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"Hey, Kurapika."
"Yeah?"
"When we get older, will you marry me?"
Kurapika blinked in surprise. The question had come out of nowhere, seemingly spawning in the air that now hung thickly between the two children.
"...what?" He eventually settled on.
"Will you marry me, I dunno, in 8 years or so? When we're both adults," Leorio repeated, pulling a cheap plastic ring out of his pocket.
"Oh," Kurapika paused. "Of course." He didn't think much about it - they were both children, so a promise like this didn't really hold any weight. Not yet, at least.
Leorio beamed, grabbing Kurapika's hand and placing the ring on his finger. "Just wait! In eight years, I'll be at a top university studying to be a doctor - then I can support you!"
Kurapika laughed, looking at the ring on his finger. Simple and bland, with 'made in China' written on the inside. But yeah, Kurapika liked it. Maybe he did care about this promise.
"Oh!" Leorio rummaged around in his pockets some more. "I got one too, so we'll match!" He pulled out an identical ring and placed it on his finger.
Kurapika watched in awe as Leorio began rambling about his plans for the future - he would open a clinic for the poor, he'd support Kurapika's every dream, etcetera.
Yeah, Kurapika thought. I'm looking forward to the future.
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The time moved fast, and soon, eight years had passed. Kurapika and Leorio had lost touch when Leorio went to high school - and Kurapika was too nervous to approach him after the fact. But, he had managed to figure out what college Leorio was going to. Kurapika had graduated High school a year early, and still held on to the old ring with everything he had.
Somewhere in those eight years, a childish crush had matured into full-blown love.
Somewhere in those eight years, Kurapika had become determined to hold Leorio to his promise.
And somewhere in those last couple of months, Kurapika had gained the courage to actually seek Leorio out.
But somewhere inside Kurapika still wondered.
Did Leorio even remember him?