Alice in Borderland | Transmigration

Chapter 20 - Kuina's POV

Notice: Sorry for not posting often recently, I'm actually on a family trip right now and haven't found much time to write :( Anyways, I have started to plan for season 2 and wanted to ask if you guys would rather read the 'Osmosis' game and possibly (very maybe) save Tatta or the 'Solitary Confinement' game and interact more with Chishiya and Banda. Leave your opinion and enjoy this chapter!! 

Kuina never knew how much you meant to her until the prospect of losing you became a threat.

She took interest in you, sure, because someone who could handle Chishiya's behaviour and actually get along with him was worth taking notice of.

She hasn't known you for long, but you were just always there, and unknowingly, she got used to it.

You were a close friend, one that she cherished the presence of.

Kuina is a lot more perceptive than she lets on, and she's noticed how you seem to understand everyone in ways that she can't even begin to comprehend.

It was like you've known them for a long time, except you've only just met them.

She can't help but see how everyone gravitates towards you, herself included, because in this cruel world, everyone yearns for someone to just understand them.

When she saw you in game, she was a little bit surprised. You were a good player, a quick thinker. While she was still trying to wrap her head around all the instructions, you had already dished out orders to clear the game.

But she's seen people like this before, she's seen Chishiya clear games, and you fell into a similar category.

That's why when you asked for help to steal a gun, her whole image of you turned 180. You were calculating, weren't you? So why were you acting so impulsive and reckless?

She ended up going along with it, and if someone asked, she did it just to see how capable you were, but if she was being honest with herself, she didn't want to see you get executed. Looking into your eyes, she knew you would do it anyway, with or without her, and your chances of survival would skyrocket with her on the cameras, so she did it.

The day Chishiya revealed his plan to make you bait, Kuina couldn't rest properly at night.

Chishiya never reveals his plans in full detail, which Kuina finds a little annoying but understandable. However, that means that she doesn't know when he'll talk to you. Chishiya could be convincing you to become a scapegoat at this moment and she would be oblivious.

Whenever she was at the cusp of sleep, the image or scenario of you getting caught, your distraught face when you realised you'd been betrayed. Then the worry, because what if you never speak to her again after this? What if you don't live long enough for Kuina to even begin worrying about you avoiding her?

Seeing you the next day was bittersweet, she felt guilty. She didn't make an effort to stop Chishiya, and it was eating away at her.

You said you talked to Chishiya already, and despite knowing it's inevitable, Kuina's heart still sank to her feet.

But then you said you blew him off. You ignored him, and that was simultaneously the most hilarious and relieving thing ever.

For the rest of the day, whenever she imagined Chishiya's dumbfounded expression when you disregarded him, she chuckled every time.

You were slumped on the floor, ashened clothes clinging to your sweaty being, bloodied arm laying limp next to you, and red-rimmed eyes, droopy like you were seconds away from passing out.

It was like her insides were drenched in cold water, the worse case scenarios flickered through her brain as she rushed over to you.

She was foolish. She should have looked for you, she should have kept you safe. She assumed you would be okay, that she would see you after the game and you two could continue living in this shitty world together.

But you were on the floor of a burning building, bleeding out with an indiscernible injury because there was just so much blood and now she's shaking—

"I'm...alright."

God, your voice. It sounded like someone used a cheese grater on your vocal chords. It took everything within her to keep her tears at bay and garner the strength to drag you to the exit.

Despite the stabbing pain in her feet, she pushed through. You were half-dead on her shoulder.

She would have gotten you to the exit much faster if not for the debris littering the floor, smoke covering her vision and seeping into her lungs, or the jabbing pain that bursted every time she took a step. All in all, nothing was in her favour.

Getting you out of the building while you were still conscious was an accomplishment she would always be proud of. She knew you needed medical attention, however getting you away from the immediate danger had put her in a good mood.

The good mood didn't last for long.

She felt it the moment you collapsed. You were already heavily leaning on her for support, however it was obvious when you became limp in her hold.

She called for everyone's attention, unable to shoulder the panic she felt, and she knew her emotions were written all over her face in bold marker, but she really couldn't bring herself to care when you are almost dead in her arms.

Now, she looks at your peaceful expression, lifeless if not for the light breaths leaving your mouth, and her heart clenches.