What's up, minna! Finally, after two months, a new update, and the first update of 2018. Woo! I might change the music to the chapter. This chapter is dedicated to @xX_Darkworld_Xx. This chapter took a long time and much contemplation, so I hope you like it! What's my New Years resolution? Staying awesome! Trouble out.

"I'll be right back. I just need to drop this off at Mr. Yoshi's office," Lizz said while waving a manila folder in her hand, sliding open a classroom door we were passing by.

"Okay," I casually replied, glad that my throat had gotten better. This morning, I could barely speak to her before explaining how my planned date with Killua last night never came to be. Lizz consoled me, then ranted on about how big of a jerk Killua acted. As I expected, Lizz took my side. She tried texting Alluka to see if she could get the story straight, but Alluka never replied. We guessed which side she picked.

I walked down the hallways with my notebooks cradled in my arms, pressed close to my chest. I paused and looked to my left. Two students were stapling a new poster on the wall. In silver glitter fancy font announced the school's Snow Spectacular Dance later this month, right before winter break. Girls who walked by and saw the advertisement giggled and whispered to themselves eagerly what plans to make and who to go with. I instantly thought of Killua. Would he want to go to the dance with me? We were dating after all, but are school dances really his thing? Can he even dance?

"Poke!" Someone playfully said as he lightly jabbed his finger at my side.

"Eep!" I yelped in surprise. A surge of ticklishness squirmed up my body and caused me to drop my stuff. Before they slammed to the floor, a pale hand caught them all at once by the spine.

"That was a close one," Killua said with a cheeky grin as he handed me back my supplies. I could tell he was expecting me to laugh. I reclaimed my belongings in a cold snag. How could he be acting so charming when he forgot something important?

"Hmph." With my bottom lip protruded, I turned my heel and started walking away. Killua cut in front of me, noticing that I was upset about something, and tilted his head. "What's the matter, Yuki? Sorry if I almost made you drop your things."

I tugged in my notebooks tighter. "Is that all you want to apologize for?" I asked suggestively in a low voice.

"Umm... sorry for scaring you?" He was acting ridiculously clueless. Surely, he would've remembered by now.

I looked away and asked, "Where were you last night?"

"Home. Doing homework as usual. Why?"

So he forgot after all. Meeting up at a cafe would have been something easy for even him to remember. I guess homework was more important to him than hanging out with me this time. "We were supposed to have a date at Sweet Mete's last night, remember?"

"Sweet Mete's...?" Killua let those words roll on his tongue, trying to remember something from its lingering sound on his lips. Then somehow, it clicked. His confusion soon shifted into shock and complete dread. He slapped his palm over his forehead, his eyes widening in dismay. "Ah! Our date! Oh, Yuki. I am so sorry."

"It's fine-"

"Heck no, it ain't fine!" Lizz stepped in, her voice sharp and vicious. "Yuki waited hours for you, and you never showed up. How could you forget a date with your girlfriend over HOMEWORK?!"

People walking by began staring. I was sweating with nervousness, feeling a bit regretful about telling her. I didn't want her to make a scene here open to onlookers. I placed a hand on Lizz's shoulder to calm her down.

"Lizz, keep your voice down."

"I-I..." Killua was discombobulated, stumbling over his tongue in effort for what words to find. For some reason, however, he could not find a way to neither explain nor justify himself. "I don't know how it slipped."

"And you're supposed to be her boyfriend," Lizz scowled.

People began whispering now. This was becoming too much. I was beginning to feel the urge to cry again, but not in front of others. "I said it's fine, Killua." I had to get away as soon as possible, so I dismissed myself without another word. I wanted to end it there, but as I tried to avoid him, he grabbed my hand.

"No, it's not fine. Let me make it up to you, Yuki. Let's plan another date."

The bell rang, reminding us that classes has begun. "Wait!" The poster to his left caught his attention. He faced me with a new glint in his eyes and reformed his smile. "Let's go to the dance together."

"What?" was my response. Lizz sighed reluctantly as she walked to class ahead of me. I'm glad she respected leaving us alone this time. The rest of the students had already cleared out, leaving only Killua and I in the hallway. "I didn't take you as someone who would like these kinds of events."

"No, but I take it that you're the kind who does." I smiled at his witty remark and almost giggled too, but I remembered that I was still hurt by him. He pulled me closer, forcing me to look up into his rich blue eyes.

"Yuki, I really have no idea how I forgot, and it's inexcusable for how sorry I am. But please let me make this up to you. I'll go only if we go together."

There was no way I would let him off that easy, but his eyes seemed so determined. "You promise?" I could have just told him off, but that was all I could bring out. After all, he had only broken one promise, right?

"Promise." His warm smile was full of confidence. Full of joy that I gave him this chance. Right there, I knew that he wouldn't break this promise. My heart melted and forgave him as we both tenderly hugged each other before heading to our classrooms.

***

That night in the city, it was heavily cloudy, so the lights gave the sky a faint grey glow. Standing at the top of a tall skyscraper was someone wearing a black down jacket, cupping his bare hands over his mouth, exhaling his hot breath for warmth, causing his round specs to fog up.

"Yo," Shiki called out from behind, closing the roof exit door behind her.

Ienzo chuckled as he turned around. "Couldn't you have picked a better meeting spot than this, like the park or a coffee shop? I heard Sweet Mete's has this new pumpkin spice frappuccino on its menu, but only for the season."

"I prefer to meet acquaintances at locations where it wouldn't be easy for them to run off," she stated, eyeing him with a detest look."

"I can see that. The only two ways for me to possibly escape are the door you're blocking, and well..." he peered down at the buzzing city streets over the edge of the roof. "Down."

"Speaking of Sweet Mete's, a little birdy told me that Killua 'forgot' his date with Yuki there," she stated with the quote-on-quote hand gesture.

Ienzo chuckled once more, shoving his hands in his pockets. "You called me all the way up here just to tell me the problems of your friend's love life? Such to be expected from girls. They'll gossip about anything."

Shiki's hands balled into fists. "Quit messing around! I know who you are, Ienzo," she scowled as she pointed at him. "Or should I say, Zexion Visconte."

Unsurprised, Zexion grew a slim grimace. "My, how perceptive of you. How did you figure out who I was? Nobody, not even the Hunter Association knows my face."

Shiki was unfazed by his remark, for she already knew that. "You're one of the most wanted runaway criminals in the world. A hunter who was a specialist genius who had the ability to manipulate memories, then went rogue and became impossible to track down, since you can make people forget that they have ever encountered you by a single touch. That's how you're able to temper with people's memory: through physical contact."

"Heh, you're right on the mark. I guess that explains why you've been avoiding me this whole time."

"Well, initially I thought you were just some weirdo who didn't know anything about boundaries, but when everyone started acting too familiar and friendly with a creep like you, that's when I knew something was up."

Zexion's smile showed that he was very impressed by Shiki's deductive reasoning. "So you figured out who I am, so why confront me now?"

Shiki began walking toward him, leaving footprints on the white powder that had accumulated on the roof over night. She noted that he was not wearing any gloves, speculating the fact that his skin needs to touch people in order for his talent to work, which meant he might have a backup plan if this meeting didn't go well. "Honestly, I don't care what you're  doing at our school. I'm not one who likes to get involved with other people as long as they don't affect me. I could've just ignored you silently until you went away and keep looking after myself, but I couldn't help but notice that you've been awfully clingy to my group, more specifically Killua." She whipped her arm down, dropping a kunai from under her sleeve into her hand. "Now... start explaining."

"You don't scare me, Miss Shiki. In fact, I think we can both help each other get what we want."

"Pfft, don't act like you know me. You don't know what I want." She raised the kunai threateningly, stepping closer.

[Press Play]

"Oh, please. I don't need to tap into your memories to know what you want. I have seen your deep affection for Killua. But alas, his heart belongs to another." He began pacing around her with that sly grin he held the since the beginning of the conversation.. "You've known him for so long, and you have trained and work so hard just so that you can stand by his side at equal level, and then some girl who came from nothing steals him away from you. How unnerving and unfair. But.. what if I can make Killua yours?"

Shiki's hard face softened a bit as she lowered her weapon. "Keep talking."

He tilted his head as his grin grew wider. "As to why Killua is my main target, his big brother Illumi hired me. He assigned me to tamper with Killua's memories a bit as a desperate attempt to remind him more of home, and to forget more of his life here. As you can see, I'm here to help him and Alluka. All Illumi wants is for Killua and Alluka to come back home to their family."

Shiki let the knife drape to her side, for the first time in this meeting, lowering her guard. She was growing more interested. "You're not going to hurt Killua, are you?"

"Hurt him?! Now why would I do that? My client would kill me. My job is to only make sure that Killua resolves into returning home. Although... one of my biggest obstacles is his ties with his girlfriend. Now this part should be our favorite. I need to make Killua to forget Yuki so that it would be easier for him to leave." He turned his body to face her confidently. "Here's my bargain. You allow me to do my work without telling a soul, and I'll give you Killua's heart."

She did not realize this, but Shiki ignored the small voice at the back of her head. For once, Shiki did not rationalize the situation, or calculate any possible outcomes. for this offer sounded too enticing to her. All she wanted was what she had been seeking for her whole life, and this was an opportunity she couldn't pass on. "You can really do it? You can make Killua like me?"

"You've seen how his view of you changed. How he reacted to you. I can make it better. I can even make him think that you are his closest friend... maybe even more. Wouldn't it be satisfying to give Miss Yuki a taste of her own medicine? To know what it feels like to have the love of your life taken away from you by another girl."

Shiki looked down in shame. "Wow. For a nerd, you can really get me." She looked up to see Zexion standing before her, holding out his hand.

"So... do we have a deal?"