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kakukoto · 3 years

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Ace of Hearts

♥ Chapter 2 ♥

[Previous]

A/N: Yep, I'm the noob who've never posted my works on Tumblr before, imagine my surprise at finding so many AIB fics floating around! So after attempting to satiate my Chishiya cravings, I realized my infatuations know no bounds and decided to feed myself instead.

Pairing: Chishiya x OC

Warnings: Angst, swearing, descriptions of violence, gore and sexual references will be present throughout this story.

Two weeks passed before she came across the same young man who talked to her on her first night. Arisu, he told her. The way his voice cracked belied the same kindness he offered her. It must have had something to do with his change of partners, she surmised. After all, not many managed to survive here, and surviving with someone important to you, that was an even tougher feat.

She supposed that Chishiya’s advice did carry weight; it was cruel but necessary to forego any pity for others. After all, how selfless can one be in the face of death? However, it was not within her nature to abandon her humanity. Rina had been this way since young, always the impartial mediator among her friends, choosing to understand rather than pass judgements carelessly. People gravitated towards her empathy, yet a fair share would take advantage of her compassion whenever it served their needs, a particularly common occurrence especially here in Borderland.

In games, she quickly became the person that newcomers go to, for she remained the only one that actually gave a damn to their incessant questions. Arisu helped too, sometimes, but she could see the weight of his life on his shoulders. It was not easy attaching herself to these strangers. Once they exchanged names, their lives meant something, and it hurt her every time someone she befriended died. She would’ve continued her altruistic acts had it not been Usagi’s firm disapproval.

“You are really strong, you know?” Now, facing the river that divided Tokyo, the young man divulged his thoughts.

She was surprised by Arisu’s admission. Of all the adjectives she would use to describe herself, strong was definitely not one of them.

“You still manage to stay you after everything that we’ve been through.” The man looked at her in half admiration and half pity. “Your heart is strong.”

Usagi gave them a side glance as the building across the shore lit up. “Which is why you need to guard it even more. People here are twisted and will do anything to live. Expose even a tiniest weakness and they will aim for the kill.” The breeze was a welcoming change from the suffocating city skylines. “Speaking of which, I guess we found the place.”

They remained silent for a while, taking in the first breath of relief ever since they entered this world. She still had many questions, and finding the safe haven that Arisu had been talking about felt like a small step towards understanding the situation. Briefly, her childhood friend crossed her mind. Despite their tense parting, she still wished that he was here with her. Arisu and Usagi had been nothing of accommodating towards her, something she could not say about Chishiya from their short reunion. However no matter the person he is now, he remained as someone she knew from the real world. The attachment could not be erased so easily, especially so when in this world where they were all starved of human connection. Although he may not look and act the same way anymore, she still felt the same familiarity from him. No matter, she would look for him once she gets to the beach.

With that thought in mind, she felt a blossoming pain at the back of her head before she slipped into unconsciousness.

…

When she woke, she found herself bounded and surrounded by strangely dressed people who claimed to be the team running the Beach. The guy who introduced himself as Hatter was the craziest of them all. He gave them a grand walkthrough of his beliefs and the rules of the place. The three of them slowly realised that the Beach was far from a safe haven; it was beginning to feel like a dictatorial hell residing in abyss itself.

To make matters worse, they were compelled to become members here, giving Hatter ownership of the cards they own. Rina watched in horror as he waved her three cards at her. “Ara ara my dear, my guys told me they found three heart cards in your pocket. THREE. I have to be honest, I would never peg you as a hearts player, but we do need someone of your caliber to help us conquer the most cumbersome suit of all.”

When she was first introduced to the game mechanics, she was made aware what the different suits represented. Many players felt the Hearts suit was the cruelest, messing with their emotions and mind. She concurred to that point, especially since her first Hearts game left her as the sole survivor, shouldering the deaths of the other players. She emerged scarred and hysterical, more so than any other games, until she met Arisu and Usagi. The two had helped her hold on to her sense of self and will to live.

When she cleared her head and thought back to the games with much agony, she discovered that there was in fact a strategy to them, similar to other suits. Though the probability of winning was much lower given that it required other players to be on board with her plan as well. What the game bet on was the mental state of the players by clouding their minds with fear and trust issues. In other words, it was a psychological test, something she excelled at in her profession. She supposed Hatter was right when he called her out on it.

Once the rules were explained to them, they were each brought to their rooms with the garments fitting to their sizes already in the closet. She hesitantly grabbed a plain black bikini, and layered it with a white, bell sleeved cover up that barely reached mid thigh. The material was a little see through, and too short for her liking, but she supposed it was better than nothing.

Arisu and Usagi headed straight out to assess the situation, but she stayed behind in her room, hoping for a little peace after the morning spectacle. By the time she woke up, her room was dark save for the luminescent numbers displayed on the little electronic clock at her bedside. Her body was still heavy, muscles aching from overuse during the various games. As much as she hated being chained down, she had to admit that this was the best sleep she got since she came to this world. The hotel bed was comfortable, and her friends were alive. “Oh fuck…” Rina suddenly remembered her promise to meet the other two in dinner. Quickly, she ran her fingers through her hair and begrudgingly left the room. She didn’t want her friends to worry about her.

The lights in the hallway blinded her momentarily, and when her eyes adjusted to it, she noticed a figure in front of her. Said man had a rifle resting on his shoulders, his face donned with multiple piercings as empty eyes bored down to hers.

“Yo new girl, let’s go.”

Instinctively, she stepped back. “W-w-who are you?”

“Hm?” The man turned to her, tongue running across his lips dangerously. She could feel his eyes rake through her body, a smirk making its way across his features. “Why don’t you guess, since you’re so good at playing with people’s hearts?”

Memories of the leopard printed shirt crossed her mind. “It was luck, nothing more”, she murmured. “Anyway, you didn’t answer my question.”

Her reply only seemed to fuel the man’s advances. “Let’s do a little exchange then. I’ll tell you my name, if you can scream it to me in a more pleasurable position, how about that?” The cool surface of metal briefly brushed against her cheek as he invaded her personal space. “You’ll be happier with me than that old man Hatter.”

The man looked every bit deranged as Hatter, and she had to bite her tongue for self preservation. From his very suggestive statement, she deduced that there must be some bad blood among the higher ups. He did not seem like he answered to number one, especially with the disdain colouring his tone.

As she processed his words, said man stepped even closer, his face a mere inch from hers. She could feel his breath upon her cheeks, the faint smell of cigarettes wafting through the air. Just as she prepared herself to run back into her room, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her back, away from the unwelcoming approaches.

“Careful Niragi, you know Hatter doesn’t take it well when someone steals from him.”

A grey jacket appeared in her field of vision. Her shoulders relaxed at the sight of the man that she vowed to find, though it brought to her mind more questions. What was he doing here?

“Who died and make you his bitch?” As quickly as he commented, the gunman pointed his rifle up at Chishiya’s chin. Her childhood friend however, did not look fazed by that.

“Just stating facts. Oh right, the games are starting soon. I wonder what will Hatter say if she didn’t participate in the initiation test because she was held back?”

The tension in the corridor was palpable. Niragi considered the shorter man’s reasoning before he pulled back, leaving the two of them. Once the walking danger was out of sight, Rina turned to her friend in relief. He still looked the same as the last time they met, calm but calculating.

“You’re here.” She wanted to give him a hug but hesitated, remembering his indifference to physical contact that night.

Chishiya gave her a half smile as he let go of her. His eyes scanned her form, just like Niragi did earlier, but if he had any comments on her choice of dressing he did not voice it out. She followed him, knowing that he was going to bring her to some initiation test. The questions were bubbling in her mind, but she was hesitant to ask him knowing that he would brush them off again. Not knowing what to say, she awkwardly rubbed her thumbs together. Surprisingly, it was Chishiya who broke the silence.

“Hatter wants you to join the executive committee, that’s why you have to do the initiation test.” He held the evaluator door open as she stepped in, a simple action that she would normally pass on had it not contradict to his behaviour. Acts like this reminded her of the Chishiya she once knew. “It’s just another game, but someone from the committee will be there as well to gauge you.”

“I thought he’s only interested in Arisu?”

“Hatter likes to keep the strongest, most intelligent players close. Everyone has their own strengths, and yours seem valuable enough to him.”

To him. The way he worded his sentence was not lost on her. Perhaps in his mind she was of little value, Rina concluded. The thought of it saddened her, although she could not deny that his intelligence was a force to be reckoned with even when they were young.

“What if I don’t want to join the committee? My visa doesn’t expire for another two days, and I would much rather not put my life on the line unless necessary.” It was uncomfortable being labelled this way, and she most definitely did not want to be forced to play with others’ emotions just because she had an affinity to the game.

“You’ll soon find out that what Hatter wants, he always gets.” His next words were uttered much quieter. “You shouldn’t have came here.”

“Well, Arisu thought this place would hold answers to our existence here, and I figured it is a good place to start…”

“And are you satisfied with the answers you found so far?” The expression on his face mocking her.

“No but I found you, haven’t I?” She gave him a weak smile.

“I see you didn’t heed my advice at all.” A sigh escaped his lips.

The elevator doors opened, this time the sounds of chattering could be heard across the hallway. Once she stepped out, Chishiya let go of the elevator door he was holding and briskly walked towards the noise.

“Chi wait-” The man stopped and walked back to her, this time his expression serious.

He whispered, making it clear that he wanted to keep their conversation clandestine. “Listen, I know you love to bond with strangers over sob stories, but do not ever reveal that you know me in the real world. If anyone asks, we are not friends. You only saw me once, in your first game here. Do I make myself clear?”

She was not used to his commanding tone. He was always so lenient towards her when they were younger, deferring to her decisions without much protest. This was a side of him that she was unfamiliar with, sending goosebumps to her skin and something else, lurking in her stomach. She could only nod at his demand.

Pleased with her acknowledgement, he turned away, not before adding another request.

“When we are not alone, call me by my name and nothing else.”

With that said, he disappeared in the crowd.

#alice in borderland #imawa no kuni no arisu #chishiya #chishiya shuntaro #ace of hearts #fanfiction #chishiya x oc #かくこと

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idk-maybe-i-did-it · 3 years

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Scars: Year five, Chapter eleven

Remus Lupin x Reader

Warnings: Blood, swearing, mentions of self harm, implied mention of bruising,

Word Count: 2730

Remus ___________

" Why's there blood on the floor?"

Her voice sounded so hesitant.

" Y/n get out of the room."

" Tell me why there's blood on the floor."

" No."

Now, you might be thinking, "Hey Remus, when did you get here?" Or, " Hey Remus, why are you stopping? I need to know."

But either way, I can answer those if we just rewind for a bit.

————————————————————————

James pulled the car to a stop and Sirius stood, leaning his elbow atop the vehicle's roof.

I hesitantly opened the back door and ducked my head under to exit. Peter got out after me.

James turned and looked at me from his position against the car, his lips pursed and his eyes lay quizzical and sympathetic as he gazed at me.

I slipped the small box into my pocket and shut the door, walking up to the steps of the house. ________________________________

Third Person _____________

Oh, tie a yellow ribbon 'round the old oak tree

It's been three long years, do you still want me?

If I don't see a ribbon 'round the old oak tree

I'll stay on the bus, forget about us, put the blame on me

" This was auntie's favorite song y'know."

F/n stood up from his seat on the couch and moved over to the record player, crouching down and sifting through sleeves of vinyl records on the lower shelf until he found one.

He turned and grinned over at Y/n, holding the sleeve up for her to see.

Happy Together, The Turtles

Y/n gasped and moved forward quickly, gently taking the record from his hands as she replaced 'Tie a Yellow Ribbon' with 'Happy Together'.

" Don't you remember when mum used to play this and make me and Liz dance with her?"

Her face was soft and gentle as she looked over at him, much softer than it had been the past few days. F/n missed that innocent look to her face and the meager easiness to her eyes.

He stood back up and gave Y/n a smile, before images of her clouded his vision.

The insert, that one bloody insert was the cause of these nightmares.

F/n had managed to rid himself of the terrors years before but ever since that stupid passage they never stopped.

All he could ever think about when he saw her, when she looked over at him and when they hung out during the day, all he ever saw were images of deep crimson blood dripping from his daughters skin to her carpet below.

All it took was one measly diary insert to trigger the old memories.

" Yeah, I always loved those nights..."

However, a knock on the door quickly snapped the two of them out of their trance.

Y/n turned and ruffled her hair, awkwardly moving towards the door.

" Coming!"

A few moments went by while he waited for her to open the door.

" Baby!"

F/n's head whipped around at the word and his shock soon dissipated at the sight before him.

She meant baby,

as in Remus Lupin baby

Peter nervously took his mother's tin of biscuits out and James diverted his eyes from the older man on the floor, unknown to wether or not the man knew he had been the cause of his daughters lost memory. Sirius nodded his head to the man, his smile tight, and Remus almost flinched as he met the man's gaze while squeezing his daughter tight.

Y/n stepped back from Remus and leant up, quickly pecking his lips before she moved to greet the others.

The older man, however, frowned when he saw the werewolf spin his daughter around, distasteful would be a proper word.

He absolutely despised Remus Lupin.

The half-bred boy had no right to touch his daughter, to kiss her, to see her, to be friends with her, nor to even be near her.

The boy was a monster who could only do harm to the people around him, in F/n's eyes at least.

He knew not to trust a werewolf.

Being a werewolf only brought harm to the people around you.

F/n distastefully thought back to the first night he and M/n had fought.

" This isn't my fault F/n."

The man turnt around and seethed at the woman, his nostrils flaring.

" Yes it is your flipping fault M/n! Y/n and Elizabeth can't even get into school now because of you!"

" You and I both know that the incident wasn't my fault F/n. Do Not blame me for what that creature did to our child!"

" Mummy?"

M/n's head snapped over to see their three year old daughter had waddled into the bedroom, her stuffed bunny rabbit's ear held loosely in her fist. M/n and F/n stared open mouthed at the child.

" Yes dear?"

The child nervously stuck a thumb in her mouth and diverted her eyes.

" Lizzy went thump on the floor and she won't get up when I try to shake her."

F/n immediately froze, his mind going into panic mode and M/n quickly ushered the young Y/--

" Hey Dad!"

F/n snapped out of his trance, swiping his eyes over to where Y/n was pouring tea for the four boys surrounding her, one of which with his arms wrapped around her waist from behind.

" Ye- Yes dear?"

" Aren't you gonna come and say hello to Peter, James, Sirius and Rem?"

F/n had to clench his jaw before a mangled yeah left his tongue. _______________________________

" Y/n why don't you show the boys around? If they hang out over here for the last week of summer then they best know where everything is."

The five teenagers quickly became silent at the tone he had used; Sirius and Remus being the only two familiar by it.

Y/n hesitantly nodded and brought a hand up to usher the four boys to the hallway across the room where her room lay, walls f/c in all their glory. _____________________________

Remus lay his head in her lap and stared up at her face while she played a game of cards with the other three boys on the floor.

How he loved looking at her face.

Remus blocked out the noises of the others and gazed up at the features lining her frame.

Features no longer familiar to his eyes.

She had changed since he saw her last, before the incident with James happened.

Her eyes no longer held the same deep purple circles beneath them and her e/c irises no longer had dark shadows swimming in them.

Her smile was no longer fake, her tears no longer sad and her skin seemed to just sparkle under the change of attitude. The female no longer found need to hide her arms or skin, Remus was yet to explain how she got all those marks running up the length of her arm, and she only wrapped a thin layer of bandages over the marks for the matron at school had instructed her to do so after applying a gel to the tissue.

So almost ever feature on her face had become completely unfamiliar to Remus' eyes and he had since then swore to memorize every new detail displayed upon on body.

Of course it would seem only fitting that something of that type would happen, her entire being had gone from negative to positive and The Marauders were completely unfamiliar to such a thing when it came to her.

Although they were glad of such a change, James couldn't help but feel put down that he had caused such a thing to happen, that he had been the root cause of all their despair and depression.

Sirius comforted him by saying it was a bottle of booze's fault. ______________________________

Remus ___________

Sirius and I talked about it when we got back to James' house and we decided to come back tomorrow to make sure that guy isn't a complete arse.

Her father gave me some bad vibes and apparently Sirius felt the same way.

Hence the secondary check in. _______________________________

It happened ten minutes after we walked in the house.

Well, a lot of things happened actually.

One of the things was this:

" Where's daddy at? Where's my dad at hm?"

" I'm right here Y/n."

" No, that's not what I meant. Where's my dad at huh? Where's he been at for the past fifteen years?"

Technically James, Sirius and I weren't supposed to be hearing this but they were talking rather loudly.

" Y/n you can't be taking this there now of all times—"

" Yes I fucking can."

" Sweetheart please don't swear—"

" Why? Does it make you uncomfortable? Well try being me for the past fifteen years, having to explain why your aunties your mum. Now that's uncomfortable."

I could feel the tension from between the two rooms.

" Please don't be this way to me Y/n."

" Don't be this way to you?! Look at me, Horrible Y/n, Naughty Y/n,— No, No, No, I know you're good at walking away but not today you won't. Where is he?"

" I'm right here Y/n."

" No your not. My dad was a man who actually cared and my dad was a person who didn't just turn his back on people for Seven Whole Years."

" How do you—"

" I used to count the days until you would let me come back. All in all it added up to seven years."

" Well listen kid, that man abandoned us okay. He left a—"

" And you abandoned me!"

I could hear the strain to his voice now.

" It was a temporary thing Y/n, Candace agreed."

" Temporary?! I'm still living with her—"

" No, your aunt is dead and that is why you're here. I'd rather you stay here than with that half-bred boyfriend of yours—"

" Oh don't you call him that!"

" I wanted you back, I always did Y/n!"

" Ohhh, I believe you. Honest."

Sirius glimpsed over at me with the look that said 'We need to stop.' So the four of us moved back over to the deck of cards and tried to black out the sounds of their argument.

But one sentence, and I knew it had her stilled.

" She never gave you back!"

" Well I was never even Candies to give! You're supposed to be my dad!"

" She loved you so much—"

" More than you did apparently."

And that was when she walked back in.

" I do love you Y/n, believe me."

She turned back to the door, " I want to."

But what I'm talking about, is the thing that happened. The thing that had them yelling things again.

Everything happened in quick succession.

Four things.

Thing one, we walked in and they were at the table playing cards.

Second thing, Y/n welcomed us in and her dad looked at me the same way he did yesterday and the day he took her back.

With loathing and hatred.

The third thing that happened, and this confused us a bit, she asked when 'Lizzy will be home from University' and he responded by saying 'Soon'.

Y/n's sister died when she was younger.

The fourth thing, she walked into her sisters room.

And there was blood.

Everywhere.

A good minute of her staring at the floor passed before Sirius hooked an arm on her waist and started pulling her out.

She elbowed him and demanded her father come in and explain.

Which brings us to this point.

" Why's there blood on the floor?"

He shook his head and told her to get out.

" No, tell me why there's blood on the floor."

" No."

Bollocks to this.

I shook my head and stepped up, placing a hand on her shoulder.

And in the gentlest, calmest voice I could muster, I looked him in the eyes and said, " Just answer the question."

Words became words and skin hit skin and before I knew it my face was flung to the side and my left jaw stung like a bludger smacked against it in the rain.

Sirius lashed out at him and James helped me back to my feet while Y/n stared in shock at me, frozen to the spot.

His next words made all of us freeze and I suddenly understand why the blood was on the floor.

His voice had been filled with hatred and loathing and fire and it all clicked.

He called me a monster, he called me a creature that should be killed, he said I'm dangerous and I should never go near his daughter, that 'werewolves only ruin relationships' and that it's his home so I can't tell him what to do.

And suddenly an idea popped up in my head, an idea so ludicrous, so vulgar and horrifically heartbreaking that I almost dismissed it, but it seems so likely.

What if his eldest daughter killed herself because her being a werewolf tore apart her families relationship?

What if Y/n wasn't the reason her sister was killed and that her dad only told her so she wouldn't know what happened?

What if the gunshots that went off in the woods that night were actually the bullets coming from a gun her sister had in her bedroom and the blood on the floor was actually her own?

What if her father used Obliviate to make Y/n forget?

What if her father used Obliviate to make Y/n think he had always been a muggle?

But Y/n had asked when he sister was getting back...

What if he Obliviated her again to make her forget her sister was dead a few days ago?

It would make sense because the Y/n we used to know hated her father for what he did so she wouldn't be likely to forget her sister died...

Holy Shit this man is a maniac.

I glimpsed over to my girlfriend, the blood had drained from her face and suddenly I could see the gears in all their eyes turning.

Yelled spurt out and over all the voices and noise and things happening, although nothing could've prepared me for what happened next.

She was screaming at him and crying and trying to lash at him with her fists and suddenly Sirius was gone and into her bedroom and my arms were wrapped around her from behind and pulling her back while he was making excuses for why he never tried to take her back from her mum all those years ago once more.

The lies spilling from his mouth were easy to recognize because they were the same ones Y/n had come to use over the years, always making up excuses for why he didn't want his own daughter and we had always told her otherwise.

Soon however Y/n was screaming again and started to pry herself from my grip, which is actually a lot easier than it used to be because I've let myself go over the summer (in James' words), and suddenly Sirius is back by my side helping me pull the door shut and pull Y/n out.

I can see James in the car, ushering us out, and before I slammed the main door shut I yelled 'You're a terrible father you know!'

Now we're sitting in the car and I'm holding an ice-pack to my face, Y/n's leant up against me and everyone is silent but from the way James is squeezing the steering wheel and how Sirius is gripping the seat I can tell that they're bloody pissed off.

That was a hell of a lot to take in.

" Is your face okay Remus?"

Her voice came out small and I nodded my head. ________________________________ My eyes widened.

I forgot to give the letter back to Y/n.

The letter her mum sent her in fourth year.

______________________________________________________________

Drink some water, eat some food and remember You Are Loved!

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