Miracles in a Lifetime

XII • PHASE FOUR ☓ ENDS ☓ QUESTIONS

     I've reached Gon and Ren. It's very quiet.

     And I'm bored out of my mind.

     Though the silence is peaceful, I don't like the fact that my mind is being filled with thoughts and memories. The past... I shudder as the reminiscence still haunts me. My body constantly flinches from the pain it remembers, but fortunately, I will never have to go through it again.

     "Tenshi-san, are you okay?" I look down to see Gon reaching out his hand to comfort me. I give him a small smile and nod. I get up and rest my hand on Ren's muzzle, and he leans into it. He looks at me with an unknown, but intense, emotion swirling in them.

     I make a gesture to my shoulder, and he immediately obeys, shrinking into his usual small size. He slithers onto my shoulders and rests his head over his arms. I head back to Gon and sit down next to him.

     "She's alright, Gon. No need to worry anymore. Tenshi-sama was just overthinking something," Ren says out of the blue. I look at Gon to see that he still wears an expression of concern, even though I told him that I was okay. I ruffle his hair to ease my clenching heart.

     He looks up at my covered face, giving me an innocent smile. I send him a small smile back.

     Now's not the time to show him who I am.

     "Alright, Tenshi-san. We should head towards to the place where we're supposed to meet up with everyone else," Gon explains. He starts to walk and I follow closely on his tail.

     Gon starts to talk about random things, like where he grew up, how he met Killua and Leorio and Kurapika, and even told me some things about them. Having this conversation makes me feel happiness, knowing that I'm getting closer to them even if it's just a little. It makes me feel human.

     "Master," Ren calls. "Your smile is bigger than usual..."

     I glance at him to see his gaze is already glued to my face.

     "You're very beautiful with a more noticeable smile like that," he adds. I nod with a faint blush blossoming on my cheeks. I don't think I'll ever get used to such words...

     "Kurapika is really smart! He was super quiet when I first met him, though. And he always read books! It wasn't really that hard to befriend him, but it certainly took a while to gain his trust! I guess it's because he's the last survivor of the Kurta clan, who was apparently massacred for their eyes by this bandit group called the Phantom Troupe," Gon blabbers. I hum in response, remembering my curiosity of the vengeful look in his eyes.

     "I bet he's going to look for the Phantom Troupe after becoming a Hunter. It's kind of obvious," he sighs with a sad smile. "I just hope he doesn't get hurt."

     My heart suddenly contracts painfully, making my eyebrows furrow in discomfort. Kurapika... getting hurt? Images of him getting beaten and in near-death experiences flash through my mind.

     "But I'm sure he'll be alright. Since he's Kurapika!" I let out an inaudible chuckle as I listen to Gon. He's still bragging about how his friends, Kurapika and Killua, are strong and brave. He even adds commentary about Leorio saying, "He's... he's strong in heart!" It's amusing to listen to.

     After a moment of silence, Gon exclaims, "We're here!"

     We immediately spot Killua as he does with us, and start to walk towards each other. The two boys start conversing, but my mind is elsewhere. I feel like I need to look out for someone, but I just don't know who.