Chapter Text
The snow crunched beneath her boots as Kuina climbed out of the rental car and stretched with a groan. It had been a long day. Although the journey from Tokyo to the cabin in Hokkaidō hadn't been all that long- an hour and a half on the train followed by forty five minutes in the car- they hadn't set off until late since Chishiya had been called in for an emergency surgery. None of them begrudged him going in to cover- they all knew how much his new job at the far smaller hospital he had transferred to meant to him- but it did mean that it was already dark as she turned her gaze to their home for the next week for the first time.
Her eyes widened as she took in the cabin, the traditional rustic exterior and picture perfect surroundings of snow covered trees.
"Wow," she breathed, breath misting in the cool air. "This is gorgeous, Ann."
Ann shrugged. "My aunt's had this place for years. When I mentioned wanting a getaway now that we've all recovered, she was more than happy to let us use it for a few days."
Kuina looked back at the cabin. It was a little out of the way, up in the woods rather than actually in the main town, but there wasn't a doubt in her mind that it had been worth every bit of the effort it had taken to get there.
"It's perfect," she said, flashing a grin in Ann's direction.
"If you happen to be a serial killer," Chishiya muttered beside her.
She shot him a look, aiming an elbow towards his ribs. He dodged back, expression innocent.
"What?"
Kuina rolled her eyes. "You know what. It's lovely and it was very generous of Ann's aunt to let us use it."
He raised his hands in mock surrender. "All I'm saying is popular media would suggest that a cabin in the woods in the middle of nowhere is likely to appeal to a certain type of person." He smirked. "Still, at least we know who the first to go would be. That should give the rest of us a head start."
Arisu's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Chishiya snorted. "Point proven."
Usagi cleared her throat. "Anyway. Shall we go in? It's freezing out here."
She wasn't wrong, Kuina thought. The wind was icy, nipping at her exposed nose and ears, snowflakes catching in her dreadlocks. Beside her, Chishiya shivered and shot a narrow-eyed glare up at the clouds. She bit back a smile. He always did hate being cold. Honestly, she was surprised he had agreed to come on this trip at all. None of it seemed like it would particularly appeal to him. She was glad though. He needed the break as much as any of them- maybe more, given his sleepless nights from when he quit his old job and searched for another. Besides, it just wouldn't have felt right without him.
Ann led the way inside, flicking on lights as she went with the others trailing in her wake. The inside of the cabin was a stark contrast to the traditional exterior. Whilst the traditional layout had been maintained, complete with the wood burner in the centre of the lounge, Ann's aunt had clearly modernised, fitting the cabin out to be as luxurious as it was cosy, judging by the sleek sound system and the obviously expensive coffee machine she could see through the kitchen door.
Whilst the rest of them stood in awe, Chishiya brushed past to flop unceremoniously onto the plush couch with a sigh, head falling back against the cushions. Kuina smiled fondly. It seemed that even napping on her shoulder in the car hadn't quite been enough to counteract the preceding week of night shifts. Either that or he was already finding the constant social demands of a holiday with friends more draining than expected.
"I'm afraid there's only three bedrooms," Ann said. "But I'm sure we can work something out. The beds are big enough to share comfortably and there's always the couch if any of you would prefer your own space."
Usagi shrugged. "Well, Arisu and I already shared a tent back in the Borderlands. I'm okay sharing again, as long as you don't mind?"
She glanced at Arisu, a touch uncertainly.
"Oh, yeah. Right. Of course. No problem." Arisu offered her a grin, cheeks slightly pink. "Fine with me. Totally."
"Great," Ann said, turning to Kuina. "So would you prefer to sleep with me or Chishiya?"
An amused snort came from the direction of the couch and Chishiya turned to peer over the back, a smirk plastered on his face. "I couldn't possibly guess. Well, Kuina? Would you rather sleep with me or with Ann?"
As subtly as she could, Kuina shot him a glare that he entirely ignored.
Ann was giving her a curious look. "Kuina?"
She tried and failed to play it cool and keep the blush from her face. "I um... I don't really mind. I guess I... uh-"
She broke off, trying to find an answer that didn't involve Ann discovering that she might have been slightly in love with her since about twenty seconds after they met back at the Beach.
"I guess... Chishiya."
Something flashed in Ann's eyes that might have been disappointment but, Kuina thought despondently, was probably just wishful thinking on her part.
"Makes sense. I suppose you two are used to sharing at this point."
Kuina nodded. "Yeah. Like you said. Makes sense."
The room was quiet for a moment before Arisu cleared his throat. "Sorry to be... you know- that person- but what's the WiFi here? I can't seem to connect to anything."
"Oh, yes, I should have mentioned it earlier. There isn't any," Ann said.
Arisu blinked. "What?"
"I mean, my aunt did have WiFi here, obviously, but her router broke and there wasn't much urgency for her to replace it if she wasn't planning to stay here for a while. The phone signal isn't great either so you'll have to wait until we're down in the town if you need to get hold of anyone."
"So we're cut off?" Usagi asked.
"A group of friends staying in a cabin in the woods in the middle of nowhere with no way of communicating with the outside world," Chishiya commented dryly. "Nope. Can't think of a single movie with a plot like that. None at all."
Kuina rolled her eyes and threw a cushion from a nearby armchair in his general direction. She was rewarded with a satisfying thump, closely followed by an indignant yelp.
"Alright," Ann said firmly, although Kuina could see the small, amused smile on her lips. "There's no need to panic. We're hardly going to be up here and if worst comes to worst, we have the car. If we really need help, we can get it. Now, shall we get some rest? We have a busy day ahead tomorrow."
***
The bedroom was nice- much nicer than her room had been back in her apartment, Kuina thought, although her current room in Chishiya's apartment certainly gave it a run for its money.
She'd been living there for the six months since the meteor which, it turned out, had not only stopped her heart but had completely wrecked her apartment as well. There had been a stressful couple of days in the hospital when it had looked like her only option with her place uninhabitable would be to move back in with her father until it was fixed but then Chishiya had offered up his spare room. The offer had been a little awkward- she could still picture how he had fidgeted uncomfortably, hands deep in his pockets, unable to meet her gaze as he haltingly asked- but sincere; just a few days after her release from hospital she had moved in.
She had felt a little guilty about it- she knew how much Chishiya valued his space and she strongly suspected that he would be much happier on his own again- but it had largely worked out far better than she had anticipated. They had settled into a routine with relative ease. She had learned how he liked his coffee in the morning (disgustingly sweet) and not to even attempt a conversation until he was at least halfway through the cup. He had caved to her requests and, somewhat reluctantly, agreed to try watching her favourite trashy dating shows with her (and proceeded to offer a suspicious number of opinions for someone who claimed to have no interest in proceedings). She had come to recognise the look on his face when he got in from work that meant he wasn't going to be up to talking for a while and that a silently delivered mug of tea was the best thing for her to do until he came to her.
It had been a good few of months.
She was going to miss it.
She hadn't had a chance to mention the email to him yet- it had come through while he was at the emergency surgery and he had been snoring within about ten minutes of the train setting off. Truthfully, she had more or less stopped checking for updates on her apartment. It wasn't like she was unhappy where she was and, with the amount of repairs that had been necessary around Shibuya after the meteor, her apartment really hadn't been high on the priority list. However, when she had checked her emails that afternoon there it was- a notice that repairs to her building were almost complete and she would be able to move back in and resume her tenancy in two weeks should she wish.
The door opened and Chishiya padded in, hair still damp from the shower. He flopped onto the bed beside her, barely acknowledging her presence as he buried his face in the pillow.
Kuina huffed in amusement. "Not even going to say goodnight?"
He turned his head ever so slightly to squint up at her. "You don't deserve one."
"No?"
"No. Not when I fail to see why you have inflicted your presence on me when you had a perfectly good opportunity to finally make a move with Ann. I would have had a bed to myself and you could have finally brought your ridiculous pining to an end. A win for everyone. Instead..." He lifted a hand to wave vaguely at their current sleeping arrangements. "This."
Kuina sighed. "Come on, Shiya. What was I suppose to do? Just tell her that I like her?"
"Yes. Please. End my suffering."
She reached out to poke his cheek. He grunted, swatting half-heartedly at her hand without actually bothering to lift his head from the pillow.
"You know it's not that easy. She's so... Ann, you know? Like, she's gorgeous and brilliant. How am I supposed to talk to someone like that?"
"Fairly easily, I should imagine. You're talking to me, aren't you?"
She laughed and he scowled, an almost comically affronted expression.
"It's almost like you want to sleep on the floor," he muttered.
"I don't know why you're acting like you're offended," she said, trying to contain her giggles. "Or have I misunderstood and you want me to flirt with you?"
He shuddered. "Please, no."
"Thought so." She wriggled down in the bed. "So, seeing as we're sharing a bed... want to cuddle?"
He stared at her, aghast. "Absolutely not."
"Come on. I don't mean like that obviously. Just, you know. Platonically."
"I don't cuddle."
She snorted. "Sure you don't."
His eyes narrowed dangerously. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing! It's just I seem to recall one night, after you worked that double shift a few months ago..."
"Lies and slander."
"Are you sure about that? Because I distinctly remember-"
"No," he cut her off. "You don't. Now go to sleep. We have to go and throw ourselves down mountains tomorrow because, for some absurd reason, you seem to think it's enjoyable."
"Lots of people like skiing."
"Lots of people are idiots."
She laughed again and flicked the bedside light off. "Fine. No cuddling. Suit yourself. You'll just have to tolerate me existing on the other side of the bed."
"Of course I will," he muttered.
"Don't worry, you'll be rid of me soon."
In the dim light, she saw him shift ever so slightly. "What do you mean?"
She rolled over, letting her eyes drift shut as she snuggled into the pillow. "I got an email today. My apartment is fixed."
He was quiet and for a moment she wondered if he had fallen asleep before his voice came again, quiet in the dark. "You're moving out?"
"Yep," she mumbled drowsily. "Good news- you'll have personal space and peace again." She yawned. "Anyway. Night Shiya."
She didn't hear his response.
***
It was safe to say that the morning did not go as planned.
She had woken up before Chishiya as she had expected- he was the furthest thing from a morning person she had ever encountered. Still, she hadn't wanted to disturb him any earlier than necessary, given his exhausting work schedule, so instead of waking him she had crept out of the room to make herself breakfast, leaving him curled under the duvet with his hair strewn messily across his face.
However, an hour and a half later as they were loading the car ready to head to the resort for a day on the slopes, Kuina still hadn't seen any sign of him.
"Do you think we should go and wake him?" she asked anxiously, glancing at Ann as she carefully loaded her skis onto the roof rack. It was already snowing pretty heavily, the fat snowflakes standing out starkly against her black hair. "We need to get going soon."
"I think Arisu went already," Ann replied. She stepped back, apparently satisfied. "He should be back any minute."
As if on cue, Arisu appeared in the doorway of the cabin. He cleared his throat.
"So, uh... Chishiya isn't coming with us today."
Kuina blinked. "What? Is he okay?"
Arisu nodded. "I think so. He said he was tired. I guess, maybe he'll call a taxi and join us this afternoon?"
"He's sure?" Ann asked.
"Yeah. I mean, he seemed pretty certain. Definitely didn't seem interested in talking to me when I went to check on him."
Ann shrugged. "Alright then. Well, he doesn't have to come if he doesn't want to. We should get going."
The others trailed towards the car but Kuina hesitated, worry twisting in the pit of her stomach. "I might stay too."
Ann frowned. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I can't leave Shiya here on his own. He might be sick or something and just telling us he's tired. He's done that kind of thing before. Downplaying it when he's not doing great. Like you said, if he feels up to it, we can join you later."
Ann looked at her for a moment before she nodded. "Okay. If that's what you want, we'll see you later. We'll be going to get groceries on the way back so you can try to call us if he is sick and needs meds. No guarantees you'll get through, unfortunately, but you might find one of the better spots of signal."
"Sure." Kuina stepped back as the others climbed into the car. She gave them a wave. "Have fun!"
She watched as the car disappeared into the distance, quickly obscured by the trees and snowfall. It really was coming down quite hard, Kuina noted. She wondered if they'd even be able to ski until it slowed down a bit. Already she could see it piling up against the walls of the cabin, her boot sinking a good couple of inches with each step as she headed back for the door.
Once inside, she considered her options. She didn't think disturbing Chishiya again was a good call if he was that tired. Best case scenario, she might get a disinterested grunt. Worst case, she'd get a pillow thrown at her for her efforts. No, better to let him rest for a bit and then go up. In the meantime, she might have a nap of her own. She settled down on the couch, letting her eyes fall closed.
She hadn't even been aware she was that tired and yet five minutes later she was sound asleep.
***
She woke up disorientated, unsure for a moment where exactly she was before the memories rushed back to her. She blinked rapidly and shoved herself up into a sitting position, trying to force her brain back into gear. A quick glance at her phone told her that- somehow- it was already 3pm. How she had slept for five hours she had no idea. Perhaps the travel the previous day had taken it out of her more than she had thought.
She pushed herself to her feet and and headed for the front door. Perhaps a bit of fresh air would help clear her head and then she would go and check on Chishiya. She reached for the handle and twisted it, pushing the door.
The door didn't move.
She frowned, jiggling the handle some more and pushing harder. Still, the door refused to budge. She fiddled with the key, wondering if perhaps she had failed to unlock it properly, but it refused to turn any further. The door was simply stuck.
Trying not to panic, she hurried into the lounge, yanking back the curtains to peer out of the window.
She froze.
The trees outside were barely visible, almost entirely obscured by the snow, fat flakes falling thick and fast, swirling in the wind. However, even with the reduced visibility she could make out the snow piled up against the trees, far deeper than she remembered that morning. She pressed closer to the glass, trying to angle her face so she could see the front door. However, she didn't really need to; deep down, she knew what she would find.
They were snowed in.
They were trapped.
Her stomach dropped and she raced out of the room, taking the stairs two at a time as she shouted.
"Shiya! Shiya, wake up!"
There was no response. She skidded to a halt outside his door, pounding her fist on the wood.
"Chishiya!"
Still nothing. She groaned in frustration, hitting the door harder.
"I'm serious, Shiya. This isn't the time for your bullshit. Open up."
There was a moment of silence. She was about to open the door anyway and face his wrath when, finally, she heard slow, shuffling footsteps moving towards her. The door cracked open, revealing one narrowed eye.
"What?"
She bit back her irritation; there were far more pressing issues at hand than whatever was causing Chishiya's bitchiness.
"You need to get out here."
"Why? What are you even doing here? I thought you were all going skiing."
"Just come and see."
She didn't bother waiting for a response, yanking the door open and grabbing his wrist before he could dodge out of the way to tug him towards the stairs. Chishiya hissed as he stumbled forwards, wrenching his hand from her grip.
"Whatever it is, I'm sure you're perfectly capable of dealing with it on your own."
"Oh really?" She strode down the stairs and pushed the front door, glancing back at him pointedly as it refused to move. "And how do you suggest I deal with that?"
He tilted his head. "Have you unlocked it?"
She rolled her eyes. "Wow. That really hadn't occurred to me. Thanks, Shiya."
He shrugged. "Just checking."
Slowly he made his way down the stairs, looking far too calm considering the circumstances, in Kuina's opinion. Then again, there was something reassuring about it. She wasn't sure what she would do if she ever encountered a situation that actually made Chishiya panic.
He crossed to the window and peered out into the snow. "No sign it's going to stop any time soon."
A chill crept up her spine. "So we could be stuck here for- what? Days? Longer? If we can't open the door, we can't exactly dig ourselves out."
He snorted. "We're in Hokkaidō, Kuina. Not Antarctica. Besides, the others know we're here. I highly doubt they'd just leave us to our own devices."
The chill turned icy, her stomach dropping. "The others went skiing. Shit, Shiya- what if they were on the slopes when this started? They could be hurt or..."
She broke off, unable to say the words aloud. Regardless, she couldn't help the images that flashed before her eyes. Of Arisu. Of Usagi. Of Ann, lying there in the snow, pale and unmoving, just as she had been back in that alleyway.
Chishiya's words cut through her thoughts. "Have you tried calling them?"
"What?"
He sighed heavily. "They're not idiots, Kuina. If the weather looked this bad, I highly doubt they would have gone onto the slopes. So, have you tried calling them?"
"No," she admitted. "I haven't. But if they're not skiing, then where are they?"
"Maybe it wasn't safe to drive. Maybe they stopped to get a hot drink. Maybe one of them slipped on the ice and they're sorting out whatever they minor injury they gave themselves. There could be a million reasons why they haven't come back yet."
She swallowed hard, absorbing what he was saying. He was probably right. That was one thing about Chishiya- he might sometimes be a little blunt but his logic was generally impeccable. Still, she couldn't quite shake the memory of Ann's eyes, glassy and lifeless, staring at nothing. She met Chishiya's gaze.
"You really think so?"
"Yes. I do." For just a moment, his eyes softened slightly. "I'm sure she's fine. They all are."
She nodded and fumbled for her phone. She hit Ann's contact before pressing the device to her ear, waiting impatiently for it to connect. However, instead of the familiar ring, she was greeted instead by an automated voice, aplogising for its inability to connect her call. She glanced at the screen and groaned in frustration as her eyes landed on the nonexistant bars of signal.
"I can't get through."
"Like I said, I wouldn't worry."
He brushed past her, heading back up the stairs.
"Where are you going?"
He glanced over his shoulder with a shrug. "To my room. I would have thought that was obvious."
She gaped at him. "Seriously? Shiya, I don't know what's going on with you but this is kind of an emergency."
"Nothing's 'going on with me'," he said coolly. "And, so far as I can see, there's nothing we can do about our current situation."
"We can try," she insisted. "We can... I don't know, keep calling for help? See what supplies we have? Something."
"Well, there we have it. You have a plan. Doesn't seem like you need me."
"Shiya!" she called after him but he paid her no mind, continuing up the stairs without a backwards look, leaving her alone in the hallway once more, wondering what the hell she was supposed to do now.
***
An hour and a half later, Kuina had attempted to phone Ann, Arisu, Usagi or the emergency services no less than forty seven times and had managed to be connected on precisely none of them. She had also searched the kitchen from top to bottom and had a woefully small pile of food to show for her efforts: four packs of instant ramen; about a third of a bag of rice; miso; furikake; a couple of tins of mackerel and tuna; a few sheets of nori; a slightly out of date can of peaches; copious amounts of pods for the coffee machine; and a bottle of expensive-looking sake. It wasn't exactly an inspiring selection and she was fairly certain that Chishiya would be even less enthused than she was. Certainly at least three of the four ramen packs would be far too spicy for him to even attempt to eat and she didn't have high hopes for the mackerel either. She'd have to take that into account as they rationed it out; it wouldn't be much good if by day three they only had food left that he couldn't eat. Not for the first time in the past couple of hours, she cursed their late arrival and the resulting delay in getting any real supplies in.
Still, she supposed, there wasn't much they could do now except make the best of it. It was already starting to get dark outside, although she could still make out the snow swirling relentlessly in the air. She might as well get something started for them.
She set up the rice cooker on autopilot, oddly soothed by the familiar routine. For those brief couple of minutes, it almost felt like things were normal and she allowed herself to pretend- that they were back in their apartment and she was just preparing dinner for them both as she often did when Chishiya got in from a particularly long shift. Not that she wasn't usually the one who cooked- Chishiya's skills in the kitchen left something to be desired, matched only by his lack of enthusiasm. She didn't really mind though; she would prefer she cooked if it meant getting to eat something edible and he did the majority of the cleaning around the apartment, making sure everything was up to his rather exacting standards, so it worked out.
She was drawn out of her reverie by a familiar but entirely unexpected sound. Her head snapped round, eyes falling on the source, and her heart leapt.
Her phone was ringing.
She lunged for it, snatching it up and pressing the answer button in one swift motion as if she was afraid it would stop if she was too slow.
"Hello?"
The line was faint and crackly but still she could make out the familiar voice on the other end. "Kuina? Kuina, are you there? It's Ann. Can you hear me?"
She sagged in relief. She was okay. "Yes! Yes, I'm here! I can hear you!"
It was difficult to make out across the poor connection but she was sure she heard Ann let out a relieved sigh. "Oh, thank God. I've been trying to get through to you for hours."
"Are you alright?" Kuina asked, unable to keep the note of urgency from her voice. "And Arisu and Usagi? Are they-?"
"We're all fine," Ann said. "They closed the slopes off because of the weather and we didn't want to risk driving back while the snow was still coming down so hard. We're still in the town." She paused. "What about you? And Chishiya?"
"We're okay," she said. "But we're snowed in. We can't get the door open."
There was another pause as Ann considered the information. "I see. But you're both okay? You have some food?"
"A bit. Enough for a couple of days."
"Alright. We won't be able to get to you tonight- apparently the road up to the cabin is completely unusable. Hopefully by morning the snow will have slowed enough that we can look at getting help to you."
Kuina let out a shaky breath. "Okay."
"Look," Ann said softly. "You'll be okay. You've survived a lot worse than this. And you've got Chishiya."
"I guess." She bit her lip, debating whether or not to continue." Has he... Has he said anything to you? He seems... I don't know. Off."
"No." Ann sounded surprised. "Honestly, if there was something wrong I would have thought he'd have talked to you."
"He hasn't," Kuina said. "Maybe he's just in a bad mood or something but..."
"Well, you can read him better than I can," Ann said. "If anyone can work out what he's thinking then I'd say-"
Abruptly her voice cut off, fading into a muffled, distorted warble as if she had been plunged underwater.
Kuina pressed the phone tighter against her ear, fingers gripping the device tight. "Ann? Ann, can you hear me?"
".... breaking up." Ann's voice, distant and tinny, drifted through the static. "Just..... and we.... be long."
"Ann?" she called, raising her voice despite knowing it wouldn't really make any difference. "Ann?"
".... panic."
There was a long pause, so drawn out that Kuina feared they may have been cut off.
"Ann?"
".... you soon."
There was a soft sound and the line went dead.
Slowly, she lowered the phone, hand trembling ever so slightly as she placed it on the counter. On the one hand, she didn't think she had ever been so relieved to hear someone's voice, the weight of fear over the others' fates lifted from her shoulders. On the other though, any hope of rescue was, at least for the time being, gone. Until the snow cleared, they were on their own.
"Is this all we have?"
She jumped and spun around, heart pounding. Chishiya had appeared in the doorway and was eyeing their food supplies, looking distinctly unimpressed.
"Shit, Shiya! You almost gave me a heart attack." She shook her head. "One of these days I'm going to have to get you a bell or something."
He rolled his eyes before giving her an expectant look. She sighed.
"Yes, that's all I could find in the cupboards. Unless anyone brought any snacks in their case, that's all we've got. I was just getting started on some dinner. It might not be very exciting but it'll do the job."
"Wonderful."
He turned to go but she called after him.
"Shiya?"
He sighed heavily. "What is it?"
"Well, I mean... It will be ready soon. You might as well wait."
For a moment she thought he was going to leave anyway but then he shrugged, slumping into a seat. "Fine. If you say so."
He watched silently as she finished preparing the food. The silence between them felt heavy, not like their usual companionable quiet. It made her feel uneasy, like she was missing something. Maybe he was more stressed about their current situation than he was letting on, she thought, as she carefully seasoned his food. It wasn't exactly normal circumstances. She should make some allowances for him.
"Alright. Here you go." She slid the bowl across the table to him. He eyed it dubiously. "It's just rice with furikake. Best I could do with what we've got, I'm afraid."
He picked up a small amount and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly before shrugging. "It'll do."
She rolled her eyes, setting her own bowl of ramen down as she sat. "Wow, you're so welcome. Please, no need to thank me so much."
"I didn't ask you to cook for me. I could have done it myself," he muttered, scooping up a little more rice.
She frowned, looking up from her food. "Shiya, I'm only joking. It's just rice." She offered him a small smile. "Besides, we both know you can't cook for shit."
To her surprise, he didn't laugh, didn't even look up from his meal. "I managed just fine for years before you moved in."
"I know," she said slowly. "I just meant... Never mind."
They lapsed into silence again, the quiet broken only by the quiet sound of their chopsticks against their bowls. Despite the heat of the ramen, Kuina couldn't shake the bitter taste from her mouth of their brief conversation.
Something was wrong with her best friend.
And she didn't have a clue what it might be.