It is true that Sina would die for Chishiya if it meant that he would live. And yet she wouldn't have thought that her chance to prove it would come so soon.

Tonight's game takes place inside a long abandoned factory building. The giant halls are filled with metal scaffoldings, shelves that are several meters high and machines as huge as whole living rooms. Everything's dim and parts of the ceiling have crashed down, and a creaking sound fills the air, sometimes interrupted by a loud noise when another part of the building collapses like a house of cards.

It would have been perfect for a Hide-and-Seek game, and Sina was surprised to find out that the game's mechanics work more like Capture-the-Flag, but the unstable construction doesn't make it less dangerous.

TEN MINUTES REMAINING.

She can hear the annoyingly happy voice through a monitor attached to the ceiling and take a deep breath. Half the time is already over, but at least they've found what they were searching for.

Object of the game is to be in possession of a yellow box that represents the flag when the timer runs out, while said object is guarded by four heavily armored people, two at each entrance of the main hall.

Their faces are hidden by black masks, but there's no doubt they're other players like her. Though Sina can't allow herself to feel pity for them, because it's either them or her.

She carefully peaks over the scaffolding's rim, watching the guards and the yellow box below. Chishiya is right next to her, and he barely makes a noise. While the building itself isn't exactly quiet, every suspicious noise coming from the metal scaffoldings could attract the guard's attention, and no one wants to risk endangering the plan.

On the other side of the hall, mostly hidden by one of those huge and strange-looking machines, she can see two other players from their team. She sees the ray of a flashlight, barely visible even to her, and there's no way the guards could see it.

"There's the signal. The others are ready." Sina whispers while turning to Chishiya, but of course he has seen it too. Once they'd found the object, the plan should be simple. Two teams would distract the guards, while another team would try to steal the box. Two more would remain at the safe spot to make sure some players were alive to protect it until the time ran out.

Sina is confident that this plan actually has a chance of succeeding, but there's a high risk of dying for many of them.

"Any idea of how we can lure them away from the box?"

Chishiya nods. "I do have a plan. But we need to distract them before I can put it into action."

With "we", he means "her", and she knows it.

"See that burn mark on the ground?" He points towards a charred spot not too far from the guards, and Sina notices that the ceiling right over it is already cracked, as if it would crash down any moment now. Dangerous and risky, but it could work.

"Okay. I'll do it." Sina is surprised about how confident her own voice sounds even though she is internally shaking with fear. Those guards have shooting weapons and she doesn't even know how to fight, and yet she's supposed to get them to the spot without dying too soon.

"You'll have to be quick, but be careful to not lure them too far." He says quietly, reaching out his hand. Not to hold hers of course, as she has been the one carrying the flashlight and she won't be able to give the signal down there.

"Your plan better works, Chishiya." Sina whispers after taking a deep breath, but there's something more she has to say, considering the fact that she might die in a few minutes. "But I want something in return since it's me taking the risk. And I'm not asking for your hoodie."

Chishiya makes a questioning noise, and Sina locks her eyes with the mysterious brown orbs of his without even blushing. This man is the only thing she has lived for in the Borderlands. All the tears she has shed because of him, all the anger and frustration he has caused her is forgotten every single time she looks into those eyes.

"I want to break the rules."

The timer keeps running down while they simply stare at each other, and somewhere in the distance, another part of the building is collapsing. But Sina is waiting for an answer, and Chishiya gives it to her with a barely noticeable nod.

While she internally screams with happiness, Sina cup his face with her hands and pulls him close to her, causing their foreheads to meet. She can feel his breath on her skin, feel his pulse under her touch. Is it faster than usual?

Time slows down as she savors every sensation that he gives her, and then - finally! – their lips touch. This moment is all Sina has ever wanted since the day she has first met him, and nothing could have ever prepared her for the feelings it gives her.

His lips are warm and soft, and Sina is sure to have never touched something more wonderful before. With her eyes closed, the game around her disappears. In those precious seconds, she doesn't think about the danger coming for her or the fact that she might die. This is the victory Sina has longed for, the center of so many dreams that left her aching for what she couldn't have. But now it is hers.

Sina doesn't expect Chishiya to return the kiss. In fact, she is sure he will do the same he did back on the roof during their hug – stand there and wait. And it's fine, really.

But when she hesitantly withdraws her lips to catch her breath, she suddenly feels his hand on the back of her head, pulling her back to him again, right into another kiss.

And this is when realization strikes her. There's a part somewhere inside of Chishiya that wants her. It's most likely not love, and he will bury it deep inside again once this moment is over, but still. He wants that kiss. He doesn't want it to end.

Sina's heart wants to explode, and a single tear escapes her eye while she's being overrun by the feelings. She wishes this kiss could have taken place somewhere else. On the rooftop of the Beach, or in one of their rooms maybe. She wants this to continue forever, wants to fall asleep in his arms only to wake up and cover him in kisses again.

But the voice telling them there's only five minutes left brings her back to the dark and dangerous reality. Her hands remain on his face a bit longer as they both open their eyes again. The love she feels almost makes her sick, and it doesn't help that Chishiya seems like he's had his eyes closed too during the kiss.

Breathing and shaking heavily, Sina memorizes the sight of his face in this most tender moment. His lips are parted as he too is breathing faster, and despite the dim light, she is sure to see a hint of red on his cheeks.

Nothing before has ever hurt as much as turning away from him now, but Sina doesn't have a choice unless she want him to be killed too. She quickly makes her way down the scaffolding until she is close to the two guards patrolling their side of the hall.

Above her, Sina can see Chishiya giving the signal with the flashlight, and she starts running.

The kiss gives her the strength to do this even though she is scared to death. The warmth of Chishiya's lips still remains on hers, and despite her fear, she is ready to die. Pulling her into another kiss was more than Sina'd have ever dared to ask or even dream for, and yet he has done it. She doesn't need to know the reason why.

One of the guards shouts a warning as she approach them, and now it is time to run. Sina tries to go zigzag and uses the remnants of the collapsed ceiling for backing while shots are being fired all around her. There's the burnt area, but the closer she gets there, the more she realizes that there's nothing to hide, leaving her in clear line of fire.

Chishiya is the only thought filling her mind as she leaves her last cover and runs to the black spot. The gunshots hurt her ears, and she doesn't even know if a bullet strikes her. Adrenaline pumps through her body, and Sina prays that Chishiya will be fine after this.

Something grabs her foot and pulls her down to the floor. It's one of the guards, and it doesn't surprise Sina that they are able to run faster than her. She painfully lands on the hard ground, and as she turns around, she sees the muzzle of a gun pointing right towards her head.

But at least both guards are where they're supposed to be, and it's all Sina can do. She just hopes that the rest of the plan will work out too so her sacrifice won't be in vain.

Suddenly, the whole building seems to be shaken. It feels like an earth quake, and the guards raise their heads too, frantically trying to find out what's happening. Sina smiles while looking towards the direction where Chishiya has to be, and that's when the chaos begins.

The cracks covering the ceiling grow bigger and the first parts start to fall down around her. A huge metal plate strikes down one of the guards, leaving them motionless on the floor. More pieces follow, and soon, the whole area is filled with debris. Sina doesn't have time to escape the turmoil, so she tries her best covering her face with her arms while the world around her goes chaos.

And somehow, she manages to survive.

Under heavy coughing, Sina tries to dig herself out of the mess once there's nothing left to come down. While it hurts like hell, nothing seems to be broken or severely injured, and it feels like a miracle that she is still breathing.

Sina rubs the dirt out of her eyes to take a look at the display above and watch as the timer runs down.

FIVE. FOUR. THREE. TWO. ONE.

The cheerful sound of a cleared game echoes through the hall, and while one of the guards still has struggled under the debris until now, they're quickly silenced by the muffled sound of an explosion. They have lost the game, and Sina's team has won. With her still being alive.

Sina lets herself drop down to the ground again and laughs. It's completely inappropriate, but she doesn't know what else to do in that moment. It's too much to bear, all the thoughts crashing down at once like the ceiling above her. She laughs and cries as the adrenaline slowly vanishes, leaving only the pain of countless cuts and bruises.

But then someone steps up to her, and Sina recognizes Chishiya, offering her a hand. It's like the very first game the two have played together, where he has pulled her out of the hatch after she almost drowned.

That's all Sina needs to remember. She is alive, and she has your victory.

And that is worth the pain.