P R I N C E .

      The blue-haired boy had wandered around town for three hours – at least he thought he had been around town. In all honesty, he was pretty sure he had passed by the same tall building a few times by now, but his memory was so fuzzy he couldn’t be sure.

     Stopping next to a park bench, he flicked a blinking, golden gaze over to the closest person beside him.

killua was just about to pop another chocorobo into his mouth before he had been interrupted, his hand abruptly twitching to stop himself as the older boy spoke. he tilted his head in response, absentmindedly rolling around the ball of chocolate in his palm. 

Upon closerinspection, it would be recognized as a woman’s body. That was it; except forthe lifeless eyes that stared back with no emotion whatsoever. The fact itslimbs seemed to function at unearthly angles didn’t add on to its charm. Aglint flickered in her right hand as she raised it above the boy’s head. Thegirl was certain that Killua would be able to react in time; he seemed he hadhis wits about him in these types of situations. Plus, he did say that he haskilled actual people before. That had to count for something.

The sound of rustling leaves caught her attention.

Her nerves were almost at their end in this situation. Ithad to be the leaves, right? She had to keep her attention on her partner. Whoknows if he might need her help. Quickly, she conjured her staff, ready to joinhim in his battle when need be.

carefully, he waited, until the thing finally came into his range. soon after killua sensed it, the beast lunged at him, letting out a bloodcurdling screech, long winded and undying. it kind of reminded him of his mother, in a way. there wasn’t much of a difference between the two. however, he didn’t have much time to dwell on that thought, for he sensed another malicious presence behind him.

ylva.

in this situation, she might’ve been in more danger than he was. hoarsely he called out to her but the attempt was cut short when the beast almost landed a blow, was it not for him blocking the attack. killua sucked his teeth. there was no doubt that this thing was tough. with a wavering but desperate voice he continued to issue his warning.

[ ♤ ] “Oya Oya! Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, did we? ♦ “ A wide smirk and a show of striking white teeth as he spoke, amber orbs regarding his young catch. Always on the edge, always ready either to strike or to fight back. So lovely and enticing.

his brows twitched in growing annoyance. killua didn’t want to waste his time indulging in the magician’s frivolous games. “ i could hardly care what my brother thinks of me. even if they are words of praise, it doesn’t mean anything to me. ” 

“J-Just….please be careful, K-Killua,” she said, worry in her voice as she quietly made her way to stand behind a tree, her eyes focused on the clearing and her partner as she waited for his call. Her nails, now claws once more, dug into the tree, knowing that she might need them if something happened to the silver-haired boy. As she scanned the open area once more, something odd caught her eye.

“T-There’s…..something or….someone at the other side of the clearing,” she called, hoping her volume of voice didn’t give away the both of them. At the far end of the meadow, a lone figure, feminine in shape, stood abnormally still near the opposite side of the field by the tree-line. Looking at the figure alone made her hair stand on end, including the fur on her more animal-like appendages that were hidden. There was something unnatural about it, but she couldn’t place her finger on why…that is until it started moving towards Killua is such an unsettling manner. The movements were ridged, almost doll-like, and it certainly didn’t sit well with the young girl.

every time the girl spoke, killua nodded his head, assuring ylva that he had been listening to her words of caution. although the unnerving atmosphere of the situation was inevitable to feel, the boy had a confidence that he could fend off whatever was out there. 

as ylva pointed out, killua glanced up to see the slender figure that was stalking them from the trees. the sight of the creature made his stomach churn, but he couldn’t pinpoint why. looking at it made his mind begin to fuzz. but-

it wasn’t long until he lost sight of it. 

The feeling of her ears being pulled on made the girl’s eyes well-up with tears. It wasn’t a pleasant sensation in the slightest and only made those memories come back even stronger. The girl’s fluffy, black furred ears fell against her head in reaction to the other being rough with them.

“S-Stop…p-please….i-it hurts….”

Her voice was so faint as she tried to hold back the urge to cry. Closing her eyes, she wondered if the silver-haired boy would yell out, alerting people that something inhuman was hiding among them. She’d have to run again..stay in the forest and avoid people like she usually did.

“ !! ”

he immediately released his grip from the girl’s ears as he saw tears begin to well up in her eyes. his cheeks flushed in embarrassment, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder and glancing around to see if any passersby were looking at them as the tears started to stream down ylva’s face.  

shit. it was something he said, wasn’t it. he tried to think of a reason why it would’ve made her upset, oblivious to the possibility that they could’ve been words of comfort. 

“Who did this to you?”

“You have pretty eyes.”

“Should you be doing that?”

“There’s no place like home.”

“Why ask for the moon when you can have the stars?”

“Okay, go ahead, tell me the joke.”

“Where’s your mother?”

“Do your parents know you’re out here? Does anyone know?”

“We all have secrets: the ones we keep…and the ones that are kept from us.”

“Do you have enough money for that?”

“You look just like her.”

“Wait, what did you just say?”

“Do you want a friend?”

“That’s not a nice word!”

“Were they mean to you?”

“I’m sorry they were mean to you.”

“Everyone’s afraid of something.”

“People are frightened by what they don’t understand.”

“Don’t doubt yourself, kiddo. Doubt kills.”

“Aren’t you too young to say that?”

“You’ve never seen that movie?”

“Are you crying?”

“Smile, kid! You won’t be this young forever.”

“You have siblings?”

“Well, do you want a little sister?”

“Well, do you want a little brother?”

“I’m sure she’s/he’s looking down on you.”

“Hey! Do or do not. There is no try.”

“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.”

“What happened to her/him?”

“Do you know that place between being asleep and awake, where you still remember your dreams,”

“Enjoy it while it lasts.”

“Don’t grow up, kid.”

“Oooh, do you have a crush?”