Two of Hearts || Suguru Niragi

f i v e

My body froze outside of my apartment, staring at the ajar door. I vividly remember shutting it. At first, I thought someone was raiding through the abandoned homes for food, shelter, clothes, but, after turning around and inspecting all the shut doors, I felt that couldn't be. It lead to my second thought, though a small and somewhat stupid one, of maybe they were raiding and were covering their tracks, but there's no need for that in this lawless reality. My third and final thought was perhaps, in the delirium that I felt I had been experiencing ever since I found myself stuck in this reality, that maybe I hadn't shut the door, and I made the thought up.

It was the most logical of the thoughts. Pushing the door open, I stepped into the dimming and cold apartment.

He was hard to see under the moonlight spilling in through the window. In front of me, halting at the sound of me entering, stood Niragi. Half of his face and head was covered by his shirt, which led to his gauze-bounded chest to be revealed, the once white gauze browning slightly. It was as I stumbled closer a step that I noticed the burnt skin on his face, it looking as if the skin had melted then attempted to pull itself together. "Kana!" he said with a voice thick with relief, and he bounded up to me.

I was quickly pulled into a hug but my body froze. "Niragi, what happened? I don't want to hurt you."

His arms only tightened at my words. "I don't care if you do." Feeling the familiar warmth of him surrounding me, I caved. My arms wrapped back, holding him close, and I buried my head against his chest. "I was so worried about you. By the time I regained consciousness, everything was burning down. All of the stairs were inaccessible. I was so scared, Kana, I thought I fucking lost you again."

"I thought you were gone, too," I said softly, listening to the rapid beat of his heart softening. Being held by him was sweet. Warm, velvety, caring. Haruka never hugged me like this, not in the year and a half we were together. But every hug Niragi had ever given me felt the exact same way: as if I were the thing he treasured most. I pulled back enough to look at him; I think, in a way, it was true. At least, that's how his gaze made me feel. "What happened?"

He gave me a small smile, attempting to reassure me. Truth be told, I wouldn't be reassured by anything he said, not with the severity of his burns. Only when we were back to our world with him in a hospital would I feel okay. "Got attacked. Granted, part of it was my fault. Then got caught in the fire. It's okay, though. I'm okay. Raided some houses and found gauze to bandage myself up. How are you feeling?" he asked, changing the topic, bringing his hands up to my face. Gently, his fingers examined my bruised skin.

I winced lightly as he poked one of the cuts, which he apologized for quickly. "It hurts a little, but it could be worse. I cleaned the cuts this morning before I played my game."

His brows twitched with confusion. "You played a game?" I nodded. "Who?" he asked, hands moving down to rest on my biceps.

"Queen of Diamonds. We played Sudoku," I said, unable to hide my smile. He picked up on it and started smiling with me. I was thankful for him for a lot of things, but I was always thankful for how easily he could make me happy. Even on the darkest of days, the rainiest of mornings, Niragi seemed to be the sunshine my heart needed.

"I bet she loved hearing your percentage and chance spiel."

"She didn't hear any of it."

He threw his head back in a fake exasperation, leaning back up as he said, "Oh, that lucky woman." I smiled wider with him, causing his smile to come back. I missed his smile. A lot, really. He looked breathtaking; the burns didn't take away from his beauty. But, if I were to be honest, I don't think anything could ever take away from his beauty.