Bloody Dahlia: Kurapika x Original Female Character (HxH)

VI. Fluorescence

"It's made convenient." Kurapika arrived at a practical conclusion.

To his comment, Dahly grumbled about his lack of appreciation for good food. She was so noisy that, for a second, he thought he was going out with a female version of Leorio.

Afterwards, they ate in silence and only stared at the reflection off the river in a daze.

A few blocks away, the market was still loud and busy, but the waterside was peaceful. They could hear the street performers playing violins, the swans flapping their wings, and the wind whispering through the narrow canal. Regardless of other actions, time settled between them. What a beautiful day it was, bright, mellow, and fine. The glory could never be replicated.

Swiftly, a breeze stroked through Kurapika's bangs. In between his blond hair, he noticed that Dahly was watching him. Her brows furrowed and her hair pulled behind the ears, she was quiet and intent. Gently, her happiness dissolved into a quiescence, as if nothing was ever there. She faded into a mystery again, looming as a layer of fog. Delicate and ephemeral, like a bloomed dahlia on its way to withering.

Eyes fixed on Dahly, Kurapika squinted at the unnatural girl. In a blink of an eye, the flower spoke, "Kurapika, I had a lot of fun today. Thank you."

As she thanked him, a nearby church sounded the bell for twelve at noon. Yet, her voice was what echoed in his ears.

Confounded, Kurapika could not find the right words. He kept looking at Dahly, but his vocal cords were not working.

"I had never been out with anyone for this long, let alone letting this person treat me. Thank you for taking care of me."

Hold up! Why was she so serious? How was he supposed to react? And the taking care part...She must be kidding.

Suddenly, Kurapika swallowed down the choking air and probed the statement. "Did you let me pay?"

Dahly did not answer. She tilted her head instead.

He realized that she was not going to yield, so he pointed out, "I know you stuffed money into my pocket."

"Oh, so you know." Dahly stuck her tongue out and played cute.

"You were terrible at it. Who do you think you were hiding from?" Kurapika somehow found it funny.

"Um...you? Mr. hunter." She answered with a straight face.

Immediately, they broke off into laughter.

Kurapika teased Dahly about how badly she failed. Her hands were shaking the whole time. Any living person would notice that. What did she expect?

Of course, Dahly was not going to surrender without a fight. She blamed Kurapika for being too demanding. She was not a hunter, so it was not fair. If she knew he was going to make fun of her like this, she would rather keep her money and not pay back.

Naturally, the two went on and on in this stupid competition.

"This hunter license would be fake if I could not even catch you!"

"Did you not agree to pay? Of course, you caught me and said nothing!"

"Well, you tried even though you obviously lacked skills. I felt bad, and that's why I didn't say anything."

"What a gentleman. You joker!"

The quarrel progressed into nonsense. Some things said were so far-fetched that even Kurapika felt illogical, but it was too fun to stop. Finally, they ran out of energy and had to breath. Staring at each other, they cracked up one last time.