A/N: You guys! Thank you so much for all the reviews and faves and follows and reads! Imagine me screaming these words out to my computer screen hoping to let you feel my gratitude and appreciation on the effort and love you shower unto this cheesy story of mine from the bottom of my heart. I have read every review and I apologize if I couldn't reply to them individually, and I feel sad about having to postpone the updates because of reasons concerning life, but I want you to know that your feedback make my lifeless soul bloom of inspiration and giggles. Thanks for your patience and interest. I want to hug you all and cry happy tears on your shoulders.
Warning: Long chapter.
Disclaimer: I have been away for a looooooong long while.
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
New Are You?
"Know what? I'm thinking of introducing myself to Gon and Killua already. It's time. Don't you think it's time?"
Yuhi jokingly rolled her eyes and faked a glare toward her brother as they stepped inside the bus. "Know what? I think you know what I think." She snickered, propping onto the fifth row of the seats, Yellich fixing himself next to her. She heard him grin.
"Know what?" He hoisted a coffee-flavored bun from his bag, biting open the plastic seal. He offered Yuhi to take a bite. She took a pinch and put it in her mouth. Yellich had a mouthful. "I know that you think that I think I've been really unreasonable about it. But trust me, I'm not. That's why I'm saying that I'll introduce myself to your friends. Tell them I'm your super rad big brother, okay?"
Laughing, she nodded. "I'll tell them that you're awesome so live up to it, okay?"
"Oh, no." Yellich faked a gasp. "I was afraid this time would come. My baby sister telling me to live up to the awesomeness of big brothers so that she won't feel embarrassed." He slouched and melted in his seat, giving the girl a goofy pout. "I feel so weak right now."
Yuhi elbowed him lightly, gesturing for him to sit straight back up while innocently looked around for eyes that might think Yellich had gone bonkers. "Why would I do that? You're already amazing as you are. And you just feel weak because you haven't had breakfast yet."
Yellich snapped his back straight and grinned the widest, laughing at himself when he realized how dumbly overacting his exaggeration had been. He patted his sister on the head and pinched her left cheek. "You are so adorable and you are melting my heart," he said in monotone, looking straight in the girl's eyes with that funny look on his face, making her laugh.
"You look like Roroturo-san."
He gasped for real. "No…"
Yuhi smiled and shook her head, nodding toward the coffee bun in her brother's hand. "Breakfast first, onii-chan."
He swallowed another mouthful. "On it."
The girl giggled and shifted her gaze toward the outside, resting an elbow on the windowpane as she watched kids her age walk out of their homes and along the once again lively sidewalks of Tomo, in uniforms (and scarves, jackets, and gloves—or mittens), bags and fresh faces. She then smiled and set her back upright, fingers tapping on the metal bar.
Yellich, on the first school day of the new year, he woke up late. Roroturo had this strong philosophy that in every first in a new year, one should be good and do things conventionally right so as it would turn out as such for the rest of the days. And if that meant having one of his children eat breakfast on the way to school, he'd go for it.
She, on the other hand, was up and about one hour before her alarm clock even sang. It felt as though that day was a first day of an academic year, where there were new teachers, possibly new classmates, new subjects, new everything.
There was a rush of excitement dashing through the blood in her veins and she was anxious. Anxious to reach the campus grounds. Anxious to know how the day would turn out. Anxious to see the looks on her classmates' faces. Anxious for brand new lessons to learn. Anxious to see him.
The last time she saw Killua was at the town event for the New Year's. Two days before that, he and Gon went to the ramen shop and spent half a day chatting with Roroturo about fishing, hunting and Whale Island, and played board games. Killua called a couple of times, and they talked, like there was anything relevant to say, until someone yawned long and loud from the other line. (Yuhi tended to pull her cellphone out of hearing reach whenever she felt the knock of exhaustion haunting her.) They texted each other almost every day. And Yuhi could not comprehend how badly she missed him despite all these, and she wondered how they would go about inside the walls of campus, where everyone they knew and who knew them could see.
She wondered if they would notice. Or if Killua would treat her as how he did during the break. Or not. Yuhi had been restless about these since it came to mind that they would be coming back to school eventually, back to reality, back to the ball-game.
"But anyway," Yellich started again as they walked toward the façade of the campus from the gate. He was talking about Physics this time, "I'm a weakling in memorizing formulas so I might fail the exam this time. I just hope that my recitations will pull my grades up because, ha, my recitations kill!"
"I'm sure you'll be able to do it." Yuhi said, swiftly reminding herself that their finals would be up soon while she glanced around the open field to spot that hair among the many hairs that roamed around.
Yellich exhaled through his mouth, leaving the air one massive grin. "I fail a lot in academics, you know. Teachers don't like hearing arguments against their personal beliefs and they're so passionate about these lessons so when I try to put in what I think is a reasonable argument, they hate me for it."
Yuhi focused on her brother when she didn't find him. "They just wouldn't accept the fact that your arguments are as reasonable as theirs, I guess." She could tell. Yellich was an articulate scholar. He's bright in his own simple yet mind-boggling way. Like, you'd discuss the tradition of having Santa Clause as an icon of Christmas on a cultural and historical level—complete with detailed explanation of the Theory of Social Construction of Reality, backed up with tons of reliable sources—and he would still ask why he remained fat despite the up-and-down climbing in chimneys exercise.
He laughed and threw a playful arm around her shoulders as they strode up the stairs. "Hey, since when did you come up with a thought like that, huh?"
Yuhi quailed and lightly elbowed him on the ribs. "That's because we're siblings!" she whispered, careful not the let anyone hear, which was ridiculous because nobody she knew that didn't know about their relation was even around.
"Alright, alright!" Yellich ruffled her forelocks and paused in his tracks. That was his cue. "We'll still have lunch together, right?"
Eh? Yuhi thought, confused. Gently, she said, "Yes. Of course. Why won't we?"
Softly pinching her forehead, he nodded. "Just making sure," was his reply, smiling. Taking a step backward he then shot a wink and waved a hand before sprinting toward the staircase going up.
Yuhi's eyes were big as she watched her brother with a closed, tiny mouth, wondering why he acted strange—all of a sudden asking if they'd still eat together at lunch, which he never did, even though he had been playing incognito as her brother inside of campus.
She blinked when she realized that she was staring at nothing and quickly shrugged. Maybe he's worried that Roroturo-san didn't make him lunch. She giggled at that (she giggled a lot that morning) then turned to the right where her classroom door was, but then paused, sensing something funny at the back of her ear.
Yuhi snapped her head to the right, and watched with big, curious eyes as students loitered in the hallway and walked up the stairs. For a moment there she thought someone was wanting her attention. Then she absent-mindedly shifted her gaze toward the 2-A sign that was facing her from the top of the room's doorframe, straight in the eye. She looked at its open door for a while, subconsciously waiting for a certain someone to come out. Someone did come out, but they were not Killua. She pushed her bottom lip. She didn't stop to inquire or catch a tiny glimpse over the 2-A room, she remembered. Perhaps that was what wanted her attention. She smiled, took a breath, and slid their classroom door open.
Killua figured it started when they came to the ramen shop during the holiday break. He began noticing little things about the ramen girl that he did not ever think of taking a mental note of before—like the skin in her shins that peeked between her rolled-up jumper pants and her ankle high boots, how her hair was always pulled more to the left in a half ponytail, the way her pitch would rise and her eyes would twinkle whenever she said the word "ne" after a sentence, the number of times she said the word "ne" after a sentence, how her cheeks would puff every time she paused to think of what to put in the scrabble board trying to look serious, how she never looked serious in spite of herself, the way her eyebrows would flex and her nose would crinkle each time she looked at him and smiled, the dimple on her left cheek that appears whenever she laughed, the two moles on the pulse in her neck.
Admittedly, he tried to avoid his sight from her as much as possible while they were out the day after Christmas. It was a difficult thing to explain on his part, but the moment he saw her walking toward him, he knew he had to keep his guard up. She looked so unbelievably nice it made it difficult for him to utter the words Gon told him to say to her first thing that morning. Instead he gave it to the weather, which was the most ridiculous thing he could have done.
That day, he was focused more on the situation and how to handle it. He was determined to have fun, and he did, doing things he, not once in his life, did not imagine doing with a girl, and observing how the ramen girl was reacting in the corner of his eye. Everything that happened that day he reckoned was purely caused more by his subconscious human form—as though he was half-awake-half-asleep, a vivid dream, caught up in every moment. And at the ramen shop, he realized this. Because at the ramen shop, he seemed fully awake and alert, and he saw the ramen girl and all the little things about her clear as day. He chose to notice those things, though—he wanted.
The first day of school seemed to take a century to arrive. And for the first time he was excited for it. He could not wait to see her again.
But he did not push to leave home early to wait on her, only to find that the first new thing he'd notice would be something he did not wish to see. It was making him feel sulky and he couldn't shake it off.
"What's with that face? You're going to burn the ground with those eyes," Gon mused suddenly, stretching his neck toward his best friend while they walked along the bleachers of the baseball field. He immediately leaned back when Killua snapped his gaze at him. Gon blinked. "Is it about Mrs. Malu calling you a lazy-head?"
Killua's eyelids fell. He sneered at the empty carton of juice he held to his mouth. "That old hag's one to talk," he muttered under his breath, not at all interested at the memory of what their first period teacher said to him when she asked him to read three pages of a boring narration.
"Well, you yawned in front of her face!" Gon laughed as he hopped up the benches and down again.
Killua did the same. "Who wouldn't!?" he exclaimed with disbelief, throwing his arms in the air when he dropped to his feet, dropping the carton, straw between his lips. He grunted and picked it up. "And besides she's not even listening! Did you see the look on her face when I stopped? I think she sleeps with her eyes open."
"Killua!"
"What?"
"Mrs. Malu's old. We should try to understand her."
That's the point! Killua wanted to say. She's the old one. She should understand kids like us. But he let it go, sensing Gon's humanitarian arguments kicking in. He shrugged as he jumped down two bleachers from the top and landed onto the ground smoothly, reaching the end of the long line. He looked around the perimeter and took a breath.
Gon followed suit. He appeared beside the white-haired boy with fashion, like a ninja jumping to the ground from the roof. Killua grimaced and shook his head at the show. Gon beamed and stood straight. "I haven't seen Yuhi yet today. Did you meet already?"
Killua snapped his head at Gon the instant he asked that, and he felt his face twisting of undefined reason when he saw how casual his best friend's smile was. He felt that he was about to smile himself, but he knew he was sneering. It was weird, so he looked away and started walking. "No." Then he figured it might be because Gon mentioned her name. How absurd. He heard Gon's footsteps and his cackle.
"Is that why you're so grumpy today?" he teased, poking him in the ribs.
Killua shrieked, jumping two steps away, eyes wide at the ticklish feeling. Gon kept laughing, and Killua felt all the blood in his veins had transported to his face. He roughly rubbed his cheeks with his palms and silently groaned, shoving Gon whose hearty giggles never faltered. Then the bell rang and they raced to the building.
They had to change for Physical Education. Back to normal, Killua thought. But somehow he was feeling a little too excited about volleyball. And the gym. And thought that maybe his "normal" day inside campus would be redefined starting that minute.
"I'll admit, though. Even in a new year, Mrs. Malu's class is still the same as always. Nothing's changed." Gon's eyes were big as he unbuttoned his polo shirt and slid his arms in his P.E. t-shirt.
Killua was tying his sneakers when he raised an eyebrow at his best friend. "You mean boring?"
Gon shook his head. "I mean average."
"Huh."
Putting on their jackets, one of their classmates called for them to head to the gym already. All 2-A boys in the locker room adhered to the instruction.
The weather was fair that day for a month like January. The field was cold, but the sidewalks and bricked pathways inside campus were rough and dry, completely scraped off snow on the first day of the new year. Killua took a glimpse round the open field when he noticed the stable breeze, expecting to see P.E. classes scattered therein, then smiled to himself when he saw no students out for class. He had the urge to hook Gon's neck with his arm as they rushed gleefully toward the gym door.
Then as though the heavy rain of candy suddenly ceased, the smile on Killua's face collapsed the moment they stepped in. He retrieved his arm and stretched them behind his neck, silently groaning while taking a swift glance at the ceiling. The first thing he saw was basketball, the second was Lykira, the third was random people looking their way, kids running through the bleachers and dancing on the stage, and nothing else completely. He checked the massive digital clock that hung above one basketball board. Ten minutes had passed in the start of P.E. class. He snorted, took a seat on the courtside bleacher and stared at the other side of the court.
Lykira appeared behind his ear. "Hey, grumpy. Tenoshiru said today's mixed game day. Warm up."
Killua took a breath and wondered why ever Lykira always had to bother him with her random blabbing so early in the morning. "Here's me wishing you won't be in my team," he muttered menacingly.
"And I'll absolutely kick your butt, mister confident. As if I needed the permission!" The ash-blonde snorted mockingly as she pushed herself down beside the boy. Killua sneered. She elbowed him lightly. "Haven't seen you in two weeks. What's up?"
Killua then stopped for a second and for a second there he struggled to suppress his smile. He turned away. "Nah. So-so." He took another glimpse at the other side of the court.
"Psh. So-so." Lykira shrugged and pulled her legs up in Indian style. "C'mon, you can do better than that. I told you, I haven't seen you guys for days! I'm up for any kind of chat right now."
"I'm kind of not."
"You're so cruel, you know that?"
"Thanks for reminding."
"But you know what's weird? I'm kinda glad to see you. Why didn't we ever hang out during the break?"
Killua raised an eyebrow as he turned toward the girl and produced a smirk. "Are you saying you missed me?" he ridiculed, tone of pure ill-witted amazement.
Lykira stared at his face with her eyes big for so long Killua started to regret ever spilling the joke. He was the one who had to break the gaze. He rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Hey, Killua! Today's mixed game day!" Gon exclaimed from beside the ash-blonde, his smile excited. They turned to him.
Grateful for the interruption, the white-haired boy gave Gon a little impish grin. "Where's Mr. Tenoshiru anyway?" He looked around.
"They said he had to take a call. He'll return in a while." Gon looked at Lykira. "It'll be nice if Kira's on our team!" he exclaimed the words as though the girl was the luckiest cricket in the face of the planet and having her on their team would be glory.
That made Killua sneer. He thought Lykira's grin was the most evil of all evil grins at that time as she glanced at him.
"I knew I could count on Gon," she had said, throwing an arm around the spiky-haired boy's neck. Her giggles were silent and bubbly, yet so cheeky Killua could not believe Gon was laughing with her when it was obvious how her ulterior motive of annoying him hung between her teeth.
They shared cackles in front of a sulky Killua who mumbled light curses under his breath. That was when he felt the air of school back in his lungs—back to when he was 2-A again, with 2-A friends and kids who might never know and might not understand his winter holiday. Killua then took a breath and looked over the other side of the court again, feeling something trigger his light inner seizures, making him huff and scoff at the empty lot.
"Kira, who's that?" Gon asked.
Killua decided to shift his attention to their little pack. The two had their gazes toward the stage, Lykira smiling and putting her hand down as though she just greeted someone from afar, so he looked, and had his eyes trembling wide.
"A junior I met somewhere. He's a weird one, waving like a little kid like that."
The pink-haired dude…? Killua watched as the pink-haired boy uniform walked toward a group of boys in soccer uniforms by the gym door.
"Really?" Gon replied to the girl with a smile on his face. "What's his name? He's in the soccer team? That's so cool, Kira!"
Killua swallowed, listening to their conversation and waiting for some useful information to escalate from it, gaze not averting.
"He's Yellich. I don't really know if he's a varsity but I know he is really good at it."
Yellich. Killua looked up and at the door again. They were leaving. But for a moment he saw the pink-haired guy smile at him before he disappeared to the outdoors. He smiled at him. He smiled!?
Yellich, he repeated in his brain. He groaned, and when he turned to the right, he saw Gon and Lykira still looking at him with pure daze in their faces. He raised an eyebrow, obviously ticked off. But before he could think of a snide comment, their P.E. teacher came in yelling formation orders while tossing a volleyball with his fingers. Killua took a breath and stood up, nodding toward the court.
He narrowed his eyes at the gym door one last time, thinking of why he was feeling that thing he was feeling at the moment. No, perhaps he was only curious, slightly suspicious. He could not care less about that Yellich guy, but his presence made him feel as though something must be up—especially because he saw him with the ramen girl plenty of times. If she told him about Yellich he reckoned he would not even bat an eye before shrugging. But no, not a hint could be seen in her eyes about the pink-haired dude, even when he saw them earlier in front of 2-B. He kept sneering inwardly whenever he thought of it, because what he noticed was even more frustrating—the leather bracelet the ramen girl had bought from Pipedream when they went out, Yellich, it was on him.
"…Zoldyck? Killua Zoldyck!"
Snapping out of his reverie, the addressed straightened up and subconsciously processed in his head the voice who called his name. Then he noticed everyone looking at him, Tenoshiru raising his eyebrows of curiosity. He blinked. Gon elbowed him.
"It's the roll-call," the spiky-haired informed loud enough for the whole class to snicker.
"Oh. Uh…" He shifted his big cat-eyes toward their teacher again and slowly raised his left hand. "Here?"
The teacher let out a tiny smirk as he shook his head and scribbled through his class record before he continued with the attendance.
Killua snorted, then felt Gon leaning in close and hearing his grin.
"I'm sure you'll be able to see her later," he whispered, with tone so happy and enthusiastic Killua could not believe how Gon could say such things as if they had been part of each individual's everyday living.
Face warming Killua could but only glare at his best friend and threw a "Shut up" before turning away, meeting Lykira's seemingly wide eyes that were two feet away from his. He sighed and decided to shift his attention toward their teacher—even though the name Yellich kept echoing through the walls of his skull.
Yuhi thought her heart would explode out of severe suspense.
The moment she came in their room, as she walked to her desk bringing her books in her arms and wearing the brightest of smiles—excitement overpowering the anxiousness she felt that day—all eyes were on her, following her until she sat on her chair. She greeted everyone warmly, first oblivious of the wide-eyed gazes, then Sejin pushed the bridge of her glasses and nodded over her shoulder with an irritated sigh; that was when she met about ten pairs of owl eyes closing in on her, looking at her as though she held the key to the earth's salvation and they needed to see it.
Initially, she searched for words inside her head to explain the thing that was going on between her and someone with white hair over at the other room. She reckoned some of them might have seen them that one time they were at Pipedream. Or two days after that when the boy with the white hair and his best friend with the spikes went to the ramen shop, and probably wondered what they did there for one whole afternoon. They might have told everyone about it, or asked some, out of curiosity. But they would not know the answer, because Yuhi never cleared that one out yet to her classmates, her team, her beloved second family. She did not intend to hide it anyway, but she swore her life muscle almost burst as she thought of what to say. However, that was not the case, and somehow she was relieved—not because they would not know about Killua yet, but because they already knew about Yellich.
"We saw you two just now through the window," a girl leaning on the table behind Yuhi said when she asked why they suddenly brought it up. Her mouth was a tiny letter 'o' while she talked. "I had no idea—never thought of it—that he's actually your brother!"
"And how did you find out?" Yuhi asked sheepishly, slightly sinking herself in her seat—like a little child caught in the act of breaking her mother's favorite vase. She glanced at Sejin to hear an answer, but the class president remained quiet listening.
"Kishimura told me. Oi—" She hooked the neck of a boy who stood near. When Yuhi looked at him, he grinned.
"During the festival, you know, he went in here and had tea and started talking to us. Then, you know, he said it. He told us that you two are brother-sister. Is it true though?"
Yuhi bit her bottom lip to suppress a snicker, remembering that Yellich did tell her he went in their booth to try out the cake and tea—though he did not say anything about him telling her classmates about their familial affiliations. Oh, she would absolutely not let Yellich have his share of Mochi later at lunch.
"Man, I thought he's on to you or something."
"Yeah, I've seen you two together a lot, just didn't say anything 'cause that'd be weird."
"I wanted to ask Yuhi-chan about that too."
"You look good together, Yuhi. I thought he's your boyfriend! Now I feel stupid."
"Me too! I just didn't wanna believe that Yuhi-chan would have a boyfriend. I mean, not now, she's a baby!"
Yuhi's eyes grew wide and the dynamite in her chest began to act up. She covered it up with a shaky laugh, waiting for more intense accusations about keeping the secret.
"Why didn't you tell us you have a brother living overseas!"
The girl blinked, taken aback. Overseas? "Well, I—"
"Whatever the case, Yuhi, you're bro's pretty cool to hang out with," the same girl classmate behind her said, smiling. "He never runs out of stuff to talk about!"
The rest of the students who stood round nodded in agreement, and Yuhi found herself greatly amazed and ponderous about the power of her brother's rhetoric. She sat still and looked at them with awe in her big light-auburn eyes, the sparks of the dynamite in her chest extinguished, and it was as though a fishbone was pulled out her throat—but still… "What did he tell you exactly?"
"That he's a young artist hoping for a big break in a foreign country. He wandered. Then he returned to base 'cause he's homesick."
"Eh?" That told Yuhi that Yellich would go by that story while in Tomo and she had to play along with it. It was partly true. Yellich loved art. So she nodded. "Yeah. Yes, t-that's right!"
There had been questions about Yellich's existence that her classmates asked—half of them answerable by a yes or a no and half just personal ramblings of one or two about how in the world could Yellich have travelled at such an early age. There were many who asked why Yuhi never said anything about it, but most of those questions were answered by a shy smile and they never inquired further. The main fact that Yellich was a true human form as Yuhi's brother was information enough for them to consider as real. It was not as if they did not care as much, it was just they did not mind.
And then things went back to normal, like the revelation of Yellich never occurred.
Throughout recess Yuhi and most of her classmates stayed inside their room to chat about what they missed in their two weeks of absence. She loved listening to holiday events, but her gaze remained at the chalkboard, as though she was waiting for it to open up so she could see right through it. She was yet to see Killua that day and the thought of it was killing her.
While in first period, she pictured Killua at the door of their room soon after the recess bell rings, asking her classmates for her. She imagined standing up and walking toward his beautiful smile and outstretched hand, lifting her own to place onto his. But she stopped the mental film right there because she thought it was impossible for that to happen, and because their teacher called her attention and told her that "the sky may be exquisite but it won't teach you how to understand the world so look here, okay?"
Yuhi blushed when she remembered their teacher's nice tone. It was embarrassing. Now that she thought of the times she daydreamed about Killua's moonlit skin and ocean eyes, it felt weird, and kind of creepy. She didn't know. She didn't mind having her thoughts wander off the wonderland she created that was made up of Killua's face before, because it made her happy and elated. But now that she thought of it. Now that she thought of it…
She thought of Killua wearing the cat ears headband.
She covered her mouth and looked around to see if no one noticed her smile like a total idiot.
Maybe it's because reality Killua made more sense now—even though none of it, all that had happened, none of it made sense. She didn't know. She couldn't understand. She didn't want to think about it at nine in the morning on the first school day of the new year with other important things to be reckoned with. Like school, classmates, activities. Speaking of which, Yuhi had to show Ms. Juno that she'd improved in archery. Finals were coming up and she had to pass. They were going to have a surprise welcome-back exercise in P.E. that day, she was so sure of this. It's still freezing outside so they were going to have it in the gym—which meant she was going to see Gon and—!
And back to Killua.
Yuhi could never not think about him. She needed a detachment. Sejin walked past bringing her trusty black hardbound folder in her arms. Yuhi followed her in sight until she settled herself in her seat. And even though at the back of her mind she knew Sejin knew she was looking, she never averted her gaze from her. Then Sejin looked. Yuhi smiled. "Hey, hi," she greeted as she glided toward her desk and sat on her chair.
"Hey hi yourself," Sejin replied after a long stare, going through a pile of papers on her table.
Sejin was busying herself again with paperwork that magically never ran out, but she started, "How's your holiday break?" because she haven't asked her about it yet.
"Quite busy. How's yours?"
Yuhi waved at it and made a face. "What did you do? Sejin, you're always busy, ne…"
"I had to run a few errands. Of little importance in a conversation with a topic such as the holiday break."
"You should have taken a break! Did you have fun though?"
"Well, it was never boring," Sejin said, raising her eyebrows.
"I will never not wonder what you do when you're not in school."
"Trust me, my life is as uninteresting as most of the kids think of with History."
"I think you're interesting!"
A pause.
Sejin sighed and shut the folder she was scanning on her desk, shifting her gaze at Yuhi and looking straight in her eyes. She pushed the bridge of her glasses and looked like she was going to make a speech about her personal philosophies when someone had called her name from the door. She was needed in the principal's office. It always sounded like she was in trouble but really all of 2-B knew that it was either a teacher was out or an activity was going to be announced whenever Sejin was called to the principal's office. It surprised Yuhi that she asked her to tag along that time though.
She found out why when they reached the first floor.
"I saw you in Kyowa the other day," Sejin began silently after letting a group of freshman girls pass.
Yuhi's brain instantly became a rewind CD player, recalling when she had been in Kyowa during the holiday break other than that day with Killua. Maybe she went with Roroturo to buy ingredients for the shop and she just couldn't remember when in particular. Maybe Yellich had shown her a picture of Kyowa when he was the one who went and she only imagined she had also been there. Maybe she sleepwalked to the train station one night. Maybe a UFO took her and landed her in Kyowa. Maybe her spirit left her body one afternoon nap and appeared before Sejin because she missed her. Maybe she had a doppelganger.
But who was she kidding? That was the only time.
She considered her options:
1. Tell Sejin everything.
"That's where I worked part time during the break. My brothers wanted to go out on the 26th because my mom let them stay home on Christmas Day, so I took them to Kyowa and let them spend some of their Christmas money there."
2. Tell Sejin about everything already.
Yuhi realized that all she needed was an initiation. "How old did you say your brothers are again?" she asked as if she was sorry she forgot. Which she was.
"They're six."
"Six," she echoed, nodding. "Did they enjoy your trip?"
"They said they did, yes."
"That's great!" Yuhi looked at Sejin then like she was ready for the time of her life. "I'll bet they wanted to try the rollercoaster."
Sejin rolled her eyes at the air and looked at her with a face that screamed disbelief. "I spent my daily wage on corndogs and plus-sized cola just to make them realize that their tiny bodies would fly out of the atmosphere if they rode that thing."
"Did they realize it?"
"They definitely did not."
"Corndogs," Yuhi shook her head.
"Not helpful. Anyway, I told them they either have to eat their vegetables to grow or wait six more years to ride the rollercoaster."
"Harsh as ever, onee-sama."
"My mother professed her eternal love for me because of that."
Yuhi laughed. She thought they were cute. You'd have to know Sejin for a year to get that some of her complains were purely jocular. And that she was being funny. Even though it didn't look like it. Because she was Sejin and Sejin had a straight face. But Yuhi thought she was. And she knew she was because Sejin began laughing lightly as well, eyes disappearing into thin lines and small mouth revealing six white teeth. It was a rare sight, and it made Yuhi beam even more. Sejin's laughing face could make a sad man giggle like he'd had a baby wrap her tiny hand around his pinky finger.
They stopped walking in front of the principal's office door and looked at each other.
"Was it a date?" Sejin asked casually, the aftermath of laughing evident on her skin. It glowed.
Yuhi knew Sejin had read her mind even before she began the conversation. It was written all over her face. She smiled, and she thought she looked dumb because she was thinking of Killua wearing the cat ears.
Sejin shook her head and turned the knob. She let herself in.
Yuhi followed. She owed her.
Mr. Chango sure gained a ton of weight, Yuhi was certain. And it was not as if it looked bad on him. Yuhi could never imagine Mr. Chango having a thinner build. Ever. His figure humbly suggested that he was born to model Santa Clause, because he looked better in it. But compared to the last time she saw him, which was about three weeks, he sure gained a ton of weight. Yuhi didn't know whether saying it aloud would count as a compliment—it was; he appeared better than ever—so instead she greeted him with a "Mrs. Chango has taken good care of you during the break, sir. I can tell. You look grand!"
He seemed happy to see them that morning, that for the next 15 minutes, he was unable to stop himself from talking about Christmas, his grandchildren, and his "well-mannered students" he ran into during the holidays. Sejin had to politely cut him off when she mused that they were going to be late for P.E. Mr. Chango waved at it, smiled and said that he'd already excused her.
"What about Yuhi?" Sejin asked flatly, obviously demanding reason with a fearless veil over her head that alluded conspiracy.
Yuhi observed her then Mr. Chango, confused, and feeling a bit out of place.
"I'm actually glad that you brought in a friend, Sejin," he said as he settled with unease on his futon-made solitary office throne that squeaked whenever pressured, and placed his elbows and laced fingers on his table leaning forward a bit. He was smiling, but it was more grave than half a minute ago. "I'll tell Ms. Juno to allow Yuhina to be late as well. I already sent someone to have your vice president proxy you for a while."
Yuhi saw Sejin swallow when she glanced at her. The air inside the principal's office suddenly shifted, and Yuhi wondered why. So she absently raised her right hand.
"Yes, child?" Mr. Chango nodded.
Slowly, her arm lowered, eyes blinking. "What's going on?" she asked with genuine cluelessness. Yuhi had never seen their principal call them in for a business that required an atmosphere as severe as a gas chamber. He was always asking them how they were doing, and checking in for classroom updates, student experiences. She had never seen him look so critical, sighing and creasing his eyebrows upward as though he was going to spill out the exact date to the apocalypse. Bad news? Yuhi looked at Sejin. She was unfaltering, unmoving, waiting. Yuhi decided to wait with her.
Mr. Chango took a deep breath. It made his diaphragm rise like he'd to blow up the whole town with the air he just inhaled. "You see, Mrs. Akimiro had requested to take a leave. Someone from her family is terribly ill and she needs to head home immediately. The thing is, Himeragi's home is very far from this place and she's very old to be travelling long. So, when I accepted her request, I asked her if she was sure about the span of weeks of absence. I told her, if she was okay with it, she could extend it until she wanted to go back. It looks like she won't return until the end of this school year."
Yuhi's eyes grew wide. She wanted to ask a ton of questions—who was ill, where her home was, why Mr. Chango was telling them that—so many that she couldn't think of how to begin. She wanted to look over at Sejin but was wary of being the first to move a muscle. She caught a glimpse of her hand though. It was clenched tight.
Something was off.
"We have two months until closing. I personally think that Mrs. Akimiro deserves that break, don't you think?" Mr. Chango smiled at them. Yuhi stared at her fingers. She heard their principal's chair squeak. "Alright. So, you children need a substitute Language teacher. The reason why I called for you is because of that."
There was a pause. And Yuhi had no idea whether Mr. Chango was waiting for their response or doing it on purpose for the dramatic effect. She was about to look up when the chair next to her screeched drastically against the floor. She snapped her head to the right. Sejin was on her feet, looking straight at Mr. Chango like a fierce, mad heroine.
All Yuhi could do was stare. Sejin looked different. Not-herself different. Her face read a mix of horror, anger and self-contemplation blended into one. Something must be definitely wrong, and it involved Sejin in a huge way.
"Sejin," Mr. Chango broke the ice, stepping from behind his table. Sejin closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Deep breaths. "I did not call you here to talk about things that don't matter." Mr. Chango's voice was soft and careful. "Because this matters. You, as a special scholar of this school, matters. That's why I'm letting you know. But if you don't want to talk about it now," he paused and glanced at Yuhi, "that's okay. We can chat later."
Deep breaths.
Yuhi absently took Sejin's clenched fist in her hand and squeezed it, thinking that she might ooze out the troubles in her head if she did. Like a sponge. Or like wringing a wet shirt to dry easily.
Sejin snapped at her and glared at her action, then she closed her eyes and took a breath. One long deep breath. And reopened them looking more like herself than she did half a minute ago. She retrieved her hand and placed them firmly on her sides, where they seemed to represent her confidence more, and turned to their principal. "I'm excused from P.E., right?" she asked, tone sharp but silent, as though she was holding herself back from biting their necks.
Mr. Chango rested a hand on his table to support his weight standing up. "Yes," he said. He was calmer.
Sejin nodded. "I need to go. Can I be excused?"
"Can I know where you're headed?"
Yuhi looked at Sejin. Seeing her frown crushed her.
"With all due respect," Sejin answered, ready to turn away from the room. She glanced at Yuhi and set her gaze straight at Mr. Chango. Then finally, she let the last words out with calm gravity, "please let me be."
Sometimes you watch a movie so fast-paced you always wondered why and how a particular scene jumps from good to bad, from nice to terrible, from clear to confusing. Yuhi felt that in that moment. Not a second after she heard their class president speak, Sejin was walking out of the room, tough as a rock, direct as a bullet shot from a gun. So she stood, one foot forward to follow, but paused and turned to their school principal for some tiny explanation, in the least. He was sitting again on his chair, elbows planted on the table, chin resting on the back of his hands, eyes soft but eyebrows thinking. He took a deep breath. Deep breaths. It was Yuhi's forehead's turn to crease, but she had no idea how to begin asking—or if asking first was the right thing to do, because her friend had suddenly gone chaotic and there she was standing useless in the principal's office, initiating nothing. She thought of waiting for fifteen seconds to see if Mr. Chango had anything to say to her. But his mind seemed occupied.
"I'll be right back, Mr. Chango," she blurted, then stormed out of the office and into corridors, instantaneously began the search for a girl with glasses. She ran to the right side of the hallway and up the stairs, scanning every floor, looking left and right, looking back, going in girls' restrooms, locker rooms—some were incredibly unnecessary but she thought she had to—she ran into some students she knew and asked, and she checked the rooftop. No Sejin in sight. Quickly then she flew down the stairs and headed toward the swimming pool area. No Sejin. She scanned the entirety of the soccer and tennis fields and its properties. No Sejin.
She faced the gym then, panting and feeling cold sweat trickle down the back of her ear. Maybe Sejin went to class. She swallowed hard and nodded. But before she proceeded she looked around once more to make sure, then from a distance she saw a raven-haired girl with glasses walking toward the façade of the building. Walking fast. And then disappeared into a corner.
"Sejin!" she absently called.
After a heartbeat Yuhi ran to the girl's direction. She reached the front lawns of campus and stopped, letting her hands drop to her knees and her arms support her weight. She was out of air from running, breath a thick fluff of white smoke. When she lifted her head up, she realized that no one was there. It was the class hour. Nobody had time to loiter round in front of the building. Yuhi stood erect and breathed there for a while, rubbing her shoulders off the cold January breeze, confusion and concern running through her mind. Where could Sejin have gone after leaving a rather intense situation? Yuhi's eyes lit. She turned and strode toward the principal's office.
Mr. Chango was pouring himself a hot cup of tea when she came in. He greeted her with a smile, gestured for her to have a sit, and placed the white porcelain cup and saucer next to her hand on his table without saying a word. Yuhi said thanks and took a sip. Her throat was dry. "I couldn't find her," she started with her tiny voice.
The principal moved as if nothing had happened. "I apologize for any of the…aberrant contingency I put you in today," he responded when he set himself in his chair. "That was very unruly of me, and very distressing for you. I didn't intend for that to happen. I'm terribly sorry. I was certain she'd stop and listen somehow if she's with a friend."
Yuhi examined the big man's outer shell and tried to crack into the inner soul, taking note of his every gesticulation, every shake of the head, every sigh, and every blink. She was not going to apologize for Sejin's behavior toward an older man, and after a long moment of an eerily relaxed silence, the man cleared his throat and gave Yuhi a faint smile, which the girl could never decipher how to make of. "What just happened?" she demanded the table.
"Mrs. Akimiro will leave town on Wednesday, thus the arrival of her replacement. Your substitute teacher is a well-mannered man, and I'm certain that his skills in language education are far more advanced than that of Himeragi's ancient style." He laughed his Santa-like laugh at his own jest, leaving his hands bouncing on the top of his round belly. Yuhi bit her lower lip, still too thoughtful to go along with her principal's joke. "Please tell Sejin this as she is your class president," he continued more seriously. "And please do tell her that my office is open for a chat with her until then, if she'd like." Yuhi's gaze burned before she nodded obediently in response, questions swarming in her head like a mob of tiny insects circulating a lit gas-lamp. She ought to wait a little more for the answers she knew would come out of their principal's tongue, but his knowing stare and continuous nods told her that they had to part ways at that moment.
She stood, bowing her head before turning to leave the office, not bothering to let herself plaster a forged smile in exchange for mandatory curtsy. Their principal was too respectable, and she too sincere, for that kind of white lie.
"My office is also open for you if ever Sejin responded to your message," Chango added from behind her as she turned the knob. Yuhi gave their principal a light bow once more before shutting the door of his office behind her.
Sejin was not at all present during P.E.—in which was moved to the classroom due to the lack of a writing board Ms. Juno needed for a First Day of the New Year Orientation Yuhi had managed to attend half an hour late—through lunch, completely missing History, and appeared only in the afternoon period, at the beginning of Chemistry class, and she was out of reach by then. When Ms. Irisa left the classroom and everyone was loitering about, Yuhi fiddled with her fingers and carefully told Sejin about the information Mr. Chango wanted her to know. She only nodded and pushed the bridge her of glasses while keeping her Science things and taking out the Maths.
Questions were itching to arise from her lips each time a teacher leaves after a class, but they were easily disintegrated, as Sejin always seemed to have closed the subject with her manners just before Yuhi could begin. She looked as if she did not want to talk about it, and Yuhi couldn't keep her brain shut even for a second. But forcefully she had to. Respect was one of the principles she regarded, and her friend whom showed her such since they began to know each other was much to be taken granted for.
When Mrs. Akimiro was through giving lectures, in which Yuhi heard all throughout and never once felt the pang of sleep bite one of her cells, she announced her inevitable leave. They reacted with a pool of murmurs and left the room with a kind of silence one finds in a wake, yet Sejin's reaction was blank and unfaltering, difficult to comprehend. Yuhi did not realize that she was staring at her during their teacher's tiny speech not until her gaze was seized by the sound of chairs grinding their feet against the floor, then Sejin was gone the moment she blinked. Her mind was full on the way to her house, succumbed to concern and uncertainty, to tomorrow and so forth. She never disclosed any of her sentiments to anyone dear, and it seemed as though her mastery on the art of concealment held on to its position. Or perhaps she just didn't notice Roroturo's glances and Yellich's gestures, because she was too busy overanalyzing Sejin's situation and debating it over in her head. She couldn't help it.
In those moments would she think about Killua and how she saw not a single glimpse of him that day. And admittedly she lost him in her mind just as she was about to find an opportunity to see him. She had sent him a text message that night with a nervous attempt at talking casually—to compensate for the time the odds wouldn't let her give.
He replied.
"what's up?"
Flashbacks of her moment in the principal's office swirled around in her head, but her pulses were pounding profoundly. She missed him too much.
"loooong, long day. how's yours?"
"normal. like lots of homework normal. didn't see you today…"
"me too… :("
"is that a sad face?"
"yes… why?"
"nothing :)"
She didn't hold back on her smile as she typed:
"will i see you tomorrow?"
Yuhi had fallen asleep scrolling through their conversation thread in her inbox. She had woken a minute later by the light that flicked on with the ring of her message tone, her cellphone in her hand inches from her face. Killua had sent a reply.
"will i?"
A faint smile reflected on the screen next to the question. Only if you want to, Yuhi thought and typed at the same time, yawning and blinking her heavy eyelids slowly. She clicked send, then closed her eyes and let the darkness swallow her consciousness.
The next day she awoke from a dream that beheld a story as that of a spider's web: knots, turns and twists that she could not determine how to cobble together in one flawless string. She rose from her pillow with her hands shaking and her breath short, looking round every corner of her room to make sure that all that had happened were a dream and she had awakened from its terrifying narrative. It was a bright day. The dull rays of the sun that hid behind light gray clouds filtered soft strings of white light from her window, blinding the melancholy that had surfaced the previous gloomy night performed by her fretful thoughts and edgy eyes. It calmed her pulse to normal. She stared blankly at the sky to kindle her freshly stimulated anatomy, most especially her brain that flashed a million pictures of the dream she just had, and then took a deep breath, which halfway through made her think of Sejin and Killua.
Without a moment wasted she grabbed her cellphone lying on the dresser by her bed—a routine she had gotten used to since she found purpose for the gadget—and found three text messages which all came from the person that made Yuhi smile first thing in the mornings.
"hah nice one", "ramen girl?" and "ok…good night"
She scrambled through her keypad in a rotational input-delete scheme to try and explain why she had not replied to them. The messages were sent at around one o'clock in the morning, and she was already asleep by then so she told him.
"good morning! :)) i fell asleep last night sorry."
Clicking send, she lowered her hand, stared out at the gray and white sky again, letting the obscure painting of the sun pierce her eyes, and thought of the calendar. Mr. Chango was right; they had less than 2 months left for the school year and Yuhi was so sure that it was going to be tough. She nodded to herself and raised her phone screen the level of her eyes.
"hope to see you today!" she added before heading in the bathroom.
Sejin did not appear in school, yet the teachers seemed aware of it even before the morning period began. Taro announced the class president's absence only during recess to let everyone in the class know that all concerns for the day shall be directed to him instead, as he said Sejin requested of him through a text message. When Yuhi asked for the reason, Taro shrugged his shoulders and read Sejin's text.
"Good morning, Taro," he recited. "I can't come to school today. Please be in charge of things for a while. Sorry for the trouble and good day."
"Sejin's like a madame," one of her classmates commented, whom everyone agreed with jestingly. Yuhi sat back in her chair and stared out the window. The white and gray clouds from early this morning was beginning to get darker, the sun gone, dimming the outdoors that had just been scraped off snow. She could not help but sigh and feel the black and white picturesque of a lonely winter town wash over her like a wave of sad movies, and her nightmarish dream. She felt a cold chill slice up her spine.
Their day ended with a tiny speech from Mrs. Akimiro about being good people and good students to her replacement starting the next day, then everyone was in loitering mode and success stories about the old teacher flew by in the air. Yuhi heard almost all of them as she put things in their right places inside her bag. The teacher's message had quite a blow on her mindset, adding a bit more push in her determination to do well before the school year ended. Mrs. Akimiro was a good person and a good teacher. And the one thing Yuhi regretted doing the most is sleeping in her class. She looked around then, pleased to see that Taro had kept classroom rules in order as assigned students stayed to clean up the room. She stood and wore her bag over her shoulder, not knowing what to do next, when their vice president suddenly appeared in front of her face. She looked up. Taro was one tall fellow.
"Yuhi, are you free? I mean, are you going somewhere this afternoon?" he asked, his eyes expectant.
The girl cocked her head to the right, confused—at Taro's way of asking and at her way of formulating her unknown answer. "Why?" she asked back instead.
"Okay," Taro ventured with a long smirk on his face and spread his arms. "Can I ask you a really sensible favor where you'll be the savior of this poor little beautiful damsel whose marks are unfaltering therefore you'll save her because you'll do me this favor?" His smile was huge and leading, eyebrows wriggling in an attempt to advertise.
Yuhi nodded. "Okay, sure, you have persuaded me. What's the favor?"
Taro mouthed a Yes! and told the story of his unfortunate date with destiny that afternoon while they strode through the corridors and down the staircase, that he could not submit to their beloved class adviser's instructions to heed with bringing Sejin the homework from multiple subjects that needed done being that she was absent. Yuhi almost burst into laughter when Taro mentioned "the beloved Mr. Yama" but she swallowed it in and agreed to do the work.
"I have work at exactly 5PM and the officers are busy people. That, or they just won't listen to me," the boy said as he explained why Yuhi was the one he saw for the favor.
She nodded. "I understand."
"Thanks."
"No problem!" Yuhi waved as she watched Taro run to the front gates of campus and proceeded to the faculty where Mr. Yama was waiting with Sejin's homework.
The faculty was a room of small ceiling fans, paralleled tables and overused office chairs that smelled of the interior of buses and old paper, skipping puddles of notebooks to her adviser's slot in the far corner next to the bookshelf of math textbooks. Yuhi barely went inside the den of teachers but she knew how each spot represented their personalities in tremendous accuracy. Ms. Irisa's table, located in front of Yama's, was simple, void of any decoration, clean and organized. Mr. Tenoshiru's, the Physical Education teacher of 2-A, was full of athletic trophies and pictures of glory days of Tomo Academy in court. Their History teacher had a chair with a back support that reached over the head, shrouded by a huge thick scarf of the color red, with the things on her desk mostly of red. They said she believed it to be a good luck philosophy—among other things. Mr. Yama had the fullest table. He had lots of papers and notebooks placed on it, because of the many projects and assignments he gave his students. He was submerged in it when Yuhi made her presence known. Yama sank back after peeking over then completely exposed himself, greeting the girl with a nod.
"Do you know Sejin's address?" the teacher confirmed as he relieved his table a tiny one-fourth of the files therein—two papers and a notebook—which Yuhi took in her hands and reminded her of her pupil duties. She shook her head. More than two years and she still yet to find out where her friend lived. Yama tore a small portion of paper from the back of his planner and clicked his pen, handing Yuhi that piece of paper with Sejin's address in it when he finished jotting it down. She read it before pushing it in the pocket of her jacket.
"I'll get these to her right away, sir," she said with a reassuring countenance.
"Please." Yama gave away a small smile and motioned Yuhi to the door. "Thank you, Yuhina."
She bowed her head and set off toward the exit, where she came past Ms. Irisa whom she greeted with a polite smile and a Good Afternoon. Out in the clearing she stopped by the lobby to keep Sejin's homework safe in her bag and to figure out how to get to her house. She held the tiny paper Yama gave her with one hand and drew curves in the air with the index finger of the other while she chanted directions to herself. Yuhi had not been to that part of town but she knew the street and where it stood. Perhaps a few minutes' walk from school, right lane to the center of town, pass Gon and Killua's home, the next street. She clicked her tongue and smiled to herself when reckoned for the nth time how simple it was to get there but not once had she gone. She wore her bag over and secured the paper in her pocket, thinking whether Gon and Killua had gone home already—the recap of dismay during Archery class swept through with her train of thoughts, the picture of the latter in every window. Maybe she could pay them a visit. She sighed, and with the idea of walking together gracing her fancies, she looked back at the building, thought of Sejin's homework, and then made her way.
Darkness completely overruled the twilight when she arrived in front of her friend's house—rather, of the building of her friend's house—boots covered in snowflakes, cheeks tinted with the color of the cold breeze, and breath a thick dust in the air, the wind whistling the warning of frigidity in the atmosphere. She pulled the paper from her jacket to read the address once again.
Unit 501, Wagnalls Bldg., Zeitaku St., Cor. Fukaketsu
The frozen silver label attached to the railings of the second floor in the very center of the building facing the street never erred in informing Yuhi that she had come to the right place. She smiled at her triumph and advanced toward the grilled door-gate that led to the staircase of the open apartment building. Most of the units from each floor had their lights on and warm, gentle noises filled the corridors. It removed the doubt she had about apartments and their strange horror of an exterior somehow—not thanks to the building her brother had been renting a room at and unsurprisingly loved since he came to Tomo—replaced by a temporary reassurance and familial security, concerning her friend.
501 was the first unit from the staircase in the fifth, and last, floor of the building. The gap between the foot of the door and the tiled floor emitted a movement of shadows in the white light from the inside. Yuhi took out the two papers and notebook Yama handed to her and knocked three times. Another two. Half a minute later she heard footsteps of slippers from the other side and the met the eyes of a woman she thought appeared in the movies.
"Why, good evening," the lady greeted with a familiar smile and a voice a royalty she imagined having from the tales of gods and goddesses somewhere in History class—low, sophisticated, enchanting, gentle—lips moved in perfect sync with every syllable.
And Yuhi reckoned she was looking dumb. She smiled most genuinely the moment she realized where she had seen that kind smile before. "Hi, Mrs. Rosamond! Is Sejin home?"
The lady had her hair tied up in a simple bun on the back of her head, revealing an ivory forehead and a pair of Jades as eyes. She had on light touches of color on her face and an all-white set of clothing. A nurse. One corner of her lips twisted up and her eyes squinted in caper as she leaned the right of her temple on the edge of the door. "Are you sure I am the missus?"
Yuhi initially pictured her in a pediatric clinic, playing with children. "If my teacher didn't tell me my seatmate's home address, I'd mistake you for an actress," she confessed—she wanted to tell her anyway—with that huge smile on her face.
The missus let out an elegant cackle. "Well, if you have I'd be most glad to sign you an autograph then."
Yuhi echoed. "I'd be most thrilled."
"And I'd be left contemplating about scarring the hopes of a charming little girl." Her face was bright and comfortable as she lowered her head for what looked as if a tiny curtsy—but truly a hidden look of excited mischief, then added, "Especially if she's a friend of my daughter's. Especially." She winked and shook her head like a sighing child.
Yuhi responded to the lady's humor with laughter, and not a second later long feminine fingers were reaching for hers.
"My name's Elena."
They shook it.
"I'm Yuhi."
At the mention of the name, Elena's eyes lit youthfully. Without letting go, she squeezed the girl's tiny hand softly. "Sejin's seatmate!" Yuhi nodded and began weighing whether Elena was really the mom or an elder sister, for the lady kept on surprising her with jolly excitement it was almost impossible to relate her to her reserved and serious friend. Elena let go and pushed the door wide. "Come in, come in. I've held you by the door longer than doctors allow so you deserve and should never refuse the healing power of warm hospitality."
Yuhi could not refuse the healing power of warm hospitality indeed. She followed and walked behind to the second door leading to the very indoors.
"We have hot chocolate and cookies, and if those don't make your mouth water I won't know what does." Elena went on, letting out that smile Sejin possessed in her unadulterated state of serenity again and opened a wooden sliding door. "Actually, I'm embarrassed about bringing you in without asking you first if you want to. Don't you feel weird about it? Is it okay?"
Yuhi nodded, removed her shoes and entered, feeling the warmth and solace of the interior caress her icy skin. She loosened her scarf as her eyes wandered through.
The house was simple and neat with the obvious touch of motherly care and smell of broth. Its white walls supported frames that housed pictures of two boys and one girl on every angle of the living room, passageways breaking that led to the bathroom and row of bedrooms. The couches were square and cream in front of an old television set that rested on top of a three-foot long cabinet. To the left stood the four-sitter dining table surrounded partly by the pre-installed kitchen with more cabinets made of wood suspended in the air. The brown vinyl tiles rapped with a soothing echo as you take steps. But one thing Yuhi remembered taking note about the house was its passive verbose contamination. The bungalow was a rest house for books that can be found wherever you turned, inside sliding glass-covered cabinets, shelves, tables and under them—lots. For once Yuhi felt as though she was standing inside a library-café that contained the aroma of relaxation and peace of mind.
"You have a very nice home." Yuhi beamed then hesitated. "Mrs….?"
Elena had a lovely face in the light of her house. "Why, thank you." She bowed, and then giggled. "Forgive my twisted sense of humor. Yes, I'm Sejin's mother. We rarely receive guests in this house so I apologize if it's too messy."
"Not at all."
"Sejin never brings her friends over." She sighed. "That's why I'm glad you're here to see her. Is she in trouble for not coming to school today, though? I talked to Edi— Mr. Chango to tell the teachers."
Yuhi blinked. Edilard was Mr. Chango's first name. She presented Sejin's homework to assure the mom that her daughter was clear—well, maybe but one. "I'm bringing her homework. Is she okay?"
Elena received them with gratitude. "She's very well. There are just small things she thought she needed to fix before coming to school tomorrow. Always busy."
Yuhi finally noticed the wrinkles on the corners of her eyes. "Is she home?"
"Oh! You just missed her, actually." Her tone had sincere apology in it. "I asked her to fetch her brothers over at— her uncle's. But they'll be back by six. Do you want to wait for her? I can offer you really good hot chocolate. This is not bribery."
It was also then that Yuhi noticed how the end of her sentences rose up on intonation as though she was having a conversation with babies. It made her smile, and almost gave in. She wanted to ask Sejin's mom about plenty of things she wanted to know about her friend, and talking over hot chocolate was the perfect bribe. But Elena's fresh flowery scent and newly ironed uniform made her think of maybe some other time. She remembered Sejin telling her about her mother's interchanging shift at work—second of the only familial information her friend supplied her with—and politely refused the offer. Her sudden presence was surprising enough.
"Are you sure?" Elena insisted with a vague pout.
"I'll surely come back for that hot chocolate, Mrs. Rosamond."
"Ah, hush. Call me Elena."
Yuhi bowed. "Elena-san."
Elena crossed her arms against her chest in a flippantly thwarted intention. "I'm appalled of the fact that Sejin do not bring friends over. This is fun." She then sighed again. "Anyway, I'll tell her that. And I don't want to keep you when it easily gets dark out."
Yuhi smiled and nodded. Elena escorted her to the door while talking about Sejin's endeavors and how she was worried about her daughter all the time. Yuhi supplied her own concern for her friend and enumerated some of Sejin's school business—which in turn did not quite surprise her mother. She was back in front of the door when Elena mentioned something about being a single mother and providing for her family alone, that without the help of Sejin and Mr. Chango—whom she called Edi—she never would have imagined surviving with the four of them intact.
"Is Mr. Chango a really good friend?" she asked nicely, generally confused because of the fit Sejin enacted the day before and the apparent regard her mother had for the principal. Elena was taken aback by the question, and Yuhi was about to take it back when it was made clear that she was surprised by her not knowing instead of herself saying it.
"Why, Edi— I'm sorry. Mr. Chango is their uncle. He's Sejin's godfather."
What? When? Where? Why? How? Yuhi found herself gaping. "Uncle? He's your brother then?" She tried to picture some resemblance.
Elena released an almost musical laughter as she shook her head. "He's the other's brother."
Yuhi cocked her head to the right.
"Their father."
"Oh." She could but only look down, trying to place the puzzle pieces together, tying the torn cloth to its right cohort, blinking. And in the process of absolutely nothing she absently said, "I didn't know that."
"Surprise!" Elena was smiling and laughing. "Sejin didn't like telling people about her connections, but since you asked, and since you are the only name she almost always mentions, I think my parental rights can be exercised."
Yuhi smiled and decided that she needed that long walk to the bus stop now. "I hope I won't be in trouble for knowing that."
"As long as you use it wisely."
"Well," Yuhi turned and realized that it was snowing. She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder, "I should be going now. Please tell Sejin that I came by to see her. Thank you, Elena-san." She bowed and received a wave, and then she was back on the streets pulling her umbrella out.
The sky had turned darker than fifteen minutes ago, making the falling snow appear whiter among the rest of the ice that rested on the concrete pavement, and the yellow streetlights and threshold bulbs of houses hazy in the endless painting of a frostbit road she began walking in. It was an impeccable scene for her thoughts to prosper, for clearer views and seeking answers, but nothing was adding up in her mental notes of spoken evidence. First, Chango's mention of their Language teacher's leave; second, Sejin's peculiar reaction to it; and third, the revelation of Chango's relation to Sejin. Yuhi couldn't understand why Sejin would go extreme to Chango's possible innocent for-your-information when he was actually her godfather, and her mother's good friend. Perhaps the craziest thinkable thing that could happen was that their principal's unfinished speech was somehow related to dark family affairs and Sejin did not want to be the first to hear.
Yuhi then paused in her tracks at the thought. Where does Mrs. Akimiro's leave stand then? She rolled her eyes at her own silly question and carried on, only to stop again at the sight of Mito's house two doors away. Her pulses raced as someone with white hair smiled at her in her head. She began taking small and slow steps forward, eyes at the only lit window in the second floor, hand sliding in the bag for the cellphone. For some reason she felt that she needed to check her messages immediately at that moment, and strangely enough, there was a text.
"ramen girl! going home?"
She wanted to melt under the light-post. If there was one thing she had memorized about Killua messages it was whenever he called her ramen girl he's in a good mood. The message was sent an hour before, and her frown could be seen from meters afar. She had the phone on silent and her thoughts on Sejin the entire time. She looked at the house.
"ne killua? i just saw your text. sorry… are you home?"
She changed the tone settings and took her time walking the street that was closing in on their house, frown transforming into different forms of a pout on her impatiently contrite face. She was five feet away from the gate when he replied.
"no. why?"
And then she went on, concern altered.
"nothing… are you mad?"
"why? where are u?"
"nothing. I'm walking to the bus stop right now…"
"with who? it's freezing out"
"no one. i'm okay."
"it's snowing. where are you?"
Yuhi blinked furiously at the insistence of the boy's messages, yet her veins were dancing under her skin upon their exchange—partly baffled, partly thrilled. She almost told him the truth to appease his state of alarm when she was reminded of her friend's known entreaty.
"i passed an assignment. why? where are you?"
She reached the bus stop and still there was no reply. She began to worry about Killua in a way that she felt afraid of him fading away because of their exclusive yet inconsistent sporadic relationship. But she managed to let go of the idea when she had hopped inside a bus riding home, thinking of other reasons why the boy's replies seemed colder than usual and why he gave her the last word. He was busy running favors with Gon, that must be it. Killua mentioned that he and Gon sometimes offer charity work to friends and teachers whenever time allowed. Perhaps they were out with their friends for a snack. Perhaps he was on his way home. Yuhi could only think of so many reasons. She, for example, had her mind preoccupied to remember checking her phone before going home. If Killua had tried to call maybe she would have answered it. Call tones were never on silent. A call was best solution.
Yuhi then thought of making the length of her bus ride the limit for her emotional patience. If Killua had yet to reply even when she had gotten out of the bus and had settled in her room, she was going to call him. Maybe she could send him texts while on the bus—Ne, Killua, why are you asking where I am? Are you okay? Are you with Gon? Are you mad? I'm sorry. Something just came up. I'll make it up to you—but she didn't want to seem like a nagging girl bombarding his inbox with questions that might not even matter to him. Yuhi had to pinch her arm for that. Stop overthinking things with him all the time. She sighed and fiddled with her phone a bit, head leaned on the icy glass window. Okay, maybe one and that's it.
"everything okay?"
The snow never ceased and the wind was even greater when the bus throttled away and left a fourteen-year-old girl alone in the empty street. A puff of smoke escaped her lips as she burst open her umbrella and made her way to the most visible oasis therein. The ramen shop's warm vibe and scent had reached her even at five meters of distance. She suddenly felt the breeze and began taking faster steps toward the lights. Soon the silhouettes of people having a good time reflected on the window became clear and she was entering her house, heading straight to the kitchen after greeting the people at the counter. Roroturo was humming a tune while slicing pork when she said hi. His smile was both surprised and excited it was contagious. Yuhi beamed when he kissed her forehead.
"So, which class did you sleep in today?"
Yuhi jokingly made a face behind her guardian's laughing shoulders. He was slicing pork again. "I'm actually wide awake all day today! Just went over at Sejin's to pass her assignment." She tapped the long table with her fingers and fiddled with her toes. She was eager to be alone for a while. "Is onii-chan home?"
Roroturo went on. "Why did you have to pass an assignment over at Sejin's house?"
"She's absent today."
"Sejin? Absent?"
"I'm as surprised as you are. Is onii-chan home? Is he upstairs?"
The chopping sound ceased and without turning Roroturo said "Yeah" in a seemingly forced enthusiasm—or was he uncertain.
Yuhi shook it away and retreated to the stairs, pretending not to hear Roroturo's wait! from the ramen shop kitchen. If Roroturo was a storyteller after long hours of separation, Yellich never ran out of things to say every second of the day. Yuhi wanted to see her brother so they could exhaust themselves talking about whatever before she retreats to her room for her solitary meditation—and for her to concentrate on giving Killua her time even on text, or call. Right, she was going to call him. She may as well call him first before having a long chat with her brother, ask what was wrong—if there ever was something wrong—or just simply check in. She had missed him enough to have the courage to tell him that. Also, she wanted to hear his voice. But she wasn't going to tell him that.
When she reached the landing she was halfway in removing her shoes, noticing that there are alien pairs by the doorstep. She felt a little encouraged with her plan. Perhaps Yellich had friends over that's why he wasn't down the ramen shop. She nodded to herself and took her phone out, holding it tight in her hand and sliding the door open with the other, ready and set to run to her room. But she found herself motionless in her position, eyes so wide and sharp she could almost see the entire house without having to do a 180-degree rotation—without having to remove her gaze at the black and white dynamic duo of hairs sitting on two separate lovely backs on her couch, now turning to present the evidence of their presence with their lovely faces—dumbfounded, stunned, perplexed, relieved, a little livid, and a ton enlivened.
"Hey, Yuhi's home!" announced the one with the black hair and shining teeth. Yuhi remembered moving her cheeks and lifting the corners of her lips upward while she transferred her view to the one with white hair and dreamy eyes. He did not say anything. He just stared, and stared, and stared, and when Yuhi blinked she saw her brother standing from behind them, a cookie in his mouth.
"Hope you don't mind me treating your guests." Yellich's smile was so wide and innocent Yuhi thought she looked constipated trying to return it with a convincingly nice one. She was clueless.
-Chapter End-
By the way, I am going to say this here because it has been the main cause of my absence in writing and now it is not anymore because I graduated from college last Monday, man! I survive 4 years, that is an accomplishment and God knows how humbled yet proud I am to have exited with flying colors, yay! Okay, now that I have said that it is clear now that I can, and possibly will, post two updates per month. I will start work on Monday and it's straight on from there. But I am going to write constantly for myself and for you guys who want to see this fic through the end. And since I haven't gotten in touch with you all, can you please, please, please tell me what you think of this chapter? How do you think it will go from here on? Send me your thoughts. I'd love to read them and hear from you as well. It's been a while. :)
NEXT CHAPTER: Yellich, Sejin, and Killua. Yuhi could only take on so many.
Thanks so much again for the reviews and reads and faves and follows! You warm my cold and numbing heart like hot chocolate on a winter day.
