вraттy prιnceѕѕ {т. ѕнιgaraĸι}

ch. 36

✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. nanako's pov .:**:☆ *:.｡.✿

WE ended up leaving the store with only the present I got for momo and todoroki.

the next few days ended up passing by pretty quickly. everyday was spent playing chess and spending time with tomura.

the night before my match with all for one, tomura told me to dress nice the next day as good luck. I obliged and wore a cute dress that I had packed the next morning.

✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. tea .:**:☆ *:.｡.✿

"good morning nanako. I hope you're ready for our chess match", all for one said.

"good morning your majesty", nanako greeted. "if I may ask, where's tomura and the others?"

"what do you ever mean, dear nanako. they're right before your eyes!", all for one said with a big grin....if that was even possible with his face.

nanako walked into the huge room with what seemed like life sized chess pieces. on each of the room, there was a tall podium, that overlooked the entire chess board.

all for one went on the side with the black pieces while nanako went to the one with the white ones.

"my apologies for my slowness your majesty, but you still haven't told me where the others are", nanako stated, trying to sound as nice as possible.

"oh nanako. you need to be more observant. don't you see that they're right in front of you?", all for one said with a chuckle that sent chills down her spine.

nanako looked at what was in front of her. 'they're just life sized chess pieces—no. nonononononono'.

nanako felt her her nerves rising. that's why the chess pieces were so big. it's because they were real people, dressed like the pieces. (a/n: lmao im totally basing this off the idea from no game no life!!)

"I invited your friends to join in on the game. as you can see, kurogiri will be timing us on the sidelines. your king is one of your precious knights, kaminari. and the queen is mina".

nanako looked at her "pieces". shinso was one of the bishops, while chisaki was the other. the rest were all women, probably maids from around this palace.

on all for one's side, almost all of the pieces were male, except the queen, who was currently played by toga. dabi and spinner was the bishops while compress played the rook.

"looking for tomura? why, he's the king!! after all, tomura's sure to inherit the throne of the villain's kingdom after me. fitting, don't you think?", all for one asked with a sinister smirk.

nanako shuddered, not sure how to respond. her lover was on the opposite side of the board, the opponent she had to go against.

"and you must know that the easiest and fastest way to win is to kill off the king", all for one continued.

"t-they won't actually h-hurt each other right?", nana asked nervously, not exactly wanting to hear the answer.

"well what's the fun in it if a few people aren't killed? it's the real deal, sweetheart". all for one's sickly sweet tone made nanako cringe. she wanted to quit, to quit so bad. however, she couldn't just walk out since who knows what all for one will do if she went back on her promise.

"are you ready to begin the game, my dear? time's ticking", all for one rushed.

nanako quickly nodded, as kurogiri was about to flip over the small hourglass.

"good luck", all for one said. 'because you'll definitely need it'.

✿.｡.:* ☆:**:. tea .:**:☆ *:.｡.✿

I made the first move, as it was the rule for the white piece to move first. like every player, I started by letting the pawn in front of my queen move one step forward.

"d7 to d5", all for one said. he spoke like he was used to this, perhaps it was really not a good idea to play against him.

"u-um...f2 to f4...", I hesitantly said.

"e7 to e5", he commanded. now our pawns were diagonal from each other. not wanting to see bloodshed, I urged my piece to move forward so we could avoid killing each others' pieces.

"g7 to g6". our pawns were diagonal to each other again. except this time, if I move, I'll get killed the next round. but if I don't, I get the same result.

I started to panic. my palms were starting to secret sweat. 'what do I do....what do I do...'.

"p-please...d-don't let me d-die...", my pawn said. the girl whimpered in fear, shaking at the sight of the many black pawns in front of her.

'shit! every outcome leads to her death. if this were a normal game of chess, I wouldn't have even batted an eye about that piece. but this is someone's life we're talking about'.

"times up!", kurogiri said. "princess nanako, please select your next move or you will lose your turn".

I closed my eyes for a second. "b2 to b4". the girl's whimpers grew louder, she was full on crying now.

"I'm sorry", I whispered, feeling the guilt seep in. clenching the edge of the podium, I looked down. a command was heard from all for one's side and a slash of the sword resonated throughout the room.

a scream was accompanied by it, along with a splash of blood. the pawn's body was carried off of the board. all for one chuckled.

'this sick mother fuc—'

"it's your move again, dear nanako".

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my erratic heartbeat and chaotic mind. I looked down at the rest of my pieces, some were shaking while others didn't show any emotion, like shinso.

I specifically looked at shinso, trying to hint at him for help. he looked back at me, mouthing something.

'I trust you'.

nodding, I gained back some confidence. I took another deep breath and called out my command.

after a few more turns, I became more and more skittish. I felt goosebumps appear all over my exposed skin. my baby hair was sticking to the side of my face from all the excessive sweating.

I've so far managed to not get anyone else killed. however, the longer the game's going on, the harder it's getting.

"your move again, nanako".

I looked down at the board.

'fuck'