I actually have no clue how Japanese names work, so if you do and I did ANYTHING wrong tell me!

Getting separated from her big brother was the last thing she wanted to happen.

She didn't know how to do shit on her own. Chishiya had been doing everything for her for as long as she could remember—making sure she ate, keeping her out of trouble, protecting her from the things she wasn't ready to face. He had always been there. Always.

Now he was gone.

She wasn't even sure if he was alive or not.

Yuki was small, too small for this world. She was twelve, but she felt even younger now, curled up behind a rusted car, knees tucked to her chest. Her hoodie, which had once been a comfort, now felt suffocating, heavy with the weight of fear pressing down on her. The world around her was too quiet, too still. Every distant noise made her flinch.

She wanted Chishiya.

Her hands clenched around the fabric of her sleeves as she tried not to cry. She needed to think. Chishiya always told her to stay calm, to keep her head on straight. Panicking didn't solve anything. But she was *alone*.

Her breath hitched.

Then—

"Hey."

A voice.

Yuki's head shot up so fast her neck ached.

A girl.

Older than her, maybe in her twenties. She was pretty, with short, dark hair and sharp eyes that weren't unkind. There was something about her that reminded Yuki of someone she had read about in a book once—a survivor, someone strong enough to keep going even when the world wanted to swallow them whole.

But Yuki was scared. This girl wasn't scary, but that didn't matter. Yuki had seen what non-scary people could do in this world.

She recognized her though. She was the girl from the hide and seek game. The climber.

The girl tilted her head slightly, crouching down to her level.

"Hello?" she said again, softer this time. "Are you alone?"

Yuki swallowed hard. She didn't know what to say.

"Uhm—"

Before she could answer, another voice cut in.

"Usagi! What did you find?"

A boy's voice.

Yuki tensed.

Footsteps. Then another figure appeared beside the girl—Usagi, he had called her. The boy looked a little older than Usagi, maybe in his mid-twenties. His dark hair was a little messy, his eyes kind, curious. He hesitated when he saw Yuki, his brows knitting together.

He was from the game too. She knew who he was.

"Who is..." He trailed off, his expression shifting when he noticed how small she was, how she was pressing herself against the car like she was trying to disappear.

Usagi looked back at Yuki, her voice gentle. "Do you have a name?"

Yuki hesitated. Her breath wobbled in her chest as she made a small, uncertain sound. Chishiya always told her not to talk to strangers. Especially here.

But she was alone.

And they weren't trying to hurt her. Not yet.

"...Yuki," she murmured, barely above a whisper. Her voice felt too small, like it might disappear before it even reached their ears. She swallowed and added, "I lost my big brother."

They exchanged a look.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Arisu crouched beside Usagi, lowering himself to Yuki's level. He was smiling. Why was he smiling?

"Hi, Yuki," he said, voice warm. "I'm Arisu. This is Usagi. I remember you from the hide and seek game."

Yuki sniffled, wiping her sleeve against her nose. "Yeah."

Usagi gave her a soft, little smile. It wasn't big, but it was something.

Progress.

"You can come with us if you'd like," Arisu offered.

Yuki immediately shook her head. "Can't. I have to look for Shuntarō."

"Shuntarō?" Usagi repeated.

"My brother."

"He's the one you were with during the game?"

"Yeah."

Arisu nodded like he understood, like he knew what it felt like to be searching for someone in a world that had no answers. He exhaled through his nose, thoughtful, before offering, "We can look for him. At the place we're going, he might be there."

Yuki hesitated.

They didn't know that.

But what was she supposed to do? Wander around the city alone? Get herself killed before she even had a chance to find Chishiya? She wasn't strong like him. She wasn't smart like him. She was just her, a shy, awkward kid who made dumb jokes about fantasy books and read more than she spoke.

She needed help.

Ever so slightly, she mumbled, "'K."

Arisu's smile widened, but he didn't make a big deal out of it.

"'K?" Usagi echoed, raising a brow.

Yuki nodded.

Arisu stood, offering his hand. Yuki hesitated before taking it, letting him help her to her feet.

She still felt small.

Still felt scared.

But at least she wasn't alone anymore.

Yuki regretted coming here.

Not because Arisu and Usagi weren't nice—they were. Even if she wasn't used to people being nice to her, they had been nothing but kind. They found her, scared and alone, and they helped her. That should've been enough.

But now she was here, tied to a chair, a thick rope cutting into her wrists, sitting between Arisu and Usagi in a dimly lit room. The air was thick, humid, like it had been sitting in a closed-off space for too long. The floor was cool beneath her bare feet, and her heart pounded painfully in her chest.

She wanted to cry.

She didn't.

The moment the bags were ripped off their heads, she squinted at the sudden brightness. Her eyes stung.

"Good morning!"

A voice—bright, chipper, wrong.

Yuki blinked against the harsh light and saw a woman standing in front of them, smiling like this was some casual meeting, like they weren't tied up. Yuki stared, heart hammering.

Then a man spoke, standing beside her. His voice was smooth, polite, like he was playing a game only he knew the rules to.

"I apologize for this rude introduction. Our sentries reported that there were people spying on us."

Spying? They*weren't spying. They were just trying to figure out where the hell they had ended up.

Yuki bit her lip hard to stop herself from saying something stupid. Chishiya always told her she had a bad habit of muttering her thoughts aloud, and that wasn't a good idea here.

Then another girl stepped forward from behind the man. Her expression was more serious than the others, her gaze sharp.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

Silence.

Yuki swallowed.

Then, of course, Arisu spoke up. "I was told that... I could find answers here. What is this game? And where is everybody?"

No one answered.

Then—

The door swung open.

Yuki jumped, her whole body tensing as a new figure stepped into the room. A man in sunglasses, smug as hell, like he knew something no one else did.

She didn't like him.

Not that she liked any of this.

"Where indeed," the man drawled, a smirk tugging at his lips. "We have the answers that you are looking for."

Yuki pressed herself further into the chair as he strolled toward them, deliberate and slow. He walked behind them, circling like a predator, and then he stopped right behind her.

Too close.

She sucked in a shaky breath as she felt the warmth of his presence, her head barely touching his chest. She went completely still.

He glanced at Usagi, then at Arisu, before finally looking down at Yuki.

"Welcome," he said, voice dripping with amusement, "to the oasis known as the Beach."

Then he laughed and placed a heavy hand on top of her head, ruffling her hair in a way that wasn't playful, just demeaning. He moved her head back and forth like she was some kind of doll.

"Cute kiddo," he said.

Yuki didn't respond.

Didn't move.

She didn't like being touched. She hated it, actually, especially when it was by someone she didn't know. But she was too scared to pull away, too scared to say anything. Her whole body locked up, her breaths coming out shallow.

Finally, he straightened, stepping away. Yuki let out a quiet breath she didn't even realize she had been holding.

"Here is the first answer," he announced, gesturing dramatically to a wall.

Then—snap.

Yuki flinched at the sound.

Men moved quickly to pull open the wall, revealing what looked like a massive scoreboard. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight—every card from a deck was written on the wall, some crossed off. They had so many.

She had thought collecting a few cards was impressive. This was... something else entirely.

"Whoa," she mumbled before she could stop herself.

The man turned, grinning. "Whoa is correct," he said. "Allow me to enlighten you. These cards—these cards—are the only way to end your nightmare. To clear the game, you must collect all the cards."

"All of the cards?" Arisu repeated.

"If we collect all of the cards, will the world we once knew return?" Usagi asked.

The man turned slightly, his expression unreadable. "It's not the world that will return. Only one person can return to the normal world."

Yuki's stomach dropped.

She didn't know why, but she hated that answer.

"Only... one?" Arisu echoed, his voice quieter now.

The man turned back to the wall, running his fingers along the drawn cards. "It's impossible for one person to clear all the games and collect all fifty-two cards. They couldn't do it alone. That's suicide. That's why we have united as one. In order to allow one person to leave. That is the Beach's objective."

Yuki stared at the wall, gripping the ropes around her wrists so tightly her fingers hurt.

Only one person could go back?

That wasn't fair.

But then again, nothing about this world was fair.

The man turned back to them, tilting his head slightly. "You have been given good cards, I've been told. Except the kid. Didn't find any cards on her."

Yuki stiffened. She had three cards. None of them were good—seven of diamonds, five of spades, three of hearts. She didn't even know if those were useful.

But Chishiya had them.

"My brother has all my cards," she said, her voice small, almost unsure. "We got them all together..."

The man's eyebrows lifted. "Ah! Where is your brother?"

Yuki hesitated, then mumbled, "Dunno... His name is Chishiya... if you've seen him."

For a split second, the man's expression changed—like something clicked.

Then he grinned.

"Chishiya... Chishiya... Chishiya! The white-haired boy!"

Yuki's head snapped up, her heart lurching. "Yeah. Yes! That's him! Have you seen him?"

"I have indeed."

Relief flooded her chest so quickly it almost made her dizzy.

"Ann," the man said, turning to the woman who had spoken earlier. "Bring the kid to Chishiya."

Yuki let out a breath.

Finally.

"Get her a bathing suit as well," he added with an easy smile. "There's no kid section here because, well, there aren't really any kids. But I will introduce you to my niece."

Yuki barely heard that last part. She didn't care about bathing suits, or his niece, or any of that.

She just wanted to see Chishiya.

Yuki was led through the halls of the Beach, her feet unsteady beneath her. The air smelled of chlorine, and sweat, and too many people crammed together in a place that wasn't meant to hold this many souls. Ann walked ahead of her, silent but purposeful, her posture stiff. 

Yuki didn't say anything either. She couldn't. 

She was too busy trying to breathe through the ache in her chest, through the tight knot of emotions lodged in her throat. 

She was going to see him. 

Chishiya. 

She had spent so long searching, running, surviving—just to find out he had been here the whole time. 

Her fingers curled into fists as she kept her head down, trying not to trip over her own feet. She had imagined this moment so many times, dreamt of it in the rare moments she let herself hope. 

But now, standing right on the edge of it, she wasn't sure what she was supposed to feel. 

Ann finally stopped in front of a door. Yuki's stomach twisted. 

"Wait here," Ann said. She knocked once before pushing the door open. 

Yuki stood frozen in the hallway, her breath caught in her throat. 

From inside, a familiar voice, casual and unbothered, spoke up. 

"What is it?" 

Her heart jumped. 

Ann didn't answer right away. Instead, she stepped aside, glancing back at Yuki. 

"Go on," she said simply. 

Yuki hesitated, but her feet moved before she could think better of it. 

She stepped inside. 

Chishiya was sitting on a couch, one leg lazily crossed over the other, his head resting against the back of the seat. His expression was unreadable, the same nonchalant look he always had, like nothing in this world could surprise him. 

Like he hadn't been looking for her. 

Like he didn't even know she was alive. 

Her heart clenched painfully. 

For a moment, he didn't move. Didn't react. His sharp eyes met hers, and there was a beat of silence, so still she could hear her own breathing, shallow and ragged. 

Then— 

Something in his expression cracked. 

His lips parted slightly, his brows twitching just the faintest bit. His usually half-lidded, uninterested gaze widened, if only for a fraction of a second. 

"Yuki?" 

Her breath hitched. 

That was all it took. 

She ran. 

Before she even knew what she was doing, her legs carried her forward, and then she was throwing herself into him, slamming into his chest so hard that he actually let out a surprised grunt. 

For a split second, he didn't move. 

Then his arms wrapped around her. 

Strong. Warm. Real. 

A sob tore from her throat as she clung to him, her fingers gripping his jacket tightly like he might disappear if she let go. 

"I thought you were dead," she choked out, burying her face against him. 

Chishiya exhaled, one hand coming up to cradle the back of her head, his fingers threading through her tangled hair. 

"You're alive," he murmured, almost to himself, like he couldn't quite believe it. 

Yuki's shoulders trembled, tears streaming down her face. She tried to stop crying, tried to swallow the sobs threatening to break free, but she couldn't. 

She was exhausted. 

Scared. 

Angry. 

She pulled back slightly, her hands still fisted in his jacket. Her tear-streaked face lifted to meet his gaze, and her voice came out broken and accusing. 

"Why didn't you look for me?" 

Chishiya's eyes softened. 

Slowly, carefully, he reached out and brushed a tear away with his thumb. 

"Because I've been stuck in this place," he admitted, his voice quieter now. "I didn't know if you were here. I didn't even know if you were still alive." 

Yuki let out a shaky breath, staring at him through wet lashes. 

That answer should have made sense. She knew it made sense. But it didn't stop the hurt from twisting in her chest, the ache of feeling left behind.

She hiccupped, gripping his jacket even tighter. "I was alone," she whispered. "I didn't know what to do." 

Chishiya's expression remained calm, but his fingers twitched against her cheek, wiping away another tear. 

"You survived," he said simply. 

She sniffled. 

"I—I thought I lost you," she mumbled. 

He exhaled through his nose, and something in his expression finally, finally cracked. 

"You didn't." 

Then he pulled her back into him, holding her closer, his chin resting atop her head. 

Yuki squeezed her eyes shut, gripping onto him like a lifeline. 

She had found him. 

Finally.