#( i will face my past once more in order to survive ; kuina hikari )

[musingmemories]

@sharpsuite sent 【 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚕, 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚍. 】 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐀𝐧𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐊𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐚.

An empty hallway. A hospital. Dark outside. The overhead light in the hallway dimmed. Electricity, the foreboding sign of a brand new game venue had just popped up in an otherwise dystopian wasteland. A beacon of hope to the naive newcomers abuzz in the small group of participants, drawing in more like moths to flame.

Had Kuina Hikari not already been in this hell hole days— maybe months? Years?!— prior, the ominous sight still would’ve made her want to nope! the fuck outta there. Graciously turn tail to save her ass a premature death from the ghosts that absolutely roamed the hospital’s halls— the headlines screaming Tragically Gone Too Soon For Such a Rare Beauty!

But unfortunately, to her great dismay… Kuina was here to stay, and she’d be a big girl about it protesting every bit of it. Because a hospital… of all places… they were creepy enough even without her personal connection to hating them. “Man, where’s Chishiya when you need him?” Scoffed wearily under breath— a mask of humor the defense mechanism, acting tough and talking big a signature to psych herself up.

At least there was a silver lining~

“So, Ann~” Singsong tone lacing her voice, Kuina sauntered up to the long-legged brunette with a coy smile, cursing and admiring those damn sunglasses hiding the shorter hair’s expressions. “Could this be my test to be on the Executive Board~?!” A game. With Ann. No question about it! It made Kuina absolutely giddy with relief and was slowly becoming a nauseatingly familiar feeling of excitement knowing they’d win.

Because that was Kuina’s wholehearted belief: with Ann, there wasn’t any game they couldn’t win. “Cause look at all the people. Bound to be a Clubs game— my specialty— I can feel it in my oh so petite bones!” Something she actually wanted? To be on the board? Nah. Welllll~ maybe it’d make a teensy bit of a difference with her being one of them. A way to change up the Beach a bit, make it more fun— actually fun not the militant killing way— and get her closer to going home too by being stealing distance to the cards once complete… two birds with one laser stone!

[musingmemories]

How much time had passed? With Last Boss finally knocked out cold, Kuina knew she didn’t have time to fully catch her breath or take a break with the remainder of it. Minutes spent fighting for her life had felt like hours, nerve wracking the first time she’d ever gone fully head-to-head brawling with someone while knowing in her heart that pulling her punches could result in her death. Bruised hands were left shaking.

Get a grip, Hikari. There are people counting on you.

Taking a chance to remind herself what was going on after she’d been hyperfocused on not losing, Kuina replayed the past events as she took off down the hall. The game that started was the Ten of Hearts. A witch hunt. The militants had taken over the Beach just like Chishiya predicted after Hatter’s death. Chaos had erupted and the people Kuina knew were scattered around, torn at a crossroads of who to search for first in the panicked frenzy, sporadic gunfire audible in the distance every which way. Ann she’d covered for, believing in her little investigation over fingerprints that unfortunately had nothing to do with drinking hot cocoa like the specific item made her imagine. Arisu and Usagi… wherever they were, might not want anything to do with her after they’d been caught with the cards. And Chishiya, who she’d separated from after the game had officially started to investigate Ann acting shady and turned out to be helping, oops! was acting more nonchalant than usual… or it was her paranoia getting the better of her in the middle of the game.

Chishiya would know what to do. He’d probably already deduced who the witch was and was keeping that information to himself. Seeking him out, Kuina’s feet led her to the roof, dodging militants hunting down Beach members without questioning them, assuming anyone that ran could possibly be the Witch. God, she hated this place and couldn’t wait to go home.

Any cheeky announcement of her arrival or bragging about still being alive crammed into her throat, remained stuck there, stomach twisting and threatening to make her dizzy. What… the fuck. Flames, a wild dance of them, body engulfed and resulting in Kuina screaming right along with them and catching Chishiya’s attention, sprinting over to the ledge as the person toppled over it, falling stories below into the pool. Could someone have survived that fall? The shirt… the ugly giraffe pattern as Chishiya called it. Niragi. Kuina almost sank to the ground, panic taking over despite Chishiya’s calm demeanor.

‘It wasn’t me.’

He was right… she didn’t believe him… but she selfishly wanted to desperately, everything they’d been through crashing to this moment. “Tell me the truth.” She straightened, towering over him with a gaze reflecting all of her internal conflict. Having completely missed the altercation and the circumstances leading to Niragi flambé, Kuina was giving him a chance to explain himself. “Tell me the truth about what happened… and I’ll believe you, Chishiya.” Like she’d believed him about not being the witch, about getting her home with the cards like their nighttime conversations that faded into dawn and putting her life in his hands every game they’d had together. After everything they’d been through, no secrets, no lies… partners. Not as one-sided as she’d once felt, or dulled by blind ignorance, trusting in others sure to be her downfall as Chishiya always claimed… they were stronger than that, right? Soulmates. “He wasn’t the witch… or the game would be over. Did he come after you? Cause last I checked, you called me stupid for claiming spontaneous combustion was a thing.” That was it, wasn’t it? The only explanation. Self-defense.

« @fablesuntold »

@musingmemories sent: "Oh my god. Oh my god, oh my god, what the fuck? Is that what i fucking think it is?” — From Kuina Hikari to Chishiya Shuntarō ✨

Like a comet crashing down toward Earth but less mesmerising and more.. unappealing to the eye, Niragi fell from the rooftop engulfed in a ball of flames — screams of agony clawing their way from his throat like the most beautiful melody Chishiya’s ears had ever been graced with. He’d been dreaming on the day he’d finally get to hear those, wondering just how satisfying they’d be.. now he knew.

Chishiya had never felt more alive in the moment he’d pulled out that flamethrower, — which had worked surprisingly well considering it had been crafted from nothing more than a dingy old water gun, a lighter, gasoline and tape — the fleeting mixture of surprise and dread dancing across Niragi’s features an added bonus before he’d squeezed that trigger with a mighty whoosh! Yet despite the thrill of the moment, his exterior remained cool, calm and collected as ever.. watching over the ledge through nonchalant eyes as Niragi finally impacted the pool, only to float lifelessly on the water. Hm. Good riddance. Even if he hadn’t done the deed, someone else would’ve. Niragi had it coming.

Plus, now those cards were all his.. scattered all over the ground currently, but that was a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things.

Though basking in the aftermath of his small victory didn’t last very long— not with the thunderous footfalls bellowing up the stairs, door swinging open so hard Chishiya swore it was almost taken off its hinges. Kuina. No surprise there. With all of the chaos going on, and the Ten of Hearts game in full swing, he didn’t expect anything less from her when it came to seeking him out. Always by his side no matter what. More fool her, he supposed.

And it didn’t take her very long to catch onto the fact that something wasn’t quite right. Sharing a brief glance with her as she made her way over to the ledge, her sudden exclamation of ‘oh my god, oh my god, of my god, what the fuck? Is that what I fucking think it is?’ was enough to have him pursing his lips in amusement. Ah, there it was. She always did have a flair for the theatrics. Such a Drama Queen.

“..Depends on what you think it is, Kuina. Do tell. I may be a man of many talents, but I’m afraid mind reading just isn’t one of them.” Tossing aside the flamethrower while she was too distracted with the sight of Niragi’s body down below, Chishiya wickedly eyed her backside while it was turned to him. Anyone else who dared turn his back to him in such a vulnerable position would’ve almost certainly met an early end with one swift push. Fortunately for her.. she’d live to see another day.

Instead Chishiya leisurely strolled over to the ledge to join her, peering down at the pool with head canted to feign innocence. “It’s not an animal float, I can confirm that much. Though with that ugly giraffe pattern? It’s difficult to say for sure.” Familiar sarcasm lacing his tone, he couldn’t help but to smirk like the cat who’d just gotten the cream. “I’d say ‘it wasn’t me’ but you probably wouldn’t believe me anyway, would you?” Not that somebody like Kuina could ever possibly understand why he’d committed such a heinous act given how morally correct she was. It was pointless explaining to her.

[ruanbaijie]

Get To Know Me ✧ Favourite Female Characters [1/15]

↳ Asahina Aya as Kuina Hikari - Alice in Borderland (2020)

--I’ve always thought that you and I were similar. 

--Me and you?

--Both of us despise our past. I’ve finally decided because of you. You just continue turning your back on your past. But I… I will face my past once more in order to survive.

[notalittlebutalottie]

ʟᴏᴛᴛɪᴇ'ꜱ ꜰɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ꜰᴀᴠᴏᴜʀɪᴛᴇꜱ!ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀꜱ (14/?): Hikari Kuina, Alice in Borderland

"You just keep turning your back on your past. But I... I will face my past once more in order to survive!"

[musingmemories]

@sharpsuite sent: « “Things change without you realizing it, or wanting them to.” » Ann to Kuina

Did her entire past dance across Kuina’s features with the woman's words, or was it the unfamiliar, sudden silence that followed speaking volumes between them? “Damn… we’re getting deep, huh?” The natural retort paired forceful laugh was to stall for time, Kuina with a strong preference to always be upbeat in this dark, miserable world before and after it’d been thrown into chaos and death games. She’d dealt with her fair share of change and the abruptness that came with it… perhaps better than anyone. Both without her realizing it and without her wanting it to.

Wasn’t a past she cared to share, exactly, even if she’d faced it again for her showdown against Last Boss.

Being different was a feeling she’d been raised to ignore, to fight against both emotionally and physically. And the resistance to change was beaten into her time and time again by her own father, trapped with a bigot’s mindset he'd be able to make her fear it when it came, and fight against it if it did. Hadn’t helped him any when he found her putting on makeup in secret and the hidden items scattered around her room.

Wishing she had her fake cigarette to toy with between tongue and teeth, the insides of her cheeks had been bitten raw instead, nasty habits finding one after another in an attempt to cope with no more nicotine and her little toy lost in all the Beach chaos. “Guess the one I’m struggling with right now is the loss of the Beach! I miss hot showers, and the music, and people — some people… everything’s so serious now. So life or death… and I still need a nail file to fix my fourth broken nail!” The whines rang through the open space of the convenience store they’d hunkered down in, Queen of Clubs a successful victory and the two earning some much needed rest while devising a plan for the next game.

“That one… really fucked me up, Ann… Ten of Hearts.” Knees drawn to her chest, mahogany orbs remained dark against the warmth of firelight. The terror of everyone running around in a place they’d thought was safe — a home away from home. Burned to ashes. “They really got us good, didn’t they? Mira… and whoever’s working with her.”

[musingmemories]

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐊𝐒 & 𝐇𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐒

BOLD what applies. ITALICIZE what sometimes applies. STRIKE what doesn’t. REPOST & DON’T REBLOG.

likes  artificial  watermelon, sleeps  in  what  they  are  already  wearing, eats  their  cereal  with  milk,   listens  to  music  with  earbuds, hates  the  summer, can  recite  passed  the  first  four  digits  of  pi, eats  frosting  out  of  the  jar,   doodles  on  their  notebooks, can  bake  cookies, has  a  garden farm, has  had  a  snowball  fight, eats  pancakes  without  syrup, prefers  shorts  over  pants, can  name  more  than  ten  superheroes, has  a  plan  for  the  zombie  apocalypse, uses  the  same  password  for  everything,   can’t  hold  their  breath  for  more  than  fifteen  seconds, watches  anime,  hasn’t  read  harry  potter, can  say  ‘  i  love  you  ‘  in  more  than  one  language, prefers  mechanical  pencils,  thinks space is cool, takes  personality  tests  more  than  once  to  make  sure, can’t  tie  their  shoelaces,   has  a  purse, likes salads, likes  cool  colors  better  than  warm  colors, knows  how  to  braid  hair,  reads  biographies, can  ice  skate, knows  their  mbti, reads  astrology  charts,    prefers  the  star  wars  prequels  to  the  original  trilogy,   plays  video  games, reads  the  newspaper, likes  chocolate  ice  cream  best, doesn’t  cuss, memorizes  song  lyrics, collects  coupons, has  a  preferred  order  at  starbucks, likes  movie  theater  popcorn, has  seen  a  play, listens  to  music  with  headphones, owns  a  hoodie, would  rather  own  cds  than  online  copies, has  written  a  poem, can shuffle  cards, subscribes  to  a  magazine,  double  dips  when  eating, drinks  directly  out  of  the  milk  container, keeps  a  journal

Tagged by: @dollhidden (😘)

Tagging: Anyone~!

[musingmemories]

@sharpsuite sent: ❝ 𝚒'𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚠. ❞ 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐲𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐊𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐚.

Party after party after party. The Beach was a place to escape the apocalyptic world that lay beyond its borders, to forget the horrors lurking around the city once known as Tokyo. Forcibly Closed off from the rest, desperation to forget was always at an all time high as distractions helped the residents/players ignore the brilliant red lights that rained down from the sky on occasion. The blessed utopia was a place where you could be anyone you wanted to be and do anything you wanted to do. People embraced that for better or for worse… but Kuina Hikari wanted no part of it to change her.

There were others that shared that mutual mindset. Rare and few between, relationships like those were precious and fleeting given the chance that death could be at your doorstep one Game later. Which was why, pre-Borderland, Kuina embraced every opportunity to create new friendships— you never knew how long you had. So in meeting two newcomers that piqued Chishiya’s interest of all people… that caught Kuina’s nosiness and motivation to get to know them by the pool, invasive as usual with her chipper, upbeat attitude. Bright as sunshine, her personality was completely different than the ominous underlying atmosphere evoked from The Beach. So she’d like to think— the initial wariness Kuina was met with was understandable— majority of people in Borderland usually having ulterior motives to partnering up/expressing interests in others.

Kuina too, if she had to admit it.

Part of their plan. Kuina needed to understand why. Why, out of everyone they’d met in this place, why were Arisu and Usagi candidates to help steal the cards? Of course Kuina knew better than to ask outright, ‘Hey how would you go about stealing the cards from Hatter?’ a dicey subject that risked the potential of her being exposed as a traitor if she didn’t play her literal cards right… but before she could dance around it, yet another a dramatic altercation broke out between the Militants. Aguni, specifically, Hatter, and Niragi, who all took away her golden opportunity. Both Arisu and Usagi were targeted and brought into the drama… only fueling Kuina’s curiosity all the more. Unfortunately, the moment had passed, much to Kuina’s disappointment.

And the only person that could give her the answer wouldn’t even if she asked nicely.

He’d watched her attempt all from the window, huh? Probably thought she’d spill the beans right then and there with listening ears surrounding them. She knew better. “Uh-huh, of course you were. C r e e p~” Kuina hummed playfully, letting the ‘p’ pop! with signature rouge painted lips keeping a dancing fake cigarette gripped between them. She eyed Chishiya up and down in wry amusement, noticing the gears in his head turning when he looked at the pair.

He was up to something.

At least… Kuina liked to believe she could read Chishiya after all this time… if only a little bit. He was still an enigma to her, a puzzle that didn’t want to be solved nor did he care to be. But he commended her efforts to… in that irritating, smug, I’m Better Than You sorta way. “What’re you up to with them?” Partners, weren’t they? Didn’t he know by now that usually meant they could tell each other anything? “They’re cute, so make sure it’s nice.”

[musingmemories]

@fablesuntold sent: 𝙸'𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘 𝚒𝚝. 𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚟𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚢𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏, 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞~? 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐲𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐊𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐚.

A clearing. Bright blue sky void of the King of Spades’ banner stalking the seemingly empty city, the sounds of arguing rang out through the skeletal frames of Tokyo’s decaying buildings. Naive as ever, Kuina dared approach, always having found safety in numbers for companionship and teaming up for games… and was shocked to find herself staring at Niragi with a gun, Arisu also with a gun, Usagi… and—

Bang!

Bang!

“Chishiya!” Scream entangled with Arisu’s after a stunned silence, the ash blonde’s stark white hoodie bloomed crimson, his name ripped from Kuina’s throat as long legs kicked off the ground with complete disregard for Niragi now falling like a demon out of sight after the second shot rang out from Arisu’s shotgun. “Why…? Why?!” Confusion fell in panicked pants, hands already shaking from brain stalling trying to process what she was looking at, blood pooling at an alarming rate. Chishiya was untouchable. Kuina was almost convinced invincible from how he stalked through this world unscathed, the one left standing above the piles of dead bodies after a game— the lone survivor every single time.

Karma had caught up to him, just like she’d always warned. Only thing was… it was almost as if he’d chosen to embrace it directly. Had he actually protected Usagi… or had she been seeing things?

“Kuina… take him somewhere safe. We’ll come find you.” Arisu’s eyes remained trained on the car Niragi was more than likely still behind, shotgun his trusted companion, brown eyes darting toward every small noise in the clearing that left them exposed. “There was a vet clinic we passed on the way, a pharmacy right next door. If it hasn’t been cleared out…” Usagi trailed off slowly, aiding in gingerly lifting the blond onto her back, Kuina wincing when Chishiya groaned in pain. Usagi knew she shouldn’t be helping him— not after 10 of Hearts… but he’d saved her life… they were even for now. Kuina felt it weighed on her consciousness, recalling the last time they’d all been together. “Come back safe, okay you two?” Parting words warned in a promise and Kuina sprinted off in the direction given, heart in her throat trying to remain calm and level headed like Arisu during a game at its worse odds, Usagi against all, and Chishiya through life itself.

But once they got to the vet clinic, it was difficult not to stress. Surgical equipment remained in their places from when time stood still, and in setting Chishiya down on the operation table, Kuina gingerly helped remove his hoodie, carefully lifting the black shirt beneath it… and bit back a hiss that layered Chishiya’s in protest. He stirred as she muttered hasty apologies, studying the tools to use with knots tangling in her stomach. ‘I'm not surprised you don't know how to do it. You've never had to do anything for yourself, have you~?’ Chishiya’s voice cut through the eerie quiet— or perhaps interrupted the sound of loud, anxious thinking.

Taunting. Oh how easy it was to fall into old patterns after what felt like ages since they’d been forced apart. Kuina had to swallow the swelled lump in her throat. “Gunshot wounds are a first for me— so no, never had to do this for myself. And you used to call me the reckless one.” Chewing on her lip, Kuina was impatient with the weight shifting between feet. “Talk me through it. I can learn. I will learn.” To save his life… Kuina would fight as hard as if she was fighting for her own.

[musingmemories]

« @sharpsuite »

Keeping Ann in her peripheral, Kuina too attempted to school her expression into the signature unwavering, cold one the woman wore — and failed, because serious wasn’t an expression Kuina liked to wear. Maybe it was easier for her to do with oversized sunglasses.

Rather than risk Ann catching her and think Kuina was making fun when in reality it was more flattery, the tallest broke into an easy grin, a shoulder lifting nonchalantly. “You’re technically a member, right~? You could suggest me.” Had Ann there, didn’t she? It was difficult to outsmart the Diamond player typically, and Kuina subjected the poor woman to constant talking. Anywhere she could except Ann’s dead body lair, title Kuina wouldn’t dare let Ann know was what she called it simply because she admired her and wanted to know her.

When asked if she was interested in being part of the executives, Kuina’s glance broke to the players slowly gathering in numbers before it snapped back in attention to Ann. ‘I’d prefer you over some of the members.’ Now that stroked Kuina’s ego, heart skipping slightly in her chest from pride, she assumed, praise something she chased. Pair that with Ann’s laugh, Kuina’s own was bubbling out her… until she abruptly gasped with a sudden realization. “I’ve never heard you laugh?! I didn’t know you could~! It’s a cute sound, Ann.” Cheeky grin frozen on painted lips, she bumped the woman playfully. “I bet I could make the meetings more entertaining~ then we wouldn’t be bored to death.”

It was nice discussing anything but the game they were about to play. Kuina thrived on connection building before them — ever the team player. Turning serious for a moment, she went back to the initial question asked, humming thoughtfully. “No, by the way — from before. It’s not that I’m interested in being part of the executives exactly… I mean it wouldn’t be for power or status…” Her lips pursed around her fake cigarette, nibbling on it before continuing. “If I could help make The Beach a better place with ideas by being part of that? Then I would.” Plus, a bonus would be listening in on the conversations about the cards… because she had a strong feeling Chishiya was still keeping things from her.

Ann stands as an UNSHAKABLE PILLAR among the other people who have gathered at the venue. She can pick out the newcomers from the more experienced players with relative ease even when excluding the other Beach members who have joined the game. Regardless of the DIM LIGHTING, she keeps her sunglasses on. They aren't so dark on her side as they might seem - but it keeps others from seeing too much in her. Not that it matters for the Beach members ; out of ALL of the executives, she is famous for losing the LEAST amount of players. Being in her game was as close to safety as people could get in this land.

" Kuina. " Ann acknowledges the other woman with a polite dip of her head, turning her attention from surveying the others to focusing on her. Her expression doesn't waver, nor does she dismiss others. Her COLD APPEARANCE was just that ; a surface level coldness when the reality was she was the most likely to listen to others and value their lives. Not many others would, and almost none of the other Executives without a personal reason or benefit.

" I'm sorry to disappoint, it isn't. " Ann often oversaw them, so she can't blame Kuina for the guess - or maybe the other is just PLAYING. " That's not up to me, Hatter makes the calls for who to test. Although members can make suggestions. "

Kuina IS right though. Based on the larger player size and the venue, statistics favored the likelihood of this being a clubs game. Better than spades in her opinion. " Are you that interested in being a part of the executives? " Ann asks curiously, her head tilting a fraction to the side. " I'd prefer you over some of the other members. " Any of the militants really, but it would help to also have a clubs specialty. Right now it was most DIAMONDS with a few SPADES and a HEART tossed in there.

" Though I think you might get bored to death. " It's one of the few times that Ann offers an audible laugh, an oddly relaxing compared to the otherwise CREEPY hospital setting. But that was just ANN - unshaken as she strides into games.