A/N: Hello, it's me again, bringing the fluff that you specifically came here for. Welcome, welcome, to the mashed up thoughts of a fourteen-year-old girl. Make yourself at home. Grab your snacks. Listen to Kobasolo on Spotify. We're taking it easy this time as we hit Chapter 30: the slowest burn (wow, that's a good chapter title lol). Anyway, I'll just talk at the footnote A/N. Haha! Here's Chapter 30 after 2 weeks yay! I'm so excited for this chapter; don't know why.

Doki = sound of a heartbeat (I missed this word)

Disclaimer: HxH is Shonen; this story is Shoujo.


TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE

CHAPTER THIRTY
Owls And Sloths

She barely slept; two hours of dozing off with two hours interval.

She tried—letting her eyes shut at 3:30AM and counting sheep jumping over a fence to help lull her into slumber. It was a bad idea, because when the 121st sheep had jumped, it came running to her and began to shape-shift into something else; it's cottony white fur slowly transforming into fuzzy human hair, skin smoothing into human flesh, face reshaping to form those perfect features, and the most beautiful color on earth, those deep-sea blue orbs, staring directly into her own.

On a normal day, Yuhi savored Killua's presence inside her mind, with him looking at her and giving her that precious smile that she adored. She longed for it every night before going to bed so that she could dream of him. But that night, she didn't want it, for with every glimpse of him inside her head her chest swelled, gaze instantly turning towards the gadget on her bedside, thoughtful and worried. Unfortunately for her, Killua was always behind her eyelids, and the thought of him that night and dawn was like caffeine in her veins.

The next time she opened her eyes from another failed attempt at falling asleep, the early morning sunlight had already entered her room, illuminating her study table and the digital clock that rested on it. 6:25AM. Yuhi blinked her tired eyes and lingered at the ceiling as she pulled her blanket up to her nose. Thirty more minutes before the alarm rings. She blinked, and blinked again, her eyelids starting to drop, limbs starting to feel numb, mind blank. Finally, for just a little while, she could sleep.

Twing!

Yuhi suddenly rose, her bed squeaking because of her sudden movement. She carelessly traced her bed with her hands for the godforsaken object before she found it under her pillow. As her eyes adjusted to the digital light from her phone's screen, she opened the message, her heart beating loud and slow as if it was drumbeat to a suspense movie. Was it him? Did he reply to the text she sent last night? Was he mad?

From: 4375

Message: Hi! We will be having a system check
on Jan-14 12:00NN to 1:00PM to make
sure you're able to use your rewards!
Thanks and have a wonderful day!

A sigh was all she could muster as she wearily scanned the text on her screen, disappointed and a little sad, as how she started to feel at around 11:30 last night. She lowered her hand and stared at her phone, allowing her thumbs to navigate through the messaging application and open her conversation thread with Killua. For the nth time, she read the last registered text. It was from her, asking him if he could tell her about why he left home, a message she sent at 10:20PM. Yuhi convinced herself since last night that Killua might have just fallen asleep, perhaps he was too tired or too full because of their meal over at Sejin's, which was why he had not sent in a reply yet. But Yuhi was sleepless, nonetheless. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to send a follow up text as well and she regretted it. She put her phone aside and laid back in bed, pulling her blanket over her head and closing her eyes.


Sejin greeted her with an easy air and her normal disciplinarian tone as soon as she entered the room that morning, not forgetting to remind her that she was fifteen minutes late and should be thankful that their first period teacher would not be reporting to school that day.

"Morning, Sejin! Are you okay now?" she inquired as she sluggishly hung her bag on her chair, trying to sound as enthusiastic as she normally did.

"Good morning. And yes, thank you for asking," she heard her seatmate answer.

With all the energy of her drained nerves, she tried to return Sejin's small smile with one of her biggest, inwardly recalling their conversations and what happened the day before. But it was easily replaced with a sigh as Killua's face appeared in her head again. She slumped on her seat and cupped her cheeks, fixing her eyes at a black smudge on the chair in front of her.

"What's with the long face?" Sejin asked, sounding of usual concern to something that she already knew what about. "Literally, a long face."

Yuhi yawned and turned her drowsy gaze to the raised eyebrow of her seatmate. She blinked, and absentmindedly let out a pout.

A scoff and a shake of the head was what she was answered with. Exhaling sharply, Sejin asked, "Did he do something? I knew I should have walked you to the terminal instead. It's already dark at 6PM in this weather, Yuhi. Did Gon even go with you two? Are you even listening to me?"

She was, picturing Sejin standing tall in front of her and scolding her with her arms crossed against her chest, and almost laughing at herself, because Sejin was just sitting next to her as she spoke. I must be hallucinating.

"Earth to Yuhina."

"Yes!" As though electricity shot up her spine, the addressed sat straight with wide eyes, slapping her cheeks with both hands to wake her sleeping senses up. She blinked three times and looked at Sejin who was giving her a look of utter disbelief. She smiled her brightest and said aloud, "I didn't sleep!" a grave titter fighting its way out of her lungs. She let it. She laughed.

The deep jade eyes of Sejin was wide behind her glasses, which she pushed the bridge of, and shook her head, again, slowly. "What is wrong with you today?"

Yuhi told her, tone careful and small, retreating to bury her face in her arms on her desk after and bracing herself for what her righteous seatmate was to say about it. She couldn't exactly pinpoint what she was feeling that time. Was she sad? Was she embarrassed? Remorseful? She didn't know. But she knew that she wanted to run to 2-A's classroom and see him, look him in the eyes and ask what was wrong. Why didn't he reply to her text last night? Why didn't he send one this morning? Was it because of what she asked? It was all questions in her head with answers that seemed to be lightyears away. She peered from under her bangs at Sejin, her sleep-deprived sight blurry.

"Then talk to him about it," she said in a straightforward tone, an eyebrow arched upward. Yuhi was glad that Sejin's returned to normal, which meant that she would be hearing a speech from her soon. "You should have called him last night if it bothers you that much," too soon, "You can't keep over-analyzing everything and end up sacrificing your health. We have tons of projects and homework and in my opinion, you should save your energy up for those."

I know… The auburn-haired girl slouched in her seat, pushing her bottom lip to form another pout. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why she couldn't sleep last night—she was inwardly scolding herself for not calling, and she ended up overthinking. Sejin's right, she thought to herself, I should talk to him. A sigh escaped her lips. Who was she kidding? She felt like she hit a wrong nerve in Killua and she honestly didn't know how to start the conversation with him about it.

"Yuhi," Sejin called. When the addressed looked up, she saw her seatmate opening a book for a read. "Sleep. As I mentioned, Mr. Pironst won't be coming in and we have the morning break after. You have plenty of time."

A small sound of gratitude escaped the girl's throat when she heard that, thankful that someone like Sejin was looking out for her. She nodded a little and without removing her head that rested on her desk, she pulled out her phone from her bag, read a text from Yellich reminding her that he would be skipping school that day for a concert out of town, opened her conversation thread with Killua and hastily typed in "is everything okay?" before hitting send.


Yuhi woke up to the sound of chairs squeaking and being dragged and fast footsteps running to the door. She blinked as she adjusted her eyes to the light, lifting them up to glance at the clock. P.E. time. She groaned as she pushed herself up from her desk, her head spinning. It was as though there was a needle at the back of her skull that time. It hurt from the inside. She stood up and went with Sejin to the locker room.

The weather was great that day; the cool winter breeze tenderly caressed their cheeks and the sun shined brightly in the clear blue sky. Yuhi inhaled the fresh air as they stepped out of the building to head to the campus lawns for archery. Although they were in their thick winter track pants and jacket, she still shivered, blinking her drowsy and blurry eyes, stretching a little and yawning. She inwardly smiled to herself. She just woke up after all.

As they huddled near their teacher, she couldn't help but glance gloomily at the gym, unhappy about how she forgot to check her messages before they left the room for P.E. She absentmindedly blinked again, reminding herself not to completely close her eyes whenever she did.

"Sleepy?"

Yuhi looked up, the sunrays suddenly blinding her. She narrowed her eyes at the boy who stood next to her as a way to adjust to the light. She nodded and gave a tiny laugh to Taro. "Yep!" she tried to answer gladly, flexing her shoulders a little as she felt the heavy weight of his playful arm around them.

Taro laughed and retrieved his arm, yawning and placing his hands inside his pockets. "Same."

Archery class was back to normal. Ms. Juno, their P.E. teacher, had them line up by height for an individual warm up. They were to shoot three arrows at a ring that stood about 10 feet away. Yuhi felt relieved of this exercise as she found it easier compared to when she would hit a bull's eye. She was the 5th in line among girls. Mitan was first, the class cheering her on as how they did with everyone. When it was Yuhi's turn, she heard her teacher say "You can do it, Yuhi" before she released the arrow. The first one hit the metal stand, but the second and third went lousily in the ring. It wasn't clean, but she was proud of herself.

After a while Ms. Juno asked the boys to pull out the dreadful bull's eye, and Yuhi couldn't do anything but sigh and smile, asking herself over and over why she didn't force herself to have a good night's sleep. If she sucked so bad at archery when sober, she would definitely be ten times worst when drowsy. She winced then, feeling the sharp slice in the back of her head. Yup, that's a headache, alright.

The boys were up first, and Yuhi languidly watched each arrow fly from the bow to its target, struggling to keep her eyes open—the flow of arrows in her field of vision pacifying her senses. She almost fell from the 3rd row of the bleachers four times because she almost lost her consciousness, and each time she shot her eyes open her head spun.

After about fifteen minutes of struggling to keep awake, they, the girls, were in line again—by height. This is great, Yuhi then thought as she let her gaze wander through the open field while Mitan held the bow. After Mitan, there'll be three more before me. It'll be fast because their great at it. I can sit again soon. She leaned her head to the right to check and saw Mitan handing over the bow to the next girl, signaling that she's done already. Yuhi blinked when she saw this, her blurry sight not getting better by the minute. She blinked again, and again, and then shook her head as if to shake away the sleep in her eyes, making a sour face when she felt again that sharp slice in the back of her head. She exhaled and allowed her gaze to turn to the gym, staring at it as though she would see what—who—was inside if she did it long enough. While at it, she saw his face in her head once more. Perhaps she was not used to it; Killua ignoring her text.

Ever since she told him about how she felt that one school festival night, they have been speaking in good terms. Killua was really nice to her. She noticed how easily he got annoyed about things concerning school, but she somehow learned that that was as normal as he could be, and she knew that he was not annoyed at her. He never showed any signs of frustration towards her, nor did he make her feel that she did or said something wrong. Their conversations throughout the winter break and even last night were pleasant, easy, comfortable—until she asked that question. What was I thinking? Yuhi somehow knew that Killua's family was a sensitive topic to talk about. Gon even mentioned before that he was told not to tell anyone about it. But Yuhi was shamelessly confident that Killua would at least say something after she asked. If he didn't want to talk about it, the girl knew that he would tell her. But something was amiss, and Yuhi couldn't put her finger around it. Maybe something happened to him?

At the thought of this, she inwardly gasped, suddenly feeling alert, worry infiltrating her brain like wildfire. She had to see him. She had to talk to him. Perhaps something was bothering him, and here she was beating up her thoughts about her foolish emotions. She stared at the corner of the building where she knew the gym doors were, hoping that a boy with silver hair would appear.

Just then, a group of boys wearing the same P.E. tracksuit as theirs showed up, laughing and teasing each other as they walked towards the school building. Yuhi followed them with her eyes, and then instinct told her to return her gaze towards that corner again. About two seconds had passed and she saw Killua walking behind Gon and Lykira, his hands tucked inside his jacket's pockets and looking completely… normal. Her heart ran laps at the sight of him, inwardly chanting for him to look her way. I want to see you. Please… She wanted to call him, even run to him, but she knew that she couldn't. As she stared, she noticed that Killua was looking around, 45 degrees to his left, a few more inches to his left, until his gaze landed their way and he stopped walking. Yuhi's eyes grew wide, she wanted to waive a hand, but she was not sure if he really was looking at her because she couldn't see him properly. She blinked, and blinked, and blinked again.

"Yuhi!"

"Huh?" The girl looked around for the person who called her, head spinning a little with the sudden movement. It was Reina who was standing behind her. "Yep?" she asked carefully as she turned, her voice small and shaky, desperately wanting to look at the gym again.

Reina removed her gaze from her and stretched her neck towards something in front. She pointed a finger at it. "It's you turn."

"Oh." As she turned to walk towards their teacher, she glanced at where Killua was, expecting him gone by now. But he was still there with Gon on his side. Yuhi suddenly felt her nerves acting up as she took the bow and an arrow from Ms. Juno, feeling cold sweat ooze from the pores of her palms. Are they going to watch me? She had felt that way before whenever they held P.E. inside the gym—the thought of Killua and Gon watching her during archery made her nervous—but she managed to talk herself out of it every time. That morning, she couldn't. It was a different kind of uneasiness. It felt as though her whole body was shaking and witting.

A sharp knife once again sliced the back of her head from the inside as she positioned her equipment. She took a deep breath and ignored her trembling arms, narrowing her eyes at her target that stood 10 feet from where she was. The center, she said to herself, aiming, blinking away the fog in her eyes, where is it? She blinked again, her hands and legs numbing as the weight of the bow and arrow started to bury her to the ground. She couldn't locate it. She was seeing three bull's eyes. Another blink—that sharp knife had sliced her entire skull open and stabbed her brain.

"You can do it, Yuhi," Ms. Juno encouraged her with a clap of the hands.

I can do it. If only I can see clearly… Perhaps it was her headache that was causing it. She had to focus. She took a deep breath and tried closing her eyes for a while, thinking that they would return to normal once rested for a few seconds. But when she opened them, all she saw was black, and she felt her limbs give up to her weight, her body collapsing to the ground like freshly cooked noodles. She heard faint voices calling her name, and then, slowly, they faded out.


A colossal shadow of a creature that appeared to be in human form appeared before her eyes, and what Yuhi recollected next was that she was running. Tirelessly, she dashed through an endless mirage of unclear episodes, until she reached a clearing of what first was a white room that turned into a gothic, abandoned Tomo. It looked as if it had been a town of guns and blood—shops empty, windows broken, litters spiraled in the crisp air, sky as dark as the silhouettes that walked about. She went on, seeing faceless people from every corner and telling them to run away, for the dark figure was after them.

Another time warp and she turned up at their school on an ostensibly normal summer school day. She approached everyone she knew and told them the same thing to save them from it. People dear to her appeared then: her classmates, teachers, Sejin, Yellich, even the employees at the ramen shop were there with Roroturo, Gon, and Killua. They all were engaged in a mood that equaled the season and not a single soul had listened to her pleads or came with her to flee. She remembered talking Killua out of it the most, but the boy was much too pleased with the world that his positive accounts and her doomed fate were lines of opposing ends. She took him by the hand and had him run with her through the school building, impatient about the walls and turns that held their speed, afraid that the dark figure was only meters away.

Soon Killua was no longer by her side and she was flying in the air with a weak attempt at escaping, the dark figure just behind her. Eventually she found herself at the top of a high rock formation in a beach, the waves crashed angrily by its walls she could feel the impact in the soles of her feet. Then, complete fear washing over, she jumped off to the sea.

Her body jerked when she felt the pull of gravity in her stomach and knees, her breathing fast and heavy as she tried to catch some as much as she can. Wide auburn eyes scanned the surroundings, expecting the ceaseless ocean, waiting for seawater to penetrate her lungs, but there were none. What she saw first was the wide window that beheld the sky, trees swaying in the foreground and the sound of birds chirping in the background. She then scanned the interior. Translucent curtains. Some chairs. Desks? School chairs? To her left, a white board. A small table with a tray on top that housed bottles of varied types. To her right, an empty table with books and another tray with bottles in them. Cotton balls? Pen holder? Eyeglasses? A white coat? She lingered at the view for a while, collecting her thoughts. Was she dreaming? It felt so real her pulses still raced.

A deep breath was necessary after that outburst, and after a moment she finally caught up with herself. P.E. class…the arrow, I was about to release… Did I sleep in class? She caught her head in her hands when she realized that she couldn't remember what happened after that, seeing a thick white cloth draped over her legs. Huh? She caught site of her P.E. tracksuit. I'm still in uniform… Then she gasped and looked around once more. I'm in the clinic!

Quickly she analyzed the sky to try and check what time of the day it was before searching for the clock to confirm, gaze turning from the wall where the white board was to the left side table of the bed near the door—none. When she turned to her right, her heart stopped, closing her eyes for two seconds and opening them again, unsure of whether she was truly already conscious.

Doki.

She pressed a fist against her chest as her heart throbbed fast and stared, unable to remove her gaze from his face, tracing his flawless features with her eyes. He radiated because of the faint rays of the sun; his silver hair shimmered as the yellow touched its tips, his ivory skin sheen, cheeks a little pink, lips slightly apart. His head was tilted a little to the left, facing her, as he positioned himself sluggishly in his chair. Yuhi carefully watched his chest move, syncing her breath with his. It refreshed her nerves and warmed her flesh, her heartbeat a slow and calm music box. She couldn't fathom how he could look so attractive even when asleep. And… he's here. For me?

It felt like a dream, one that she wished she wouldn't wake up from. Is it lunch break? Absentmindedly, she pinched her arm, and after hesitating she gently called, "Killua?"

Yuhi observed the way his eyelashes flutter at the mention of his name, eyelids softly panning upward, meeting her eyes. For a while they familiarized themselves with each other's presence, and in that little while, Yuhi was certain that time stood still. Killua took her breath away and made her face feel hot. She didn't want the staring game to end, but after a bat of an eye they broke free from it. And Yuhi wanted to hide under the blanket, a little embarrassed because she knew that she was blushing hard while staring and Killua saw.

It was quiet for a moment until she heard him move in his seat and clear his throat. "So, um, how are you feeling?" he almost mumbled.

Very nervous! Her heart pounded loud against her chest and eardrums. Why does it feel like it's the first time I'm seeing him!? She took a breath and managed to answer "I'm okay now… I guess" as she peered towards his direction.

Killua was on his feet. "Okay. I'll call Chichi-san to check on you."

"Ano…" Yuhi muttered as he turned a heel, stopping him in his tracks and meeting his eyes again. She tried to his read his face to see if there was a hint of ire in them; her unanswered text message at the back of her mind. Killua, though, acted like he wasn't ignoring her since last night.

"What?" he asked, sounding curious and… normal.

Yuhi did her best not to look confused about the way he was talking to her. But she began to wonder if her sleepless night was just a dream, or if the two of them alone in the school clinic that day was a dream. She wanted to ask, but the moment was too lovely for her to ruin. She breathed in, set her thoughts aside and decided to savor the look Killua was giving her. "Do you know… what time it is?"

Killua looked around for the clock and found it on the side table next to the chair that he slept in. He pointed at it. "Five-o-five."

Heh— Panic immediately surged in her chest the moment she heard the word five. "Nooo, no, no, no, no…" she chanted while scrambling through pictures of what happened that day in her head, the bull's eye was the last of them. I'm so, so, so in trouble! Without giving it a second thought, she hurriedly pushed the blanket off her legs and attempted to stand.

"Hey— wait a sec."

Her shoes weren't there. She searched the floor for them with her eyes and suddenly saw a pair, but they weren't hers. Then she felt hands on her shoulders, pushing her to lean back. So, she did, and she looked up.

Killua then retrieved his arms and placed his hands on his hips, standing tall in front of the girl. He exhaled sharply and asked frustratingly, "Seriously, what is up with you today?"

Even though she wanted to keep a straight face, Yuhi couldn't help her lips from curling into a pout. She couldn't hide the anxiety in her face, what her teachers might think of her and the doomed fate of her grades running laps in her mind. "I slept for a whole day in school!" she cried in disbelief, holding her head between her hands, saying it more to herself than to Killua. She earnestly thought that she had only been out for an hour or two. It felt like that.

"Yeah, you did," he confirmed, unfaltering. "You got knocked out at P.E. and you've been sleeping here since then. You hit your head or something?"

Yuhi shook her head no, reminding herself that she barely slept last night because of him. She couldn't believe herself.

"Skipped breakfast?"

"No…"

"Didn't sleep?"

She then looked up with wide eyes, unsure of what to answer. Killua raised an eyebrow, waiting. "Y-Yeah…" she breathed out and fixed her gaze at his shoes before planting her face in her palms to hide her shame, unintentionally blurting out "I'm sorry!" partly because she asked him that question last night, and because she was absolutely sure that she caused a commotion earlier when she collapsed.

After a brief pause, she felt Killua relax and bury his hands in his pockets.

"Okay, here's the thing," he started, voice back to its usual tone, "we'll both be in trouble if you leave this room now." Yuhi lifted her eyes at him and felt her chest cave once more when she saw his amiable visage. He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder to point at the door. "Chichi-san said she'll just hang around the faculty room and told me to call her when you wake up. So," he took a breath and returned that hand in his pocket, "don't go anywhere, got it?"

Yuhi had no other choice but to nod. She almost answered a 'yes, sir' because of his dominant air. That was probably the first time she heard Killua talk to her like that, and to strictly follow rules too. It was all questions that swarmed inside Yuhi brain as she watched him walk past the bed to the telephone that rested on the nurse's table—questions that she couldn't pinpoint which to ask first, or which should be asked in the first place. What did Ms. Juno say? Has Sejin gone home already? Will Mr. Yama and Mr. Chango give her a memo? Did they tell Roroturo-san about it? If they did, why was Killua there and not Roroturo-san? If Killua's here, then where's Gon? Did he get my text last night?

As she thought of these, her gaze was fixed at the boy who was talking over the phone, reporting that "she's awake" and that "she said she's okay", and, out of the blue, her thoughts shifted, and she was suddenly reminded of the times with Roroturo at clinics and hospitals as a kid, getting checked for flu and chickenpox. She remembered watching her guardian talk to doctors and nurses about how she was feeling, and getting a good-humored smile from him after, as if to reassure her that she would be just fine. That moment, as Killua put the phone down and walked to her with a small pleasant smile on his face, she felt the same, but different. Because Killua was not Roroturo; Killua was that boy, and the idea of him behaving like he was in control of her situation made her stop and listen to the slow, steady and profound beats of her heart, sensing her emotions build up in her chest. The intensity was making her gasp for air. Killua, the boy she liked, was making her feel safe and important. It was surreal.

"She'll be up in a minute," he said as he casually propped himself on the foot of the bed.

Yuhi snapped out of her reverie when she heard his voice, tried to control her breathing through her mouth, managed to return a smile, and say a quick thank you, immediately asking if Killua saw or talked to Sejin, by any chance, while she calmed her nerves. He responded with a nod and told her that she had probably gone home.

"I think she needed to go early. Gon talked to her. But, yeah, she told us to tell you to call her when you wake up."

Pressing her lips together, she took a mental note to call Sejin as soon as they were done inside the clinic, nodded, and then remembered, "Where's Gon, by the way?"

Killua shrugged. "Home already, I guess."

"Oh." Yuhi blinked, surprised. She wasn't expecting that at all. "Why?"

"Mito-san needed help with something."

She fixed her wide auburn eyes at Killua's blue ones as she thought about it and felt sparks dash up her spine. It made her sit straight. "So, you're…" She was to say 'alone' but her voice trailed off when pictures of Killua alone with her inside the school premises appeared in her head.

He let out a tiny smirk. "Babysitting."

Doki.

Yuhi thought that she was going insane. Part of her coerced vexation over her childish escapade which caused her to miss classes for the day, but part of her naturally relished every bit of what has happened since she opened her eyes. Those two opposing ideas were fighting over which would dominate her reasoning. But Yuhi knew what was winning when she subconsciously released that sunny smile and felt her face warm. It was unfair, though, Killua looking so fine with his face just a few inches away from hers. It was a dead giveaway.

"So, are you gonna tell me now what kept you up last night?"

But her fancies were instantly teared down by dread with his next words. For a second Yuhi held her breath, extreme confusion filling up her brain fast. She swallowed liquid as she stared into Killua's expectant gaze. Did I miss his reply? "Did you… um… Did you get my text last night?" she asked slowly—cautiously, observing how Killua would react to her question, slightly anticipating that he would remember that he was ignoring her since then.

For some reason, she braced herself when the boy's face twisted of irritation and looked as if someone from afar suddenly mocked him. He hissed at the wall before looking at her again with jaded eyes. "I'm guessing you didn't get Gon's text."

Yuhi cocked her head to the right. Gon's text?

Killua sighed sharply, scratched his head, and said between gritted teeth, "My stupid phone died."

Eh? She blinked. So, he didn't—

"Charger won't work. I asked Gon to text you about it last night but the idiot fell asleep." He made a face. "It died after I said what'd you wanna ask."

Yuhi blinked again. Then slowly her eyes grew wide, powerless over Killua's revelation. What… It took some time before her empty head had processed what he just said. When it finally did, she wanted to melt, right there and then, but she also wanted to laugh at herself, incredulous, ludicrous beyond compare, beyond fixing. What on earth…was I thinking… She barely slept last night because she was worried that Killua might have decided to ignore her since, out of nowhere, she asked something personal, something she figured was a sensitive topic for him—considering how Gon almost told her about it before. And yet there he was, facing her and telling her that he never saw her silly text. I'm… I'm so stupid!

She was holding her breath the entire time, and the entire time the word STUPID boasted a marquee on the façade of her brain. It felt as though she just watched a comedy sitcom starring herself, looking downright ridiculous, and she just had to suppress her amusement for the sake of her own dignity. She tried to control her facial muscles from moving any more than a slight curve on the corners of her lips, but she was positive that she's failing, because Killua's eyebrows slowly furrowed, his eyes grew wide, suspicious.

"Did you…" He then narrowed his eyes at the girl. "Don't tell me you didn't sleep last night because of that?"

Yuhi was also positive that her soul had fled the planet. All she heard after that was her heartbeat, and the little devil that occasionally sang to one of her ears. Lie. She felt that she had to. She didn't want to. But she had to. It was humiliating. She moved her head slightly to the left, to the right, and then finally shook it fast.

Killua crossed his arms against his chest, unconvinced.

Just smile and laugh like normal! she said to herself. So, she did—tried. It sounded preposterous and she felt like an idiot. She could never imagine herself lying to Killua. But Yuhi couldn't possibly tell the person that she liked that the reason why she's in the school clinic at five o'clock in the afternoon was because of him. She couldn't possibly tell him that she missed an entire school day because she couldn't sleep last night waiting for his text. It would sound weird and, well, dumb—that was what she thought. She didn't want Killua to look at her and see that she was that kind of girl, even though she already was. Quickly, she knew that she had to change the subject. "You…" she started without thinking about what to say next.

"What?" he asked, impatient.

Yuhi scrambled for words inside her hollow skull, thinking of something Killua was weak at so he could think about that instead, or what she heard Gon usually said that made him stop. She thought about it fast, and when a word hit the jackpot she carelessly said, "You're really cute!" with the biggest, dumbest smile she could ever muster.

She slightly feared that Killua would easily dodge her attack, but to her luck, he was speechless. His face reddened, a look of utter disbelief or surprise or confusion painted all over it. He held it for a while before he swiftly turned away and huffed his loudest. And Yuhi couldn't contain that laughter anymore—that ambivalently joyous yet nervous mirth. She wanted to erase her existence from the face of the planet and keep him inside her pocket at the same time.

Footsteps from the hallway then entered the room, bearing a young woman in a loose blue nurse's uniform and white sneakers, her smile spread cheerily across her freckled face. She greeted Yuhi first with a vibrant good morning, her husky voice stepping an octave higher of obvious delight, and thanked Killua for looking after her. The latter nodded and retreated to stand on the bedside while the former returned the greeting with equal enthusiasm, pretending to act calm and collected despite the million invisible arrows Cupid was brazenly darting straight to her heart.

The standard medical protocol of 'asking the patient questions' soon commenced as Chichi, the school nurse, walked to her table to get a notepad, a pen, a stethoscope and a sphygmomanometer. "What did you have for breakfast?" "Were you feverish on the way to school?" "Did you hit your head?" "Does it hurt?" "Does your stomach hurt?" Yuhi rarely visited the clinic, but she always loved the way Chichi talked. Her tone was always mild and delicate, as though she was speaking with newborn babies, like how Sejin's mom spoke with them. It made her feel safe and warm. She answered each question slowly, making sure that she was giving the correct information.

Killua was leaning on the wall next to the bed and listened to them talked. After Yuhi answered the questions, there was a brief pause and Killua took advantage of it by calling the attention of the nurse. "Ah, Chichi-san," he interjected with an index finger up and said offhandedly, without giving Yuhi a second look, "Don't forget to ask if she slept last night."

Yuhi tensed when the nurse gave her a knowing look, expecting an answer. A slow nod was what she managed to respond with, and a silent "Yes. Home…work…"

Killua faked a cough.

"See, when they brought you in, you were as pale as a paper." The nurse cackled softly as she took Yuhi's arm and slid on the inflatable cuff of the sphygmomanometer to her bicep and pressed the cold metal chestpiece of the stethoscope onto her elbow pit.

Yuhi flinched when Chichi began to take her blood pressure. "I don't really remember what happened earlier," she answered with a sheepish smile. "Do you know who took me here?"

"Well, Jinop was the one who was carrying you. But I think the entire class was here." She laughed, removed the equipment from Yuhi's arm, placed them on the bed and looked at her patient as she sat straight. "Blood pressure's normal. All well." She then stood and took her things to her table while saying something about multivitamins and getting a good night's sleep.

Yuhi thanked the nurse as she wrote on her table, telling herself to thank her classmates the next day for taking care of her. She turned to glance at Killua who caught her gaze and gave a small gentle smile that made her limbs feel weak and her heart full.

One by one, the herd of questions inside Yuhi's little farm were answered. Chichi assured her that she was properly excused from classes that day and just instructed her to "Drop by the faculty room before going home for Mr. Yama's peace of mind", mentioning that their class adviser was concerned about her health and kept asking her about it every hour of the day. Roroturo was aware of what happened as well. The nurse gave him a call at lunch break, grateful for Gon and Killua who were there when she did. When Yuhi asked, Chichi said that Roroturo was panicking and that Gon volunteered to talk to him over the phone for her.

"Gon appeased him really well! He even volunteered to stay with you until you wake up and take you home so that Roroturo-san won't have to leave work. I'm surprised at how well you know each other."

In all honesty, Yuhi could not explain how it happened. Being friends with Gon and Killua was a complex myth for her six months ago. Thinking about it, she still couldn't believe that she's made their acquaintance, that they accepted her as a friend, a friend that they will take care of. She could only smile at their nurse as a response to her remark as she thought of Gon and recognized Killua's presence by her side.

Yuhi could not contain her overflowing thanks and apologies to Chichi as they stood by the clinic's doorway, ready to go. The nurse's smiling face never waned as she guaranteed it was fine, these things happen to students, and that it's the reason why she was hired by the school in the first place. She reminded Yuhi to get a good night's sleep on a school night, drink lots of water and eat before going home that day—with Yuhi feeling her stomach grumble when she was told of the last one. Then, after a bow and another "thank you so much", she and Killua were out the door and walking in the hallway to their classrooms.

It was a short walk as the clinic was just at the second floor of the building, the same floor as 2-A's, 2-B's and 2-C's, and Yuhi was planning to use of it wisely by talking to Killua—because she missed talking to him in person—albeit also wanting to avoid the topic of sleeplessness and pay no attention to the memory of her randomly telling him that he's cute in front of his face.

He's really cute, though. Her face burned at the thought of it. That was her cue. She silently cleared her throat before starting. "So," she said, the exact same time Killua said "Hey, ramen girl." They looked at each other for a while before Killua blinked and broke the gaze.

"You first," he said to the air, pushing his hands deep in his pockets.

She smiled at him, glancing a little to her left to check the door to room 2-B that was about five steps away from where they stood. "Thank you," she spoke from her heart, "for looking after me." They stopped in front of the closed door of her classroom. Holding onto the door handle, she braced herself before turning to Killua.

Yuhi had memorized her nerves by now: every single time she looks at the boy her senses go frantic. After doing it for countless of times, even though she was aware that she needed more chances to practice, she somehow learned to coach her brain on how to react whenever it happened. At that time, even though she was feeling her veins desperately wanting to break free from her skin from too much throbbing, wallowing in Killua's gentle gaze, she never looked away. She didn't want to. She wanted him to feel her gratitude by doing so; imagining herself transporting an endless supply of 'thank you' to him through her eyes. Words could not describe how she felt about him that day.

To her delight, Killua was returning it. He looked at her with mellow wonder in his eyes, as though she mentioned something that he had not prepared himself for. When Yuhi lifted the corners of her lips even more, he blinked, slowly nodded and silently said "Sure."

She was glad, but she was aware of her fault. After all, he wouldn't be staying in school until late in the afternoon if it weren't for her. At that, she decided to give the floor her attention. "And I'm sorry for causing trouble." She meant it, promising herself not to do it again.

Here she heard Killua smile. So, she lifted her eyes to see, and she still couldn't believe that of all people, Killua would be the one to give her that soothing gaze she didn't know she needed. "Well, you heard Chichi-san. You're cleared. But if you're worried about me," he shrugged, "I don't mind."

Yuhi couldn't contain her wide smile. She opened the door to their empty classroom and gestured to where her desk was. Killua followed.

"On second thought," he retracted, thinking, "maybe I mind a little."

"Oh." Yuhi paused when she reached her desk and turned to the boy who had positioned himself at the windowsill adjacent to it. She absentmindedly cocked her head to the right and swallowed, suddenly worried about his time. Earlier inside the clinic, she already decided that she will return the favor. But hearing Killua saying that it hassled him, she had the urge to ask, "How can I make it up to you?"

She waited for him to speak while she silently reveled at the sight of him with the picturesque afternoon sky as his background. His stillness and his pretty face made Yuhi imagine that she was looking at a beautiful painting that was looking back at her. She was beginning to love the color of sunset on his skin.

Killua fixed his gaze at her for a while before he blinked, and blinked again, and then he laughed.

Eh? Yuhi had no idea what sounded or looked so funny.

He took a breath and let out that cheeky smile he gave Gon whenever he was teasing him. "I'm kidding! You seriously think that I'm bothered by this?" He gestured to the two of them.

Yuhi felt her face warm at that, but she nodded anyway. "Well, not really bothered. I mean, I took some of your time…" Her voice trailed off when Killua sighed.

"You always worry about taking my time."

It was true. Even though she never really told him directly, she was always concerned about the amount of attention he was giving her; not because she didn't want it, but because she was not used to it, and that she always had the idea at the back of her mind that Killua should have been doing something else instead of talking or hanging out with her. She was okay with it, though, but the tone in his voice when he said it made her think twice if that was ever the right thing to feel. She stared at his face as if it beheld the proof to a scientific theory. She didn't know what to say. Instead, she pursed her lips and shrugged, as if to affirm what he just said.

Killua looked at her as though she was a puzzle that he needed to solve. Yuhi thought he was waiting for her to talk, and she was about to break the ice by asking if he was okay with staying with her when she felt his fingers on her face. He was pinching her left cheek. It didn't hurt, but Killua held onto it in a way that made it impossible for her to move her head, or shun her gaze, or hide her blush. He was looking at her with a straight face when he said, "I already told you before. Don't think about it too much."

He did.

He told her while walking her home from their first date. The memory was so vivid behind her eyes it felt as though it only happened yesterday—that while Killua waited for her response with that serious yet gentle look on his face, the atmosphere of that specific scenario came back to her, how she felt that night, the thing that almost happened. Slowly, her wide-eyed gaze shifted from his eyes to his nose, and down to his lips. She pressed her own, feeling a mild prick on her right cheek, making her flinch. Instinctively, she let out a faint "Ow…"

Killua let go of his grip and turned to look outside, repeating "Just don't think about it too much" under his breath.

But Yuhi was unable to comprehend anything. She heaved as she repeatedly blinked and bit her bottom lip, shooing away the heart-pounding thoughts inside her head, trying to ignore the fact that they were alone inside the room and that Killua looked so good with the sunrays outlining his whole frame. It was too much for her to handle. She lightly shook her head off it and managed to smile, but she couldn't look at him, so she gave it to her desk instead. "Yes," she almost choked on her words. "I won't. I promise."

Maybe one look.

She lifted her eyes, meeting his, and they both smiled. Her heart fluttered as she checked the completeness of the things inside her bag. She also checked her phone, with her inbox and call logs flooded with messages and calls from her brother and her guardian—with the last registered call at 11:54AM from Roroturo and at 12:03PM from Yellich. Yuhi figured that they might have relaxed after the call from school and from Gon. She each gave Roroturo and Sejin a quick buzz and left a message for Yellich as he was not picking up.

A message from Gon registered at 8:58AM was what surprised her that time. When she opened it, she couldn't help but laugh and share it with Killua who snorted when he read it.

From: Gon (^_^)

Message: hi yuhi! i'm really really sorry for
sending this just now! but killua wanted
to tell u that his phone broke last night
and that's why he didnt reply to your text!
sorry! please don't be mad at him thank you!
ok bye see you later!

She earnestly sent a reply to Gon's text and immediately got a call from him after. He asked if she was okay, apologized for not being there, and reminded her that Killua would take care of her and would accompany her home. Yuhi answered all of Gon's questions and assured him that Killua was still with her—with the latter shouting a haste "I can hear your loud voice from over here, you idiot!". When she was done, she went with Killua to get his things from their classroom.

As Chichi instructed, Yuhi dropped by the faculty room and spoke with her class adviser. She dreaded it; her nerves had started to act up the moment she told Killua to wait for her for a little while. She was certain that Mr. Yama would be giving her a lecture on responsibility and health awareness. But when she entered the room and made her presence known, it was the opposite. Yama gave her this small smile he rarely showed and just asked how she was feeling. The only not-so-good news that she got from him was a reminder—or rather a suggestion—that she should start practicing for archery if she wished to remain in Section B or even advance to Section A next school year.

She thought of this while walking out of the faculty room. Mr. Yama was right. She should take her lessons seriously if she still wanted to be in Section B as a Junior. She thought of her classmates as her second family; she didn't want to be away from them. She told Killua this as they walked out of the campus gates.

"Want a tutor?" he then suggested.

Yuhi looked at him curiously. "Tutor?"

"Yeah." A faint smoke was visible in the air when he exhaled. It was a rather chilly twilight.

Yuhi sighed and said to herself aloud, "I don't know a lot of people at school who's good at archery and will tutor me for free, ne." There was a pause, and in that pause, she decided to look at Killua and ask if he knew someone.

He shrugged and jabbed a thumb pointing to his chest.

Yuhi blinked and briefly imagined him targeting the bull's eye with a bow and an arrow. "You know how?"

"Wanna bet?"

All she could think of that time was how he was able to be this kind of perfect boy. Excitement dominated her senses and she beamed. "I wanna see!" she exclaimed, bouncing a little, which made Killua lean back a little with the sudden movement. Yuhi took a breath to compose herself, but she couldn't let go of her regard. "Really, what can't you do?"

"Uh…" Killua thought about it. "Math?"

"Then let's trade! I'm pretty good at math." It's only fair, she thought then. If Killua was to help her get a good grade in archery, she might as well help him with math. "Deal?"

Killua nodded and smiled. "Deal."

They had dinner at a small dim sum café near the bus stop. Yuhi insisted on having it at the ramen shop instead but her loud grumbling stomach gave it away, with Killua reminding her that she slept since nine in the morning and never had food intake since then. They talked about school while they waited for their dumplings and nothing while they ate, interaction limited to a few exchanges of glances and small smiles as they concentrated on their food. Yuhi was famished. She had mild burns on her tongue because she couldn't wait for her food to cool a little before putting it in her mouth, getting snickers from Killua whenever he saw her frantically hover a hand over her face.

He had asked what it was she wanted to ask him last night while waiting for their bill. Yuhi thought about it for a while and weighed her options—should she ask him again in person or defer the question for some other time. She quickly chose the latter because she felt that it was more fitting, considering the easy and comfortable state they were in that day. She could ask him once they started to talk about their families perhaps. That would work for her. So, instead, she told him that "It's nothing important, really" while waving her hands in the air.

Killua hummed a tone of confusion and fixed his eyes at her while taking out his wallet from his pants pocket. Then he shrugged and said okay. "You can ask me anything," he assured her, smiling. "except math." He paid for their food.

Yuhi felt her lips form into a smile and her heart race at that remark and that look on his face. A few minutes later, they were exiting the warm dim sum café to head back into the outdoor freezer, waiting for a bus to arrive. She was about to tell Killua that she could go home by herself but prevented from doing so, for once, and decided to observe what he would do.

"So," he started then after a minute of silence, "today's Friday." His eyes were fixed to the left side of the road where the bus would appear.

"Yes." Yuhi leaned forward a little for a peak. She was standing on his right. "And tomorrow's Saturday. You have plans for tomorrow?" Yuhi was sure that he and his best friend would have something to do over the weekend.

Killua nodded. "Need to buy a new phone."

"Hmm. I'm not sure if you can buy a good kind here in Tomo, though. We always go to the mall at Kyowa for those kinds of stuff."

"Yeah, me and Gon'll go." He then turned to her. "You wanna come with?"

Yuhi's eyes lit up. She wanted to go, but she had to assess first if she could. Homework? She could finish them on Sunday. Did she have plans with her brother? None. Yellich had anticipated that he would be knocked out all day that Saturday because of the concert. She then smiled at Killua and confidently said, "I'll ask Roroturo-san if I can go." She hoped that he would allow. She just needed to get a good night's sleep and assure him that she was fine.

Killua suppressed a snicker. "Okay," he answered while nodding, turning again to the left when he sensed a vehicle approaching. It was a bus.

Just like Gon said, Killua accompanied her home. The latter said it was Gon's bargain with Roroturo. Her guardian insisted on marching to campus to take Yuhi home that day. But Gon heard how busy the ramen shop was from the other line, with people constantly mentioning Roroturo's name and calling his attention. Gon knew that it would be better if Yuhi was at school resting and attended to by a nurse instead of at her busy house. He told Roroturo that, and he agreed, if they promise to escort Yuhi back home that day. Killua said that they were planning to anyway, but Mito called right after dismissal, needing help with groceries and medicine for Gon's grandma. Yuhi never missed a chance to express how grateful she was for them. She also told Killua that she was glad to have good classmates, and that she didn't want to be separated from them throughout high school.

The bus ride went by swiftly and upon hopping off, Yuhi and Killua walked to the ramen shop in cozy silence. It reminded her again of that night when they went out for the first time. It felt good, because even though it was cold, she was warm under her skin.

Roroturo gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek when she entered the ramen shop with Killua, securing his big, tough hands on her shoulders to get a good look at her. He released that loud, husky, content laugh when Yuhi told her that she was feeling fine and that she already ate. They had hot chocolate at the bar while they filled in Roroturo with what happened that day. As how he told her earlier at the dim sum café, Killua recapped the story of when Yuhi collapsed and what happened after while Roroturo listened, and the entire time this exchange happened, Yuhi's heart swelled of glee. She loved how comfortable Killua was inside the ramen shop.

The stories ended when they finished their hot chocolate. Killua signaled his leave and Roroturo thanked him with a pat on the shoulder. But before he turned for the door, he asked the big man, "Roroturo-san, me and Gon will go to Kyowa tomorrow to buy something. Can Yuhi come?"

She gasped, frozen.

Roroturo paused, his face read a look of surprise and consent. He nodded and threw a loving arm around the girl. "Of course! My, am I glad that you asked me. Well, if she doesn't have anything to do tomorrow, why not. Do you want to go, Yuhi?"

She blinked, still stunned as she nodded. Killua was looking at her and waiting for her response. She had to clear the block in the throat and smile—but not too much. Just smile your normal smile, Yuhi. "I… Yes, I want to go."

Killua immediately smiled at that, and Yuhi was about to lose her mind. "Okay. We'll drop by at 1. That okay?"

Yuhi was aware that the two were looking at her. So, she nodded again as a response, that same dumb smile plastered on her face. "Yes!" Too excited!

"Yosh, I'll head off now. Thanks for the hot choco."

Roroturo opened the door for him. "Thanks again, Killua. Take care on the way home."

He nodded, gave Yuhi one last look, and waved goodbye.

Yuhi could only wave back as she let herself drown to the sound of her fast and loud beating heart. Perhaps it was because she spent one whole afternoon with the boy, or that he gave her too many warm smiles and gentle gazes than she could ever imagine, or that he took care of her and made sure that she got home safely, or maybe it was because she was feeling too excited about the weekend. It was all too much. But, Killua; he decided that those weren't enough.

Yuhi took deep breaths, recalling, trying to make out that sound amidst the noise inside her chest. Did she hear it right? She was sure that it was when he asked Roroturo if she could go with them tomorrow. Her senses came alive when it echoed in her head: "Can Yuhi come?"

She was certain.

Killua said her name, and she wanted to hear it again, and again, and again.

-Chapter End-


A/N: Okay, OKAY, okay. Can we talk about this chapter? I had so much fun writing this! But, to be honest, I could've finished it sooner if it weren't for me overthinking how Yuhi and Killua would interact. This is an important chapter, although super slow-burn, that's why I wanted to make it as simple and nice to read as possible. But... I don't know! Did it bore you? What do you think of it? What do you think of the flow of things so far? What do you think of the Yuhi-Killua conversations/interaction? What do you expect in the next chapters? Did Yuhi do the right thing by not asking Killua yet about his family? Have you experienced a sleepless night because of a significant someone? Ahhhh, please let me know your thoughts in the reviews onegai.

Time for me to express my sincerest thanks to everyone who reviewed, fave-d and followed this story. Seriously, you just melt my heart and feed me sugar with all of your sweet words. I really, really, really appreciate it. We've reached 430+ reviews and my kokoro is just full and humbled. Shout out to readers who have been reviewing and spazzing about this story with me since 2013! You guys know who you are and I love you for still being here. xx

NEXT CHAPTER: A Saturdate with Gon and Killua? Oh, how fun!

Will wait for your reviews while I binge Gon and Killua's lunch dates for reference lol please stay safe! xx