Chapter 12: The Guardian's tests.

"I just wanted to tell, that I love you. I love you with all my heart, along with all those that know your name, your face. Your softest of whispers demand absolute obedience. You rise everyday like the sun. During the day you let your benevolence shine brightly. But by night you let a faker take your place. You are my Queen. Our Queen, but my Mistress. You are my light. You are my only reason for my existence."

WARNING: From this point forward, there will be various situations that may be disturbing and/or uncomfortable to some readers. Please remember: Any sexual iterations, such as groping, the feeling of certain areas to stimulate certain organs, and other interactions between OCs, OC and main character, and character-character, are used only for plot (Not enough to define the story, but enough to be noted here), and slight character development (Mainly the OCs). Here are the appropriate content warnings: graphic violence and gore, racist remarks, possibly negative and/or insulting comments about religion, basically adult language, adult themes, suggested adult themes such as rape, torture, abuse, neglect, and prostitution. Later chapters will contain content about the underground, such as human trafficking, child prostitution. Please note: There will be no detailed interactions of any fictional characters, OC or not, being involved in sexual situations. If it is ever suggested in-story of it have happening or going to happen, it's only for the plot. There will be no detailed sex scenes. There will be no sexual intercourse of any of the younger characters. If (and it is a big 'if) it ever happens, there will be enough to suggest what was going to happen before I cut to another character. I will not write (type, I don't care at this point) any explicit content of the sexual category. There will be detailed beatings, physical torture, and psychological torture, and mental breaking. THIS STORY IS RATED M FOR A REASON.

Although it is M doesn't mean I can put in what I want. I'll just get taken down and my profile might be taken down as well. Sorry for putting this here as the first thing you see. Now I'm concerned that you all might worry about what I'm going to do. I don't want to spoil, but if there is any graphic content such as the torture that might make you think, "That's going a bit too far." That it was most likely intentional to get the feeling of what was happening. And if there are stressful, depressing, happy, sad, worrying, etc, situations I feel obligated to try and get the readers feeling what the characters feel. I don't like happy endings. I tend to be as real as can be. There will be pain, suffering, death, and things worse than death. I'll warn you now, all the characters, main characters and OCs alike will all suffer before the ending of this story. None will have the perfect 'Happily ever after. Again, sorry for this. The goal is to get you not only to like the story's plot, but to feel everything the characters feel. Let's go to reviews.

xOphiuchusx: I would like to thank you for reviewing. Please try to make sure you are explicit in your next review. Nothing personal, I just like to know what you said. I would also like to apologize for my lateness in acknowledging and responding to your review. I, the last Nightwalker, do apologize from the bottom of my heart and hope there are no negative feelings or emotions my lateness may have caused. I hope you review again.

Thirteen (guest): Thank you for your review. It made me smile. I can not help but wonder why your reviewed as a guest. Was it because you don't have an account? You have one but don't want to review under the account name? You don't have to answer, of course. Just curious. I may ask for reviews, but it's mainly to see how I am doing so far, not the attention.

Dragonbooks249: I would like to thank you for your continued support and reviews. I'll answer your question about the Ghoul first. It like any other living thing would starve and most importantly, it would not rot since it's not dead. It did come off as a zombie, but you do know what pus is, right? It is mainly dead white blood cells that were killed fighting a infection. This is evidence that suggest that the infection can be fought but it's not likely to beat by a normal immune system. Okay, my turn. Who were you referring to when you talked about someone getting weak? Was it Villanueva at the part about Villanueva thinking he was getting soft? Just want to know. And yeah, it was Illumi. No worries about not knowing it was a dream. And I never put anything in for no reason. And by the way, the hug is just a simple hug. Just a simple father picking up their child, hands under their armpits and then hugged. But the way Villanueva does it is important. How he held him up and stared at him before hugging him is an important detail. There is also, another thing anyone could forget, was that experiments were mentioned in chapter 4. Those experiments were about curing the Ghouls and making people resistant. See? I didn't put that in there for fun. And there was what McFeely said in chapter 5 about Villanueva not remembering something. It was related to how Villanueva knows Vanessa. There has been something I wanted to say. The sap you mentioned, about you becoming a sap, I would like to say it was from reading fan fiction. But I think it's from reading manga or watching anime, like the chimera arc in this how it put the characters in stressful and heart aching situations and then there were those moments where the reader could just take a breath. A happy, bright moment in a otherwise dark, unforgiving time. One last thing, yeah long response, Hisoka is going to play a part in the Final Phase. Just not this chapter. I want to end at the surprise. :D

For the others that reviewed wondering, "Why does he/she get such a long response?" Well, if you review you'll get a simple thank you like above. But if your review is either long or you review more than once you'll get a long response. I will thank you and answer your questions. Which I am more than happy to answer them if you have any. Remember, review if you have questions or comments. And PM me with questions you don't want to leave on the reviews list where everyone can see. Now I wasted your time and probably gave you conflicting feelings with the warning and the responses.


Villanueva.

Sore was a good way of describing how Villanueva felt when he woke up. He looked over and watched the sleeping form next to him. Kurapika had a peaceful look on his face while he slept. Villanueva watched him sleep for a couple of minuets. He noticed how his chest rose and fell with every breath. He reached over and placed his hand on his chest, just to feel his heartbeat. He took comfort from the feeling. It was something he couldn't explain.

Villanueva moved closer and laid his head on Kurapika's chest and sighed softly as he listened to the beating. Kurapika reacted to the pressure on his chest by placing a hand on Villanueva's head. He felt Kurapika close his hand as if he was trying to grab his head to move it. Villanueva could laugh when he mumbled something and pulled his head tightly to his chest, like a one-arm hug, just around his head. He could feel the warmth from Kurapika's hand and chest. Villanueva wanted it to last, but there was much to do.

He tried to sit up but yelped when he felt pain in his ear. He covered his mouth and touched his ear. He looked down at Kurapika as he shifted from the sound and a tug on his shirt and Villanueva saw his earring on Kurapika's shirt, right where his head was laid. He pulled his hand away from his ear and saw blood on it. He sighed and picked up the earring and noticed it had got caught on his shirt and, this was really Villanueva's fault, the earring didn't just pop out from the earring back when tugged on. The earring back locked it in place and wouldn't come off accidentally. This was the problem. He could tug any direction and they would never pop off. He had to twist the back and apply pressure to it to make it come loose. It simply getting on Kurapika's shirt wasn't was the only reason it was torn out though. Villanueva didn't even know he still had them on and he was sure that Kurapika was in a deep sleep when he moved to get up, so when he got up he didn't think to go slowly. With both it being caught fairly well in the shirt and the strong tug it decided to stay with Kurapika's shirt, tearing his earlobe in the process.

Not that it hasn't happened before. People see a shiny earring and they just have to grab and tear it out. Other times the earring just gets hit by something and would come off. Sure, it was just the earring coming off at those times, no big deal for most, but that was the reason for the new earring back. Now he had a tore earlobe. He got off the bed carefully and took out the other earring and examined them. He wiped any blood on them and put the on the table next to Kurapika's side of the bed and left the room.

He found his room quickly and looked at the clothes, weapons, and tech spread out on tables. Netero had done this, no doubt. He got some new clothes and went into the bathroom to clean up the new injury and to take a shower. The dissection the night before kept him up late and of course the thing with Kurapika. He sighed happily when the hot water hit his skin and started to wash away all the grime on his body. When he got out he got dressed and examined the tattoos on his arms. They were a dark and were something people couldn't get out of their minds when they see it. It was words written in a language older than Sumerian, the 'Holy Grail of dead languages'. Or at least, human languages. He touched them and frowned at the smooth texture. Unlike normal tattoos, they were as smooth as the rest of the skin. As if the tattoos were there since birth.

He left the bathroom and sat at a desk with a laptop on it. He uploaded all the files from his phone to it and looked at the pictures. He examined the person's face. Villanueva had never met the Kurta before they were killed, so he only had what Kurapika wears to go off. Which wasn't a lot to go off. The male in the picture seemed a bit younger than Kurapika, or was just shorter. He couldn't tell with the angle and quality of the photograph. He rubbed his chin and stared at the screen. He checked the other pictures and grew increasingly frustrated with the how poor the pictures were. They were either too far, blurred, at a bad angle, or had the person among a large group of people, making it hard to get any specific details.

A knock sounded on the door and Villanueva sighed. "Come in." He called after looking the clock. It's four in the morning. Netero came in holding a tray of food and a smile on his face. The smell of hot food reached Villanueva's nose and he sent a look back. "You'll get fat, eating that much."

Netero laughed. "I was told that you only nibbled at your food in Trick Tower, and last night you missed dinner when you showed us the Ghoul."

"Yes, well- wait. Ghoul?" Netero nodded. "Let me guess. Enocente actually named them?"

"He thinks the name's fitting."

"That's Enocente, alright." Villanueva turned back to the computer and tried to match a photo to any images in his database.

Netero peered over his shoulder at the screen. "Who's that?"

Villanueva shrugged. "Not sure. Some say it's a Kurta survivor. But I'm not convinced it is."

Netero set the tray down and gave Villanueva a concerned look. "Did something happen?"

"Dreams." He answered.

"Dreams? What do you mean?" Netero pulled up a chair and sat down.

Villanueva didn't look very bothered, but Netero knew he was an expert at hiding his emotions. "Memories, perhaps. I do have nightmares of the attempted genocide of my people, and those are mainly memories. The dream I had on the Island was no different. Very surreal, and worrying. But I'm not sure if the memories are mine. They're so hazy and there's nothing in them that can help determine when this memory was."

"How can you not be sure?" The old man didn't know much about Villanueva's dreams since it wasn't an easy topic to bring up.

"These." Villanueva held up his arms. "The tattoos hold special properties and one allows me to see, and if needed, take memories from someone. If I am quick enough I can get the recent memories of a dead or dying man." He rubbed his arm and looked down. "The recent memories are the easiest to see, but the hardest to change or take."

Netero looked at Villanueva. "Why don't you tell me all about it?"

Villanueva stared at him in shock before he smirked. "Nice try, old man. But I don't give up the goods that easily."

Netero laughed and grabbed a bowl of soup and held it out to Villanueva. The teen smiled and took it. For a while Villanueva ate and had a lengthy conversation with Netero until he finished eating. When he was done Netero took the tray and left, leaving Villanueva to the more unpleasant part of his day. Villanueva looked at the assortment of weapons and picked up a pistol. As he did his phone went off, but it wasn't a tone for calls, or text, but a reminder. He went into the bathroom with the gun and a silver suitcase that was sitting on the bed when he came in and set everything on the counter. He opened the suitcase and pulled out the syringe and a vile with a gray liquid inside. He filled the syringe and set it down. Villanueva sighed and removed his shirt and examined the tattoos on his chest for a brief moment before getting back to work.

He opened his left eye and slowly pulled out the gem. When it came out his aura flared and Villanueva struggled to keep it under control. He silently place it down, making sure not to drop it. It acted as a restrain on his power, but when ever he takes it out he sees visions. He didn't know if they were memories he has lost, premonitions, or hallucinations, but it frightened him. Villanueva felt his stomach turn upside down as he examined his face in the mirror. A voice gently echoed in his mind. When he tried to ignore it the voice got louder. It said something strange. It wouldn't stop and it was causing a massive headache.

Villanueva's eye went wide as he took in a deep breath and held it. He picked up the gun and turned off the safety.

"Do it."

Villanueva placed the gun to his head as he glared at the mirror.

"Yes. Do it."

Villanueva started to squeeze the trigger.

"Do it. Win. You know you want to do it."

The trigger squeaked.

"Do it... Do it!"

The voice grunted angrily when Villanueva pulled the gun away and dropped it.

"Hmph. Next time."

Villanueva looked up at himself and saw sweat pouring down his face. He checked the syringe and steadied himself before raising the syringe. He paused and set the syringe down before he took a scalpel from the suitcase and carefully cut his eyelids off. Blood dripped into his empty eye socket, but now he could be sure he hits the right mark. He picked up the syringe and slowly pushed it into his head through his eye socket. When he felt it touch his brain, he carefully angled it and pushed further. The needle was very thin so that it couldn't cause damage by moving anything. It went deeper and deeper and Villanueva felt his legs wobble slightly. He felt the vision in his right eye blur as he reached the spot.

He slowly started to inject the fluid into his brain. Unfortunately, the liquid was as thick as blood and that meant he had to inject it in slowly so as to not damage the sensitive parts of his brain. His hands started shaking and his heart rate sped up. It was only half empty. He felt his body grow cold and his feet felt as if they were bleeding. His right eye bled, the cold liquid flowing down his cheek then down his chin. Then there was a small click, signaling that the syringe was empty. Villanueva slowly took it out the same way he put it in. When it came out he dropped it and grew dizzy.

It took more than half an hour for Villanueva's vision and head to clear. He turned on the sink and washed away the blood. It was worrying how many times that Villanueva had to wash off blood. He reached up and touched where he cut the eyelids off. Of course they'll heal in time, but suddenly missing eyelids, which will expose the gem, tend to draw unwanted attention. A white flame came from his hand and it consumed the injured area and once the wound was completely covered, Villanueva pulled his hand away, leaving the flame on the wound. Then the flame grew brighter and a loud hiss sounded in the bathroom and the white flames died, revealing his eyelids. They were grown back, as if nothing happened. Villanueva touched them and felt them twitch then open. He smiled and put the gem back in and closed his eye.

The healing drains energy like a big truck drains gas. So although he can use it whenever he wants to, he usually relies on his natural healing. Even though "natural" is not a good way to describe it. Then a strange shift in the air made him feel uneasy. It was a feeling he knew and learned to react to such at a moments moment. A Immortal has arrived. But Villanueva didn't know if it was a Half-blood or the real thing. He only knew when something inhuman entered through the Gateway.

Whoever it was, they must be a fool. They were leaving themselves completely exposed. Villanueva knew little of the gem in his head, but he did know it helped restrain his powers. Should he wish Villanueva could find, say, Gon even if he was on the other side of the world. All he had to do was open his mind and simply sense. If Gon was here alive he could find him. Orion had taught him the ability. But O told him that Orion can look into not only the other realms but the dimensions in the mortal realm. The draw back is that others can sense him easily, unlike when he closes his mind. To close his mind is to hide his soul, making a barrier that rendered him invisible to those using what he calls the Ojo de Dios, or the Eye of God. And the fool that just arrived wasn't even trying to protect himself. Villanueva could feel another shift, a different kind, but one that was familiar. It would seem Vanessa felt this new arrival as well and was going to use her Eye of God to find them. Villanueva sighed.

"I came here for a simple time." Villanueva complained. His right eye started glowing brightly. He was going to help her out.


Erwin.

The air was heavier than that of the homeland. Erwin's body felt heavy now that he was on the other side of the Gateway. He struggled to stand and felt the weight of his armor weighing him down, almost crushing him. He groaned and tried to force himself to stand and unintentionally used his powers to help him with the weight of the armor, revealing himself. Erwin felt his energy drain faster than any other time before.

Across the world in NGL, the Keeper that fought Villanueva looked up from his new domain and smirked. He got up and disappeared. "Poor little cub." His voice echoed across the land and reached Erwin.

Erwin's mind was suddenly filled with voices.

"Erwin."

The boy looked up. "Villanueva?" Then another.

"Erwin!"

"Vanessa?" He asked as his eyes searched frantically.

"You need to close your mind." Came Villanueva's voice.

"Close it!"

"He's coming!"

Erwin's head throbbed painfully as he voices continued. "Stop." He begged.

"He's coming for you!" Villanueva warned.

"Please, Erwin!" Vanessa pleaded.

"YOU NEED TO CLOSE YOUR MIND!" The two yelled.

The voices stopped when Erwin heard something land next to him. He looked over and saw a large mass of Darkness. Erwin's eyes went wide and he collapsed as the Darkness surrounded him. There was nothing but pure evil coming from the mass. Figures could barely be seen moving in the Darkness. Eerie voices taunted him from within the shadows. Erwin groaned as his heart ached painfully as the Darkness drew closer.

Then, when it seemed he would be lost to the Darkness, a small ball of flame appeared and hovered them. There was a moment of silence before it exploded and sent flames in all directions, nearly frying all of them before the flames collected in one spot, making a massive mass of flame. It looked like a floating bonfire even when it shifted and it took the shape of a man. Black eyes stared down at the Keepers

"Did you believe it would be that easy?"

The flames shined brightly, exposing the Keepers. The flaming figure slowly floated down scorching the Keepers. Two of them fled immediately while one stayed and glared at the fire. The Keeper snarled at the glow and took off. Erwin felt his eyelids grow heavy as he fell into unconsciousness, darkness slowly consuming him. A voice gently echoes in his head. "Please, stop." He begged weakly.


Kurapika.

Tangled in the blankets and sheet, Kurapika moaned as he woke up to the sound of knocking and the sound of Leorio's voice calling his name. He got up and stretched, yawning. He was surprised to see that Villanueva wasn't there. Kurapika started to think that Villanueva had woken up earlier than him, but decided to let him sleep in.

"I'm coming. Just go ahead." He called.

"Okay. Don't take too long." Leorio's voice came from the other side of the door then the sound of retreating footsteps then nothing. Kurapika washed up and got dressed and left to go have breakfast.

He froze when he spotted Villanueva's earrings on the small table next to the bed. He picked them up and looked them over. Mainly gold with a few small gems in the ends and a larger one in the center. He decided to take them with him, figuring that Villanueva had forgotten them and put them away with his own stuff. He met up with Leorio who was sporting a nice shiner from a failed flirt last night. Whoever the girl was that he tried to flirt with obviously didn't like what he said.

Kurapika suppressed a chuckle. "What happened to your face?"

"Shut up." Leorio grumbled and Kurapika only chuckled.


Gon.

Chatter and the sound of multiple footsteps woke the small tan boy from his peaceful slumber. He yawned loudly and wanted to go back to sleep, but the Last Phase was today. He opened his eyes and only saw white. He blinked in confusion. It was like snow and it blocked his vision. He reached out to touch it to see if it was just his imagination or if he was still asleep. When he tried his hand was held firmly in place. He looked down to see a pale hand holding his tan one. Gon looked to see that the white thing he was looking at was Killua's hair. He had his eyes closed and was breathing slowly. Gon tried moving his hand again and Killua tightened his grip in his sleep.

Gon chuckled a bit. "Killua." He called.

Nothing. The other boy just kept holding his hand. Gon could feel the warmth that was being shared between their hands and could even feel a bit of sweat. He watched Killua's sleeping face as he felt his hear thump oddly in his chest. Almost as if it skipped a beat. He saw Killua's calm expression and relaxed body and could feel it as well.

He shook the pale boy. "Killua! Wake up!" The other boy stirred a bit.

The other boy sat up a bit, still holding Gon's hand and rubbed his eye and looked at him. "Gon?" He raised his arms to stretch and felt his hand being held down. Gon was still had his hand locked with Killua's and when he got up so did Gon and was pressing his hand into the bed to hold himself up, keeping Killua's hand pinned down.

Killua's eyes went wide. "Killua? Are you okay? You're all red." Killua was trying to say something, but no words came out. "Killua?"

Gon tilted his head to the side, looking up at Killua with a curious and concerned look. Killua's blush intensified. They were pretty close and the closeness made Killua uncomfortable. He swallowed. "I..."

The door burst open and Sangue barged in with a bright smile on his face. "Good morning! Huh? What are you doing to Gon, Killua?" The two jumped and looked at the boy. "Is Gon your wife too, Killua?" Sangue asked innocently.


Villanueva.

Everyone was eyeing the teen, but he didn't care about their opinions at the moment so he kept drinking. Enocente didn't like to feed Villanueva's bad habits, but with the Final Phase coming in a few hours he needed to have all the information. Unfortunately, that meant buying a drink. And Villanueva didn't like cheap liquor either. Enocente didn't know why he started drinking and he knew Villanueva's body could handle the alcohol, but there was signs recently that he was getting weaker. Enocente was briefed by Vanessa of his fight with McFeely then the Keeper, but that wasn't why Villanueva was weak. No, he was getting weaker long before that.

Villanueva set the glass down before looking at Enocente with a serious expression. "Did you contact Orion and tell him about my suggestion?"

Enocente was snapped from his daze and nodded. "Yes, but he thinks we can win if we all work together. Just us, no Nightwalkers."

"A single soldier is stronger than you, Enocente. If I can convince them to help, which won't be too hard now, just think what over a thousand of them could do." Villanueva sighed. "They are monsters. Not a shed of humanity left."

Both heard the rumors about the Blackbloods taking humans and fusing them with their Kings, but with Villanueva being a King's Half-blood, Enocente wasn't sure what to believe after being told what happened after being turned. "That's why Orion doesn't want to use them. Can't tell when they might bomb a city just because there was one rouge Keeper." Enocente ordered a drink once he realized this was getting a bit heated.

Nightwalker used to be a term used for someone, Man or Immortal, that was willing to do anything to do what's right. Even killing innocents. "He's just scared. I would too if I was in his position." He jugged the rest of his drink and the bartender shakily refilled it. Villanueva's glares left a strong impression on those with a weak heart.

Enocente grunted and slammed his drink and placed some money on the counter. "It's not everyday someone has to prepare for war." Villanueva gave him a smirk and the older man sighed loudly. "I should remember who I'm talking to. You were Orion's right hand during the Separation." He turned and walked away as Villanueva called out.

"We've both changed a lot." He smiled at the older man as he turned slightly, giving the teen a sideways glance.

He nodded. "Do you even remember who you were before?" Villanueva's smile faded and Enocente immediately regretted it, but left when Kurapika came in the room. He left quickly.

"Who was I? Who am I now?" Villanueva's eye stared off into space.

Enocente glared at nothing in particular as his thoughts came freely. Gon... Killua... Kurapika... you met them before, don't you remember, Villanueva? Enocente shoved the ninja out of the way and stomped down the hall. They may have the same faces, same names, and same struggles, but they aren't the same ones you met before. They are different ones. Enocente forced the doors open and stomped outside.

Villanueva glared at his drink and watched the ice cubes as he pondered those words. "You're an asshole, old man." He grumbled.

"Villanueva?" Kurapika stood in shock along with Leorio. "What are you wearing?"

At that moment Sangue came in with Gon, dragging a embarrassed Killua. "If you say something your dead!" Killua hissed. Gon tried to calm him down, but Sangue was unaffected by his threats and only laughed.

Gon and Killua blinked when he saw Villanueva except Sangue who smile grew larger. "Villanueva, what are you wearing?"

"That's what Kurapika asked." Leorio commented.

Villanueva raised an eyebrow. "Didn't Sangue tell you?"

"Tell us what?" Killua questioned.

Villanueva sighed. "Well, since he seemed so chatty lately," He gave said boy a look who only chuckled, "I thought he would have told you that I was born and raised in a temple, up north in the mountains."

They all stared.

...

Villanueva ordered a refill.

...

They kept staring.

...

Villanueva took a sip from his drink, waiting for them.

"Huh?"

The teen chuckled as he took another drink. "Not the response I was expecting, but..." He let his comment trail off.

Kurapika recovered first. "I'm sorry. It just surprised us."

"What? That I was raised by monks? Or that I came from a stable home?" He gained a thoughtful expression before he added, "Well, as stable as a temple full of priests, nuns, and monks of all religions can get."

Killua looked him over. Villanueva was wearing a white sleeveless tunic with golden buttons and matching pants and boots. The tunic seemed to be made from a fabric similar to silk On the back of his tunic was a design of two dragons, each with black eyes and were positioned side by side, their heads facing left and right towards each of his arms. The interesting thing about it was that the dragons were different colors, gold and a light green, but were made to be symmetrical on his back. The thing separating the dragons was a skull in the middle of his back, and a tail from each dragon was entering the skull. On his hands were two rings on each hand; a light green on his right index finger, a black one on his left index finger, a diamond ring on his right middle finger and a dark purple on his left middle finger. All the rings had a gold band with a silver design made to look like vines wrapping around the ring.

"Wait." All eyes turned to Kurapika. "When you told that story about the Knights, was that the temple you were talking about?" Villanueva nodded. "Was one of the Knights you?"

"No." He turned to face the bar.

"Then who were they?" Leorio asked.

"Don't know. This was before me. Mother Mary was already old when I was born." Villanueva took another sip.

Gon stared. "What are those tattoos?"

Villanueva ignored him and lightly tapped his finger on the bar. "Hey." Leorio placed a hand on Villanueva's shoulder. "We just want to know. Is that so bad?" Villanueva shook his head lightly. "Then why did you get them?"

He glanced at the man-looking-teen with a blank look. "It's customary for the males of my family to get them when they mature."

Gon frowned a bit. "But your not an adult yet. Did they force you?" Everyone was surprised that Gon was asking that question.

Villanueva shook his head. "No. And technically, yes, I am not a adult, but do I need to be a man to be mature?" Gon didn't know how to answer that. "I just matured faster than some others, no big deal."

Leorio smelt the air and gripped Villanueva's shoulder tightly. "Hey. Is that alcohol?" Villanueva nodded and pushed off Leorio's hand. "You shouldn't be drinking that. Do you know what it could do to your body?"

Villanueva nodded. "Kill my kidneys, brain cells, and a few other things. My liver, I think."

Leorio snapped. "Then why do you drink it?"

"Leorio!" Kurapika grabbed his arm.

Villanueva touched his tattoos on his arm absentmindedly. "How does one deal with sorrow properly?" They stopped bickering. "Speaking of odd things, Sangue, when did you change?"

They turned to the boy. He was wearing a gray sweater with a white shirt, jeans and plain shoes. "Oh. Vanessa thought I should change so that I wouldn't ruin my suit of lights."

Villanueva ignored the urge to ask why it had 'lights' in the name when it was black. "Oh, I get it. I say you might need to change and you shrug it off, but when Vanessa tells you to change you do it without hesitation, huh?"

"What?"

"You picked her over me? I'm hurt." Villanueva turned and placed his hand on his chest and smiled, letting them know that he was playing.

The others watched silently as Villanueva messed with Sangue, but when Sangue actually got upset when he didn't realize that Villanueva was just teasing him and nearly started crying, Villanueva picked up the boy and hugged him. Kurapika was pulled to the side by Leorio once again.

The blond sighed. "Leorio, don't start this again."

"But he drinks. Do you think he hasn't ever got drunk and violent?" He reasoned.

"I'm sure he has and learned to pace himself."

"Why do you defend him so much?!" Leorio snapped. Leorio sleeve was tugged on and Leorio turned and yelled. "What?!" He froze when he saw that he yelled at Sangue, who's eyes were now wide and were filling with tears.

Sangue sniffed and let go. Leorio immediately felt Villanueva's furious glare as Sangue let the tears roll sown his cheeks. Killua, Gon, and Kurapika figured that he was sensitive with how he acted and never seemed to like anyone to argue, large or small for any reason. Villanueva got up and pulled the boy close and Sangue buried his face into his side, quietly crying. Villanueva wiped off the glare and replaced it with a blank stare, but Leorio could still feel the anger rolling off of Villanueva.

"Hey, I-" Villanueva's eye narrowed and Leorio shut his mouth.

After a minuet Sangue calmed down. "Gon, Killua." The two boys looked up. "Could you take him to Vanessa? Please."

The two nodded and Gon grabbed Sangue's hand. "Come on, Sangue."

Killua walked beside the two after giving Leorio a soft glare, although he understood that he yelled because he was angry and didn't know who he was yelling at. As they entered the hallway that led to the rooms Sangue reached over and grabbed Killua's hand, pulling him up with him and Gon. Killua would have questioned it had Sangue not squeezed his hand. Sangue was looking for comfort in not only his friends but those who were around his age; those that may understand his feelings.

Villanueva downed the rest of his drink and place some money on the bar before he turned and glared at Leorio, who gulped loudly. "I don't know what your problem with me is, and I don't care, but that does not give you reason to yell at Sangue. Understand?"

"I'm sorry! I was just-"

"Excuses!" Villanueva snapped, cutting Leorio off. "I have no need for them. What exactly made you go over the edge, huh?"

"Your drinking." Leorio admitted. All the while Kurapika didn't want to get caught in the middle and be forced to take sides, but he didn't want Leorio to be taking all the blame and surely the punishment.

Villanueva's eyebrow twitched. He started to unbutton his tunic and ignored their questions and opened it, exposing the other tattoos as well as the bandages. He tore them off without hesitation and showed them the stitched up wound. "See that? My kidney failed when I was six so they cut it out and when my kidney failed the other one couldn't pick up the slack so they put in a fake one."

Leorio backed up and raised his hands. "Hey, now."

"Wait, it gets better. Since it's a artificial organ I have to get it replace every month or so. What's even better than that, you wonder? Well, I'll tell you." A twisted grin grew on his face. "When they were replacing it once the damn thing ruptured, letting out a ton of pressure that it practically exploded inside me. It sent a piece of it right into my lung, so when I take in a deep breath I can feel it, moving around since it was pushed inside my lung after a doctor once tried to take it out."

Kurapika stared. How much pain do you feel each day? How do you keep going? He wanted to ask, but who could ask such a question when there was no good answer?

Villanueva was glaring at Leorio. "So maybe how I deal with the pain is my business."

"Why... don't you use painkillers?" Leorio asked weakly.

He scoffed. "I did. But my immune system is amazing. It seemed to have acknowledged the pain killers as a foreign substance and went to work on battling it off, like a common cold. It was so good that the painkillers, no matter how strong could never numb the pain. So the doctors gave me something that intentionally weakened my immune system so the the drugs could take affect. But my bodily functions just kept on ticking and soon enough, my body grew accustomed to fighting the drug that was supposed to weaken it." He chuckled madly. "So I was immune to the drug that was suppose to weaken me and I was immune to painkillers."

He shook his head. "I'm just too damn adaptable." Villanueva sighed and buttoned up his shirt, disregarding the bandages. "Kurapika, I need to talk to you. In private."

The two walked in silence to Villanueva's room, leaving Leorio to his thoughts. Kurapika held out the earrings as they walked. "When did you get those?" He asked simply.

"You left them in the room after you left." Kurapika responded, still embarrassed that they shared a bed the night before.

Villanueva wasn't in the least. "Thanks." He stuffed them into his pocket. When Kurapika asked him about it Villanueva showed him his bandaged ear.

"When did that happen?" Kurapika asked quickly.

"That's what we're going to talk about. Come one." He said and grabbed his wrist to hurry him along. Among other things. He thought.

Once in the room Villanueva shut and locked the door and laughed at Kurapika's reaction to the room. Kurapika shook his head and turned to Villanueva who sat in the rolling chair at the desk where the shut laptop sat. "So what happened?"

"Well, when we fell asleep last night I forgot to take them off." Villanueva took them out and placed them on the desk. "But it was when I woke up did it happen. You see when I woke up, as I am sure you know, you were still asleep so I laid my head on your chest, and listened to your heartbeat."

Kurapika blushed a bit. "My heart beat?"

"Yes, it's quite lovely. Almost like the rest of you, especially your sleeping face." The flirtatious tone made the teen blush more. "Enough about that. When I was laying down the earring got caught without me knowing so when I got up I got up rather quickly, having thought you were in deep sleep. And of course since this earring was made specifically for me, as in made so that it won't come out unless I want it to, it decided that it wanted to stay with your shirt, and, well..." He gesture to his ear.

"Does it hurt?" Kurapika asked.

Villanueva waved him off. "It really only stings and frankly, when it tore the earlobe it was so quick that by the time I felt it the pain was pretty much gone."

"Was that it?" Kurapika glanced at the locked door.

"Was what it." Villanueva asked.

Kurapika sighed. "You said you wanted to talk, so was that it?"

Villanueva eyed him in a way that made Kurapika feel as if Villanueva was undressing him. "So you think that I only took the time to take you to my room instead of simply finding a empty hallway to talk about this morning?" Kurapika nodded. "Heavens, no. I do want to talk about last night though."

"Oh." Kurapika looked around, trying to find something to take his mind off it.

"How did you know it was my people?" The question startled the Kurta. "When I told you I didn't make an comment that it was my people."

"Well, you talked as if you were there." He tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

"Just because I was there means that I was one of them? I could have been someone in the wrong place at the wrong time." Villanueva's tone was low and threatening. "What else made you think that?"

Kurapika gulped and prepared himself. "Last night before I fell asleep I was thinking of you, and then I had a nightmare. I saw people being killed, in the ways you talked about." Villanueva kept his expression blank as Kurapika continued. "It could have just been me thinking about it before falling asleep, but they all had similar eyes."

"Did you want to see?" Villanueva asked.

Kurapika was about to decline when Villanueva stood up and grabbed him by the shoulders. A pale eye stared at him. Kurapika was entranced by it. "So was it your people?"

"Yes."

"Why?" Kurapika asked.

"Can't say I know for sure. Power? Racial superiority? Just because? We can debate the reason for a year and never get anywhere." Villanueva returned his contact.

Kurapika couldn't contain himself. "You said you were blind. Are all of your people blind like you?"

Villanueva chuckled. "No, not at all. I was just a kid when my eyesight disappeared so I adapted and learned to see with sound. Like echo location, you know, how some marine mammals see in the dark deeps of the oceans."

Kurapika nodded. Villanueva ruffled his hair. "Stop that." Kurapika smiled when he poked his side, trying to see if he was ticklish. Then, when Kurapika was distracted, Villanueva kissed him on the cheek before sitting down again. Kurapika turned red and cleared his throat.

"Come here, pretty boy. I have something to show you." He smiled and patted his leg.

"Kurapika sighed and made his way to him, mumbling, "'Pretty boy'?"

Kurapika saw a image of a man on the laptop. "This was the rumored Kurta. I promised you that I would show you them, and I'm a man of my word." He gestured to it and Kurapika quickly moved in to look at the screen.

He didn't recognize the person, but with the attack having been several years ago, everyone who could have survived would look different. After a moment Villanueva showed him the rest. But most were unhelpful as they were poorly shot. Villanueva loaded up a file. It was a list of locations and it was organized from most visited to least.

"Yeah. Not the most helpful, huh?" Kurapika nodded, a grim expression on his face. "I may have a good spy network, but this would be challenging, even by my standards."

It may not have been the best proof, but Kurapika smiled nevertheless. "Thank you." He placed his hand on Villanueva's.

Villanueva grabbed Kurapika and pulled him onto his lap, making the chair squeak as the thrashing blond made it roll away from the desk a bit. Kurapika let out a yelp. "Oh, you are just so cute! Remember? We are helping each other! My cute, naive, little boyfriend!"

Kurapika stiffened. "'Boyfriend'?"

Villanueva smiled. "Isn't that what we are? Did you forget last night? Or would you prefer... 'friends with benefits'?"* Villanueva wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at Kurapika who blushed.

A loud creek made them freeze. Villanueva chuckled, breaking the silence before the chair broke from their combined weight. Kurapika groaned as Villanueva laughed. Villanueva was under Kurapika and was laughing like he was having a good time, which he was. Villanueva sat up a bit and noticed how Kurapika was between his legs, back facing him. Villanueva grinned and snaked his arms around the blonde and held him close and buried his head in the Kurta's neck.

"What are you doing?!" Kurapika asked in shock.

Villanueva kissed his neck. "Seeing what I'm going to be handling." He kissed his neck again, softly teasing him.

"Handle? What... uhnn..."

Both froze. Kurapika turned the deepest shade of red imaginable and quickly covered his mouth. Upon hearing the moan, Villanueva smirked. "Did I find a erogenous zone?" He kissed the area again and tried to find the spot he teased just a bit ago.

"No. Stop." Kurapika squirm in Villanueva's grasp as he continued to look for the weak spot.

Villanueva didn't find it so he settled on letting his hands roam over Kurapika's body. Villanueva took off his tabard. His hands rubbed over his chest, his sides and lightly the area just above his groin. Kurapika could feel Villanueva's warm breath on his ear and the blood going down. His face and body was on fire and with every touch it only increased the sensation. Kurapika couldn't suppress his moans anymore and just let them out. Villanueva slipped his hand in Kurapika's shirt and felt the warm flesh with his hand.

What am I doing? Villanueva asked himself. Stop. This isn't why I was here. Stop. But his body wouldn't. His mind couldn't stop his actions.

He turned Kurapika around and kissed him deeply. Villanueva was staring blankly unlike Kurapika who's eyes were slowly filling with lust. They broke the kiss and Kurapika panted heavily. Villanueva tilted his head to the side before he ran his finger across Kurapika's lips. A strange thought came to min for the Half-blood. He kissed Kurapika who kissed back and just like the night in Trick Tower Villanueva pushed his tongue into the other's mouth. There their tongue's swirled and Villanueva explored Kurapika's mouth. Under his tongue, his teeth, just about everywhere.

Why am I doing this? Why? Villanueva asked himself as he tried to get himself to stop. Villanueva stopped and let Kurapika do the same to him, and sure enough Kurapika was using his tongue to explore Villanueva's mouth as well. Kurapika was moaning while Villanueva was silent the entire time. Villanueva, even in the state he was in now still never allowed himself to show much emotion when in these... intimate moments.

Help. Please. O!

A wall of fog swept into the room faster than Villanueva could finish saying 'help' and O walked out of it. The tall man grabbed Villanueva's side, where the injury was, and squeezed hard. The pain helped Villanueva break free from his trance and he pulled back and fell to the floor, leaving Kurapika in his daze.

Villanueva looked up at O with a blank stare. There wasn't even the lightest sign of a blush. "Thanks."

"This is for what happened this morning."

O waved and disappeared along with the fog. Villanueva sat up and looked at Kurapika. His eyes were glowing and his face was red. He was just sitting there, staring at him, his clothes in disarray. He looked terrible. Villanueva slapped him lightly on the cheek and waited for him to come to his senses.

When he did Villanueva frowned. "The Final Phase will start in a few hours. Some time around noon. I want you to get something to eat and get ready."

Kurapika got up and grabbed Villanueva. "But we need to talk about what just happened."

"I know, but it can wait." Villanueva gave him a stern look.

"No, it can't!" Kurapika retorted angrily. "We need-"

"God damn it! That's enough!" Villanueva snapped. "I don't understand half the things that's happening between us! How do you expect me to talk about something I do not understand?! Huh?!" Kurapika's eye went wide. Villanueva's expression softened. Kurapika looked down as Villanueva reached out to him. "I'm sorry. Come here." Villanueva pulled the blonde into a hug and gently rubbed his back.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't yell at you just because I don't understand." He said softly. Warm tears were rolling down Kurapika's cheeks and onto Villanueva's neck and shoulder as he buried his face into Villanueva's shoulder. The two held each other for a few minuets as Villanueva apologized over and over in a soft, caring voice.

Kurapika pulled away and smiled weakly. "I'll go and see how the others are doing."

Villanueva nodded and Kurapika started to leave when he turned and gave the other teen a quick kiss before leaving the room. Villanueva sighed and went to the darker side of the room where a old phonograph sat. He messed with it for a bit before music started playing. Just loud enough for anyone outside to not be able to hear the coming conversation.

"You can come out now." Villanueva turned to the closet and saw Erwin, free of his armor, walk out timidly, wearing a spare set of Villanueva's tunics. When it comes down to it, Erwin was not a fighter and it showed when the tunic was a bit large for him. It wasn't by much, but since Villanueva was a fighter, he got the muscles from multiple fights in the past. Villanueva had both the tunic and pants made to fit while being loose enough to actually and fight and move in them. Since Erwin didn't share in that trait the tunic was loose.

Villanueva glared at him and an evil aura rolled off him in waves. "You are going to tell me why you are here, and no lies."


Sangue.

Even though they had no clue where she was Vanessa was the one to find them. Killua knew her type well from his life experiences. They would hide their feelings and act tough or emotionless, but they allowed it to show to those they trust, or those that have angered them.

"What happened?" Vanessa's eyes were narrowed ever so slightly, but to Killua they may have been the eyes of the devil.

They told her what happened and she didn't once seem angry at Leorio. Sangue told them he was upset when he yelled at him, but wasn't holding it against him. Neither did Vanessa. Killua never understood that about them. They got angry and upset, but they seemed to have forgiven them. They seemed so understanding. They never assumed anything and never did anything until they knew all the facts.

That's what drew Killua to them. Vanessa told Sangue to go to her room and looked a Gon and Killua. "Hey. Are you... Villanueva's friends?"

Gon and Killua exchanged looks and Gon answered first with a bright smile Killua couldn't help but to stare at. "Yeah! He's really nice."

They both looked at Killua. The pale boy remembered the night they both were awake while the others were asleep and their talk. He felt himself smile as he thought of what he said. Of the soft, caring look in his eye and the smile Villanueva got on his face when he said he wanted to be free. To chose how to live. "Yeah, of course. He's one of us." Killua smiled at Sangue who smiled before he left.

Vanessa stayed behind and gave them a blank stare. "So, do you know why Villanueva cares for you both so much?"

They both looked at each other then Gon answered innocently. "Because we're friends." He was so confident in his answer.

Vanessa shook her head. "Villanueva has always been a caring spirit. Even more so when raised by monks."

"And priests." Killua added his two cents.

"I know."

Then Gon. "And the nuns."

"I know." Vanessa stressed. "The point that I'm trying to make is that even though he can kill on a moments notice, he still loves everyone."

"Loves?" Killua asked.

"Maybe 'love' is the right word. But you get it. He cherishes all life, big and small. And you two have seemed to have a special impact on him." Vanessa hid a smile.

"How?" Gon asked.

Vanessa hummed. "Killua, you remind him so much of himself, or rather, how he used to be. He wants to help you. All you need to do is ask and he'll do it."

Killua's eyes went wide. "How do I remind him of him?" It sounded weird saying it aloud but it needed to be asked.

"He wanted to be free of the life he was born into." Killua was startled. "And you Gon, you gave him hope. You were a light in this world of Darkness. You give him hope that this world will have a chance for a bright future." Gon rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly.

Killua glanced at Gon with a smile. You can say that again.

Vanessa let a smile show. "He loves you both very much." Gon asked if it was true while Killua was beyond shocked at this point. "Yes. He loves you both as his children. He loves you like he loves Sangue, as one of his own. But like many men he is a prideful fool sometimes, so if there is something you need help with, he won't offer."

Killua recovered and shook his head. "I don't think he'll just go out and say that."

"That may be so. And that's a good point. He may know you need help, but won't know when you want help, so, you just have to ask him, and he'll do it without hesitation." Vanessa assured them.

"Just maybe you'll-" She stopped suddenly. She felt a strange feeling surge of energy. "Erwin? Why did you bring him here?"

"Vanessa?"

She turned and ran off, calling back, "I need to talk to Villanueva." She disappeared quickly.

The two looked at each other. Killua spoke first. "What was that about?"

Gon shrugged.


Netero.

A few hours had passed and the applicants were called to gather, having been led by a person wearing a black suit. Gon and Killua had been talking about what Vanessa said, but decided to keep that to themselves from Leorio and Kurapika. It wasn't hard since his eyes were puffy from his crying earlier. Kurapika didn't want to talk about it, saying it was private business. So they talked about other things before being called upon by a man in a black suit. They met up with Sangue and Vanessa on the way and it seemed that Sangue was in a much better mood. Vanessa made sure that Leorio apologized.

All the applicants came into the room. Netero laughed at their reaction to seeing all the plotted plants that hung from the ceiling, sat in the corners, the vines that grew out of the wall, and the large tree in the middle of the room. It was like a mini natural paradise.

"Welcome, everyone!" Netero greeted them happily. "I hope you all slept peacefully."

Kurapika looked around. "Where's Villanueva?"

Netero looked to the tree. "I had planed for me to be the Examiner for the Final Phase, but I found a Hunter that could find those that would make great Hunters. Come down, Father!"

The tree's branches shifted as a voice called out. "I told you, along with the others, to not call me that." The figure jumped out of the tree and everyone gaped while Hisoka smirked.

Killua blinked. "No way."

Kurapika was speechless along with Bodoro.

"That can't be true!" Leorio yelled.

The figure held out the card, the Hunter Licence. He let them all see.

Hanzo freaked. "That's impossible!"

Hisoka smiled. "So this was your great reveal?"

The pinhead said nothing. The res held similar faces of shock and comments.

Gon smiled widely. "Wow! I didn't know you were a Hunter!"

"Why am I not surprised you would say something like that?" He gripped his staff carefully.

Gon kept smiling. "Villanueva."

Said boy smirked. "I know this isn't appropriate, but... SURPRISE!" Villanueva held his hands up in the air.

Netero walked over. "As you all may know, once a person has passed and becomes a Hunter they can never take the Exam again. But recent events had forced me to make an exception. But I could not get the others to agree, so Villanueva had enter the Exam as a Examiner! But not just any Examiner, a Examiner of all the Phases." Netero was too excited to be saying this.

"What he's saying is that during the Exam there was more Examiner than you all thought. First Phase: two Examiners; Second Phase: three Examiners; Third Phase, well no cares about that, so... Fourth Phase... well, I don't think there would be one, right?" He looked at Netero who shrugged.

Hisoka stepped forward. "So, Examiner, what's this Phase going to be?"

The others were just recovering from the shock as Villanueva moved near the tree in the center of the room. He placed his hand on the tree and smirked. "You have to touch the tree."

"What?"

"That's it?"

Leorio snapped from his daze. "When were you planning on telling us?!"

"Honestly? I didn't plan on being here for long. So I never planed on how to tell you all. Sorry." Villanueva twirled the staff.

Everyone was letting this all sink in. Villanueva being a Hunter, the last Phase's goal being as simple as touching a tree. It was a bit much to take in. A Hunter can't take the Exam again, but can be present as Examiners. But Villanueva was there as a secret Examiner. He held the power to disqualify any of them throughout the Exam. If they made one wrong move they could have been on a ride back to the city. He could have disqualified them in Trick Tower just so he could move on. Villanueva didn't need to help them to pass.

"So who's first?" It was Netero who broke the silence.

Villanueva examined the staff. It was a shiny silver with white wrappings on it. At the top there was a spears end and a few inches below that were a set of wings, spread out wide as if it was getting ready to fly. A diamond was positioned between the wings. Leorio stepped forward and glared at him.

"That's it. I'm going to pound your face in!"

Villanueva was looking at the ground where grass and weeds that were growing from the stone. The ring on his right hand with the green gem started to glow. When Leorio stepped within ten feet Villanueva slammed his hand into the ground and a green light flashed. Next thing Leorio knew he was upside down. Everyone gasped at the sight of Leorio being held by vines that shot out from the ceiling and floor and held him suspended in the air.

Leorio was slowly let down as Villanueva squatted down. "First line is mother nature. Second line is me." He said.

"That's bull!" Leorio shot up, knife in hand. He slashed at him and Villanueva simply avoided them.

"You can't even beat some plants. How can you hope to get past me?" Villanueva taunted. He sighed when Leorio continued to slash at him.

Villanueva closed his fist and slammed it into Leorio's chest and sent him flying into the wall behind the applicants. "Villanueva!" Kurapika snapped.

"Sorry. I can't allow my personal feelings affect my judgment." He was being honest and they all saw that in his eye before it was hidden by a raging fire. Excitement. "So, who's next."


Ha Ha! I leaving you here! *Evil laughter* So what do you think of my surprise? How will Kurapika take this lie? Will he feel any different once the Exam is over? We know how Leorio and Gon feel, but Killua is still confused. Both by this reveal and Villanueva's love for him. Villanueva see Killua and Gon as his children so how will this change things? How will Villanueva change Killua's and the other's lives?

*: His idea of the 'benefits' of "Friends with benefits" is actually a "what do I get from doing this?" Type of thing. He doesn't care for sex other than using it for a means of getting what he wants, that being said, he does care for what it might get him.

Come back soon to find out. Until then, farewell.