A/N: Honestly, I've made the most revisions on this chapter than any of the other chapters in this story because I just don't know anymore. Or maybe my brain's just crashed and I can't think clearly but hey, that's why we have reviews, right? You'll tell me what you think, right? :) Thanks so much for those who still keep up with me. I truly owe it to you because I prob'ly won't have any spark left in me to continue writing anymore if it weren't for the support so yay, Yuhi loves you all! So do I!
Doki = sound of a heartbeat
Disclaimer: I am an inconsistent writer and this is not a disclaimer.
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE
CHAPTER TWENTY
Lost In Translation
The weekend was all what Yuhi had anticipated. Her thoughts, her attention, her life was all Yellich, Yellich, and Yellich. They spent all day, all night talking and hanging out and talking about what they missed out on their lives away from each other that, when Sunday night came and they had nothing to do nor talk about anymore, they resulted to sitting on a wooden bench just right outside the ramen shop, sip hot coco and feel the cool first week of December wind on their faces while watching the stars twinkle in silence. They have chatted about so many things Yuhi felt as though she had known Yellich all her life, and she was glad about that. She felt much closer to him than she ever was. She was finally able to decide that she was comfortable and happy being around her brother and accepting him as her family, that the blood that flowed through their veins were twins, and that she could call him her own—her brother.
Onii-chan.
It was weird. But once the words were out Yuhi was lifted, and when she told Yellich that, he had officially declared that onii-chan was the first word her baby sister had finally spoken since she was born. This, of course, was not true because the girl had practically said all of the words she learned over the last fourteen—almost fifteen—years. But he argued that it was the first word she learned saying that addressed a family member over the said span of time.
Yellich was happy, Yuhi reckoned, because his smile reached the heavens that Saturday when he dared her to decide what to address him. The girl went from Yellich-san, to Yellich-kun, Yel-san, aniki, onii-sama, to onii-san, and finally, onii-chan. Yuhi wished to be polite, and apparently that particular address to a big brother from a little sister had gone past the limits of sibling love, according to some cartoons with blushing people and shining joints she would watch while growing up, which was why she had presented the option last. But Yellich liked it more. He said he wanted Yuhi to call him as such so that it would feel more as if she was only talking to a friend with equal footing, not a big brother who always appeared superior, and that it made him feel less old than he was because of the –chan.
Yellich was nineteen, and counting years with one hand he was four and a half years older than his sister, which got the latter inspecting him from head to toe while they walked side by side along the town's pavement and while they ate noodles inside a dumpling shop during their sibling date. He was nothing like his age. Sure, Yuhi was certain he was a junior, or a senior in high school, but she expected him to be around sixteen or seventeen—maybe even step back to a fifteen. His face was youthful—soft edges; small, heart-shaped but it was a fat kind of heart. Yellich was lean, but his build was fine enough to be called athletic. His voice was nowhere near low. His tone was tenor, a slightly raspy tenor with high excited tone when he exclaimed a word.
They did look alike. Perhaps the only difference was that the colors of Yellich's hair and eyes were only a few shades lighter than Yuhi's own. And she liked that fact.
Yellich was also a hilariously goofy human creature. Yuhi could never contain her laughter whenever her brother said something incredibly funny. It seemed brighter at the ramen shop all the time he was there, and he stayed there for two days and one night, which made the auburn-haired girl excited in waking and too excited to sleep.
The weekend was bliss.
But came Monday, she snapped back into reality. Monday was a nerve-wrecking day. Because it was only then that Yuhi realized, her Yellich universe had a side effect: forgetting everything that needed to be remembered. She had school. Oh, how she wished that meeting-your-long-lost-brother-you-never-knew-alive-for-the-first-time-in-your-life-and-talking-to-him-all-weekend-to-catch-up was a reasonable excuse approved by the government for forgetting to study your lessons in the complicated world that is Chemistry. Yuhi had completely forgotten that they have a quiz on Science that day, that Ms. Irisa clearly said, "I won't be accepting a failing grade" because they "have been learning these lessons over and over".
Aside from that, arriving at school reminded her that talking to Mitan and cramming for Science were not her only major motion missions for the day. Sejin asked what she thought of the story Mrs. Akimiro had them read during the weekend for the day's discussion. The title was Uncanny, a seven-paged back-to-back short story, and Yuhi had not touched her Language book since Friday. By that time, the girl well knew how screwed she was, and that she's going to have to talk to Mitan a little sooner. Luckily though, Pironst was absent that day. Sejin announced it the moment she came back to the classroom from the principal's office. The class went ballistic as always, and as always, the raven-haired president successfully hushed them in an instant. She told the class to stay quiet and use the free time wisely before heading out to inform 2-A and 2-C about their teacher's absence.
Use the free time wisely was a subtle order to cram your butts out while there's still time. Yuhi should absolutely do that, even though she thought of going to her friend first to talk to her. After all, she forgot a science quiz and a seven-paged back-to-back short story to read. And having the whole rooftop episode all over her brain fresh after talking to Mitan might not help. Yuhi huffed when she remembered, trying to push K— everything away from her thoughts and focus on the Table of Elements.
Yuhi had thought about it. She had thought about Killua. And she worried about everything whenever she thought of him. Yuhi worried that she might have tampered a bad nerve on the boy that Friday when she chased after Mitan. She worried that he might be mad at her for doing so and going out there and speaking to him might be harder and most ardently awkward than ever before. He might not even meet her in the eye let alone speak to her again. That was what swarm in her head whenever Killua's face and the event of that Friday went past her train of thoughts. And she avoided that. Thankfully, for her, she was occupied and Yellich was way more worth her attention during that time.
But how walking in the school grounds before classes start that Monday tensed her to her bones. She did not want to think about it, because she was well focused about putting Mitan first thing, but the very idea that she might see Gon or Killua just around the corner made her pulses race. She walked fast, with her gaze at the concrete ground. Yuhi was then absolutely certain though, that it would take some time until she could muster up the courage to move around confidently without worrying that she might bump into someone who she had no idea how to deal with after a rather mind-boggling event.
No.
Potassium. Magnesium. Copper. Sodi—
"Yuhi…?"
"Yes—" The addressed looked up then, and froze for a second. It was Mitan, looking at her with a subtle frown on her gentle face.
"Can we talk?"
Yuhi's chest released a bomb and everything crashed down on her. She realized she wasn't ready. But it's now or never.
They went to the back lot of the school building and sat on the same bench Yuhi sat on when she first met Yellich. As they walked, Yuhi remembered what she had thought of saying to her friend. She remembered everything she had foreseen. The auburn-haired girl was ready for the words she deserved. She was ready for the worst. She expected her friend to fire her shotguns at her. But all Mitan did was apologize nth times for having Yuhi do all the work she was supposed to be doing. Yuhi never missed a chance to tell her friend that it did not bother her at all, that it was in her free will to do her favors. Her words were absolute though, and she meant it with all her heart. Mitan could only reply with a small smile, Yuhi too, and then it would be quiet.
Both only sat silently side by side, observing the students playing soccer on the field while they sway their legs underneath the bench, feeling the wind howl and touch their cheeks. The December wind was becoming chillier. The auburn-haired girl inhaled the air through her nose, feeling the icy gas tickle her throat. For a second she managed to gather her courage, thinking of that one thing she wanted to confess. This is it, Yuhi thought. She breathed out the air, together with her words.
"Mimi-chan, I have to tell you something," she let out. It was silent but it flowed smoothly. Yuhi let the silence in for a few seconds to let Mitan reply, but five have passed and still she remained silent. Yuhi pressed her lips together, delighting herself with her fingers on her lap. "Ano—"
"I know."
Skipping a heartbeat, Yuhi blinked and turned her gaze at her friend, waiting for the lethal hit she had anticipated to receive.
Mitan smiled a little and shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. That went out wrong." Her voice was calm and gentle, not how the auburn-haired girl imagined the scene to be. Mitan glanced at Yuhi but returned to fiddling with her fingers. She could not seem to look straight into the auburn eyes of the person sitting beside her. "I mean," She took a deep breath, "For not asking how you feel before asking for a favor, I'm really sorry, Yuhi-chan, for being so insensible. I feel so selfish." Here a frown formed on the girl's face.
Yuhi's eyes were wide. She was speechless, surprised, confused.
"I'm so sorry that I ran away that time," Mitan continued. "I just thought that I was interfering something and I— I was… I was only trying to…" She then paused, lifting her hand to touch her face. It was only then that Yuhi noticed Mitan wiping her cheeks. She was crying. But it was a silent sob. "I'm sorry," she said again, letting out a cackle. "It's because I feel so stupid. When I went home last Friday I thought of it. And I got mad at you. I got mad at him. Then I realized that I should be mad at myself more for claiming something who doesn't even know me. Haven't even met me yet. This morning it made sense and I learned something." Mitan then smiled. "We should really get to know people first before we risk something for them."
The latter did not know what to say. Her heart swelled. It was a different hit, and she was not prepared for it—especially the latter sentence.
"You're a good person, Yuhi-chan, and I'm really, really sorry."
And just then, Yuhi leaned fast and wrapped her arms tight around Mitan's small build. "I'm sorry, Mimi-chan, for not telling you sooner. I… It's because you like him so much and I didn't want to ruin that. And I was sure that I won't—"
"It's okay," Mitan said, smiling. "You'll be okay."
A huge silence resonated in the air after both loosened from the embrace and observed the people around campus again. Yuhi was thoughtful. She was grateful. Finally, the glitch was fixed. And although it happened so fast, Yuhi was glad. They were okay again—that was what matters the most.
Birds chirped in the trees above their heads as both had the air of tranquility and relief. Then Yuhi remembered something. "Mimi-chan?" she called. When the addressed looked, Yuhi immediately looked away, feeling blood running up her cheeks. "Why… How did you…?" She gestured indefinite shapes using her hands as she smiled sheepishly. She wondered why Mitan said she knew even before Yuhi explained things—even before Yuhi said something.
"How did I…know?" Mitan guessed.
Yuhi nodded.
It was silent for a while before Mitan inhaled air. "I'm not supposed to tell you this but…a b-boy talked to me." She smiled a sheepish smile, shrugging.
Yuhi was suddenly stunned. "Eh? Who? What's his name?" Although at the back of her mind she already knew the answer.
"Do you…" Mitan lowered her head as she fiddled with her fingers, "promise not to tell him, though?"
Yuhi nodded fast. She started to feel nervous for she was absolutely sure that it was Yellich who spoke to Mitan. Yuhi needed only to hear that first letter from her friend's lips. Her hands were beginning to jitter.
"Y—"
Yuhi gasped. "What did he tell you?"
"Everything."
"Heh!?" As though she had been forced to sing in front of thousands of people on stage, the auburn-haired girl started to shake. She cupped her face, feeling her cheeks burn against her palms. She looked away. "W-W-What kind of everything?" Oh, she was glad that her brother did her a favor again by doing something she was weak at. But that was why she was weak at that—it was that embarrassing. Well, at least for her. Had Yellich elaborated even the cheesiest thing about her and her secret infatuation, she would not know how to face Mitan again with a straight face. It was that embarrassing.
Mitan blinked her wide black eyes as she stared at Yuhi with surprise. Then she looked down and snickered. Then she giggled. Then she laughed.
Yuhi always found a laughing Mitan extremely adorable. However at that time, although she was awed by her friend's excessive cuteness, she still could not hide her humiliated stance, and Mitan's laughter reminded her of how cheesy she could be. "M-Mimi-chan!" she whined.
"Sorry," Mitan said as she breathed in air. "But don't worry, Yuhi-chan." Here she looked at Yuhi's auburn eyes with gist, raising her tiny fist in the air. "I made a promise to Yellich-sama that I would never mention any of it unless necessary." Mitan nodded firmly once.
Y-Yelich-sama…? Laughter was slowly pushing its way out of her system as the Yellich-sama recoiled in her head. But that promise seemed legit. Unless necessary. Yuhi's shaky nerves slowly calmed. Sounds like him, all right. A sigh of relief escaped the girl's lungs. She trusted Mitan had already understood what and how she felt through her brother's words. That was enough. Perhaps everything should return to normal soon—everything, but everything concerning the white-haired boy. That should come in next. Though she had no idea what Killua might be thinking and she was certain that she could not talk to him comfortably as how she used to.
"Ne, Yuhi-chan."
The addressed turned to look at her friend.
Mitan looked down, her cheeks coloring a little. "Is it really true that you like K…Killua so much that you fill the last page of all your notebooks with his name?"
Yuhi was so mortified she could only cup her red face and whisper a firm "No".
"You ready?"
"…Ye-s?"
"You have to give me a definite answer, Yuhi. Now I am going to ask again. Are you ready?"
"Y…es. Yes. I'm ready."
"Okay. Relax. Don't panic." Yellich scooped rice and three strips of beef with his chopsticks from the lunch Roroturo made for him and his sister. He grinned playfully as he watched Yuhi swallow liquid hungrily with her big round eyes shot straight at the food in the air. He steadied his solid gaze towards her as he inhaled air for it to begin. "Five types of Colloids. Go."
Yuhi panicked. "Eh!?"
Yellich looked at his wristwatch. "Go, go, go!"
"O-Okay." Yuhi breathed out and looked down at her fingers, trying to scoop out anything her blocked mind could show her. She blinked immensely, shaking. "I-I can't remember!"
"Thirty seconds."
The girl looked up and saw that white glorious palm-ful of rice beneath the juicy strips of beef she remembered smelling while Roroturo cooked it. Her stomach grumbled and she snapped. "S-Sol! Gel! Foam?" She stopped, forgetting again.
"Good. Fifteen seconds and this bite's mine." Yellich grinned.
Yuhi huffed. "Okay. Okay!" The girl looked down again, trying to remember.
"Ten seconds!"
"Aaahh… ah-hah!" Yuhi raised her index finger, smiling triumphantly at her brother.
"Five!"
"Aerosol and Emulsion!"
"Man! I was looking forward to the beef but woohoo!" Yellich raised his free fist in the air and stretched his fingers to high-five his sister. "That one's awesome!"
Yuhi cackled and slammed her palm against her brother's, happily taking a mouthful of food from the portion ready on his chopsticks. The bite was huge but she didn't care because she was starving. It was lunchtime and she and her brother were to have it together. Roroturo cooked for two and he clearly told Yellich the day before that they should share it—to which the latter excitedly agreed upon. Yuhi looked forward to having lunch with her brother who requested they take it at the grandstand by the pool, near the soccer field at the back lot of school but far enough from everyone's presence. She also was incredibly famished because she didn't get a chance to have a snack in the morning, giving all her time to Mitan until P.E. came.
So she was telling Yellich her day so far while she unwrapped the lunchbox and accidentally said something about Science and the quiz and how she sucked at it. Yellich said he didn't want her to fail, and so he proposed a deal—Yuhi should answer his Chemistry questions correctly for food. The girl protested, but Yellich was one stubborn big brother, she reckoned. Anyway, Yuhi figured it was still helpful, and it was magically effective—all for the sake of rice, beef and dumplings.
"Told you I've got you covered." Yellich grinned with food in his mouth.
Yuhi grabbed her chopsticks and fed herself. "Thank you," she said, smiling. There was a minute of literal devouring silence until Yuhi excitedly declared to her brother her accomplished and successful mission while she chewed on a beef strip. "I told Mitan, by the way," she said cheerily, giving the sunniest smile.
Yellich's teeth shined like the sun's rays behind his huge grin. "Really? Wow, I'm so proud of you!" He petted the girl's noggin until her hair was all messed up.
"Yes, it's all okay now." Yuhi laughed, removed her hair-band and started brushing through the strands of her hair with her fingers. She eyed her brother playfully. "You talked to her."
"Eeeehhh," Yellich sang as though he knew nothing of it. But it was obvious. "Did I?" Then he gave his sister a little smirk before he swallowed a handful of rice with his chopsticks. Yuhi shook her head and sent her gratitude. "You're welcome, my baby sister, but you should remember though, that that's the last time I'd meddle with everything, okay?" He laughed sheepishly. Yuhi blinked and Yellich saw her stare. "Roroturo-san told me not to stick my nose out in your life so much. I just didn't want to see you worked up so hard on these teenage problems. So I help." He laughed again. "Apparently, it's called meddling. And it's not healthy. So, yeah, you sure are big enough to handle… things, right?" Here he paused and waited for his sister's answer.
Yuhi stuck her lower lip out, wondering why her brother suddenly sounded so sentimental. She nodded, then she got her answer.
"Okay! I just want you to make the wisest decisions, Yuhi. Trust your heart but use your brain." When Yellich said this he was looking away, chewing on a dumpling as though it was the size of a grown man's fist. Then he smiled, returned her gaze at the girl, and grinned at her. "I heard everything."
Yuhi straightened up. "What?"
"You really like that boy, don't you?"
Yuhi's face colored. But she chose to fight it. She stared her brother down. "What ears do you possess?" she asked playfully.
Yellich laughed—hard. When he stopped, there was silence in the air for about ten seconds. Then he inhaled. "Yeah, okay, let me tell you something." Yuhi was sipping in a beef strip as she turned her gaze to her brother. Yellich leaned forward and spoke silently, as though he did not want anyone to hear them. "If you're thinking about it, don't tell him yet."
Yuhi cocked her head to the right. "What? What do you mean?"
"Killua."
Yuhi's heart jumped. She froze, "Huh? What? Where?" forcing her eyes to focus only on her brother's face.
Yellich snickered and shook his head. "No, I mean, if you're planning to go and tell him everything, don't do it yet."
A massive air of relief escaped the girl's lungs. But she was confused. Yuhi was overwhelmed by her brother. He forced the chance to come for her to tell Killua what she felt that Friday. Then now he didn't want her to tell him yet. When Yuhi gave nothing but a look of confusion to Yellich, he laughed and said that it was only a suggestion.
"Because he's been a jerk. And kids who act like jerks should realize how jerks they've acted." Yellich then grinned. "Give the boy some time to contemplate on what he did."
There was silence in the air after that. Then Yuhi blinked. "What do you mean?" She never understood what her brother said.
Yellich laughed. "Clueless, aren't we?" Then he looked Yuhi straight in the eyes. "Yuhi-chan should not be the one going up to him first after what had happened. Killua-chan should be the one mending the whole issue because he started it. The only glitch Yuhi-chan needed straightening out is her friendship with Mimi-chan. She need not dwell onto how Killua-chan acted. He did something wrong, and he should be the one fixing it. Not Yuhi-chan." He released a toothy grin and patted the girl's head with his fingers.
Yuhi looked down with her big eyes shining as she thought of it, and thought of it, and thought of it, until she did not know how to think about it anymore.
Yellich leaned back and put his chopsticks in the air. "One last piece of meddling advice from onii-chan, though, just be cool when he's there and don't think about it too much."
And here Yuhi thought Killua might be mad at her. It was clear in her head that she was the one who did something wrong, that she left him hanging there while she chased after her friend.
"Alright, let's go back to Science now. You don't want to fail. I happen to know Ms. Irisa and I happen to have a huge crush on her and she happens to know we're brother-sister so don't screw this up." Yellich snatched the chopsticks off of Yuhi's hand and scooped rice from the lunchbox with his.
And just then, her curiosity shifted instantly to something else. "Really?" The girl asked, amazed, trying to ignore the fact that her brother had a crush on a teacher and that he told his sister that, telling her not to screw the quiz up because of that fact. "She knows we're siblings?"
"Yep!" Yellich nodded cheerily. "Some teachers know. Well, when I enrolled, I told Mr. Chango and asked him if he could keep low about it. But he said that teachers don't really remember things about their students when they've been told. So I guess by that they knew."
Yuhi noted how incredible things could turn out in Tomo. She imagined Mr. Yama looking at her during the first day of class and thinking about the transferee that happened to be her brother she never knew. She was in the middle of daydreaming when all of a sudden Yellich shouted a Chemistry question and found herself raking her brain for an answer. It went on for the rest of the lunch break, and by the time Yuhi was walking side by side with her brother towards the building, she was loading her guns with bullets of gist, ready for Chemistry—for the sake of her poor card in Science and for the sake of her brother who had a crush on their science teacher. Yellich was walking Yuhi to their room when he leaned in and whispered something in her ear.
"Don't tell anyone I'm your brother yet unless to someone you trust, okay? It has to be a little secret for now. Is that okay?"
When Yuhi looked at him, he was smiling, and she couldn't say anything but agree. Perhaps Yellich wanted to be incognito for now. Yuhi knew her brother had things going on in his head and she knew that this was all part of it.
The moment they reached the door of 2-B, Sejin was right about to go out. The president saw the two at the doorway, greeting Yuhi and giving Yellich a look of terror. Yellich laughed sheepishly as he greeted the class president. But she immediately pulled her seatmate and stood right in front of her, asking the strange boy that stood on their doorway who he was. She gave him the eye.
Yuhi introduced Yellich as her friend and asked what was wrong.
All Sejin did was stare at Yellich, sigh, and bow her head to apologize. She introduced herself, and turning to Yuhi she muttered under her breath, "I need to speak to you when I get back from the faculty."
Reluctant, Yuhi nodded and watched Sejin disappear into the staircase. She looked at Yellich and told him that her seatmate was always like that but she's real nice and that she took care of her. It looked as though her brother had something to say but he immediately shut his mouth and smiled and waved and ran up to their room before the bell rang.
Sejin came back a minute before the second half of class started. And she was bringing Gon with her, carrying the exam papers that did not look like needed the help of a boy to carry. Yuhi was reading Uncanny and was in her fourth page when they came in. At first Yuhi panicked and thought it was Ms. Irisa, but then when Sejin entered, Gon appeared behind her with his bright eyes already at her light auburn ones, with his big toothy grin spread all over his face and his "Hi, Yuhi!" resonating throughout the room. No Ms. Irisa in sight. Yuhi's heart stopped, slightly freaking out. But she smiled and realized that she missed Gon it had subsided. He was right about to approach her the moment he placed the papers on the teacher's table and cheery-smiled at Sejin but was halted at the sound of the school bell. It was time for class. Gon pouted for a split second before waving a hand and sprinting to the door. He slowed down when he noticed Mitan and waved at her too, before he disappeared. And everyone came cheering "Awww" and whistling and shouting teases and giving the most playful of grins and they were all shot at the auburn-haired girl who only smiled and shook her head.
Yuhi forced herself not to overthink the look on Gon's face while he looked at her when he entered the room until Ms. Irisa came.
For the sake of a good-shot for a brother who admitted his affection for her teacher, Yuhi did science well and good, she reckoned—although she still thought it was torture because the quiz was a two-paged exam paper with fifty gloriously deadly items. Everyone's souls seemed to have evaporated the moment Ms. Irisa stomped gently away from the teacher's table and out of the room. Everyone gave a unison sigh and it sounded as though their life had been sucked out of their bones. After that, there seemed to be no break, no breather. A few seconds after Ms. Irisa left, Mr. Yama came in right away and he drained the remaining air out of the students' lungs. When Language came and Mrs. Akimiro was just equally tired, everyone was practically asleep.
And so, of course, did Yuhi.
Fortunately, since the school winter festival was only two weeks away, the only punishment teachers could give their students was have them help with the work per class. The volunteers for class 2-B started working as soon as the room was clear, and that was when the auburn-haired girl found out why Sejin gave her brother the laser beam eye earlier at lunch.
"I've seen him," Sejin said. Then she leaned in close as though to whisper something no one should ever hear. "Yuhi, I have got a good look at that boy and he is no doubt the person I've been seeing around here just standing there and staring at you."
Yuhi paused for a second before smiling and realizing that she had to tell her seatmate about Yellich. "Maybe that's true. Yel— onii-chan, he's my brother." She let Sejin breathe for a minute before she explained, and added, "And he's probably stalking me at that time. But don't worry about it, he'd told me. Please don't tell anyone about this."
Sejin was silent as she nodded. Then they returned to work. And after a few minutes she walked past Yuhi and said swiftly, "Tell your brother I apologize for my rude visage earlier."
A laughed then escaped the girl's throat as she nodded. Then when she noticed Sejin's reading stare, she blinked. "Why?"
The president then shook her head and continued with her task.
Yuhi went home with a ride on her brother's bicycle again, and although it took them thirty minutes on the road before reaching the ramen shop, she liked it. She liked the cool wind against her face, blowing her hair from the scalp. She liked the smell of her brother's polo shirt. She liked the view clear from her pupils. Yellich said he didn't mind pedaling for half an hour, and that he'd do that for his baby sister every single day if she'd like.
Yellich stayed in the ramen shop until about nine in the evening. Yuhi did her daily routines after coming back from school—she ate, told Roroturo of her day, mashed dough inside the kitchen, and went to her room to do homework. At that time, she had realized how incredible beings high school students could be. They would be given homework for every subject and would have them done in less than six hours. It was amazing. And as Yuhi stared at her papers and books and notebooks scattered around her desk, she wondered how they manage it, because although she was one, she sure couldn't do it unless she pulled an all-nighter. Looking at the clock, it was already half past ten o'clock, and shifting her gaze down at her calendar, she suddenly felt like she drank a gallon of coffee even though she did not drink coffee at all.
Tomorrow was a Tuesday.
Tuesday.
For some unexplained reason, Killua was mad at everything and everyone he saw. He was mad at his ceiling. He was mad at his pillow. He was mad at his lamp. He was mad at his doorknob. He was mad at his pens. He was mad at Gon. He was mad at Lykira. He was mad at his classmates. He was mad at his teachers. He was mad at that pink-haired guy who suddenly appeared out of nowhere and now was hanging out with the ramen girl. He was incredibly mad at the ramen girl for…acting the way she was. And the worst part was that, he was especially mad at himself for being mad about everything.
He was always not in the mood for anything.
It was as though everything and everyone he saw mocked him for acting like a complete…jerk. He felt like that. He felt like a jerk. He didn't like it.
He did not know. He didn't get it. He couldn't understand. It started with Gon forcing him all one day and two nights to at least talk to that Mitan girl and be honest with her. Killua did not want to do it. It made no sense, he said. So by that, Gon insisted him to talk to Yuhi instead for her to talk to Mitan.
That Friday night, even though the topic was hot in the air in his room, Killua said nothing but "I was just talking to her" to his best friend. He managed to smack Gon in the head after he said something weird about being best friends for nothing and being sick and blushing. It was ridiculous. And Killua just had to hit Gon in the head for him to realize how ridiculous it was. After that, Gon told him to at least speak to one of the girls and apologize. Killua knew it was the right thing to do. He knew he did something wrong there. But he just did not want to talk to anybody about anything yet. He wanted to be left alone.
Surprisingly, for him, Gon did just that. But Killua was aware of the goofy grin his best friend was giving him whenever he looked, and he noticed how nice Mito had been since Saturday. They were all gentle to him, and he was furiously curious about it. Sunday night, he sneaked in to Gon's room and grabbed his shirt's collar, asking him what was up with them. Gon only laughed and explained that he told Mito about their conversation, and that Mito told him to give Killua some time. When he asked why, Gon only shrugged and said that he had no idea. But it was so obvious how he was lying to him about it. Killua let it go, huffing as he stomped back towards his room, and analyze the whole situation by himself. Gon then shouted, "Don't think about it too much!" after slamming the door shut behind him. After that, he had decided that he was mad.
He was not thinking about it. But, he was thinking about it. And he hated it. He hated himself for thinking about it. He hated the ramen girl for making him think about it. Especially that Monday, during lunch, when from the back lot of school he saw her with that pink-haired guy by the pool, eating lunch together. Killua was so furious not a thing swam in his head but the thoughts, Why is she smiling like that? How can she smile and laugh like everything's okay and carefree and okay? It's… It's annoying! It's unfair! Then after realizing the sudden flambé in his chest, he would groan and clench his fist thinking, What the heck's wrong with me!?
Gon noticed the change in Killua's air at that time and noted how he almost broke the chopsticks in his hand. He wanted to see what made him furious, but Killua immediately stood up and told him to have their lunch somewhere else. That was when he was sure that the pink-haired guy was looking at him, smiling. They were mocking him. He was so sure of that, and he was enraged by it.
Killua wanted to tell himself that he didn't care, that it was not that huge of a deal, that the whole thing going on in him was only something he was feeling because he did a really bad thing without thinking first. But no, because when the fury had subsided, he started thinking of the next day, Tuesday, and he started feeling funny.
It was a bad idea—a terrible idea. He should have just ditched student council work from the very beginning. Had he foreseen this incredulous event, he would have stuck with partnering with his best friend. But no, Killua just had to perform revenge. That was the only mission he had in mind when he chose to partner with the ramen girl. And now he was regretting it—slightly regretting it—because of the funny feeling. It was not fury, it was not hatred, it was just plain weird. He thought of faking a fever that Monday night so he would never have to go to school the next day, or tell Gon he had to buy something really important at the candy store that he just had to go early. Killua didn't want to do council work. Not that Tuesday. In the end, he ended up cursing his brain for thinking about everything.
He couldn't sleep.
The next day, people woke up to the view of nothing like what they have seen Tomo the day before. The roofs, the road, the edges of windowpanes—everything—was covered in a thick blanket of ice-cold white snow. It was two-feet high outside, with drizzles still falling from the gray sky and chunks crashing from the roofs down the porch when people try to open the door and welcome the winter wind in.
It was half past ten o'clock in the morning when Killua was awoke by the sound of Gon dancing around in his room and singing and being all-happy because of the excitement brought about by the weather. Apparently, he only woke up as well, and when he did he immediately asked his aunt why she let them sleep in. Mito said that it was announced in the radio that work and classes were suspended for the day because of the heavy amount of snow on the roads.
Gon was ecstatic. Killua was relieved—sort of, because he sort of looked forward to the day, which was the most absurd thing in the world.
"Killua! Killua! Killua!" Gon exclaimed then, sticking his nose to Killua's windowpane. "Hurry u-u-up! Let's go outside and build a snowman!" He was already dressed up in winter clothes, ready to go outside while his best friend was only about to go to the bathroom in his pajamas. Gon then could not help but follow his best friend and watch him while he brushed his teeth asking, "Are you okay now, Killua?"
The latter only raised his eyebrows of confusion and stare at him through the mirror. "Since when am I not okay?" he mumbled before spitting.
"Well," Gon started. "Mito-san told me to give you some time, right? But I wonder why you're acting strange. I know something happened, but you won't tell me, and I've given you time. Will you tell—"
"Let's go make the largest snowman today, Gon!" Killua butted in, smiling excitedly, but really, he felt bad, because he didn't feel like it. And with that, the conversation was over. Gon started blabbering things about how they should build a snowman larger than they did last winter, and that with the amount of snow, they could do it. He also said that they should definitely go out and not stay at home for the day. Killua almost said that he lost the willpower and wanted to stay home and sulk—which was true. But the look on his best friend's face was a look that he could never resist. He could never resist Gon. So he still went, temporary anger and all forgotten, to enjoy a day with his best friend. It might be something he needed in his life.
It's snowing.
Yuhi was extremely excited. The moment she woke up, she was freezing, and instantly she smiled and jumped out of the bed, watching the snowflakes drop on the thick white blanket of snow on the ground with her sparkly bright eyes. She immediately ran down and greeted everyone a good morning, telling Roroturo how happy she was that it was snowing. She then found out that classes were suspended and the excitement started gearing her up. There was a feeling of relief through her breath and instantly she knew what she ought to do: ramen shop duties. So after finishing half of her homework, the girl volunteered to wait tables in the afternoon. It was snowing after all, and their neighbors packed the shop for some hot soup.
The day had never felt so normal. Tiring, but normal. Yellich came over in the afternoon, bringing DVDs and three boxes of butter cookies. Yuhi reckoned her brother liked cookies because he devoured two and a half of it. They watched horror films for six hours and went out in the evening for what Yellich called "snow-gazing". The town was beautiful at night, with the roads and roofs covered in white and tiny yellow fire that burned the fireplace, illuminating from the houses and light posts out the streets. They went home bringing Roroturo a box of brownies they bought from a cheap bakery, eating it before Yellich rode his bike home.
That Wednesday, classes resumed typically—only that the students wore scarfs, thick jackets, mittens and bonnets in school. The boys were excited, thinking of witty ways to play with snow. The girls were extra chatty, talking about the winter festival that was only less than two weeks away. Sejin was grumpy, telling her seatmate how the snow gave her a hard time watching over her mischievous twin brothers. Yuhi was tranquil. She loved watching the snow and feeling the cold air touch her bared skin. Winter always made her feel peaceful.
Then Ms. Juno announced that they would be taking archery inside the gym until the snow subsides—which got the auburn-haired girl's inner peace tensing. She avoided looking over the volleyball court and focused on hitting the bull's eye of their archery dummy, even though the names Killua and Gon spread like wildfire inside the covered court.
"Did something happen?" Sejin whispered from beside Yuhi.
The girl blinked and asked why.
"Because, surprisingly, you aren't watching them."
"Oh." Yuhi then laughed, scratching her nape. "Well, I'm...trying to concentrate on remembering Ms. Juno's archery lessons, that's all."
Sejin nodded. "Okay." And would return to listening to their teacher.
Yuhi managed to do just that until Thursday came. But she swore, when she glanced over the volleyball court once, she saw Killua looking her way. Or maybe she was only hallucinating, because when she blinked, he was already gone. That was the first time since the rooftop episode that she saw him. It made her heart gallop, making her happy and sad at the same time, and it reminded her that she would be seeing more of him after school hours that day.
All throughout the second half of school, Yuhi concentrated on her subjects, pushing the idea of her doing council work with Killua away and thinking that it was only like any other day and she need not be nervous of the fact that the boy had asked her if she liked him and that she gave no answer. But when it was the last period she started to jitter. All she could think of doing was calm her rampaging heart until Taro came over to gesture for them to go after Mrs. Akimiro left the class.
They walked talking. Yuhi was glad that she was talking, because she felt even, not having to think of what to do or how to move. Taro was an intelligent person. Yuhi reckoned he and Sejin were the same, but with different types of intelligence, and she loved talking to people like them—although sometimes she felt little, but she'd learn so much she would not mind.
"So, I heard the council's thinking of doing something fishy," Taro mused after a pause as they neared the office.
Yuhi looked up at him and blinked. "What kind of fishy?"
The boy shrugged. "But I sure do hope it's not a journal or a paper about the whole school festival gig."
Laughter escaped the auburn-haired girl's throat as they paused in front of the student council office. Yuhi then held her breath as Taro slid the door open. It was as though she had closed her eyes, and when she opened them she would see that angel again. Everyone was up and about inside the office, but there was no Killua in sight. She breathed out of relief and smiled at the people while they walked towards their stations where they started work immediately.
"Wow, Gon and Killua sure are late today," Karina, their group head, the public information officer of the student council, mused after about ten minutes of painting six-inch letters made of Styrofoam as booth banners.
Sensing that the words were for her, Yuhi smiled and nodded. At the back of her mind she wondered why they were late, and if they'd still come. It made Yuhi frown, thinking of the rooftop episode.
"What's wrong, Yuhina?" Karina asked, peering from under the girl's bangs.
Yuhi blinked and shook her head. "N-Nothing." She forced a smile, praying that Karina would not anymore ask.
The blonde student council officer sighed. "But I'm glad I didn't bring my sister today. She was insisting on it." She laughed. "She said she wanted to see Killua-kun up close."
A glob somehow formed in the girl's throat after that. She pressed her lips together, suppressing a giggle. She remembered that Karina's seven-year-old sister had a huge overflowing crush on the white-haired boy. "Your sister must be precious," she noted with a genuine smile.
Karina bounced. "Yes, she is!" She took her phone out and scanned before having the girl lean in the screen. "Look! She's adorable!"
Yuhi stretched her neck to have a peek. She really looked cute. It looked as though she was the spitting image of her sister—big blue eyes, blonde hair, fair skin. Yuhi smiled widely. She loved adorable looking people. "She's really pretty! I would definitely like to meet her when you bring her here."
"I'll definitely bring her here. Her birthday's on the 17th and it's like a big sister's surprise present, you know." Karina laughed loud. "I hope you won't mind if I borrow your boyfriend for a while to take a picture with my sis."
Doki. Doki.
Yuhi's breath fell short. What! "H-H— Who's my b-boyfriend?" Perhaps her face gave a funny expression because Karina laughed even more when she asked the question.
"Ki-llu-a," she sang, waving her index fingers as if to draw a shape of a heart in the air.
Blood ran up the girl's face. She felt as though her cheeks were about to explode. That was the first time anyone had paired her with the person she wanted to be paired with, and it felt like an atomic bomb—as though every syllable of his name detonated an explosive in her chest. "H-He's not my b-b-boyfriend!" She then snapped her head to the right, witnessing the council members of their group snicker in secret. When she snapped her head back to Karina, the student council officer was giving her a rather playful look. Then there was the loud sliding sound in the air.
"We're so sorry we're late!"
Or so he thought.
After molding a six feet high snowman, Gon said nothing but "Let's go to Roroturo's ramen shop!" all day that Tuesday Killua did not know how to shut his best friend up. So when they went out of the candy store and Killua bought all of the supply he needed, he snapped and went home, locking himself in his room, telling Gon that he was not feeling well. It was half-true. He didn't like it.
When Wednesday came, Killua decided to shift his gears back to number one. He needed to feel normal again. So he did what any normal Killua would do on a typical day. Gon noticed this shift though, because he commented Killua's good mood. He was so incredibly prepared for a good winter day, until the doors to the gym opened and in came the 2-B students. They were to have archery inside the covered court for the snowy season. Killua ignored them and carried on with volleyball, feeling good about spiking balls and running during that time he had no idea where the adrenaline came from.
After a set, Mr. Tenoshiru, their P.E. teacher commented on how well he played, telling him to rest for a while and let the others in the court. He watched the match with objective eyes, analyzing their opponents' strategy while he sat on the bench. Then out of nowhere he heard squeals and couldn't help but inquire where the sound came from.
2-B girls.
Killua sighed, shaking his head a little and returning to the game. But his eyes just couldn't help but search a person among the crowd. Then he saw her—the ramen girl. She was listening to their teacher while the others were watching their match. And he started feeling funny again. It was weird. He would look away and breathe in. Then when he would look back at her, the funny feeling would kick back in. And he would just keep it at that—stare at her. When the ramen girl moved and caught his gaze, meeting his eyes, the funny feeling burned him. Killua did not know what he was doing until someone from his team pushed him off his seat.
"Dude! Killua! Are you listening? I said you're on! Let's go!"
And all he could do was blink and reply with an "Oh. Okay."
The boy could not believe that he stared—that he stared at the ramen girl. He needed to know what was wrong with him. He couldn't sleep that night either.
On Thursday, he had officially confirmed that something was absolutely wrong with him, because he caught himself. No, someone else, again, caught him staring out at a far distance. Killua figured he was only absent-mindedly doing that because his subconscious was beating up his conscience. That's right, he thought then. I just feel bad about doing that thing. So he decided to just tell the ramen girl that he was sorry he had been too rude, or insensible, or a jerk or whatever.
But when Pironst left class, he suddenly did not feel well again.
"Can't you wait?"
"But, Killua!" Gon whined, pointing at the small box of juice where his best friend had been painstakingly drinking since forever. "It's been 10 minutes! We're so late!"
Killua groaned under his breath. "I told you to go ahead, didn't I?" He gritted his teeth and looked away, pretending to finish up the strawberry juice he had drained five minutes before. He didn't want to go. He didn't want to do council work. He explained that to Gon bluntly and he was honest to him. When the spiky-haired boy asked why, he said that he didn't feel like it. But Gon thought he was being unreasonable, so he said he'd wait until Killua felt like doing council work again.
"But you'll leave!" Gon stomped his foot. "You can't have an absent in council work. You'll be given a memo again if that happens."
As much as Killua hated the school rules, he at least wanted to avoid memos and punishments. Mito would absolutely lecture the both of them if ever that happened again. He sighed, threw the carton in the trash, placed his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Fine."
They walked in silence, and Killua had the funny feeling intensifying in him with every step. He did not know why but he suddenly wanted to run a marathon while they climbed up the stairs. When they reached the floor to the office he had an inner seizure, or that's what he thought it was called. Gon ran to the door, to which he followed suit, and he felt good about running that time. But his head spun as the inner seizure continued, and he just suddenly felt numb when Gon slid the door open.
That was Gon, slamming the door open and exclaiming to the world his genuine apology. Everyone looked his way and laughed with Jared saying "No, it's okay, come in".
Yuhi took a deep breath before turning her head to the door. Then everything was like a blur. She saw the spiky-haired boy standing there, rubbing his nape and laughing sheepishly. When he bowed apologetically, she saw Killua, looking her way—although she was not sure, because it happened so fast, and she felt as though she was dreaming. After a millisecond, there he was apologizing silently for being late as well. The girl had no idea where she was looking at and what she was doing until Gon came in front of her and greeted her so excitedly. She felt like a robot, smiling at him and waving a hand as she used to. Her eyes searched for blue ones though, and when she saw them, that's it. She was gone, lost. Yuhi remembered giving Killua a small smile as a greeting, and she remembered reminding herself to look away immediately after realizing what she did. But she couldn't remember how the boy reacted, or if he did say something. Because all she heard was her hard thumping heart that seemed to have transported in her skull.
They were not okay. Yuhi knew that. The moment she snapped out of her hypnotized daydream, she instantly sensed the stiffness in the air and the uncomfortable tension between her and the white-haired boy already. It was all what she expected it to be. Although they worked side by side, there was a good distance between them. Whenever someone asked her to pass a scissor or glue, the girl would pass it herself or slide it on the table. Killua did the same. And when they were asked to pass something to each other, they did it in silence. It happened for a good thirty minutes, and Yuhi was more surprised than confused. She wondered how Killua could sit and stand there doing the "paper thing" instead of staying away to do whatever with Gon and the other boys for that long. He never did that before. But what got her confused was why he was there and not away.
Was he waiting for her to say something? Was he waiting for her to answer his question?
Yuhi wanted to talk—apologize, in the least. But she was extremely shy to even show her face to the boy. She thought she had the guts, but she remained a chicken. And she had her brother's words in her head. She should wait for him to talk first. By that, too, she would know whether he was mad at her or not, whether starting a conversation herself would be worth it or not. Killua had to talk first. So she waited, and waited for whatever it was Killua might throw at her, until council work was over.
"Good work today, guys!" Taka, the events manager of the student council, spoke after having everyone take their respective seats.
Taro leaned on the table and turned his gaze to Yuhi when the president started talking. He gave a look that said "this is what I was talking about earlier" before turning to the front again. Yuhi smiled at that, slowly feeling nervous—of the fact that the student council might have them do something surprising for the second time or of the fact that she was sensing Killua's fire from behind her, she did not know.
"Now," Taka smiled at each of them, "the festival is only about a week away and we've decided to announce this already."
The room shared series of murmurs. Then when Hikari, the vice president, went in front, the murmurs became clear and everyone practically knew that it was another shenanigan. The tension the auburn-haired girl was feeling rose.
"I know what you're thinking," Hikari said as she settled down the noise that was upping. "Come on, guys! This is gonna be fun, I swear!" When the room relaxed, Hikari cleared her throat. "Okay. Here goes. Since it started snowing and it indicates that the holiday season is near…" She paused and smiled wide as though she was looking at the most exciting thing in the world. "We're going to have an exchange gift activity!"
The noise finally exploded. Everyone was smiling. They liked the idea. Yuhi liked the idea. She loved surprises. She loved giving gifts. She loved the holiday season.
"But Hikari," a senior called. "Don't tell me you're gonna have us give gifts to the teachers."
Hikari paused. Then she laughed heartily. "No, no, no. Remember what I told you on the first day? We're going to have a normal gift-giving activity this time." She paused again and they waited. "Your partners. You're gonna have to think of something to give your partners for the festival."
Ha!?
Yuhi's jaw literally dropped while everyone in the room started to make excited noises. Oh, she would love to give Killua something special. But judging by the way they were at that time, she did not know. It tensed her, and she could feel her cheeks burning while she thought of how she would give it to him.
"Ooohh, Klint-chan!" Karina's voice dominated everyone else's. "Think of something good to give me because I surely know what to give to you."
"This is so cool!" Gon exclaimed. "Ne, Taro, mine's going to be a super surprise!"
Taro laughed, elbowing Gon. "Well, make sure that it's not a Barbie doll or a snake if it's a super surprise or I'll give you a dried leaf instead."
"That'd be awesome, too!" Gon replied and they laughed together.
"What on earth would I give a guy like Loren for Christmas!?" a senior exclaimed playfully.
"You can give me a chick if you want," his partner replied.
The senior laughed and patted his partner's back. "The only chick you're gonna get is an egg, dude! You can take care of it and when it hatches, poof, chick!"
Everyone seemed to be talking to their partners excitedly about the activity and Yuhi, Yuhi did not know what to do. It looked as though they were the only ones not getting pumped up about it. Why…Why are they all talking about it now? She remained in her seat, frozen, shoulders stiff, back to her partner. She did not want to move, but when she realized that she was holding her breath, she exhaled and relaxed on the back support of her chair. She had—needed—to think about it. Hard.
"Okay, okay, settle down, we're not finished." Hikari exclaimed her announcement, but she was smiling. She seemed pretty excited about it as well. When everyone obeyed, she cleared her throat. "It's actually going to be as easy as pie. You need not think about what to give your partners because they would be the ones to give you the options."
Doki.
Yuhi thought, that was not as easy as pie.
"That's too easy!" exclaimed someone.
"Actually, it still depends on the giver. The options are only there for reference, or for you guys to know what their interests are. Then you'll have a clearer idea on what to give your partners!" Hikari explained. Then she hoisted a box from behind the wheeled whiteboard and started distributing different colored 3x3 construction papers. One piece per student. The paper had a printed text at the top that said I want, a huge space in the middle, and another printed text at the bottom that said for this year's holiday! "Now you will have to write three things you want to receive or more likely to prefer receiving and give it to your partners. Simple as that," she added.
Yuhi exhaled. She couldn't think of anything—of what to ask Killua to give her. She did not get the point of the surprise if that was the case. I guess I could just write and tell him that anything would be great?
"One rule, though, do not write the word anything, okay?"
Yuhi swallowed hard.
"And no, please, don't do it today," Hikari continued with a smile. "You can take your time. Fold the paper once and write the name of your partner where they can see it. Then, stick the papers there." The vice president pointed at the bulletin board at the back wall where a huge WISHLISTS was shamelessly printed at the very top. "But you have to put it in strictly next Tuesday so that your partners can see them and think of what to give you."
"The festival is on the 21st," Taka added. "You'll have more than a week to think of something good. Gifts shall be given at the festival." He then explained that the activity was for them not to bail out on the festival.
Everyone nodded, and they were dismissed.
Yuhi stared at the piece of blue paper on her lap while she got lost in her train of thoughts. She then blinked and took her bag, opened her notebook, inserted the paper on the plastic cover, and sighed as she stared at it again. Then she shut it close in her bag. She wondered what Killua might write in his, or if he would even write something in it. She sighed again. Why do things happen so fast?
"This is so so so so so so so so exciting!" Gon exclaimed, bouncing happily in front of Taro. The latter laughed and nodded. Then the spiky-haired boy shifted his attention to the people behind his partner.
Killua was… glad that the ramen girl was there, at her post. He was glad to see her. But there was something different about her. It was not the fact that her face was flushed, or bloomed. It was perhaps the fact that she acted as though she was not herself at all. She greeted Gon, and she greeted Killua, sure, but it was nothing like how she used to do it. Because before, her eyes would shine, but at that time, they were just… plain. And when she looked at him, her smile was obviously false. The boy didn't like it. Then he remembered what he did. Then he assumed that the girl was avoiding him because of it.
That was it. He had to talk to her.
But he just couldn't. Killua had no idea how to start a conversation without sounding off. He did ask the girl in a rueful way whether she liked him. Admittedly, her running off after that was embarrassing for him. And talking about it was even more embarrassing. But he knew he had to talk to her. How? He did not know, because the girl kept a good distance away from him even though they stood beside each other. They did not talk. They did not share a look. Nothing. There was nothing. When the boy had enough of pretending to do the table work, he sighed and excused himself to do work with his best friend. He was lucky enough that Gon was busy with the council duties that he did not pause to ask his best friend why his mood suddenly shifted again. Or maybe Killua was just good at keeping his emotions in. Or maybe Gon was only saving it for later when they're alone.
When the day was over and they were asked to take their seats, their eyes met, and the ramen girl acted as she over the past few days. She only gave a small false smile and Killua would never see anything after that but her hair and her back. It was frustrating. He wondered why she was like that. If she ever wanted to avoid him, she would never even look at him. Right? But what was even more frustrating was why he was even thinking about it that much. Killua never even heard a thing they announced but his inner-self talking to him and demanding answers about that until the council said something about partners.
Perfect, perfect timing.
"You're gonna have to think of something to give your partners for the festival."
What! Killua thought, eyes growing wide. He then looked around as he heard noises from every corner of the room. No one seemed to be bummed about it but him. Everyone was excited. Everyone was talking to their partners. And everyone had equals, except for him, and maybe the ramen girl but still. He would think of something to give a girl.
What!
When he shifted his gaze ahead, inquiring how his partner was reacting, the noise inside the room suddenly sounded heavy as though he was underwater and the voices were from outer space. But the announcement was clear in the air.
"You need not think about what to give your partners because they would be the ones to give you the options."
What!
"You will have to write three things you want to receive or more likely to prefer receiving and give it to your partners." He received a small yellow paper. "Fold the paper once and write the name of your partner where they can see it then stick them there." Killua turned around and saw the bulletin board. It horrified him.
"Do not write the word anything."
Great! Just great! Killua leaned back on his chair with a sharp sigh, not knowing how to deliver to the council's brains how silly the thing they were planning was. Jared explained more things about the mechanics and made it even sillier. Killua couldn't care less about those kinds of things. But when he looked in front of him again and saw the ramen girl just sitting there and acting like not herself, he clenched his jaws, closed his eyes, opened them, and inhaled. He was about to talk to her. He was about to call her, when his best friend beat him through it.
"Ne, Yuhi, Killua, this is exciting, don't you think?"
The former's heart skipped a beat when she heard his name being called after hers. She smiled at Gon and nodded. They chatted about the festival and the exciting wonders they would be seeing as they made their way out of the school building. Yuhi and Gon walked ahead with the former telling the latter stories and clear descriptions about the previous school winter festival. Gon was amazed, telling Yuhi stories about the festivals in his homeland, Whale Island. Taro and Killua walked behind as they neared the school gates, and Yuhi heard her classmate ask Killua something she wanted to know.
"So, Killua, you've a girl to give a gift to. Must be hard, huh? Have you thought about what to give Yuhinanana?"
"...Whatever, I guess."
When they reached the gates, Yuhi gave Gon a huge wave and Killua a slight bow. Then they were off.
At home, as Yuhi stared at the piece of blue paper on her notebook, she thought of what she wanted for the holidays. But she got nothing. So she looked out, watching the white, the black, and the light post outside from the window, looked at her notebook again, looked at her bed, at her bag, then out the window again. She stared at the yellow bulb light of the light post a few meters across the street, noticed the frost on its glass cover, and remembered the day like a fast-forwarding movie, pausing painfully at the picture of the white-haired boy giving her a gentle look before she and Taro turned to walk home.
It was different—as though his eyes were telling her something contrary to his tone of voice when he answered Taro's question. Because at that time, he sounded as if he couldn't care less about the girl, but that certain look on his face when Yuhi bowed to say take care was full of concern and sensitivity. It made Yuhi want to believe in something opaque instantly—again—and then it would remind her of the rooftop episode and she would not know anymore.
-CHAPTER END-
Ooookay. Hehe. ^^" I am hontoni gomen if ever something in here sounded off of what because believe me, I've proofread almost 10 times and I don't know. So yes, again, I need your honest reviews about this one. I've put in Killua's POV and I am not quite sure whether I would put more in the future but yeah, that is temporary and would only appear whenever it is necessary. Thank you all so much again guys for waiting and for keeping uppp! You are keeping the spirit of fluff alive in me. AND it is February, happy love monthhhh! Share the love and don't be too emo about being alone or single because that is ridiculous because you have friends and family and you have yourself so enjoy the life. *smiley*
Replies to guests~
Cookie-chan: Hi! Well, I'm not quite sure if I would add the two or more canon characters but I plan to, in the future. ;) And wow, you are twelve! Thanks for letting me know! Now I can assess words I use in this story. Haha! Sure, no problem! And yeah, do you homeworkkk. Ganbatte!
Guest (Sora): Ha! I knew it was you! XD Killua, he is one dense boy, isn't he? Isn't he a cute? Isn't he a cute jerk? Oops, sorry. Yes, I have updated. I hope you can review this ooooone toooo!
Jonica77: Haha! Hiiii! Wowowowow, thank you so muchhh that is really inspiring and flattering and gawd, just humbling. Thank for reading this story of mine. I hope you'd like this chapter as well and I will definitely search for that song. Thank youuu! ^^
Peggy: Oh my glob, hiii! I hope you are still dying to read the next chapter because here it is and I hope you can reviewww! Thankyousomuch!
2102032: Lol, no worries. What's important is that you have reviewed. :D Yes, yes, yes Gon's stubbornness can make him do things for his curiosity. I know, I agree. Killua's a little immature for love, I believe or maybe he's just one of those boys who actually thought they didn't care but in fact they do and they get surprised by it. Woohoo! I hope the baby would soon figure it out. XD Thank youuu! Hoep to see you review in here as well!
Wow, people, we have reached twenty chapters. Oh my glob, can you believe it!? Phew, okay. I have to ask you guys stuff as always. What would you do if you were in Yuhi's shoes now? Do you believe in Killua? Do you agree with Yellich? Haha, just type in your review in the review box that is the cutest thing down there!
NEXT CHAPTER: And so the game continues, but someone has to figure out how to end it soon.
I really love how you guys send me songs to listen to for this story. It really helps a great deal so if you have cutesy fluffy songs you know you can relate to this story, just send them in and I shall be waiting. Thank you all so much. Your reviews brighten up the darkest of my days. :')
