"You could talk to Misaki-san while we're waiting."

Gon's cheerful voice jerked Killua almost too violently from his concerned thoughts about the possible trap they were currently sitting in. The aircraft was in motion now, with Haku steering despite his admitted uncertainty in doing so. It was true that Misaki was probably more approachable now than ever, seated with her feet up on the seat opposite of her at the distant window with her "fingerless fishnet" gloved hands in her lap. It was also true that there might not be much of a range of opportunity to speak to her about topics beyond the eruption crisis once they arrived back at the Volcanic Islands, via the drastic time limit they were racing.

Killua glanced up more anxiously at his friend than he had intended to. Unfortunately, Gon seemed to notice his trauma, and his own expression sunk low in to a frown.

"Are you afraid, Killua?" he asked with dual confusion and honest concern.

"No way!" the former assassin protested automatically and defensively without thought.

"Then what's the matter?"

Killua swallowed, though his mouth was drying. His reflection stared back at him in his friend's worried, dark eyes, and he was mortified to see a very nervous imitation indeed. In truth, it bothered him even more to know that even just the suggestion of his so-called "feelings" for the adult girl were enough to crack his outer shell of collectedness now. Was this proof of his fondness or simply fear of its potential?

"I'm thinking that this aircraft is probably a trap," he admitted, though he was quite sure it was a lie as far as his present condition.

Was it a lie? Perhaps that had been the real reason for his distress, and it was much more logical, too. He had been thinking about it just before Gon had approached him, after all…

"Do you really think so?"

Killua fought down a smile through the shock. The subject was changing!

Making absolutely certain that he did not release his sigh of relief too obviously, the blue eyed boy said, "We have to be careful when it comes to L.I.G.H.T.; we know their secrets now and it doesn't make sense that they would just let us go around as we please without a reason."

Gon let out a small humming sound in thought before replying, "Miu-san wouldn't do that to us."

Amidst exhaling, Killua's breath caught in his throat at the statement and he began coughing vigorously for a few moments. When he could finally inhale again, he stared with frustrated disbelief at his comrade.

"Miu-san?" he asked, and he waited until Gon nodded in response before he continued. "Gon, Miu hates our guts. She probably wouldn't hesitate to personally rig the aircraft for us."

Gon shook his head.

"Miu-san is just upset that her husband is dead. She doesn't really hate us."

Groaning, Killua growled, "She blames us for his death!"

"…But she told us that it was his own fault, which means that she doesn't think it was ours!" Gon argued.

"That was just something she said!"

"Oh, like the way some people just say they aren't afraid to talk to Misaki but they really are?" the spiky haired boy debated.

The silver haired boy stole a quick glance at the girl, startled that she might have overheard. They were loudly bantering, how could she not? Yet, to his extreme reprieve, she was fixated on her cell phone screen and tapping at the buttons with her thumbs.

"T-That's too specific!" he hissed at Gon.

Folding his arms stubbornly over his chest, the tanned boy stated, "Well you said that if I pretended to be interested in joining L.I.G.H.T. that you would tell her the truth."

He'd backed himself in to a corner now, and he knew it. The boy struggled to form a feasible line that might convince his friend that this was all unnecessary, at least at the moment, but Gon had already seen through him. Killua disliked his fear being so obviously projected, even to his closest friend.

At a loss, he finally whispered (nearly too quiet to hear), "She's an adult; she wouldn't be interested in a kid like me…"

Putting a comforting hand on Killua's back, Gon smiled and said, "Some grown ups are. You won't know unless you tell her how you feel, and you'll feel better when you do no matter what happens."

No matter what happens…

It held the implication of possible failure, and therefore humiliation. His heart did a hammer-pound in protest.

"Gon, I don't think-" Killua attempted.

"I'll go visit Haku-san so you two can have some time alone to talk," Gon interrupted heartily over his shoulder as he faced the door to the control room.

"Gon…"

"Good luck, Killua!"

'How do I let him talk me in to these things?'

With his hands in his pockets, Killua was finally drawing exaggeratedly slow steps toward the plum haired girl. He was grateful that her eyes were still glued to the cellular device, seemingly oblivious to his ultimate intent.

He had spent ten minutes in full (following his friend's exit) simply debating his position in his own mind. Eventually the boy came to the conclusion that if he did not do this now, Gon would only continue to insist he do it later. Yes, it was because of Gon that he really needed follow through now. That was a wonderful safeguard and he chose whole-heartedly to believe it, even repeating it in his head a few dozen times until it felt as natural as breathing.

As he entered an approximate two meter radius from Misaki, he decided that her acute interest in her phone was now more of an annoyance than a saving grace. She appeared to be completely unknowing of his presence, and given her skills and experience he was almost certain she must be intentionally ignoring him. He shuffled his feet awkwardly as he reached the beginning of the row of seats which she was seated at the opposite end of.

"Sometimes, Kil', you just have to 'do' and not think so much…"

"Erm…"

He hadn't meant to let the sound escape him, but before he could retract it Misaki's amber eyes were on him, scanning him with a (thankfully) unthreatening sort of questioning.

Immediately he felt foolish; he was too proud and emotionally reserved even to admit to Gon his importance to him, and here he was expected to tell Misaki, whom he hadn't even vocally acknowledged as a friend, that he felt something more for her…

'Why do I let him talk me in to these things!" his mind screeched again.

"H-Hi, Misaki," Killua greeted her, and then mentally cursed himself for his almost immediate lack of aloofness.

"Kil'," she said back, nodding to him.

Her eyes turned back to her cell for a few long moments, and then suddenly she seemed to realize that he remained where he was and that he was not finished speaking. She snapped the phone shut and knitted her fingers, tilting her head at him.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

Her tone was soft and inviting enough that he was willing to push forth.

"Well, not really…" he murmured.

She raised a recently groomed brow at his response, and Killua's eyes darted around as though the pair of them could not agree on what to focus on.

"I mean you can't really help me with anything," he re-stated slowly, quite pleased to hear his voice now sounding much more casual.

The brow returned to its post.

"You just fancied a chat then?" she asked.

She drew her knees up to her chest and pulled her already removed coat over her exposed shoulders without bothering to slip the arms in to the sleeves.

"Sure," he agreed, taking the seat two away from her in the same row.

'I sound like an idiot,' he mentally scolded himself.

"Something is troubling you," Misaki announced almost more to herself than to him.

"Me?" he asked too loudly for his liking.

Flashing a small smile she had clearly initially intended to stifle, she explained, "You're the only other person in the room, Kil'. There's only you and I here."

Only you and I…

"Yeah..."

There was a silence that lasted perhaps a few minutes, but to Killua it translated as several strings of eternity. Daring to peek at the girl finally, he noticed that she had slung her thumb between the bandana and her neck and was gently swinging her hand back and forth through the black material.

"That book…" he mumbled. When she looked over to him he added, "I really like it."

"I'm glad."

I'm glad? Was she glad he liked it because she liked him the way the adult liked the young teenager in it?

"Do… you like it?"

"Of course," she agreed. "It's very poetic."

He frowned, unsure of what that meant in terms of the two of them personally.

"It's interesting that the man likes the younger girl that way," he said, his cheeks flushing at the thought that maybe he was being too obvious.

"She likes him, too," Misaki reminded him, and his heart did another hammer-pound at her words.

"She does? ...She does," he corrected himself more assuredly.

"I can read more of it to you later tonight if you like."

"That'd be cool," he replied, trying to sound considerably calmer than he felt while simultaneously slipping a hand on to the back of his neck.

The aircraft lurched suddenly a few consecutive times. Shrugging off the coat and pushing off from her knees, Misaki rose to her feet.

"I have to check on Haku-san," she grumbled. "I think his glasses might have fallen off again."

She withdrew one step from her seat before hastily turning back and digging through her inside coat pocket.

"I almost forgot," she mumbled, retrieving a brown paper bag. Tossing it to Killua she called, "Here."

He caught it with ease and she exited the room without even the smallest of explanations. Curious, he separated the stapled sides from one another, and found himself gazing in to a colorful array of multiple types of chocolates and candies. He stared in to the sugary haven, and continued to do so even as he heard Gon's footsteps dashing across the floor to him.

"How did it go?" the tanned boy asked with a grin.

"She gave me candy," he said blankly, his eyes still locked in to the bag.

"Wow, she must like you," Gon gasped as he caught a glimpse himself.

"Maybe not," he half disagreed, brushing it off.

"She gave you a present," Gon explained, taking a green, sugary gumball between his thumb and index finger and inspecting it with one eye closed.

"So?"

"So when did she buy it?"

Killua shrugged.

"See?" Gon insisted excitedly. "She was thinking about you when you weren't even around and bought you a gift!"

Shrugging it off once more, Killua replied in a bored tone, "I guess."

Inside however, the boy was becoming rather convinced that his friend, who had far more experience in such things than he did, was right.

His stomach repeated the oddly pleasant acidic and butterfly combination that it had done earlier. In his secret optimism he popped a cherry flavored gummy candy passed his lips and savored the taste on his tongue for slightly longer than usual, having almost completely forgotten now about his theory of L.I.G.H.T.'s ambush from before.

Misaki stared miserably down at her unresponsive phone screen. She had been relentlessly texting Illumi for hours in an attempt to rectify her persistent conscience, which was plaguing her for failing to properly warn him about the current danger of Kukuru Mountain's potential to erupt. He had not responded at all, which bothered her quite a lot. Was he working, or simply ignoring her?

She sighed as a few loose pieces of hair flopped in to her line of vision, wrenching her plum hair from its black, elastic holder. It fell to her collarbone in thick strands, and she hastily ran her fingers through it before pocketing the phone and refashioning the ponytail again.

'I could really use a good lay right now, Illumi…' she whispered inwardly, bitterly, as she opted to borrow another few moments to sulk at her ill fortune as far as contacting the Zoldyck went.