Could've Been Red

Kuina Hikari

"Promise... If we meet again, we'll be friends."

Those are the words that Kuina would never forget 'til the end of her life.

***

She was always an apathetic woman, at least ever in Kuina's mind during The Beach's heyday. She literally never cared about tons of people died everyday in every damn single game in Borderland, but coldly - and successfully won her own games and became No.3 of The Beach in a blink of an eye.

With her red lipstick on, she stood there exactly a mysterious-but-attractive thorn rose.

She rarely said anything. She just got her eyes on what she considered important. The death games, corpses, electronic components which were stuck inside players's brain, The Beach,...

And Kuina Hikari.

"Kuina Hikari, your number is 50 from now on. Welcome to The Beach!" Hatter's boisterous laugh from the far away past again blows up Kuina's mind.

A white silhouette glimpsed behind Hatter's back. A very appealing woman with short black hair, wearing a bleached T-shirt and black jeans. Her appearance overwhelmed everything that ever existed in that nebulous hotel room. Unlike Kanou Mira, who always smiled weirdly all along, her charisma born in Kuina's mind one word: unachievable.

Kuina couldn't say anything but watching that ravishing woman came nearer. She pulled Kuina's left hand and put on her wrist a red bracelet made from a locker key. Upon written a number - 050.

"Ann Rizuna." The woman slightly lifted her sunglasses up. "Congratulations on being No.50."

Kuina swallowed the lump inside her throat, "Kuina. Nice to meet you."

No words were spoken afterwards. Just plainly red bloomed in her eyes. Neither blood nor Hearts, nor Diamonds.

It was Ann's lips.

It was just like yesterday, the day they first came across each other's life.

* * *

"There were 2 people caught last night." Chishiya leans against the wall with his arms crossed as usual. "They must have secretly followed The Beach's players and found our location."

"H-m." Kuina replies with a nasal voice, indicating "I see." "Who are those idiots?"

"A couple. Both seem kinda young, college students, i guess." Chishiya looks out the window. "They may look childish, but those stupid guys have a card, 7 of Hearts."

"Woa, so they almost finished that damn set of cards."

"Not at all." Chishiya turns to the door. "There are still the J, Q, and K cards left."And may come the Ace one."

"And that Ten of Hearts."

"It's my pleasure to quit the game with difficulty Ten of Hearts. I hate that kind of game, all tricks and fakers." Kuina sits down on the sofa, "I cannot stand that puzzled feeling. I prefer something's clearer."

"Somehow, Hearts is exciting to me." said Chishiya. "But that sounds more like you, just die or live and don't ever give a damn to the psychological tricks."

"I have a vulnerable heart though." Kuina chuckles. "So i'd better let someone else handle that difficulty."

"Kuina," After a while of silence, said Chishiya. "Don't you remember we still need one more person involved in that plan?"

"Which plan?... "Wait, you mean that plan?"

"H-m."

"Too risky." Kuina turns her head to the other side. "The Military is exactly an anthill. We don't even know where the cards are. We all may die."

"This only one chance or we'll never turn back to the real world." Chishiya keeps his usual facial expression. He knows Kuina's weakness; she isn't that stubborn to loose a chance of a lifetime to escape The Beach's chaos and return to her mother.

"We all may die." Kuina repeats, heavily grinds the plastic stick in her mouth.

"... Rather than keeping hesitate and losing our lives in those damn games."

The two again fall into silence.

It is clearly that either soon or late, the death will definitely come. Shall she give this a try?

"So have you decided who would be that unhappy lurer?" Kuina gives the green light.

"Not at all, but yeah." Chishiya slightly smiles. "Any recommendations?"

"H-m." Again she uses nasal voice, but this time indicating, "I don't know."

"Whoever is dumb enough to believe and follow us."And no Hatter's pet here. We need someone who doesn't obey Hatter's orders."

A person suddenly appears in Kuina's mind.

"Is... Ann possible?" Kuina doesn't even know why she says that name.

"Ann? Ann Rizuna?" Chishiya wears a frown. "Don't be dumb. I've never expected that you would be this ridiculous. Ann is too clever to find out those silly ruses. And she's under Hatter's command. Why the hell taking her in?"

"Not at all, I mean..." Kuina says. "I mean Ann, in my viewpoint, doesn't belong to Hatter. She might be No.3 of The Beach but she won't behave out of line. She somehow against Hatter. She just doesn't have any other choices but follows the rules."

"It sounds like you're upholding her." Chishiya laughs off.

"Master yourself, master the enemy. If we can make her believe us, she will be a great ally."

"Ann isn't that plain."

"I feel that I can make her trust us."

"Quite a great recommendation, but this will be a million times as risky as the person I'm thinking about. Ann isn't a villain, but she's not worth betting our lives on."

"It turns out to be you have already schemed for this plan." Kuina spits her plastic stick out. She freaking misses cigarettes. "Never ask me a question that my answer won't be taken into consideration again!"

"We have to meet the new dude who owns the Seven of Hearts. A stupid newcomer with no experience will go for this plan."

"I leave it all to you." Kuina seems to give up.

"Alright, plan settled." Chishiya walks out. "See you later."

The door closed. Chishiya knows that he's always right, and Kuina always approves his plan after all.

But this time he's wrong.He has no clue that Kuina's weakness isn't only her mother but also a lady named Ann.

And Ann is worth putting Kuina's life on the line for.

Another idea bears in her mind at that moment.