Chapter: 2

"Acquiesce."

The window glass was ferociously rebelling against the dim moon light, emanating a glorious vista. The war it lost, the ray came in, the war it won, the ray went back. The light breeze only added rush to the fight, it was not only the spectator, but also the commencer. It wasn't a fire starter, but it was only performing its assigned duty, and more efficiently than one would think. The humid touch it brought with it was what excited the clash the most. As each drop fell, for that shortest of moments, the fog lifted, until it stuck back down with yet more obstinancy.

The wind brought memories, and not just any, but the one's she was desperately trying to forget. It was always the dark, always the dark, that scared her the most, but also, it was home, it was always where, in the end, she had always found herself. When there is no light at the end of the tunnel, the shadow is destiny, when to be gay is not meant to be, sorrow is where one belongs.

She was yet trying to understand her own state of mind. The clock ticked, imitating each of her beats, but there would always be that on moment when later exceeded the former by a few, and made her capable of defeating that one adversary she had never meant to confront.

Her eyes were wet, just like every night. The sweat drops were cautiously playing, chilling and freezing, and somehow teasing her skin. The thoughts that twisted and played in her mind were the ones which broke and healed the heart at regular skips, just like every night. Even while just reflecting, she couldn't find her voice, it was somehow lost in all the words she had said, but were still, somehow, incomplete and unsaid.

The door slowly opened, following a creek, that was so familiar, yet so unwanted at the same time.

"Will you help me colour this?" the little high pitched, hopeful voice demanded. The owner revealed herself in the only fascio di luce that dominated the central space. The black locks of her coal black hair, revealed shades of blue in the faded light, her similarly shaded, questioning, eyes created a perfect match. Her unibrow, which added grace to her looks, was slightly furrowed. Her feet were co-ordinated at the perfect plane, separated by a fair enough distance. The little seven year old girl looked naive, innocent, just as all the children of her age were supposed to be, yet her gait, her cautious manner, if one could read it, indicated perfectly her mature and adult mentality.

One of her hands slightly held up, suporting the printed and smooth cover of the white-coarse paged book. The other, which she kept straight firm infront of her chest, showed the neatly held and kept set of bright crayons, some with exposed heads between her small fingers and the others with straight-cut ends.

She wiped the tears with the back of her hands and sniffed a few times to assure herself that she had dealt with what she needed to deal. "Get out," she spat.

The little girl's gaze dropped. It had always been this way. She knew she could never be considered a human by her, neverthless her own sister. Every breath she took, every word she said was reasonlessly detested by her. She was innocent, she had no fault, she was no culprit, yet she was always the one with the stained hands. What she felt for her, couldn't even be considered a grudge, a grudge seemed somehow more meaningful than her emotions for the little girl. "Why won't you play with me?"

"I said get out!"

"Api, can't we be friends?"

"Don't call me that, get out!" she said standing up.

The little girl took a few steps back. "I don't like you, you're not a good sister."

The words were meant to hurt, but they only brought wrath, not pain. "I hate you." she said flatly. "I hate you. I don't wanna be your friend, and I'm not your sister. I loathe you, I absolutely detest you, why won't you leave me alone?"

The hurt in the little girls eyes began to show, until it materialized into something more real, the glint in her eyes twisted once and the tears appeared prominent on her fair skin. This wasn't the first time, and this was how it always had been. She knew she had no chance in achieving a place in her heart yet she just couldn't bring herself to quit, she just couldn't not hope.

Her pain was nothing to her. The tears were meaningless, worthless, and neverthless she threw her a glance of pure hate, the most burning ember of the fire, the core to the lava.

The little girl clentched her tiny fists, holding her posessions tightly. "Claire, Claire, she still sleeps with her teddy bear, and she's so mean she's got witches' hair," she stuck her tongue out and ran out of the room.

"Katie! Get lost!" she shouted after her, her hands automatically grabbed the first thing that was in her reach and with all her force she threw the hair brush at the empty corridor wall.

"I'm gonna tell big brother!" the little girl called from somewhere far away.

"I don't care! Go away!"

And that was the end of a conversation that had no start, it was fuel to a fire that had an unknown source. She shut the door behind her, and went back to the window, to face another, much worse opponent, herself.

I am strong, I am brave, I am confident. I am all that, and more. I'm not a wiener, I eat wieners for breakfast. I am outgoing, I am fearless, I am... aww who the hell am I kidding? I'm just me, boring old Claire Gaspardo. The one with the plain face, whose name everybody forgets as soon as they've heard it, who falls down alot and has that one screw missing, who is absolutely and completely ordinary. The one nobody says sorry to when they accidentally, or purposedly knock her down, the one that's invisible. The one nobody picks for their douge ball team because she sucks at sports, the typical teenage mediocre.

Brunette, chestnut brown eyes and pale skin. 5'6, 92 pounds , seventeen and five months. Straight A student, and I never missed a class in my life. Sarcastic miracle and a lousy partnter. I was, in other words, a mess. A goofy-boring kind of mess.

"That's it, full fledge assignment on the Civil Rights Movement, and it's due tomorrow!" our history teacher's squeaky voice throbbed in my ear drums breaking my train of thought.

The whole class groaned in unison. Fuck at the end of the day, check.

"Professor." Killua's clear velvet voice caused complete silence in the room.

The teacher's eyes glowed and her expression immediately lit up. If that gorgeous-looking fucking jerk could bribe us out of this, I would hate him a bit less.

"I propose this assignement to be altered into a group project."

My mouth fell open. The boys watching him with astonishment, while the girls' eyes drooping with admiration.

"That would, I am most sure, raise some enthusiasm in accoplishing the task."

The teacher's expression turned perplexed. She once scanned the whole classroom with her button-like black eyes and then turned back to him. "I suppose you are correct Mr. Hayashi," her voice gentler than fluff.

The asshole tossed her a full on seductive smile. "Killua," he said.

She blushed red and nodded, pleased with her achievement. For heaven's sake, she had children! "Well then, everybody, you are all now partnered up with your seat fellow, I expect some great team work, I'm sure nobody here would want to ruin their grade record at the start of the year."

Killua coughed, once again catching everyone's attention. "May I put forward one more request?"

"Yes, ofcourse," she breathed.

"Since I am new to this projects and assignements system, I implore you partner me up with a student that is able to properly guide me and instruct me through these methods."

She just kept staring at him like an idiot.

He coughed again. "Am I not right?"

"Uh... yes, yes, I think that is a very, very, very good idea, is... there anybody in particular you are willing to work with? Unless if you prefer that I myself lead you and..."

"Oh, no, no," he said quickly. "I couldn't take that much advantage of your kindness, I am sure Miss Gaspardo can most efficiently conduct me in this particular field?" he said looking at me.

I stared at him with my mouth open.

The teacher threw me a noxious glare and nodded. Bah, we were never going to get along anyway. "Well, then."

"Professor," I said standing up. "I am very sorry but, I already have a partner, and I don't think I'm cut out for this... I wouldn't wanna mess up his base or anything," my voice was a bit hysteric.

"I have no objection to that," Killua said. "It is only fair you are granted a chance, and besides, nobody's perfect," he shrugged.

I glared at him.

The teacher looked once at me, and then at him. He winked at her and she blushed tomato red. For all the... "Killua is right," the teacher interjected. "You are a straight A grade student, let's put those brains to use, Miss Gaspardo," huh, one moment he's Mr. Hayashi, in the next he's Killua, and in the next they have kids.

I sighed and nodded. "Wonderful," I said under my breath.

The bell rang, earning a curse from me, it could have rung earlier and saved me a full jerk included afternoon.

"You are all excused."

I rushed out of the class room. Maybe if I disappeared into thin air, and didn't show up at school tomorrow, faking an illness, I could get out of this.

Right in the middle of my escape I was awarded with a royal push which made my books fall right out of my arms and on the ground. I faced the kind stranger.

"Get out my way, bitch," Naomi said in her vicious voice.

Great, just great. Now I had to even pay the consequences of accidentally stealing girls' heart throb. Magnificent. "Thanks," I murmured as I leaned down to pick my books up.

A set of hands, which had already piled them up, handed them to me.

I looked up and sighed. Getting up I stuffed the books in my bag.

"Seriously? You thanked her and not me?" Killua asked in a fakely hurt voice.

I walked past him. Ignoring him was best for my mental health.

"Don't tell me your still mad about the chocolate balls?"

I laughed once without humour and turned to him. "No, no. I am not still mad at you about the chocolate balls, infact I think they should make cannon balls for jerks like you so they can fit in and shut that huge mouth of yours!"

He grimaced. "That's not very creative," he said disappointed.

"Seriously? You really wanna talk about balls, and types of balls? I recommend you not to, because that will just make me want to kick you in that ultimate place that much, and trust me those balls when wounded, are not sweet."

His eyes widened and I paced forward.

"Not so fast, partner," he called from behind.

I slowed down my pace. "What do you want?"

"Nothing, partner, I just wanted to ask you, partner, where you wanted to meet up, for the assignment, you know, partner."

"Could you stop saying that."

"Saying what, partner?"

"Partner."

"Yes, partner, what did you want me to stop saying?"

"Partner, stop saying it."

"Stop saying what, partner?"

I groaned. "Screw you."

He chuckled. "You look so ferocious when you swear, like an angry kitten."

Great, being compared to domestic animals, that was daily routine now. "How charming," I sighed and took out a piece of paper from my bag. I clumsily scrawled on it and handed it to him. "If you have nothing better to do, show up at this adress this afternoon at five."

"Then I'll see you there part..."

"Say that one more time, and you'll be sorry," I actually managed to make my voice sound threatening.

He grimaced and walked away, throwing me his casual wave.

"Yes mom, it's totally fine, don't worry, I can walk to school by myself," I assured my mom for the tenth time, after she told me how she got late to work this morning.

"Are you sure? Actually its just this once, I have a meeting tomorrow so.."

"The school is two blocks away, we don't live in a jungle, the chances of me dying in car accident are lower than the chances of me getting a B, so please. Chill out."

She sighed. "Okay, still be careful."

I glanced at the clock. Nearly five. I got up. "Mom, I have a classmate coming over for an assignment."

"Oh. Okay."

I ascended the stairs. "And mom, please I beg you, no calling me honey or sweetheart, just Claire and no asking me if I need anything.", I walked to my door placing my hand on the knob. "Oh, and no milk and cookies!" I called.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine!"

I walked in shutting the door behind me and sighed.

"But I like milk and cookies," Killua said as he was sitting casually on my bed.

I backed away, startled, hitting my head against the door. I gasped, putting my hands on my head.

"Are you okay?" he said getting up heading towards me.

"What are you.." I breathed heavily. "How did you, how did.." I placed my hand infront of me signaling him not to move.

"Through the window," he said answering my incomplete question.

I glanced once at the open window and heaved a sigh. "Fuck. We have a door you know."

He shrugged.

I straightened myself up and walked to my desk, sitting down on the chair. "Okay, so I acquiesced in this dumb decision, so I expect you to behave, and... and you're so shameless," I said recalling what had happened at school.

"What?"

"I mean, flirting with a married woman, mother of two kids, is that normal?"

He chuckled. "Many things must be done, to get the job done."

"What job? And why the hell do you have to complicate my life like this?" I said placing my hand on the mouse.

"Me?"

I inhaled deeply, this conversation was not gonna go anywhere, except maybe I would end up in jail for commiting a mass murder. "Anyway, I already have a couple of ideas picked out, for the assignement. I was thinking of making it deep, like it needs to have a bit of everything and I think we should include the background, I mean how it all started and..."

"It's a group project," he interjected. "People collaborate in these things, like ask each other's opinion and stuff," he said while moving his eyes up and down like he was talking to an abnormal person.

"Well," I said smiling at him. "I'd like to see things from your point of view but I can't seem to get my head that far up my ass."

His eyes widened.

"So, why don't you let me do all the.." I said waving my hand between the computer screen and my self. "Gathering, and you do all the writing."

"God, such a hoe," he said annoyed.

I glared at him. "Shut up."

The door opened, interrupting our highly productive clash. "Honey, you left your.. oh," my mom said as she spotted Killua on the bed. She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you.."

"It's fine mom, this is Killua," I said pointing towards him.

My mom nodded and smiled at him and his answering smile was quite formal. "Claire, here, you left your cell phone downstairs," she said handing it to me.

I got up and took it nodding. "Thanks."

She mouthed the word, "Sorry," just before she left shutting the door behind her.

I went back to the chair shaking my head. There was a complete silence except for the ticking of the keyboard keys.

"You look alot like your mother," Killua said after a while. Hah, trying to do small talk. Classic.

I burst out laughing.

"What?" he asked confused.

"You know," I said between giggles. "Such moments are priceless, when jerky liars like you get caught red handed."

"What?" he asked again perplexed.

"I was adopted, moron."

"Oh," he mused.

I shook my head smiling and turned back to face the monitor.

"So, what happened to your parents?"

"They died in an accident when I was ten," I said absent mindedly.

"Did you have any siblings?"

I looked up at him and grimaced. "Seriously? Out of all the people in the world, you expect me to tell YOU, my life's miserable story?"

"Yeah, I do actually," he shrugged.

"And why is that?"

"Well, I don't know, I read once, that it's easier to confess to people you don't like."

"You think I don't like you?" I said in an innocent voice.

"I guess."

"Well, then you are very right, actually very very right," I said pleased.

He rolled his eyes.

"I.. had a... sister and a brother," I said after a while. The silence was too much to take.

"Okay."

He wasn't asking me anything. Why wasn't he asking me anything? "My sister died, and I don't know what happened to my brother," I kept mumbling.

He nodded.

"What about you?"

"What about me?" he asked bored.

"I mean, what about your family, or were you raised by bears?"

"I have... four brothers.", he said disgusted.

"Cool," this conversation just got a degree more awkward. "Are they polar, like you, or grizzlies," I said clicking with the mouse.

He just threw me an look of disbelief.

"What?" I asked looking once between him and the screen. "I was talking about the-the hair," I said waving my hand above my head.

"Oh, no, no.. they're all... grizzlies," he shrugged.

"So, where did you get that hair colour?" I said examining his hair.

He raised his eyebrows. "Why?"

I met his gaze. I had no answer to that.

His phone rang, breaking the quietude. He checked the caller id and picked it up. "What is it Gon?", he listened carefully. "Well, where's your partner?" he sighed. "No," he rolled his eyes. "No Gon, your text book is not misprinted... that's not english and numbers mixed, it's called algebra."

A giggle escaped my mouth.

Killua raised an eyebrow at me and I bit my lip.

He sighed. "Fine, what?" he groaned. "You did what?" his eyes widened. "Wait, stop, no, don't do that. I'll be right there," he said and snapped the phone shut and got up.

"Who was that?" I asked him as he put his shoes on.

"My cousin."

"The one whose always with you at school?" I enquired.

He arched an eyebrow and smirked. "You snoop on me don't you?" he asked, a smile in his voice.

"What? Shut up."

"Yeah he is."

I snorted.

"What?"

"The one with the black hair, brown eyes?"

"Yeah, yeah that one."

"He's YOUR cousin?"

"No, he's your son," he said tying his laces hurriedly.

"Gimme a break."

"You think I'm lying?"

"Sheesh what? No, ofcourse not, I don't think your lying," I said sarcastically. "I know your lying," I said with a serious expression.

He shrugged. "Well I better get scooching," he said glancing at his wrist watch, like he was James Bond or something.

I crossed my arms around my chest. "I'd ask you to stay, but I'm in good mood right now."

He smiled. "I will get back to you on that," he promised and just like that he disappeared out of the window leaving me with my mouth open.

I hurriedly looked outside, nothing. The streets were empty. God, who the hell was this guy?

I lifelessly stare out of the glass, my heart and soul like ice

the melancholy that I abortively hide gleams clear in my vacant eyes.

For all of you who have read these two chapters a massive thank you. I have worked really hard on this fanfiction and hope it can entertain you. I will be updating once each month. Wanna share your views? Beep, please review.