A/N: Chapter twelve is freaking uuuuuuupppp! I'm in a hurry so I'm gonna state my apologies fast, is it alright? I'm really sorry for updating late. I should get back on a weekly basis starting today and will tell you precious people instantly if I'll skip a week. Hihi. IloveyouallsomuchomgthankyouforkeepingupwithmeIami ntears. :')

Doki/Ba-dump/Thump = sound of a heartbeat

Disclaimer: This is a fanfiction.

Start-ooooooo!


TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE

CHAPTER TWELVE
The Date

The rain poured consistently. I could feel every heavy drop from the sky as I rushed towards the bus. I wiped my face and hugged the box of sweets in my arms securely, careful not to let water touch it. I stepped on the little ladder—opt to get in.

"Hey, wait!"

His voice called me again. I obeyed.

It was a good thing that the conductor had an umbrella.

I turned back around and found him looking away when I looked. He rubbed the back of his head. I blinked, and waited for him to say that one thing I was subconsciously wishing for. It made my heart beat faster. I didn't know. I just… giggled without me knowing it, cupping my mouth with my free hand, instantly and wishing that he won't laugh at my stupidity.

Killua shifted his gaze at me. I though he was going to point and laugh, but the look he gave was soft. It made want to stay a little longer. Just a little longer. Maybe until the rain stops. But I was afraid the rain wouldn't cease. Then, wouldn't that be… great as well? I pursed my lips together. He sighed, and smiled—purely. My heart raced. "Take care," he said softly, with gentle tenderness.

Angels started a melody in my head.

That was it. That was the phrase I was waiting for him to say—to me. I know it was insane to expect something, but… I couldn't help it. I smiled, and I know it was the widest, and shrugged of delight. "Take care." My face suddenly felt hot as I thought of what I was going to say next. "Killua." The feeling was amazing. Being able to say his name and call him, it was amazing, and I have no idea why. I hopped in the bus, and looking out the window as it moved I saw him still gazing at my direction with that small, thoughtful smile on his face I knew that was only for me…

"Yuhi."

"Huh!" A pair of light auburn eyes blinked as the noise from inside the busy place she was in started filling her hearing. She looked up, only to find her guardian standing adjacent to her, arms crossed against his buff chest and eyebrows creased of confusion. The girl then again blinked, and felt a soft, and thick object under her floured palms. She looked down, and realized what she was supposed to be doing. Oh! It was the dough, and she was supposed to be mashing it.

The man cleared his throat. "Are you sick, child? You've been staring at the dough all morning."

Yuhi looked up, forced a smile towards Roroturo, and started feeling tensed. In her head, she was already thinking of an excuse for spacing out—again. Her response was fast though, hoping that the man would not notice her little white lie. Yuhi inwardly giggled. White lie again, she sang in her head. "I… guess I'm just feeling tired." A toothy grin. She was about to say 'lazy', but she was so sure that Roroturo would have to be greatly suspicious about it. Yuhi was never lazy. Well, unless she drifts off during a class.

"Are you sure? Because really, you coming home all wet like a lost pup last night was convincing enough for me to care for your health even more." Roroturo's voice was solid.

Yuhi pursed her lips to refrain from replying a wide cheeky smile to the man. The sentence made her remember every sweet detail of the thing that happened. She wanted to giggle of delight, but instead she shrugged. She knew she was about to be lectured again—for the nth time.

The night before, though Roroturo was indeed surprised about the cupcakes that Yuhi gave him, he was even more surprised in seeing his kid standing all soaked and shivering in front of his door. No, Yuhi's apologetic smiles and verbal assurances were not enough. Roroturo was a little furious, and so, so worried about the girl that he asked Yuhi the same questions about twenty times that night alone. Yuhi told him the truth, but not everything. Roroturo would freak when he heard about every single detail of what happened—between her and her angel.

She shook her head. "I'm really sorry about last night, Roroturo-san," she apologetically said, smiling sheepishly. "But I swear, I'm fine. I don't feel sick at all. See?" She wriggled her arms and started mashing the dough under her palms while looking at her guardian with a huge grin on her face.

Roroturo stared at her, and after a few seconds, he exhaled roughly. "Are you really sure?"

The girl stood straight and nodded. "Yep!"

The man heaved a deep sigh. "Alright." He unlocked his arms and placed them on his hips.

A quick sigh of relief escaped the girl's throat. But somehow she felt that Roroturo knew she was lying—about the "tired" thing, that is.

"But I need you to do something for me."

Yuhi's eyes grew wide for a second. That was unusual, but she nodded in response, confirming that her guardian knew about her dishonesty. Roroturo would never ask Yuhi to do something when he sees that the girl really was tired. "What's that?" She tried to hide her apologetic smile with big surprised eyes.

Roroturo jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. "I need someone to buy vegetables for me." He shrugged. "Lorn's out and I can't give it to anyone but you. Can you do it?"

However, a smile then slowly paved its way across the girl's face. "Sure!"


It was not Yuhi's job to go the market and buy Roroturo ingredients for his specialty. But the man might have thought it necessary so he can confirm the truth in the girl's words. Plus, Yuhi always wanted to do it so she had no problem with that. She loved going to the market on weekends because it's during the weekends that the town market gets crowded with people that opt to buy unique stuff. It's during the weekends that the town market gets to sell cheap but extremely valuable things. Yuhi loved looking at the sidewalk vendors' items over colourful carpets while she walked—of the adorably pastel coloured clothes, of silver, gold, bronze, of uniquely designed vases, of Astrology-related figures, etc.

Apologies can come after, I guess.

The girl did so that day. It always made her smile. But the lovey feel in her chest added an extra spice in her day.

Yuhi felt light on her feet again the moment she woke up that morning. Although she knew who the reason for it was, she could not tell why her system somehow felt lighter, and at ease. Yuhi did not want to find that out, though; for she did not want to feel something more of what the circumstances were already flooding her with. She wanted to remain that way, to feel all giggly and happy whenever she saw him, and nothing more.

All because she never forgot about her words of courage to Mitan—and to herself.

The event between her and her angel the night before should be a still, sweet memory in her head—something she would not question her stars why happened. She also did not want to dwell deeper into the questions swarming around in her head; for the hypothetical answers might push her hard against the wall and she might not be able to dodge a hit. And she was glad that slowly—for her—she was returning to normal, because she started daydreaming about the white-haired boy again, without expecting something in return.

The girl paused at that. Did I wish for something in return… before? It baffled her, but it did not shake her good mood. Instead of thinking about it, she decided to hide the idea from herself.

Yuhi walked around the wet market with a piece of paper in her hand, looking at it and narrowing her eyes toward every vegetable stand she would see. The town market was located just a few miles away from the school. If one lived near the campus, it would only take that person a short 10-minute walk to get there. But in Yuhi's case, of course, she had to take the bus. She laughed then when she walked along the pavement past the campus, remembering every corner of each street she and Killua ran through the night before.

It made her giggle, and hyped her nerves. She hopped a little with each step, pursing her lips to suppress a smile.


Gripping the bag of vegetables tight in her hands as she shrugged and feeling the cool wind brushing against the exposed skin of her cheeks, the auburn-haired girl looked down at her wristwatch to check the time. It was already half past one o'clock. The air's starting to get colder by the day, ne. It made Yuhi smile, for the cool wind reminded her of wintertime. Cool winds on an October. She breathed in and focused her gaze ahead, ready to head home.

It took her only about 15 minutes of roaming about the market before she could buy all of the vegetables and seafood Roroturo needed. It was a good thing that some vendors recognized her from when the man used to bring the young Yuhi with him every time he was out in the market. The girl instantly got discounts and all. If they were people she had not met before, they might even double the price of the vegetables—especially because she was a "kid". So, after mentally calculating the timespan of getting home, Yuhi decided to walk normally and carefully. She decided to take her time, because Roroturo gave her two and a half hours' time out in the centre of town.

As the girl walked along the busy pavement round the area of the market, she looked around, noticing every human busy with checking fruits and veggies to buy. Yuhi pursed her lips then and turned to look ahead. But something caught her eyes, making her pause in her tracks just as instantly and turn slowly to the right. She blinked, and narrowed her eyes to focus on a human figure standing by a nearby tree next to the open road a few feet away from her. The person looked familiar.

Too familiar.

Yuhi blinked again. Then her eyes grew wide. She stood straight, her mouth forming a small 'o'. Mimi-chan!?

Of all the people she could possibly see in such a place, standing alone, Yuhi saw her black-haired friend—on a Saturday. She was thrilled, as always, as she walked towards Mimi's direction with a bright smile on her face. She crept in from behind, and tapped the girl's shoulder to surprise her. "Mimi-chan!" she exclaimed.

It made Mitan jumped out of fright. She immediately turned around after the tap with a horrified look on her face, sleeve-covered hands over her tiny mouth.

Yuhi smiled even more, waving a free hand. "Hi, Mimi!"

The latter blinked several times before she could realize who was talking to her. Blood rush crashed her cheeks. She looked down, looking shy. But turning her gaze back at Yuhi she smiled—though sheepishly. "Y-Yuhi-chan!"

"Hi!" the auburn-haired girl greeted again. Holding her bag up she declared, "I was buying stuff from the market." She then looked around. "What are you doing here? Are you with someone?"

Mitan silently gasped and cupped her mouth again. She looked down, and played with her flat shoes. "Well, I…"

Yuhi cocked her head to the right, and looking at her black-haired friend from head to foot she noticed her rather girly set of clothing. Mitan wore a simple pink above-the-knee-length dress printed with white horizontal stripe, a pair of plain grey flat shoes, a white cardigan, and her hair was held back from her face by a little pink ribbon hairband. The whole look made Yuhi beam, and felt her heart fluttering in awe. So, so, so cute! "You look soooo pretty, Mimi-chan!"

The comment made the black-haired girl blush and hide her face behind her palms. She peeked from in between her fingers and blinked. "…Really?" she asked silently, voice hopeful.

Yuhi nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, of course! Are you going somewhere?"

Mitan once again hid her face and looked down. She seemed to hesitate a bit before shrugging. "…Maybe." She then looked up at the auburn-haired girl and bowed. "I'm really sorry, Yuhi-chan. I'm just— I feel… shy…" her tiny voice then trailed off after that.

It made Yuhi giggle. She shrugged and shook her head. "Don't be! You look pretty so why would you be so shy about it?"

Mitan swallowed hard. She slowly lowered her hands and removed them from covering her face. She gave a small smile towards the auburn-haired girl. "Thank you, Yuhi."

Yuhi gave the girl a huge grin in return. She then looked around again. "So, where are you going today?"

"Uhm…" The black-haired girl pressed her lips together and blinked as she looked down, mumbling a faint "…I'm waiting for someone…" under her breath.

Yuhi heard it without asking for a repeat. "For whom?" she asked abruptly. Mitan seemed to have enticed her curiosity. "Are you waiting here all alone?"

For a second, the black-haired girl could be seen hesitating. She fiddled with her fingers and continued to delight herself with her shoes.

The strange movements of the girl confused Yuhi even more. She knew Mitan well enough to be wondering why the girl would hesitate in giving an answer to a simple yes-or-no question. She leaned closer to see her friend's face. "Mimi-chan, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

Mitan shook her head, and she slowly lifted her gaze up towards Yuhi. Her black eyes looked shy and embarrassed. And her pink cheeks confirmed it all. "I'm waiting for…" her silent voice trailed off once more.

Yuhi nodded to usher the girl to continue.

The latter swallowed. "…Yuhi-chan, do you promise not to… tell this to anyone at school?"

Here Yuhi's eyebrows creased. She started mentally shaking her brain to pull out something that can make her guess what really was up. But she nodded in response. "Of course," she replied, thinking of something family-related.

A small smile spread across the black-haired girl's lips. "I… uhm… a… a d-date…"

"Eh?" Yuhi cocked her head to the right, not sure what Mitan's words meant. "What do you mean?"

"…A d-date!" Mitan exclaimed, voice raising an octave higher than the normal one, hoping that her friend would understand what her two-word sentence meant.

But no, Yuhi still was clueless. She felt stupid, laughing sheepishly. "I'm so sorry, Mimi-chan but I couldn't understand what you mean about—"

"A date with Killua!"


"Achuu!"

"Eh? Killua, are you alright?"

"Mm… yeah, just a little sneezy."

"…"


Heh—?

Ba-dump.

The world, the world seemed to have stopped—together with the auburn-haired girl's entire system—as soon as she heard that particular name. Not a thing processed in her brain at that time. She was suddenly frozen, like her soul had left her body.

Mitan saw that just as instantly. She blinked and waved a hand in front of the auburn-haired girl's stunned face. "…U-Uhm, Yuhi? Are you alright?"

It did not work. A date with Killua… of course…

"Yuhi-chan?"

Why didn't I think of it? Slow, Yuhi, you're too slow to pick up. So slow, that somebody else went ahead of you. Yuhi then blinked, feeling her heart punching her ribcage hard and loud from the inside. Her eyebrows creased. She suddenly felt horrible, for subconsciously thinking that getting close with the white-haired boy was a race she had to be fast in for her to win, and for thinking that Mitan was her competition. No, Yuhi did not want that. She did not think of her friend as that to begin with. She needed to keep her word. She had to. She wanted to be excited for the girl. She really, really wanted to.

But something was slowly slashing her chest.

At that moment, she could not fool herself by smiling.

Yuhi could not bring herself to.

So she decided to turn her gaze towards the black-haired girl, hoping that her friend's innocent face might turn her world back to its normal condition—about ten seconds ago.

Mitan's face expressed a concerned look; eyebrows creased worriedly, hands clasped together against her chest, her big black eyes wide with a hopeful reply from her auburn-haired friend. She stood straight the moment Yuhi met her eyes, and bowed low—apologetic. "I'm so sorry I yelled!"

Yuhi was thankful. The gesture brought her back to life. She finally released a smile, opting to face the girl to wave a hand. But she could not turn quite confidently. She felt weak—strangely weak. She managed to shake her head though. "No, it's fine. I just…" Yuhi paused, thinking of a good alibi for something she herself did not know what. "I think I just saw someone I know from afar." Lie.

Lucky for her, Mitan did not see through it. "Really? You're not mad?"

Another slash, for lying to her good friend. Yuhi nodded. "Yes, don't worry about it."

The black-haired girl slowly smiled, and laughed sheepishly, fiddling with her fingers as she looked down. "I'm sorry. I just… feel shy."

Yuhi nodded slowly, several thoughts filling her head. When she turned her gaze back at the girl and saw her smiling, blushing face, Yuhi realized it was time to talk about it. She was curious after all. She pursed her lips and took a deep breath. She smiled. It was not forced. "Soooo, Mimi-chan!"

The addressed turned to look up when she heard her name.

The look the black-haired girl gave made Yuhi's smile grow wider. It was the same look she saw the girl showed whenever she talked about Killua—the lovely, lovely Killua. Yuhi sighed when his name echoed in her head. You're scheduled for a date with my friend today, yet you still made me want to invite you home last night. Yuhi giggled. It sounded off, but it did not matter. She should think about Mitan at that moment, though something was constantly and persistently pricking her chest all throughout. "When did this date thing started, huh?" She poked the girl's ribs teasingly.

Mitan chuckled, and continued to fiddle with her fingers. "Well, you know… yesterday…"

"Yesterday?" Yuhi looked up, tapping her chin with her index finger as she thought of the events that happened the day before. A wide smile wanted to barge out of her when she once again remembered the event that happened in the evening. Yuhi went back a few hours before in her head. Then she raised a finger in the air, as though a light bulb had flicked open above her head. "Ah!" So that's what it was!

Ba-dump.

Yuhi ignored her rampaging emotions and carried on with the conversation. "The letter!" she enthusiastically exclaimed.

Mitan blushed and shyly admitted it, nodding slowly as she looked down. "Y-Yes!"

Yuhi beamed. "Wow, you're amazing, Mimi-chan! That was what's inside your letter?" Amused; that was what the auburn-haired girl instantly felt. She was so, so amused, and proud again of her friend's courageous act.

The black-haired girl looked around and pressed a finger on her lips, hushing Yuhi with a sheepish look on her face. "Yuhi-chan."

The latter instantly cupped her mouth with a free hand. "Oh! I'm sorry!" she mumbled under her palm. Then removing it she whispered, "I'm just so amazed. You're awesome, Mimi-chan. Why didn't you tell me about it, by the way?"

"Well…" Mitan shrugged. "I guess I chickened out and thought that you might laugh at me because it's embarrassing." She looked at Yuhi. "It's embarrassing, right… for a girl like me to be asking a boy like him out on a… date, and all so sudden too?"

Yuhi's blinked when Mitan asked that. It's embarrassing…? "Why? I think it's okay, and you still did it!" She ended her sentence with a smile.

But Mitan pouted. "…Yes, but…"

"Wait a sec," Yuhi halted her, pulling the girl towards a nearby bench. They sat on it, and Yuhi faced the girl again. "Just thought this would be fine. Sorry, please continue."

The black-haired girl smiled a little and looked down as she played with the rim of her cardigan. "I didn't get a chance to ask you this, Yuhi-chan, because I didn't tell you about it. But, don't you think it's embarrassing… that I asked K… him to go out on a date with me, even though we haven't even met yet?"

Yuhi exhaled, and thought about it. She tried putting herself in Mitan's shoes, and thought it was indeed an unusual thing, but she did not find it embarrassing. She actually found it courageous and brave. She shook her head. "No, but—"

"But it's weird," Mitan continued. "And I kind of regretted it right after asking you to give the letter." She sighed and stroked the end strands of her long black hair.

The auburn-haired girl suddenly sat up straight and blinked. "Why did you regret it? Do you still regret it now?"

Mitan pressed her lips together and shook her head. "No, but, I regretted it then, because it was when I thought of all the possible outcomes of what I did." Looking up at the auburn-haired girl, she smiled. "That's why I thank you, Yuhi, because you reassured me so much, that I didn't think much of the things that might happen."

An awed smile escaped the auburn-haired girl's lips. She grinned. "It's because I feel your optimism towards him, Mimi-chan! I feel the same way, you kno—" Wait. Yuhi paused and stared blankly ahead. What did I just say?

"You… feel the same way? Really?" Mitan asked, voice a little high, looking at Yuhi with a quizzical expression painted on her small face.

Yuhi looked back at her. Oh my, I slipped. She bit her tongue and laughed sheepishly. "…Y-Yeah, I…" She swallowed hard, feeling her heart racing with tense. "I feel the same… towards… Roroturo-san! I'm always so… you know, hah…" She took a deep breath. "He's male, and I kinda… you can say that I sort of know how to deal with them!" Yuhi stated the latter part of her point fast, giving Mitan a huge reassuring grin her pride could ever manage.

The latter's eyes were wide for a second. Then she blinked, instantly flashing a smile right after. She chuckled. "You're funny, Yuhi-chan."

Yuhi laughed with her, rubbing her arm sheepishly. She took the comment as a compliment and was again grateful that the girl was not so suspicious about it. But she inwardly hit her head, scolding herself for lying—again.

"I'm really glad I told you this, Yuhi-chan. And I'm really glad that you're here!" Mitan beamed. "Thank you!"

The pure, brightly adorable smile of the black-haired girl made Yuhi give out the same one of her own. She smiled with awe, feeling astonished. That was then another moment where she re-confirmed her resolution. "I'm really, really glad that you told me this, Mimi-chan, thank you. And I'm really glad that I saw you!" She laughed. "A girl dressed this prettily should not be standing alone in the middle of the street, ne!" Yuhi teased, then a thought came to mind. She sat straight; her eyes were wide as she looked up at the sky. "How long have you been waiting? It's already past lunchtime."

Here Mitan looked shyly down again, shrugging.

Yuhi was alarmed. Her eyebrows creased suspiciously. "Has he been here?" she asked; her voice solid.

Mitan sat straight and shook her head persuasively. "No, he hasn't—" she paused, and looked down again.

"Mimi-chan, you can tell me the truth," the auburn-haired girl mused, trying to sound gentle despite her slightly boiling temper. Had her hunch became true, she would not know what to think of Killua anymore. No, Mitan did not deserve such treatment. She needed to know what was happening. "How long have you been waiting here?"

"I…" After a few seconds of silence, the black-haired girl sighed. "I've been here for… a while."

Yuhi exhaled. "What time did you say you'd meet him today?" she asked persistently, knowing that Mitan was obviously lying.

Silence.

"…" Mitan silently cleared her throat and pressed her lips together. She took a deep breath. "T… At ten o'clock," she declared in a low whisper.

But the auburn-haired girl heard it anyway. The last time she checked, before heading out to buy Roroturo his ingredients, it was already nearing 1 PM. Yuhi's eyebrows creased even more, hands absent-mindedly curling into tight fists. She could not believe it. She was so sure that Gon told her 'It's a date' the day before. She knew Gon well enough to not question his words. Gon was an honest person, after all. And it showed the moment she met him. However, Killua was… Did he blow her off on purpose…?

Yuhi felt bad. She felt so, so bad for her dear friend. If she saw Mitan a little earlier than 12 noon, she would not be so suspicious of the white-haired boy's act. But it was already nearing two in the afternoon. Mitan had been waiting for three hours alone in the middle of the street under the sun. It was unthinkable. She could not—and would not—tolerate such act.

However the auburn-haired girl did not want to be partial, so she thought of all the possible ways why Killua had not arrived yet. But then again, Gon should be informing Mitan about it, right? "He hasn't been here yet?" she asked to confirm.

Mitan puffed her cheeks and shook her head.

Yuhi inhaled. "Did you search for him? Maybe he has just mistaken the place for somewhere else?"

Mitan shook her head again and pointed to a shop adjacent to the tree she was standing by earlier. "I told exactly in the letter that I'll be waiting here, in front of that store."

"…Maybe there's a franchise near?"

The black-haired girl shook her head for the fifth time. "No, I've been coming to this place all my life. I know the places in here."

Yuhi exhaled the frustrating air out of her lungs. She looked around with reflex, hoping to spot a white-haired boy. Maybe he was just waiting for Mitan to do something funny? Maybe he was just waiting for Mitan to find him? Maybe he was just running late? Maybe he forgot about it? Maybe he didn't really plan to go in the first place…? The latter one was the most alarming. Yuhi wanted to defend for her friend's pride. Though she wanted to ask why she did not just go home after an hour or something, the auburn-haired thought it might sound a little too offensive. "Would you still wait for him? It's been 3 hours, you know. Did you have lunch?"

The latter question had Mitan flinching and looking down, seeming not to know where to plant her gaze.

The auburn-haired girl instantly knew the answer. She stood up and grabbed the girl in the wrist. "Let's go, Mimi-chan." Yuhi pulled her stand up.

Mitan obeyed as she looked at her with wide, surprised eyes. "W-Where are we going?"

Yuhi gave the girl a wide, reassuring smile. "Let's eat, come on!"


It was late for lunch, but Yuhi insisted it anyway—even though she knew Mitan was extremely reluctant of having it with her. The black-haired girl spoke of Killua all the while they were eating at a fast food chain a few blocks away from the meet-up point, saying how the boy might be searching for her that time, how he might not have had lunch yet either.

Yuhi had a plan, of course, in the very first place she brought Mitan with her to eat. She planned to cheer Mitan up and reassure her that everything will go the way she wanted it to be, telling the girl that if Killua really were a man, despite arriving late, he would have waited for her in there as she had waited for him. Mitan was lightening up with every word Yuhi was emitting aloud. And the latter could not believe what her rationality was suddenly throwing out. She did not know she could say such meaningful pieces of advice regarding dating, laughing with Mitan as she laughed at herself.

However glancing at the clock hanging by the counter of the eatery, the time alarmed the auburn-haired girl. The first thing that came into mind was Roroturo. The second was the picture of Mitan waiting alone until that time had she not seen her soon enough. It made her frown, lips pouting. Her expression was concerned when she looked at Mitan, and seeing her innocently smiling face she frowned even more, feeling a tad furious about Killua's act… and Gon's.

Yuhi then took a deep breath, thinking of a nice way to tell Mitan to head home instead, because she was afraid if she stayed waiting for the boy, it would only make everything worse for her friend emotionally. Mitan noticed her gaze then, and looked down, sighing. Yuhi knew her friend knew where the day would result.

There was a solid three minutes of silence at that moment—with Mitan looking down and playing with her leftovers with her fork, and Yuhi looking at her and waiting for the girl to speak the words instead. When the clock ticked another minute Mitan finally looked up, giving a meek but cheery smile to the auburn-haired girl. "I think we should head home now, don't you think? They might be looking for us already."

Yuhi gave an equally meek smile at that. With a mix of awe she thought of how strong Mitan was. "Are you sure?" she asked, indirectly seeking to know whether her friend was okay.

Mitan nodded. "Yup. I'm sure there's a reason why he couldn't show up today. But it would be better if I knew about it…" Her voice then trailed off, looking down again.

That instantly gave Yuhi an idea. Her face lightened up as she smiled. "Don't worry, Mimi-chan! I'm sure to ask Gon about it on Monday!"

After another thoughtful smile the black-haired girl bowed and thanked her friend, adding how apologetic she was about the whole thing—about perhaps becoming a bother to Yuhi because of the things the girl always did for her.

However, of course, the latter was not shaken by that. Yuhi immediately shook her head and gave a reassuring grin the moment Mitan was finished with her sentence.

Helping other people was something Yuhi grew up to do, and making people feel better was something that made her happy beyond anything in compare. She told Mitan that, and promised to know the root cause of Killua not coming to the planned event with Mitan that day, even though Gon had told her it was a date.


The girls then returned to the spot where Mitan waited for Killua, letting 30 minutes of the time pass before heading their way. Still carrying her groceries, the auburn-haired girl walked her friend to a corner before the turn to their house, said goodbyes and wished good luck for the upcoming exams, and promised to update about everything on Monday. Mitan seemed okay about it as Yuhi watched her disappear from her sight. However, the auburn-haired girl knew her friend was disappointed, and sad, because she as well felt that way.

There really was no sign of the white-haired boy that day. And Yuhi even looked around as she walked away from Mitan's street to make sure. Who knew? He might just be hanging around one shop secretly waiting for the black-haired girl to appear in his vision. But Yuhi passed the market and every shop and eatery by the sidewalk—still, there was no Killua in sight.

She sighed and looked down as she exited the busy pavements of the center of town, thinking repeatedly why the white-haired boy had not shown himself that day; but most especially, thinking of why Gon told her that Killua was going when he was not there. She could comprehend Killua's case, because she felt that he was like that anyway. But Gon told her that the boy would come, and she trusted Gon's words were legit. Gon was honest. At least the spiky-haired boy could have informed them that Killua would not be able to come. It confused Yuhi to the point of her feeling slightly infuriated. She was disappointed. If it were her it would be okay, but it was Mitan. It was Mitan who waited for three hours alone for someone who would not show up.

Yuhi's eyebrows creased as she took a deep breath. She did not want to be furious towards the two boys, but she could not see any more possible reason why she should not be. So, she decided to really talk to Gon about it first thing on Monday, or maybe even give him a call if her impatience prevailed. She just needed to ask why, with an extremely hopeful stake that the reason would be valid and acceptable enough. No, they can't be only playing with Mitan's feelings, right?

The girl nodded to herself before looking ahead. But doing so made her pause in her tracks. Her auburn eyes grew wide as she blinked. Something fast went past her, and only the end strands of her hair were the only ones that went with the speed of the wind. What was that?

"…Yuhi?"

The addressed immediately turned around to inquire who called her, and to see what that fast running entity was. But instantly she stood straight, and blinked. At first it did not process as fast and she had to blinked again. Her voice was low and almost like a whisper when she spoke. "Gon…?" She could not seem to return the huge smile slowly paving its way across the boy's face.

A quick relieved sigh escaped the boys throat as he jogged towards the auburn-haired girl. His smile was both bright and shy but his face remained sunny even so. "Did you see Mitan? I was running to the market to catch her there," he exclaimed breathlessly. He seemed to be panting.

Yuhi noticed that. Her eyebrows creased. Was he the one who sped by past me? He sure is fast! She wanted to ask that, but it did not matter at that time. Gon was standing in front of her. She needed to inquire abruptly. "I was with Mitan," she answered solidly, but went blanked as to what to ask next.

"Just now?" Gon's gaze fell to and fro Yuhi and the marketplace a few meters away.

Yuhi nodded voluntarily firm. She wanted to appear mad, but she could not seem to do it. Somehow she felt that Gon's appearance meant something good on their part. She wanted to hear his reasons.

The latter breathed out and smiled. "Thank goodness!" he exclaimed, turning around to face the path that led to the market again. "I was going to see if she's still there! I couldn't leave the house earlier because Mito-san insisted I stay. And Killua didn't want to tell Mito-san about Mitan so I couldn't make up an excuse for leaving. Is she mad? I'm really sorry!"

That woke Yuhi's calmed curiosity up. She blinked and instantly she thought of a rather direct question—no second thoughts—fury and all forgotten. "Where is he?"

"I was about to tell you." Gon smiled, quite sheepishly, and rubbed his nape.

Yuhi eyebrows creased, curiosity stepping higher up the ladder. She had a feeling that her negative assumptions were true. But she did not want to believe them yet. Not yet. She waited for Gon's answer, however ready to speak her mind if ever the boy gave a pointless excuse. I'd totally scold him, ne!

Jabbing his thumb to his right, Gon answered. "Killua's sick."

Everything then froze, but only for a split second, because Yuhi instantly replied to the boy with wide eyes, a stretched neck, a gasp, and an "Eh!?" all the while the precious event that happened the night before ran laps in her head. Knowing, and strongly believing, that that certain event was the real reason for Killua's case; the auburn-haired girl could not help but feel tensed. She was not surprised—well, perhaps a little—but she was tensed, instantly thinking that she was to blame. She blinked again, waiting Gon to tell the story to confirm.

"Yes! Surprising, right? Mito-san said it's because Killua went home all wet last night because of the rain. But I've never seen Killua get sick before because of just that," Gon explained, looking confused and curious at the same time.

Yuhi had the same expression. However, hers was mixed with tense—doubled. Why isn't he bugging me about it? Gon should know where Killua was last night, right? Who he was with… right? Why he went home like that…? The nerves spoke for her. "Where has he been last night?" She wanted to cup her mouth because of a silly question she knew the answer to anyway—and perhaps Gon knew as well. But immediately she thought not to, praying that the boy would spare her the humiliation. But he should know, right?

"He went to the candy store a few blocks away from school. I told him to stay at home because the rain was hard but no, he still insisted on buying candy again!" Gon's voice was frustrated. It was so obvious that he was worried about his best friend. "He even got home later than usual. I asked him why because I was so worried, you see. He told me he just stayed there for a while to wait for the rain to stop. But it's weird because he was all wet! Now he's sick and he's been sneezing all morning! I should have insisted he bring the umbrella!"

Yuhi blinked a couple of times to try to process Gon's fast words in her head. When they did, it all came to one thing. Again… Yuhi swallowed. He didn't tell Gon about me again…

"What did Mitan say?" Gon asked, eyebrows furrowed with obvious concern. "Ah, it's already 2:40! I should've gone earlier. I'm really, really sorry! Did she go home now?"

Yuhi replied with a voluntary nod. She completely lost words she planned to say.

"Was she waiting for Killua? Was she mad? Do you think she'll say yes if we arrange another date for them again?"

Gon's fast words flooded Yuhi's mind. But the last one was the most clear. She nodded, knowing the answer from her heart, and cleared her throat, shaking her head a little to able to think straight. "Yes, I think she would."

"Uwaa!" The boy's face lightened up at that, but the look of concern was still obvious in his eyes. "I still feel bad though. Do you think she'll believe me if I tell him that Killua's sick? I mean, he's totally fine yesterday, right? Do you believe that he's sick?"

He's sick… Yuhi's feelings were neutral. She was incredibly worried, that was for sure. But she could not show it to Gon, because her concern was all about how the white-haired boy ran through the rain with her. And what that did to him that day. Gon seemed to not know about it too. Yet. Yuhi's flabbergasted nerves continued to talk for her. "…He's really sick, huh?" she absent-mindedly asked aloud.

Gon heard her in an instant. "He is!" he exclaimed with conviction, with pure persuading tone. Then after a pause the boy suddenly exclaimed again, raising his index finger in the air. "Ah, I know what to do! I should be heading home now!"

The auburn-haired girl blinked. Well, that's fast. She subconsciously gave Gon a look of confusion.

The boy smiled. Then he grinned playfully, showing his full white teeth. "You can come with!"

A pause.

"You should come over!"

…DOKI.

Yuhi's heart gave out a massive, loud and heavy thump after hearing what Gon had excitingly said. It sounded like an SFX for an animated sky fall—with the sound of a continuous whistle while she's still in the air as the words processed inside her head, and the loud, loud sound of her body falling head first on the ground as the words hit her. Like a dynamite, actually. It should not be that big of a deal, but being asked to come over to the house of the love of your life by the best friend really felt like… something else for Yuhi—something incredibly absurd, overreacting, and magical at the same time. Yuhi's subconscious was hysterically laughing—laughing at herself. She rose the level of the grocery bag in her arms up the level of her face a little, aware of how hot her cheeks was starting to feel. Her eyes were wide as she looked at Gon. Not a thing was worth spoken aloud in her head. She went blank, and she knew it.

Gon noticed that immediately. His eyebrows furrowed. "Eh? What's wrong? Don't you wanna go?"

Yuhi badly wanted to answer 'Oh, yes, I do. I wanna go. I wanna goooo!' But her rational mind prevailed—fortunately for her. She wanted to go, alright, but she did know what to feel had she seen Killua that day. Seeing the boy needed prior preparation for Yuhi, mentally and emotionally, because of the 'restriction' she gave herself since Mitan told her about her affection for the boy. And in that afternoon, she was not prepared, especially that Gon invited her to his house. No, Yuhi was again afraid she would have a heart attack because of the excessive amount of Killua in there. That's his home, for Pete's sake! Plus, she just saw Mitan about to get on a date with him. Her resolution could not, should not let her see the boy in the same day.

So, the auburn-haired girl looked around after blinking immensely, gaze dropping last onto the paper bag in her arms. She almost laughed at herself aloud. I completely forgot about Roroturo-san! How insane can I geeet!? She immediately raised the bag a little and shrugged, smiling. "I was only asked to buy grocery today, so…" Yuhi trailed off. She was shy about having to reject Gon's request.

"Mm!" The boy nodded as he placed his index finger on his chin, seemed as though he was thinking. And thinking he was, for he raised the same finger in the air with a bright smile on his face. "We can call Roroturo-san and tell him you're just visiting Killua because he's sick! I'm sure he'll be okay with it, right?"

Ack. "Well, uhm…" I don't know. I think he will, though, especially if it is Gon who would say it for me—

"I'll talk to him for you, if you want!"

There it is. A shy smile appeared across the girl's face. But she did not want to cause Gon the trouble of being interrogated by her buff guardian. Yuhi also wanted to see Killua, but she thought of Mitan and what she will think when she found out about it. Yeah, so no, you can't go! It'll be awkward. "Well, you see, he kinda needs this… right now, I think." Yuhi again raised the paper bag in her arms.

"Really? Hm…" Gon paused to think, and again like a light bulb flicked on above his head he lightened up. "I can accompany you back to your home so you can give it to Roroturo-san and I can ask him if you could come with me to see Killua!"

Yuhi pursed her lips together and took a deep breath. He'll never run out of ways, huh? What to do nooow? She shook her head with a small smile. "You don't have to do that. It's a hassle."

However, Gon frowned—more like pouted—the moment Yuhi said that. "Don't you want to go?"

Yuhi was instantly alarmed by the question and reaction and she had no idea why. Her eyes grew wide. "That's not— I do!" But she immediately wanted to cup her mouth right after. She only wanted to explain her point that she did not want to cause Gon any trouble by coming to her home, but the true thing came out instead. Oh my, what did I just say?

Gon smiled. "And our house is just a few blocks away from here. You don't have to worry about the time at all!"

Say yes, say no, say yes, say no, say yes, don't say no… Yuhi smiled shyly again. "W-Will it be okay if I... will go there… to your house? I mean…" Again she trailed off, not knowing what to say, not knowing what she was saying. What are you doing, Yuhina?

Gon jumped once, spreading his arms open. "Of course it's okay! Mito-san and grandma will surely be happy to meet you! And I'm sure Killua will be too!"

An excited feeling crawled against the auburn-haired girl's skin unannounced. She smiled and looked down as she bit her lower lip, trying to hide her blood rush she felt spreading fast across her face. Though she already assumed that Killua would probably be extremely surprised about seeing her in his house, hearing Gon's words made her happy she could not help but giggle, though she knew she should not be all careless about it.

Compromise started dominating her rationality. I'm sure Roroturo-san will be okay with it, right? And I'll surely explain everything to Mitan on Monday. At least I can speak the truth about why he couldn't come to the date. She nodded and looked at the boy, still smiling. After all, it's only a friendly visit. Why am I thinking too much? Yuhi shrugged. The self-reassurances defeated her refusing subconscious. "Will you let me use the phone?" she asked shyly. At the back of her mind she was telling herself what agreeing would do to her emotions.

The spiky-haired boy laughed heartily. "Of course it is! You'll come with, right?"

Yuhi pressed her lips together and nodded. "S-Sure!" Yeah, no turning back now.

"Yes!" Gon raised a fist in the air and gave Yuhi a wide grin. "Oh, before I forget. Can you help me buy something for Killua before we go back? He's being grumpy all day. I have to give him something that can make him happy at least."

Yuhi nodded again, smiling. "Okay!"

The both of them then went back to the market and straight to the fruits section, heading to the nearest candy shop right after, before walking to Gon's home. Yuhi was sighing whenever she heard her conscience whisper, though. Our protagonist just could not say no.


Nervous, happy, worried, tensed—incredibly tensed; Yuhi did not know what prevailed in her emotions. She felt all sorts of things while she was walking in an empty street with Gon, heading to their house—to Killua's house. She looked around as they walked. The street was just like any common street she would see in Tomo—concrete street covered with scattered mahogany leaves caused by the dry winds of autumn, dense structures of houses on the sides, tall light posts planted on the pavement of every block, leafless Acacia trees from the peripheral view, fresh blue sky horizon. But, somehow she felt that she was in another town, a different town where Gon and Killua lived, because she felt different while walking along the pavement. She was nervous… incredibly nervous.

"…and then he accidentally threw the paper ball right at the Mr. Gyu's face! It was so funny but Mr. Gyu was very, very mad after that because the whole class laughed." Gon laughed as she recalled the story he was telling the girl while they walked. He looked at the her.

The latter laughed a little as she looked at Gon. Then she heaved a deep sigh as she returned her gaze ahead, pursing her lips together.

The boy cocked his head to the right when he saw Yuhi's reaction. "What's wrong? Are you worried about Roroturo-san?"

Yuhi blinked and smiled reassuringly as she looked at Gon. "No, I'm totally fine, sorry."

"Are you tired? We're close, I promise! About three more blocks away, I think."

Again, Yuhi took a deep breath as she nodded. That was the reason why she seemed lonely or something. She was nervous, and her heart was beating so fast with every step. Now, Gon telling her that they were only about three blocks away made her absolutely tensed about everything. Seeing Killua inside his own house; the thought of it was nerve-racking for our protagonist. She needed to ready her heart.

Gon sighed while smiling, looking at the horizon. "I'll bet Killua would be surprised and happy to see you!"

Doki. Yuhi smiled, of the fact that Gon thought about Killua seeing her that day. "You think so?"

"Yeah! And Mito-san will be so excited! She cooked delicious food today as well because Killua's sick. Gon laughed."

Yuhi did so as well, the nervous feeling easing up. "Mito-san seems like a really nice person, ne? I'm excited to meet her—"

"We're here!"

Heh—

Dokidokidokiba-dumpba-dumpdokiba-dump.

Pausing in her tracks, Yuhi turned her gaze to the right, eyeing the house from its roof to the gate with her big light auburn eyes. She could feel her heart beating so, so fast she did not even know why she has had to palpitate. She was only coming over a friend's house, right? No, it was something else. She subconsciously crumpled the paper bag in her arms with her tensed muscles.

"You can come in first, Yuhi!" Gon exclaimed as he opened the small gate.

The girl turned her gaze to the smiling Gon. She suddenly wanted to sprint off and hide somewhere where no one can find her. But she wanted to giggle and jump up and down as well. The giggly feeling prevailed though and she smiled purely, looking down as she nodded and stepped inside—blushing immensely. It was weird, because she was excited to see Killua, but she did not want to see him as well.

"Make yourself at home, ne!"

Yuhi smiled widely—wide, too wide. She felt insanely happy.

-CHAPTER END-


Hehehe. Soooooo, what do you think of the chapter? Was it too slow? Was it a little boring? I need to know what you think people, and if there are still those who read this. Oh, and by the way, I have a question. What do you think of the flow of the romance between Yuhi and Killua? Do you think it's blooming fast, slow, or just okay? Please state all you want to say to me and to this fic in the cutesy little review box down theeeeere. Thank so much again! I really appreciate you guys who still continued to read this despite my long absence. Thank youuuuuu! I'm forever grateful. :')

Replies~

Mai: Hi, Mai! I'm glad you saw my post in Facebook about this. Haha! Lots of dokidokidoki shall be in the future chapters! And oh, that Kurapika! That Kurapikaaaaa! I want that Kurapika. Right. Now. Please. LOL. Take Killua. Here. XD (Yuhi: ...eh? ^^;;) Thanks for the precious review! Hope you would review here too. Hihi.

Ripplekins: Hello! OHMYGLOBYOURREVIEWMADEMEGIGGLELOUDINCLASSWHENIREAD ITONMYPHONE HAHAHA Made me want to jump fast to the part where... Hihi. Sorry for not updating last week. I hope you would still need it in your life. I thank you. :D

neko-chan: Hiii! Y-You think that? Well... *chuckles* The one who stole Yuhi's umbrella was the unknown man she saw looking at her from outside the pastry shop. D'awww! That was cute! Now I'm guilty. I'm sorry I didn't update sooner. Here it is though! Thaaaanks for waiting!

2102032: Sorry for not updating sooner! Thank you so much for being one. I really, really appreciate it. So much. :3 Too much Killua. Haha! And the part where they ran through the rain, I am so freaking glad that you liked that part! That was what I was reserving for the chapter, tbh. Gihihi. Hope this chapter won't disappoint you though ^^;; Cupcakes from the grateful Yuhi to youuuu!

NEXT CHAPTER: Yuhi inside Killua's house!? My oh my, what could possibly happen to our protagonist's poor heart? And to Mitan's?