*I said I would post this tomorrow, but I just couldn't wait! Heh heh.

Here we are at chapter seven, already. I took a little bit longer to write and perfect this, because a lot of important things and details are about to happen, relating to Shizuka. Usually I update the next day, but from here on out updates might be every two or three days. I hope you guys don't mind!

Please enjoy chapter seven!

~~~Chapter Seven~~~

"I don't know what it is, but I think we should find out."

Ren...

"For now though, we should let Shizuka-chan rest," Gon says, "We don't want to push her too much."

I am fine, really. I can accompany you.

I try standing up, but it is like I cannot even feel my feet touch the ground. I recognize this feeling.

Gon rushes to me, making me sit back into the bed.

"It's okay! We'll figure this all out tomorrow. Right, Killua?"

"...Sure."

He paused... He hesitated. It was like he was not even paying attention.

Killua looks at me, then back at Gon.

"We should go back to our rooms," he tells Gon.

"Alright. Get some rest, Shizuka! We'll be back tomorrow morning!"

Gon leaves, and I snuggle down into my bed. I am very tired, and my body is feeling uncomfortable. Hopefully by tomorrow I will feel somewhat better.

Killua is still here, though. I look at him, and then the door.

"Oh, right. I have to leave."

Duh. Stupid.

"Get some sleep," he whispers, while slowly shutting the door.

Why is he acting so strange? He seemed fine until Gon came back. I do not understand. There are a lot of things I suppose I do not understand.

The peculiar numbness in my legs is starting to subside, which I take as a good sign. My headache is going away, also.

I remember the odd visions I had while unconscious. I heard voices. Familiar voices. Voices that I would rather forget. Why are they still haunting me?

Ren...

I watch the dark purple aura form around my hands.

Please stop me.

The aura instantly fades away.

Get out of my head.

You promised us.

You promised me.

I hate you!

I love you.

My eyes are closed so tightly, it starts to hurt. I look around the room. Good. I am still here.

My hand and fingers crave the feel of the bow. But not yet. Not quite.

I realize that I do not have my jacket on. I glance around the room. It is hanging on the back of one of the chairs. I sigh. Hopefully they did not take any weapons out of it.

I close my eyes, and steady my breathing. It is dark out, very, so it must be quite late. I have never been the one to fall asleep quickly, unfortunately. I am insanely tired, so maybe this time will be different.

I try to clear my mind, but I keep seeing things. Visions. My heart is starting to race again. I need to stay calm.

I see a girl and a boy. They and walking, and talking and laughing. They look very happy. Very.

They fade away, and then I see them again. The boy is trying to give the girl a beautiful red rose, but she is not accepting it. She walks away, and the boy is sad. The sadness turns to anger, and the rose wilts right in his hands. H throws it to the ground, and stops on it, like a little kid.

I do not understand. Why do I keep seeing these things? And they do not make any sense, either.

I turn onto my side.

Deep breaths... Deep breaths. Clear your mind.

...and sleep.

The next morning I hear brisk knocking at the door. It opens a crack, and Gon peeks in.

"Ah, good morning!" he chirps. He lets himself in.

I reach over to grab the notepad he left on the bedside table.

Where is Killua?

I hand the notepad to him.

"Oh, he's coming! Don't worry!"

I was not worried. I was simply asking a question. Do not take it the wrong way.

He gives me a puzzled look, which confuses me.

I am staring at him, wondering why he is giving me such a look, when Killua enters the room.

"Shizuka, I- Oh, Gon. You're already here," he says, looking at both of us. I motion for him to come here.

He hesitates, but he does.

I take the notepad from Gon and scribble down more writing.

Are we going to find Zushi and talk to him today?

"Yeah. I need to know more about this Ren," he responds. There is a different look in his eyes. And honestly, it scares me a little.

That look immediately disappears when I pass the notepad back.

I need help getting out of this bed. Just for a minute.

He gives me an uncomfortable look, and I know he thinks it is gross, but I need help. Gon is not even paying attention. If he was, I would ask him instead.

I swing my legs over, and shimmy inch by inch until I feel my toes touch the cold wood floor.

As the balls of my feet touch down, Killua is right next to me, not touching me at all, just watching to see if I will fall or not.

I take the first step, and stumble a little. His grip on my arm is so secure, it hurts. I regain my balance and he lets go.

"Why can't you walk?" Killua asks me. I shrug. I... I just need to get used to moving again.

I grasp his wrist, and he tries to pull away, but I hold on tighter. I take a step, and another, and another. My legs are warmed up enough, so I let go of him.

Gon notices us, and a look of shock is on his face.

"How did you get over there, Shizuka-chan!?" he exclaims, so surprised that it is almost funny.

Killua lets out a heavy sigh, and scratches the back of his head.

"Why don't you stay here, Shizuka?" he suggests. I give him a funny look. Why would I do that?

"Why?" Gon asks, standing next to me.

"She's having trouble walking. It would take forever, and I want to find Zushi kind of quickly," Killua explained. He probably thought of this just now.

I point to the notepad, and Gon nicely hands it to me, along with the pen.

So basically, you want to get rid of me?

I toss it to Killua. He throws it back.

"Yeah, pretty much," he shrugs.

I suddenly get very angry. Very angry.

I write something else on the notepad, and this time I hand it to Gon.

"Killua just doesn't want you to get hurt," he whispers to me. Yeah, right. He did not even want to help me get up.

I make my way back to the bed, and sit down.

"So... Gon and I will be leaving now," Killua utters.

Get out, then.

I throw the notepad at his face, which I can tell annoyed him.

"Quit being a brat," he snaps. That stung a little. I give him a pained look. His eyes soften, but he turns away and walks out the door. Gon kind of shrugs, and waves, and follows him.

What is wrong with him? I think, What is wrong with everyone?

No, that is not it... What is wrong with me?

I want to apologize, because throwing the notepad at him was a little uncalled for. I thought he would catch it! Apparently not, though.

What am I supposed to do? I am incredibly bored.

I am starting to like Gon better. Killua is mean to me. Sure, he was always mean, but not this mean!

Or maybe it is just me. Maybe I'm having a bad attitude and he is getting annoyed. I cannot blame him for everything.

I have a very bad feeling. My stomach is in knots. I am starting to get another headache.

What if he does not accept your apology?

What if he hates you now?

You are an idiot.

Suddenly, I have a really bad feeling. And my stomach is flipping and my heart is racing, and I am thinking all of these things that do not even matter.

Why am I so concerned? It is just Killua.

The last step to my anxiety attack is blacking out, but I do not want to. I stand up, and immediately feel dizzy, but I ignore it. I stagger to the bathroom, and get to the sink. I turn the faucet on, and run cold water. I splash it on my face.

"Stop it. Stop it, now."

I look up. Did I just say that?

I ignore that too and blink repeatedly. I need to escape.

Run faster. Faster. You need to catch up.

I stumble back into the other room, and instantly fall to my knees. I cannot handle this. I cannot fight it.

The door slams open. I cannot see who enters. My hands are covering my ears. Someone touches my back, and shakes me. They grab my hands, and I hear them yelling.

"Snap out of it! It's me! Killua!"

Killua.

I like that name.

Shut up.

The voices keep talking, about Killua, and about me. I keep telling them to shut up, but they will not listen.

My eyes are about to close when Killua jerks my head up, his hand at my jaw. And you know what?

He slaps me. Hard.

"I'm such an idiot. Get up. We're going to find Zushi," he mutters. And it scares me. A lot.

He lets me go, and stands up. This time, he helps me up, and he does not make a face or anything. Instead, there is a really sad look in his eyes. A look full of regret.

I do not know why he feels like that. I am the one who made him mad.

I brush my hair with my fingers, quickly, and pull my boots on.

I did not black out. I caught up.

Killua watches me as I tie the laces.

I mumble, very quietly, but loud enough for him to hear...

"I am sorry."

He looks beyond shocked or surprised. I continue.

"Please smile at me."

•••••

*By the way, Words and Watercolors has over 1,000 views! Thank you so much!

So we'll stop there for now. Gosh dang Shizuka, we haven't even gotten to the part where Zushi explains Nen... Badly, but still! That'll be in the next chapter :)

Again, thank you so much for continuing to read my little fanfic. Your feedback means a lot (as I've said a billion times, heh heh)!

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