23

Vigilance

Niragi

For a while, the only sound keeping the threat of total silence in check, was the faint buzz of the single flickering light. Niragi studied the barely visible symbol carved into the black stone tile before him. His fingers subconsciously ran over the areas of his aching throat, skin already showing faint bruising, where Sato's fleshy hand had been just mere moments ago.

"Are you alright?" Chishiya asked a moment later, his voice gentle laced with an edge of concern.

Niragi stilled for a split second before dropping his hand back down, the question making him uncomfortably self aware. "Never been better," he retorted icily before he could refrain himself. A sudden surge of rage boiled up in his chest, anger for having so carelessly exposed another weakness.

But it's Chishiya, Niragi reminded himself. That was genuine concern in his voice and here I go snapping at him again.

Niragi clenched and released his fists several times while taking a deep breath to ground himself. "Sorry. Force of habit." Niragi inclined his head to gaze up at Chishiya, their eyes locking onto each other, before he continued in a softer voice, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

Chishiya gave a small, almost imperceptible nod, accepting Niragi's apology without further comment. His eyes flickered back to the tiles, with a sharp, calculating gaze while his mind worked.

"So," Niragi muttered, trying to shake off the the remnants of anger still blurring his focus, "we need to figure out which symbols are safe. Any ideas?"

Chishiya tilted his head slightly, contemplating. "It's a pattern I'd wager, as always. The symbols likely correspond to certain types of traps. We just need to decode the logic behind it. Can you make out the symbol in front of you?"

"It kind of looks like a flower I'd say. It'd be a lot easier to tell if that bloody light wasn't having a stroke," Niragi grumbled.

Chishiya squinted at the tile, then crouched beside Niragi and scanned the floor. "Alright, let's identify as many symbols as possible and we'll go from there."

Niragi silently replied with an almost imperceptible nod before leaning closer towards the tiles.

"Do you still have the bandage you removed earlier?" Chishiya inquired, gaze focused on the small pool of blood covering the tile in front of him.

"Yeah, why?" Niragi replied with a curious glance at his team mate.

"Pass it over please," Chishiya extended his hand, meeting Niragi's gaze.

Niragi hesitated for a moment before he rummaged around in his pockets and soon produced the bandage Chishiya had carefully applied the previous night.

"Thank you." Chishiya plucked the bandage from Niragi's hands and swiftly folded it into a rectangle roughly the size of his own palm.

Driven by pure instinct, Niragi's hand shot forward to seize hold of Chishiya's upper arm, once he understood Chishiya's intentions. "What if you trigger it?" The obvious tremor in his voice betrayed him, exposed the fear that he so rarely allowed to surface. He knew the risks were high, and the prospect of seeing Chishiya hurt in such a careless manner wouldn't sit right him.

"I'll be careful," Chishiya reassured him, his expression softening as their gazes met.

Niragi's grip tightened momentarily before he gave Chishiya a subtle nod and let go, still feeling the tension gnaw at him.

Chishiya conveyed a reassuring nod before shifting his attention back to the puddle of crimson before him.

With intense, vigilant eyes, Niragi anxiously tracked each of Chishiya's precise and methodical movements. Chishiya gently held the folded bandage to the bloodstained tile, his hand as steady as a rock and wiped away the drops of crimson with deliberate care. The task took mere seconds to complete, but to Niragi it felt like an eternity, his heart pumping relentlessly, the sound of rushing blood ringing in his ears seeming almost deafening. It wasn't until Chishiya's voice shattered the agonising silence that Niragi allowed himself to finally exhale. "Another flower," Chishiya informed nonchalantly, leaning back on his heels.

Niragi swallowed hard in attempt to clear the constriction that loomed in his throat before he spoke. "It looks different than the other one," he noted, leaning in closer to study the symbol.

"It's a Chrysanthemum," Chishiya said dryly. "And judging by the injury that resulted from stepping on this tile, it must be a white one."

"A funeral flower..." Niragi concluded, his gaze shifting to the tile he'd inspected previously. "So what's this one?"

"I'm not sure," Chishiya admitted entirely untroubled. "I'm sure we'll figure it out."

Both men examined the surrounding tiles, remaining silent except to announce the symbol that had been identified, once in a while. Meanwhile, the adrenaline rush that had coursed through Niragi's system slowly ebbed away, allowing other sensations to shift back into focus. Noticing a tingling feeling on his palms that gradually intensified, Niragi felt compelled to take a glance at his hands. Red streaks were marked on his palms, four on each hand where his nails had dug into his skin, on the verge of drawing blood.

What on earth is happening to me? Never before have I been this concerned for someone else's wellbeing, Niragi thought. It's probably because of this game, it has to be. Our lives are bound to each other. Yet in his heart, Niragi knew he felt this way, not because of the seven of clubs game, but because he'd truly come to appreciate Chishiya's company and friendship. For perhaps the first time in his life he'd found someone whose presence seemed to draw him in, like a beacon promising sanctuary, rather than repulse him.

"Alright let's summarise what we've got so far," Niragi suggested, desperate for a distraction from his turbulent mind. "The White Chrysanthemum, the Crow and the Cat are all symbols associated with bad luck or death. The Rabbit and the Camellia blossom are commonly viewed as symbols for longevity, so we can assume they're safe. Leaving us with one unidentified flower symbol."

"As well as the symbols we've yet to discover," Chishiya added, his tone leaving no room for uncertainty.

"Best be on our way then. Which door are we aiming for?"

Chishiya shrugged indifferently. "Straight ahead I suppose."

Just as they were about to rise and continue on their way, the door behind them suddenly swung open with a loud creak. Startled, both men moved to turn around and identify the sudden disturbance. Before Niragi knew what was happening something sent him tumbling forward, left with no chance of maintaining his balance.

"Oh shit! Sorry! So sorry!" A shy feminine voice ushered frantically. Niragi instinctively reached out to brace himself, forced to place both hands on a tile to avoid falling on multiple at once.

"What the hell..!" Niragi snapped, his voice a mix of frustration and anger as he caught himself. He looked down at the tile he had landed on and froze, sucking in a sharp breath. "Crow," he muttered under his breath, a sudden rush of adrenaline coursing through his system.

Chishiya's eyes widened slightly, and he too went unnervingly still. His already pale face seemed to have paled further, yet the change was so subtle only Niragi noticed it as he glanced back at Chishiya with apologetic eyes.

That's it, we're as good as dead, this is how it ends. Chishiya's going to die because of me, it's my fault. I should've stopped him from entering the police station and faced this alone. I'll never stop being a selfish, worthless asshole. It's all my fault. Mine.

Akagi and Sasaki stood behind them, confused and oblivious to the danger they faced. Behind them, Sato's livid words echoed through the cell block, yet not a single threat found it's way to Niragi's consciousness.

"A… are you alright? I didn't mean…" Akagi stuttered.

"Stop apologising Akagi, you owe them nothing," Sasaki reprimanded, the annoyance in her voice clear as day.

Both Niragi and Chishiya waited, holding their breath, bracing for their killing blow, expecting the trap to activate at any moment.

"What the hell is wrong with you two? What are you waiting for?" Sasaki snapped impatiently, but her words only fell upon deaf ears, both men together enthralled in their final moments of breathing.

Seconds ticked by, each one stretching out into what seemed like eternity. The only audible sounds were Sato's ranting and the faint buzz of the flickering bulb.

Niragi stared at Chishiya, who held his gaze in return, a flurry of different emotions mirrored in both their eyes engaged in a silent conversation.

It's been too long now, the trap should've set off. Did we misinterpret the symbols?

Niragi dropped his head and slowly exhaled, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly and emitted a low chuckle. "Fuck these games are great, making you feel truly alive," Niragi laughed as if he'd lost his mind.

Once he reigned in his fit of maniacal laughter he glanced up at Chishiya, who met his gaze with a mix of relief and curiosity. "Help me up would you?" Niragi asked, soon feeling Chishiya grab hold of his upper arm to help him up.

"Why didn't it go off?" Niragi wondered, dusting off his hands meanwhile.

Chishiya shook his head, still cautious, his mind calculating. "Maybe the trap was already triggered," he suggested, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the floor. "Or perhaps not all the symbols are active."

"Mind filling us in? Or are we just to stand here and trust you to figure this, whatever this is, out?" Sasaki, standing behind them, snapped.

Niragi shot a glare at Sasaki, his temper flaring despite the lingering adrenaline in his veins. "Trust me, you'd want to keep your mouth shut if you knew what was going on."

Chishiya, ever the calm one, stepped in before the situation could escalate further. "We were identifying which symbols are dangerous," he explained, his tone flat, but carrying enough authority to demand attention.

Sasaki's eyes narrowed, but she seemed to catch the seriousness in his voice. "Symbols?"

Chishiya nodded, his gaze focused on the tile Niragi had nearly triggered. "Some of these tiles are rigged with traps. Step on the wrong one, and you're dead." He pointed to the tile Niragi had landed on. "That one—"

"—has a crow on it," Niragi finished, his voice tense as he finally allowed the gravity of the situation to sink in.

Akagi's face paled. "A crow? Isn't that... bad luck?"

Niragi nodded grimly. "In theory, yes. So why the fuck didn't it go off?"

Chishiya's eyes narrowed as he knelt down, inspecting the symbol with renewed interest. "How many legs does that crow have?"

Niragi crouched beside him again, examining the symbol closely. The arrhythmic flickers of light made it hard to see, but after a moment, he could make out the details. "Three."

Chishiya's expression shifted from concern to realisation. "That's not just any crow. It's Yatagarasu, the three-legged crow. A symbol of guidance and good luck."

Niragi blinked, processing the information before he chuckled in near disbelief. "And the lighting intends to distract us from picking up on the details."

Chishiya nodded, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips before continuing. "Yatagarasu is known for leading the way. This one must be here to help us, not harm us."

Niragi let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding. "I'm bound to run out of luck at this rate," he muttered, glancing back at the two women. "That's why the trap didn't activate."

Akagi seemed to relax slightly, though her eyes were still wide with unease. Sasaki, on the other hand, remained tense, her arms crossed as she watched the two men with suspicion.

"So, what now?" Sasaki demanded, her voice sharp. "Are we just supposed to follow the lucky symbols?"

Chishiya stood, brushing off his hands. "In theory, yes. We stick to the safe symbols and avoid the ones we've identified as dangerous."

Before they could discuss further, the door to their right swung open with a creak, causing everyone to turn in surprise. Akiyama and Kanda stepped through, both looking worse for wear. Kanda's left shoulder was soaked in blood, his shirt sticking to his skin where a something sharp had struck him.

Akiyama glanced around, taking in the scene with a quick, calculating gaze. "It's a dead end," he announced, his tone clipped. "We found a locker room, but all the lockers are empty."

Kanda, attempting to hide his grimace from the pain, added, "There's a combination lock on one of them, but we need Sato's bolt cutters to get it open."

Niragi's eyes narrowed as he took in Kanda's injury. The blood soaking his shirt was fresh, and the paleness of his face indicated the blood loss was more serious than it looked. "The White Chrysanthemum did that to you?"

Kanda nodded once in confirmation, wincing as he moved. "A dagger flew out of nowhere. Got me as soon as I stepped on the tile."

Chishiya's gaze flickered between Kanda's wound and the door leading to the locker room. "If there's something in that locker, it might help us to find our way out."

Akiyama nodded. "We need those bolt cutters, though. There's no other way to break the lock."

Niragi clenched his jaw, his mind racing. They needed to act quickly, but there were too many variables at play. "Getting Sato to cooperate won't be easy," he muttered, his tone dark.

"You're not thinking of freeing him are you? He's too unpredictable, we can't trust him," Sasaki argued adamantly.

At that comment, Niragi shot a knowing glance at Chishiya. "Actually, he's the most predictable player out of all of us," he mused, a wicked grin soon painted on his lips. "Leave it to us, we'll get those bolt cutters."

Chishiya gave him a brief nod, their silent understanding stronger than words. "Let's move swiftly. We've no time to lose."

With a plan forming in their minds, the two started toward the door leading back to the cells, where Sato was still trapped. The game was far from over, yet Niragi couldn't shake the feeling that their survival depended on whatever was hidden in that locker.