The Wilted Flower ⁀ 𝐤. 𝐳𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐲𝐜𝐤 𝐱 𝐨𝐜

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓸𝓷𝓮 • 𝓱𝔂𝓪𝓬𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓱

✿ ﾐ

      200578. That was the number that was tattoed on the back of the brunette's neck. She walked in, silently, hoping to avoid any negative interactions.

      "Please take your number." the tiny green creature said as he handed her a small badge. She wordlessly took the pin with the number '101' on it and pinned it to her chest. She mouthed a 'thanks' and walked to the corner of the room, hoping not to be noticed, but alas, that was not possible.

      "Hello!" a large man in blue said. "My name is Tonpa. What's yours?" he asked with a gleaming smile. Fake, obviously. The girl noticed.

      "Please leave me alone," she muttered, not wanting to make a scene.

      "What was that? I couldn't hear you." Tonpa said, cupping his ear and leaning closer. 

      "I said please leave me alone," she muttered out a bit louder. He heard her, but didn't acknowledge what she said.

      "Don't worry, I don't bite!" he bellowed. "Hey, would you like a can of juice? To symbolize our new friendship?"  The girl was started to get irritated now.

      "Could you please leave me alone?" she urged, trying to be nice.

      "Here," Tonpa said, handing her the can of juice. "you can have it. I enjoy treating rookies."  The girl looked at him skeptically, she was trying to figure out how a person could be so ignorant. "I bet you're wondering how I knew you were a rookie." Tonpa continued. "Well, you see, I've been taking this Hunter Exam for a long time. Thirty-five years! You could call me a veteran. I-"

      "Please just leave me alone." she gritted through her teeth, finally speaking at a normal volume. Tonpa simply played it off as shyness and tried to continue to speak to the girl. 

      "Hey, there's no need to be fiesty! Anyways-"  Tonpa was cut off by the appearance of a young silverette boy, who was holding a can of the same juice Tonpa gave to the girl. 

      "Hey Tonpa," he said, staring directly at him. "didn't she ask you to leave her alone? Four times? Take a hint, old man." he finished his sentence rashly.

      "Uh, Killua!" Tonpa sweatdropped. "Yeah, I was just giving her a present. I'm leaving now. Bye!" he said, waving and walking away. The girl walked over to the silverette.

      "Killua, right? Thank you," she whispered, again barely audible. But Killua could hear her. She started opening the can of juice Tonpa gave her.

      "No problem." he began, "But you might not want to drink that." 

      The girl looked directly at him. Killua's sapphire eyes met with her soft, slanted, yellow, scarlet and violet speckled brown eyes. The boy marveled at how majestic they looked. Like a rare gem in sunlight. But, they held a type of eternal sadness in them. A sadness he couldn't explain. He stared at them so intensely, he nearly missed what she said next.

      "I'll be fine," she promised, taking a small sip of the drink. She winced at the taste but took another sip. "Honestly, if he's gonna poison it, he should at least make it tasteless. The taste alone is going to give me a stomach ache."

      Killua blinked, and then laughed. "I know right?" he exclaimed. The girl wasn't trying to be funny, but she still was to Killua. "Hey, what's your name? And how old are you?" he asked, giving her a skeptical but amused look.

      "The girl tilted her head in confusion. "My. . . name?" she asked, trying to recall the information. "I don't have one. Or rather, I don't remember it. But my serial number is 200578. And I believe I'm 12 years old."

      Killua slowly registered what she had said. Her serial number? No name? Killua stared at her stoic face, trying to decide whether she was lying or not. It weirded him out, but it oddly intrigued him. "Are you serious?"  The girl nodded. "What did you say your number was again?"

      "200578."

      "I'm not calling you that." he informed, closing his eyes and putting his hands behind his head. "That makes it sound like you're an object."  He opened his eyes. "What was the first number?"

      "Two."

      "Well, Two it is." Killua decided, looking at the girl in front of him. "Is it okay if I call you Two?"

      "That's fine." 'Two' said, trying to make a mental note to respond whenever Killua called 'Two.'

      As time went by, Killua stood next to Two, taking in her appearance and occasionally making small talk. Her stature was thin and lanky and she was as tall as Killua. She wore a red, white and navy tri-color t-shirt with a large, black cloak over it. She had a pair of plain black basketball shorts with big pockets and bulky red tennis shoes. Her hair was brown, limp, and shoulder-length and her skin was pale. There were heavy bags under her eyes, but her eyes themselves were beautiful. A mass multitude of colors. 

      She had a black bandana tied around her neck along with a silver cross charm hanging off a matching silver chain. Killua could see a part of a large black marking on her neck, but he decided not to question it. He remembered his mother's lesson on talking about a woman's body. You don't. So he just left it alone, glad that he found someone his own age to talk to. She may be a little meek and softspoken, but she was definitely better than nothing. 

      And as for Two, her plans to go unnoticed were foiled, but it wasn't so bad. What she couldn't understand was why this boy she had just met- a total stranger- was being so nice to her. Was it a trick? She wasn't sure, but Killua seemed genuine enough. Maybe she could trust him a little. Maybe she could open up some.

      Maybe.

✿ ﾐ

Word Count: 982