"What do you mean my pores were already open? I can control it? But I've never even heard about this nen stuff before today. How could I already be able to control it?"

"I'm not sure. I don't know how but you already have your nen awoken and you already know Ten.

"So what do you need to teach me then?"

"Well, I still need to teach you the other basics."

"What are the other basics?"

"Well they are the other major principles: Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu."

"Um okay... I still have no idea what those are."

"Well we will start with Zetsu. So what you are doing right now is keeping your aura nods open and keeping your aura from leaking away from your body. This is known as Ten. It is one of the four principles."

Saske looked down in amazement at the aura bubble she had made around her.

"While Ten allows you to keep aura from leaking away from your body, Zetsu suppresses or stops the flow of aura from their body altogether. So I need you to now close all your nodes."

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?"

"Think of it like water coming through a tap. What I want you to think of is you closing the valve and stopping the water or aura from escaping. Now close your eyes and think of it."

Saske did what she was told and closed her eyes. She tried thinking of what Kurapika had said and closed her theoretical water valve.

"Wow you got it on the first try!"

"I did?"

"Yeah."


He closed his eyes and she watched him change the aura surrounding himself.

Tame. Wild. Tame. Wild.

It was quite a sight. Although her Gyo wasn't quite up to par, she could still see simple things like shapes and such. She wondered what kind of skill it took to be able to control your own aura the way Kurapika did.

Her focus drifted to the window. The clouds were so big and fluffy just the way they were when she was a kid. She used to lie on the grass with Elanna, her best friend from the village below her hill, and stare at the clouds finding the ones that looked like different things. The biggest one looked like a face; a little mangled, but still a face. Next to it was a small cloud. A flower. She and Elanna used to find flowers all the time. Roses and tulips, pansies and daffodils. I could stare at the clouds all day-

"Hey," Kurapika said. One eye open as if staring straight inter her soul, warning her to pay attention.

-Or not.

He flashed a square of nen in the air above him. "What was that?"

She hurriedly applied her Gyo to her eyes. "A-a square?" He nodded with a suspicious glare and continued with the exercise.


It was well into the night by the time Saske's lesson ended. The sun had gone down hours ago and the moon shone brightly against the starless sky.

Her stomach grumbled loudly. "Can we get some food nooooow?" Saske wined. "I'm starving."

Kurapika mumbled a reply of compliance and started walking, Saske hurriedly following after him, his steps a few paces larger than hers.

They came to stop in the middle of the food district, only a couple places still open so late at night. They chose a lower class restaurant and seated themselves.

"Can I take your order?" A tired looking woman stood beside their table with a bored expression.

"Yes thank you," Kurapika said, seeming to take no notice of her hostility. "I'll have a grilled steak... With no tomatoes please."

He looked at Saske. "O-oh, uh, right. I'll order the chicken pasta with white sauce."

The waitress rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen without another word. Bored, Saske's eyes began to wander around the room.

The restaurant was more or less empty save for the small group of men laughing and drinking in the corner opposite their own.

The shabby, outdated wallpaper was peeling off the walls and the minimalistic decor was terribly old and dusty. It was a wonder the place was still in business.

The drunk men on the other side of the room started to grow noisier and their laughter was thick and deep. About 10 minutes had passed since the waitress had taken their order when she came back out with their food.

"Thank you," Kurapika said as she set his plate in front of him. Saske nodded her thanks and dug into her dinner.

The meal want overly great and the eerie, empty atmosphere wasn't helping either. The only noises slow chewing of food, drunk laughter, and a low hum emanating from the kitchen.

The longer she sat, the more Saske's feeling of discomfort grew. There was something that felt off but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

The drunks were seriously becoming annoying. It was getting hard to tune them out, even Kurapika was twitching his eyebrow a little.

"Haha yesterday was a blast!"

"That's only cause you shacked up a new woman!"

"Yeah, Zac here lives for his girls! Don't know what he'd do without 'em," one of the men stated, a bright scarlet covering his drunken face. Saske couldn't wait to leave. She sighed. If only Kurapika would hurry up and finish his food...

"Oi! What do you mean you lost it? We just got us that hunter license them couples days ago!" Hunter license?

"Man, ch-i-ill. I ha-ad it! It mi-ight be o-on t-the floooor." His words were thick and slurred. Hiccups rendered him barely incomprehensible.

Group of delinquents? Hunter license? A couple days ago? It all made sense. She began to move from her seat. Kurapika looked up. "So he figured it out." She grabbed his arm, pulled him with her, leaving his steak half-finished, and walked up to the table.

"Hey! You bastards! Where's my license?!"

The drunkard's around the table looked up from their laughter. "Who's this kid?"

"Oh, don't you remember me? You stole my hunter license 2 days ago... AND ALL MY GROCERIES!"

"Oh. That guy. Yeah I remember you now," said the most sober of the bunch. "Yer that kid. Thanks for doing the shopping, I needed a new toothbrush."

At this point, Saske was getting a little mad. Okay, a lot. "GIVE ME MY STUFF BACK!"

One of the drunkards at the table got up and towered over her. "Listen here you sniveling brat," he said poking her in the shoulder. "You're the one who walked onto our private property, so really, this is your fault. We just took what was on our property," he announced, shrugging as if their crimes were justified.

Attempting to poke her again, he leaned towards her but this time she caught his wrist and twisted it uncomfortably. He yelped in pain and, using his other hand, he made a swing for her head. She caught his arm again by the wrist and twisted them both 360 degrees, leaning her head back, and then smashing it against his. He fell to the ground clutching his head. Saske was still standing but was also clutching her head. "Damn, no one wins in a headbutt," she said, wincing in pain.

The rest of his gang got up ready to fight back. Looking back at Kurapika for help Saske discovered he was back in his seat acting like a total stranger. "Seriously? Wow, I see how it is, I guess I'll handle this myself."

The men surround her, laughing as if they had already won this fight. Saske smiled. There was no way she'd let them beat her. Not this time. Not again. Because now, she was stronger.