Fanfiction: Grounded (Your Turn to Die)
How many murder-focused videogames can a human being feasibly write fanfiction for? I am on a perpetual quest to find out. But it's at least seven.
Title: Grounded
Fandom: Your Turn to Die
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: maybe a hint of Keiji/Sara
Wordcount: 1,200
Summary: It's hard to trust Keiji. But there's something comforting about him, even so.
Notes: Spoilers up to and including Chapter Two, Part One.
“Guess the second Main Game’ll be starting up again sooner or later,” Keiji says. “You think it’ll be the same thing? Might make things simpler if you and your friendly policeman tell each other their roles in advance.”
He’s saying tell. He’s not saying show. It stands out to Sara. If they’re showing each other their cards, they’ll know for sure which roles they have. If they’re telling each other, that leaves room for him to lie to her.
“It won’t be the same,” she says. “The cards were just lying around for us to pick up, right? We know what they mean now; who’s going to pick up...”
Who’s going to pick up the Sacrifice, she was going to say, but her throat closes up. It feels like Joe’s fingers are tightening around her neck.
“Makes sense,” Keiji says. “Maybe we’ll just get handed the cards for round two. I’m just saying we could share our information.”
They could. If one of them is the Keymaster again, that could be useful to know.
But what if Keiji ends up with the card that killed Joe? Would he ask her to strike a deal and escape with him? He seems to act closer with her than with anyone else, although she doesn’t entirely understand why.
Whether she takes the deal or not, she’ll only end up pursued by more ghosts. If she votes for anyone else, knowing Keiji’s role, she won’t just be voting to kill them; she’ll be voting to kill Keiji.
What if she has the Sacrifice? What would Keiji do? Would he be prepared to vote for her? Is she brave enough to die for everyone else?
(You’ll kill me, but you won’t die, Joe says. I see how it is.
He isn’t here. She’s with Keiji.)
“Look, I don’t want to say this,” Sara says. “You’ve been kind. But I don’t know if I can trust you yet.”
Keiji shrugs. “This isn’t a situation in which you can trust easily. I’d think less of you if you did.”
She can feel herself aching to believe in him. She has to keep her defences up. There was only one person in this situation she knew she could trust, and he’s dead.
(And he lied to her, in the end.)
“But you keep saying you trust me, don’t you?” she asks. “There must be a reason for that.”
“You remember you’re cute, right?”
“Okay,” Sara says. This feels like an easier conversation, at least. “What are you trying to do with the flirting?”
Keiji raises his eyebrows. “What am I trying to do?”
“I don’t think you say anything without thinking about it,” Sara says. “Are you trying to set me at ease? Are you trying to make me uncomfortable? What?”
“You don’t think I might just be hitting on you?”
“Is that just a question, or are you saying that’s what you’re doing?” Sara asks.
Keiji just shrugs again, with his increasingly familiar half-smile.
“I just feel like we’re dealing with enough mind games already,” Sara says. “You know?”
“If I’m actually hitting on you, the mind games are all in your head,” Keiji points out.
Sara folds her arms. “How is saying that not playing mind games?”
Keiji starts to laugh.
He has a way of looking at her that just makes her feel so... so itchy and restless. But she guesses she’ll take that over the guilt.
-
When her room feels too quiet and she’s not ready to actually talk to people, Sara will sometimes spend a few minutes in the ruined corridor. There’s nowhere to sit, and she’ll usually end up pacing, but there’s some kind of noise echoing through here most of the time: people talking in the lobby, people doing attractions nearby. Some small reassurance that someone’s still here and alive.
How long does this ‘game’ go on for? Do they just keep getting whittled down, person by person, until Sara’s left on her own with Joe whispering in her ear?
Stupid to assume she’ll be the one to survive it.
She wants to ask Keiji about the person he shot. Whether he still sees them, the way she sees Joe now. Is that why he can’t handle a gun?
But he never wants to talk about himself. And... maybe a part of Sara is afraid of what she’d learn if he actually did.
Their situations aren’t the same, anyway. It’s not like she killed Joe with her own hands. It’s not like she shot him.
Would’ve been a lot less painful than what I actually went through, Joe says. I sure do miss having blood. You make it look so easy.
Sara breathes out slowly.
He isn’t real.
You’re right. It’s not the same situation. Because Keiji probably just shot some criminal on the job, and you murdered your best friend.
He’s standing against her back.
He isn’t. He isn’t.
You knew I was the Sacrifice, Joe says, trailing his fingers very lightly down her arm. You figured out I was pretending to be the Sage, and you knew I wasn’t putting a target on my back for no reason. We could’ve escaped together if you hadn’t pushed it. But you killed me instead.
He wouldn’t talk like this. Even when he was about to die, he wasn’t bitter. Or he cared enough about everyone’s feelings to pretend he wasn’t bitter, anyway.
And then you just didn’t push the button fast enough. Maybe you weren’t really trying. Why did you want me to die so bad, Sara?
She tried.
She tried, she did, she-
“Sara?”
She’s doubled over in the ruined corridor, eyes screwed shut, hands over her ears, and she doesn’t realise it until she feels a hand on her shoulder. She was standing, wasn’t she? She’d been sure of it. Joe close behind her, his breath barely there on her neck, the brush of his hands far too gentle. She’d been trying so hard not to turn around.
“Sara. You with us?”
It’s Keiji in front of her. His touch isn’t gentle; it’s firm, it’s real.
He eases her upright and then tries to step back, but she catches him by the arm.
Joe’s still there. Keiji hasn’t chased him away; it’s more like he’s drowning him out. His voice, his solid warmth, they’re real enough to tell her that Joe isn’t.
“Please don’t stop touching me,” she says. She only really realises what she’s saying halfway through, and her voice almost falters.
He’s quiet long enough for her to hear his not sure that’s a good idea in her head, even if he isn’t saying it aloud. Somehow, that hesitation makes her feel a lot weirder than any of his flirting does.
“Guess it’s your turn not to know if I’m hitting on you,” she says, trying to keep it light.
He chuckles quietly. “Guess so.”
“I just need to know you’re here,” she says. “That’s all.”
He takes hold of her wrist.
“I’m here,” he says.
She still doesn’t know if she can trust him. But she knows he’s real, and for now that’s what she needs.
Title: Grounded
Fandom: Your Turn to Die
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: maybe a hint of Keiji/Sara
Wordcount: 1,200
Summary: It's hard to trust Keiji. But there's something comforting about him, even so.
Notes: Spoilers up to and including Chapter Two, Part One.
“Guess the second Main Game’ll be starting up again sooner or later,” Keiji says. “You think it’ll be the same thing? Might make things simpler if you and your friendly policeman tell each other their roles in advance.”
He’s saying tell. He’s not saying show. It stands out to Sara. If they’re showing each other their cards, they’ll know for sure which roles they have. If they’re telling each other, that leaves room for him to lie to her.
“It won’t be the same,” she says. “The cards were just lying around for us to pick up, right? We know what they mean now; who’s going to pick up...”
Who’s going to pick up the Sacrifice, she was going to say, but her throat closes up. It feels like Joe’s fingers are tightening around her neck.
“Makes sense,” Keiji says. “Maybe we’ll just get handed the cards for round two. I’m just saying we could share our information.”
They could. If one of them is the Keymaster again, that could be useful to know.
But what if Keiji ends up with the card that killed Joe? Would he ask her to strike a deal and escape with him? He seems to act closer with her than with anyone else, although she doesn’t entirely understand why.
Whether she takes the deal or not, she’ll only end up pursued by more ghosts. If she votes for anyone else, knowing Keiji’s role, she won’t just be voting to kill them; she’ll be voting to kill Keiji.
What if she has the Sacrifice? What would Keiji do? Would he be prepared to vote for her? Is she brave enough to die for everyone else?
(You’ll kill me, but you won’t die, Joe says. I see how it is.
He isn’t here. She’s with Keiji.)
“Look, I don’t want to say this,” Sara says. “You’ve been kind. But I don’t know if I can trust you yet.”
Keiji shrugs. “This isn’t a situation in which you can trust easily. I’d think less of you if you did.”
She can feel herself aching to believe in him. She has to keep her defences up. There was only one person in this situation she knew she could trust, and he’s dead.
(And he lied to her, in the end.)
“But you keep saying you trust me, don’t you?” she asks. “There must be a reason for that.”
“You remember you’re cute, right?”
“Okay,” Sara says. This feels like an easier conversation, at least. “What are you trying to do with the flirting?”
Keiji raises his eyebrows. “What am I trying to do?”
“I don’t think you say anything without thinking about it,” Sara says. “Are you trying to set me at ease? Are you trying to make me uncomfortable? What?”
“You don’t think I might just be hitting on you?”
“Is that just a question, or are you saying that’s what you’re doing?” Sara asks.
Keiji just shrugs again, with his increasingly familiar half-smile.
“I just feel like we’re dealing with enough mind games already,” Sara says. “You know?”
“If I’m actually hitting on you, the mind games are all in your head,” Keiji points out.
Sara folds her arms. “How is saying that not playing mind games?”
Keiji starts to laugh.
He has a way of looking at her that just makes her feel so... so itchy and restless. But she guesses she’ll take that over the guilt.
-
When her room feels too quiet and she’s not ready to actually talk to people, Sara will sometimes spend a few minutes in the ruined corridor. There’s nowhere to sit, and she’ll usually end up pacing, but there’s some kind of noise echoing through here most of the time: people talking in the lobby, people doing attractions nearby. Some small reassurance that someone’s still here and alive.
How long does this ‘game’ go on for? Do they just keep getting whittled down, person by person, until Sara’s left on her own with Joe whispering in her ear?
Stupid to assume she’ll be the one to survive it.
She wants to ask Keiji about the person he shot. Whether he still sees them, the way she sees Joe now. Is that why he can’t handle a gun?
But he never wants to talk about himself. And... maybe a part of Sara is afraid of what she’d learn if he actually did.
Their situations aren’t the same, anyway. It’s not like she killed Joe with her own hands. It’s not like she shot him.
Would’ve been a lot less painful than what I actually went through, Joe says. I sure do miss having blood. You make it look so easy.
Sara breathes out slowly.
He isn’t real.
You’re right. It’s not the same situation. Because Keiji probably just shot some criminal on the job, and you murdered your best friend.
He’s standing against her back.
He isn’t. He isn’t.
You knew I was the Sacrifice, Joe says, trailing his fingers very lightly down her arm. You figured out I was pretending to be the Sage, and you knew I wasn’t putting a target on my back for no reason. We could’ve escaped together if you hadn’t pushed it. But you killed me instead.
He wouldn’t talk like this. Even when he was about to die, he wasn’t bitter. Or he cared enough about everyone’s feelings to pretend he wasn’t bitter, anyway.
And then you just didn’t push the button fast enough. Maybe you weren’t really trying. Why did you want me to die so bad, Sara?
She tried.
She tried, she did, she-
“Sara?”
She’s doubled over in the ruined corridor, eyes screwed shut, hands over her ears, and she doesn’t realise it until she feels a hand on her shoulder. She was standing, wasn’t she? She’d been sure of it. Joe close behind her, his breath barely there on her neck, the brush of his hands far too gentle. She’d been trying so hard not to turn around.
“Sara. You with us?”
It’s Keiji in front of her. His touch isn’t gentle; it’s firm, it’s real.
He eases her upright and then tries to step back, but she catches him by the arm.
Joe’s still there. Keiji hasn’t chased him away; it’s more like he’s drowning him out. His voice, his solid warmth, they’re real enough to tell her that Joe isn’t.
“Please don’t stop touching me,” she says. She only really realises what she’s saying halfway through, and her voice almost falters.
He’s quiet long enough for her to hear his not sure that’s a good idea in her head, even if he isn’t saying it aloud. Somehow, that hesitation makes her feel a lot weirder than any of his flirting does.
“Guess it’s your turn not to know if I’m hitting on you,” she says, trying to keep it light.
He chuckles quietly. “Guess so.”
“I just need to know you’re here,” she says. “That’s all.”
He takes hold of her wrist.
“I’m here,” he says.
She still doesn’t know if she can trust him. But she knows he’s real, and for now that’s what she needs.