"Well, that sure wasn't difficult", Nobunaga said. Shalnark snorted.
"That's easy for you to say. I had to do all the hard work - you guys
only had to sit back and watch me." He stopped. They were finished with the
work. The current time was somewhere after 6p.m.
"Where's Machi?"
She was gone. But she'd been there, only a minute ago, or so. "That's weird", Hisoka muttered. "I thought she was right behind us. Maybe she didn't want to walk with us for some special reason, eh, Shalnark?" "Shut up."
Hurry, hurry, Machi thought. She was running at the rooftops of the houses beside the museum - last night, she'd figured out a plan. It was simple, but she had to follow her time schedule.
Now, she was at the roof of a Highschool, Physical Education (P.E) house. She dived into one of the open windows - she was sure it was open, because she'd left them so just a couple of hours ago.
The girls' changingroom was totally empty. Of course, the schoolday was long past over, but even so, she had to be sure. Quickly, she threw her bag into a corner, opened it and took out a towel and some clean clothes. Then, she undressed, and made a quick showering.
Mm.that felt good, she thought, while she buttoned her shirt and packed her clothes into the bag again. She really liked showering, if it was in warm water.
She also made it to the café before 7 p.m. So when he came walking down the crowded street towards the café, she could see him. "I was a bit early", she said when he came up to her. "Did you think of a movie?"
He looked slightly surprised. "Actually, I thought you did that", he admitted. "Did I make a very big mistake?" "Not at all. We can figure out one on the way", Machi said, while they began to walk. "But, actually, I think it's better if you choose one, because I'm not really the cinema-going type." "Neither am I. And you don't really look like one, too. Not that it's something negative", he added hurriedly, "but you really don't look like one." "Well, like I said, I'm not." She tried not to look at him - she'd been told that her 'looking' at people often degenerated into glares. Scaring, yellow glares. Not good, yellow glares. "So where'd you get the cinema-idea?" she wondered trying to be polite and break the silence. "Some friends told me about it", he answered before he could stop himself. "Uh. that didn't sound very good, did it?" he said, uncertain of himself. "Sounds like you've been planning this for a long time", Machi said, finally looking straight at him. He gulped but only a little. "Well, I'm a bit like a. workaholic, so my friends thought I'd need to spend some time out", he explained, while trying not to bump into the other persons on the street. "I guess they thought I ought to do it with a beautiful girl, so they helped me to set this up."
A beautiful girl - her? "Sounds pretty logical to me", Machi said, shrugging. But then she frowned. "Wait a minute, did you tell your friends 'bout us going out?" "Didn't really have much of a choice", he muttered, "they aren't really the kind of people you can keep secrets from in a long time." "Sounds like they're either getting themselves into trouble a lot, or they really care about you." "Well, we've been through a lot together", he said, laughing. "The Huntertests-!" He fell silent. "You're hunter?" Machi said, startled. Ordinary people often didn't know about the Hunters and Huntertests. But she was far from ordinary. "Well, yeah." He shrugged, trying to look like he didn't care about it. "I haven't been a Hunter more than a year or so (even less), but I've got the license." "I know another Hunter", Machi said with a low voice. "But you're different from him." "Well, I guess there're Hunters and Hunters", he said.
"This is the third time this week that you're going out again!" Shalnark said slowly. Machi stopped at the doorstep and turned around to face him. "Where are you going?" "Why do you want to know that?" "Just. curious", he said, trying not to sound like he cared about it. "I don't want you to run into trouble." "Well, trouble usually finds me, and I'm not planning to get into anything", Machi answered dryly, making an effort to walk. "So mind your own business." "Well, I noticed you went to the bathroom after breakfast today", he said, looking worried. "People go to the bathroom sometimes, right?" "Yes, they do", he admitted, "but they usually don't throw up dinner and breakfast again - Machi, I'm worried about you. Are you feeling alright?" "Never felt better", she answered irritated. Why couldn't he just go away? "Don't act like a child!" he said, raising his voice. "If you're ill, then I doubt it's a good idea for you to-" "Just shut up, ok?!" Machi yelled, suddenly furious though she knew he only tried to protect her. "You're not my daddy, you're not my boyfriend and I'm about not to consider you as my friend! So give me ONE reason I'd let you rule over my life?! Get out and get an own life - go to Shizuku, I bet she'd be overjoyed if you did!"
She ran out of the building. Her temper had been a lot worse lately, but Shalnark was getting his nose into other people's affairs.
Their first date had been great, Machi thought for herself as she walked away from the headquarters and turned up to the street - her temper was going back to normal again now.
And the second, too. With him, she almost felt like a normal girl. Not that she knew how that felt, but.
They didn't talk so much about their own private lives, more about the common interests. But she still didn't know his name. "This is so odd", he said, after their third date at the night (walking through the park, watching the little ducklings), "we've walked to my house!"
Machi looked at her right side, where a small two-floor house laid. It seemed dark, but a lamp was still lit at the second floor. Apart from that, a fading street lamp stood tall outside the house, a couple of meters away. "You live here? That's pretty nice", she said. "Well, my friends live here with me", he grinned. "They snore and fight, but they're pretty ok."
They both fell silent.
Please don't invite me into the house, Machi thought, feeling very pale, I don't know what I'm supposed to- "Well, I guess. this is goodnight?" he said, slightly red in his face. He bent down a bit, and his face drew nearer hers.
Then, suddenly, the front door made a loud 'BANG' and two young boys poked their heads out. Machi quickly jumped a meter or so away, into the shadows of a big tree. "Kurapica!" one of the boys yelled, "whatcha doing?" "Are you finished dating, yet?" the other asked, his brown eyes twinkling. "How'd it go??"
They look. familiar, Machi thought. Kurapica? Is that his name? "Uh, yeah, sorry", Kurapica said, coughing.
The silver haired one looked amazed. "Hey, your face's blood- red! Did ya hit yourself?" "I think it's pretty odd, though", the black haired boy commented, "I mean, I've never been red in my face when I hit myself. Do you have a fever, Kurapica? My aunt always sends me to bed when I'm having fever." "Oh, shut up!" Kurapica said, making his way into the house. With a last look behind his back, trying to get a glimpse of Machi, he closed the door.
His friends seemed ok. Machi released herself out from the shadows and began to walk back home to the headquarters. But they looked familiar - she recognized them from somewhere, but she couldn't quite figure out where or when she'd seen them before.
Suddenly, the world started to blur. she couldn't focus properly, and felt dizzy. What's happening to me? She thought. First I throw up, and now this..?
She thought she saw Shalnark, just before everything blackened. Or was it Kurapica?
Author's note: I know there're a lot of different versions of the names of Shalnark and Kurapica. And I'm using these because they seem the be the ones popping up the must on the net (character pages and so on.) And these are the ones I've met on the scanslations. (And thanks to those who's been encouraging me. I hope you're enjoying this.)
She was gone. But she'd been there, only a minute ago, or so. "That's weird", Hisoka muttered. "I thought she was right behind us. Maybe she didn't want to walk with us for some special reason, eh, Shalnark?" "Shut up."
Hurry, hurry, Machi thought. She was running at the rooftops of the houses beside the museum - last night, she'd figured out a plan. It was simple, but she had to follow her time schedule.
Now, she was at the roof of a Highschool, Physical Education (P.E) house. She dived into one of the open windows - she was sure it was open, because she'd left them so just a couple of hours ago.
The girls' changingroom was totally empty. Of course, the schoolday was long past over, but even so, she had to be sure. Quickly, she threw her bag into a corner, opened it and took out a towel and some clean clothes. Then, she undressed, and made a quick showering.
Mm.that felt good, she thought, while she buttoned her shirt and packed her clothes into the bag again. She really liked showering, if it was in warm water.
She also made it to the café before 7 p.m. So when he came walking down the crowded street towards the café, she could see him. "I was a bit early", she said when he came up to her. "Did you think of a movie?"
He looked slightly surprised. "Actually, I thought you did that", he admitted. "Did I make a very big mistake?" "Not at all. We can figure out one on the way", Machi said, while they began to walk. "But, actually, I think it's better if you choose one, because I'm not really the cinema-going type." "Neither am I. And you don't really look like one, too. Not that it's something negative", he added hurriedly, "but you really don't look like one." "Well, like I said, I'm not." She tried not to look at him - she'd been told that her 'looking' at people often degenerated into glares. Scaring, yellow glares. Not good, yellow glares. "So where'd you get the cinema-idea?" she wondered trying to be polite and break the silence. "Some friends told me about it", he answered before he could stop himself. "Uh. that didn't sound very good, did it?" he said, uncertain of himself. "Sounds like you've been planning this for a long time", Machi said, finally looking straight at him. He gulped but only a little. "Well, I'm a bit like a. workaholic, so my friends thought I'd need to spend some time out", he explained, while trying not to bump into the other persons on the street. "I guess they thought I ought to do it with a beautiful girl, so they helped me to set this up."
A beautiful girl - her? "Sounds pretty logical to me", Machi said, shrugging. But then she frowned. "Wait a minute, did you tell your friends 'bout us going out?" "Didn't really have much of a choice", he muttered, "they aren't really the kind of people you can keep secrets from in a long time." "Sounds like they're either getting themselves into trouble a lot, or they really care about you." "Well, we've been through a lot together", he said, laughing. "The Huntertests-!" He fell silent. "You're hunter?" Machi said, startled. Ordinary people often didn't know about the Hunters and Huntertests. But she was far from ordinary. "Well, yeah." He shrugged, trying to look like he didn't care about it. "I haven't been a Hunter more than a year or so (even less), but I've got the license." "I know another Hunter", Machi said with a low voice. "But you're different from him." "Well, I guess there're Hunters and Hunters", he said.
"This is the third time this week that you're going out again!" Shalnark said slowly. Machi stopped at the doorstep and turned around to face him. "Where are you going?" "Why do you want to know that?" "Just. curious", he said, trying not to sound like he cared about it. "I don't want you to run into trouble." "Well, trouble usually finds me, and I'm not planning to get into anything", Machi answered dryly, making an effort to walk. "So mind your own business." "Well, I noticed you went to the bathroom after breakfast today", he said, looking worried. "People go to the bathroom sometimes, right?" "Yes, they do", he admitted, "but they usually don't throw up dinner and breakfast again - Machi, I'm worried about you. Are you feeling alright?" "Never felt better", she answered irritated. Why couldn't he just go away? "Don't act like a child!" he said, raising his voice. "If you're ill, then I doubt it's a good idea for you to-" "Just shut up, ok?!" Machi yelled, suddenly furious though she knew he only tried to protect her. "You're not my daddy, you're not my boyfriend and I'm about not to consider you as my friend! So give me ONE reason I'd let you rule over my life?! Get out and get an own life - go to Shizuku, I bet she'd be overjoyed if you did!"
She ran out of the building. Her temper had been a lot worse lately, but Shalnark was getting his nose into other people's affairs.
Their first date had been great, Machi thought for herself as she walked away from the headquarters and turned up to the street - her temper was going back to normal again now.
And the second, too. With him, she almost felt like a normal girl. Not that she knew how that felt, but.
They didn't talk so much about their own private lives, more about the common interests. But she still didn't know his name. "This is so odd", he said, after their third date at the night (walking through the park, watching the little ducklings), "we've walked to my house!"
Machi looked at her right side, where a small two-floor house laid. It seemed dark, but a lamp was still lit at the second floor. Apart from that, a fading street lamp stood tall outside the house, a couple of meters away. "You live here? That's pretty nice", she said. "Well, my friends live here with me", he grinned. "They snore and fight, but they're pretty ok."
They both fell silent.
Please don't invite me into the house, Machi thought, feeling very pale, I don't know what I'm supposed to- "Well, I guess. this is goodnight?" he said, slightly red in his face. He bent down a bit, and his face drew nearer hers.
Then, suddenly, the front door made a loud 'BANG' and two young boys poked their heads out. Machi quickly jumped a meter or so away, into the shadows of a big tree. "Kurapica!" one of the boys yelled, "whatcha doing?" "Are you finished dating, yet?" the other asked, his brown eyes twinkling. "How'd it go??"
They look. familiar, Machi thought. Kurapica? Is that his name? "Uh, yeah, sorry", Kurapica said, coughing.
The silver haired one looked amazed. "Hey, your face's blood- red! Did ya hit yourself?" "I think it's pretty odd, though", the black haired boy commented, "I mean, I've never been red in my face when I hit myself. Do you have a fever, Kurapica? My aunt always sends me to bed when I'm having fever." "Oh, shut up!" Kurapica said, making his way into the house. With a last look behind his back, trying to get a glimpse of Machi, he closed the door.
His friends seemed ok. Machi released herself out from the shadows and began to walk back home to the headquarters. But they looked familiar - she recognized them from somewhere, but she couldn't quite figure out where or when she'd seen them before.
Suddenly, the world started to blur. she couldn't focus properly, and felt dizzy. What's happening to me? She thought. First I throw up, and now this..?
She thought she saw Shalnark, just before everything blackened. Or was it Kurapica?
Author's note: I know there're a lot of different versions of the names of Shalnark and Kurapica. And I'm using these because they seem the be the ones popping up the must on the net (character pages and so on.) And these are the ones I've met on the scanslations. (And thanks to those who's been encouraging me. I hope you're enjoying this.)