A/N: Hey, guys! First of all, thank you to everyone who've read the TOC Special and for sending in your greetings! This story is old but it's forever young in my heart :) Second of all, I told myself that I won't apologize anymore for publishing late, but I feel like I should this time because I'm past my scheduled update. Really sorry for the long interval! I've been busy with work and back-to-the-office stuff and sleeping. Come to think of it, if I combine all the days I spent writing this chapter, it only took me four days-five if we are to include proofreading. *sighs* Anyway, I hope you are well and I hope you are healthy. Third of all, here's Chapter 33 for a little serotonin boost! (I hope you like it)
Doki = sound of a heartbeat
Osu = another way to say "Yes!" usually to a teacher (reference: Zushi)
Disclaimer: If you came across unfamiliar names, those are my OCs
Warning: Long chapter (I needed it)
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Silver Spoon
I think it's weird that it's only the two of us in the open field today. It doesn't feel like a Saturday. And it's definitely too sunny for after-school hours. But, in any case, I don't really mind whatever day or time it is; the fact that we're alone.
I actually… like it.
"Killua?" I hear her say and I turn. She looks at me with those big eyes that sometimes blinds my sight. So, I look down as I walk to her. I bet it's because of the sunrays. Like how Gon's eyes would light up. But hers is softer and warmer, I guess. It's kinda nice.
"Here." I hand her the bow and arrow and she takes it with both hands. She always takes it with both hands. Maybe because it's too heavy for her? But she keeps saying that her arms are strong because of years of dough-mashing exercises at the ramen shop. Then again, carrying's different from mashing, so… "Ramen girl," I call. She looks at me. I point at the bull's eye. "You better hit your target this time. Got it?" When I look back at her to check how she's taking in my bossy tone, I pause, and I blink. Did she even look at the target!?
"Osu!" she says with a firm nod and a fist in the air.
Okay, whatever, it's amusing, anyway.
I smile. I can't help it. Sometimes her determination to accomplish something she's not really good at gets on my good nerves. And that smile is really something. "Good. Keep up that energy." I even expect her to feel down at some point, but she doesn't. Nope, not the ramen girl. Well, not that I know of.
I step aside and watch her lift the bow and position it with her arms. She'd better be faster this time. Her first try yesterday was unbearable, I'll admit. I mean, I was itching to flick her fingers off the string so that she releases it. That's just me, though. But Gon's a little slower than I am, and he hits his target well. Ramen girl's just… too slow, I think, and…
Yup, I'm right. Still slow.
"Let go."
"Wait," she says.
But it's too obvious that her arms are shaking already holding her position. I sigh and stand in front of the bull's eye, facing the supposed sharp end of the arrow. She blinks. "Just let go!" I say again.
She lowers her arms. Her eyes are bigger than they were two seconds ago. "Are you crazy?" She snaps. Oh boy. "Why would I shoot you!?"
I laugh at that. She's funny when confused. Yeah, this method is already worth the try. "C'mon, it's okay! You won't even hit me, I promise!" Man, that's a good joke! "C'mon, try!"
She frowns. Then she pouts.
I laugh even more. But kidding aside, I feel like she'll be more motivated this way. I know she'll want to defy my assumptions—prove me wrong. "Try it! It's not even sharp, it won't hurt me. It won't even reach me!"
She huffs.
Good.
"Okay," she says, glaring at me like I stole the poached egg in her ramen or something.
But I smile at that and spread my arms wide. "Hit me with your best shot."
She takes a breath and positions the bow again in her arms, aiming at me. "Are you ready?" she asks. I nod. "Here goes!"
I brace myself for the impact. She looks serious so I figure she'd hit me well and good. But two seconds in, she throws her bow and arrow on the ground and dashes toward me. I blink, and she's standing in front of me, face so close I… don't know what to do. Do I run away? Look away? Step back? I don't know, my hands are shaky, and I can't move! What the heck—
"This is my best shot." She smiles, and suddenly, I feel her lips on mine—
Killua shrugged—no, he jolted—in his seat too much his chair emitted a sound that dominated the silence inside their classroom. He blinked several times and looked around to make sure that he's existing in reality now, finding all eyes at him, including his teacher's.
"Is there anything you'd like to share with the class, Mr. Zoldyck?" Malu asked from the teacher's table.
"Uh…" He blinked again, trying to put his mind on the right track. Which class is this again? He looked at Gon who was mouthing something that took him a second to decode: Malu. Ah, first period! He looked back at Malu and sat properly, scratching the back of his head and trying to give her a reassuring smile that it's "Nothing. Hehe…"
Malu stared at him for a while with her thin eyebrows raised. Then she pushed the bridge of her glasses and returned to reading the newspaper. "You still have ten minutes until the break. Keep quiet if you're done with the quiz, children."
Stupid quiz. Killua inwardly hissed, making a sour face when he was reminded of the find-the-answers-in-your-books activity Malu had them do for the entire History period. It was easy, a no-brainer. He finished twenty minutes ago, so he sure had plenty of time to spare—plenty of time to let his mind wander through some thoughts in his head, including that dream last night.
"Killua, are you okay?" Gon whispered from beside him. When Killua looked at him to nod, Gon's eyebrows furrowed. "Are you not feeling well? Your face is a little red." He was about to reach for his forehead for a feel but Killua leaned away just as instantly.
"I'm okay," he whispered back, heart racing suddenly. "It's nothing." I'm just…thinking of something. The last frame from his dream then went past his train of thoughts.
Now his face felt hot.
Gon's eyebrows furrowed even more. "Are you sure?" He was about to reach out for a feel again but Killua grabbed his wrist.
"I'm," he mouthed, hoping that his best friend would spare him his stubbornness, "okay."
Gon looked at the hand that gripped his wrist and paused for five seconds—Killua figured he wanted to check his temperature through his touch—then he nodded.
He then retrieved his hand and gestured at the materials on Gon's desk. "Are you done?"
Gon mouthed a 'one last question' before pointing at it on his notebook. Killua checked his notes and wrote on his palm the page number in their History book where the answer to the question was, looking at their teacher before showing it to Gon and telling him to just look it up. Gon was convinced that it was cheating, but he conceded when Killua reminded him of the time.
The latter then slumped easy on his chair and let his eyes drift toward the sky, feeling his pulses hammer with every second his brain flashed the dream that woke him up in the middle of the night. He tried to ignore it, but each time he yawned and closed his eyes for a bit, her face appears, and he would be reminded of it again.
It was not as if he didn't want her to bug him in his sleep. In fact, he had dreamt of the ramen girl plenty of times before last night, but they never felt as real as that, they never looked that vivid and they never were about her leaning in close and surprising him like… like that. He tried to convince himself that what he felt after waking up from it—what he was feeling until that morning—was just a knee-jerk reaction similar to when someone is startled. But he wondered why he couldn't stop thinking about it. More so, he wondered why he low-key wished he did not wake up from it too soon.
He slumped even more so that his nape rested on the back support of his chair, groaning and grabbing his notebook and spreading it over his face. He needed to hide it. It was still hot.
When Malu left the class, a unison sigh of relief echoed inside their room, followed by chairs screeching against the cemented flooring and footsteps scurrying to the door for the morning break.
Killua stretched and yawned before taking his phone out of his pocket and checked his messages. A notification from ramen girl always made him smile. So, he did, but he had to bite his lower lip to keep his face from showing any goofy curve.
"can't go with you today forgot to do history homework :((((( sorry!"
He snickered.
"haha ok, also expect a stupid quiz from malu later i almost fell asleep"
Typing in the last word triggered the appearance of that ramen girl in his head again, feeling blood spreading fast and in bulk to his face. But he didn't mind—rather, he wanted to let it be until he got used to it, because he figured it would build a tent and a campfire in his brain until he does something about it, which he doubted would even happen soon. I don't even know if she wants to.
Wait.
What?
Stop. Stop thinking about it!
No—
Argh!
"Yuhi ready yet?" Gon asked, standing up.
Killua did the same. He took a breath and did his best to ignore the fire in his chest caused by the ludicrous thoughts in his head. "She can't go. Homework." He shrugged. Act normal or Gon will notice with his psycho abilities.
Gon gave off a sheepish laugh before nodding and turning a heel to the door. Killua followed. "Yuhi sure works hard, huh?"
He nodded. He figured Gon was thinking about all her activities and the amount of effort she puts in her tasks and assignments. So focused on one thing, she forgets about another sometimes. Well, I'm not one to talk.
"I really hope she does well in archery!"
He smiled at that. The word archery now rang nice-sounding bells in his mind whenever he heard it, and it's not only because of what he dreamt of last night; it was because he got to hang out more with her for it. "Yeah, I hope so too" he said, face lighting up of a sudden idea. Maybe, he thought then as his smile grew wide, he could try the strategy dream-Killua did. That's it! Maybe it's a sign, and that it might just work for the ramen girl for real.
"Race to the canteen!" Gon suddenly darted when they reached the foot of the staircase at the ground floor, looking over his shoulder at Killua with that huge cheeky beam and shouting, "Loser gets to buy the winner snacks!"
Killua grinned and sprinted as fast as he could. He felt like winning that day.
Back straight.
Arms crossed against her chest.
Eyebrows furrowed of concentration.
Eyes wide with focused observation.
Yuhi stood erect next to the outdoor bleachers as she watched, with determined understanding, their P.E. teacher aim her bow and arrow at the bull's eye, stance impeccable and gaze ablaze toward her fifteen feet far target. Her auburn eyes were locked onto Juno's right hand, waiting for her to let go, preparing her brain to take a mental note of the number of seconds after inhaling that she would release the arrow. Killua never failed in reminding her over and again that timing was important—no matter how mastered she was of the basics of aiming, she had to learn when to release.
Juno took a breath and Yuhi did the same. She imagined herself in her teacher's shoes, pictured herself as the one who was holding the archery equipment. It was a quick internalization for her, but when she blinked, the arrow had already hit the bull's eye.
I'm too slow! she thought to herself, grimacing at the air. Too slow! a different voice, of a lower register, then echoed the words in her head, accompanied immediately by a vivid image of Killua's wide-eyed gaze. Yuhi bit her bottom lip. He's right…
XxxflashbackxxX
"Let's see how you do it."
Yuhi nodded and took the bow and arrow from Killua's hands.
"You can do it, Yuhi!"
She smiled at Gon, then stepped backward and positioned herself on the x mark Killua drew in the dirt. Fixing strands of hair away from her eyes, her brain had a rewind of all the lessons Juno had taught them about archery—how she should stand, how to arrange the equipment in her arms, how to aim, the number of fingers that should hold the string, how many degrees from the bull's eye should she point the arrow to before releasing. She got it all covered; she knew the basics and did just that, eyes squinting toward the target which stood five feet away, aiming… aiming… aiming…
Aiming…
Okay, her thoughts began, pull, inhale, then release. She took a breath and opted to move her right hand—the hand that held onto the string—but it dislocated the arrow from its position. So, she placed it again and pulled, aiming… aiming… aiming…
Inhale. She took another breath.
"Let go."
Then exhaled sharply when she heard Killua speak, causing her to tighten her grip on the bow, losing her aim. She cleared her throat, determined to hit the center. She straightened up once more and pulled the string, inhaling and aiming… aiming… aiming…
"Just let go—"
Release!
. . .
"Ah—!"
Eh? Yuhi lowered her arms and blinked her wide eyes as she stared at the bull's eye, hearing Gon's strained chuckle and a "That's okay, Yuhi!" in the background. Realizing that the arrow was missing, she pressed her lips together and carefully turned to Killua, face hot of shame.
The latter had his knuckles planted on his hips, grinning, but shaking his head of disbelief. Yuhi laughed sheepishly and scratched her cheek. Killua exhaled. "Do you even know where your arrow went?"
Yuhi looked at the grass surrounding the target. The arrow was gone. When she returned to Killua, he was picking something up from three feet away to Yuhi's left. Her nose crinkled and lips pouted of disappointment. "Sorry!" It was embarrassing; but then again it was also expected, so she wasn't that surprised. She just didn't like how botched her first try was—and with Killua and Gon watching too.
"You're lucky this arrow's not pointy and sharp or else," he said when he reached her, spinning the arrow with his fingers and catching it in one hand. He held out a palm with the other hand. "May I?"
For a moment, Yuhi imagined Killua asking her to dance with his gesture. But she immediately erased it from her mind and handed him the bow. Her pulses began to race as she hopped to where Gon was, sharing a smile with him before turning to watch Killua.
That was the first time she will be seeing him do it.
"O-kay." Killua fixed the arrow's tail to the bow's string before looking at them to say, "Watch me." He let out a tiny smirk before facing the bull's eye and aiming the arrow towards it.
Yuhi's heart stopped the instant Killua pulled the string and targeted, and it was not only because she found him breathtaking, but because he did it flawlessly—and swiftly. Not even three seconds had passed, and the arrow was right at the center of the eye. She had to blink to double check if she saw it right. So fast! Upon looking back at him, she met his proud smile, and she couldn't help but beam. "That was amazing!" she commended with pure admiration.
"Yeah, so cool!" Gon exclaimed from beside her, standing up and raising a hand. "Ne, ne, can I try?" He ran to Killua who was handing him the equipment, with the latter giving him pointers as to how it should be setup before he aims.
When they were done, Killua left Gon to stand facing the bull's eye and walked toward Yuhi to watch next to her.
"Gon would definitely hit the center," he mused, confident gaze at his best friend who then had pulled the string to aim.
Yuhi was doing the same. "This isn't the first time he tried?"
"It's his first time using a specialized bow and arrow. We used to make one out of tree branches to hunt some chicken and sometimes fish."
Yuhi nodded and observed how Gon was doing. His aim and release were not as fast and professional-like as Killua's, but his stance and the way he positioned it were excellent. He hit the center, as what Killua had predicted, and Yuhi just could not believe how amazing these boys were. She beamed and clapped excitedly.
Gon returned it with a wide smile of his own. "This thing is heavy!" he said as he approached.
"But you were great!" Yuhi bounced.
Killua reached out for the bow and arrow being handed to him by Gon. "It is heavy," he seconded, turning to face the girl. "That's why you have to let go fast. Go again?"
Yuhi's eyes grew wide, humming of understanding. That's why he's fast! she figured, then nodded firmly, striding toward the x mark and grabbing the equipment from Killua's grip with grit.
For an hour, Yuhi practiced shooting arrows in consideration of her timing. It was what Killua thought she needed to work on since she already knew the basics of archery. But she figured she never got it right, because Killua kept reminding her to let go before she could even think of doing it. It was not as if he wanted her to do it like he does; she was just slow, too slow her arms always tire themselves out holding the heavy bow before she could release the arrow.
"Just relax and let go!" Killua would say from the bleachers.
"I'm trying!" was her consistent rebuttal. Out of twenty-seven tries, only one was successful—and that was when Killua coached her step by step.
Xxxflashback-endxxX
Yuhi exhaled as she dropped her arms to her sides, letting her legs crumble to sit on the bleacher. I need to practice hard, she thought as her eyes wandered through the grass and towards the bull's eye. She found it exciting that she was spending time with Killua and Gon after school hours, but she had to focus. She had to do well. She had to improve on this activity if she wanted to get good grades.
"Okay, class," Juno started, facing the students who had all taken seats on the bleachers. P.E. was done for the day. "Starting tomorrow, we will be aiming at a fifteen-feet distance instead of a seven, in preparation for Finals."
Murmurs then resonated in their area, but Yuhi could only hear her own heart crying. Fifteen feet! She looked at Sejin from behind her and frowned. The latter only shrugged.
Juno hushed the crowd. "You still have plenty of time to practice, okay? We have three months before the Finals. So, aside from the written exam, please also do well in the practical exam. Let me know if you have any concerns. Class dismissed."
I have a concern, Ms. Juno. I'm so bad at it. Yuhi sighed and stood up. Sejin appeared beside her before they walked toward the building.
"Did it go well?" the latter asked after realizing that Yuhi had pouted longer than she herself could ever allow.
A sigh. She knew Sejin was asking about their first practice yesterday. "For me? Not so much." Then a smile. Yuhi looked at Sejin with bright eyes. "But they are really good at it. You should definitely join us later! It's fun! Like watching a tournament on TV. But live!" She laughed. "Watching them. Not me. I'm like the water girl who tries archery just for fun and fails."
Sejin gave her a look of disbelief and shook her head before pushing the bridge of her glasses. "You should give yourself enough credit for doing your best. Are you doing your best?"
Yuhi's sunny smile quickly transformed into a sheepish one, remembering how none of her arrows hit their target yesterday except one. "I still need lots of practice, that's for sure."
"Regardless," Sejin pressed, "are you doing your best?"
When Yuhi looked at her and saw a daring look on her face, her confidence instantly rose beyond the clouds. She straightened her back and saluted. "Yes, ma'am!" she confirmed, laughing with Sejin after the latter playfully rolled her eyes.
Yuhi talked about their little archery session yesterday as they entered the building, describing her excitement and amazement with bright eyes and big smiles, mimicking with her small arms how Gon and Killua hit all their targets.
They were at the foot of the staircase going up the second floor when her storytelling was cut short, pausing in their tracks and turning to check who was calling their name.
Gon was running to them, waving a hand and saying hello with the toothiest beam while Killua jogged behind him, a small crooked smile on his bloomed face. Yuhi made a complete turn the second she saw them and waved back, her auburn eyes glistening above her flushed cheeks.
"Hi!" she greeted when the boys reached them, shifting her gaze from Sejin, who bowed and said hello, to Gon and Killua. "How's P.E.?" The thrill of seeing them—seeing him—at random moments in school always made her bounce on her toes.
Killua widened his smile at her.
Doki doki.
"It was great!" Gon announced, arms spread wide to denote his excitement. "Mr. Tenoshiru divided us into eight teams for Finals. Four girl teams and four boy teams. It'll be like a tournament! You should watch! Me and Killua will be on the same team!"
Yuhi gasped and briefly imagined them playing on court. Her heart raced. "Really!?"
"Yeah, 'cause you wouldn't shut up about not having me in your team when Tenoshiru announced," Killua said between snickers. He looked at Yuhi and jabbed a thumb toward the now pouting Gon. "He insisted that we'd be on the same team."
Gon frowned even more. "That's because it's our last volleyball game together! I want us to team up! Plus, it just doesn't make sense if we aren't in the same team." Then he smiled wide. "It's more fun if we're playing together! If I get to choose teammates, I'd always pick my best friend first!"
Yuhi immediately pressed her lips to suppress sweet cackles coming out of her lungs. At the back of her mind she knew how Killua would react, but she still wanted to see it. And true enough, Killua's face was red.
"W-Will you stop that already?" Killlua grabbed Gon's neck in a tight armlock while the latter laughed.
Juno then appeared from the building entrance and saw them in the hallway. Sejin and Yuhi greeted her while Gon and Killua bickered on the side. She nodded in regard and reminded them to head back to their classrooms for the next period if they didn't want to be late. Sejin responded with a "Yes, ma'am" before instigating the walk up the stairs.
"You're embarrassing me," Killua mumbled as he retreated, taking a breath and placing his hands in his pockets before turning to Yuhi who was walking beside him. "So? How's archery?"
Gon wheezed and exhaled loud and sharp. Then he straightened up, mimicking Killua's stance and asking in his tone of voice, "Yeah, ramen girl, how's archery?"
Killua hissed at him.
Gon beamed.
Yuhi scratched her cheek, laughing awkwardly. She looked at Sejin as if to find refuge, but the latter just raised an eyebrow. "Well," she cleared her throat, thinking that she needed to be a little enthusiastic about it since she was doing her best, but first— "we did some exercises today! Sejin scored a perfect five out of five!" She nodded proudly. Yep! She's super good at it!
"That's so cool!" Gon exclaimed, brown eyes gleaming at green ones.
Sejin bowed her head a little, affirming that information.
"Nice," Killua commended with a thumbs up before returning to Yuhi, his small smile transforming into an impish grin. "Did you hit your target?"
Nope! "I hit the bull's eye's frame twice!" She laughed; for real this time—as though she just watched a stand-up comedy act in her head when she recalled how she did earlier. A seven-feet distance was just too far for her.
They stopped between 2-A's and 2-B's classroom door hooting about Yuhi's description of her failed attempts. Sejin and Gon both expressed their regard for her effort while Killua reminded her to practice more.
"Well, today's Thursday so we'll go again later," he said with that easy smile that always made Yuhi's knees weak.
She inwardly sighed of awe. Can we go again everyday? She nodded, tilting her head a little to the side as she beamed. "Yes!"
Just then, a group of noisy boys dashed from the staircase and toward their direction. Yuhi blinked at the sudden update of company. She looked around and found Jinop's group behind them, grinning and saying hello to Gon and Killua.
"Yuhinanana looks happy today!" Jinop teased, throwing playful arm around Yuhi's shoulders.
The latter's heart skipped a beat, completely ignoring Jinop's heavy arm and smiling widely to herself. She knew what they were thinking since she's talking to Gon, but she didn't mind the misinformation at all because Killua was there, and she was certain that Killua knew that he's the reason why she's happy. She lifted her eyes at him, expecting him to share a secret look with her—a look that only the both of them could understand. But he wasn't. His wide-eyed gaze was directed at something else.
"She does!" Gon perked up, giggling. "Isn't that right, Killua?"
Killua was unresponsive for two seconds before Gon nudged him in the elbow and he blinked. "Y-Yeah," he answered silently, gaze shifting from his best friend to Yuhi and holding his stare.
Yuhi stared back, curious, waiting for Killua to reform his expression so that she would somehow know why his air suddenly changed. But his oddly inquisitive face remained. He doesn't look like he's annoyed, though.
The boys snickered, and Suno was just about to say something when Sejin cut him off, reminding them all of the time. She looked at the 2-A boys and bowed her head before saying goodbye and telling her classmates to go in.
Gon nodded and waved a hand at them. "See you later!"
"Bye, Goooon~" the 2-B boys sang in unison between titters, waking Yuhi up from her daze as she felt them jiggle teasingly and heard Suno tell her to wave back.
She blinked and looked at Gon who was waiting for her goodbye. So, she slowly raised a hand, muttering a faint, "See you later" and glancing at Killua before her classmates had finally said goodbye and Jinop's arm had pulled her inside their classroom. Not a minute later, they were clambering to their seats as Malu's footsteps resonated from the hallway, nearing their door.
Gon was staring at him.
He had been doing so the moment they sat at their usual spot at the rooftop and set up their lunchboxes to eat. No, actually, he had been giving him this weird look since third period that told Killua he's curious about something that concerned him. The latter tried to ignore it and refused to ask what it was Gon wanted to say to him, because he feared that his psycho—psychic—powers had already taken effect and he definitely did not want to talk about why he had a red-face earlier at History class. But he was not sure if he could take it any longer.
Especially because it felt weird being stared at while eating.
"Are you really okay, Killua?"
Finally! he thought, halfway through putting a spoonful of rice in his mouth. But no, 'cause his asking that again. He looked at Gon as he chewed. "Yeah. Why?"
Gon blinked his big brown eyes. "Well, I noticed that your face turns red sometimes. Are you feverish? Do you want to go to the clinic?"
Killua almost choked on his food. He coughed a little. I knew it! "C'mon, Gon. Are you serious?" he answered coolly. "Me, with a fever? Don't make me laugh."
Gon frowned. "You said the same thing before. But you caught a cold and actually had a fever!" he exclaimed, raising his fork in the air to stress his point.
Guess who's also involved with that. Killua looked down to hide a smile and mumbled, "…that was one time."
There was a pause, and curious to know why Gon suddenly stopped speaking, Killua looked at him again and found him in the same position, same expression, same gaze. He sighed. It triggered Gon to talk.
"Are you really sure you're okay?"
He nodded. "Don't worry about me too much. It's just…the weather's really weird here. Maybe that's why."
When Gon hummed of understanding, he returned to his food. He could truthfully tell Gon why he was like that today but, like all the other strange things he had felt and had been feeling for the ramen girl, he was clueless as to how it should be explained. He couldn't even explain it to himself. Why was his face red? Well, he thought of his dream. What was his dream? That he could describe in detail. But, why did he dream of something like that?
Oh…
He felt his face burn again.
He scooped another spoonful of rice and shoved it in his mouth.
"Ne, I was thinking," Gon then started, sounding cautious and serious.
Killua looked at him as he roughly pulverized his food with his teeth. "About what?"
Gon looked down and fiddled with a piece of meat in his lunchbox with a fork. "Well, you know that Yuhi's classmates are pairing her up with me, right?"
Killua swallowed and snorted. Yup. "I know. It's way too obvious, if you ask me."
"Are you okay with that?"
He shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be? It's just a silly joke."
Gon looked back at him. "Really?"
"Yeah." Killua nodded, an eyebrow arching up. "Why are we talking about this again?"
"Well, don't you want them to know that it's not me?"
"Do I have to announce it?"
A pause.
They both looked at each other after Killua asked the last question—him waiting for Gon to respond while Gon probably wondered about whether it should be officially publicized in the first place. For Killua, though, he essentially didn't care about those things at that time. He and ramen girl were hanging out and that's what mattered to him. They shouldn't be obligated to tell the world about it. Plus, he kind of liked how private they were about their little bond.
He pressed his lips to try and hide his smile. That sounded so cheesy, what the heck.
After less than a minute of silence, Gon beamed—finally. "I guess not!" he said, laughing a little. "I'm just thinking that you might not want to give them the wrong idea. Or that, you know, you might want other guys to know that they can't ask Yuhi out. But if you don't mind, then I guess it's all good!"
Killua's eyes grew wide when he heard Gon's words—specifically that part where he mentioned other guys and ask Yuhi out. He thought he had erased it from his memory bank. But the picture of ramen girl with her guy classmate's arm around her shoulders flashed in his mind like he was watching it being projected in a theater house. It was strange; what he felt when it happened was new to him. It was as though time stopped, and all he could think of doing was to pull her away from his grasp and be the one to hold her like that. But he didn't want to think about it too much, though, so he decided to ignore the pressure. However… Gon just might be on to something.
"What's all good?"
Killua snapped out of his reverie the instant he heard that voice—and in that instant, his face transformed into sneering mode.
"Hi, Kira!" Gon sat straight. "We were just talking about Killua and—"
He gasped. Wait— "The weather!" He laughed sheepishly as he looked up to his left, where Lykira stood with her arms crossed against her chest and a smile on her waiting face. "Gon thought I have a fever, but I think it's just because of this weather…" Shifting his gaze to Gon and meeting his frown and puzzled stare, he looked down, heart racing of wedged propaganda. It did not sound good behind his ears. What am I doing…?
"But Killua's okay after all!" Gon added in his usual tone, smiling sunnily. "Did you have lunch? You can eat with us if you want!"
For some reason, Killua expected Lykira to see through his lie, but it did not seem like it. "It's okay, I finished mine early. I need to head back to the 'room for something. Thought I'd invite you to go back together." She laughed. "But you're still eating, so…"
Killua looked up at her when she paused, meeting her eyes. She was looking at him weirdly, like she wanted to tell him something, but she didn't know if she should—at least that was his impression. He raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Lykira snickered. "You got rice on your chin, grubby."
Killua groaned and flicked it off before Lykira waved a hand and walked away. He hissed at the door where she disappeared into and muttered a "Witch" under his breath. He met Gon's gaze when he was about to return to his food. Gon was staring at him again. This time, he looked fussed, and Killua figured it was because of his little white lie. He was not wrong.
"Don't you want other people to know about you two?" Gon asked carefully, worriedly.
He looked down. Maybe I do. But it's… When he heard Gon sigh, he lifted his eyes at him again.
Gon was smiling, and it was the kind of smile that always gave Killua the boost that he didn't know he needed at certain moments. "I know," he said, raising an index finger up. "It's between you two so you should talk about it. You can both decide what to do and if you should tell people about it." He beamed, showing his full white teeth. "You have practice later, right? I'll head home early so that you can talk to her."
Killua blinked. Gon's really on to something. Then he smiled, nodding firmly to Gon's nifty advise. "Sounds good."
Gon then giggled, looking around before leaning forward and whispering, "It might also be your chance to kiss her," and Killua might or might not have pushed him with such force he fell off the bench laughing.
"I-Idiot!"
Contrary to what she was anticipating, Killua talked to her in text and approached her in the hallways and during the afternoon break in his most normal tone. She was sort of expecting him to act weird, considering the odd look he gave her earlier that day when they were saying goodbye before third period. She even asked him what was wrong, or if he was okay, but he easily brushed it off like it never happened. Yuhi could press her curiosity and concern but decided to shroud it with a nod and an "Okay" since Killua was doing the same.
"text me if ur ready"
She silently squealed in her seat when she read Killua's text—the soonest Eli turned a heel to head out the door—pressing her phone against her chest and burying her face on her desk, hair spreading over it like curtains veiling her flushed face. She loved it; the feeling she gets whenever she read texts from Killua after each class. It always felt like a surprise, and she loved surprises.
"hi! give me 3min :)))"
Over the course of two weeks, Yuhi learned how to fix her stuff after last period in a speed of light. The desire to get out of there immediately to walk to the school gates with Killua and Gon was a constant star at the back of her mind. Her essential notebooks, books, pens, paper were shoved in her bag; other textbooks tucked in their desk drawers.
She stood up and put her bag on her chair, ready to go. But she stopped in her tracks when Sejin did the same.
"Guys, I need to discuss something," the latter announced from her seat. When everyone paused to look, Sejin walked to the teacher's desk. She took a chalk and wrote with big letters on the board: VALENTINE'S.
The class roared with excited murmurs.
Yuhi took her phone back out to update them of the waiting time, finding three replies from Killua.
[4:03] "ok I'll wait :)"
[4:04] "dont be late ok u will get demerits"
[4:05] "lets gooo"
She giggled, hearing Sejin speak to the class in the background.
"hahaha sorry pls wait a little longer! sejin has an announcement for the class"
"…I don't see the point in this, okay? So, please take the lead," Yuhi heard Sejin announce. When she glanced up, she saw that Sejin was addressing Reina, their class Secretary.
Reina stood up and saluted. "Okay, Pres!"
Yuhi smiled and looked around to see excited faces before returning to the cellphone in her hand. Her smile then grew wide.
"why are u laughing im serious about the demerits"
And wider.
[4:06] "okay i won't laugh :)))))) so what are the demerits sir?"
[4:06] "its a secret dummy :p"
[4:06] "haha that's unfair! you should tell me what it is that i need to avoid ne!"
[4:06] "even if i tell you i can always change it haha"
[4:07] "sir i demand an answer sir (hahaha)"
[4:07] "sorry rules are rules :p"
[4:07] "hahaha boo rules!"
[4:07] "shocking, ramen girl breaking rules now"
[4:07] "haha i think it's because i've been hanging out with killua zoldyck, sir. a bad influence sir"
[4:07] "i see. im proud of him. bet he's awesome i'll give him merits"
[4:07] "he iiisss awesome! :) but how about me no merits?"
[4:08] "nope cuz youre already late where are you?"
Hearing Killua's voice and seeing his face in her head when she read that latest reply made her giggle in her position, and in the process, she looked up, meeting all the eyes of her classmates. Inwardly she gasped but, on the outside, her smile remained, not knowing how to make of the muscles in her face. She was frozen.
"Yuhi," Sejin called.
It took her seconds before she could turn to the teacher's table and respond with an intelligent, "Huh?"
The class snickered in unison.
Sejin hushed them. "We were talking about assignments for Valentine's Day," she told her.
Yuhi blinked. Assignments? "What are we doing on Valentine's Day?"
The class snickered again. Sejin sighed and shook her head.
"The Student Council wants every class to decorate their rooms for Valentine's," Reina explained. Yuhi turned to her. "Since they didn't want to spend on a big event, they thought of having this activity instead as a contest. We'll be competing against 2-A and 2-C. Right now," she gestured to the class, "we're deciding on who's taking charge of the design. Suno can't commit to lead but can help. So, since you did it last year, we're voting for you to take the lead in this again, Yuhi."
The instant she heard the word design, Yuhi beamed. Her mind suddenly hit the rewind button and stopped at last year's Valentine's event. The booth she volunteered to decorate and man appeared behind her eyes and the excitement and fun it made her feel back then returned home to her. She nodded and bounced forward. "I'll do it!" No second thoughts. She loved these kinds of things, and hearing her classmates smile in agreement with her jolted her brain out of its box to craft ideas with her creative cells.
Reina gave her a nod of approval. "That's great! You can choose your teammates now. At least ten. Is that enough?"
"Yes!" This is going to be fun! Yuhi looked around, laughing before pointing at a few girl classmates who were ogling her with toothy smiles and eager eyes. She chose five so far—Hanako, Nagi, Suno, Sejin and Mitan.
"Hey, I'm the only guy in this group!?" Suno protested.
When Yuhi looked at him to say she's not done choosing yet, she saw Taro, Jinop and Ren pointing at Maru from behind Suno. Right there and then, she understood. "Can Taro join us?" she asked Reina without removing her smiling eyes from the group of boys. Reina said she was okay with it if Taro would still help her with managing the class. Taro gave her a thumbs up. Yuhi nodded. "Then I choose him, Maru, Jinop and Ren to join the team!" She grinned wide while the boys held their triumphant fists mid-air.
After listing down the names of Yuhi's team in her notebook, Reina turned to Sejin. "I'm good, Pres. Let's discuss the plan tomorrow?"
Sejin nodded. "Team leaders, please prepare your ideas. We need to present a proposal to Mr. Yama on Monday. Any questions?" When there were none for about five seconds, she let go of the class, and the dismissal noise filled the air.
Yuhi dashed to the second row of seats for Mitan, Hanako and Nagi, catching Sejin halfway from reaching her desk just in time and pulled her by the wrist. She quickly asked for their time tomorrow morning to discuss their ideas for the activity. She received nods and "Take care on the way home" after their mini huddle. She waved a hand at Sejin last, who smiled as she shook her head, before rushing to the boys' area to inform Jinop's group of the plan. They gave her a thumbs up after telling them, and just as she was about to sprint out of the room, Maru voice stopped her.
"Change of plans," he said silently, looking around. They made a little circle around him, leaning forward. Yuhi stepped forward to have a listen. "I'm going to need you guys to hold me back from telling her how I feel before Valentine's." They all laughed. Jinop smacked him on the back of his head. But Maru was snickering, nonetheless. "It's not my fault Yuhinanana decided to team us up!"
Yuhi scoffed, giggling as she pointed at the three except for Suno. "They made me do it."
"I don't know what Yuhinanana's talking about," Jinop smiled smugly, crossing his arms against his chest and winking at Yuhi. She laughed.
"Okay, whatever, it's cool yo," Maru said, planting a light fist on Jinop's arm. "Anyway—" He then stopped—froze—the moment he gazed ahead.
They all blinked and stood straight. Yuhi followed where Maru's eyes were directed and instantly beamed. "Mimi-chan!" The boys turned their heads in unison. Then they looked at each other and pressed their lips, suppressing urgent snickers.
"Hi, Yuhi-chan!" Mitan greeted eagerly with her soft, tiny voice, giving Yuhi that small, gentle smile that always melted her heart and made her want to hug her.
No wonder Maru likes her. Mimi-chan is so cute, she swiftly thought, turning to Maru to check how he was taking in the view, and he surely did not disappoint. He was blushing immensely. Yuhi had to giggle. "What's up?" she asked as she returned to Mitan.
"Oh. Well, I'm about to head home," Mitan said, clutching her bag and turning to Maru. "I'll go on ahead if you want to stay for a while."
Yuhi wanted to scream and squeal. They're so cute! She didn't know how not to hide her glee, though, so she just held her breath. But in doing so her throat emitted a sound.
Mitan heard. "Are you okay, Yuhi-chan?"
Yuhi bit her bottom lip to repress her wide smile. She was still holding her breath when she answered, "Yes."
"Yuhinanana's fiiine!" Maru laughed shakily as he stood up and patted Yuhi's back. When Yuhi turned to him, he was giving her a look that said hush. Maru then took a breath and grabbed his bag. "Well, boys, I think I'll head home too. Talk tomorrow?" He eyed them one by one and they knew what that meant. He waved a hand and turned to Mitan. "Let's go?" he asked, tone so kind and tender it was as though it wasn't him who was talking at all. They snickered. He eyed them one last time before turning a heel.
"Bye, guys," Mitan waved, glancing at Yuhi last. "Bye, Yuhi-chan!"
Yuhi waved back. "Bye! See you tomorrow!" She sighed of awe as she watched them walk together to the door, with tiny Mitan looking up at Maru and lightly laughing at something he said. The sappy show ended when they disappeared from her sight, but she had to stare at where their presence lingered as she absorbed what she just witnessed. They. Are. So. Cute!
"Man, Maru's all grown up, huh," Taro said, and Yuhi could tell that he was proud of his friend.
"Yeah." Jinop sighed. Then he hummed playfully. "How about you, Yuhinanana? Do you plan on giving chocolates to someone you like on Valentine's?"
Yuhi turned face them, her eyes laughing. "Actually, I—" Then she paused, a certain someone appearing in her head and giving her an annoyed glare. She gasped and swatted her gaze to the clock. 4:17PM. Her eyes grew wide as she suddenly felt cold in her nape. "S-Sorry, I gotta go!" Hurriedly, she smiled at them and waved her hands as she stepped backwards toward the door. "Let's meet tomorrow morning, okay? Bye!" Puzzled, they nodded and waved back, and it signaled Yuhi to rush to the exit. When she turned, she realized that she was at the door. Determined to run to the gym as fast as she could, she took a breath and sprinted. But the moment she stepped out, someone had grabbed her left wrist and pulled her out of the way, meeting jaded blue eyes as her feet slowed down into a halt.
It was Killua.
And he did look annoyed.
Yuhi's instinct told her to glue her palms together and hold them up for Killua to see, bow continuously, and chant "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry" ten times. Maybe twenty. But after three, she stopped and lowered her arms as Killua gently pushed them down. She looked at him, was about to smile it off but her frown won when he crossed his arms against his chest. "Sorry I took so long."
He then sighed, the lines of his face relaxing as he unbuckled his arms and tucked his hands in his pockets. But still, he looked annoyed. "Demerit," he said, stepping past her and toward the staircase. "Now you have to buy me candy."
Yuhi bit her bottom lip to keep herself from smiling too much at that and followed behind him.
They stopped by the canteen before heading to the gym, with Yuhi buying Killua a lollipop and herself a carton of apple juice. She told him what kept her in their classroom after dismissal, bouncing on her toes when she recalled that she's in-charge of the design team. Killua told her that their class was having the same discussion earlier. He and Gon would help in setting up when they start next week.
She asked for Gon then, looking around as if she anticipated him to pop out of nowhere and surprise them with his big grin. But he had gone home, Killua said, and it made Yuhi pout for a second before realizing that she was again alone with Killua after school hours. Her heart thumped loud and clear as she walked to the gym beside him; tried to have mini breathing exercises using the straw and her empty carton of juice—especially because she noticed, when they stepped out of the canteen and into the open field, how Killua looked extra charming that day. He was blooming, eyes bright, cheeks flushed, and Yuhi had to keep reminding herself to remove her gaze from his face every two seconds.
"Well," Killua said, lollipop in his mouth, as they entered the gym and looked around, "at least there aren't that many people at this time."
They headed straight to the equipment room behind the stage. It was always Killua and Gon, and her male classmates during P.E. class, who took out the archery gear from this room so Yuhi just followed. She let her eyes wander through the things therein, finding dusted P.E. paraphernalia lying on the floor and on racks and cobwebs pasted on walls. She sneezed. It smelled like wet earth and dirty laundry in there.
"What the heck," Killua said as he looked around, displeased. "Archery stuff's not here."
Yuhi sneezed again. She scratched her right eye. "Let's look for it outside?" One more minute in that room and her allergies would manifest through endless sneezes and itchy eyes. Killua huffed and nodded. And when he turned to her direction where the door was, she stopped scratching. But an eyelash had slipped in and it suddenly burned. She looked down, trying her best to lift her eyelids and failing. Why'd you scratch your eye, Yuhi!
"Are you crying?" Killua asked. His voice and his shoes were nearer.
That made Yuhi laugh. She shook her head. "Something got caught in my eye. Don't worry about it. I'll get it out—" She said before she could even think of saying it, shaking her head as she thought of how stupid of a thing that was to say because she's basically just trying to blink.
"The only way you'll get that out is if you'd pluck your eye out. Need help with that?"
Yuhi looked at him, one hand on the right half of her face. She wanted to laugh again. Killua's wit sure reached the skies that day. "With plucking my eye out?"
Killua snorted and smiled. "No, silly." Stepping forward, he took the wrist of the hand that covered her face and slowly pulled it away. And Yuhi had wished that she could use both eyes to look at him closely; he glowed amidst the dimness of the room. She didn't realize that she was staring again until after Killua leaned away a little, wide eyes blinking when he asked, "Is this okay?"
Yuhi wasn't sure what he was referring to, but she certainly knew that she was okay—she felt more than okay. She nodded.
Killua swallowed and choked out an "Okay" before mildly planting a thumb on the skin below her right eye; his other thumb brushing lightly on her eyelid. "Don't move," he said when Yuhi flinched. "Gon taught me this trick. It surprisingly works."
Doki.
Doki doki.
How…can I even move…? Killua!
Was he aware that he's too close? Was he aware that Yuhi could literally smell the sunny yet flowery scent of his uniform and the sugar of his lollipop from his breath when he spoke? Was he aware of how fast her heart raced as she watched him lean forward—so close he that he easily disappeared from her one-eyed sight? Could he have felt the hammering pulse in her temple as he stretched his fingers to the side of her head? Could he possibly have felt the same? Yuhi couldn't tell as Killua still carried on with gently forcing her eyelid open and lightly blowing into the pupil in it repeatedly. She, on the other hand, wanted to know if he's doing it on purpose or not—make her feel weak in the knees and have this kind of longing she could not believe herself to even feel at this age.
"Better?"
Yuhi blinked. That eyelash still stung but she could open her left eye properly now. She gazed into Killua's blue ones as if doing so would heal her still blurry vision and instantly give her 20/20 eyesight. "Yes," she answered, voice tiny after that tsunami in her chest, "thank you."
Killua's eyes were especially big that time, gaping as he slowly nodded.
If Yuhi could control that particular scenario, she would reduce the playback speed to a negative so that she could stay longer in her position, savor the moment and the feeling, flow into Killua's galaxy and aimlessly, endlessly swim in it. But then again, none of them were moving, so maybe, just maybe someone else had stopped time for her.
Do you want to, though? she heard her brother's voice in her head next to her heartbeat.
Do you want to kiss him?
She swallowed, her head spinning, spiraling. Was it okay to feel that way? Was it okay to want it? Was she even allowed to do it yet? Does he want to? In spite of the mirage in her head, she felt Killua move, withdrawing his lollipop from his mouth. And firecrackers had lit inside Yuhi's ribcage once more when that sweet, sugary scent fumed as he exhaled.
She did. She wanted to.
Her breathing stammered as her chest caved; her heart pounding loud and fast, thoughts mashing up inside her head. She let her lips part, and noticing how Killua mimicked it made her want to lose complete control over her reasoning, over her own self. Her lungs suddenly felt heavy. She heaved, inhaling deeply, and then—
She sneezed.
She sneezed into the back of her hand.
She scratched her nose with it, peering shyly at Killua from under her bangs, secretly hiding her flushed face even though she knew that he already saw it. "C-Can we head out now?" Another sneeze, and a quick bite of the tongue because she didn't want to leave yet, but— "It's a little dusty in here." When Killua nodded, she was the first to turn to the door so that she could make that sour face and frown to herself for ruining the moment.
All archery equipment was nowhere to be found. They tried asking some students loitering inside the gym but none of them bore witness to where they were taken away. After a while, they found a whistleblower—the gym's resident janitor. He casually gestured toward the gym's back door when they asked him, saying that the varsity team brought everything with them when they exited about thirty minutes ago.
At 4:45PM, they stepped out of the gym, and Yuhi had a constant frown on her face. It transformed into a pout when she glanced at the boy beside her. She could not understand why he was so upset about it. "I'm sorry," she said worriedly, turning to face him. She couldn't think of any other reason for his frustration but her being late, which resulted to them losing the apparent first come, first served policy for gym equipment.
Obviously ticked off about their ruined plans, Killua gave her an irritated gaze and held it there.
It was striking. Is he that mad? If he was, that was the first time she would see and feel it. And she didn't want to allow negativity to shroud Killua's light. No, not today. Not on her watch. Yuhi thought that she had to present her remorse more evidently—as she felt. So, she frowned even more, eyebrows arching up of concern. "Please don't be mad anymore."
The instant she said this, Killua dropped his vexed façade and sighed. "I'm not mad," he said, looking ahead. "Just a little annoyed 'cause they told us that we can use it on Thursdays too."
Yuhi sighed as well. He's got a point. I wanted to try that bit about timing again today. Too bad. "To be fair, I was looking forward to today's practice too. But there's always next week," she said as she looked up at the sky. It was blue, clear, with light streaks of yellow and orange near the horizon. Yuhi's eyes then brightened up as she thought of something else to do. She excitedly turned to Killua, meeting his gaze that seemed to have dawdled at her face for a while. She smiled at him. "I know!"
Killua blinked.
"Come on!" She grabbed him by the wrist and sprinted to the building, feeling the cool wind caress her burning cheeks and her heartbeat sync with her every step.
It was a picturesque afternoon, Yuhi thought.
The sun was bright and humble behind white clouds that flamed red at the corners with its rays, nestled effortlessly near the horizon of the vast azure sky, tinting it with colors of fire on Pine wood and blush on human skin. The cool breeze hummed pleasant notes as it danced in the air, brushing sweetly against her cheeks and shins, making her want to lift her head up and close her eyes so that she could feel it, wholly, in her core for her to preserve for a while.
A while.
Ten seconds?
Five?
Before, Yuhi could stay in that spot, unmoving—the desire to uncover the universe blazed in her chest like wildfire—until her heart beckoned satisfaction. But now, amidst the wonders of an unending paradise above her head, her heart yearned for something more. Strangely, amazingly, it stops whenever she looked at Killua, and she begins to feel a different kind of yen altogether—pure, unadulterated yen. And she would wonder; perhaps she could discover his universe too.
Would that be alright?
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked, staring at the golden canvass—proud, confident, as though she just showed Killua a masterpiece by a friend she was honored to have.
"Yeah, I see it."
Yuhi took a breath. That run up the stairs made her pant good. But she liked how it felt, especially how the wind touched her face when she pushed the heavy door to the rooftop. "Makes you want to forget all your problems, huh?" She looked at Killua with a smile, his eyes iridescent with the sunrays' reflection.
He blinked. "I guess so."
"So, are you still mad about the archery thing?" she asked, wanting to sound playful to lighten up his mood, leaning her head more to the left to catch his gaze.
Killua did, and he brought with him a small soft smile on his gentle face. "You dragged me here to show me the sunset because you think I'm mad?"
The joy she felt in her chest then made her laugh. She nodded proudly. "Yup! Did it work?"
They kept each other's gaze for five seconds before Killua looked down, looked back at the sky and glanced at her, saying, "I'll think about it."
Yuhi beamed and retreated to the nearest bench facing their view, stretching her back as she sat comfortably, palms planted on it behind her back. Killua followed, and they rested in silence for a moment until he spoke.
"Do you do this a lot? Go up here to watch the sunset?"
That question made her smile. "I used to come here a lot during Freshman year before going home. But this schoolyear, I haven't been up here since August, I think, because I've been sleeping in class and I need to clean rooms!" She laughed and heard Killua snicker beside her. "It's really nice, you see. It's like I'm one with the sky but I'm also that tiny dirt you can easily wipe off or cover up."
"Well, that's kinda deep."
"Is it?" She shrugged. "I don't know, this view always makes me think of these things."
Killua snorted playfully, relaxing in his seat. "Anyway, if you think of it that way, then everything in here is dispensable. Like nothing is really constant. We will all die in the end and everything will be sucked into a black hole."
What… Yuhi's eyes grew wide as she turned to face him, a stunned look on her face. "That's… dark."
He looked back seriously, but a second later and he was laughing sweetly.
Yuhi blinked.
"You're funny when confused," he said between cackles, taking a breath right after to compose himself. "But it's true, right?" he asked the sky. "Eventually, we'll all disappear—"
"That's why we have to live in the moment!" she exclaimed suddenly, holding her fist in the air. Killua looked so melancholic while he spoke that she wanted to cheer him up even more. Her smile was assertive yet warm as he shifted his gaze at her. "I learned that recently. Well, it was onii-chan who taught me. Trust your gut feeling!"
He blinked. Then he raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that just impulsiveness? I personally prefer thinking things through before deciding to do something."
"Yes, thinking about it should come first. But deciding on what to do is what matters."
"And you're suggesting that I should quote-unquote follow my heart? Shouldn't we be existing strategically?"
Yuhi beamed. "Yup!" But she toned it down when she saw that puzzled look on Killua's face. "Isn't that what you'd truly want?" She took a breath, recalling her thought process before liberally shouting in the air that she liked him. "For me, no matter how hard I think about something, if it's not what my heart wants, it just circles around in my head and nothing good comes out of it. If I exist strategically, I wouldn't be truly happy…" her voice then trailed off, mind wandering through. Her own words struck a chord in her heart because they were true—at least for her, and for her brother—but it might just not be the same for Killua. So, she retracted, waving frantic hands in front of his face and smiling apologetically. "I guess it depends on the situation!" She scratched her cheek. "Onii-chan really considers this as his second life, you see, that's why he thinks that way. And I agree with him mostly because—"
"I understand." Killua stood up, and for a second Yuhi dreaded that their unmatched views had changed his mind about her, but her worries vanished when he smiled and held out a hand. "C'mon, I'll show you something."
Dazed, she slowly reached out, and halfway through Killua had caught her hand and pulled her up and out into the staircase.
The school library was located at the third level of the other side of the building where the offices were, and could be accessed by a bridgeway connecting it to the structure that housed the classrooms. It was fairly near where the rooftop's entrance was. But still, they ran down the stairs and through the hallways like they're being chased by time, laughing on their way whenever they turned corners and almost tripped.
They got there at 5:08PM, panting as they stood in front of its door. Yuhi wiped beads of sweat that formed on her temples with her left hand, her right hand flinching as its palm felt damp under Killua's grip. She loosened it slowly to check if he wanted to let go, but he kept hold of it even so. She looked at him. The exercise made his skin gleam even more than it did at the rooftop.
"I think it's locked," he said with eyebrows creased before grabbing the door handle and trying to open it.
It was locked.
Yuhi looked through the glass and saw a library's schedule plastered on the left-side window. "It says here that it's open until six."
"Guess someone decided to be lazy today." Killua groaned and made a face at his reflection on the glass, hissing as he let go of Yuhi's hand to walk to the right-side windows.
Yuhi watched him and waited for what he planned on doing next before thinking of requesting the key at the Faculty Room. She was about to speak but halted when Killua slid one window open and looked at her animatedly—as though he just discovered a secret world behind the doors of his closet. His grin was wide and cheeky.
"Let's go in," he whispered jarringly, looking around for unwelcomed witnesses and snickering for finding no one near.
Yuhi, on the other hand, was hesitant. Although she joked about it, she couldn't possibly break school rules. "It's locked!" she whispered back, stressing the fact.
"It said it's open until six, right? We'll be out before that. You're not breaking any rules."
Killua's really smart, she thought then, because technically he was right. But still, locked doors meant no entry. She tried to argue. "Can it wait until tomorrow?"
Killua thought about it, nodding slowly and shrugging. "Actually, it can."
"Then let's—"
"But look, an open window of a locked room that's supposed to be open until six. You know you want to sneak in. I know I do." His grin was of a mischievous sprite, spellbinding, and Yuhi was beginning to give in.
She wanted to sneak in. She just didn't want to succumb to the fact that she found thrill in defiance.
Even so, she knew had a few more arguments up her sleeve. Maybe if she exhausted all and Killua still made sense, she could allow herself to. "I-Is it important?" she asked reluctantly, biting her lip after. Everything Killua did was important to her. But she just had to know already what it was in the library that he wanted to show her.
Killua's grin then suddenly disappeared, replaced by a grim mask over his face. He let silence in for a while before he answered, "I want to tell you something about my family."
One loud thump dominated Yuhi's being when she heard his words. Her eyes gaped wide, heartbeats fast, as her feet voluntarily stepped to his direction, meeting his own that stood about a foot away. After a little boost, they were in, with Killua shutting the window behind him. It was a little dim with the lights out, but the sun's faint rays illuminated edges and corners barefaced near the building façade's windows.
Killua dusted off his hands and walked toward the windows at the other side of the room, taking Yuhi's wrist with him and planting her in a chair of the table lit the most by the sunrays. "Wait here," he said with an index finger up before he disappeared into the pillar of shelves. Not a minute later, he returned with a book in hand, giving Yuhi a little smile before pulling the chair next to her for himself. As he scanned through the table of contents, Yuhi peaked in and noted that it was a History book.
History…? Her eyes grew wide at her sudden thoughts. She remembered thinking about it before—about Killua being a prince of some sort. But no, he couldn't possibly be a descendant of a royal family. Right?
"Okay," he started, stopping at a certain page and looking Yuhi straight in the eyes.
The latter took one deep breath and sat straight, mentally preparing her heart for the words Killua would release from his lips—accepting them even before he could utter anything.
"For starters, my family runs an elite underground business."
She nodded.
Killua paused and stared at her for a while, and Yuhi couldn't tell if he was doing it for the dramatic effect or there was just something in her face. After inhaling, he said, "They're gunmen."
Yuhi blinked, her eyes big as she stared into Killua's stern ones. "Gun…men?"
"Yeah. Gangsters, marksmen, sharpshooters, assassins, hitmen… murderers."
Murder… She gaped, suddenly not knowing how to respond, not even knowing how to process it in her head. She never ever saw that coming. He's from a family of…murderers? She swallowed. The way he looked in her eyes rashly changed—his skin pale as a corpse, his eyes dreadful with a killing intent, his smile vile, and briefly she imagined him with bloodstains in his hands. She had to erase it from her mind. "Is that… Really?"
Killua nodded casually, smiling gently. "Weird, huh?"
Yuhi slowly shook her head. She had to delete what she pictured out from her mind. He couldn't possibly be someone who would hurt people. "Is that why you left home?"
Another nod. "I just can't stand it inside that house. Everyone's mean and too controlling." He grunted and took one deep breath. "They would go on and on about me inheriting the family business. But I don't want it."
Wait. Yuhi paused, taking in what Killua just said. "Inheriting…?"
"Yeah. Look." He pulled the book close to where Yuhi could see and revealed a center page of what seemed like an organizational chart. "It's the family tree."
Yuhi leaned in to scan it with her eyes, heart pounding when she saw the heading written in bold letters: THE ZOLDYCK FAMILY. She heaved, allowing herself to breathe for a second before continuing to look through the page. It looked like the chart of school officials and teachers that hung on Mr. Chango's office. But what Killua was showing her was bigger than that and there were no names, only titles and labels. If that was their family tree, it certainly had too many branches—too many for her to absorb. "Which of these are you?" she asked, trying to find his name even though she knew it wasn't printed in the book.
"Just ignore all the others and focus on this." He covered the rightmost and leftmost sides of the chart so that the center was the only thing displayed. "See that topmost box?"
Yuhi nodded and read the label as HEAD OF THE FAMILY.
"That's my dad."
Yuhi swallowed, feeling her heart hammer loud and mad inside her ribcage. His dad…is head of the family…? She had to look at Killua. She had to see him to know that he was still there with her, in flesh, and not someone who's just a product of her wildest imagination, or a prominent person that could only be found in history books. But he's…
"You see that straight line that points down from the topmost box? Look at where it leads."
Yuhi cleared her throat and returned to the book. She did just that, noticing how that particular line had no extra branches attached to it unlike the others. It just went straight from the HEAD OF THE FAMILY to the— Her eyes grew wide, zapping her gaze at Killua and subconsciously demanding an answer. "Is that you?"
He nodded.
And Yuhi just had to double check if she read it right, her pulses thrashing as she spelled it in her head.
HEIR
Oh boy…
-Chapter End-
A/N: Sooo, how was it? What do you think of Killua's past revealed? Was it too abrupt? What were you guys doing when you were 14? Haha I don't know why but I'm pretty proud of this chapter. I had fun writing it. But please, still, let me know what you think about it in the little review box below! Really, really appreciate whatever the heck you want to write in their lol I love reading reviews!
Replies to guests~
Guest: Yooo I squealed so much when I read this review of yours. If that's how you'd describe your squeals, then I'm freakin here for you! It is the most accurate thing I've read HAHA thank you so much for your kind words, it really means a lot. I take everything to heart so I thank you for your appreciation. Hope you make some delicious lemonades for your lemons! You'll get through it good and strong! Fight!
Mai: Maaai *hearts* Thanks for reading and reviewing despite your busy sched! I took note of your comment and tried to tone it down a bit in this chapter (also I agree with you on the descriptions haha). Hope I did it justice! Let me know! Oh, and thank you for your greetings! Yuhi loves you!
NoodlePooh: Just reading reviews about you guys squealing and screaming makes me laugh evil laughs behind the screen. And also I want to hug you because that's what I feel whenever I write this freakin fluff! Thank you for your words! Really means a looot uwu hope you review here as well!
Jonica77: Thank you so much for your reviews I squealed when I saw three reviews from you in the mail. Thank you for your greeting aaaaaa ily *hearts*
NEXT CHAPTER: Valentine's Day? Valentine's Day
The official review trends of the last chapter were "flipping cute" and making Killua blush. Guys, I live for these two things they are like drug to me when I write LMAO oh and I love how you noticed that *low-key* confession huh you are amazing~! Thank you all so much for your reviews and for keeping up with meee. I see new reading who have faved and followed; I see you, I appreciate you. Thank you! Please review this one too! (stay safe and healthy and if you can, stay away from people) ILY!
