So… HiatusxHiatus… *sobs*

Anyway, I'm so sorry I took so long! A lot of things had to be in my head and I couldn't allow myself to daydream as much as I have. Lol.

DISCLAIMER: I WISH I own Hunter X Hunter. :D

QUESTION: If Hisoka was to become a teacher… what subject do you think he'll teach?

…

CHAPTER 21: Prelude

Deep cerulean eyes slowly opened with the image of the sky blue ceiling—one with intricate patterns of clouds painted and birds embossed on its surface—meeting her sights; its connection to the walls covered with cornice painted beige and carved with fascinating intricacy.

It was a familiar view to wake up to: It was Home.

But then—she frowned as she realized, a moment later—that she had not woken up to this sight in years.

She abruptly sat up as the awareness dawned to her and her eyes once more absorbed the sight that followed. There had been many changes, she realized. A lot of smaller items were either gone or thrown away (like a painting of her parents yet, oddly, her favourite candelabra was still there). The air was naturally a little dustier than usual, and the walls were now more of a taupe rather than saturated peach due to the accumulated dust. Still, considering it hadn't been occupied for years, it still looked decent.

It looked good, actually.

However, that was beside the point.

"Good morning."

She whipped her head to one of her side and found Kuroro, sitting one of the upholstered chairs, legs crossed to one side, and one hand nonchalantly supporting the side of his chin and the other holding an old-looking book.

If there was something attractive about the book, she ignored it. She was too preoccupied with what she could be doing back here with Kuroro sitting so indifferently not too far away. "What—" She cleared her throat because that came out an octave higher than she intended. "What are you—we—doing here?"

"You fainted—you were drunk." He said before showing how sour his face was, obviously pretty annoyed with her at what she did. "Why did you drink in the first place?"

Her face hardened and his face darkened in response. "You are aware that I could easily get you reprimanded as the others." He said seriously, and it was true. His eyes narrowed, sitting up straight as he looked at her. "What was with the sudden streak of idiocy, Kurapika?"

Her hands formed a tighter knuckle, grasping the blanket it could hold, and telling herself not to let her eyes waver away from the adversary in front of her. Was she even going to answer that? She thought. To feel even more idiotic?

But still… even with the strong façade she developed through the years, she had an idea she still wouldn't be able to hide from him. In the end, all she could do to protect the small bit of private space she had was to look away. "I was curious." She said—whispered—and recalled events of the past. "I never tasted wine before, remember?"

"Oh." Something in his stance softened. Still, he raised an eyebrow. This time it was due to apprehension, aggravation, and curiosity. "How many glasses did you drink, then?"

Kurapika was honestly not sure if she should say, but she did. "One."

"One?" He asked, startled, and Kurapika winced a little.

"Yeah…"

"Oh."

She sighed and moved her legs to the side of the bed. "I need to get back home, now." She told him, before finally standing up, ironing her (surprisingly) minimally-ruffled skirt with her hand.

She walked past him and she heard a clutter that told her he, too, has stood up. "This is your home," he said, making her feet stop. "Our home."

She turned to him and he walked towards her, stopping when he was only a step away. "You know what they would've wanted for you."

They remained silent for a meaningful moment, and—as images of her parents in blood flashed through her eyes— she couldn't help but let out a sour face at his words. "So you brought me here to try and convince me away from my cause?" She asked him, voice slowly rising. "You should know better than to try."

She refused to directly look at his face as she turned away, but she was stopped by his hand holding her arm.

Kurapika whipped her head to glare at him for once again stepping out-of-line, but her anger quickly dissipated when she realized that the expression on his face was a defeated, yet warm, expression.

Her shoulders relaxed without her knowing, and his did the same. "At least have breakfast with me."

…

Chin-on-palm, she watched the man make some pancakes and bacon and soup (which he added was great for hangovers, which actually offended her, andshe realized with his smirk that he's done it on purpose).

She ignored it in favour of the fine scent of the food, and only then did she realize she was hungry. Her eyes moved to the odd leather-bound book he was reading, placed an arm's length away from her. It was intriguing, but she didn't do anything about it, and shifted her attentions to the man in the kitchen.

He moved gracefully and with poise, and she was inadvertently reminded of the scene she witnessed in his office. "So… you're forming relationships with your students now?"

He flinched at this and he slowly turned his head to her. She winced at her own question and its unintended implications, forcing a blush down. "I meant the dark-skinned girl from school," she added and he shook his head at this with a tepid smile.

"As you may know, a number of female students have been having particularly huge amount of problems lately." He says as he flipped the pancake. "The girl is one of them—but she seems to have a lot more. She already took double the usual time when I felt your presence.

"When I rushed our conversation to entertain you and stood up, the girl jumped at me." He said with slightly animated eyes that Kurapika almost smiled. "I found out later that she reeked of alcohol."

"You didn't smell anything while you were speaking with her?"

"She bathed in some strong perfume."

She chuckled.

But then she saw him staring at her and she blinked. The silence that passed them and, his assessing gaze never leaving her, it was beginning to make her feel nervous. "What is it?"

He continued to eye her and her surroundings and she suddenly knew he's thinking of how much was different from several days ago. She had been trying to kill him then, and now they were chatting so casually just after she had woken up. They're even eating breakfast together.

They didn't speak until he finished cooking and she set up the table. She waited for him to take a bite first, though, before placing anything in her mouth. Her eyes widened slightly. It was delicious.

"I've put much of your favourite ingredients in," he said, smiling, and he watched her eat until them.

"It's very rude to watch someone eat like that."

"It's a normal wish for a chef." He just told her. "To see someone heartily appreciate their food."

She stared at him but decided not to argue, though not before adding he should start eating as well because she'll leave as soon as she finished eating.

At this, Kuroro stood up and excused himself. He walked into her room, and she heard a faint squeak of a cabinet opening and closing and soon he re-emerged with a very familiar dark-colored bottle in his hand. It's wine, the very same one they have made years ago (and she subsequently searched for).

"You kept it there the whole time?" She uttered rather loudly. She wasn't sure which emotion dominated though: Surprise or annoyance. In either case, Kuroro only smirked.

"I can be smarter than you," he said. "Hide it under the enemy's nose. Brilliant, yes?"

She didn't say anything and just stared. Then she looks at him warily. "What's it for?"

"This morning I thought we can drink a glass together—seeing you're an alcoholic already." This made her frown and he smiled in response. She swore this man took pleasure in annoying her.

He held it out to her but, as she reached for it, he took it back again. "However, now that I find out about your surprisingly weak tolerance against alcohol… you should reconsider ever drinking." He paused and stared at her dead-panned expression, soon raising an indignant eyebrow at him. "I guess I'll begrudgingly join you in your abstinence."

He raised it to his eye level then, as if memorizing whatever was in the labels. "Maybe it'll become an antique," he said, looking at it fondly. "One we created together."

Her face betrayed as smile.

But she realized he's being a bit more talkative than usual, and her smile loosened as quickly as it appeared. "What's this about?"

His shoulders drop almost imperceptibly, placing the bottle on the table, and he sighed with a smile. "I thought I'd get you to drink enough so you'll tell me about your abilities." She couldn't quite tell if he was joking or being blunt. "But now that that's out of the question…,will you tell me about it?" "Or perhaps show it to me again."

"No."

"Hmn," was all he says, apparently expecting it. "Will you help me with the house, then? It's a bit unfair I'm the only one maintaining it."

There is something in the back of her head that, despite knowing he was sincere, he was planning something. And she was going to find out what it is. So, for now, she succumbed.

"Fine."

…

"Why do you always carry that book around?" She asked as they walked along the garden, previously rich in color, albeit now it was mostly filled with weeds and uncontrolled vines. She looked at the book, genuinely intrigued, and noted that she even felt Nen coming out from it.

It was unnatural, she could tell. But she assessed it and appreciated the thick leather-like cover. It looked really old, but he already withdrew it before she even moved to see what was inside. "Curious little thing, isn't it?" He said, gingerly placing the book at the couch behind him.

Her eyes twitched a little and took it back, though to her relief he didn't make any more move to take it away. She continued to assess it, while he assessed her.

"It's very special to me." He said and she continued to study it, only to realize that it couldn't be opened. Did it have to do with how it felt like it was emitting Nen? "Perhaps placing your palm on the cover would do the trick." She looked at him silently asking if he thought she was that gullible, but he smiled, egging her to try.

She frowned. "Is this some sort of joke?"

"No," he said, smile still plastered on his face, but she can see the seriousness underneath it. "Not at all."

Her face hardened at this, and she could finally point out that he was acting very suspicious. "I know." He responded calmly, and to other people's ears he even sounded monotonous. "You've made that a point since we've reunited."

He had a good point.

"I feel a bit glum." "You're just showing me what I have already seen, and telling me details of what I already know." "What do I have to do to erase those doubts in your head?"

So, he was telling her that the point was not in what's in her ability, but her refusal to say anything of it. But could he really blame her? For distrusting a man who showed out-of-nowhere when he had so many years to explain himself? "Prove to me how sincere you are." She said, defiantly staring deeply into his eyes. He looked back at her, stern and stiff and a little awkward.

He knew she was probably meaning that he do something meaningful to her goals—like telling her more about what happened to her family—but it was not yet time. She couldn't know that—she'd only die.

So, he decided to unsurface one of the threads hanging awkwardly above them all this time. "You can't be that dense, Kurapika."

This made the blonde frown, tilting her head in puzzlement. "What are you—"

But he took a step forward, cutting her off by shutting his lips on hers. Her eyes widened and she pushed him away, though with much less strength than she thought she forced out. His orbs never left hers and his hands raised to assist him.

Eyes wide, she opened her mouth to speak when he dived in again, his hand on her face, and her hand was touching his in a failed attempt to get it off her.

Her eyes dilated as he entered a steady rhythm of his pecks and kisses, changing his angle every time. It was a full minute later that he stopped, one hand on her cheek with the other on the back of her neck, and eyes gazing the entirety of her face and expression.

She stopped breathing and she tried to compose herself as much as she could before speaking. "This… this is not called sincerity." She breathed out, but there was no venom in her voice, as much as she tried. "This is called taking advantage."

He leaned down again and she thought he was going to do it again, when he only placed his forehead against hers. He looked at her, silently asking her to look into his eyes—to peer into his soul. "Do I really look like I'd do this if I do not care for you?"

She stared at him and his words not too long ago echo in her head: 'Everything I do—I'm doing it all for you.' She looked into his eyes. This amount of sincerity cannot be faked.

…Right?

Her hands fell to her side and his posture softened, placing a soft peck on her forehead just before leading her to the nearby balcony.

"Now, tell me—I want to know," he said as they sat. "Every little detail."

She knew eyes that were calculating, and this was it. She really was about to take a leap of faith, but she was not going to jump too quickly. "Are you sure you aren't going to use it against me?"

"So I know how to protect you from it."

"Or protect yourself from it." She answered back. Kurapika didn't understand this man. She didn't understand the point of this (was it really just for her to show her trust in him?). But she couldn't think of anything worse that would happen if she just repeated what he already knew. So, with a heavy sigh, she raised her hand to conjure her chains. "My ability is to maximize all aura types. And to be strong enough to defeat my enemies."

He only stared at her and her chains for a moment before saying anything. "Your chains... they represent something don't they?" He asked, hands absent-mindedly touching the chains. "And how much of your abilities can you not use on other targets?"

"Two of these chains could only be used on them—the chain jail." She told him, relishing the odd warmth of his hand. "It forces the protective aura to disappear, leaving the body vulnerable." "And the judgement chain, which will easily kill my targets if they fail the restriction I will give to them."

"You have thought this out deeply, haven't you?" he told her, but there was no hint of compliment in his tone. She realized his eyes were dark and brooding. She only nodded, guardedly, and he did not miss it.

There was silence that passed by them after a while, before he stood up and faced her. She could feel her face reddening at the way he stared at her. "Come here," he asked, opening his arms.

Reluctantly, she stepped closer, but still at a good distance away. He closed the gap himself and wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you for telling me," He whispered beside her ears, his hold tightening, arms completely enclosing her body.

The embrace was firm yet gentle and so full of longing that her heart broke a little. He buried his face on her neck, and she could feel his warmth envelope her body. She did not know how long they stayed like that, but she didn't complain. Soon, she felt his head shift a little and she could feel his breath near her cheek.

"I'm so sorry." He said.

And she saw black.

…

Kurapika woke up alone some hour or so later, in the very same room that she woke up in before. For a second she thought she had woken up in her own apartment, thinking this was all a dream, and something got stuck in her throat at the thought.

She whipped her head to the side table. There was a letter, folded one way, and there was a sign outside: Kuroro.

She nodded. He knew everything about her. If he had done something, he could've tried to pass this off as a dream. But he hadn't. Perhaps she shouldn't have doubted him.

With pseudo-steady hands, she opened the paper.

Kurapika,

I believe you're still suffering from a hang-over, and perhaps you should take the day off. I promise it won't affect your grades.
Get some rest and I'll see you at school.
-Kuroro

P.S. And do not worry. I did not do anything inappropriate in your sleep.

.

She places her palm on her head, relieved—and not because of the ridiculous post-signage.

She had been afraid that it has been a dream—because that meant those intimate moments never happened. Worse, dreaming about it means that she wanted them to happen, possibly one-sidedly.

She was surprised at her own fear of those times not existing at all. She pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around her body, hands practically clawing the opposite arm. She knew full-well what these feelings meant, and there was a sense of dread that accompanied it.

She buried her face in her arms, mind screaming.

What do I do now?

…

AFTERSCHOOL TRAINING
Nispedana High

"She didn't go to school today." Neon voiced out, to no one in particular, for about the 18th time since that morning. He honestly didn't feel like training very much. Eventually, Bisuke gave them a break as she took care of some stuff on her end (of no doubt will have nothing good will come out of). He was left alone with the flowery couple, who seemed to be undergoing a problem of their own.

"She doesn't like me." Killua said—in despair—head on his head. Gon tilted her head.

"But I like you."

"What I meant is what she doesn't approve of me until—" Killua blushed and gulped. "Well, after a while."

"She will."

Killua sighed, thinking there was no reasoning with Gon on this one. Gon, who mistook the sigh as one of depression (of a different kind), just patted his head. The guy seemed to like the comforting touch because all of a sudden his pout turned a little exaggerated. And then the silver-head heaved a sigh, with a sudden fake look of despair: "She hates me. Mito-san hates me."

Gon, though, gives him a surprised look. "But Mito-san doesn't hate anyone."

The silverhead then stared at the girl for a second longer before looking dejectedly to the ground (also fake) and fell down on Gon's lap, sighing (again). "I'm so tired, Gon. Let me have some rest."

Neon (who's then massaging his poor aching head) stared at the two, eyes twitching as his mind's eye could see all the flowers suddenly floating around them. He could even smell the sweetness and it annoyed him even more.

"Well, well." Basho's closed lipped smile that oozes of smugness only intensified that. "Someone's jealous."

"Of who?" He gestured to the two kids while Vaise chuckles. "I don't even see Gon that way." And then gave them a pointed look. "Nor do I to Killua, if that's what you're implying."

"We mean…" Basho continued walking behind him and leaning down to whisper by his ears. "That don't you just see it? Imagine…"

Vaise did the same with his other ear (now two idiots were whispering). "…imagine that it is you and Kurapika being so sappy?"

"W-Wha—"

Then they turned their heads with annoying grins he'd pay millions to wipe off. "Oh, it's Kurapika!"

Neon 'tsked' at this and crosses his arm. "Hell I'll fall for that—"

But quickly he saw familiar blonde locks in his peripheral vision. "I'm sorry I'm late," she said, and this time his head whipped to her direction. "I didn't feel too well."

"You okay?" He asked, but when their eyes met, he looked a little to the side of her face so their orbs didn't have to connect.

"…Yes."

"Well, good for you, then."

…

More minutes pass and by that time Kurapika was already giving weak responses to Killua and Gon's dilemmas. Neon and the two idiots stared at them from afar.

"Neon-sama." Vaise finally said. "If you keep looking away she would never see your feelings."

Where did that come from?

"What feelings?" He asked rhetorically, an annoyed look plastered on his face. "And if I do have them—hell I'd want her to see."

"Who knows… girls like her could be attracted to men who show their feelings through their actions—even in the way they look at her." Vaise told him with warm sincerity than caught him off-guard. "How long are you going to keep this up?"

He didn't answer that, nor did his bodyguards probe. For a moment.

"You avoided looking at Kurapika often so she didn't see the way he looked at her." Vaise finally uttered out, raising a hand so he didn't have the chance to argue. At this, their eyes end to Kurapika who was then staring at the sky (or is it a room at school? They couldn't tell).

"It's not like there's a rush." Basho told her with a shrug, and Vaise couldn't disagree more.

"You're wrong." She said in that knowing woman way of hers that made them both stare at her, anticipating and nervous. It was Bansho who asked the golden question.

"What do you mean by that?" The bearded man said and Neon tried to hide his curiosity by looking someplace else. Vaise paused for effect and Neon's eyes twitched.

Hell, she didn't speak for a long time and Neon was about to open his mouth to utter an insult when she did speak. "Kurapika?" She began, "She's already in love."

.

His eyes widened in shock, but they soon narrowed in scepticism (or denial) and Neon whipped his head and walked over—a little shakily, to his chagrin—to have a closer look at Kurapika.

True enough, she was in a daze, but not the technical pondering gaze she gave when she was thinking of how to achieve her goals. This was a different sort— she was in a zone where calculations did not exist. She was just… thinking. No. Imagining.

His heart fell to his stomach and his legs began to feel weak, hands painfully transforming into knuckles.

"Kurapika…" He voiced out, meekly, but she didn't hear. Or perhaps she was too deep in a daze to notice.

Neon honestly felt like screaming.

When the hell did this happen?

.

.

END OF CHAPTER 21

Coming Soon:
CHAPTER 22: Treasure
Sometimes, when we realize what happened… it's already too late.

REPLIES TO ANGELS

Guest [May 16/17 2016] – (ch19) Yay Chain pair! xD More of them here~ Hope it doesn't disappoint and thanks for reviewing! (ch20) hahah. So happy you enjoyed it! I'm blushing after being called a genius. I'm not, but it made me happy. Thank you. xD And Loool. IKR. Actually in real life, loads of people giving love advice are single! Hah.

Hunterxyaoi – Here it is! More KuroKura scenes I mean. Hope you like them, even if they're a bit rushed. Thank you for reviewing btw.

Boketto-muffin – It's so rare for someone to have a KuroNeon preference! I personally think they look great together in canon. But that's just us. Lol. Anyway, so happy you found the chapter fluffy! Though I wanna cry now that HxH is Back on hiatus. *sobs* (Thanks for reviewing btw!)

RavenZaoldyeck99 – Thank you for reviewing! And lol. If Ging saw the kiss… well… he'll probably follow send Gon back to Mito lawl. Glad you enjoyed btw and I hope you like this one too!

Laxusdrayer2324 – hihi. I'm so glad that that such a little KuroKura scene would be so impactful. More of them here! Though they may seem a lil' rushed. Hope they're enjoyable, regardless, and thx for reviewing!

Phoenix-Thunder – hehehe glad you liked it! Even the chain pair! *parties* And lolz. Don't worry, I'll let Killua have his way soon. I think. Probably. Well that really depends on Ging and Mito. xD Thank you for reviewing btw! Hope you enjoy this one too~

Laine Klein – IKR. Hell, kids 10 years younger than me seems to know more about romance than I do. Lol. Anyway, glad you enjoyed! Hahah. And here's more! I'm sorry I took ages!

Melissa the kawaii yandere – hehehe. Poor Killua. xD I'll try to let him do his thing for a while. Probably. Maybe. Hueheuehue. Thx for the comment btw!

Guest [May 19 2016] – hahah. Killua the Trolled. Totally should be his middle name in this story. xD And *hugs* Thank you for commenting~!

Diclonious57 – Hahahha. Poor Killua! I'm going to make suffer less soon, don't worry! xD Thanks for commenting!

A Silent Reader – First of all, thank you for reviewing! XD A really long one, too! *hugs* I am so happy you loved the story so much and the pairing. Hopefully, what I have in store (which isn't much at the moment… yet) will be good enough not to disappoint~!

StreetAlleyCat – hehehe. Glad you liked the story so far! And thank you for telling me. You vocal readers are pretty much the reason I'm still writing. xD Hope you enjoy this one!

iiWolvesOfRuin – *cackles* Oh you racist you. xD Well, I'm happy you think the story is awesome. And thank you for reviewing!

Paprika11 – I'll make things easier for Killua in the future (probably), don't worry! xD And Hisoka'll appear soon, though not as a female (if I ever write another story I'll probably do that!). Thank you for the reviews and suggestions!

Anime otakue 321 – Here it is! I'm sorry it took so long. Hope you enjoy and thanks for commenting!

Chocoholic221B – (ch12) Heheh. Welcome to the Chain Pair Lovers Club - yo! xD I'm so glad you found the development of their relationship believable! Such a relief! (ch13) Awww shux. I won't stop writing! It could take me ages but I'm certainly writing right now because of you guys! (ch14/5) haha. Nerys won't be able to do anything. Just had to put someone strong to vie for Killua (have you seen my other story? She's there also). And Neon, yes! Tho in his case, it's a good thing he lost his powers. (ch16) You're so cute to comment on several chapters. I appreciate it! And LOL. Oh yes Bisuke! Tear Nerys dooowwn! xD (ch17) Glad you had fun! *giggles* and thx for telling me. (ch18) And update I shall! You realize how pleasant a surprise it is to open my mail and see multiple reviews for this story, right? So. There. I'm updating. Right. Now. (ch19) Chain pair banzai! And yep, there'll be many chapters where the focus'll either be on chain or in YY. Glad you like both! (ch20) Aww, thank you! Glad you think the story is amazing so far and here's the next bit! Hope it isn't as contentless as I fear but yeah… haha.

…

THANKS FOR READING!

And, as always, do let me know what you thought!