The Pain Before - Reader x Niragi (Part One)
Part Two, Series Masterlist
Niragi Suguru is, by all definitions, a madman. Maybe that's part of the attraction; the feeling of danger when he walks past, the rush of adrenaline knowing you could die at any given moment. If he were to be the end of you, that would be more than acceptable.
When you first arrived at the Beach, you were alone. You arrived at this land with a group, recalling there being at least four others at some point. One of the first games had taken their lives or, more accurately, your winning was what took their lives. You remember just finishing up your tenth game or so, your body aching. 'Spade games aren't a joke...'
You held the card in your hand, glaring daggers at it. You tucked it away in your pouch, who knew fanny packs would become so handy? You took out the antiseptic you had, your hands burning from hitting the ground. Others tried to push you off balance, themselves getting knocked from the tilting floor. You cringed at the burning sensation and started making your way back to your home. Well, you called it home, but it was just an empty department store. You had your tent and a sleeping bag, better than most people.
You didn't get very far before being stopped by a rather beautiful girl. She tapped on your shoulder, and turning around you saw that she had her hand extended towards you. "Kuina. You really saved me back there." You took her hand and gave it a firm shake, "(Y/N), no problem. You seemed like you were in a pinch." She chuckled and smiled at you, "If by 'a pinch' you mean falling to my death, then yes, I was in a pinch." You smiled in return, your hand falling by your side. "Look, you have some good reflexes... I was wondering if you'd like to team up with us."
You gave a skeptical look, "Who is 'us?'" She continued to smile and grabbed your arm gently, leading you over to a car. "A running car? How'd you manage that?" The girl, Kuina, didn't answer but just opened the back door. You pulled away from her grip, "I don't really do teams. So, thanks I guess, but no thanks." You turned to walk away and bumped into a large man, with a scar running down the side of his face and a black tank top.
"Get in." 'Well that's not giving me much option, now is it?' You held back your words, this man would probably crush you like a bug. You turned back to Kuina and sighed, getting in the back of the car, her following suit and closing the door behind her. The car ride was silent despite your questions. "Where are we going?" "Who are you people?" Kuina just smiled and kept telling you over and over, "You'll see when we get there." Seeing as how it was getting nowhere, you stopped asking.
It was probably around 20 or so minutes until you arrived at the entrance. The words had been spray painted over, reading "The Beach." Kuina opened the door and got out as the car came to a stop, "Now, don't freak out." You followed her, closing the door behind you. "About what?" Suddenly your vision went dark, a bag being placed on your head. Your hands were quickly bound behind you with what felt like a zip tie. "What the fuck?!" Someone put a gag around the bag where your mouth was, muzzling any other further protests.
You were then in front of the leader. The bag was lifted and you squinted your eyes at the bright light. It wasn't natural light, but the lights inside somehow worked. Something you didn't miss, the LED bulbs that were everywhere. "Welcome - to the Beach!" He was wearing a floral silk kimono robe, paired with a plain pair of what seemed to be swim shorts. You took note of the people in the room; an average man with glasses, a woman with short black hair, and another with flowing hair and an outfit to kill. The girl, Kuina, was no longer with her, but the driver stood behind her.
The leader flashed around some cards, taking them all in. "Very impressive, ten cards are nothing to scoff at when you acquired them yourself." It was then you noticed everything was gone, no fanny pack, no weapons, hell they even got the knife in your boot. "My cards? What would you want with those?" The man looked up at you, "We are collecting them, of course! Here at the Beach, we work as a collective to gather all the cards in the deck. Our goal is, put simply, to go back to our world." You tilted your head at his words, curiosity surging through you. 'A way to go back home..'
He continued, "We only ask you to follow three rules. We will provide you with anything you could ever want. Electricity, food, running water, whatever you might need. Number one," he held up a single finger, locking your eyes in with his, "All members of the Beach will wear swimwear," he pulled back his robe, seeming to show off, "You can't hide any weapons this way."
"Number two, you are free to do whatever you want. Drink to your heart's content, drugs, sex. Whatever keeps you content." He smirked, seemingly proud of his first two rules. You could've sworn his face turned grim for just a moment before he continued, "And the third, most important. Death to traitors." You held your breath, 'No backing out now it seems.' You contemplated for a moment, holding your head to the ceiling and closing your eyes. You let out a sigh, turning back to the leader. "Sounds great. When do I start pool duty?"
He let out a small chuckle, "I like this one, she's got a bit of fire in her. Now, with cards like these," he held them up in his hand, then tossed them onto his desk, "Quite impressive, again. Seven of Spades, Six of Diamonds, and Seven of Hearts..." He looked your way again, "With this, you'll get a decent number. Woah," he stopped his speech, picking up one card in particular. He faced it forward for everyone to see, "A Nine of Hearts? I knew you had some fire!" He laughed and pulled back the card, gathering them and putting them in a pocket.
He nodded to the large man in the room, and suddenly you felt your hands release. You rubbed them both, the marks from the zip ties burning a bit from the pressure. "I'm the Hatter. This is Aguni," he gestured to the man from before. "This is Keiichi, Ann, and Mira," they all gave a slight nod of the head, not bothering with much else. "Kuina is right outside, she'll show you around." He smiled and gestured towards the door, "Enjoy your stay with us." You stood and made your way to the door, hand on the handle, "I'll do my best."
Holding back your sarcasm was a strong suit for you. It never went well in the real world, why would it be here? You saw Kuina leaning up against the wall, chewing on a piece of candy. "(Y/N), so I take it went well?" She smiled at you and grabbed both your hands, pulling you down the hall, "Well I was abducted, had my cards taken, and not really given much choice in the manner. So... Peachy, I guess?" Maybe holding back sarcasm wasn't as much of a strong suit as you thought it was.
Kuina led you to a large storage room. "You can take anything you want in here, have fun!~" She let out a giggle and turned her back for you to get changed. You could hear her chewing on the candy in her mouth as you began sorting through the clothes if you could call them that. You settled on a black one-piece with a floral design, it had a small diamond shape cut out over the stomach, and the sides were slit and tied together.
You looked for a cover-up and managed to find a white lace one. You grabbed it and flung it over yourself, making your way to Kuina. "Alright, all set for the ball." She smiled at your outfit, "Cute! Let's give you the tour." The pool was bigger than you thought it would be, and the bar was certainly something to ponder. She sat you down poolside, "Oh, another big thing, there are these guys that go around that patrol for anyone breaking the rules. If you can, avoid them at all costs." You nodded along, 'Whatever I can do to live a bit longer.' "Got it. What're these bracelets for by the way?" Kuina flipped yours over to reveal the number behind it, "27? Pretty good for a newcomer! They show your place in line for leaving." She held up her wrist to show, "I'm the eleventh in line, try not to be intimidated." She chuckled and nodded towards the bar, "A drink?" You glanced towards the stocked bar, "I'm game," you returned her smile and watched her get up.
You clasped your hands together and lowered your head to sigh, it's been a while since you got to relax. You felt the muscles in your back and shoulders release and the aches that came with it. The noise suddenly dropped and the near silence enveloped you. You could feel the change in the air and searched for the source. Your eyes landed on them, what you would assume were the militants Kuina had mentioned earlier.
You put your head back down, waiting for them to pass by. All of them carried some sort of weapon, 'So much for no weapons..' You heard the heavy footsteps stop behind you. You swallowed your breath, 'What're the odds?'
You felt a kick on the chair and glanced back. It was the man from earlier, Aguni, and a few others you had yet to know the names of. You could see Kuina at the bar with two drinks, stopped in her tracks watching the militants. "... Can I help you?" One of the men came forward, holding his rifle against his shoulder, "Why don't you help us?" He gave out a dark laugh, signaling another man forward.
Aguni held up his hand, stopping the man from coming any closer. "Niragi, not this one. Move on to another." The man, Niragi, seemed annoyed at this. "Yes, boss." He kicked at the chair again, following Aguni forward. He glared back at you, swirling his tongue through his lips. Kuina jogged toward you, both drinks still in hand. ".. You okay?" You nodded, taking the red drink from her hand. "Did I do something already to get on the shit list?"
Kuina shook her head, "No, just try not to catch Niragi's eye... Avoid him especially, he's fucking crazy." She shot her drink down quickly, "Aguni stopped him this time, can't guarantee he'll stop him twice." You turned behind you, looking at a blonde-haired man with a hoodie. Kuina piped up, "Chishiya! This is (Y/N)," he nodded his head once, "I heard," he turned to you, "Mind if I steal Kuina for a moment?"
"Not at all," you looked over at Kuina, "I'm gonna go check out my room, you guys have fun." You knocked back your drink, placing the glass on the ground and wiping the sides of your mouth of the sweetener. You could feel both their eyes on your back as you walked into the hotel, climbing the stairs to your room. Looking at the back of your wristband, you read the number, 'Room 213,' you glanced at the plaque in front of the hallway, following the arrows. 'Third door down on the right, easy enough.'
You opened the door, noticing the lock on the other side had been damaged, unable to lock. You sighed in defeat, 'So, not a lot of privacy here...' You were about to lie down when your stomach let out a heavy growl. With a sigh, you gathered yourself mentally and headed back out the door, not bothering to close it after yourself.
Making your way to the cafeteria, you heard shouting from inside. You contemplated entering, but your stomach won that battle. You head in quickly, staying by the sides to not draw as much attention. You caught the eye of the man on the ground, being kicked repeatedly. You stayed your course and found a shelf, not caring what you grabbed as long as you got out quickly. Ignoring the painful grunts in between pleading for the assault to stop and a string of sorry, you grabbed a bag of crackers and made for the door.
You felt a pull from your shoulder, "Where do you think you're going?” You turned to see Niragi holding you back. He spun you to face him and pushed you into the wall, his arm blocking the door. His face came closer, you could feel his warm breath on you. You brought his other hand to grasp your chin, holding you still for him to examine. "Such a delicate thing... I wonder if you'll break." He laughed as he grabbed onto your arm again, pulling you out of the cafeteria. The other men didn't follow, just kept kicking the man mercilessly.
You tried to pull your arm back, but his grip tightened on you. You began to pull back harder, trying to use your feet to gain some traction on the ground. Your attempts were proven useless as Niragi continued to pull you forward. It was then Chishiya rounded the corner, his eyes catching Niragi's immediately.
Chishiya stopped in his tracks, his monotone voice almost echoing through the halls, "Does Aguni know you're messing with her again?" Niragi stopped pulling but kept his hand locked around your arm. "Aguni should be faster if he wants a woman. You never know when they'll be riddled with holes." He looked back and smirked at you, making a show of the rifle on his shoulder. He looked back to Chishiya, a sour look on his face. "You should mind your business, snake. You might find a few extra holes in you before morning."
The blonde stepped back sarcastically, putting both hands in the air. "Wouldn't ever stand in your way. Hatter wants to see her." You could feel the grip on your arm tighten and stop as he shoved your arm away. "Tch... See you soon, Princess." He gave you one look over and swirled his tongue on his lips, "Really soon." He laughed and made his way down the hallway, bumping into Chishiya as he did, pushing him to the side. Chishiya didn't seem fazed and approached you, "Follow me."
You rubbed your arm, you could see the bruises already starting to form from Niragi's grip. 'He won't be easy to avoid now...' You followed Chishiya, stopping behind him. "I thought we were seeing the Hatter?" He gave you a small smile, "He's busy. So, I guess we'll just have to wait for him." You shot him a questioning look, "The Hatter never asked for me, did he?" Chishiya leaned up against the wall a grabbed his chest, "I would never lie." He gave another small smile, but it disappeared as quickly as the first. "Well, thanks anyways. I guess the whole 'do whatever you want' really goes for anything."