Good evening~! (Or morning, or afternoon, anything…)

Thank you for last chapter's reviewers: AUehara, X-MelodiesOfTheSakuraTree-X, Alicia Blue, Guest-san, 361, kirukura, Ty, and RabuRuka-sama. I'm so happy receiving your piece of thought~ ^^ I'd also like to thank those who've faved and/or alerted this particular story.

News on the poll: Killua and Danchou (I feel weird calling him by name) are still tied, followed by Leorio on the third place! Wow, I didn't expect there would be this many votes! XD Anyhow, thanks for those who've participated~ ^^

Now let's proceed to the story, shall we?

The usual disclaimer: Hunter x Hunter and its characters belong to Togashi Yoshihiro-sensei.

Grammatical errors, typos… I've warned ya!

V

Guest

"Two years ago, huh?" Gon mused. He was sitting by an opened window that let the evening breeze blew into the cubicle he and his friends occupied. He rested his head on the frame and gazed on the scenery outside. The once-blue sky was now painted in beautiful orange hue. The sun was setting by the sea. Half of the luminous circle went down into the water as if it was sinking. The air was filled with seagulls' song that could be heard among the roar of the high tides. The shipping activity at the port had ended, only several fishermen stayed there, preparing for tonight's sailing.

Killua heard Gon's mumble and glanced at the black haired teen. He knew what his friend was thinking about, as he was also thinking on the same matter. Two years ago, plus a few days, that was when Kurapika passed away during his confrontation with the Phantom Troupe. Oddly enough, Kiara and Granny Aria moved in to this village around that time. Was it just a coincidence? A coincidence that on the same time, a person disappeared and the look-alike appeared? Was there such a coincidence?

Nevertheless, this was nothing but strengthening his suspicion that Kurapika and Kiara were the same person. However, there was no strong evidence yet. He still hadn't solved the mystery about the Granny's compromising act either.

"Say, Gon…" he called out. The said guy turned away from the window and looked at him. "What did you and the granny talked about last night?"

Gon looked at Killua questioningly. "What about it?" Killua then told him and Leorio about how he had found that she had been acting fishy. She had been acting as if she had wanted them to leave as soon as possible. He also explained his suspicion that it was probably related to Gon's conversation with her on the previous night. Whatever they had had at that time, it must have made her uncomfortable having them around. Gon crossed his arms and started thinking. His dark brown eyes narrowed as he frowned. "I told her that I was from the Whale Island and that Aunt Mito and my great grandma also run a bar like her…" He tried to recall his memory on that particular time. "Then I told her stories about various rare animals I met during my jobs."

"Wait, did you told her that you're a beast hunter?" Killua cut in.

"Well, I told her that the three of us are hunters. She didn't seem to buy it though. That's why I told her about the animals." Gon shrugged.

Killua's cat-like eyes widened when he received the piece of information. 'This must be it!' He thought.

Leorio, who had been listening to them in silence, realized the change in the silverhead's face and asked. "What's about it?"

"I think… I think this must be the reason why she's acting strange." Killua answered.

"But, is there any reason why she should do so? She's not a criminal and we aren't blacklist hunters either. Moreover, didn't Gon tell her that he's a beast hunter?" said Leorio.

"Then isn't it possible to just say that she doesn't like hunters in general?"

"Why would she?"

"Kurapika," Killua started. The other two tensed up when he mentioned that name. "He was a hunter. If he and Kiara are indeed related, and the Granny knows both about this and his job, and she is hiding the truth about Kurapika and Kiara… Isn't it normal for her to be bewildered when she finds out that we are hunters just like him? Besides, we already told her that Kiara looked like a friend of us."

Leorio's mouth shaped into a big O as he speechlessly raised his point finger to Killua.

"Doesn't it mean that she might be suspicious that we are suspecting that the similarities between Kurapika and Kiara are to suspici..?" Gon suddenly felt dizzy because of the overused of suspicious words in his line.

"Well, either way we still need to confirm whether the two of them are related or not, or perhaps, the same person…" Killua stated.

"But Kurapika was a guy and Kiara is a girl. How can the two of them be the same person?" Gon asked.

"Was there any prove that he was a he?" Leorio asked. The other two exchanged looks, then after a while, they looked back at him and shook their head. "Is there any prove that she was a she?" The two shook their head again. "Well then, I know a way to find out about this."

"No, no, no. Just NO, Leorio. I know what you are thinking." Killua was suddenly bewildered for a reason Gon didn't know why. "For God's sake, you'll only get us kicked out from here, or worse: murdered!"

"But this is the most effective way," Leorio insisted. "Plus, we can also find out whether she's a Kuruta or not with this. Shouldn't the eyes turned red when a Kuruta is angry? You can call this: killing two birds with a stone." He ended his reasoning, or whatever it was called, with a slightly too happy remark. It was really clear to see what his real intention was.

Killua opened his mouth but uttered nothing. He wanted to say something, well basically anything he could, to oppose Leorio's crazy suggestion but he couldn't find the right word. Seeing that he was winning this debate, Leorio bid a farewell to the other two while saying to wish him luck. He left the room, closing the door quietly. One of those who were left behind could only face-palmed.

"Oh, Leorio, you're so dead." Killua muttered.

"What is he trying to do?" The ever-so-innocent Gon questioned.

Killua looked hopelessly at his rather-hopeless-for-his-age friend and he sighed. He then whispered something to Gon's ear.

"Peeking into bathroom."

Leorio tiptoed across the empty kitchen. He made sure that he didn't make any noise that would cause suspicion to the owners of the house. He was still several steps away from a door that would lead him to the bathroom, but from that distance he could hear voices from behind the door. He couldn't recognize Kiara's voice, but since the Granny was supposed to be in the shop, it must be her. He gulped in nervous. Beyond this door was a woman who was capable to knock him out in one hit. This time she might even beat him to death. Yes, Leorio knew perfectly that what he was doing wasn't right, but it was the only way (well, he proclaimed it to be) and his friends were relying on him (actually, no). It needed a lot of courage (and lecherous mind) and it held a high risk, but he had to do this (again, no one told him to do so). He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Think of this was for Kurapika's sake! (Actually, if Kurapika ever found out about this, he would haunt him to death.)

Leorio was now standing in front of the bathroom door. He took another deep breath then grip on the cold metal knob. Gritting his teeth, he put all of his courage then turned it.

But the door didn't budge.

He tried to turn it again but the door still didn't move at all. He tried it once again but still, the same result. Just then he jumped to a conclusion.

'Shit, it is locked!'

Well, what kind of careless woman would have taken a bath in ease without locking the door when she was living with three men under the same roof?

Disappointed, he decided to retreat to his room. But then, before he even had the time to turn around, suddenly the door was opened. His eyes met a pair of blue orbs. The other person was dumbfounded when she saw him in front of the door. He was also startled by the sudden meeting and unconsciously stared at her. Her blonde hair was wet and several drops of water run down from her fringe to her red cheeks. A towel was placed on her shoulders to prevent the water getting to her shirt. He could smell a pleasant scene of shampoo from her.

"What… are you doing here?" Her surprised expression gradually turned into a suspecting look.

"N- No, W- Well, I just… I just…" He tried to come up with an excuse but her intense glare made him panic and his mind refused to work properly. "Uh, I… You… You know, I lost something and I couldn't find it anywhere. That's why I thought I might have left it in the bathroom. I wanted to check the bathroom but then I found out that someone was there. I was going to go back to my room when you suddenly came out."

"And what exactly that something is?" She asked skeptically. She then took a step behind and opened the door wider, showing him the interior of the bathroom. "Is it really here?"

"Uh, well, on a second thought, it might just be heaped up under my other belongings in my suitcase." He grinned groggily. She gave no positive reaction toward his unconvincing excuse. It was clear that she wasn't buying anything he said. By now, she must be thinking that he had intended to peek her at bath (and she was actually right). He mentally cursed and noted that this must be the end of his life.

Just then a lifesaver came.

"I found it, Leorio!" Suddenly Killua walked out of their room while holding an electric device in a size of a cell phone. "It's here... Your shaver."

Leorio blinked several time in confusion before he understand what was Killua talking about. "Oh, right, thanks Killua." He then turned back to her and sent her another groggy grin as he excused himself. He dashed towards his lifesaver, grabbing the younger guy and his shaver in the process, and went to their room.

"Oh my God, I thought I would die." He leaned his back to the door he had slammed close a moment ago and slid down to the floor. He felt his legs lost their strength.

Killua snorted. He clearly remembered he had warned Leorio before about it. Had Killua not quickly thought up a way to get him out of trouble, he must have been dead by now.

"But who've thought you owned a shaver." Leorio commented as he looked closely at the strange shaped electric device that was dubbed as a shaver.

"It isn't a shaver. It's a stun gun." Killua nonchalantly replied, which cause Leorio threw the dangerous weapon into the air as if it would stung him out of the blue. Luckily, it landed safely on the futon.

"But Leorio, I didn't thought you would be that low."There was a sign of disappointment in Gon's voice. Well, he was indeed disappointed by his comrade's act. It was not only an appropriate thing to do, but also a criminal. How could Leorio think of doing that to someone who had kindly accept them in her house?

Leorio's face reddened in shame. He tried to defend himself. "But it's the only thing we can do!"

"There must be another way!" Gon demanded. Killua nodded in agreement. Killua wasn't as goody two-shoes as Gon was, but he knew perfectly that if he hadn't backed Leorio up earlier, the three of them would've been kicked out of this place by now; resulting them to lose the truth that was only a hand reach away.

Leorio tsked and rolled his eyes in annoyance, but decided to say nothing. The other two also didn't say anything anymore and let the depressing silence hang in the air. The only things that could be heard were ticks of their watches and almost inaudible noises they made when they shifted position. The atmosphere around them was heavy and suffocating. None of them knew how long the time had passed since any of them had said anything. All of them were drown in their own thought and guilt started creeping in their heart.

Leorio thought that perhaps he should have acted more maturely and listened to the others' opinions. As the oldest one, he was supposed to lead them, not dragging them down with his immature, foolish acts. Gon felt that he had been too rough to Leorio and he should apologize for accusing him. He knew Leorio had never meant to bring harm to them; instead he had been trying to find a way out of their current situation. Meanwhile, Killua thought that he should be more opened up to the other. They had been together for a long time and instead of complaining; he should have just accepted their weakness as much as their good side.

This wasn't the right timing to have a fight with each other. They had something important to do. Just like what had been stated earlier, the truth was only in a hand reach away, but they might lose it if they weren't careful enough in handling this matter. They had lost a chance once and they had to let the bygone be bygone. However, another chance would surely come and it might be their last one. They shouldn't lose it because of a mere, childish quarrel.

None of them thought that the chance would come this soon though.

There were knocks on the door and the three guys quickly looked at it, wondering who it was. "There's something I need to talk to you. Can you all come out?" Said the one who stood on the other side of it. The voice was low and hoarse; they recognized whose voice it was. It was the Granny's.

Granny Aria went outside through the back door and the three followed her. She led them the outskirt of the village. With each step they took, they became more and more curious. They wondered what she wanted to talk about and why they need to move to a more secluded area. Finally they arrived at a desolate shore where there was no one else around. She stopped on her track and turned around to see them. Her gaze was firm. It made them feel uneasy. Had Kiara told her what had happened before? Did she think that Leorio had tried to peek her granddaughter at bath? Was she angry at them?

"What are you up to?" She asked. They noticed that instead of anger, there was something else in her voice. It was like she was trying to figure out what was in their mind. The question itself was ambiguous. They would be doomed if they didn't carefully think out the right reply before answering it. Their true intention on staying here might be accidentally revealed as well.

"What do you mean?" Instead of answering, Gon asked her back as if he didn't understand the question. It was both a good and bad decision: it was good because he didn't leak any crucial information before they got what exactly she wanted to know first; bad because it could make them sound more suspicious.

"I've been hearing some rumors that you've been investigating on Kiara."

They put on a poker face even though deep inside they were surprised by how she managed to find out about it.

"Oh, you found it out." Leorio tried to reply in a carefree remark and put on a fake sheepish smile. "Well, you see, she's pretty and nice so… Isn't it normal for a guy to learn as much as he can on the girl he's interested in?"

She stared at him for a while. It looked like as if she tried to read his expression to tell whether he was saying the truth or not. "Is that so? Is that really the reason?"

"Yeah, now that you know about it. I'm a little embarrassed." Leorio still put up with his act as he scratched his nape. Fortunately, this decreased the tense among them. They noticed a slight hint of smile on her face.

"I see. I'm sorry I was being paranoid that you might plan something bad to her... or perhaps still thinking that she was your friend."

"I couldn't be. Kiara is a she while our friend is a he. No matter how they look alike, we will never mix them up." Gon laughed off. Even though her suspicion was right on the bull's eye, they couldn't let her know about it. No, not now… Or was it actually the right timing?

"Gon's right. I understand if you're afraid that we might do something bad to her, but why would you be afraid that we're still thinking that they're the same person? We might have mistaken her as him once, but there's no way we would insist that she was him. There's no reason to do it, right?" Killua's previous innocent smile turned into a smirk. "Or there is actually a reason?"

The Granny was taken aback by his question. "N- No, it's just I'm a little paranoid since she's the only family I have."

"Eh, but I don't feel thinking that she is him will ever cause any harm to her. It's not like we'll ever attack her or such."

She was speechless after hearing Killua's statement and couldn't refute. It seemed that the table had been turned.

"Granma, you're hiding something, aren't you?"

Night had fallen upon the small village in Hoon Island. A lone figure walked along a dimly lighted road that was connecting the harbor to the residential area by the seaside. He had just got off from his private boat and was heading to a certain place, a certain house, a certain bar…

"Are you sure this is the right place?" He talked to a cell phone in his hand.

"Certainly. There's no doubt in our informants' capability. The even sent us several photos." said the person on the other end of the line.

"Well, if you say so." The first person then hung up the phone. He took the cell phone away from his ear then gazed on a photo on its screen. It was one of the photos his accomplish had been talking about. His amber colored eyes looked closely at a certain blonde in the photo. She indeed looked like someone he had been looking for.

At first Hisoka hadn't believe it when Illumi had told him that there had been someone who looked exactly like Kurapika in the photos he had received from the butlers that had been secretly assigned to observe Killua. He had heard the news that the Kuruta had died two years ago. But then, out of pure curiosity, he had met the Phantom Troupe members and found out that Kurapika's death might have been faked. Relying on the information from Illumi, he arrived at the village where Gon and co. were staying.

Without much trouble he found Granny Aria's bar. There, he was greeted by no other than the Kurapika-lookalike. She looked quite taken aback when she saw him.

If she was Kurapika, then she must be surprised by how he could find her. If she wasn't, well perhaps she was simply astonished by his strange magician look. Either way, he would find it out… very soon.

Next: The Hunter Trio was reaaaaally close to the truth but suddenly Hisoka showed up in front of Kiara. What was Hisoka planning to do? Will the truth of Kiara's identity finally revealed?

Please review and tell me what you think on this chapter! Is it good enough? Is it too slow? Or perhaps too fast? I'm also still accepting suggestion on Leorio's Nen ability ^^

Bye-bye and see you next week~