𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗶𝗿 (Killua x oc)

➵ Chapter 19

Killua liked her.

There was no doubt about that, Killua just know it. Every time he was away from Itsuki, he just had the urge to see her, to be with her. And when he was near Itsuki, that extraordinary feeling would reappear.

"Killua?" Gon called out, waving his hand in front of Killua's face.

"Yes?" Killua responded.

"You were spacing out." Itsuki said before taking a sip of her hot chocolate.

"Oh, I was just thinking how are you managing to not improve one bit after a week's training," Killua lied.

Itsuki choked on her hot chocolate, "I am, you're just too much of a loafer to notice."

"Oh? Last time I checked, you've never won me in your tactic training yet, not once." Killua retaliated.

"I will today!" Itsuki frowned at him.

"And What if you don't?" Killua arched a brow.

"Then I'll do 2000 push-ups." Itsuki declared. "And what if I do?"

"I'll do 5000 push-ups" Killua responded.

—

The game began. Killua dashed into the woods, with Itsuki chasing closely behind, they were heading to the direction of a nature reservoir 6 miles away. Before they arrive there, Itsuki has to find a way to pull off the red ribbon on Killua's arm. It was a tactical game.

Itsuki sprinted just behind a distance, dodging the densely laid out trees while watching Killua attentively for any opportunity to strike for the ribbon. However Killua was well aware of that and showed defence in every aspect, not giving Itsuki a chance.

Seeing no opportunities, she changed plans, diverting to the left side, still keeping a distance. She took advantage of the trees, going back and forth between them, hoping for Killua to lose track of her. With a leap, she strides forward, stretching for the ribbon on Killua's arm. Killua dodged effortlessly, still keeping an eye on Itsuki.

Itsuki cursed under her breath.

As she ran, she picked up a few rocks, chucking away the ones too small. With a powered jump, she landed on the trees, leaping onto the branches as she followed closely behind.

Killua noted her spot on the trees, though he couldn't see her clearly due to the leaves hindering his sight. However he could still locate her by sounds.

And that's where the rocks came in. Itsuki chucked one at the direction of east, then one at south, then north. She repeated this over and over, obstructing Killua's senses of her location.

Killua looked around attentively, completely losing track of her.

Itsuki took this as opportunity as she once again leapt downwards to Killua, grabbing the ribbon.

She landed face first onto the floor, she sat up, holding onto the ribbon with the biggest smile.

She's done it. She's got the ribbon.

Killua came to a stop.

"5000 push-ups~" Itsuki said smugly.

"Crap..." Killua let out a frustrated huff as he got down onto the grass.

Itsuki sat down, leaning onto the tree as she watched him whizzing past through them.

It wasn't till very long until Killua finished all 5000 push-ups, not the least bit tired. Itsuki couldn't deny that that she was amazed by his strengths.

Even though Killua wasn't tired, he was still a little worked up. He took his shirt off, hot from the exercise. "It's been a long time since I did these, I'm slowing down..." Killua said as he sat beside Itsuki. Droplets trickled down by the side of his face while specks of sunlight landed on his features. He looked ethereal.

Itsuki peered at him, she never really considered Killua to be this handsome. She looked straight into his mesmerising eyes.

She was immediately lost, lost in the depth of blue. Although behind those blue, vaguely, she could see a hint of brooding melancholy. The eyes of the usually lively boy confided a different side to her, confiding a story to her, a sadder story, a tragic story, a story that contradicted how he acted around people. His eyes were like the ocean, beautiful and clear on the surface but had a concealed side hidden deep below. Coming to think of it, Killua had always been a mystery to her, she didn't know his past, nor much about him.

Killua inched closer to Itsuki, extending his hand and caressed her face gently. "W-what are you d-doing?"

"There was a bit of dirt on your cheeks." Killua replied, oblivious to her flustered emotions.

Itsuki's heart skipped a beat, discovering a gentleness side to Killua she never knew existed. Her heart pounded against her chest violently.

What is happening to me?

—

For the next week, Itsuki and Killua spent most of the time training together. They got to know more about each other and became closer. Although this did not stop the bickering they had.

For the week, Itsuki simultaneously endured Killua's relentless trainings and managed to ascend to floor 100 without losing one match. Although it had cost a lot for her to keep up. But her hard work had evidently payed off as her speed and endurance had a colossal improvement. Killua cannot help but be impressed by how fast Itsuki was picking up the techniques he taught her. For instance, concealing her presence, that would normally take a person a month to pick up, Itsuki learnt it in a week. She was an unbelievably fast learner.

Meanwhile, Itsuki found herself falling for the boy.

—