All For A Few Cards ➺ Alice in Borderland

epilogue

I stared out at the city of Tokyo. It's been a few days since everyone left the Beach. They were all camping in the city. It was back to all fun and games. For now. There were rumors going around that there was going to be a next chapter. The face cards.

I think everyone was a little glad the Beach had died. I was. A part of me was finally free. But it wasn't going to take long before that feeling would leave. I should enjoy it. Enjoy it before it really is gone.

I went back to the old warehouse where I lived before going to the Beach. I brought Chishiya and Kuina with me. That's where we were staying now. I offered the stay to Tata, Usagi and Arisu, but they declined it. I didn't mind. Nostalgia washed over me when I walked in. Everything was the same. Just like I had left it.

The food (expect now it was spoiled). My weapons. My clothes. My mattress. And my "bad" cards under my mattress. I remember bringing along my "good" cards to the Four of Spades game. The game where I met An and Usagi. The last game I had before going to the Beach.

But they were useless now. Just how Niragis cards were useless. But yet, I still had them in my pocket with me right now.

I leaned against the old oak tree me and Sakura used to claim as ours. Our hiding spot behind the ice cream parlar. The tree was feet away from a cliff, which had a breath taking view of the city.

My cards weren't the only valuable possessions at the warehouse that I found. I also came across the letter Sakura wrote to me. The letter she wrote confessing everything.

I held it in my hands now. I reread it about a hundred times now. But this time, there weren't any tears. I finally learned not to want to cry everything I thought of her. I finally learned to let her go. She's be proud of me.

I saw Chishiya sit next to me out of the corner of my eye. "It's beautiful out here." He says. I nod. "Our favorite place to go to escape." I told him. He looked down at the the letter in my hands. "That's the letter Sakura..." I nodded and handed it to him to read.

He did, quietly. He sighed once he finished and handed it back to me. I folded it and put it back into my pocket, taking out a cigarette and lighting it. "I know you don't want my sympathy. But I'm sorry. I truly am." He said.

"I thought you said I wasn't going to hear you say that again." I teased him with a smirk as I smoked my cigarette. He chuckled. "This really is the last time. I swear." He said. "Good. Cause it's weird hearing you say it. Abnormal."

"Everything here is abnormal." He says. "I couldn't agree more with you." I said. We both went quite, silently observing the sight. The air was fresh that day. Fresh and free. It almost made me forget about my troubles.

I took out Niragis cards from my pocket and stared down at them. Chishiya did too. "What's on your mind, Aria?" He asks me. I don't answer at once. I take my time, thinking of the best way to explain what I know to him.

"He knew." I say. Chishiya waits for me to continue. "Niragi knew I knew about his cards. I just don't know how he knew." I said.

"He gave me the combination to his safe on purpose. But he moved it last minute. He moved his cards to his gun case, and my panties to the safe. He wanted to manipulate me into thinking he really did care about me." I said.

"He knew we were together. He knew I was only using him. He knew I loved you, and not him." I explained. Chishiya seemed to be fitting the puzzles together. "So he put your panties in his safe to try and change your mind about him. To make you think he loved you." He finished for me.

"Guess his feelings for me were real." I said. "Aria," Chishiya says, sounding hesitant. "Yes?" I ask, staring at him. "During the Ten of Hearts game, when I went to finish Niragi off, he told me something." He tells me. "What?" I frown.

~°•Chishiya's Flashback•°~

I stand feet away from Niragi as we speak. "What are you trying to say?" Niragi tilts his head slightly. "I'm talking about who the witch is, of course. What else do we need to care for?"

"So you're insinuating that I'm the witch, right?" He scoffs. "Sorry, but that's not possible." He pulls his riffle off his shoulder and onto his arms. "Only the executives have information on the main power supply management." I tell him.

"In the first place, only you guys have the key to access the underground. So I'll kill all executive members, starting with you." I said. "What? So you're gonna kill Aria as well?" He laughed sarcastically.

"Speaking of Aria," I took a few steps closer to him. He held his gun tightly in his hands. "She's amazing, isn't she?" I smirked. He narrowed his eyes at me and pointed his gun at me. "Do you think I can't aim at a short range with this rifle?"

"A shame you won't see her again. Feel her." I was playing with my life speaking to Niragi. Especially about Aria. But I wasn't going to stop until I let him know she really belonged to.

"It's okay, though. I'll make sure to continue sleeping with her to keep your name in vain." I smirked. "I'll blow your fucking head off!" Niragi suddenly yelled, seconds away from pulling the trigger. But something stopped him.

"She was all I had. The only reason why I woke up in the mornings. My hope. And you took her away from me. So now you're going to pay. Pay for throwing away my hope. Making it meaningless."

He was about to shoot, but before he could, I ran and threw the playing cards in the air. His eyes went wide as he stared up at them. "What the hell was that?!" I ran to his side and pulled out my fire gun.

I shot it right at him, falling to the ground. He began screaming of pain as fire covered his entire body. I quickly got up to shoot him again, but there wasn't any point. I watched as he fell off the building, his shrieks echoing.

I looked down at him in the pavement, motionless and silent. I felt jealousy somewhere inside of me. Jealous at his feelings for Aria. Because I knew they were true. I knew Niragi truly loved her.

~°•Flashback Ends•°~

I could feel Chishiyas worry once he finished telling me what had happened that night. "He did love you Aria." He said.

"But he continued to sleep with other girls, didn't he? He never made the time to actually get to know me. Unlike you." I reassured him, holding his hand in mine. Chishiya smiled a bit. "I knew he loved you long ago. He would've shot you the day he met you if he didn't." He looked down at the grass.

I picked his chin up and stared him in the eye. "He was a bad man, Chishiya. He treated me like shit. And someone who loves you treats you with love and respect. Like a human being. Don't you ever forget that." I told him and kissed his lips.

We let go after a while and put our foreheads together. "We should check up on Kuina before she starts a fight like last time." I giggle. He does too and kisses my lips one last time before we both stand up.

He goes back to the car. But I stand over the cliff and look out into the distance. "You coming?" Chishiya calls from the car. "Yeah." I say. I take Niragis cards back out of my pocket and stare down at them.

They're useless now. They've always been. I don't know why I've kept holding onto them. I guess a part of me still wasn't ready to let go of Niragi. No. Not Niragi. Of the Beach. And the memories it held.

But just like I let go of Sakura, I have to let go of the Beach. This chapter is finished. It's time for a new one.

I held out the cards over the cliff and let go, watching as they flew out into the empty city of Tokyo.

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