Well, I'm sorry for the delay. :(

I should've posted this chapter earlier because, in all honesty, it has been ready for some time now. All I really had to do was proof-read it, but this story is not really getting the attention I expected, so I got a little demotivated to proof-read it. Not to mention that I was in a trip, so... yeah.

No more whinning from me now! To the chapter! XP


"Guys, I'm going ahead. I want you to wait for me here." Bleach said.

"What?!" Gon, Leorio and Kurapika let out in unison.

"You don't honestly think that Mike is the sole defense of the Zoldyck, right?" Bleach asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm pretty sure we'll meet more dangerous obstacles ahead and I want to size them up before we head-dive into a fight."


Honestly, Bleach was quite disappointed with Killua's family. After meeting that monster they dared to call a pet, Bleach was expecting hell to reach the Zoldyck's mansion, but it wasn't really that bad. The traps were no more challenging that the ones she found while invading museums and mansions for the Mafia, and she was able to sneak past their bodyguards easily enough. Ging had taught her very well about Ten, Ren and Zetsu, but the last one would always be her best and most favorite technique.

First, Bleach found the butlers' mansion. For a moment, she believed she had arrived at Killua's home, but the place, though large and richly decorated, was much too small to be the home for the most infamous family of assassins in the world. Also, she was about a mile from the base of Kukuroo Mountain and she remembered Illumi saying that his family lived "at the very top''.

So, she continued to walk in the shadows, getting higher and higher in the mountain.

While working as the Mafia's lapdog, Bleach had infiltrated and broken into many spectacular mansions and even castles, but nothing compared to the massive construction that was the Zoldyck mansion.

Really, the only thing Bleach thought that could compare to it was that Lou-something Palace that was turned into a museum, from which she robbed a painting of a half-smiling, half-smirking, half-deadpanning woman, whose eyes seemed to follow you everywhere. Bleach felt a proud smirk stretch on her lips at the memory; the people in the museum still didn't know that the painting they had was actually a counterfeit she had replaced the original for.

Dismissing her memories and her awe at the mansion, Bleach started to round it, careful to avoid setting off any of the many traps and alarms she found. She wouldn't dare trying to break in the house yet; she didn't have the chance to study the place's blueprint beforehand, and she betted her ass that all of those external windows and doors had some sort of alarm that had to be turned off before they were opened.

Soon, Bleach's eyes settled in a female butler that was walking on the first floor. She smirked; that butler would let her in the house.

From the shadows, Bleach watched the woman move around, inspecting the rooms and occasionally stopping to fix a painting or take off some dust. It was boring, but the former thief waited patiently for her opportunity window to open. Literally.

As the white-haired girl predicted, the butler ended up finding a room that did not meet her standards. Before she started cleaning said room, the butler did what Bleach was waiting for: she opened one of the windows.

The butler had her back to the girl as she cleaned the room so, silently and carefully, Bleach stalked to the window, jumped in the mansion and hid from the butler's sight, shadowing her steps from behind.

As soon as the butler was done with the cleaning, she closed the window, reactivated its alarm - Ha! I fucking knew it! - and walked out of the room, leaving Bleach there, alone.

Oh, yeah. I still got it.

A smile of near-ecstasy stretched across Bleach's face and her mouth watered as she put a small elephant ornament, which was made of gold and encrusted by actual rubies and diamonds, in her backpack.

It had been so long - too fucking long - since she last had such an exciting and rewarding task. Bleach's eyes darkened in pleasure and she bit her lower lip to prevent a whimper from escaping her.

Really, why did she ever let go of sneaking, stalking and stealing?


Bleach had half a mind to search for Killua's parents' bedroom, where she would most likely find a safe filled to the brink with extremely expensive jewelry and cash in specimen. If there was something that Bleach learned while working for the Mafia was that people from the Underworld always had some millions jenny in cash and goods stored in their houses, just as a precaution.

But, to Bleach's utmost annoyance, Gon's face popped up in her head and she dismissed the idea. The boy was desperate to find Killua and she was sure that Ging's son wouldn't wait too long for her before going after his friend.

If only she knew that the boy hadn't waited at all…

So, contenting herself to stealing only the valuables she came across, Bleach made her way down. Down where exactly, she didn't know. But, it didn't matter; down always meant worse punishments, so she knew that Killua was down.

Why?

Because Killua had run away from his family of ASSASSINS, cutting his MOTHER and… Milluki (whoever that was) in the process. The boy was going to be punished. Badly.

Soon, the girl found herself wandering through a maze of dungeon-like corridors, looking for any sign of Killua: a strand of hair, a shoe, blood, a missing limb… Anything was game for her.

Instead, she heard two male voices that she didn't know getting closer. Bleach thought about running but discarded the idea quickly; she'd only get lost in the damned place. Also, if she eavesdropped, the men might give her some intel about Killua's location.

So, soundlessly, Bleach leaped and spread her arms and legs wide open so she could use the walls to hold her body up and close to the ceiling, out of the men's sight but close to their voice's range.

A couple of seconds later, Bleach could see an old man and a fat boy walking beneath her. She felt her eyes widen. HOW THE FUCK CAN THAT FATSO BE AN ASSASSIN?! Also, the ring the fatso had around his pinky finger had a nice and big diamond encrusted in it.

"Millu, what do you think of Killu's potential?" The old man asked.

"It's incredible, sure. He's probably the most talented Zoldyck in history. Mama seems to think so, and I have to agree."

Bleach scowled. Good thing Killua wasn't hearing that; his ego was already too inflated.

"Considerable praise." The old man commented.

Since the men were getting farther and farther, and Bleach was curious to eavesdrop on them, the girl did her best to follow them, by crawling via walls, without making a noise. It was harder than she thought it would be.

"But he fails as an assassin because he's so moody."

Bleach furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. After Kurapika, she believed that Killua was the most in control of himself in the group. Leorio was the moody one.

"Moody?" The old man echoed. It seemed he shared her disagreement.

"A kid who wants to make friends can't lead the Zoldyck family. In the end, he's just a crybaby. Mentally weak."

This time, the girl rolled her eyes; of course the fatso shared of Illumi's crazy 'friends-are-worse-than-AIDS' view of life.

The men's discussion was getting boring so Bleach had half a mind to stop following them, but, as luck (or lack of it) would have it, the stone she had grabbed last with her right hand was loose and slipped from the wall and fell to the ground, taking the white-haired girl down with it.

Not even raising her upper body from the floor, Bleach gazed up at the two men who were now staring at her. The old man had a curious eyebrow raised while the fatso had his usually squinty eyes wide in shock.

Bleach smiled innocently at them.

And took off to the opposite direction.

"STOP!" The fatso demanded in an angry shout. Bleach scoffed, as if that would make her-

BAM!

Bleach felt something grab her ankle and fell face-first on the floor. Eyes narrowed and nose bleeding, she activated Gyo and looked over her shoulder and her eyes widened at what she saw. There was a fucking Aura dragon biting her ankle! The girl's eyes followed the things' body to the old man's hand.

"Dragon Head." She heard the old man say. Was that his power's name? Cool.

Bleach watched the two men approach her and she quickly put her innocent smile back on. The fatso was storming towards her; fury written all over his face and second chin, while the old man walked calmly, though imposingly.

"So, which of you fine gentlemen will tell me where Killua is?"

To Bleach's amusement, the fatso's face turned red in anger at her question. To her relief, the old man smirked in amusement.


Now, it was one of those rare moments in her life that Bleach considered herself lucky. Very lucky.

Lucky because Zeno was one of the people that found her infiltrating in the Zoldyck mansion. Not only the old man seemed to be calm, sensitive and not violent, but he was also one of the hotshots in the place. Instead of allowing his grandson, Milluki, to kill the girl, Zeno ordered him to take her to one of the mansion's lounge and leave her. Granted, he allowed his grandson to do that by dragging the girl by the hair, but, considering her situation, Bleach found that some puling of hair was a small price to pay.

After that, Zeno asked Bleach to sit down on the couch and talk to him, just have a civilized conversation really, as they waited for Killua to finish talking to his father.

In other words, Bleach was pretty sure that she would get out of the place alive, unharmed and in good terms with one of the leaders of the Zoldyck family. AND carrying a backpack full of small, and pretty expensive, souvenirs.

"So, you're Killua's friend." The old man, Zeno, more stated than asked. "You're not Gon, though. What's your name?"

"I'm Bleach." The girl explained. "I came here to help Gon find Killua. Talking about the boy, is he okay?"

"Which one?"

"Kil- Both, actually."

"Killua is fine; Milluki's torture was like a walk in the park for him. I'm not exactly sure about Gon's state, though; last I heard, he was going to the butlers' quarters."

"Isn't there safe?"

Zeno's smile made a shiver run down Bleach's spine. "Perhaps, it is. Perhaps, it isn't. Our butlers may be rather… playful sometimes."

"…I can't believe you managed to use the word playful to describe a dangerous situation. And succeeded." Bleach admitted. "So, where exactly are those quarters?"

Truth be told, after hearing that Gon might be in danger, Bleach was ready to ditch Killua and run to the brunette boy. She didn't need to do that though; as soon as those words left her lips, the female butler that had unknowingly allowed Bleach to enter knocked on the lounge's door and announced that Master Killua was waiting for her at the mansion's front doors.

Bleach didn't even try to hold back the relieved sigh that passed through her lips as she stood up.

"Well, I'm taking my leave then. Thanks for the hospitality, Zeno."

"Before you go, take this." The man raised a business card to her. "If you ever need anyone killed, give me a call. I'll give you a 30% discount."

Bleach didn't know what to say to that, so she simply smiled and took the card.

When the girl was about to walk out the door, Zeno spoke: "Also, empty your backpack."

Bleach turned around with furrowed eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

Zeno just raised his eyebrows.

"Fine…" Bleach let out a disappointed sigh as she began removing all of her pretty souvenirs from her backpack. "How did you know, anyway?"

"Illumi gave us a very detailed report about every person that Killu interacted with during the Hunter Exam." Zeno explained, grabbing the elephant ornament and examining it. "Your part was quite extensive, you know? Perfect stealth, good perception skills, stealing tags from the insides of a man's pants without him noticing, cheating in a poker game without letting Illumi discover how, strange healing abilities… any of these ring a bell?"

Bleach smirked at the man. "Yeah, yeah. So, you hadn't really noticed I had stolen those. You just deduced."

Zeno returned the smirk. "Yes, I just deduced. You are quite the skilled thief, girl. If you ever find yourself in need of money, give me a call. I may actually have a job for you, some day."


"I honestly can't believe you managed to break in my home." Killua commented in a disappointed voice as he and Bleach walked to the butlers' quarters. "The security there sure is decadent."

"I can't believe it took you 12 years to finally to get out of there. And you weren't even able to avoid confrontation as you ran away." Bleach retorted, giving Killua an annoying smirk. "I guess your stealth sucks a little bit, huh? Especially for an assassin…"

"Shut up."

Bleach smirked in triumph.

"Ah! I have something you'll like to see." Bleach said as she shoved her hand into her turtleneck's collar and beneath her bra.

Killua quickly covered his eyes and actually gagged. "EWWWW! I don't want to see any of that! Pedophile!"

"Shut up, idiot! That's not what I meant!" The girl spat as she retrieved a piece of jewelry from her bra. A ring, with a nice and big diamond on it. "Open your eyes."

Hesitantly, Killua peaked between his fingers. His eyes widened and a big smile stretched across his face.

"No way! You stole Buta-kun's ring!"


Kikyou and Zeno were in Silva's... office? Yes, let's call it office. They all were discussing the events that had just taken place in the Zoldyck estate. Illumi was also participating in the conversation through a loudspeaker, since he wasn't in his home at the moment.

"And your father let him go, Illumi!" Kikyou complained exasperated. "My son! My sweet Killu!"

"Calm down, Mom, I'm sure Father has a plan." The robotic voice of the eldest of Zoldyck's siblings sounded even more robotic through the apparel. "I knew the boy, Gon, had potential, but I didn't think that he'd manage to pass the Testing Gate, let alone get so far in the estate. Really, for him to arrive at the butlers' quarters… I underestimated him."

"Actually-" Zeno put in. "-another of Killu's friends got even further."

Kikyou and Silva turned their questionings gazes to Zeno, who just smirked in amusement.

"That girl you mentioned in your reports, Illumi, Bleach was her name."

"Ah! The little cheater. What about her?"

"Millu and I found her wandering around the dungeons of the mansion." Zeno spoke. "She was looking for Killu. And raiding our home meanwhile."

"WHAT?!" Kikyou exclaimed in shock. "Why didn't you tell us that sooner, Grandpa?!"

"There was no need for it. She was completely harmless." Zeno stated with a shrug of her shoulders. "So, I just ordered her to empty her backpack and sent her away with Killu."

"Of course she tried to steal something." Illumi stated.

"Many things, actually; very expensive ones, at that. The girl has a good eye to find valuab-"

"MAMA! PAPA!" Milluki called desperately as he barged into Silva's office.

"What is it, Millu?!" Kikyou snapped. "Can't you see we're having an important conversation?!"

"The diamond ring you gave me! It must've slipped from my finger! I can't find it anywhere!"

A deadpanned silence settled in the room as Zeno, Silva and Kikyou exchanged glances.

Zeno's eyes twinkled in amusement. There was no way that the diamond ring had just slipped from Milluki's fat fingers; the girl had managed to steal it when he was dragging her by the hair. Directly from his finger. Without allowing Millu to even notice it.

Kikyou's scowl was ugly and terrifying, while the corners of Silva's mouth turned a little upwards. They could hear lllumi sigh from the loudspeaker.

Zeno let out a heartfelt laugh. "Oh, that girl is good."


A couple of minutes before Killua and Bleach reached the butlers' quarters, another of the Zoldyck family members appeared in front of them. A small and black-haired kid that was wearing a kimono.

"Kalluto?" Killua asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Nii-san, come home." Kalluto said in a voice as emotionless as Illumi's. "Mom really doesn't want you to go."

"I don't care. I'm going to Gon." Killua stated firmly. "If you have something else to say, say it. If not, let us pass."

A tense silence was established. Unfortunately for Kalluto and Killua, Bleach took it upon herself to put an end to it.

"You know, I didn't know you had a baby sister, Killua. The guide that brought us to Kukuroo Mountain said that all of the Zoldyck children were male." Then, she elbowed him playfully on the ribs. "You'll have to look out for this one; the boys are going to fall head over heels for such a pretty thing."

Killua looked mortified.

Kalluto looked like HE was about to commit murder. Which HE was. The BOY's death glare was so intense that Bleach actually gulped.

"I'm a boy." He said simply, before disappearing from view.

For one second, Bleach felt really ashamed of herself. After that second, she was rolling on the ground with laughter.

Killua never felt so much second-hand shame in his life as he did in that moment.


Soon, Killua and Bleach arrived at the butlers' quarters and, since Gon, Kurapika and Leorio weren't there yet, started to play some videogames that the boy had left there.

That night, Bleach decided she hated videogames. And that she hated even more playing them with Killua.

"I won again! Man, you really suck at this." The boy cheered. "Anyway, what's the score now?"

"…" Bleach mumbled, resisting the urge to throw her remote on the wall.

"What? I can't hear you."

"27x0!" Bleach yelled by the boy's ear. "CAN YOU FUCKING HEAR ME NOW?!"

"Yes…" Killua answered, covering his abused ear with his hand, but never losing the smile. He may have just lost half of his hearing, but it was totally worth it.


There is only so much videogame a person can play in a row. So, sooner rather than later, Bleach was done playing it. And, later rather than sooner, Killua quit it too.

"How long until they get here?" Bleach complained. "Maybe your butler forgot to warn us?"

"Gotoh wouldn't forget this." Killua stated defensively.

"Still, it doesn't cost anything to go check it out." Bleach commented as she stood up

Killua sighed. "Fine."


Sure enough, Gon, Kurapika and Leorio were already in the quarters. And, after a heart-warming reunion, the five of them got out of the Zoldyck estate.

After the Doors of Verification closed behind her, Bleach couldn't help but turn around and stare at them for some moments. Noticing that the girl had lagged behind a little, Kurapika walked to her.

"We've been through a lot in the last twenty days." The blonde commented with a soft smile. "It was hard, but we got over it, and it made us much stronger."

Bleach smiled back. "Yes."

They spent some seconds in silence as Bleach continued to stare at the gates with a contemplative expression on her face. Finally, Kurapika asked:

"What are you thinking about?"

"Just that… I really wished I had a can of spray paint with me right now, so I could write a big FUCK YOU, ZOLDYCKS on those damned doors."

Kurapika's eyes widened at the girl's unexpected answer.

Then, he doubled over laughing.


"No way!" Leorio exclaimed on the bus ride back to the city. "You invaded Killua's home?! How?! We didn't even passed through the butlers' quarters!"

Bleach smirked. "I'm just that awesome."

"Back to the topic!" Killua cut in, turning his gaze back to Gon. "Gon, you said you won't use your Hunter's License until you punch Hisoka and return his tag to him. So, where is Hisoka?"

"Ehh…" Gon obviously didn't know.

"Thought so." Leorio couldn't help but comment.

"…I know where he is, Gon." Kurapika stated, surprising everyone.

"How?" Leorio asked.

"He told me."

"So, that's what he said in the fight…" Leorio concluded.

"No, this was after the orientation."

"I've been itching to ask…" The brunette man continued. "What did Hisoka say to you in the fight?"

Kurapika's gaze grew intense. "He told me that he had information about the Spider. And I do not recall mentioning the Phantom Troupe to Hisoka. So, either he overheard mine and Leorio's conversation during the First Phase, or he heard it from another. I was interested in his information."

"I see…" Leorio commented.

Bleach didn't understand what they were talking about, but she thought better not to interrupt the flow of the conversation. She'd ask one of the guys about this Phantom Troupe later.

"After the orientation, I asked him about it. He said he would wait for me in York Shin City, on September 1st."

"Ne, then you still have over half a year to go." Gon said. "What's going to happen in York Shin City that day?"

Leorio snapped his fingers. "They'll hold the world's largest auction."

"Exactly." Kurapika confirmed. "From September 1st to September 10th, there will be an auction for unusual items, rare goods and natural treasures from all around the world."

Kurapika's words actually gave Bleach goosebumps - of the good kind. Oh, how she'd love to acquire some of those items for herself. And she didn't intend to pay for any of them.

"The event attracts all kinds of nasty people who want to satisfy their greed. It's the biggest gathering of money in the world."

"We're going!" Bleach exclaimed suddenly as she jumped from her seat with a demented smile on her face and almost drooling. The strange looks she received from the group made her shrink back down to her seat. "I mean… we're going?"

"I am, because so is the Troupe." Kurapika answered. "They are a group of bandits so they won't let this chance escape them."

Neither am I, Bleach thought. That little stunt she pulled at the Zoldyck mansion did leave her wanting for more. A miser diamond ring would be nothing compared to what she'd get from those auctions!

"So, on that day, Hisoka will be somewhere in the city." Kurapika concluded.

"Got it. September 1st; York Shin City." Gon said with a smile. "Thanks."


After their bus arrived at the small city near Kukuroo Mountain, the five of them started to walk to the airport. Kurapika was the first to speak:

"Well, I'm going then."

"Huh?" The rest let out.

"We managed to see Killua again, so I'm done here. I'll need money to participate in the auction, so I will search for a patron that will hire me as a Hunter."

"I guess I'm going home as well, then." Leorio said, earning another collective Huh?. "I haven't given up on my dream of becoming a doctor! If I'm accepted at the Medical School, I'm using this-" He raised his Hunter's License. "-to pay for the ridiculous fee."

"Leorio as a doctor?" Bleach asked with a smirk on her face. "I'll make sure to avoid hospitals from now on."

"SHUT UP!" Leorio yelled, glaring down at the girl.

Bleach raised her hands in a mock-surrender gesture. "Chill, old man. It's a joke. Also, you know me; I don't reject anything that's free, not even medical treatment." Bleach's smirk softened. A little bit. "So hurry up and become a good doctor, so I don't have to pay for Health Insurance for much longer, ok?"

Dumbfounded, Leorio blinked at the girl before giving her a big grin. "Right!"

Gon pulled Bleach's sleeve softly, getting the girl to lower her head to him.

"Ne, you pay Health Insurance, Bleach?"

The girl scoffed. "As if."

"Ah! So you said that just to make Leorio happy!" The boy concluded with a big smile on his face.

Bleach scowled. "Of course not, Gon. I said that to make him shut up."

"Uh huh! Whatever you say."

Some minutes later, inside the city's airport, the five of them got together in a circle.

"Until we meet again." Leorio began.

Kurapka continued. "Yes, that will be…"

"September 1st! In York Shin City!"


I actually felt bad about writing the Kalluto bit, because I really like him. Why do you have to be such a moron, Bleach? -.-

I know, Milluki doesn't use a diamond ring. But, I really wanted to make fun of him, so... yeah...

Talking about fun, I've never created a kleptomaniac before and I am loving it! Writing Bleach's obssession for stealing is really fun. :D

Anyway, please tell me what you think. If I made someone OOC, where I lacked descriptions, what you liked, what you hated... this kind of stuff. I love helpful criticism. *.* Flames also are accepted, but not as cherished. XP

Kisses,

RedVoid