Pixie Says: You have every right to throw sharp objects at me. I won't complain, I swear. Here's the next chapter, and to make up for the delay, I'll try to have a second update up by the weekend =] Thank you so much for the reviews.

If anyone's interested, I've been trying to get on top of my bachelor thesis, which currently means sitting in a small lab trying to sort through washed and dried jackal scats I gathered in Tunisia over summer... Not going so well, seeing as I'm still tired and not feeling well physically (dislocated tailbone and possible stomach ulcer ftw) OR emotionally. But seriously, your reviews are fabulous!


Eventually, Nikita calmed down enough to fall asleep again, and Leorio took a look at her broken leg. Thankfully, it didn't seem to be much worse than the night before. Relieved, Leorio left to join the others in the living room.

"Do you guys need to leave soon?" he heard Gon's voice ask as he walked up to them.

"Yes. We start working soon," Senritsu responded, smiling softly at the young boy. "But we will be back at night, it seems."

They all looked up as Leorio took his seat on the couch. He sighed as he removed his glasses and cleaned them with the ends of his shirt.

"How is she?" Senritsu was the first to ask.

"She seems quite broken. Her leg should be okay though. She fell asleep before I could talk to her," he explained, and silence fell over the group for a moment.

"Leorio," it was Kurapika who spoke this time. "You do realize this makes her even more dangerous? If she is tricking you, this ability of hers could-" He was cut off by Killua angrily standing up.

"Why are you so hell bent on her being an enemy?" Killua asked, outraged that the blond Kurta didn't drop his suspicions. Kurapika didn't react more than a blink.

"For starters, you don't know her very well. And like I told the others last night, you're hunters or world-renowned assassins. Those are motives enough for someone to draw up an elaborate scheme."

"Senritsu just told us she experienced exactly what Nikita was, and it's obvious that she's as oblivious to her situation as we are," Killua argued back.

"Picking apart memories is an easy task for an experienced Manipulator. Not to mention, we don't know the true extent of her ability," Kurapika shot back. Killua didn't understand why he felt so hostile all of a sudden, but he wanted Nikita to catch a break, and it pissed him off all the more that it was his own friend who was causing her trouble.

"Look. You're right. We don't know her, but gut feeling tells us she's not pulling a fast one on us. And I would prefer it if you treated her as an innocent person rather than a criminal until she does anything to prove otherwise."

Kurapika looked at Killua squarely in the eyes. "I always intended to treat her civilly."

"We have another problem," Leorio broke them off. He understood Kurapika's concerns, but he also didn't feel anything out of place with Nikita. Killua had been suspicious of the doctor that took care of her, and his suspicions proved to be right. He trusted both of the younger boys' instincts and if they didn't sense something wrong with Nikita, then he believed in their judgement.

"What's that?" Gon asked, trying to lead his two friends away from their argument.

"Well, the kidnappers picked Nikita up close to the hotel, which might mean they know where she's staying… On the other hand, it could have been a lucky shot and they simply spotted her on the streets," Leorio explained.

"The latter is highly unlikely, since they were linked to the doctor you met," Kurapika responded. Killua sighed loudly.

"Matts won't have anything to do with us anymore, though he mentioned others might come after her. I don't think it matters if we move her. Unless we get her aura under control first, she's a walking neon sign," Killua said, and the others nodded.

"We're professional bodyguards, and I have no qualms over watching over her when we're here," Senritsu spoke up, and both Kurapika and Leorio looked at her in surprise, the former because she hadn't consulted him and the latter out of gratitude and relief.

"I would rather not leave her alone too long, but I have studies to care for, as well, and I can't get much done here," Leorio confessed, scratching the back of his head. "I don't mind reversing my daily rhythm to accommodate more studying when you both are free."

"We can discuss this more later. We really do need to head out now," Kurapika said, suddenly moody. Senritsu nodded and stood up. They said their farewells and exited the suite together.

A few hours later, Nikita woke up to a dark bedroom. Through the thin slits between the curtains, she saw that the sun was still up. She felt hazy, and her memories were clouded. In the back of her head, she hoped everything had been a nightmare, but she couldn't remember what was exactly.

It took a few moments before she remembered what she had seen, and more moments still to calm herself down. She wanted to cry, but she had no tears left to cry. She couldn't remember crying so hard in her life, not even when her mother died, and it felt good to have someone there when she did.

She still remembered Leorio pressing her to his side and tenderly rubbing her back, telling her to let everything out and that she would be okay. The scent of his aftershave that she hated so much before was suddenly soothing. It helped her stay rooted to the world she was in and not spiral into despair. She fell asleep after tiring herself out by weeping.

When she finally felt she could face another day, she hobbled to the bathroom, not forgetting her crutches this time. After freshening herself up, she made her way to the living room. She saw Killua and Gon on the couch, playing video games while Leorio was sitting on the single seated sofa to the right of them, a pencil in his mouth as he read his medicine-related book.

She realized how gloomy the room felt as she came closer to them, and had to stop to get her bearings. Gon was the first to notice her with his sensitive ears, and he looked up with a smile. It still didn't feel right.

She parted her lips and said, rather shakily: "I'm so… sorry…"

That got the other boys' attentions, and Gon made his way to her, a spring in his step.

"What are you sorry for, Nikita-chan? It's not your fault. We understand!" and with that, he put his arms around her in a friendly hug. She was surprised at his show of affection but hugged him back.

"I'm apologizing for dragging you all into this…" Nikita replied softly, squeezing Gon back when he did, before letting him go.

"No use crying about the past. Just get over here so we can talk about what to do next," Killua's voice came from the couch set, and Leorio sent him a glare for sounding so heartless.

Nikita wiped her eyes with her hand, chuckling slightly at Killua's attitude, but she did as she was told. Gon followed her, making sure she could steady herself on him if she needed to.

When she was seated on the couch, Killua threw the controller aside and faced her. Leorio put down his pencil and did the same.

"So…" Leorio said, clearing his throat as he thought about where to possibly begin. "Do you know you transferred your…thoughts, perhaps, to Senritsu this morning?" Leorio asked Nikita softly. Her eyes widened in surprise. "I guess not…"

"She said she saw your… father. After she touched you," Gon explained. "She also said she could feel the same things you were feeling," he continued. Nikita stared at the three of them in disbelief.

"H-how…?" she questioned.

"Your nen is obviously strong enough to pierce into other people's minds," Killua said abruptly. "I didn't see any reaction from Gon when he touched you just now, so it must have happened because your feelings were raw."

"So, this is something that happens when she doesn't feel in control?" Leorio asked.

"How am I supposed to know?" Killua retorted. "I can't say for certain, but this is my guess."

"Just say that, you brat," Leorio hissed between his teeth. "Anyway, we talked and realized others might know you're living here-"

"Oh no…" Nikita interrupted, but Leorio shook his head to assure it was okay.

"We thought about moving, but that doesn't seem to be a good idea either, so we're staying right here. But we will begin to train you in controlling your Nen so you won't be as flashy a target," Leorio said, smiling to lighten the mood. "Or at least, the boys will. I'm still a newbie at this, too, so I might sit in on your lessons with you," he winked at her, and she smiled, appreciating his attempt at cheering her up.

"Thank you, Leorio… all of you," she said, looking at all three of them.

"Don't worry about it," Gon replied, smiling at her. "Oh! Kurapika and Senritsu are staying in your room for the time being. Is that okay?" Gon asked, realizing she probably hadn't registered that.

"O-of course, it's okay," Nikita stammered. "You've already done so much for me. Even if I wasn't okay with it- which I am- I wouldn't have the heart to complain."

"Great!" Gon said, before picking up Killua's discarded controller and giving it to the silver-haired boy. "Just make sure you keep Kurapika away from spiders," Gon joked and Nikita heard Leorio grunt.

"Hm? Does he have a phobia?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Not quite. He loses it when he sees one, so make sure you're not in the same room as him then," Leorio told her matter-of-factly, and Nikita nodded, trying to commit everything to her memory.

Nikita tried to get used to her new schedule. She spent most days training with Killua and Gon, who had managed to get her to tap into her Nen, but her progress was slow. On her breaks, she would often hang out with Seif, who had come up to check up on her after having seen the mess she was in before. He always got her hot chocolate and had a habit of offering a cig to her every time he went out for a smoke, the former which she enjoyed and the latter, she always declined politely.

As she was still not recovered from the outburst of her aura that she had a few days prior, even the light exercises she did with the boys drained her out. She was always out of it by the time her new room mates, Kurapika and Senritsu, returned from work. She barely saw them or spent time with them, but she still felt like she'd gotten close to the musician. She seemed very empathetic, and Nikita was surprised to learn that her hearing was so astute, she could hear the heartbeats of everyone in the suite.

Nikita was painfully aware of the fact that, despite them having different circadian rhythms, this Kurapika person was obviously avoiding all contact with her. He was never in the same room that she was in, and if she went into the kitchen when he was there, he was always quick to leave. He was awake and his bed was made hours before she opened her eyes, and he went to bed only after he was sure she was asleep.

Currently, she was sitting in the kitchen, trying to stomach some food after barely eating anything for a few days. Killua was watching her fiercely as she turned the baked potatoes in front of her into a literal mash without putting anything in her mouth. For the fifth time in a short while, she sighed.

"What the hell is your problem?" he asked her, a bit aggressively. It frustrated him that she wasn't eating. She was already weak and feeble in this state, and had barely been able to do her usual stretches that morning, so continuing to resist nourishment would make it all worse.

At the sound of his voice, Nikita jumped and let go of her fork, which clattered against her plate. "I'm sorry," she responded meekly. "Too much in my head," she grumbled next, and Killua furrowed his brows at that.

"Like what?" he asked her and she sighed, again.

"Does Kurapika have a problem with me?" she asked, head on. At Killua's frozen expression, she realized the answer. With a small huff, she managed one more forkful of mashed potatoes and hotdogs before pushing her plate aside. "Thought so."

"You need to eat more," he scolded her and she nodded.

"I know. I know. I can't, though. I can't get the images out of my head. I get nauseous. I'd rather keep the little food I have in my stomach than push myself and throw up," she told him and this time he sighed, running a hand impatiently through his white locks.

"Kurapika doesn't trust you. But that's how he is. It took him a while to be okay with me, too," Killua told her, his voice low. "And I think he's gotten even more paranoid since he started his new job…"

Getting up, Nikita moved the contents of her plates into a Tupperware, which she then put into the fridge. "He's ignoring me completely. I don't think I'll even be able to get his trust this way," she admitted, as she moved to the sink and dished up. When she was done, she filled a glass with water and sipped at it slowly. "Are you going out again today?" she asked and Killua nodded. He had been spending more and more time with Gon out in town, trying to collect some money before the auction began in just a few weeks.

"He and Senritsu aren't working until night-time tomorrow," Killua suddenly spoke up. "You might have some time to interact with him during the day, then."

"If he can stand being in the same room as my conscious self, then yes. I'll try to seize the chance," Nikita said a bit harshly, but a shy smile was on her lips when Killua looked at her.

"So, back to training?" And with that, they made their way to the living room again.


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