A/N: Omg asjdksjk! Update's late, sorry! I usually write 2 chapters ahead, but things got busy and I hate it because it was already a Sunday and I still haven't finished this chapter yet! My brain's fried. Forgive me, people. It's already 3AM in here, wth. But anyway, here's the update! Thank you so much for the reviews on the previous chapter! 8 reviews in one go! I am so amazed and humbled. Thank you, readers, you are super precious! *throws choco confetti* Hihi :') I feel like I would fail your expectations in this chapter, though, so gomen in advanced. ^^"
Before we start; lemme shamelessly announce that I did a messy sketch on Yuhi, yay! So if you want to see what she looks like in my imagery, go to my profile and click the link there. Gihihi.
Doki = sound of a heartbeat
DISCLAIMER: Togashi's the genius who created the cool and handsome Killua, and the innocently adorbs Gon.
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE
CHAPTER FIVE
Looks Couldn't Kill
Staring… He's just staring…
Yuhi's ecstatic confidence was replaced without warning by this uncomfortable, nervous kind of feeling as she stood there in front of the bar, with the equally ecstatic Gon standing on her left and–her incredibly beautiful secret love life–Killua standing beside him, waiting for her buff guardian to utter a syllable. Apparently she was too enthusiastic when she introduced the two boys to Roroturo. She was too lively, too cheery, too… happy when she got home. Because she was expecting that her equally optimistic guardian would return it. But he just stared, with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms, reading the boys.
Stupid… Yuhi mentally punched her head. Of course, I brought boys home with me for the first time–and two, actually. Roroturo-san may have freaked! Yuhi pressed her lips together to hide the pout she was about to give out. But I'm not doing anything bad. Why am I nervous? She swallowed liquid and turned her gaze towards Gon. Yuhi smiled at him. She tip-toed to take a swift glance at Killua. She blinked and stared, and the realization of everything came crashing against her chest.
Doki.
Is it because he's standing inside my house?
Killua then noticed Yuhi's gaze and turned his head to look at her.
The latter hid a gasp and instantly looked ahead again, blinking immensely. Her heart raced like a rock band was inside her chest. The first thing she thought was whether Roroturo saw that. She looked up at her guardian. To her relief he just continued staring at the boys. Yuhi started feeling absolutely uncomfortable. She cleared her throat loud to break the ice.
Roroturo finally moved after the sound. He took a deep breath. "Are you Yuhina's classmates?" he asked with a low and serious voice.
Yuhi knew Roroturo was not too seriously serious. She knew it's just his way of dealing with new people around her–especially boys. But her guardian's sentence alarmed her. Uh-oh. He just said my full name. And according to parents' dictionary, that meant that a child is screwed.
Gon straightened up. He looked at Yuhi with an amused look on his face. "Yuhina? Is that your full name?"
The girl smiled and shrugged. She nodded.
The spiky-haired boy smiled widely. "I didn't know that!"
Somehow the boy's smile lightened up the seemingly uncharacteristic gloomy mood inside the bar. She laughed and confirmed that tiny fact about her.
Roroturo faked a cough.
Gon returned to him immediately. "We're schoolmates, Roroturo-san!" he thoughtfully declared.
Yuhi smiled at that, remembering that the first thing Gon wanted to know when Yuhi told him about Roroturo was his name.
The latter's eyes grew wide. Yuhi knew he was hiding an amazed expression. Roroturo loved polite kids after all. "So, will you be going up to Yuhi's room and do projects or something like that?
The spiky-haired boy cocked his head to the right in confusion.
Killua's eyebrows creased.
The auburn eyes of Yuhi grew wide. She gulped, feeling sweat dropping from her temple Roroturo-san's been watching too much drama on TV, ne… Yuhi managed to shake it off. She smiled. "I told them about your ramen, Roroturo-san!"
Gon nodded his head happily. "We came here to eat!"
The tiny grey eyes of Roroturo grew wide. Yuhi noted that they sparkled when Gon declared that sentence. She smiled at that, knowing that her guardian would be completely delighted about having new people taste his specialty for the first time. Roroturo's build could be easily seen softening up as he shrugged and cleared his throat, looking away. After a slight pause, he turned his gaze at Yuhi. "Is that serious?"
The latter couldn't help but laugh at him. She nodded cheerily. "Yep!"
Without looking away from the girl, Roroturo pressed his lips together. Then he made a goofy expression. Yuhi gleefully laughed even more at the man's antics. She knew the glitch was over. Roroturo finally smiled and released an airy chuckle as he patted the girl's head. He leaned over the bar and looked at the beaming Gon. "Ramen, huh?" he asked with a smile on his face but with a tough voice–as if he was challenging the boy for a duel.
The spiky-haired boy nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, please!"
Roroturo released another husky chuckle before turning to the pale-looking boy beside the energetic one. "And you?"
Yuhi's smile was stagnant when she turned her gaze at Killua, waiting for his response.
The latter's twisted expression shifted from the man to his best friend. He looked at Gon, as if waiting for him to give a cue. Gon nodded. Then Killua turned his quizzical gaze back at Roroturo, reading him. Smoke then came out from the window interconnecting the kitchen to the bar. The fumes of hot ramen soup deliciously filled the entire place. Gon took a good amount of air and commented on how excited he was about eating. Killua's stomach grumbled. It instantly triggered his head to give a fast nod or two.
"Alright!" Roroturo turned around, raising his index finger in the air. "Two special ramen coming up!" He then turned back around to eye Yuhi. He gave her playful smile. "One extra special?"
Eh? The instant she heard the words 'extra special,' the white-haired boy to her left was the one who instantly flicked the switch on in her head. Her heart skipped a beat, thinking that Roroturo may have noticed that Killua was someone 'extra special' for her. Yuhi blinked and became shaky and stood up straight and looked around and glanced at Killua and looked back at Roroturo. She smiled sheepishly. "What's that?"
But the latter's countenance did not get shaken by that. "Do you want the extra special one?"
Ah– Yuhi laughed at herself inwardly. She instantly smiled her widest and shook her head. "Nope. I'm having what they're having, please."
Roroturo shrugged. "Three special ramen coming up!" He looked at Gon and Killua. "Have a seat, please. Make yourself at home." Roroturo smiled at them and winked at Yuhi before going to his counter.
Gon and Killua then took a seat on the stools in front of the bar while Yuhi entered the kitchen to set her things, and the exam papers, aside. The overwhelming feeling of excitement filled her chest then. Her afternoon had been so full of happy air because of a lot of things she couldn't count how many were already. Walking home all the while Killua was with them was one, but that's not all; talking about funny and random stuff with Gon was one too, and them being able to taste Roroturo's delicacy, Roroturo being so optimistic about it, and just everything. Everything about her afternoon had been amazing. It made her want to wriggle and squiggle in delight because of it. It made her chest feel lighter too; made her see things in a much brighter view after the dark and tiring week. Yuhi smiled to herself and bit her lower lip while heading out of the kitchen. Her exuberant energy finally came back. She can feel it, and she thanked the heavens for that.
Taking a gratified deep breath, Yuhi stepped out of the kitchen with an excited mood now triggered on. Her gaze shot instantly at the two boys talking by the long wooden bar counter of the shop. Her smile grew wide. And as though she was hopping with glee, she strode towards them.
"…And then we had this amazing boodle-fight inside the gym after cleaning up the backstage!" Gon narrated, looking and sounding so enthusiastic with his big bright eyes and huge smile on his face.
The white-haired boy in front of him had an equally enthusiastic playful grin on his face while the former talked.
Yuhi smiled at the view and sat on the stool next to the spiky-haired boy, looking at them and listening to the story of Gon who almost sounded like he wanted to tell the whole world about it.
He noticed the girl, for he glanced at her and gave an acknowledging nod, and returned back to telling his story. "Mr. Tenoshiru was so funny! He even burped so loud after eating ten handfuls of rice!" They all laughed.
"Man, you should have caught it on tape!" Killua countered in between chuckles.
Yuhi's heart swelled–in a good way. It was the first time she heard Killua talk so excitingly high-pitched. She smiled at that, pressing her lips together to suppress a big bright one.
Gon chuckled, and looking at his best friend he declared, "Yeah, I wish you were there, Killua," with a pure bright honest smile on his face.
The white-haired boy's facial response had taken Yuhi's consciousness at that time. It was her everyday wish since; to see Killua's pure smile even just for once. With a swelling chest Yuhi stared at her white-haired angel at that pristine moment. Everything went blurry, but that precious face was clear in Yuhi's vision. And it all came into slow motion once more. Killua smiled naturally after receiving that sentence from his best friend. It was his pure, natural, precious smile–the one she had been picturing out in her mind.
The instrumental music from before played gracefully inside Yuhi's head. She was aware of her surroundings, and she was absolutely conscious. But at that moment, time seemed to have stopped, and Killua's smiling face was all she could see. He looked like a perfectly sculpted figure sitting in front of her. No, that was an understatement. He looked even more like an angel directly sent from above. Killua glowed in Yuhi's eyes. He's so… He is… He's beautiful.
A pure awed smile slowly spread across her lips as Yuhi stared at the white-haired boy, capturing the picture of him smiling on film in her head. She didn't care about the world at that time, not until she realized that a pair of somnolent blue eyes was quizzically staring back at her bright auburn ones.
"What?"
And everything came crashing down on her the instant she heard that voice. Her surroundings became clear in her vision and the noise from inside the shop filled her hearing. She was back on earth. But her system was instantly at chaos. Heh– Yuhi silently gasped and immediately looked down, shaking her head. "N-Nothing!" Her heart started racing so fast it felt as though it would come bursting out of her chest any second, and her nerves have taken the full blown of it. She was shaking. Her fingers were twitching by themselves as she closed her hands into tight fists, trying to control her breathing. She couldn't comprehend what just happened. Killua just caught her looking at him. No, smiling to herself while looking at him. Yuhi wanted to cry. She mentally banged her head on the wooden bar beside her over and over again. What will I say? What will I say?
Gon laughed.
Yuhi's heart stopped for a second. Gon saw me! She inhaled air deep in her lungs and held her breath to wait for what the spiky-haired boy had to say.
"People here really stare at Killua when he smiles, ne!" Gon declared, beaming at his best friend.
The girl's eyes grew wide. She looked up at Gon and glanced at Killua. She realized that the latter's expression returned to his usual one. Killua silently groaned and looked away. Yuhi only saw that in her peripheral view, though. Oh, she dared not look at her white-haired angel longer than three seconds that evening. She returned her gaze at Gon who was already smiling at her. Blood filled the girl's cheeks because of embarrassment. But the spiky-haired boy's innocent smile made her give out a sheepish one of her own. Yuhi rubbed her neck, not knowing what to say.
It was a three-second silence then when the smell of Roroturo's hot ramen filled their noses.
Gon was the first to react. "Uwaa! It's here!" He beamed at Yuhi and Killua before turning his sparkly eyes towards the approaching Roroturo.
Yuhi removed every uneasy feeling in her chest immediately. She beamed back, and mentally thanked her guardian for the timing. She shrugged and smiled to herself before turning to the counter to receive her delicious bowl of ramen. But before she could turn in her seat, her gaze involuntarily went past the white-haired boy sitting adjacent to her. Her reflexes told her to pause when her auburn eyes met blue ones.
Killua was looking at her with the mix of curiosity and confusion painted on his face.
Dokidokidoki.
Her smile was still plastered on her face as her heart skipped several beats. She subconsciously cocked her head to the right, passively asking the question 'why'.
Without uttering a single syllable, Killua then slowly turned to the counter where the food was waiting.
Yuhi froze in her position for a second, and realizing that she was still smiling, hot blood rush of pure embarrassment filled her cheeks as she turned to the wooden counter. She pulled the bowl of ramen near her and looked at it, pressing her lips together. She inwardly whined as she closed her eyes, the pinkish hue in her cheeks darkening. Yuhi mentally scolded herself. She thinks that she was acting stupidly in front of him. Why do I feel like an idiot when he's around? Her grip on the porcelain was tight. She felt hot smoke coming out of her ears. Her face reddened even more when she remembered how Killua caught her looking earlier. Forget about it, Yuhi. I'm sure he doesn't think it that way. Gon even said the people do it often, right? Right? It made her chest feel lighter. Yuhi heaved a deep sigh.
"Yuhi, your hair's on your ramen."
The addressed instantly opened her eyes and looked up, meeting the grey ones of her buff guardian. She blinked. Roroturo raised his eyebrows. Yuhi's eyes grew wide as she looked down at her ramen. The ends of her hair were almost in it. She scratched her nape and laughed sheepishly at Roroturo as she sat straight. "Sorry."
"Wow, this is so good!" the spiky-haired boy announced with a beaming look on his face. His eyes were sparkling as he turned his gaze from his best friend and towards the girl to his right.
Yuhi looked at him and smiled widely. A giggled made its way through her vocal chords.
Gon turned to the proud man in front of him. "It's delicious!"
"Thank you, thank you!" Roroturo grinned playfully as he leaned his elbows on the counter. "You won't ever gonna find another ramen like this in this town, you know!" He laughed.
Gon returned the laugh, nodding happily.
Killua then took a sip from the soup of the ramen. His eyes grew wide.
Roroturo saw that, and he instantly knew what the white-haired boy's expression meant.
Yuhi turned to her own bowl of ramen. The smell made her stomach grumble. She was hungry.
"You're Gon, right, kid?" Roroturo asked the spiky-haired kid.
The addressed nodded, noodles hung from his mouth as he answered a "Yep!"
Roroturo then turned his gaze to the other boy next to Gon. "And you're Killua?"
Yuhi swallowed hard when she heard her guardian mention the name of her white-haired angel. It was a good thing she was stuffing her mouth with noodles that time or else her bright smile would easily be noticed by everyone in the shop. She silently listened to the upcoming conversation.
"Gon and Killua, huh? I thought I heard those names somewhere…" Roroturo tapped his chin with his index finger while thinking.
Yuhi looked at the man with big curious eyes.
Gon and Killua did so as well.
The man then slammed his hand on the wooden bar and looked at the two boys. "I know! You're the new kids in town, am I right?"
Gon laughed. "That's right!"
Yuhi was about to ask how Roroturo knew about it–since she distinctly remembers that she didn't mention the boys' names when she told Roroturo about the transferees in school–when the white-haired boy beat her through it.
"How did you know?" Killua asked.
Yuhi resisted the urge to glance at the boy.
Roroturo laughed. "This shop's a travel stop, kids. I know things." He winked at Killua. "I think someone in your neighbourhood mentioned it before."
"Oh," Killua answered, returning to his ramen.
Yuhi nodded slowly in understanding.
Gon bounced in his seat and as though a light bulb had flicked on inside his mind, he sat straight and raised a finger. "Ah! Is he Ali-san?"
"Ali!" Roroturo repeated, raising a finger as well. "Yes, it was Ali who told me that!"
Gon chuckled. "I knew it!"
"Ali? Is he the old geezer you were asking for directions before?" the white-haired boy asked, face twisted with disbelief.
The spiky-haired boy turned to him and nodded. "Yep! And he's nice, Killua, don't call him an old geezer!"
"Well, he's an old geezer!" Killua shrugged and pondered. "I didn't know he actually lives in the neighbourhood."
Gon laughed at him. "That's because you always ignore people!"
Roroturo chuckled with Gon.
Killua rolled his eyes and looked at his ramen. "Tche, don't talk about me."
As Gon and Roroturo gave countless of husky chuckles, Yuhi took the chance to glance at the white-haired boy to her left as he ate. He had his eyes fixed on his bowl, looking a bit serious as he scooped soup from the ramen. Doki. Killua looked handsome even in that angle. Yuhi shook her head a little and returned to looking ahead. It was a wrong move. She became even more nervous of the fact that Killua was there.
Roroturo talked to the boys about random things while they ate. Yuhi observed them with an amused look on her face, smiling and laughing whenever Roroturo said his cheesy jokes. She'd take a glance at Killua every now and then, though, smiling to herself whenever she caught him laughing with Gon. She noted that they were having fun. Roroturo even offered free appetizers for the three of them.
It was a good 20 minutes of talking when the middle-aged man stood straight. "Alright!" He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. "I should get going now. Costumers are waiting."
Gon and Killua nodded.
The man turned to Yuhi. "Yuhi, attend to your friends, alright?" The auburn-haired girl smiled and nodded. Roroturo chuckled and patted the girl's head before waving a hand at them. "Ja!" He then left the three while he worked in his counter. The costumers were piling up since it was about rush hour at that time.
"Roroturo-san's so cool!" Gon noted, amused.
Yuhi turned to him and smiled brightly; awed of the fact that Gon was so enthusiastic about talking to the man.
"You said he's your guardian, right?"
The girl nodded. "Yep, he is."
Gon swallowed a scallop before asking, "Where are your parents?"
At first Yuhi's expression was replaced with a wide-eyed gaze after hearing the question. It has been a long time since people asked where her parents were. But luckily, she still remembered her answer back then. It should still be the same answer she would give Gon. A refreshing expression painted her face. Yuhi shrugged. "I don't really know," she declared. Her tone was as normal as it can be.
Killua heard her. He turned his gaze towards the girl and waited.
Gon's big brown eyes grew wide. "Really?"
Yuhi gave out a small airy laugh because of the response given by Gon–a response she was most at home with every time she answered that question. "Yeah, I never really met them. Roroturo-san told me they died when I still a baby."
Killua blinked.
The spiky-haired boy sat up straight. "Oh, I'm sorry for asking!" His eyes were wide and his pitch stepped an octave higher.
Surprise filled the girl's countenance at that. She shook her head and waved her hands. "No, don't be! It's totally fine. People always ask me things about my parents so, I don't mind at all."
Gon laughed sheepishly and rubbed his nape while Killua looked at him as if he was waiting for his best friend to say something. When Gon started speaking, Killua let out a small expecting grin across his lips. He knew the spiky-haired boy could never let his curiosity pass. Gon played with his noodles. "So, uh… well, I mean, do you know who they are?" he asked carefully.
Yuhi resisted the urge to look at the white-haired boy who was also waiting for her to answer. She took a deep breath and shook her head. "Nope, didn't get to know them. But Roroturo-san said they were good people. I didn't ask much about them, too." It was true. When Yuhi was a child, when her friends then first asked where her parents were, that was the only time she asked Roroturo about them. And after that, she never insisted the man to tell stories about where her parents came from. Her guardian only told her that they were good friends of his, and that they were good people. That was enough information for Yuhi. And since Roroturo's her only family now, she tried focusing more on what she has instead of figuring out things from the past. She felt that if she did so, it will be so unfair to the man who had her since she was a baby. Gratitude and respect; she'd give her parents that. But love and care; that's what she owes Roroturo in the present time.
Gon cocked his head to the right. "Don't you want to get to know them?"
Yuhi thought of it for a while. And after a 3-second pause, she smiled and shook her head again. "Not yet, I guess."
"Doesn't that mean you're running away from your past?"
Doki.
The girl's smile disappeared. She blinked and turned her gaze to the boy who spoke. Killua looked serious when he asked the question. Yuhi immediately removed her eyes from his intense ones. She looked down.
"Killua!" Gon sharply whispered to his best friend.
The addressed shrugged. "What?"
Both of them then turned their gazes at the girl and waited for her response.
"I don't think so," Yuhi silently muttered, then looked at them again with a bright smile on her face. "I think it's because what I have right now makes me happy." She wholeheartedly meant that, all the while thinking of the most important people in her life–including the white-haired boy who asked the question.
A huge smile slowly painted its way across Gon's face.
Yuhi saw that. She gave out a small laugh as she looked Gon. But the suspense of waiting for the reply of the other boy made her pulses race. She finally gained the courage to look at Killua, trying so hard not to let go of the smile she had after seeing the indifferent expression on his face, looking back at her.
Killua winced and looked away. "How cheesy."
Yuhi was mortified. But she tried her best not to show it. Without removing the smile on her face, she slowly nodded and turned to face the bar again, eyes set down her bowl of ramen. Her palms and ears felt hot at that time because of embarrassment. Did I sound stupid?
"We're actually the same, Yuhi!"
The addressed turned her gaze from the bowl to the sparkly brown eyes of Gon. She blinked and cocked her head to the right. "You mean…"
"Yeah! I don't have my parents with me either," Gon declared; his voice still optimistically high-pitched as before.
Yuhi sat straight. It was the first time she knew of someone who shared the same sentiment as her in terms of bloodline. "Really?"
"Yes." Gon nodded. "And I understand why you didn't want to find out more about them, because you have Roroturo-san, right? He's your father and mom now, right?"
A smile escaped the girl's lips. She nodded cheerily. "That's right."
Gon turned to look at the white-haired boy beside him. "Maybe that's why she said she's not running away from her past, Killua," he told him with a slight chuckle escaping his throat.
The latter gave him a look. "Ugh. Whatever."
"But I think the reason why Killua asked that is because it wouldn't hurt if you try to know who they are, right? Even though Roroturo-san is your family now."
Yuhi nodded slowly, understanding what Gon had to say. She suddenly remembered how interested she was to know about her parents when she was younger, but Yuhi then thought it might somehow hurt Roroturo's pride if ever she insisted him to tell stories about them. However because of what Gon had said, her interest came back, and it should never hurt Roroturo in any way, right?
"I'm actually trying my luck to find my dad."
Yuhi stared in Gon's eyes for a while. "He's… alive?" she guessed carefully.
Gon laughed. "Yep, that was what Mito-san told me."
The girl blushed for a second, realizing how absurd her question was. Then she instantly remembered one thing she had been wondering about since the school year started. "Why did you move here, by the way?"
Gon paused then he looked at his best friend.
Yuhi's eyes grew wide. She waved her hands as she smiled in a sheepish kind of way. "I'm sorry. It's okay if you don't answer it."
The spiky-haired boy then turned to look at her. He smiled. "No, it's okay. We moved her because Mito-san wanted to have grandma checked by a doctor near this town. We're from an island, you see, so the medicines are not that effective compared to what the doctors recommend to buy in a place like this."
The girl nodded slowly. "Is Mito-san your guardian too?"
Gon nodded. "She's my aunt! She takes care of me and Killua and she cooks so well too!"
"Oh!" Yuhi smiled at the latter part of the sentence. But something caught her curiosity. Though she was hesitating on whether she should ask–on whether she could utter his name aloud or not. Takes care of Gon and Killua…
"Killua and I live together, by the way!" Gon announced.
There was the answer. Yuhi's eyes grew wide. She wasn't expecting anything like that at all. "Really? You're related?"
"Yep!" Gon answered. Then he laughed as he shook his head. "I mean, no! Killua's my best friend!" He looked at the white-haired boy again before turning back to the girl. "He lives with us!"
With reflex, Yuhi answered back instantly. "How come?"
"I'm going to the washroom."
Yuhi turned her gaze towards the boy who stood up. He was looking at her. Yuhi can feel her heart skipping several beats again. She looked back, delighting herself with the sea-blue orbs of Killua, but still feeling quite confused.
The white-haired boy placed his hands inside his pockets. "Uh… washroom? Where?"
Oh! Yuhi blinked and looked around and shakily pointed at the door near the staircase. "T-There! Washroom!" Her nerves took charge of her pitch.
Killua tapped Gon's shoulder once before leaving the two.
Yuhi felt quite relieved that Killua was out of her sight for a while. It gave her a breather–since the presence of the white-haired boy made her pulses race faster than a race car on asphalt. She returned her gaze towards Gon, hoping to continue where they left off.
The latter returned to Yuhi as well. "It's because Killua left home," Gon uttered with a small smile on his face.
What…? Her heart swelled after hearing that sentence and Yuhi subconsciously turned her gaze towards where Killua disappeared into. She suddenly became more curious about the background of her white-haired angel. Before she would force her brain not be like that, but at that moment, the mystery enticed her. She became more interested about him. She wanted to know where he came from, and the story behind it. "Why?"
"Killua and I met in Whale Island two years ago," Gon started. Yuhi looked at him to listen intently. "He looked like he came from a battle ground that time." He laughed. "He was so full of bruises and scratches and scars. I didn't even know how he got them!"
Yuhi blinked. She couldn't imagine that dreamy face having bruises and scratches.
Gon continued. "He was alone that time when he came inside the bar. Mito-san owned a bar, you see, and minors aren't allowed inside so she asked me if I could talk to Killua about that rule. And since then we became friends!" He laughed again, but after a second or two Gon's countenance became slightly serious, yet that smile was still plastered on his face. "That's also the time when I learned about why he was there. He said he left home. So I asked Mito-san if we could let Killua in. It's funny because she said sure, but only for a week. But Killua stayed with us for more than two years now!"
Gon's smile was brightly wide and Yuhi returned it wholeheartedly. It was a strange and glorious way of meeting, she thought–kind of like those stories she would read in a fairy tale. But something still bugs her. She couldn't let it go. "Did he tell you where he came from?"
Strangely enough, Gon paused and turned to look at the door where Killua went in. He blinked, and looked back at Yuhi, slightly leaning forward as though he didn't want anyone to hear about what he was about to say. "Killua told me not to tell anyone about it."
Yuhi leaned forward a little as well. She nodded and listened to the silent declaration of Gon. Her racing pulse doubled its pace as the seconds of suspense ticked by. She didn't know why, but she felt that the revelation of Killua's being would influence her feelings for him greatly.
Gon made a starter sound. Yuhi held her breath. "But Killua is–"
"Gon, you done? Let's go home."
Both Gon and Yuhi sat up straight after hearing that weary voice from the person they were talking about.
The latter's life muscle felt like it would burst out of her ribcage. She gripped her shaky fingers together and held them against her chest. Every pulse in her body was throbbing hard and loud against her ears.
The spiky-haired boy laughed nervously, not knowing where to look. "Oh! K-Killua! You're here!" Gon tried to smile.
Killua's eyebrows furrowed with a twisted confused expression on his face as he sat on his stool. He looked at his best friend questionably. "What were you talking about?" he carefully asked, glancing at Yuhi and back at Gon.
The latter shook his head immediately. "Nothing!"
The white-haired boy looked at him for a while then he shook his head. "Whatever. Let's go home. I want to sleep. It's been a hell of a week, you know." Killua turned in his seat and leaned his back on the back, placing his hands behind his head. "School's crazy," he muttered silently as he closed his eyes.
Yuhi looked at Killua that time. A nostalgic feeling came crashing against her chest at the view of him sitting there and looking like he doesn't care a thing in the world. Hallway…
"Sure! I need to go to the washroom first," Gon announced.
Eh? It led Yuhi away from her imagery. She looked at Gon with a surprised look on her face. Don't leave–
"Wait for me, Killua, ne!"
The auburn-haired girl watched Gon as he sprinted towards where Killua disappeared into earlier, leaving her and her white-haired angel alone together. Her pulses raced as her gaze fell directly at him the moment Gon disappeared from their sight. Killua again noticed her gaze. He looked back. Yuhi instantly gave him a smile. But the boy only looked away and closed his eyes.
Yuhi sighed and looked down, trying so hard to avoid eye contact with Killua. As she turned in her seat, she thought of what Gon had told her about the white-haired boy. She stared at her almost empty bowl of ramen while thinking. Bruises? Scratches? The moment Gon mentioned that starting sentence to her, she felt as though her chest would fall to the ground. She didn't know why thinking about Killua having bruises and scratches made her feel so… sad. Yuhi's eyes grew wide. Was he a subject of punishment in his home? A frown replaced her then bright countenance. She couldn't help but turn her gaze towards the white-haired boy to her left in wonder. Scars… She scanned his exposed skin carefully with her eyes, trying to look for proof about what Gon had said. No, the upper garment of their uniforms was long-sleeved. That wouldn't help. Yuhi's eyes shifted from the boy's arms to his face. There she saw a small faint mark on his cheek. Yuhi narrowed her eyes. She almost leaned closer to have a better look when Killua opened his eyes and looked at her. She tensed. Killua's gaze was intense.
"Do you need something?"
Yuhi shook her head and immediately went back to delighting herself with the carrots and noodles that floated in her soup of ramen. "Nothing," she muttered, feeling her throat throbbing fast.
"I'm back!"
Yuhi turned to the boy who spoke. She smiled at him.
Killua hopped off the stool and placed his hands in his pockets. They both looked at Yuhi.
The latter stood up from her chair. "Thank you for today, by the way!" She looked at Gon as she spoke.
Gon nodded. "Thanks for the delicious ramen! And we had fun, right, Killua?" He turned to his best friend who gave him a single nod. He then smiled back at Yuhi while hoisting something from his pocket.
Yuhi knew what it was. She shook her hands in front of Gon. "Oh no, this one's free of charge."
The spiky-haired boy's eyes grew wide. "Free of charge? Why?"
The girl laughed. "It's my treat! You don't have to pay for it."
Gon's eyes lightened up. "Really?"
Yuhi laughed again and nodded. "Yep!"
"Are you sure? Roroturo-san might scold you, ne."
Yuhi shook her head firmly. "Nope, I'll bet he'll also say the same to you," she said with a smile.
"Are you sure?"
Yuhi nodded.
"Really?"
She laughed again. "Yes, it's free, I assure you."
A smile then slowly formed across Gon's face. "Hmm… Well, if you insist then, okay!" He let out an airy laughed which Yuhi finds incredibly adorable. "Thank you for the food!"
"Leaving so soon, kids?"
The three of them all turned their head towards the man who spoke behind the counter. Gon was the one who answered. He nodded. "Thanks for the delicious ramen, Roroturo-san!"
The man laughed. "Don't mention it! You can come back here anytime you want! Take care on the way home, you guys!"
Gon held his hands in fists. "Awesome!" He then waved at him. "Thanks, Roroturo-san! See you!"
Roroturo waved a hand and looked at Yuhi who nodded at him.
The latter escorted them out of the shop and stayed with them until a bus stopped in the terminal. When the transportation came driving in, Yuhi turned to the two boys. "Thanks again!" She smiled at them. "See you around school on Monday!"
A bus then stopped in front of them.
Gon returned a bright smile of his own. He waved at Yuhi. "Thank you! See you on Monday too, Yuhi!"
She waved back. "Take care, Gon!" Her heart was pounding hard and loud against her chest while she thought of what she was going to do and say next. Yuhi looked at the white-haired boy behind Gon. She took a deep breath. "Take care, Killua." The butterflies in her stomach broke free when she mentioned his name. Her tone was silent and shy, but it was so full of emotion.
Killua, who was about to hop in the bus, looked over his shoulder–his somnolent blue eyes meeting Yuhi's bright auburn ones. The girl couldn't help but smile, both to herself and to the white-haired boy who was looking at her. Killua blinked, and before turning to enter the bus he muttered a silent "Ja."
Glittery sparks flew everywhere in Yuhi's vision and church bells rang inside her mind as she watched everything in slow motion.
Gon waved at Yuhi as the bus raced away from her. She waved back with a smile on her face and with a heart-warming feel in her chest, blushing on the way home.
-CHAPTER END-
Thank you precious people; AKatsinTcups, Pika Yuhi-chan, Lani0108, 2102032, Mai, madin456, omglolyolo, Luxvo-vona (the-ultimate-star) for the wonderful reviews in the previous chapter! I am so happy, your reviews gave me strength. You all made my week. Thank you so much :')
Replies to guest reviews, guys:
To 2102032. So that's what it was! Haha! I feel like I failed you this time, though, because you said you'd camp in front of your computer for this chapter. Sorry if it's late. Hihi ^^"
To Mai. I am glad you noticed that! Thank you! That, my friend, would be revealed in the story. Haha! So stay tuned, please :D LOL, my mom called me several times while writing this as well. She even scolded me. XD
To omglolyolo. Hello, reader! Thank you for reviewing! Here's another chapter. And there will be more if you'd keep uuuuup. *smiley*
A few notes:
I think I should explain little things about my writing style. You see, I tend to be very twisted in terms of word-use. Sometimes even the tiniest detail might turn the whole story around. So, if you're reading long-shot stories of mine, I suggest you be very sensitive with the words and addresses that I use, ne? Because by the end of the story or of a chapter, if you tend to overlook things in the beginning, you'll be so puzzled as to why a certain thing happened. And you'll end up thinking it through or asking me about it. (I swear this happened to me and I had to read the book all over again). It kinda spoils the whole "the story will speak for itself" stuff, right? A little tip: I usually do these twisting things under the supporting characters' dialogues or POV. So yeah, there ya go :D
Again and again and again with this endless tireless footnote; please, please, please review everybody! Yuhi's system's kinda bugged so she needs your support to keep on going. Please review! Thank you so much arigatou! 3
