him, and then he's dragged over the ground. Clenching his teeth, he tries his best not to shout at them to let him go, and the world around him disappears for a tiny moment when the blazing pain becomes too strong. What a ridiculously stupid idea to move a severely hurt body… Why would he care if he died on soaked concrete or a bed of flowers?

Something soft is placed over him, and Chishiya recognizes it as his stubborn's hoodie. The rain has soaked it as well, so it doesn't have much impact on keeping him warm or dry, but he doesn't complain. The scent is familiar, and with so much pressure already in his chest, some extra weight doesn't make a difference. What makes a difference though is the woman still kneeling next to him, and without her voice, Chishiya would have long succumbed to the fatigue and promise of never experiencing pain again.

"It's all my fault", she whispers under hiccups, "this wouldn't have happened if I stayed with you…"

"I told you… to make a decision." He manages to find her eyes within the blurred mess around him, and even through the dizziness, he can see her tears.

She reaches for his hand and holds it, a touch that Chishiya barely feels. Only a hint of warmth makes its way through the clouds surrounding him.

"But… I shouldn't have listened to you."

"Yeah…" over the last days and weeks, she has tended to do the exact opposite of what she was supposed to do. Funny that the one time she follows his advice, it leads to this. "You… rarely do."

Chishiya wants to close his eyes and give in to the promising nothingness. It hurts to talk, it hurts to keep his eyes open, it hurts to breathe. It simply hurts to stay alive. Dying would be so much easier…

"I won't leave you again, Chishiya. And I won't allow you to die! You are my weakness, but you are also my strength. With you gone, there's just… nothing. I'll be as empty as you were before."

No. He doesn't want her to become what he used to be. She is not made for being an empty shell and living a meaningless life, she is so much different than he. She should never stop annoying the world with her liveliness and cheerfulness, should never stop being stubborn and naïve and never lose her pathetic faith in a humanity that has long been doomed to failure. This is what she is, not a ghost who lost track of its purpose.

His body is too weak to cough now, and the pain makes him blind. There's only her voice. Just that voice…

"Don't… stop… talking."

It doesn't matter what she says, the sound of her words alone makes it easier. It keeps him on the side of pain and suffering, but it is also a distraction from the searing flames inside his chest.

"I… I won't allow you to go, because you still owe me a favor. And… and I demand it now! I want you to stay alive. Stay alive so you can fulfill the second favor that you still owe me, remember? You have to hang on so we can eat our strawberry crepes!"

Oh, those stupid favors. Those stupid crepes. Is a simple dessert worth hanging on? But it's not about the snack, he realizes. It is about the person demanding it from him, a stubborn hope of something impossible. Chishiya has done the impossible before. He is meant to die here, a death as meaningless as the rest of his life, but… isn't he cleverer than that? Can't he find a way to outsmart death, like he always finds a way?

"After I left, I managed to find Kuina", his stubborn continues, and they both know that the meaning behind her words isn't actually of importance, as long as she doesn't allow the silence to take over. "I told her what happened, and let me tell you, I've never missed water or instant coffee so badly before. That beer she had… terrible stuff!"

The pain begins to ebb down to a constant smoldering, which makes it easier to endure. And it makes it easier to focus on her voice, even though it's just words following words without making sense to him.

"… Prince Charming… probably the worst fairy tale ever, right? I would have never thought…"

Through his eyes almost closed, he can see the sun shining through the clouds once more. The light is colored in nuances of red, blue and yellow, similar to the hallucinations caused by the poison only a week ago. They seem so close and solid enough to touch them, only that Chishiya can't lift his arm. He can barely twitch his finger.

"… find you with the note. … in hospital, right? That wound sure needs time to heal… Damn, I have never seen so much blood before. Don't you dare ever frighten me like that again!"

More blood fills his lungs with every breath he takes, causing Chishiya to slow down his breathing. That way it means less pain, anyway, which can never be a bad thing.

"…that you won't be there when I wake up. That you never existed in my world… …make any sense to you?"

He drifts away. It is a fact he realizes because his stubborn's voice is fading as well, just like the sunshine on his face and the ground beneath his body. He has managed to hold on to it longer than he thought he would, but that last bit of strength seems to be used now. She is disappearing, and there's nothing he can do to hold her back.

"I love you. I love you more than anything."

Yes… You do. Funny how those words, that small sentence he has heard so many times already, clearly shoots through the fog like an arrow. Love. Is that love?

Love… is a very fragile thing. Sometimes it is not strong enough to last in a world like this. His stubborn's love has almost been too fragile to last. She ran away, but she came to a conclusion and returned to him, just in time, telling him that her feelings haven't changed.

Sometimes, when you finally find out… it is already too late. The Queen has been right, even though Chishiya didn't realize it back then. At this point, he would never deny the fact that he is feeling… something for his stubborn. He refused to consider those feelings actually being love, but most of all because he didn't know how it feels like to love. And now that he understands, it is too late.

She'd deserve an answer, though. Even if it's just a sign that her words have reached through the mist, that they made an impact. "I… like it when… you say that…"

And she understands. She repeats it, again and again, every time reaching that tiny part of him that hasn't succumbed to the darkness yet. Speaking of which, he can't feel the sunshine on his face anymore, and the specks of light disappeared. Is it evening already? How long has he been lying here, slowly bleeding to death? Or is he just not capable of seeing anything anymore?

"I love you, Chishiya Shuntarou. I will always do, always…"

I think I do, too.

A good lullaby. He's not able to fight against it any longer. There has never been a real chance of survival, and he has been nothing but naïve… for the first time of his live… At least her voice will be there, until the very end…

Until it stops. And not because Chishiya has finally died.

"Fireworks…"

It doesn't make sense to him at first. A hilarious metaphor, maybe, or just his mind playing tricks on him. Then he hears it too, the hissing sound so far, far away. It could be directly next to him and it would still sound like miles away, but it is there. And the sky is now clearly covered in colorful lights, exploding above their heads. Chishiya can only keep his eyes open for the hint of a second, and yet it's enough to see them.

The last game… has been…

CONGRATULATIONS! WITH THE RECENT EVENT, ALL OF THE GAMES THIS TIME HAVE BEEN CLEARED. ALL THE SURVIVING PLAYERS; PLEASE INDIVIDUALLY ANSWER THE FOLLOWING: FROM NOT UNTIL FOREVER, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO CONTINUE THESE DEATH MATCHES AS A CITIZEN OF THE BORDERLANDS IN THE NEXT GAMES WITH PERMANENT RESIDENCY. YOU NOW HAVE THE CHOICE TO ACCEDE OR ABDICATE THE POSITION. WILL YOU ACCEPT OR REFUSE IT?

Chishiya hardly understands the question, but the announcement has only confirmed what he has been knowing all along, ever since the second stage begun. This is the final choice: to stay and become a Citizen or to return to the real world. While he has been wavering to make this choice before, he doesn't need to think about it now. And it has nothing to do with the lethal wound inside his stomach, but with the woman sitting next to him.

If he returns now… he might survive. To continue where they stopped. To tell her the words she deserves to hear.

"I think… I'll refuse…"

Talking has never been so hard. Each syllable rips his chest apart, and yet he forces himself to focus on the other face so close to him. Warm hands cup his cheeks, and while he can't feel their warmth, he knows that it should be there. That's enough.

"Of course I refuse to stay in this wrecked land", his stubborn exclaims with a bitter voice, "but whatever happens, I'll find you. That's a promise."

He wants to believe her. He wants her to be right. Just for once, his theory doesn't have to become the truth. They don't have to forget.

A bit of strength that he didn't know he still had allows him to lift his hand until it touches the one of his stubborn. "I know you will."

Because if there is one person stubborn enough to resist any sense of logic, to find him against all odds…

It's her.