Wrapped in bandages, you could only rest in bed as a pissed Killua murderously glared at you.

"4 bone fractures! Now, do you see how stupid of an idea it was to fight him?!" He exclaimed, leaning closer to you with narrowed eyes.

Weakly, you let out a dull chuckle. "Yeah..." You mumbled, giving him a sheepish smile, yet it didn't have its usual brightness and energy.

Killua raised an eyebrow at this. "Oi, what's got you so down all of a sudden?" He asked, poking you on the forehead.

"It's..." you pause, looking down at your bandaged body. "I'm sorry I lost."

"...Huh?! THAT'S what you're concerned about?!" He exclaimed, raking a hand through his silver hair in irritation. Slowly, he let out a deep, exasperated sigh, before taking a seat at the foot of your bed.

"You should really start questioning your priorities, (Y/N). Geez..." He lets out another sigh, before gazing at you directly with a serious frown. "Listen, I don't care whether you lost or not. All that matters is that you still got that idiotic head attached to your shoulders," he says, crossing his arms over his chest.

You gazed up at him, a stunned expression on your face. "But... I went as far as to ignore your warnings, and I even rejected your offer to train me! You have every right to care that I lost!" You exclaim, a bewildered expression clouding your features, before looking down dejectedly once more. "I... failed you..." you found yourself mumbling.

'Failed me?' Killua thought to himself, gazing at your dispirited form worriedly.

You took a deep breath. "I just... I wanted you to be proud of me. You and Wing-san put so much effort in training me, after all," you continued speaking.

Killua widened his eyes at this, as he remembered what you said the day you entered Heavens Arena.

"You–! Just you watch, Killua! I'm gonna make you proud of me one day!"

"...You idiot," he mumbles, getting up from your bed and walking closer to you. He then crouched down to your eye level, giving you a piercing glare.

"Uh, Killua?" You stared at him, a small blush creeping at your cheeks.

"(Y/N)," he starts. "I'm already proud of you. I've always been proud of you, so stop sulking around with that annoying pout on your face. It doesn't suit you."

'Huh?' Your breath hitched, feeling your heartbeat getting louder and louder from the sound of his voice.

"W-Wait, Killua... you actually mean i–"

"You get it now? Great, 'cause I'm not saying that again," he says briskly, standing up and turning away to hide the growing blush on his cheeks.

Despite everything I've done wrong... you're still proud?' You wanted to ask him, but instead, you found yourself smiling. "You always know just how to cheer me up. You're amazing, you know?" You beamed at him, your chest bursting with warmth.

He only blushed harder. "Y-Yeah..."

_ _ _

It's been a couple of months, and your injuries have fully healed.

Walking through the halls of the 200th floor, you were about to turn a corner when you heard a familiar voice.

"Oh, (Y/N)! All healed up already?" A deep, velvety voice called.

'Sanguis!' You thought, whirling around to face him with an agitated frown.

He chuckled. "What's with that look? Don't tell me you're actually mad at me for injuring you? Or are you mad since I won the match?" he asks, stepping closer to you with an intrigued gaze.

"It's..." you bit your lip, taking a step back. "...I'm not mad, Sanguis. What are you talking about?" You say, curling your lips upward into a thin smile.

"You're not? Well, that's great, then!" He steps even closer. "Let's fight again next time. In the real world," he says, lowering his voice so only you could hear. "And when we do, entertain me just as much as last time, okay?"

As he said that, you felt an enormous pressure radiate off of him as the familiar feeling of needles pricking your skin resurfaced. Fear and dread welled up inside your stomach, as your chest tightened at his mere presence. Gazing into his eyes, the friendly and bright facade of his disappeared, leaving behind soulless, bloodthirsty orbs accompanied by a crooked smile.

A nervous bead of sweat rolled down your forehead, as you took a fearful step back while trying to calm your racing heart.

"What do you want with (Y/N)?"

As you heard that familiar, soothing voice, you felt an arm wrap around your shoulders. Looking to the side, you sighed in relief at the familiar mass of silver hair and shining blue orbs.

'Killua!'

"Oh, who's this? Your boyfriend?" Sanguis finally stepped back, a small smirk tugging at his lips.

Killua only gripped your shoulder tighter. "You didn't answer my question, Sanguis. What do you want with (Y/N)?" He repeats, giving him an intensely harsh glare as sparks of electricity started flowing from his body.

"Relax!" Sanguis chuckled, unfazed by Killua's aura. "I was only chatting, that's all."

"Oh really?" Killua scoffs, before pulling you towards his chest possessively.

'W-Woah, what?!' You internally panicked, as he placed a hand on the back of your head, pulling you towards him even further. Your heart skipped a beat as you inhaled his sweet, familiar scent. Unknowingly, a light blush dusted your cheeks, before looking up at him in confusion. He briefly gave you a warm and gentle gaze. Then, he looked back at Sanguis with a cold, icy glare.

"Look, I don't care who you are, but if you want to continue living, you better stay away from her," Killua states, as his ice-cold voice dripped with bloodlust.

Even you were taken aback by his tone of voice, as you felt the temperature of the room drop and the air thicken with the silence that followed.

After what seemed like forever, you heard a soft, wry chuckle from Sanguis. "I'll see you soon, (Y/N)," he merely says, before sauntering off and disappearing from sight.

You sighed in relief as soon as his presence faded away, burying your face in the crook of Killua's neck. "Thanks," you mumbled.

Killua tensed up at your touch, as a deep, red blush crept to his cheeks. "A-Are you okay?" he asked, before hesitantly wrapping his arms around you in a protective hug.

"Yeah... I'm fine," you smile, releasing yourself from his grip.

Killua smiles back, before grabbing your shoulders and looking straight into your eyes. "(Y/N). From now on, you better stay away from him," he says sternly.

"I will, for now," you smile softly at him.

Killua's eyes widened. "For now? What do you mean?!"

"I don't know... I feel like I should defeat him... someday," you mumble, looking down.

Killua's jaw dropped slightly in bewilderment, before he sighed deeply, releasing your shoulders from his grip. "Stopping you now would be a waste of time..." he mumbles, burying his hands in his pockets. "Don't attempt everything by yourself, at least. I'll do everything I can to make sure you're safe," he says, looking you in the eye once more.

You stared at him in shock. "You're going to help me?"

"I– I didn't say that!" Killua exclaims, turning his back to you as another blush crept to his cheeks. "I'm just gonna make sure you don't die, that's all!"

You stood there for a while, as a slow, sweet smile tugged at your lips. '...Thanks, Killua,' you thought to yourself.

_ _ _

As Sanguis turned a corner, he saw the jester sitting by the floor of the hallway, throwing nen-infused cards on the wall opposite him.

"Hisoka! What do you want?" Sanguis spat, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at him.

Hisoka merely chuckled, giving him a sickly sweet smile as he gazed at him. "Whatever do you mean~?"

"Don't play dumb with me!" Sanguis exclaimed, grabbing Hisoka by the collar, pulling him up to meet his gaze. "She's MY target! Stay away from her!" he rasped, glaring at him furiously.

"Oh? So this is what it's all about?" Hisoka replied with a smile, unfazed by Sanguis. "If that's the case, you won't have to worry. She's all yours~"

Sanguis glared at him for a second, before releasing him aggressively. "Hmph. She better be," he scoffed. "Now get out of the way. I have someone I need to meet," he gave him a cold glare, before walking past him.

Hisoka gazed at where Sanguis disappeared to, as a cynical smile played at his lips. 'Just kidding! ♡ I wouldn't let her out of my sight~'