Shima slowly opened his eyes, his breathing becoming chaotic. Had he won his little bet? Shima tried to look around the unfamiliar room he was in, however it was hard with his vision being so blurry. Just as Shima was trying to move his numb body, the door opens. Shima closes his eyes and pretends to sleep out of reflex. He had gotten used to pretending to be unconscious when someone came near him. This way, they leave you alone, at least for awhile.

Shima didn’t know what to do. Was this person malicious or not? Shima thought he had been good at finding out people’s intentions, but he doubted it now. Shima's body tenses as he heard the footsteps growing closer. Shima tried hard to make his body relax, however he just couldn’t, it went against those years of being afraid, never having a moment to relax. 

The sound of footsteps stopped at the foot of the bed. Shima’s body began to grow even tenser. Shima heard a low chuckle by the foot of his bed. “No need to be so tense, I wouldn’t save you just to kill you.” Shima’s eyes shoot open as he stares at the man with suspicion. 

Locking eyes with the man, Shima tried to see if the man had any malicious intentions. “Well now, you look like you want to cut me open. Remember that I just saved you, okay?” The man joked.

Pausing for a moment, a memory that was hidden in one of the many shadows in Shima’s mind tried to claw it's way to the surface. Oh, it's seems that he has seen that happen before. Shima had spent a lot of time with his mind in the darkness. He felt that those memories of his are like starved beasts trapped in a cage, staring at him hungrily. 

Shima exhaled slowly, gazing up at the man with his blurry gaze. “Why did you save me?”

The man mans deep fire like eyes stared back at Shima unflinchingly. His gaze darkened for a moment before going back to normal, that moment of change exuded danger. “What, you didn’t want to continue living?” 

Shima noticed that the mans attitude seemed to have changed when Shima asked him that. So Shima simply said, “Yes and no.” If Shima won his gamble then he could continue to live, if he lost then he’d rather have the darkness take him.  

The man stared at Shima for awhile more before finally speaking. “I see, well since I saved you, I would like to know your name. Mine is Kui He, but please call me Kui.” 

Shima pondered for a moment before finally stating something he hasn’t been called in a long time. His beloved nickname, “Shi.” 

Kui smiled warmly at Shima. “Alright, Shi.” 

Shima glanced down at his body that was covered by a warm white quilt. Even his hands were underneath it. Kui knew what he was thinking when he saw the complicated look on Shima’s face. “I had asked a friend of mine to look at your wounds. The worst you had where the ones on your hands and knees.”

 Kui gave a complicated look at Shi. The wounds on his body were definitely torture wounds, however it was strange that the most severe wounds he had were in such places. 

Shima laughed to himself. He already knew why these were the worst spots. It was his hands because that person found that they were to pretty to have even when they were stained with so much blood. Shima agreed with this so he had also wounded his hands many times. His knees were hurt badly because that person liked to make him kneel because before, it was that person kneeling.

Who was that person? It was his two closest people, his sister and his best friend. 

Shima sighed. He looked at Kui who was at the foot of his bed. Shima just couldn’t believe he had won the gamble, it was to good to be true. Should he trust this person? 

Shima decided that he didn’t really care. If he was betrayed then it was just another betrayal. He was not afraid of dying either. So what could he lose? Shima decided to gamble on this man again, and he will continue to do so until he can trust this man. Count it as Shima trying to hope again.