Things Will Change

Summary: Set after the season one finale. Chishiya betrayed Arisu and Usagi. If they’re to continue working together, Arisu has to be able to trust Chishiya
Warning(s): Spanking; spoilers for the entire first season of Alice in Borderland; AU; references to violence and canon character death

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Arisu took one last look around the underground room, taking in the slumped over bodies of the dealers…and the screens that had shown Mira’s face, but were now dark and empty. A tiny core of despair wound its way through him as he thought about what was going to come the next day.

He’d convinced himself that coming here would give them answers, at the very least, if not a route out of this world and back to their own. Knowing that the games weren’t over, that they still had the face cards to go up against, was almost enough to cripple him. He’d powered through the physical beating that Aguni had given him, a fact that would have shocked his father and brother if either learned of it. But the emotional pain from reaching this point, only to find that they had more and worse to deal with? He wasn’t sure how he could force himself to keep going. How any of them could force themselves to keep going.

But he had no choice. He owed it to Chōta and Karube. The only reason he’d survived was thanks to them. He’d make it back to their world because they couldn’t.

“Arisu.” Usagi’s soft voice drew his attention towards her. She looked tired, but resigned to what they’d learned. “We don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring. We need to find food and shelter and make sure we are prepared as we can be for the face card games.”

“Yes. You’re right.” Arisu’s gaze moved over to Kuina and Chishiya. He locked eyes with Chishiya, who just stared back at him, face cool and composed as ever. As if he didn’t feel anything. As if his actions at the Beach, as if his betrayal of Arisu, had smeant nothing.

Forcing his eyes away from the other man’s face, Arisu turned back to Usagi and held out one of the radios to her. “Why don’t you find somewhere for us to shelter? I’ll find some food and meet you if you let me know where you are.” He didn’t say, out loud, that he wanted to speak with Chishiya before anything else happened. He wasn’t sure how the conversation would end, after all.

“Why don’t you go with Usagi?” Chishiya addressed Kuina. “We’ll both join you in a while.”

“Yeah, okay.” Kuina shrugged and walked over to join Usagi. She linked arms with the other woman and the two of them walked out of the room.

Arisu listened to the sound of their footsteps as they walked away; listened until they faded into the distance. It took him a few moments to realise he was also listening for the sounds of gunshots and screaming as well.

“They won’t do anything until tomorrow.” Chishiya’s voice broke into Arisu’s thoughts. “They have their own rules they follow. You know that as well as anyone.”

Arisu glanced at him once more. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the multitude of bodies slumped over, but they didn’t bother him anymore. Perhaps he was growing desensitized to the violence. The thought made him sad. “I’m worried about the militant corps from the beach more than the game masters.”

Chishiya shrugged. “It’s possible,” he allowed. “But it’s unlikely. After the hunt for the witch, even the most bloodthirsty among them will have had that first satiated. At least for a while.”

“Even Niragi, had he lived?”

Chishiya paused. “Maybe not him. Or Last Boss, had he lived. But the others were just following orders. They were caught up in the game. There’s no reason to worry about them before the next game begins.”

Arisu’s eyes moved back towards the door of the room. Chishiya was saying things that made so much sense, but Arisu couldn’t forget the other man’s betrayal. “If you hadn’t betrayed me and let them tie me up, no one would have had to die.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do.” Arisu turned back to Chishiya. “When I was freed and had the situation explained to me, it didn’t take long for me to put it together. I would have done so much earlier if I’d had the option. If you’d given me the option. And why did you even betray me? Having the physical cards hasn’t made any difference. They haven’t given you an edge. And you can’t use them to return to our world, can you? If you could, you would have done so already.”

“What do you want from me?” Chishiya asked. “I already said thank you. I acknowledge that you suffered because of what I asked you to do. And yes, there were people who died at the Beach. But many of them were marked for death anyway. You couldn’t have figured out the witch was Momoka soon enough to save everyone. Some of them were going to die anyway.”

“But not all of them had to die.” Arisu took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing emotions. There was a deep pit in his stomach as he whispered, “How can you so easily stand by and let so many people die? For something that’s worthless?”

“What do you want from me?” Chishiya repeated the question.

“I want you to understand.” Arisu strode over to Chishiya, then paused and took a deep breath. The anger roiling around inside wasn’t like him. He wasn’t Karube. He couldn’t solve this conflict with his fists. Chishiya wouldn’t respond to violence, even if Arisu were so inclined.

And Chishiya clearly knew that Arisu wouldn’t use violence. He stood his ground and stared right back at Arisu and asked, “What do I need to understand?”

“If we’re going to get through this next set of games, if we’re going to survive them, then we need to be able to work together.” Arisu stared hard into Chishiya’s eyes. “I need to be able to trust you. And I can’t do that right now.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

Arisu looked away from Chishiya and focused on their surroundings. Not on the dead bodies, but on the desks and the surfaces around them. He noticed an object not far from a limp hand, as if the person had died while reaching for it, and slowly reached out to pick up the long, thin plastic ruler.

“Are you serious?” Chishiya asked.

Arisu looked at him. “What do you think?”

Chishiya held eye contact for a few moments and then slowly turned round. He placed his hands against the wall and leaned forward slightly, forehead resting against the surface.

Reaching out, Arisu rested his hand on Chishiya’s shoulder. Then, he snapped the ruler across the fullest part of the other man’s backside.

A quiet grunt was the only reaction Chishiya gave.

Arisu paused, waiting to see if there would be any words spoken. Any excuses offered. When none were forthcoming, he continued to snap the ruler against Chishiya’s bottom. For the first circuit, he spread the strikes out evenly, letting the ruler land just below each previous strike. When the ruler snapped against his thighs, Chishiya’s body arched and he gasped.

The second circuit of strikes covered skin that had already received attention and despite the two layers of protection over his backside, Arisu could tell that Chishiya was feeling the strokes. His fingers curled and clenched and his body trembled every time the ruler connected with his bottom. He didn’t cry out and he didn’t beg. He just stood there and took the punishment.

After a third circuit of strikes, Arisu moved his hand from Chishiya’s shoulder and tugged his trousers down. He followed those with the underwear and then pushed on the other man’s back, encouraging him to bend forward.

Chishiya shuffled, his feet spreading apart, and pressed his head against the wall as Arisu resumed bringing the ruler down, this time on his bare skin.

It took two complete circuits of the ruler across bare skin before Arisu could hear and see the tears slipping down Chishiya’s cheeks. He didn’t know if the tears were genuine, or if they were another form of manipulation, but maybe it didn’t matter.

Chishiya could have stopped the punishment; could have talked Arisu out of doing anything in the first place. That he hadn’t even made the attempt meant something. It had to. Maybe the bonds they’d formed here meant something to him. They all had pasts before coming here, but they needed to put any differences aside and work together. It wasn’t acceptable, how many people had died up until this point. They couldn’t let that continue happening.

“You didn’t care about all the people who died at the Beach. You didn’t care if Usagi died. If I died.” Arisu began to snap the ruler against Chishiya’s sit spots and the tops of his thighs. “That’s not acceptable. We save who we can. From now on. Do you understand?”

“I understand.” Chishiya’s breath hitched and his voice broke.

Breathing deeply, Arisu tapped the ruler against Chishiya’s backside. The taps were light, but each one drew a flinch, clearly still hurting. He could see the red colour of the punished skin; could feel the heat from Chishiya’s bottom without needing to touch it. “No more,” he whispered.

“You can’t save everyone.”

“I’m going to try.” Arisu had tears in his own eyes. They made the world around him blur; made the sharp edges soft and bleed into each other. Through watery eyes, he watched as Chishiya pulled his clothing back into place and turned, slowly.

Arisu didn’t know which one of them moved first, but they were abruptly holding onto each other. Chishiya’s grip was strong; stronger than his physical appearance would have indicated. “I’m sorry,” he whispered against Arisu’s neck.

Saying nothing, Arisu just clutched Chishiya tighter to himself. They held onto each other for a few more moments before they let go.

Chishiya’s face was calm and composed. There was no sign of the tears he’d shed. The only sign he gave of the punishment he’d just received was when he reached back and gave his backside a quick rub.

Wiping at his own eyes, Arisu put the ruler in his pocket. “In case I need it again.”

Chishiya snorted softly, but didn’t make a direct comment. Instead, he motioned towards the path out of the room of death. “Lead the way.”

The End