Hope Always Dies Last | Chishiya [English]

A fever dream

It was so nice and warm...

"I know you're awake, Shiraishi," a voice made me toss and turn. I didn't want to get up yet, it was just so comfortable. "Shiraishi," the voice spoke again, and I grumbled in protest as the covers were pulled away from me.

"Five more minutes, Chishiya!" I growled, "It's so cozy..." There was a giggle. "Damn, it's kinda funny," was that Kuina? Even though I was tired, I opened my eyes and stared at... a huge wall of windows? But that wasn't the familiar environment that I knew?

"Where am I?" I mumbled as the sun's rays hit my face and blinded me. The headache returned, and I closed my eyes with a sigh. "Get up," a hand was placed on my shoulder, and I growled again, which ended in my best friend's laughter. "Now let her lie there, Chishiya. She doesn't look that fit yet anyway, I found out from confidential sources that she has hardly gotten any sleep the last few nights", she moved away from the bed, and I heard more footsteps, which in drifted towards the window.

Couldn't they finally be quiet?

"Shut up!" I exclaimed and it actually became quiet. I sighed happily and snuggled into the pillow.

What did this smell remind me of?

"What? Is my fault if she collapses right in front of my room door?", the male voice sounded annoyed, "I don't have time for this, you know that Kuina." "I know, I know. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Usagi and Arisu for you. But look at it this way: Neiru has been through so much, you can give her a few hours of sleep," Kuina walked away, " I'll be back downstairs. Have a good time!" The door rattled, then all I could hear was another person in the room exhaling loudly.

However, the cozy warmth was far more interesting right now, threatening to draw me in again. I sighed happily and let myself be guided back into the dream world.

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I was hungry.

I suddenly opened my eyes and was greeted by a penetrating darkness. My eyes took a moment to adjust to the lack of light. As if I was in a trance, I pushed the covers off me and sat up before dangling my feet from the edge of the bed. For a moment I thought about what I should do now.

There was a rustle, then suddenly the light went on. A sleepy Chishiya stared at me from the sofa with his "what-the-fuck" look. I pulled myself out of bed and headed for the door. "Where are you going?" His voice was rough, kinda sexy. I blushed slightly. "To the kitchen," I then murmured, "I'm hungry." His "are-you-serious" look almost made me laugh me as I opened the door and left the room. It rustled again, then he stood next to me suddenly. His hand rested on my forehead, and I protested quietly.

"You're not going anywhere, Shiraishi," he said, "Your fever has risen again." I looked at him, felt a lump form in my throat. "But Chishiya!", suddenly I sniffled, "I'm hungry!" Then the crocodile tears ran from my eyes. His pupils dilated slightly, and he held up his hands helplessly as I cried to myself.

What was the matter with me?

"Okay, okay... Alright!", he finally gave in, and my mood improved again. Whistling happily, I hopped down the hallway, his footsteps indicating he was following me. Apparently, he was hungry too.

The elevator came, we got in and I pushed the button to the basement where the kitchen was. Chishiya spied at me out of the corner of his eyes the whole time.

He was a stalker? Kinda creepy...

The hum of the elevator lulled me back a little at first, but I fought against the tiredness. Luckily it dissipated when we got to the basement. I was the first to get off the elevator and aimed at the kitchen, which was completely empty at this time. The smell of the lunch that had been served yesterday hit us and I heard my stomach rumble again in protest.

"Chishiya~", I turned to him, "Can you help me? Pleaseee!" He looked at me with a disgusted look. "It was your idea," he said as he disappeared between the shelves, leaving me with a growling stomach. I immediately felt my emotions take over again, but I didn't have time to cry. I had to cook food!

"A bit of rice, potatoes and also carrots, it's a simple song... an onion should not be missing either, as well as curry and broth, that way it will last you long!", I hummed to myself while I looked for the ingredients. I had completely forgotten that I wanted to cry. Meanwhile, Chishiya sat down at one of the tables and watched attentively as I strolled through the aisles. His fingers twitched when I bumped into something. But otherwise, he remained calm.

I put my haul on the kitchen sideboard and grabbed a pot, which I placed on the stove and then filled it with water. After that, I let the water boil while I chopped the veggies.

"What are you doing there?" the person behind me finally asked and I turned around, beaming with joy, the sharp knife still in my left hand. Waving wildly, I told him it was my mother's recipe while he gazed at the sharp object that was getting closer and closer to him.

"Oh, sorry!", I realized that I was threatening him indirectly and turned around again, "I love this recipe, you know? It's so delicious, I've always managed to eat a lot of it after she'd cooked it. " He chuckled softly. "Mmh, one can see that you liked it," he finally murmured, and a hot shiver ran down my spine.

"Did you just call me fat?"

I turned back to him and narrowed my eyes. He grinned slightly but raised his eyebrows. "You said that just now", he raised his hands soothingly, "I only meant the recipe. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to memorize it." I relaxed slightly again while smiling at him and got back to my work afterwards.

The water in the pot simmered as I gradually added the ingredients and turned on the rice cooker. Of course... I had washed the rice thoroughly beforehand.

A lovely scent filled the room and my stomach rumbled again, but this time happily. I was looking forward to the culinary delight!

"Hah," I sighed as I leaned against the kitchenette and waited for my meal to be ready.

For a moment my vision blurred again, and my consciousness told me that I somehow wasn't myself, then the stopwatch tore me out of the trance.

My curry was ready!

I divided it between two plates and placed one in front of Chishiya, taking the other myself. My spoon automatically dipped into the delicacy and the first bite landed in my mouth.

For the second time that night, tears welled up in my eyes.