Two of Hearts || Suguru Niragi

s i x

**This takes place in my interpretation of Season Three of Alice in Borderland.

School uniforms often bothered me. Never because I had to wear one, or because of the monotonous characteristic of them, or because I missed school. No — rather, now, it was because that was the final thing I remembered. I was at a cafe with Haruka, watching a student in his uniform buying something to drink, and I was reminiscing on my days as a student with my ex, Niragi — after that, everything because a jumbled mess of memories.

Hadn't I left the table?

Had I gone to get another drink? Another snack?

Had I used the restroom?

Had Haruka done something so unforgivable I finally built the strength to leave?

Surely not; had that happened, I'd of left before we even hit our one year anniversary. But, perhaps he did. He seemed completely unimportant in my mind as I got drug out of the rubble; for some reason, through my confusion, all I could think of was that male student and his uniform.

"We've got one over here!" The words were submerged in the sound of crunching rocks, frantic voices from a distance, and sirens echoing through the air. My body was aching violently that, even though I was barely conscious and my body felt weightless, I cried out. Hands grabbed my arms and leg, lifting me until I was set on an even surface.

Forcing myself to open my aching eyes and fight through the unconscious sensation pulling in the back of my head, I turned my head to the side to figure out what was going on.

I was, however, only more confused.

The once skyscraper-ridden skyline was completely bare, the blue sky replaced with a haze of gray and brown from dust, smoke and debris. Rubble and metal rods were coated everything to the point of invisibility of the streets and sidewalks below, firefighters and paramedics climbing overtop. As my body grew closer to the ambulance, the paramedic shining a flashlight into my eyes, I turned my head the other direction. Dust was floating thick in the air on the left side of me that it was nearly impossible to see anything going on; haphazardly, I saw reflective gear of firefighters.

I looked away after some of the dust hit my lungs, setting my chest ablaze. A cough erupted out of me and I gasped through the burning of my lungs. My head rolled back to face the hazy sky as I continued to cough, watching the sky get replaced by the roof of an ambulance.

Flashlights prodded my eyes once again before an oxygen mask was slipped over my face. The clean air hitting my lungs stunned me and I lost consciousness once again, the ambulance doors shutting behind me, the paramedics frantic and filthy face the last thing I remember seeing.

That was two days ago — per my mother.

I awoke in a hospital bed. A consistent beeping filled the air, drowning out the news that played on the television, and IV's protruded my body. Heavily, I looked around, my eyes struggling to adjust to the bright fluorescent lights. In my peripheral, I saw the curtain separating my bed from my neighbors on my left, and my mom sitting in the chair below the window with a book in her hand on my right.

Slowly, I turned my head to look over at her. Her hair was greasy as if she hadn't washed it in a few days, and the bags under her eyes were heavy. A white blanket was draped over her legs, the teal chair beside her adoring her purse and a small backpack. "Mom?" I croaked out. Speaking hurt, but seeing the worn expression on her face replace with utter relief and joy made it worth it.

Wordlessly, as tears pooled in her sleepy eyes, she tossed her book and blanket into the chair beside her. Her arms were thrown around me in an instant and I winced at the feeling of my body being squeezed. Closing my eyes, I leaned into her touch. I was unsure of what was going on, but it had to of been bad; I hadn't seen her this distressed ever, possibly. As her body shook with a sob, causing my body to shake as well, I couldn't help but mutter, "Ow," over her shoulder.