Hey guys! Sorry about the wait with this one! I got severe writer's block, and acquiring a switch did not help me focus on getting around it. But it's out now, before the new year! So let's get to it!

"Nothing."

"Huh?"

"I suppose you could technically say I'm walking, but I think that isn't what you meant with your question."

The boy made a noise half way between a sigh and a groan, turned on his heel, and made to disappear.

"Ah, Killua!"

His shoulders hunched in irritation. "What?"

"Do you happen to know where your brother is?"

"...You mean Illumi?" Begrudgingly, he shifted sideways to look back at the girl still staring after him. His sharp eyes examined her head to toe before he asked, "Why do you wanna see him?" She was silent. He clicked his tongue again and snapped, "I don't know. I've got no reason to keep track of him. You should give it up. If he doesn't want to be found, you're not even gonna come close."

So he had no information. "May I turn around your earlier question, then?"

"What I'm doing here is none of your business."

"Does it have something to do with Kurapika?"

His deepened grimace told her everything even before he spoke. "What the hell do you know about him? He's already here, then?"

Kurapika hadn't contacted them. Perhaps it was because of whatever was keeping Kurapika busy on his end. Before she could respond, however, a certain boy in green popped out from the crowd. He paused for a second to gawk at the white haired girl. "Oh, Snake! Who would've thought we'd meet you here! How've you been?"

"I've been...tense," she decided on. "How have you been?"

"I've been good," Gon answered, flashing a smile. "Killua and I just got back from Whale Island. Oh, that's where I'm from, by the way. Now we're here to—"

"Gon, shut up!"

"Huh? But why?"

"'Cause this girl's creepy! Don't go spouting off information to her like that!"

"She's not creepy." He gave his friend an odd look. "Besides, she took the Hunter Exam with us, so it's not like we're strangers."

"Yeah, and Hisoka also took the exam with us. Would you tell him all this stuff?"

Gon began to pout. "She's not Hisoka! I don't see why you gotta be so cold. She could help us find the Phantom Troupe!"

"You idiot!" As soon as he'd hissed the insult, he sighed. "Even if she did, then we'd have to split the reward with her."

"Why are you hunting the Phantom Troupe?" Of course she'd heard of them. Rumors. A few of her clients had shown concern about them, but they had never actually shown up while she was on a job.

"We need the money to buy a game at the auction!"

Killua made a huff of defeat. Snake was processing. She didn't know much about the alleged Phantom Troupe, but she did know they were Grade A bounties, all of them. That was a troublesome way just to make some money.

"I'd be willing to help," she finally decided. When Killua opened his mouth to object, she added, "I don't need any of the reward. It just sounds like it might be fun."

Clearly, he remained skeptical, but his spritely friend beamed at him as if he'd won the argument.

"'Fun' just sounds wrong coming from you… Fine! If you want to bug us that badly, do it. But I'm watching you, so if you're planning something, you'd better spill it now."

She gave a slight shake of her head. Then, with an exasperated huff, he whirled and began to stalk away. Gon grinned at Snake and began to follow after. She moved to follow him.

The three walked through the crowd in a clump, presumably to some destination. Gon pulled a crumpled flyer out of his jacket and handed it to Snake, explaining how the people on it were members of the Phantom Troupe, and how Leorio had found some kind of tip as to where two of them were. Eventually, Killua whirled around and shushed Gon again, this time berating him on the grounds of getting overheard. By then, though, the boy was satisfied he'd filled Snake in enough.

Snake thought it was amusing that she probably looked like she was babysitting the boys. Or maybe, she supposed, their shared white hair might suggest that she and Killua are siblings. Either way, it probably looked like babysitting.

...She did look old enough for that to be the case...right?

Killua lead them to a cafe, where he told the hostess they were meeting someone and continued on inside. Up on the cafe's second floor, they found Leorio at a booth next to a window. He'd waved his hand to greet his friends, but hesitated when he saw Snake.

"Huh? What're you doing here?"

"Gon told me what you were doing, and it sounded interesting. I'm here to help." She slid into the booth after Killua, much to the boy's dismay, as Gon sat beside Leorio. Then, with the same blank look, she said, "Hello to you, too."

"Uh, yeah...hi." Then, as if she couldn't hear him, he hid his mouth behind his hand and whispered to Gon, "This doesn't mean we have to share the profit with her, does it?"

Also covering his mouth to whisper, the boy replied, "No, she said she it sounds fun, so she doesn't need any money."

Leorio suddenly brightened. "Glad to have you aboard, M—s. Snake! We're dealing with some pretty dangerous people here, so having another helping hand helps a lot! Not that you need to worry about danger. I mean, we're taking the proper precautions, so you'll be safe! I promise!"

She nodded. Then Leorio glanced out the window and saw something that made him pick up his phone. Meanwhile, a waitress came by and served the three boys drinks. She apologized to Snake for missing her order which had actually never been placed, and Snake just asked for a glass of water.

When she turned back to the table, Leorio was whispering intensely to his phone, and both Gon and Killua were taking furtive peeks out the window as they started into their milkshakes. She took in a quick scan of the plaza below before diverting her gaze to look around the restaurant. One of the restaurants in the area apparently had a pretty large outdoor space, and at half-past noon, it was bustling. None of the occupants had been particularly eye catching, but she hadn't missed the two that had been on the poster.

When Leorio finally hung up, he said, "Okay, next order of business. We've found them, now we have to figure out how to capture them."

"It's impossible."

"Huh!?"

Killua stirred his milkshake indifferently. "I knew as soon as I saw them. We aren't strong enough to handle them. A few years back my dad had a hit on one of the members. It was one of the only times I've heard him complain. Said he hadn't been paid enough for the trouble. That's about the biggest compliment a target can get. He told us then to stay away from the Phantom Troupe. I was thinking it's been a few years, and I've grown, so we might have a chance, but just looking at them was enough to tell me we don't."

"Really?" Leorio deflated. "Are you sure they're that strong?"

"Would it help you to imagine two Hisokas sitting there?"

Snake had not got that impression from her brief look, but Killua was likely a reliable source in this matter. His comparison also intrigued her. Two Hisokas….that Hisoka was a strange one. Certainly dangerous, and he flaunted it.

…

Maybe he'd be a good one to go to if she wanted to sort out her new role.

…

And if the Troupe members were comparable to him, then there was the possibility they'd also be apt for observing. And they were around, unlike the clown. It seemed she made the right decision accompanying Killua and Gon.

Then the two down in the plaza stood up, and Killua began to plot the next step. "Gon and I will trail them using Zetsu. Gon, I need you to promise me two things. If they notice us, we give up immediately and escape. Two, if I deem it irrational to follow them any farther, we do the same."

"Got it."

"I'll come, too." Before the boy could complain, she sucked in her aura and met his eyes. It didn't show through as much since he was being serious, but he grimaced as he relented.

"Fine." They left the half finished milkshakes and began to make their way outside, Leorio slapping down the payment on the table. "Finally, if they split up, we follow the girl."

With everything decided, they began, the three darting off in the direction the two were walking. Gon and Killua quickly took to the rooftops, and Snake followed without complaint. None of their footsteps made so much as a cat's soft padding as they sprinted and leapt from one roof to the next. The rhythm changed only to match the targets' pace when they spotted them. The boys trailed on either side behind. Snake took the initiative to place herself in the much more precarious position in front of them, but every bit of information was pivotal when trying to get a read on people like the man and woman they were following, and you couldn't very well see their facial expressions from behind. Killua could have also taken the frontal position, considering his background, but if he got caught, the consequences for him would be serious.

Gradually, the man and the woman they were following headed into more and more deserted areas, until Killua's movements finally slowed. Snake came to stand still in the center of a square roof, where she'd be out of sight from the ground.

He was hesitating, as he should be. Deserted places were only good for evil things. Were only good for plans. And this one was not a part of their plan.

But for one reason or another he restarted his trailing. Even when the two Troupe members stopped in a wide open place and stood, clearly waiting, Gon and Killua took up residence inside buildings, watching them from their windows. Snake relocated herself to another roof, where the wind blew her scent away from everyone, and waited.

"Took you long enough to stop."

She blinked. Then she turned.

Behind her stood another man and woman, both blond, both using Zetsu. Another moment of processing and she knew what was happening. She didn't think to account for being trailed herself. She'd hardly encountered other Nen users until the Hunter Exam, after all. She would take this into consideration from now on.

The man spoke again, once again speaking at a volume that allowed her to hear clearly, while using the slight wind to prevent it from traveling. "Why are you following them?"

She tilted her head and answered honestly. "It sounded interesting. I've been in one room for too long, and I needed something to do."

The man glanced at the woman, who surmised, "With that face, it's difficult to say whether it's the truth." She gazed at her from drooping eyelids. The intensity of the look, the seriousness in it, dredged up old memories. The woman then extended a hand and stepped forward. Sensing no ill intent, she let her lay the hand on her shoulder. "Let me repeat him. Why are you following them?"

"For the reasons I've already said."

The woman waited a moment, then stepped back and let her hand fall. The grimness of her face lightened a bit in surprise. "She's telling the truth, although not all of it. But she truly means no harm to any of us. Her motivations have nothing to do with the Chain User. And, although I'm sure this will do nothing to inspire trust in what I've said, it seems she also knows Hisoka."

Chain User? If she recalled correctly, Kurapika had chains on one of his hands. But there was no reason to share that. There was a chance they were different people. And she had a hunch that Kurapika would not appreciate her pointing the Phantom Troupe his way, Chain User or not. More importantly, how did this woman get this information? It was fascinating.

"S'at so? And what about the other two trailing them?"

"In it for the money. At least, that's what they told her. We'll have to check for ourselves, of course."

With that, the man dialed his phone, and the woman returned her attention to Snake. "I see no problem in bringing you to the base, so long as I get the boss's permission. You'd like to come, correct?"

An invitation to the Phantom Troupe's base, and people who know Hisoka...it was perfect. And the woman seemed to know it. Hopefully she would be able to clear up the confusion Illumi left her quickly with their help.

"Thank you. I would appreciate it."

I actually wrote most of this chapter in one sitting. Once I got around the writer's block, it all just sort of flowed. Happy New Year's Eve, by the way! I was not expecting this story to run into 2020 when I started it, but hey, that just means I'm giving this story a whole lot of love! I seriously appreciate all readers who've picked up Thanatos in 2019, and I hope I'll be able to continue to entertain you all in 2020. With that said, I'll see you guys next year!