A/N: It is the exams week in here, everyone. *tired applause* HAHA! But I won't get shaken by that. I updated early, see? Hiiihiiii~ I apologize for the previous chapter; though your wonderful feedback said it was great, I still feel like it lacked some essential things. But I'll deal with that myself. lol How was your week, by the way? Mine was super busy! Ugh. But it was the fun-busy kind of busy. lolwhut? /sigh/ I wish I'm as optimistic as Yuhi in real life. XD
Doki = sound of a heartbeat
DISCLAIMER: Yuhina Nagame is muuuuyn. *smiley*
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE
CHAPTER SIX
Rain Or Shine Wonderment
"Do you know how careless you were? What if they did something to you? You can't always trust people in an instant, Yuhi. That's why we have this word called 'caution'. And you only talked to them, what like, two times! What were you thinking? You're a girl. People take advantage of that. It's the most demoralizing thing in the world for females, but it's true."
The addressed blinked immensely as she sat up straight, playing with the sheets of her bed with her free hand. She looked out the window of her room where morning sun shined brightly in the clear blue skies. A pout voluntarily escaped her lips. "But I'm not doing anything wrong, Sejin," Yuhi countered, sounding firm as her words. She gripped her phone tight against her right ear.
The voice from the other line heaved a deep sigh. "Yes, I know that, but you should have been a little careful with your actions. We don't know them well enough to bring them home."
Yuhi sighed and nodded slowly. "I'm sorry." She looked down and fiddled with her toes. Yuhi had called Sejin to ask things about the exams papers because apparently, she was correct; they really were difficult to understand – but throughout the conversation, because she couldn't hide her excitement about what happened the day before, she carelessly mentioned stuff about Gon and Killua going home with her. Although she explained that they only tried to help, and that they only went there because they wanted ramen, their raven-haired president still couldn't approve of it.
Sejin's tone changed when Yuhi mentioned 'Gon and Killua' and 'going home with them.' Yuhi thought her sentence was improper according to Sejin's moral vocabulary, but all of it was true. She even wanted to happily share what happened that day in detail but she figured she'd have to ask permission first before she could do that. And though she truly appreciates the concern, of what Sejin said about trusting people and being careful, she couldn't help but frown. But they only wanted to have ramen…
"Don't tell me it's because of that Killua boy–"
"Eh!?" Yuhi cut Sejin immediately after hearing that name. She sat straight, surprised. She couldn't agree with that. "It's not only because of him, ne!" Again her tone was firm, but she tried her best not to sound too defensive. Wait, was I defensive?
"Well, whatever the case, you should at least be cautious next time. You trust people too much, Yuhi. That's your blind spot." Sejin ended the sentence with another frustrated sigh.
The auburn-haired girl closed her eyes and nodded firmly, understanding the things her seatmate had told her. "Yes, I will be more cautious next time," she declared with a smile on her face. She opened her eyes then, her light auburn orbs shined bright with the rays of the sun. "But I know I can trust them, Sejin. Gon's nice!"
"Gon? What about the other one?"
A goofy smile spread across Yuhi's small face as she remembered her last encounter with her angel. She giggled, but it sounded like a goofy laugh. "He's…" Then she recalled the short exchange of words she had with him, and the thing that happened while they walked to the bus stop, and how he recognized her when Gon introduced her to him. Yuhi pressed her lips together to suppress her seemingly wide smile. He's charming, and refined, and lovely, and handsome, and beautiful. She took a deep breath before answering. "He's… fine." It was below the terms of understatement, but she had to keep it average at least, knowing that Sejin has had enough of her words of praise towards the white-haired boy.
Another sigh. "Whatever he does, you find it absurdly amazing anyway." Sejin's tone was back to normal, and sounded as though she was smiling from the other line.
Yuhi laughed at the sentence of her seatmate–because it was true.
"Are we done now? It's already 10 in the morning. I still need to finish a lot of things."
The auburn-haired girl nodded and stood up. She walked towards her study table where the school work was waiting. "Yep! Thanks for the help, Sejin. See you tomorrow!"
"Sure! Bye."
The line then went dead.
Yuhi glanced at the clock on her dresser. 10:10 AM. Her stomach grumbled. She rubbed her belly, realizing that she hasn't gone downstairs and had breakfast yet. Yuhi stared at the clock once more and calculated the time she had to eat, to study, to check the exam papers, and to work in the shop that day. A small smile escaped her lips when everything was set in her head. She sprinted down the stairs to the shop's kitchen.
"Good morning, Yuhi!"
"Morning, Yuhi!"
"Morning, Yuhina!"
"Good morning!"
The employees–and good friends of hers–in the shop greeted her cheerily as she walked past them. She equally gave a refreshing smile and greeting to them as well for an equally pleasant and fresh morning. Her morning has been amazing so far. When she woke up, she was smiling, and she felt light on her feet as she rose from the bed–looking at the bright sunrise immaculately shining through the horizon. She couldn't count how many times she sighed with awe as the happy feeling from the day before touched and tickled her heart and made her giggle in delight. She even felt like doing her life chores wholeheartedly–the school work, the housework, and the job in the ramen shop–and maybe even run a marathon in between those. Yuhi just felt so incredibly and absolutely extra… hyper that day.
When Yuhi entered the kitchen, she had a sunny smile on her face. "Good morning, Roroturo-san!" She scanned the perimeter of the kitchen, and glancing at the calendar hanging on the wall, she almost bounced in excitement. "Hey, It's almost your birthday!" she announced, clasping her hands together and placing it lovingly against her chest.
The addressed turned around from the sink and gave an equally optimistic smile of his own as he wiped his hands with a towel. He laughed. "Yeah, well, good morning to you too!"
"I'll buy you something so wait for it, Roroturo-san!" Yuhi's smile grew wide as she pulled a chair from the kitchen's long table, sitting there and scanning the food placed therein. She inhaled the deliciously hot smoke from the freshly cooked soup in the huge bowl in the middle of the table. The smell made her tummy happy. She took a piece of bread from the tray next to it, and stuffing it in her mouth she hopped off the chair to get a spoon and bowl from the rack while humming a tune to herself.
Roroturo watched Yuhi as she walked past the man. He leaned his back against sink counter and blinked with a slightly amused look on his face. "You're in a good mood today," he observed, smiling.
The girl turned to look at her guardian before sitting back on the chair. She laughed. "I'm always in a good mood." Scooping a good amount of soup from the huge wooden basin and pouring it to her small porcelain bowl, she looked at Roroturo and gave him a toothy grin. "Have you eaten?" she asked innocently as she took a bite from the bread in her hand and took a sip from her bowl of hot soup.
"Yeah, I have." The man released a husky chuckle and walked towards the table, leaning his elbows on the back support of a chair next to where Yuhi was seated in. "You look extra happy today. What's up with that?"
The latter paused for a second to try and hide the giggle that was forcing its way out of her system. When she realized that she couldn't, she let it go and tried to sound like she was laughing at her guardian. Well, she'd truly laugh at her guardian; for Roroturo has always been like that towards her whenever he couldn't comprehend why and how her mood had moulded. Roroturo always wanted Yuhi to share her sentiments and thoughts towards him, and the latter complied happily all throughout–that made the bond between them grow strong. But Yuhi would tell Roroturo anything but her girly affiliations. She needed to hide them, even though she knew she was so bad at deceiving people. She was thankful of the heavens for giving her an exuberant personality, though, because if she had not been all jolly and cheery since she was born, Roroturo and all of the other people would easily see how her mood changed whenever she thought or saw that beautiful white-haired angel. Another giggle escaped her throat when his face went past her thoughts again, looking at her guardian with a goofy smile on her face and taking a bite from her piece of bread.
Roroturo glared at her playfully. "Did something happen that I don't know, huh, Yuhi?" he asked carefully, sounding comically serious.
Yuhi swallowed a spoonful of soup and sat straight. "Well, I made new friends!" Her smile was wide. "And I managed to get a good night's rest!" And nothing can be more honest than that! Maybe that was one of the reasons why she felt awesome when she woke up–because the weariness from the past week had disappeared after resting comfortably. But of course, knowing that there was still something else other than that reason, she couldn't help but smile wide.
Another playful glare was given by the man. Then he released a wide grin as he seated himself on a chair adjacent to Yuhi. He pulled his elbows on the table and leaned forward, watching her adorably childish descendant eat her breakfast. "You didn't tell me about Gon and Killua before," he started.
Yuhi choked; not because of the thought that Roroturo might have noticed her affection towards the latter, but because of the giggle that instantly went out of her system when she heard his name being said aloud. She coughed, and laughed–both at herself and at choking.
Roroturo was alarmed at first, but his face shifted to a playfully sneering expression when he heard the laugh from the girl. "What did I tell you about eating slowly, Yuhi?" he sardonically asked.
The latter laughed more. "Sorry, the soup got caught in my throat."
Roroturo laughed with her, shaking his head in faked disbelief. "Really, you clumsy child…" He joked. He then rose from the chair, and hoisting a tumbler from the rack he walked towards the fridge to get a glass of water.
Yuhi was wiping tears from the corners of her eyes. She thought of how stupid and childish she was at that time. It made her laugh. What's happened to meeee? She took the glass of water Roroturo placed in front of her and smiled at him as he returned to the chair where he was seated earlier. "Thank you!" She swallowed everything in the glass and released another chuckle while smiling at her guardian. "Sorry, Roroturo-san."
The man too released a husky chuckle and leaned his back comfortably on the back support of his chair. "Eat slowly," he ordered teasingly.
Her laughter had a withdrawal syndrome. Yuhi was still releasing small chuckles as she continued with her soup. Then she remembered that she had to answer her guardian's question. She took a deep breath before speaking–because like before, for a reason she couldn't explain, saying Killua's name aloud was something kind of… challenging for her. She hesitates at first, and it makes her feel shy. Maybe because she like, like him? But whenever she gained courage to utter his name aloud it makes her want to sing. She swallowed soup. "Gon and Killua were the transferees I was talking about before." She smiled widely inwardly as she looked down.
"Come again?"
Yuhi looked back at her guardian again–curious about his strange response.
Roroturo raised his eyebrows. "I didn't hear you, Yuhi. You were whispering."
The girl's eyes grew wide. I was? Then she again laughed at herself. Aww, I said his name but Roroturo-san didn't even hear it, too bad. "They were the transferees I was talking about," Yuhi slowly announced. No, she still couldn't utter his name aloud.
Roroturo nodded. "Oh, really!? But you only talked about them once or twice, I think! I was surprised when you brought them here, you know."
Yuhi smiled sheepishly, turning away from the soup to look back the man. "Yes, uh… they weren't really my classmates so I kind of have nothing to say about them before." Yup! And I couldn't talk about... Jiiihihihi. A giggle made its way through her system again. She shrugged it out.
Roroturo laughed. "And now they're your friends. What's up with that?"
The auburn eyes of Yuhi stared at the middle-aged man with a mix of confusion and amusement written all over her face. Roroturo had not questioned Yuhi's friendly affiliations before. What's up with…? But instead of pushing through with her curiosity, she answered honestly and with a smile. "Maybe it's because Gon's super friendly." Her face lightened up when she remembered that day when Gon said he was trying to look for her. She laughed. "He even went to our room so we could have a proper introduction because," she inhaled air, series of airy chuckles escaping her throat, "I don't even know why. He just bumped into me the day before that when Mr. Yama ordered me to clean the rooms because I slept in his class. We couldn't talk for long that day because Killua was…" Yuhi trailed off, realizing what she had said. A smile escaped her lips–a smile she didn't know she showed.
Roroturo's eyes grew wide with that. He looked down, and then back at Yuhi again–seeming as though he was hesitating a bit as he leaned closer to the girl. He cleared his throat loud, catching her attention.
Yuhi looked at her guardian, and immediately erased the smile from her face when she saw the same look Roroturo had when she brought Gon and Killua with her the day before. "Why?" she asked, eyes wide with innocent curiosity.
Roroturo cleared his throat again and leaned forward. "Let's have a little chat about… things, alright, Yuhi?" he almost whispered, and he wouldn't meet the bright eyes of Yuhi for some reason.
The latter pressed her lips together as she cocked her head to the right. "Alright," she carefully answered, noting that her guardian was becoming serious.
"If you…" The man took a deep breath. He looked at his hands as he fiddled with his fingers. "If–" he paused, coughing out the invisible rock that blocked his throat.
Yuhi's eyebrows creased. She remained confused.
Roroturo sighed and finally looked at the waiting girl. "If someone wanted to… see you, you'd tell me, right?" His voice was firm.
Again, the auburn eyes of Yuhi grew wide with confusion. She blinked several times before cocking her head to the side and replying with an "Eh?" She couldn't understand what her guardian was trying to say.
"I mean…" Again the man hesitated at first before sighing and nodding to himself. "If someone would tell you they wanted to… go out with you or something, you would tell me first. Right?" Roroturo declared. "You'd definitely tell me first, right? Because if that boy's a complete wreck I'd smash his face in."
Yuhi paused for a second to process what Roroturo had said. Roroturo-san had been… Then she laughed out loud, smashing the table with her small hands.
Roroturo's small grey eyes grew wide with surprise. He sat straight, looking as though someone set fire inside the ramen shop. He looked around, puzzled. "Why? What? Did I say something funny? Why are you laughing? Hey!"
Yuhi laughed even more, knowing that her guardian wouldn't get offended by it. Roroturo-san sounded like a new dad that didn't know what to do with his girl kid, ne! "You look funny!"
Roroturo blushed for a second. "Hey, don't change the subject here. I was talking about you!" But Yuhi continued to laugh. Roroturo almost stood up. "I was being serious, hey!"
The girl then managed to calm down. She took deep breaths as she suppressed the laughter that was still pushing its way out. Yuhi nodded slowly. "Of course I will, Roroturo-san! They should absolutely go through you first before anything else in the world!" she wholeheartedly declared with her fist in the air, awed of the fact that her guardian was so protective towards her.
The man coughed and nodded slowly. "Good. And you'd tell me if you have someone you kinda… uh… like… okay?" he hesitated a bit, trying to find the right words. But Roroturo sounded firm in his words.
Gulping was necessary. A certain white-haired boy went past Yuhi's thoughts when Roroturo said his sentence. She paused, thinking of a compromise. Well, I don't really expect something to happen between us so… I like him but… A goofy smile spread across Yuhi's face when she confessed that sweet fact to herself. I kinda don't need Roroturo-san's approval whether we should… or not, right? She nodded cheerily. "Sure!" It made her concern about telling Roroturo-san her thing for Killua die down even just one bit.
The man then laughed as he stood up. He patted the girl in the head. "Well, glad that's settled!" He eyed Yuhi. "Don't use this conversation to blackmail me, Yuhi," Roroturo playfully threatened.
The girl giggled. She then nodded once with a firm look on her face. "I won't. I promise."
"Alright." Roroturo then pulled the chair away and walked towards the door to the bar outside the kitchen while saying "I like that Gon kid, by the way," before winking at her. Then he disappeared.
Yuhi chuckled and went back to her soup, thinking of how cute her Roroturo-san was. But realizing the man's last sentence she was quite alarmed. Their conversation was about boys and going out, right? So, Gon…? She pouted. Aww… Then she shrugged, smiling to herself as she ate. She didn't want to pick favourites but, she at least wanted to hear someone pair the spiky-haired boy's best friend to her. People pairing her up with Gon made her laugh though. But then again, it doesn't matter. Gon's her friend and Killua's… her secret love life, and she didn't want a change with that.
The sunny and gleeful Sunday continued on and Yuhi did her work with her normal exuberance and jolly countenance. She only hoped that it would be with her until the coming week. But nah, it should be, because she will be seeing people she loved seeing in school after all.
"Ugh…"
The unison groans and sighs echoed inside the girls' locker room while they dress up in comfortable uniformed shirts, shorts, and sneakers. It was a Monday, it was the P.E. hour, and it was raining. They weren't in the mood for Physical Education.
"I wish Ms. Juno would postpone archery today. I feel like I won't be able to lift my arms. I just want to slack in bed! Look!" a girl complained to her classmate, raising her arms and slumping them back to her sides in a weary manner.
The classmate agreed with her with a nod. "Yeah, me too." Then they both sighed.
"Why?"
A certain energetic voice grabbed their attention. The two girls turned their gazes to the person who spoke. "What do you mean 'why'? It's raining and the sky's so dull! Don't you feel sleepy and lazy at all?" the one who complained first asked in disbelief.
The auburn-haired girl who spoke gave them a wide sunny smile. "Nope!" she exclaimed cheerily.
The two girls looked at each other before shaking their head and smiling back. "Yuhi's always energetic, ne. I wonder where that energy of yours comes from. And yet you sleep in class!"
Yuhi rubbed her nape. "Yeah, I don't know about that either. But I'm sure P.E. will be great today!"
They laughed teasingly. "But you suck at it, to be honest."
A sheepish smile. "I know. I really suck at it, ne?" They all laughed.
"Girls, gym. Now," their raven-haired president then announced. And everyone dispersed out of the locker room to head inside the gym.
The distance of the gym from the main building of the campus was not far off, but the heavy rain made it feel like they had ran a kilometre. There's a shed interconnecting the main building to the walkway outside, but it doesn't reach the gates of the gym. The students had to walk–or rather, run–through the downpour in order to get in class. Ms. Juno was not someone who'd be shaken by the weather after all.
"Geez! I'm all wet!"
"My shoes are muddy…"
"I have dirt spits all over my legs."
Everyone in class 2-B was complaining about the gloomy weather and what it did to them, making them wish the day–or at least the period–was over and done with. P.E. was one of the most hated subjects of the students that rainy day, because they had to go all the way to the gym as an alternative to the courts due the rain for the first time that school year.
As for our auburn-haired protagonist, well, there were many factors hindering her through it. First, she sucked at it in every single way; second, her small height was not the usual requirement for sports; and thirdly, when there's a team sport, she does not get to play that much because of the said drawbacks. However she forced herself not to hate P.E., because she didn't want to hate it. She wanted to enjoy even though she wasn't actually very good at it.
"Let's get in," Sejin announced, grabbing the door knob of the small door beside the huge gates.
Yuhi was standing alongside the class president; an excited expression filled her countenance. They normally spend P.E. period out in the courts, you see, but because of the heavy rain, their teacher, Ms. Juno announced that they should do it inside the covered gym instead. Yuhi was ecstatic, but she was forcing her mind not to be excited only about the fact that the class 2-A had the same P.E. period as them–in the gym. She wanted to think that she was excited about P.E., which she truly was–but of course, knowing that 2-A will be there, her excitement had doubled without her consent.
So because of the latter, the moment Sejin opened the small door, the auburn-haired girl's bright eyes started scanning through the perimeter of the interior of the gym. Surprisingly, there were many who were also having their P.E. class then. Because of the dark and gloomy skies due to the heavy rains, the lights inside the gym were on and the noise from all of the corners echoed inside. It brightened the atmosphere; in contrast to the melancholic feel outside. Yuhi stepped forward as Sejin did so. Some students were sprinting after a whistle on one side of the court; other classes were practicing gymnastics and dance on the other. The left half of the basketball court was occupied by the school varsities in the said sport, and the right half was occupied by a class having a volleyball game. The gym's packed because of the rain, ne…
Yuhi paused in her tracks as she focused her eyes on that bunch playing volleyball. She blinked, and recognized a few people she knew. She held her breath when she saw black spikes of hair. But it was the fluffy white that made her pulses throb so hard against her skin.
Doki… Doki… Dokidokidoki.
Killua was playing.
Yuhi's heart stopped for a split second as she felt her vision zooming in towards the white-haired boy. Killua looked serious as he waited for their opponent to serve the ball. It all came to a slow motion once more as Yuhi blinked and watched Killua wipe sweat that was dropping from his chin. Her gaze then subconsciously shifted to his entire being–noting that his sleeveless shirt was sticking to his perfect build because sweat. Hot blood rushed to Yuhi's cheeks when she realized that she was staring into the sweaty bared arms of Killua. She gasped and looked away, blushing hard.
"Yuhi!"
She could have sworn she felt her heart bursting out of her chest when someone called her. Yuhi looked around to find the person. She turned around and saw Sejin in the bleachers from behind her.
"What are you standing there for? Ms. Juno will be here any second!" the class president shouted amidst the noise.
The auburn-haired girl blinked. Then she realized that the people sitting in the bleachers with Sejin were her classmates. She was left standing there and she didn't even know it! Her eyes grew wide as another blood-rush painted her face. She looked down and ran up the bleachers where her classmates were, sitting next to a black-haired boy classmate.
"We saw you, Yuhi," the boy suddenly teased, giving Yuhi a faint jab in the elbow. The other boys in the same row looked at her with goofy smiles on their faces.
The latter grew nervous. They saw me looking at… She held her breath as she stared with a forced smile at the boys. "What are you talking about?" It's a good thing her galloping chest did not interfere her vocal chords.
A brown-haired boy next to the black-haired one eyed Yuhi playfully. "You're looking at that Gon guy from 2-A, weren't ya?"
Heh–? An upcoming laugh hovered through Yuhi's throat. She could only laugh–because of another pairing tease towards Gon, and of gratitude; because they didn't notice that she was looking at… someone else. She shook her head. "Don't believe in everything you see, guys," she countered playfully.
"Okay, people, good morning!" A low-toned female voice grabbed the attention of the students sitting in the bleachers. They all fixed themselves and turned towards the woman who stood, facing them, at the lower-most platform of the courtside seat. She was Ms. Juno, their Physical Education teacher.
Ms. Juno was a tough looking woman in her late twenties with a slim, and perfect female build. Her long red hair was always tied in a high ponytail and she always wore this modernized costume used in traditional Jyopen culture for early-women warriors. The students noted that it looked like a revised samurai outfit. But Ms. Juno was not a swordswoman; she was a pro in archery. She even won several awards in archery competitions when she was a student. Her pupils looked up to her at that. And not only was she good in the art, she was also patient and persistent in teaching. The latter was what got the students wishing she had postponed the class instead. The boys were okay, though, because they liked Ms. Juno. She was pretty and nice after all, although she looked and sounded tough.
"I apologize for bringing you guys all the way here in the gym. But the exam's near and we need to keep up with the scheduled practical activities or else we would be short on lessons by the end of the semester." Ms. Juno then explained things the students have to do for the day. They were to have an assessment practical exam. The students went ballistic because of the surprise, but the teacher told them it was only an assessment exam, so they should worry about nothing at all. It was to test what they have learned in the past three months of archery.
While the female teacher was explaining these instructions to the kids, Yuhi couldn't help but watch the volleyball game–and Killua, of course–in action. She even knew the score; 23 for blue, and 24 for red. It's funny, because Gon and Killua were opponents for the day–the former in the blue team and the latter in the red. But the white-haired boy playing inside the court was not the only reason why Yuhi got so engrossed about match. It was also because it was a tight play. The scores did not even reach a gap more than 1 point. Plus, the players were enjoying, as she could see–especially the two boys she knew well.
However she really couldn't help but turn her gaze towards Killua while the postponed revelation about him, which came from Gon, echoed inside her mind. Killua left home… He was so full of bruises and scratches and scars. I didn't even know how he got them… Yuhi took a deep breath and cocked her head to the side, staring at the boy in endless wonder. Killua shined through in every way as he played. He moved perfectly and gracefully, as though he was gliding through ice when he chased the volleyballs. His light was bright, and Yuhi knew she was not the only one who sees that. Looking around she saw some girls looking at the same direction where her eyes were. There were some in the courtside, some in the bleachers, some from the on-going classes, and even some who were only standing by the door. They were squiggling in delight whenever Killua scored. She smiled at that, sighing to herself. At least in here people make you feel treasured. I wonder if you'd notice that.
"I'll be evaluating you individually and alphabetically. Don't feel tensed, just think of what you've learned and do your best," Ms. Juno continued, hoisting the bows and arrows from inside the sack that was sitting on the floor beside her.
Yuhi nodded when she heard the last sentence from her teacher and continued to watch the game in front of her, knowing that she will be sitting there for a while. Her surname starts with an N after all. She smiled in awe when she saw Killua reach below the net to give a high-five towards Gon from the other side of the court. They walked to their respective areas and sat on the floor to rest for the second set. The red team won after a series of deuces. Yuhi inwardly cheered them on.
"Good match, I guess."
The auburn-haired girl then looked up and saw Sejin walking towards her. She beamed at her raven-haired seatmate, quite surprised that Sejin was the one who approached that time. "You were watching too!"
The latter sat beside Yuhi. "You seem mesmerized, as usual," she noted.
Yuhi chuckled, and turned to look back at the improvised volleyball court. "As usual," she repeated as she watched Gon run towards the red team's area, probably to have a chat with his best friend.
Sejin did the same.
"They play so well! I wonder how–" Yuhi paused. Gon was looking her. He gave a big wave. Yuhi instantly gave back her own big wave with a huge smile on her face. Yuhi turned her eyes from Gon, who then gave a wave to Sejin, to look at the white-haired boy beside him. Killua was in the middle of smiling when he turned his gaze towards the person his best friend was waving a hand at. His blue orbs distantly met auburn ones.
Doki. Doki. Doki. Doki!
Yuhi's life muscle was pumping off too much blood at that time. She couldn't breathe for a moment. Blood came rushing through her cheeks again. It was a good five seconds of locked gazes between the two of them–and Yuhi swore her heart would come bursting out of her ribcage if Killua continued to look back at her with that precious smile on his face–when her godforsaken nerves then told her to remove her eyes immediately from the boy's; because it couldn't take in the lovely pressure anymore. Yuhi inwardly hit her head. Why'd you look away, silly? After a moment of concentration, Yuhi gained the courage to look at the white-haired boy again. But to her dismay, they started the second set already. She pouted and looked down, sighing. But remembering the stare from earlier she continuously shrugged in delight.
It was at that time when Yuhi heard her seatmate laugh. "You are so obviously attracted to him. I won't be surprised if you'd hear about him knowing all about your… feelings." It was a sardonic tone.
Yuhi looked at Sejin with wide eyes. "You think he'll notice?" It made her nervous.
The raven-haired girl pushed the bridge of her glasses as she cleared her throat. "You think he won't?"
A mix of horror and curiosity painted the auburn-haired girl's face then. No, she didn't want Killua to notice her… thing for him. It would be so awkward, and she'd feel like she should be collecting her feelings for the boy and lock them inside a chest and throw it somewhere where she'd never see it ever again. Yuhi didn't know why but she thought that she should forget about everything if ever Killua finds out about her. The thought made her pout.
Sejin sighed frustratingly. "Why are we even talking about this?" She then stood up and offered to come down and watch their classmates. "I'll help Ms. Juno in crowd control."
After a deep breath Yuhi smiled and nodded cheerily, standing up as well and walking down with Sejin. There she cheered with everyone for her classmates as they individually stepped into the circular platform and performed the given task.
As the list in Ms. Juno's class record neared the letter N, Yuhi started feeling nervous. She was not good in archery at all. Though Ms. Juno was patient with her, the auburn-haired girl still felt bad about it. She sure wanted to get better in the sport, but her small tough arms couldn't seem to get the graceful and relaxed posture of an archer. This was the reason why she was so jolly every P.E. hour, because she wanted to improve in something she was not born to be good at. But in her case, it would look as though she should take a gazillion archery classes more before she could say that she has improved. And to think that they would be assessed individually…
"Kiri Nado!" Ms. Juno inquired.
"Go, Kiri-chan!"
"Aim well, Kiri!"
Cheering for her classmates helped her, but Yuhi stood straight after realizing; I'm next! She blinked and tried to keep her nervous nerves down. Her gaze then automatically turned towards the volleyball court. It was Killua's ball. He jumped gloriously, hitting it with a perfect spike. The team yelled in triumph for a wonderful point. Yuhi's chest swelled. She couldn't comprehend the abnormal beats her pulses were giving, but it made her smile widely. She bit her lower lip to somehow hide it.
"Yuhina Nagame!"
The addressed instantly stood straight and blinked, running towards the teacher who called her. "Yes, ma'am!"
Juno ushered her to stand in the middle of the small circular platform and handed her a bow and an arrow. "Remember, Yuhi. Focus, pull, breathe, and let go."
Yuhi nodded slowly and reached for the equipment while she repeated her teacher's words. "Focus, pull, breathe, and let go. Focus, pull, breathe, and let go. Got it, coach." Her face was serious as she handled the bow and arrow as one.
"Go, Yuhi!"
"Kill the target, Yuhi!"
"You can do it, Yuhina!"
The addressed beamed at her classmates.
The teacher gave a small laugh. "Alright. No pressure, Yuhina. This is an assessment exam. You have three tries."
The latter nodded and tried to focus. She looked at the target and pulled the weapon up, aiming the arrow towards the bull's eye. I can do this! Yuhi breathed in air and pulled the string more. She concentrated, and when she felt that instinct running against her spine, she let go of the arrow.
. . .
"Haha! I'm so sorry, Ms. Juno!" Yuhi laughed sheepishly as she apologized to their teacher.
The students shared silent snickers and chuckles.
Juno blinked and watched where the arrow had gone into. It flung frantically the moment Yuhi released it and landed near the teacher's feet. It almost hit her. Ms. Juno nodded slowly and hushed the class. She turned back to the girl. "That's okay. Two more tries." She handed the girl another arrow.
Yuhi took with slightly tensed hands. She did the same thing she had earlier the moment she faced the target again. But at that time she closed her eyes to focus. I was too distracted. She then gripped on the bow tight and put the arrow in place. She could feel it. This should be okay. Yuhi took two deep breaths before opening her eyes and pulling the weapon up again to aim. She stood straight and relaxed her shoulders. Another two deep breaths, a pause, and then she let go.
A silent moment passed before Yuhi jumped in delight with the brightest smile on her face. She didn't hit the bull's eye, but her arrow was near it. She suppressed a squeal, turning to her teacher. "I hit the target!" she exclaimed excitedly.
Juno smiled and nodded, hoisting another arrow from the bag. "Yes, now you should be able to do it again, right?"
Yuhi stood up straight and nodded firmly. "Yes, ma'am!" She took the arrow and placed in the bow where it belonged. Focus, pull, breathe, and let go. She did it, and had the arrow directing at the same spot as the second one. A wide smile painted her face as she handed the bow back to her teacher. "Thank you, Ms. Juno!"
The latter smiled. "Study your lessons, Yuhi."
The girl nodded and stepped down the platform. "Yep!" A series of congratulatory messages and high-fives were given by Yuhi's classmates as she walked past them. She beamed at them, and continued to cheer on for the next in line.
"Haruka Nichida!" Juno inquired after Yuhi stepped out.
The latter couldn't help but smile to herself with complete excitement and triumph. She had hit the target for the first time in archery! And she almost thought that it was highly impossible. But she did it, and she was so happy about the achievement.
Her gaze then turned towards the volleyball court again after that. She didn't know why but for some reason she wanted to tell Gon about it, since she had mentioned that she sucked in the sport when they talked about the P.E. subject the week before. To her delight the spiky-haired boy noticed her gaze. He beamed at the girl and Yuhi beamed back. She looked around and nodded to herself. No white-haired angel…
She then shrugged and went to Ms. Juno to ask permission to go the washroom. The nervousness made her bladder act up. Yuhi then went to the washroom in the far end of the gym. It was empty. No one's in there with her. She shrugged, and entered one cubicle, locking the door.
Then everything blacked out.
-CHAPTER END-
I should thank and reply to you amazing reviewers in here! Teehee~
To Mai: Ha! I was giggly while writing that scene. lol Yuhi made Killua an inspiration, and motivation :') Thank you for your wonderful reply on my Yuhi art in deviantart, btw. It made me squiggle in happiness, I swear!
To 2102032: I agree. When I proofread it the next day I was kind of like... whattheheckdidIdotoKilluawhattheheck? But it should be part of the storyline, I'd hope. Hihi. Thank you! I am not sure about the chapters as of the moment but I feel like it would reach a 20 in the least :D
To AKatsinTcups: I knew it, people love cheesy stuff! LOL There were actually a lot of errors in this chapter. You were just too tired, I guess. Because i only noticed them when I read it again the day after too XD I AGREE HXH IS DEPRESSING IT IS SO DEPRESSING TO WATCH IT TBH But it's just SO good!
To xOxO Lost Angel OxOx: Hahaha! Yes, thank you! Please keep up for mooooore!
To madin456: Gihihi~ I actually want to establish that thing that you noticed. And I am so glad that you liked Roroturo's personality because I personally like him too hohoho~
Thank you again, all, for such constant feedback! I am so incredibly flabbergasted by everything in the world because of them. XD Thank you so much 100000000000002 times!
NEXT CHAPTER: What blacked out? Will Yuhi be able to talk to Killua again? How will the story line between the two of them grow?
I hope you won't get tired of reviewing! It's what gets fanfic writers moving so yeeeaaahhh... I am not forcing you guys to review, alright? I am encouraging you. Teehee. Thaaaaank youuu! *^_^*
