Games of Hearts and Diamonds; Chishiya x fem reader

11. Together again

'So that's where you learned all your skills?' I said looking at his gaming set up. He looked confused but curious, and I became more hopeful about my project.

'I can't stay long, I just wanted to give you this,' I continued, handing him the box. 'I wrote down all I can remember from our time together over there. It's up to you if you want to read it or not. Perhaps it will be just like reading any other story, perhaps it will trigger your memory.'

As he opened the lid and looked inside the box, I somewhat dramatically added, 'Perhaps it will change your life.'

'I will read it. Of course I will,' he assured me sincerely, and I had to resist a sudden urge to get up and hug him.

'Thank you,' I answered gratefully, 'I wasn't sure how you'd react to me showing up like this. Thank you for listening to me. I have one for Usagi as well, I'll go and see her next.'

His face lit up, he obviously still had feelings for her, even in this world. 'Say hi to her from me, will you?' he asked, and I smiled. 'Of course.'

I got up, and reached for the bag with the rest of the boxes.

'I made one for each person in our little gang. There's also a note with an address to a coffee bar, I will be there the whole afternoon tomorrow, if you want to meet again and talk about... anything.'

The confidence I had gotten from seeing Arisu quickly drained as I stood outside Usagi's house trying to convince her to listen to me, let alone accept the box. Not that I could really blame her for her skepticism, but this was frustrating. When I left she was standing with the card in one hand and the box in the other looking dubiously at me, and I hoped she would not just dump it in the nearest bin. Perhaps I should have brought Arisu with me, I thought resentfully.

I was luckier with Kuina, as I met her on the street when I was trying to find her building.

'Hey you, I thought you had quit those,' I said with a smile as I went up to her, looking pointedly at the cigarette in her mouth.

She took it out and looked at it, shrugged, then put it back between her lips and took a long draw on it.

'Oh, it's you from the hospital,' she said when she recognized me, 'the psychic one.'

I winced at that, but at least she remembered me. The things I had said during that embarrassing scene with her parents had obviously made her curious. She happily accepted the gift box, after I explained what was in it. She even said that she looked forward to reading it, and that of course she'd come and have coffee with me tomorrow no matter what. She was as sweet and genuine as ever and I was instantly reminded of why I had come to like her so much.

I thought about stopping for a quick lunch before heading to the hospital, but my stomach felt like a hard knot, so I decided to just go there directly. This was the meeting I both anticipated and dreaded the most. The closer I got to his room the more self-conscious I felt, so when I passed a bathroom I quickly went inside. Coward, I thought as I stared at myself in the mirror. The lighting made my face look pale and hollow, so I refreshed my makeup in an effort to feel better. I smoothed down my hair, took a deep breath and went back out. My heart was beating ridiculously fast when I reached the room, but stopped as I froze, staring at his empty bed. But, this couldn't be. He was supposed to still be here, I thought, as I desperately looked around.

'So, you're back,' Niragi said. 'He should be back here soon. They're keeping us both here for one more night,' he added when he saw me stare at Chishiya's bed.

'Ok,' I said turning to him. 'I actually wanted to talk to you as well.'

He looked surprised at that, but it was a bit hard to tell since half his face was still covered in bandages. I told him briefly about the manuscripts I had made, expecting him to laugh or make some mean comment, but he actually seemed interested. Probably bored out of his head from being here, I thought sarcastically.