AMAYA sees herself and her brother standing on a bridge. They're talking, it feels off. But he's there. Suddenly a looming dark figure comes out and slices her brother's throat.

It laughs, the figure laughs. Amaya's face is splattered in blood. The figures face slowly starts to unblur. It shows a familiar face. Her father, her own father. The killer of her brother. The laughter turns into a sickly disgusting and stomach churning laughter.

He started approaching her, closer and closer.

"No.. don't.. stay back.." Amaya murmured as usagi stared at her with a furrow of concern and confusion.

Amaya's body jerked up, almost jamming her head into  Usagi's chest. "Are you alright..? Usagi asked, her voice soft and full of concern.

"Yeah.. just a bad dream.." Amaya said  her voice hoarse. Her forhead was slicked with sweat.

Amaya went to wash her forhead with a water bottle they had found in the apartment. The water was cold on her skin grounding her into the present time.

As she went and sat down back on the couch. Usagi sat next to her. "Amaya, you were talking and crying in your sleep." Usagi says. Amaya looks at her and she smiles, but the smile doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Probably just a nightmare, nothing much" She tries to convince Usagi- and maybe even herself. But Usagi doesn't buy it.

"Something is going on. Im not forcing you to talk, i just wanna know if i can help." Usagi says, her tone gentle and soft. Amaya didn't like talking about it, she did whatever she could to avoid the topic.

"Nothing's going on usagi." She said her tone a touch more harsher than she meant to. But Usagi understood- she did. Because she knew what not wanting to talk about what you went through meant.

"Okay." Usagi said with a gentle tone, she didn't pressure her or try to fill her with empty reassurance and comfort. Amaya didn't  need to be told everything was gonna be okay- those were lies. Even if everything fell  apart, she swore she would manage. Because she has  been through the loss of the most important person in her life.

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The evening came, the sun made the whole place have a soft but prominent dark blue glow. Amaya and Usagi stood infront of the game arena. Amaya was a bit taller than Usagi.  With a deep breath they took a step in sync and entered the arena. The laser  entrance immediately locked  behind them, meaning they were now trapped- either play or die.

They both grabbed the phones. The phone immediately scanned their face ID. There were some more people there, Amaya payed attention, since her first game- since she saw the old lady who seemed innocent turn out to be a killer. She always payed attention to new faces and new surroundings now.

One was wearing glasses, he was fiddling with the bottom  hem of  his shirt. The other girl had a  bruise on her cheek, it was fading but it was there. There was a small guy- possibly a teenager. Trying to make himself appear smaller, he wasn't new to this but he wasn't used to it. Then there was girl, she was wearing a blue bikini . She had colorful beads in her hair, she had a fake cigarette stick in her mouth. Amaya noticed something else though. A pink bracalet with the number 013 written on it, she had seen it on a couple players from her last game wrists too. The boy with the dark hair and piercings and the tall muscular guy who looked like he would rather punch someone then stay in the same room with them. Theirs were blue tho- perhaps it was gender- colored?

She was determined to find out everything and anything she noticed in this  sick twisted place. She was suddenly brought back to earth by the tinge of the phone. "Registration complete. Game: Memories. Difficulty: 3 of hearts. Players: 6. Rules: Each player takes turns stepping into the dungeon, there every player gets a significant memory of their life. The dungeon will fill up with a gas that tricks your mind. During the inhaling of that gas your mind may play tricks on you resurfacing that memory. The dungeons aren't sound proof meaning the other players can choose to help or just stand and watch. If the gas takes over your mind and you accept the tricks and hallucinations your mind is playing about that memory results to elimination. Remember well, players. The game may now commence"

Amaya's heart dropped. She knew what her resurfaced memory would be. She now wished she had told usagi what had happened. Each player went one by one. It was now Usagi's turn. Amaya placed a hand on Usagi's shoulder. "Ill help you Usagi." She said with a smile. "Ill help you too Amaya" usagi replied back. With that Usagi stepped into the dungeon.

The light purple gas slowly started to fill the dungeon. Amaya felt anxiety creep up in her stomach. Even if she didn't know Usagi for that long she didn't want her to die.

Something in Usagi's eyes changed. That's when Amaya knew the gas got to her.

"Father.. I'm.. sorry.." Usagi cried out. Amaya felt her eyes water even if she didn't know what exactly Usagi was thinking or what was happening in her brain. She knelt beside the dungeon door, extending her hand in the dungeon's gap.

"Usagi." Amaya said voice soft, she gripped Usagi's hand. Usagi didn't look at her.

"Usagi." Amaya called again. Her voice now firm but still gentle. "Listen to me. I dont know what exactly happened with your father, but whatever happened. It wasn't your fault.." Usagi shook her head.

"Its not your fault." Amaya said again. Usagi frantically shook her head. "Usagi what your thinking isn't real! Its all your mind playing tricks on you! Come to your senses!" Usagi looked up at her and finally her hardened gaze fell. Replaced with the same look Amaya knew when her and Usagi vowed to stick together. Her words had gotten to her. Amaya smiled, and Usagi did too.

Usagi had passed, thanks to Amaya. But what came now was even worse than that. Usagi stepped out of the dungeon. Amaya immediately embraced her. "I was so scared you wouldn't make it. Im so glad your alive." Amaya said trying to hold tears back. She let out a sound against Usagi's shoulder that sounded like a half-laugh and half-sob.

"Next player. Amaya Inoue, please step inside the dungeon."

Amaya's head shot up to the speakers as she left from Usagi's embrace. She gulped took a deep breath and took a hesitant step inside the dungeon. The familiar gas that had filled the dungeon when Usagi was in started filling up the dungeon. Something in Amaya's eyes changed. It seemed to do that with everyone as the gas took over their minds. Amaya's dream she had seen of her brother being murdered infront of her flashed in her mind. Her fathers face. Her mothers sobs when she called Amaya to tell her that her brother died. And her brother infront of her saying. "It was your fault, i died because of you"

A million voices were whispering into her head at the same time. She clutched her ears digging her nails into her scalp as she tried to make the voices stop. She felt a familiar hand grab one of her hands that was tightly clutching her ears. It was Usagi.

"Amaya, i don't know what happened at all. But i know that being there in that dungeon makes you think stuff. Its not real, the voices aren't there, and it wasn't your fault."

Amaya shook her head. "No.. no it.. was..he .. died.. my.. my brother"

"No your brother didn't die because of you Amaya. There was nothing you could have done." Usagi said in a gentle but firm tone

Amaya's head shot up. She looked at Usagi and the voices slowly faded and now completely disappeared. The sense was brought back to her.

Amaya stepped out of the dungeon. "Im sorry usagi.. i should have told you sooner when you asked me what was wrong.. i shouldnt have pushed you away.. im sorry"

Usagi tightly hugged her. "Its fine, its fine. I understood, I understood your pain. Its fine" Usagi reassured her. Amaya's sob's quietly subsided. Their phones tinged.

Game cleared. Congratulations players.

Amaya looked around it was only her , Usagi and the girl with the bikini. The girl with the bikini approached them.

"Are you both okay? Im Kuina." She extended her hand. Amaya slowly took it and shook it. And Usagi did the same after.

"This place doesn't forgive mistakes let's stick together." Kuina said.

And with that Amaya walked out with another friend, another new connection and most importantly another new trust formed.

🂱: A/N

Okay so this was long it had 1.5k words.
They finally met Kuina.
I felt so bad writing Usagi's and Amaya's memory thing tho
I ALSO CHANGED AMAYA'S FACE CLAIM TO KIM TAERI CZ I NEED CLIPS FOR EDITING