Work Text:
Kuina still needed to be monitored for a while so they weren’t discharging her yet. It was only for a few more days but she was getting sick of the hospital smell and the white walls and pristine floors. Her parents visited her every day, but they had already left for today, so she had nothing to do.
She decided to go buy herself a drink from one of the vending machines and sit down for a bit.
The table she ended up picking was next to a large window showing the courtyard. Out of it she saw many of the patients walking around or sitting, some alone, some together.
She saw a lady sitting at a table outside knitting. Maybe she should take up knitting as well while being stuck at the hospital. Though it seemed so boring that she dismissed the idea completely.
Kuina sipped her drink and sighed. Her eyes caught two figures out the window, one limping and another helping her walk.
‘Huh, they look familiar.’
She couldn’t quite recognize them from this far away but they were probably just some patients she had seen around the halls either way, so there was no point giving herself a headache over maybe knowing those two.
They seemed to be friends though.
She hoped she also had a friend. One that would visit her, one that would take this god awful boredom away. At the thought of that she felt like she was forgetting something, something important.
That’s when she saw another figure that stood out to her outside. He had blondish hair with black roots showing and hospital clothes on. He was sitting alone, looking at those two familiar looking patients walking past him.
Why did this man also look so familiar? She suddenly got this feeling of finally finding something, no, someone she had looked for a long time and finally finding them. She knew him somehow, she was sure of it. He was someone important to her, but why couldn’t she remember? The doctors hadn’t said anything about memory loss so why-
Then the blond patient looked up right at her and-
She remembered.
Death games, playing cards, red beams from the sky, a beach house, fighting, fire, gunshots, getting stabbed-
Chisiya!
Kuina almost slipped and fell down from how fast she stood up and started running towards the elevators.
She heard a nurse yell at her about running but she didn’t care, she had to get to Chisiya.
When the elevator doors opened she started smashing the ground floor button as fast as she could, as if that would’ve made the doors close faster.
It felt like the longest, most agonizing elevator ride ever and she was starting to curse the whole hospital for its below than average elevators, when the doors finally slid open and she ran out, bumping into people as she made her way towards the doors leading outside.
When she made it past the doors she looked around and there, on that bench she had seen him on earlier was no other than Chisiya himself.
She stood there for a moment, just making sure she wasn’t imagining him.
But then he stood up and started to limp towards her.
She ran up to him and without any thought of if he also remembered her, she hugged him, which made him let out an uncharacteristically high “ow” sound.
“It’s nice seeing you too but you’re crushing me Kuina.” He said as he patted her on the back, signaling for her to let go. She did let go, but only enough to see his face properly.
“Chisiya, you’re- you’re okay.” Kuina felt her eyes start stinging but refused to let the tears fall.
“If almost dying and getting two extra holes in me is your definition of okay I’d recommend you reevaluate it.” That earned him a smack on arm and a glare before getting hugged again.
“And I recommend you hug me back, you smartass.”
“If you insist.” Was the only reply she got before she felt him put his arms around her as well.
They stayed like that for a while longer before separating.
“Care to sit with me?” Chisiya asked as he headed back towards the bench behind them. Kuina nodded and followed him, sitting down beside him.
“Do you think anyone else remembers?” Was the first thing Kuina said after a minute of silence.
“I don’t see why not if both of us do. We aren’t that special to be the only ones.” Chisiya said and crossed his arms. “Those two might remember as well.” He added, gesturing towards the limping Usagi and Arisu who was helping her sit down.
A moment of silence passed between them.
“So what happened to you anyway?” Kuina asked him. “Arisu said he saw you and that you were fine.” She continued.
“I’m starting to wonder what you people’s definition of okay is.” Kuina smiled but didn’t say anything, letting him continue.
“Niragi showed up to fight Arisu and I. Then I got shot. Twice.”
“HUH?” Kuina turned her body so that she was facing him. “And they left you?!”
Chisiya sighed, “I don’t see what help it would’ve done dragging me around while there was someone shooting at everyone who moved,”
Kuina shook her head but got what he meant, it wouldn’t have been the smartest move to bring him along with them then.
“Besides, I lived.” Chisiya finished.
Again, a moment of silence.
“I got stabbed.”
“Are you trying to upstage my wounds or something?” Chisiya huffed, but he did look at her this time with well concealed concern.
“Well, I lived.” Kuina said smiling smugly at him but then looked down when she remembered. “Ann didn’t though.”
The only reply she got was a quiet “oh” from him.
“I’m hoping she still made it though. In here, the real world I mean.” She continued, she had learned to not keep her hopes up when they were in the games, but she had a feeling Ann made it back with her. She had to have. Just like Chisiya made it.
“Chisiya.”
“Hm?”
“I’m glad you’re not dead.”
“Me too.”
A smack.
“I’m glad you’re not dead as well.”
They sat in silence until it was time to go back inside.