" so... that means no coffee for me? "
KAORI was planning on doing what she does every single day. Until fireworks and a strange blackout brought her onto a place where she would have to play some twisted games to survive.
" i don't know who's in ch...
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THE WARMING SMELL of coffee invaded the restaurant now occupied by the two best friends. Their usually chatty selves were long gone as they sat on a booth, their legs spread out on the leather seats, the only sound being heard coming from the wind lightly blowing outside.
None of them had dared to speak just yet, the pair silently agreeing that they should just crash into the only restaurant that seemed to own a gas cooker, and here they were, drinking coffee in the middle of the night with the moon shining a dim light into the place.
What had just happened into this abandoned building a few hours prior was slowly sinking into Kaori's brain. The various light panels bringing them into a game arena. The cellphones and the robotic voice announcing the rules. The others players and that girl's scared cries. That red laser coming from the ceiling. This game that wasn't just a game. A deadly game. The dead bodies.
Kaori quickly blinked as if it would erase this now permanent memory and she grabbed the phone previously collected before the game to see it was no longer working.
What the hell... I don't know what's going on but someone... something... is messing with us and they're coming after the wrong people.
She considered throwing the phone across the room with exasperation but decided against it, knowing it wouldn't solve anything nor fix her anger issues. She would have to break an entire building, wall by wall, to evacuate all the anger she had gathered inside.
Asuka must have felt her friend's state switching from utter shock to rage that she decided to pour her some more coffee, "Drink up."
Kaori looked at her curiously, "Since when do you care so much about me drinking coffee? And where's this Asuka been all these years?"
Asuka snorted, playfully wiggling her hand as if it wasn't that big of a deal, "Bitch, you sound like it's the first time I care. Hm, who bought you a coffee this morning, uh?"
This morning. When Kaori was just supposed to do what she did every week. The plan was simple. She was to enjoy a coffee with Asuka, watch her walk into the subway station as she would theatrically pretend it was their last goodbye —Kaori would laugh at her friend's exaggerated antics, and she would go to work, making it perfectly in time, just like every other day.
Kaori's face hardened, causing a loud sigh to escape Asuka's lips, "You think I don't notice how much you care about me."
Kaori locked eyes with Asuka. She looked like she was about to cry, "It doesn't matter if you figured out the game's answer because you didn't want to die or if you wanted to save everyone. A coffee's the least I owe you."
Kaori and Asuka had met when they were twelve, bumping into one another in the school's hallway. Their first encounter had been brief, a body collision, an excessive exchange of apologies and they had parted ways to get to class before the bell could ring.
Asuka was the one to approach Kaori first after that, willingly this time. She needed a partner during gym class. Originally it was all she wanted. But one thing led to another and, eventually, they became best friends.
She loved how Kaori was always there to listen. From the outside, people could easily think that their friendship's dynamic was off-key, almost unbalanced at how differently they were perceived. Asuka being the loud, extroverted girl, Kaori being the more quiet, borderline judging and sarcastic one.
In reality, they always completed each other. Around Kaori, Asuka could be more fragile and insecure. She could confide her deepest fears, her bad decisions and she knew she would never be judged because Kaori knew her so well.
Kaori, on the other hand, loved that Asuka didn't think less of her because she didn't live a fast-paced life. She knew she supported her dreams —no matter how long it would take for Kaori to make them happen.
Kaori smiled at her friend, bringing the coffee cup to her lips, "Thank you..."
They managed to sleep a few hours after finally adjusting to the uncomfortable seats.
The next day, the two girls decided to go look for people now that it was obvious they weren't the only ones in town. They wouldn't be able to tell —since the town was so big, therefore offering a lot of hiding options, but they both agreed that there had to be a whole lot more than those they had met the day before.
"Do you think there could be some crazy people out there?" Asuka asked.
"Crazy how?"
Asuka shrugged, "I don't know, like murderers and stuff?"
"I guess," Kaori nonchalantly said, "Why?"
"I mean, it's bad enough we have to play games where we can die," Asuka explained, "I don't feel like looking over my shoulder every five minutes 'cause there could be a psychopath around."
Kaori snickered, "I've seen you take down a guy twice as big as you before, I don't see what you're so worried about."
"I'm not worried, I just don't feel like fighting," Asuka pointed out casually.
"You'd defend me, though, right?"
"What kind of question is that?" Asuka let out in an offended tone, "Girl, I could take a bullet for you."
"Yeah, I'd rather you don't, please," she replied as memories from their first game flashed in her mind.
But Kaori smiled to herself, following a rather determined Asuka into the street. We do complete each other... she's got the strength, I've got the logic.
Their quest didn't go as planned. They were hoping to find other people trying to understand where they had ended up, some people eager to go back to their normal lives. Instead, they stumbled upon some weird groups living in trailers, going through the days with alcohol and drugs. Some were friendlier than others —maybe too friendly, offering them food, drinks and even a place to stay.
Kaori could remember the way her stomach twisted when a man had tried to show her his trailer's interior, praising himself for the job he had done making it warm and cozy. She had dodged the offer, avoiding the way his eyes would gaze at her body, clearly not hiding he was checking her out.
After searching for a couple days, Kaori came to a simple conclusion.
She walked out of the makeshift bathroom they had installed in the dishwashing area of the restaurant —it had become a crazy organization to take a shower, from heating water, waiting for it to reach a convenient temperature, Asuka and Kaori had burns in various places on their bodies, and trying not to slip on the wer tiles afterwards, "We have to play another game."
Asuka silently watched her as she slipped on some random clothes they had stolen during their daily outings, "Actually, we have to play a lot of them. That's the only way we'll meet other people."
"You meant interesting people," Asuka said, playing a knife she had found in the kitchen.
Kaori nodded, prayind that this decision would not send them right into a death trap.
• • •
author's note. a bit of a filler but it was important for me to really show the connection between kaori and asuka, i hope you liked it and that you appreciate the storyline and my oc
