Chapter 19: Under the skin.

Welcome back, readers. Now, I am going to thank AddictedDucky for reviewing and following.

AddictedDucky: I am aware that this is a hobby. Now, I started writing fics so I could torment the characters, mainly sonic (back when I first joined.), and it also helped with my writing skills and spelling. It was a win-win. But when people started to review and actually enjoyed the stories, I made that a big reason for writing these stories. I want reviews to be whether or not people enjoyed the stories. If they liked it then that means I succeeded in the goal I am currently am trying to achieve: Make stories that people enjoy. Sure, I may not be the best, and don't always have the time to type, which is why I chose Saturday as the day I most likely be able to upload. Just like everyone else I have work to do during the week and life happens when it does, which is why I can't upload as often as I would like. So I am pacing myself, and hope you and everyone else will bear with me.

Now on a side note, I realized that I really need to establish these characters like I need to. "As if you should already know who they are." Yeah, no. Not gonna happen until halfway through this story or if I can fix up the others. Now, the others are kinda failed projects, but I know I can fix them. With this story, I am going to take a long time to plan everything so uploads might take this long to upload. So, I want to know what you think.

Unknown Realm.

Heart of the Temple of the Seasons.

Behind doors two feet thick, weighing nearly a hundred tons, is the heart of the Temple of the Seasons. The room was once the holiest place in the entire temple, but now, like the rest of the temple and its residence, the room has been corrupted by anger, sorrow, pain, and suffering. The pools inside the room have caved in, creating one massive pool now filled with a thick, black fluid that shifted unnaturally. The doors had glowing seals carved on them, preventing one person from leaving, but anyone and anything can enter and leave freely. Madness slowly took the prisoner's mind. It was a wonder that he had not forgotten his own name.

Two people entered the room. One was wearing shiny silver armor with a sword strapped to his back, and appeared to be the younger of the two. The other wore a black silk coat that reached past his knees and had a hood with a black veil covering his head and top part of his face. He looked like a widowed mourner. His pants and gloves were also black and like the rest of his clothes, were tailored to be more form fitting. They both stepped up to the pool, and then knelt down.

"Father." They both called.

In the pool, something stirred. The liquid bubbled and made ripples and something came out. A hand. As it slowly pulled itself out from the liquid, which became solid as its hand touched it, a voice drifted out. "My sons, you can't call unless it's an emergency and pull me out of a connection. If the connection is cut while I am still in the body by my doing, I can return when I choose without incident, but if it's cut for any other reason I am weakened."

"We know, Father." They answered. "We just needed to ask about your plans." Reaper spoke.

"Our plans, my boy, our plans." The figure had black smoke, the Darkness, surrounding him, shielding his 'body' from their view. "We act when the next eclipse arrives."

"Father." King looked up. "What about the humans? Will they be safe?"

"There is no guarantee, son, but we have to try. If the Balance is destroyed, we and everything we know will cease to exist."

"We understand, Father." They said and quickly left. After a moment, their father slowly sank back into the liquid.

As his torso was submerged, he sighed. "I long to see the sun again."

Gon.

Torches became lit as something moved in the dark halls. The faint sound of movement coming close and fading happening every few minuets. Time went by and the torches almost went out, only to roar to life when someone groaned softly. Gon shifted, the cold, wet stone underneath him chilling him to the bone. He sat up, looking around. The last thing he remembered was talking with Sangue after the TV said something scary, and then a knock at the door-

He shot up like a bat out of hell and looked around frantically. "Killua! Sangue!" He called, only getting a echo of his own voice in response. "Hello?! Anyone around?!" Only echoes responded. He sighed and looked around. There were a few doors, but he decided to just follow the hallway.

As he walked, he took notice of some of the artwork that was hung up. There were some that were fairly normal. Paintings of a forest clearing with animals grazing. But there were a few that made him a bit sick such as a painting of a angel ripping her own wings of, all the while leaning over a man made him cringe and gag. It was disturbingly realistic. As he walked, he felt as if hundreds of eyes were trained on him alone. He felt tingly in several areas, like if needles were lightly poking his skin. He would feel chills go through his body like a breeze on a winter morning, and a air brushing against his neck, which feels as if someone was breathing down it, which wouldn't have been so bad if the air hadn't felt moist and cold at the same time. Gon would turn at that feeling, but only see the long hallway he's been walking down for the past hour.

He sighed, loneliness slowly making him depressed. Sure, he hadn't thought that when he left Whale Island that he was going to be around so many friendly people. In fact, he prepared, mentally, to be around angry, bitter people that wanted nothing to do with him. Maybe one person that was nice enough to at least stick together for the sake of passing, but then he met Leorio on the dock and Kurapika on the ship. They all became friends after the storm and that friendship got stronger when they passed the trials to get to the Exam. Then he met Villanueva, a teen, no, a boy dressed in black with scars on his face, guns and knives. Everything he knew Mito would say were extremely bad signs that he shouldn't be within two miles of. But he seemed nice. He smiled at him and was friendly, but that changed when Tonpa came. He got defensive, and since then he acted differently. As if he was expecting someone to try and stab him in the back. Gon shivered at the thought. When he asked about the scars, well, he didn't really ask as he simply stared. But in any case, Villanueva ran faster than Gon expected and wasn't seen until they made it to the next Phase. He had more weapons and seemed more relaxed, but was on edge. It could have been Hisoka. He passed the Second Phase, but Gon saw the Examiners. They were afraid of him, but it was the woman (Gon couldn't remember her name at the moment) that seemed to be more afraid than the larger man. The man was probably afraid because Villanueva was strong, he did lift one of those big pigs with his bare hands, but the woman seemed shocked, so it seemed she was afraid because of who he was. It confused him and he couldn't see why anyone would be afraid of him.

It angered him! Villanueva was so nice to them and gave them a chance to pass when he had the power to fail them since he was a secret Examiner. He could have failed everyone, but he didn't. He may have done things that were bad, like hurt and kill people, but he was really a kind person, and Gon was determined to prove it! Now if only he could find his friends and get out.

He stopped when he spotted an open courtyard. Walking out, Gon saw a fountain with a stone statue woman inside. Water came from holes in her eyes, which filled the fountain and gave the statue, which had a creepy and sad expression, the look of complete despair. "Hello?" He looked around, hoping he would see somebody.

A low growl answered him. Gon stopped and looked for the source. "Hello?" His voice came out weaker as what ever was growling got closer. "Huh?" He saw a trail of blood leading to the other side of the court yard.

The door that led to the hallway he came through slammed shut, making Gon yelp and jump. He saw no other open doors except for a set of doors on the other side of the courtyard. The same place where the blood trail led, only making Gon's heart thump painfully in his chest. He stumbled lightly as he followed the trail, trying to not look at the blood. It still looked fresh. As Gon walked he saw light coming from the open doors, and to his horror, he saw a man in the same doorway. He was nailed to a metal cross suspended a few feet above the ground, his eyes gouged out and his stomach torn open, his guts and small intestine on the ground in front of him, creating a puddle of blood below him. Gon gasped and backed away, feeling bile rush up his throat. The worst part was that the man was still alive, gasping for breath and trying to say something. Gon could just barely see his lungs fill with airs and empty. He turned and vomited on the spot, his food in his stomach coming up, all chunky with a side of smelly liquid. Gon panted as spit and bile dripped from his lips as he gasped for breath, the smell making him gag and nearly caused him to throw up again. He stood up and panned on going around the person when he heard a soft moan behind him.

Gon slowly turned and right in front of him, was a humanoid figure made of black smoke slowly stretched out its arms towards Gon, letting out a ear piercing screech as its body bent at a disturbing angle. Gon backed up, only to bump into another one, but this one growled at him like an animal. Gon moved away and was soon surrounded by more of them and saw no way to get away as they swarmed out of the open doorway. Some of them stopped and started to grab a the nailed man's guts, tearing his guts out all the way, but the man didn't seem to die, even as his lungs and heart was torn out. He thrashed around in pain, but gave no sound since his lungs were on the ground. Gon felt his sleeve being grabbed, he yelled and tried to pull away.

"No! Let go!" He felt the sleeve tear and he fell to the ground. He scrambled off and tried to jump around, but was grabbed by a taller creature and pulled to the ground. "Get off me! Somebody help! Let go!" He yelled desperately as the creatures growled, wailed, screeched, moaned, and swarmed around him.

He broke free and ran towards the fountain and was snagged by a short creature, making him trip and hit his head on the side of the fountain. His vision darkened around the edges and a loud ring filled his ears as blood flowed down his face. He kicked the creature holding his ankle with his free foot and pulled himself over the edge, falling into the water and managed to pull himself onto the statue, gripping onto it out of fear of getting grabbed and from falling in the water. It wasn't deep, but if he passed out and fell in, he could drown. The creatures kept crawling towards him and pulled themselves into the fountain. They bent at weird angles at they got closer. One grabbed him and tugged on him. Gon held on as tight as he could and the creature got angry. Another bigger one grabbed him, and when it slipped in the water and fell down, it tore a piece of skin off of Gon's arm, letting blood drip freely.

"No..." Gon said weakly as he was pulled from the statue. "Please... someone... help... please..." He felt them all grab at him, the noises filling his ears. His clothes tore as they grabbed at him. "Mito... Grandma... Killua... Sangue..." A creature that moaned sadly, as if consumed by sorrow started to wail as Gon felt something being torn from his body.

Images of those dearest to him flashed in his mind, his brain slowly accepting the fact that he was going to die. "Leorio... Kurapika." He felt their hands scratch at his exposed flesh, tearing skin off. He felt his warm blood sliding down his body, leaving him with a cold feeling throughout his body. His vision started to darken, threatening to fade completely. It was over. He was going to die. Gone felt tears slide down his face.

"...Villanueva..."

A loud howl sounded over all the wails, cries, growling and silenced them. Another howl caused them to back away, slowly turning them into nothing more than wisps of Darkness. They soon faded and Gon felt himself hit the ground. Footsteps came close, and soon two men started to poke at him. One of them chuckled.

"This little mutt looked like he just had his cherry popped." He rolled Gon onto his stomach. "I wonder what he has that got those things excited."

A distant howl made the two jump. "Hear that? It's them! Let's bug!" The man took off.

"You pathetic coward!" The man knelt down and lightly slapped him on the face, making his vision focus slightly. "You're not gonna be better off with that monster. See you floating-" A spear was jammed into his back, splattering blood onto Gon's face. The man was lifted up and thrown across the courtyard.

The armored person turned slowly, his heavy footsteps making the ground shake slightly. He gave off a low growl-like bellow. When he reached Gon, he stopped, holding his bloodied spear at his side, letting off a low growl. Another person, dressed in black walked over. "Look, King. It's a human! I can see light coming from his belly."

He knelt down a smile on his lips, which looked more sinister than his voice did. "Wait a minuet. I know him." He said something to King and King replied, but Gon couldn't hear what. The loud ring returned and then faded after a moment. Only then did he did hear something else. "It's alright, he's just lost. You tell Father, I'll help him."

Gon's vision faded to black as Reaper sat down in front of him, raising his hands. Light came from them, the light that touched Gon's body made that area feel warm and the feeling spread all over. He couldn't feel anything else but the warmth and the usher of unconsciousness.

Villanueva.

Enocente kind wished he chose a different day to come. The Lord really was just gonna cause more problems then he could ever dream of solving. He shouldn't be complaining. "Damn." He sighed and rubbed his forehead.

Villanueva seemed to have froze then his expression turned from absolute rage to a irritated look in a few seconds. He dropped the Lord and calmly made his way back to the other two, taking a seat on the ground. Enocente fiddled with his ring and sent out a wave of energy, steadily returning the sky back to its normal color. He sighed softly and closed his eye, calming himself. Kurapika felt another chill go through his body as the rumbling stopped and the sun shined over the hole in the fog. Looking over, Enocente saw the look on Kurapika's face and knew that he would want a explanation.

"Leave. You're not welcome here." Villanueva started to meditate.

"But we need your help."

The teen ignored him, relaxing his body. "Forget it. He swore the oath of neutrality when he left." Enocente sat down next to Villanueva and started to meditate along side him. "He's not going to get involved in any conflicts of any kind when it comes to the homeland. He cares nothing of its trifles."

The Lord glared at the older male. "Shut up, you damn hermit!"

"No, you shut up." Villanueva looked up, glaring slightly. "You should watch what you saw to my friend. Don't want me to be an enemy, do you?" The flinch from the Lord gave him the answer. "Leave. I won't ask-" He flinched, tilting his head to the side. "Three Lords came through at once, blocking the other that came through."

He looked up his expression dark. "You lured Golad here." Everyone but Kurapika flinched. "Enocente." Said man tensed at the tone. It has been a long time since he's heard it. "Go find the boys. They will be a target." Longer still with such urgency. "Kurapika. You will remain here with some men. If he comes, do not engage. Run."

Kurapika hasn't seen Villanueva look so worried. "What does he look like?"

"It won't be hard to tell. I made sure he looked like a burnt, rubbery bacon the last time we talked." He got up and walked to the upper stairway, waving his hand. The stairs shifted and slowly slid down, revealing a golden door. He opened it and entered, slamming the door behind himself and locking it.

Kurapika sighed. "He always runs off." He got a look from the older male. "What?"

"You don't understand what's happening do you?"

"I know someone that's going after Villanueva is going after Gon, Killua and Sangue." He looked agitated. Which was understandable since he was told to stay put instead of trying to help. "He never tells me anything." The look told Enocente everything.

He placed his hand on the blond's shoulder, making the teen look up. "Don't be quick to try and uncover what he hides. Don't get too close. He's not even human."

Kurapika slapped the hand away, angry. "Aren't you his friend? How can you say that about him?"

"Because it's true and you know it." Kurapika glared, his eyes red. "Didn't you think it was odd that he could do what he does without batting an eyelash? It's not because he's been thrown into it as a kid, forced to commit crimes to survive. It's because he's some... thing! He doesn't try to get close because he knows he doesn't understand human emotion."

Kurapika clenched his fists, ready to attack the older man. "Shut up! If that's true it has to be because no one showed him-"

Enocente took a step forward, growling lowly. "I've known him for a long time. I know more secrets of his than anyone alive. I've shown as much kindness as possible. I've shown him everything that should help, but he still acts... like a..." He gritted his teeth and shook his head, fighting back tears. "I have to go. Listen to what he says and don't do anything unnecessary."

He left, leaving Kurapika by himself. Villanueva returned, making sure that the stairs hid the door again. "Halengast. Leave. Rally the other two. I'll consider making a deal with you."

The Lord made a face, confused and irritated. He reluctantly nodded. "Very well." He bowed his head to him and left, disappearing in a flash of golden light. "Kurapika, there's something I need to show you."

"Didn't you tell me to stay here?" Villanueva stared. "What is it?"

"I have something to give you, just in case something goes wrong." Villanueva walked to the door leading inside the mountain. When he got inside he waited for Kurapika to follow.

When the blond entered, he saw Villanueva ignore the hallway that led to the showers and bathrooms, instead went to a poorly lit staircase that led down. Not noticing the chipped stairs, worn down after many years, Kurapika tripped and was caught by Villanueva. Kurapika felt ridiculous, having been helped by Villanueva, again. They walked down, Kurapika at a slower pace since his eyes were adjusting to the dark. They stopped at when they went two floors down and saw two long hallways when they got off the staircase, one at their left and the other to their right. Both had doors lining the walls of the hall, each with a door across from it, making them sets of two. From what Kurapika could see, they were made of an old, yet sturdy wood. Each had a few feet between them, separating them from the next set of two. The hallway itself was about three feet wide and went on quite a bit. Villanueva turned right and walked down the hall, ignoring the other doors. He stopped when he reached the last door directly at the end of the hallway. Kurapika noticed that the door they stopped at had nearly six feet of space between it and the last set of doors. This was actually a set of double doors. Villanueva opened them and walked in, calmly walking into the dark room. Kurapika paused at the doorway as the other teen walked into the pitch black room. Villanueva struck a match, illuminating his face then lit a candle. After lighting a few more, Kurapika quickly realized that the room must belong to Villanueva.

There was a closet with a slightly ajar door, letting the blond see an assortment of clothes, all resembling Villanueva's, albeit a bit small. Kurapika walked in, a bit uncomfortable. There was no bed, only a cold stone floor with a few... stains. On the left side of the room, right next to the closet, there was a dresser, drawers open and empty. Past that, pushed up against the wall in front of Kurapika, close to the left corner, was a desk, old papers scattered on the top, also poking out from the drawers of the same desk. There was a chest and a painting on the right side, a large lock keeping it shut. The painting was on the same wall as the desk, just closer to the right corner. There was a gap next to the desk, as if a bed was there at one point. Kurapika looked down and jumped at the sight of scratch marks, further proving the existence of a bed. To his right, up against the wall, near to the bottom right corner was another door, probably a bathroom, or a walk in closet, but Kurapika was thinking more of the latter. Villanueva cleared his throat, pulling the blond from his thoughts.

"Come here." Kurapika walked over, noticing the drops of sweat going down Villanueva's forehead. He knelt down and lightly traced his fingers across the ground. "West, north, east, east, south, south, east." He pressed down and that tile went down, clicking loudly. Villanueva slid the tile to the side and pulled a wooden box out. He set it down and put the tile back into place.

"What's that?" Kurapika asked as he knelt down next to Villanueva. Kurapika jumped when Villanueva stood up, nearly knocking him over.

"A gift." He turned it over and spotted the numbered lock as Kurapika raised an eyebrow as he stood up. "For you." He started to put in the code when he started to sweat more, the liquid dripping off the sides of his face. His hands started to tremble lightly, and he gripped the box tightly in an attempt to calm himself.

Kurapika moved closer. "Villanueva?" Said person gritted his teeth as his vision came unfocused. He gasped lightly when he felt his legs give out, his eye rolling into his head as he fell to the hard floor. "Villanueva!" Kurapika got down and picked up Villanueva's trembling form. "Hey!"

"The box." Kurapika picked it up and gave it to Villanueva, but pulled it away when he saw his trembling hands fumble with the lock. "I can't see."

Kurapika gasped when Villanueva's eye shifted from the dark brown eye that was full of confidence and hidden emotions, to a pale, shaking eye, full of desperate emotions. Kurapika stared into it, lost in the vulnerability of the eye. "Villanueva, what's the combination?" He asked, trying to distract himself. He grabbed the box and tried to support the other teen's weight.

"7355." He answered. "The last three are symbols representing animals. Can you tell what the animals are?" Kurapika checked them and told Villanueva that the last one had a symbol that was faded, but could see the other two. "The faded one is a snake. Okay. The three are a wold, bull, and bird. Can you find those ones?" A nod. Villanueva let out a shaky breath, which to Kurapika felt extremely cold.

"The first one, the one to the left, is the wolf, then in the middle is the bird." He gagged lightly, making Kurapika freeze. "T-the last one is the bull." Kurapika put it in and the lock came undone. He opened it and was met with the sight of two revolvers. "Are there bullets?"

Both were the same type of revolver, with matching markings, both made from silver and gold, however the design is where they differed. Both had strange markings on them as if they were carved into it. The revolver on the right was mostly made from gold with the markings being filled with silver. The other was the opposite; made mostly of silver with gold filling the markings. The bullets were more threatening since the tip was pointed and coated with silver. There were small religious symbols carved into the bullets filled with gold. They had a small, sphere on the bottom, most likely the place where the gunpowder was at. Villanueva managed to grab a revolver and slipped one bullet inside.

"Look. There is a strip of metal that is magnetized. It holds the bullet in place, but doesn't really affect how fast the bullet goes when fired." Villanueva was able to compose himself a bit and felt the need the explain. "When you fire, actually, after you fire a lot, there will be a lot of... stuff left over from the gunpowder. Just do this."

On the revolver's yoke he pushed the extractor rod, which pushed out the bullet. "The strip of metal that holds the bullet isn't apart of the cylinder. It's held into place by a piece of metal that's apart of the rod, which attracts the piece of metal inside the cylinder."

"That's impressive." Kurapika admitted.

"You have no idea how hard it was to get it to work. Metal that, when magnetized, attracts the bullet, but with a piece of metal that attracts the metal inside the cylinder," He made a face, which that, to Kurapika, reminded him of a kid's confusion, "that only attracts that one piece of metal, not the bullet, too." He frowned. "Oh, God."

"The metal that keeps the piece of metal inside the cylinder shouldn't affect the bullet, so I had to get metal that attracted only one piece. Uh, shit." He groaned and sighed. "The bullet should only be attracted to the piece of metal in the cylinder, not the metal in the rod. And the rod should only be attracted to the piece of metal in the cylinder, not the bullet. Do you get it?"

Despite what happened and what was happening, Kurapika chuckled. "Yes, I get it. Don't hurt yourself."

Villanueva huffed childishly and leaned on Kurapika. "Good. I was done talking anyway." He smiled and the blond did the same.

After leaving, Villanueva gave Kurapika the golden revolver while he kept the silver one. They made their way to the sanctuary and entered, where there were a group of people waiting for them. There were only five, but they seemed, only to Kurapika, odd. Four of them had white sashes around their waists while one, the one who seemed to be the leader of the group, had the a white scarf around the lower part of his face. Villanueva spoke to them in a language that he didn't understand before he looked around. He picked something up and took a step back.

"Form up!" The Nightwalkers made a ring around Kurapika. "Look. I made it when we first got here. A- a habit." He showed Kurapika the flower crown, which looked as if it was just made. "Same pattern, same flowers. Hasn't even started to wither."

Kurapika made a face. He completely disregarded the fact that making a crown out of flowers was a habit and focused on the fact that after all that time hasn't even started to dry. "What could keep it from withering?"

"Someone or something that is able to stop time."

"Stop time? That's impossible." Kurapika crossed his arms.

Villanueva shook his head. "Time can be stopped, but only small areas. It's impossible to stop time of a massive area, like the world. Usually it's small rooms or just small areas. Much like stopping movement. For instance, if I-" Villanueva disappeared from Kurapika's sight in a flicker. "-did this." Kurapika gasped and turned around quickly while Villanueva kept a blank stare. "You see, that was if I was to stop time for just this small spot. To me I can move as if nothing happened, but you all were frozen."

He hummed thoughtfully. "It's time distortion." Villanueva made a gesture and the Nightwalkers stepped away, their gaze combing the area around them.

"You mentioned something about stopping movement." Villanueva nodded. "Could this be it?" Kurapika knew this was unlikely, but it made more sense to him than stopping time.

"No, not at all. If it was simply stopping movements, then the water flowing from the dragon's mouth in the fountain wouldn't be flowing." He pointed and sure enough, water was pouring into the fountain. Just slowly... "Oh, my God!" Everyone turned to look at him. "It really is time distortion! Look, the water is slow."

"Okay, you proved your point." Kurapika sighed.

"No, look." He reached out his hand and touched the water and his hand was pushed down forcefully. "It still carries the same force. It's relativistic. It's moving at the same speed, just over a longer period of time. Since you see things move from a faster time frame, it looks slowed down, but carries the same force."

Kurapika made a face. "Did you study that?"

"Spend enough time around smart people it's impossible to not pick something up." He shrugged. "So, can I trust you leave the fighting, if there is any, to these men?" Kurapika nodded reluctantly.

Villanueva turned and started to walk away, opening the door. When he was about to shut the door, Kurapika stepped towards him. "Villanueva!" He stopped and tilted his head to the side. "Make sure the kids are safe. And... be careful, please."

"I was supposed to be telling you that." He smiled softly, Kurapika returning it. The door shut, the sound echoing loudly in the massive room/building.

Kurapika already felt lonely.

Reaper.

With all the Shades dead and all of Gon's injuries healed, Reaper only had to wait for the boy to wake. He stared, his eyes hidden under the black veil. He recognized the boy. His name was Gon, well, last name not included. That wasn't something he should forget, but as far as he could remember, his last name was never mentioned. "Hey."

Gon started to stir, prompting Reaper to get a bit closer. "Huh? Wha- Where am I?" He looked around and jumped when he spotted Reaper staring at him. "Who are you? Where's Killua and Sangue?"

Reaper composed his thoughts then planed his words. "I am the one that kept you safe from the Shades. You may call me Reaper. And as for your friends..." He raked his memory. "Sangue is not here. I do not sense him anywhere near. That is concerning. As for Killua, he is here as well, but is under the effects of a defense that was activated when you two arrived in the restricted parts of the temple."

Gon got up. "Really? Is he okay? We have to get to him!" Reaper grabbed the boy's arm.

"He is fine. The gas is not lethal, but if he remains in that area for too long, he can receive... mental injuries. I am taking you somewhere safe." Reaper started to pull the boy, his cold hand making the boy shiver.

"But Killua is in trouble! We have to help!" He protested.

"I will have my brother retrieved him." He glanced back. "Father would be angry is one of his boys is seriously injured."

"Your father?"

Reaper nodded. "You know him. Come." He pulled Gon along, and as much as the older man's appearance shocked and slightly scared him, Gon felt himself relax. The person reminded him of Villanueva in the sense that he acted and gave off the impression of a powerful protector.

Gon picked up the pace and he walked along side Reaper, who no longer felt the need to hold the boy.

Kurapika.

The men Villanueva left behind didn't say anything, or move from their spots at all. It was a bit odd, especially since he hadn't even seen them move their foot even a little bit. It was like looking at statues. If it wasn't for their occasional turn of the head and low, eerie, hollow growling Kurapika would have thought they were statues. Feeling a bit off, Kurapika moved to the fountain, only for the men to follow him. He wouldn't really thing 'men' since he couldn't tell what their gender was due to their outfits. It was robes with armor on top, almost like some sort of ninja or samurai. Their eyes were hidden under masks or balaclavas with shades over them. It was odd and a bit creepy, just like those people that arrived to take Killua's older brother away.

He sat down on the edge of the fountain, looking at himself in the slowly distorting water. It was odd how something that only existed in fantasy and dreams seem so natural when Villanueva says it is. Kurapika sighed, a bit annoyed. I feel like a lovesick girl with her first ever crush. His thoughts gave him a headache so he pulled himself away from the fountain and laid in the grass.

He could feel the grass poke his body as he slowly relaxed. He fell asleep and awoke a few hours later, Villanueva poking his cheek. "Hello."

"Hey." Kurapika sat up and and rubbed his eye.

Villanueva hummed. A sleepy Kurta is a cute Kurta. Interesting. He stood up and pulled Kurapika to his feet. "We're in the clear, but I had not heard back from Enocente. That worries me a bit."

Kurapika clenched his fists. "Are we going to get them?"

"I have sent a message to Vanessa and Shuri, old friend, and they agreed to help, but Vanessa is busy with something." He pulled out the revolver and checked it, humming thoughtfully. "I know that what Enocente is bothering you." Kurapika flinched. "Don't worry. I plan on telling all I can and that he, despite what he does and does not know, is correct in the fact that I am not human."

Kurapika shook his head. "Okay, I can take the whole trained a hundred people at a young age, the dealer and all that, but not being human?" He walked away, followed by Villanueva. "No, my life is already confusing and I don't need this-"

Villanueva covered Kurapika's mouth and sighed loudly, letting go. He slowly pressed his hands together and his body tensed. He spread both hands and a ball of dark red light formed, and from it, small orbs of light shot out and swarmed around his body, letting off screeches and screams. Moans that sounded like people, only able to scream as they were relentlessly tortured. Lowering both arms to his sides and relaxing, the red light and orbs went inside Villanueva. He let out a breath, a sigh of pain. Kurapika was stunned. Villanueva walked over and held up his hand, slowly closing it. Kurapika figured he was going to show him another ability when he opened his hand again. A white-gold light glowed and he grabbed Kurapika and pulled him close. He raised his hand in the air and the light shined brightly, making Kurapika shut his eyes tight to avoid going blind. When he opened them again, they were somewhere very familiar.

"Villanueva, where are we?"

The teen smiled. "The place where the Exam took place." He started to walk down the hall.

"Why are we here?" Villanueva only smiled and gestured for him to follow.

He reached a set of doors and stopped. "I want to throw Golad off, but I realized that it would be a good opportunity to show you what exactly... I am." He shrugged and ignored the startled look on Kurapika's face.

Enocente said the same thing, well, more along the lines of suggesting Villanueva wasn't human, but it still bothered him. There was no way Villanueva was actually something other than a human. It didn't make sense. Kurapika shook his head, it wasn't possible. Villanueva was just different; unique. Villanueva didn't notice the confused and partly worried look. He opened the door and looked back, loving the shocked look on his face.

"What is this?"

They looked at Hanzo as he fought Gon, making the boy want to vomit. "This is what would have happened had I not been here. This, what you are seeing, is a alternate universe." He smiled. "Me, Vanessa, Enocente, the old man, all have the ability to go through different universes. Even through different dimensions."

Kurapika turned and faced him. "What's the difference between a alternate universe and a dimension?"

"A alternate universe is almost like a 'what if', if I'm to simplify it." He smiled as he looked back at the fight. "If you had breakfast today, in a alternate universe, you didn't have breakfast here. And if that's the case, then here you had a cup of coffee. So on, and so forth." Villanueva tried to explain it the best he could, but the shock was probably a bit much. "And in an alternate universe, you are a girl."

Kurapika flinched and made a face. "You're lying." He shook his head. "And the others?"

"Sometimes it's just you, or Gon or Killua are, or everyone's genders are flipped." He explained.

"What about you?" He crossed his arms, hoping to get something on him.

Villanueva smiled. "I do not belong in this dimension. I have never, and will never exist in this dimension, or in any other universe." Kurapika looked confused and shocked. "I'm not human, just so you know that Enocente was telling the truth."

He flinched. "What? That's not..."

Villanueva opened his left eye, letting it shine brightly. He looked at him, letting Kurapika see a image from his past. Of the time when he fought battles, not with guns, but with swords and abilities that only existed in fantasy. "Now, as I was saying, a dimension is a..." Villanueva went ahead and explained what it was, basically saying, "It's a different reality with different people and world." It was hard to explain, but Kurapika was starting to understand, but the look on his face made Villanueva a bit sad.

"So if I died, you could just go to a different universe and find a new Kurapika?" He felt his heart ache at the very thought.

Villanueva sighed, walking out of the room. They went unnoticed. "Technically, yes, I could. But I don't so that I keep my appreciation for the lives of those in this universe, your universe, that dimension, or this one. You may have the same name as the Kurapika here, but you are you, and no matter what, you are your own individual. A unique individual with unique personality and feelings. Knowing I could lose you and simply go to another universe just to start over again is so tempting."

Kurapika looked down, only for Villanueva grab his chin. "But I resist that temptation so as to avoid becoming the arrogant Lords I despise. If I resist this temptation, if I was to..." He looked uncertain, something Kurapika never expected to see on his face. "...fall for... you. I will love you, not Kurapika." He sighed. "I won't love you for being 'Kurapika,' but you for being 'you.'"

Kurapika found himself staring into the pale eye that held so many emotions. An eye that gazed upon the world in such a unique, almost pure way, but also in a cruel, unforgiving, criticizing stare. "I... I understand, and I... I hope you never change." He looked away, his cheeks heating up at the sight of the small smile on Villanueva's face.

"I do, too." He leaned forward and kissed Kurapika on the forehead after brushing the hair to the side. "There are so many things I want to tell you, but so many more that I can't. I'll tell you more when the time is right, okay?"

"Okay." Kurapika nodded and then wobbled a bit.

"Hm. Don't worry, happens to everyone their first time traveling to a different universe. Come on, we are need back home." Villanueva held Kurapika close as they returned the same way they came. Kurapika didn't want to leave the embrace, but with so many... people, if they can be called that, staring at them made it hard to stay that way even though he wanted to.

Golad smirked at them.

Immortal Realm.

Vanessa.

The camp was full to the brim with Guardians and the conditions were less than agreeable. Staring down at two guards, Vanessa pulled out two knives and dropped down, stabbing them both in the head as she landed behind them. She tore the knives out and looked around, quickly choosing a place to stow the bodies. As she crept inside the building Vanessa was joined by another man, some Sentinel that doesn't agree with the Guardians' imprisonment. They made their way to the top floor, having to kill a few guards that were in their way, but soon they reached the control room.

Vanessa examined the room. There was a dozing guard at the console and a door that led elsewhere. "Go check where that room leads and meet me back here in ten minuets."

"Right." He left quickly, giving the guard one last glance before entering the room through the door.

Vanessa pressed a knife to the guard's throat as he awoke to the sound of the door shutting. "If you value your life, stay silent and download all the information on this console to the USB." She held it up and he took it with shaky hands.

"Okay, the files are downloading." He trembled as the files were downloaded. The screen flashed a message, informing them that the transfer was done. "O-okay, here." He handed her the USB and held up his hands. "You- you aren't going to kill me, right?"

"Of course not. Nobody but the Sentinels are that pointlessly cruel." Vanessa hit him with the bottom of the knife with enough force to knock him out. He hit the console and landed on the floor, his head hitting the chair.

Vanessa knelt down and got underneath the console, pulling out a panel and started to plant some explosive, as per the plan. She moved the chair so that it would shield her from someone that entered the room and wasn't necessarily looking for someone. As she worked, she heard from the others that they planted their bombs over the radio. She shifted a bit and nearly hit here head. Sighing, Vanessa put the panel back into place and was about to crawl out when a door opened. She froze, but relaxed when she saw it was just the Sentinel she came in with.

"What you doing?" He poked his head under.

Vanessa kept her face blank as she answered. "Leaving our friends a gift. He chuckled.

He stood up and checked the monitor, pressing a few buttons. A gun was pressed to the back of his head, and before he could even try to surrender, the man pulled the trigger, blowing the Sentinel's brains over the console. Vanessa stifled a gasp as he hit the console and slid to the floor, a large chunk of his head missing. The man that shot him was accompanied by two Keepers. He knelt down, his knee landing in the puddle of blood and his shotgun slug over his shoulder. His arm reached down and he dipped his fingers in the blood, examining his hand after pulling it from the puddle.

"Eagle 3, this is Eagle 2, come in. Eagle 3? Eagle 3 is unresponsive." The radio cut out.

The Blasphemous Priest was still examining his hand when he stood. "We've been infiltrated. Sound the alarm." The two Keepers left and the Priest was about to leave too, when he noticed the unconscious man on the floor. He readied his gun and started to stalk towards the console, his footsteps loud.

Vanessa felt her heart race as he got closer, her instincts yelling at her to run, but as he reached the console, an explosion made the building shake. The Blasphemous Priest growled in anger as he left, deeming the explosion more important. Vanessa pulled herself out from under the console once she deemed him to be far enough. She shook her head as she left, knowing full well all the bombs were going to activated soon.

Things were getting ugly and would soon spread to the Mortal Realm. If it has not already spilled over.

Villanueva.

Golad kept smirking, however it faltered when he saw Villanueva a disturbingly calm look on his face. It was clear something was off. "You dare trespass here? After all you've done?" His eye held no anger, just annoyance. As if a Lord trespassing happened often.

The Fallen Lord chuckled. "I have no time to be dealing with a ghost. Tell me where you were sealed and I'll come and kill you, in person."

"Kurapika, leave." The blond didn't hesitate and took off towards the sanctuary. The unknown, inhuman creature, Villanueva, didn't seem bothered by the Lord's presence. "I seem to have forgotten a lot over the last few thousand years, you wouldn't happen to know if calling me a Half-Blood is accurate, would you?" He played with his sleeves, looking relaxed.

"It is not. You are not an Immortal and you are not Man." The Lord looked amused as he answered, earning a raised brow from the teen.

"That's where you are wrong. You see, after I was chosen to become one of the Knights of the Silver Brotherhood, I obtained the power to remove souls from living creatures." Golad charged up a attack, feeling his words to be a threat. "The only way to take the soul was to have that soul's owner's permission or if that person was weak or dying." Villanueva was unconcerned even though he felt the Lord muster his energy.

Golad's eyes narrowed. "What are you saying?"

"Usually after collecting a number of souls, I store them in a Devil's Heart, but then I realized that I could fuse with those souls. It increased my power and understanding. It changed me." He looked odd as he said this. "I no longer remember if this is how my real body looks like or what I really am. A Half-Blood was a human that had their still living soul bonded with a living Immortal."

"Although the circumstances are different, such as the fact that I am unaware is I was human or Immortal, my soul was still bonded with human and Immortal souls alike." Villanueva chuckled lowly, his eye becoming unfocused.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Villanueva smiled evilly. "Don't you remember? I used the same thing on your precious little brother Ova."

Golad shot forward without hesitation and slammed his hand into Villanueva's chest. Villanueva coughed up blood and his eye went wide. "You have no right to speak his name." Golad tore his arm out and pushed Villanueva to the ground.

Villanueva smiled at him. "Well done." The shape of Villanueva's body changed, revealing a old, dark-skinned man in his 70's. The Lord was taken by surprise. When he called him a 'Ghost' earlier, he didn't really mean a ghost. He thought it was a decoy he conjured, not some random man that had taken his form.

But that was the problem. Why would a human man take Villanueva's form? The man had no trace of magic ability and his soul was already rotted, no doubt an effect of- "Damn."

"It's a possession." Golad turned to see Cireen, Halengast and Artha. "You are so going to regret that."

The battle between Lords began.

Gon.

Reaper ushered Gon through an odd looking door and soon he found themselves on a balcony, where another person was standing. "Oh! I remember you!"

King turned and nodded towards him. "Father is returning."

"For what reason?" Reaper stood next to him, staring down at the large pool filled with the black liquid. Reaper and King froze and groaned in pain. "Father, he's been injured!"

Suddenly, the same figure before burst from the pool, shrieking like a bat out of Hell. Gon instinctively hid. The figure's form slowly came into view as the torches became lit in response to Gon's, a living human, presence. "Why can't they just leave us alone?" Villanueva started to walk towards to balcony, the Darkness slowly following him.

"We only do more than that is required, and take less than our share. Can they say the same?!" As Villanueva walked up the wall, his expression went from pain to anger. "Did I not stress how important it was to be finished with the Lords, before they destroy what we are trying to create?!" He made it up to the balcony, looking at his shivering children as he stood on the ledge.

"We lost Anthony!" King whimpered, saddened by the old Cleric's death.

"That monster." Reaper growled lowly, wanting nothing more than to hurt the Lord himself. Gon watched in shock.

Villanueva shook his head. "There, there, my sons, do not worry, should worst come to worst, I shall find another host."

Reaper looked startled at how quickly Villanueva got over a friend's death. "What?"

"Do we mean so little to you?" King looked to be on the verge on tears.

"Have you no heart?" Reaper asked, equally shocked.

Villanueva's expression became unreadable. "No!" His yelling made King cry while Reaper flinched. "I have no heart! I feel no love!" He turned into a cloud of Darkness and black smoke and went from the balcony to the edge of the pool. "No fear! No joy! No sorrow!" He looked at his reflection in the black liquid, not sure who the person he was seeing in the liquid was. "I am hollow... and I will suffer as an empty husk... for all of eternity..."

"Father..." King sniffed.

"It is not so bad." Reaper consoled.

Villanueva chuckled madly. "I am at war with the Realms! And every living soul in it!" Several Nightwalkers watched him in silence. "But soon, the final battle will begin. We should find a nice place to set up." A Nightwalker with a box walked over, the white gem inside glowing while the black gem next to it giving off a wisps of Darkness.

"We will have to make use of the resources available. We are much too close to success to be interrupted now." Villanueva started to pace while while his children looked shocked.

"No!" King jumped from the balcony along with Reaper.

"The last experiment was failure!"

"Please!" King started to walk forward. "Say you will not try again."

Reaper placed a hand on Villanueva's arm. "My heart can not bear the sorrow should we fail again."

Gon peered over just as Villanueva's formed changed. He looked almost as if he had a transparent skull over his face while his shadow on the floor not only grew so large it reached the other wall, it also sprouted large wings while his body remained unchanged. While that happened, Villanueva let off a horrifying roar and Reaper and King both back away in fear. Gon, too, froze and fell on his rump from the fear that hit him hard. Reaper hissed at Villanueva while King whimpered. Villanueva relaxed and his 'body' returned to 'normal'. Gon was startled. Villanueva changing into something scary and him having kids was a bit much for the simple boy.

"Please. Do not fear me. Everybody else fears me." He slowly allowed slight pain to take over his face. Reaper and King rushed over and Villanueva held them tightly. "Please don't join them."

A animal let out a screech as the sound of electricity filled the room. Looking at the other balcony, Gon could see the shadows of a person and animal. "Shuri!" Villanueva called.

A female Knight walked out. "Yes, Brother Villanueva?"

"Why do you torment that thing so?"

She made a face. "It's what I do."

"Remember, sister, 'Do unto others...'"

"...'what they do onto me,' brother." She smiled at her oldest friend.

"Now go, ALL OF YOU, to the Land of the Light!"

He and his two sons were wrapped in Darkness and pulled towards the pool, Reaper's voice echoing in the room. "Yes, yes, we will try again." All three were pulled into the liquid and the liquid solidified, turning into a hard, black stone.

Gon sat down as he was left completely alone, again. This was too much for the poor boy. He sighed and sat down, pulling his knees to his chest. "I miss Killua..." His weak voice was soon joined by an equally weak sobs.

Tears hit the cold, hard ground.

Killua.

Throbbing pain shot through his body as he slowly returned to consciousness. Pushing himself up off the floor, Killua groaned as cold air hit him, making him involuntarily shiver. He looked around, finding himself in a large room with torches as the only light source. He sat up, feeling groggy. But as the memories came back in a flash, he darted off, looking for an exit only to find no way out. It was just one massive stone room with no door or window. He looked at the ground, hoping to find some sort of trap door or something. He looked up, hoping to find something that he get out up.

"Damn!" He kicked at the ground in anger. "What?!" A flash of light changed his surroundings.

He found himself in what looked like a throne room filled with dead knights. Sitting on the black throne was someone wearing a mask that covered the top part of his face and was shaped to look like a bird. Killua was unaware of the person behind him. "Hello, little human."

Killua jumped. "Villanueva?"

"Villanueva?"

"Hm? Yes?" Killua turned around and saw the scenery change from the bloody throne room to a large room filled with people, like a large council.

Ova tilted his head, the other Lords watching. "Do you feel that if confronted with the one that killed her you would be filled with anger and a need for revenge? Not that you don't already have that."

"Definitely." Villanueva glared at the Lords, his pale eye filled with rage.

A loud bang changed the scene from the council to a green park, and three familiar people. Killua saw himself holding a gun, and a old man on the ground, blood pooling around him. "K-Killua?" Gon's voice trembled as he looked at the pale boy with a gun.

The other Killua aimed at Gon. "No, wait!" The gun went off and a bullet pierced Gon's head.

Villanueva caught Gon before he hit the ground, glaring at the other Killua. "Gon! Damn it! What's wrong with you?!" He yelled.

"What? Why would I...?" Killua stepped back as the other Killua's voice echoed in his head.

"I was just doing what I was raised to do."

Killua shook his head, about ready to run. "You killed me!" Killua turned around at the sound of Gon's distorted voice only to see the same room he was in when he woe up. Not seeing anything he turned back only to see Gon with a hole in his head, blood gushing out. "You killed me! You killed my friends!"

Killua stumbled back. "No! I would never..."

"One down." Killua turned towards the voice with his claws sharpened, but froze when he saw himself. The other Killua was covered in blood, grinning. He jammed his hand into Killua's chest and tore out his heart. "Two down. Now for the stray runt."

Killua's vision darkened as blood pooled around him. He felt it come out and soak his clothes and leave his body in a quickly cooling pool of liquid. His mind started to go blank, his breathing slowing. His eyes started to close as they grew heavy. No longer feeling a reason to, Killua gave up, unaware of the strange smell hitting his nose that wasn't his own blood. It smelled a bit out of place for the large stone room he was originally in. It smelled like smoke and ash, like cigarettes, and... tacos. Huh. Killua would actually like one at the moment. It would seem that dying is hungering. A voice reached his ears.

"Killua? Killua!" It faded as he went numb. Then something hit him hard in the chest, what felt like a needle piercing his flesh and suddenly Killua's eyes shot open, nearly blinded by the light above him as a rush of energy went through his entire body. His eyes snapped shut as something else pierced his body.

Killua yelled in pain at the top of his lungs, only to be met with mad laughter. "IT'S ALIVE!" A pause. "Well, that was close." Enocente smiled to himself.

Well, it's good to be done. Please help by pointing out any spelling errors. So you get a glimpse at what Villanueva is. I wonder how Kurapika will react. How did Enocente know where Killua was? Will Gon be able to face Villanueva? Vanessa faced the Blasphemous Priest while stealing information from a Sentinel console and sabotaging the same console. What was the information? What's more worrying? Gon being left alone in a temple full of monsters? Killua being tormented by images of himself killing those dearest to him? Several Lords battling it out near Kurapika? Kurapika being shown another reality?!

Villanueva having kids?! I was surprised too. :3.

Come back soon, little cubs.