I had a lot of fun writing this chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter 34 and 35 uploaded on the same day! Woohoo!

***Even though they're uploaded I'm still editing both chapters. I sometimes go through and edit the past chapters if I feel the dialogue is a little too awkward or misleading. I'll give a heads up if I do

Chapter 35

Fists of Fury

Alluka sped along the damp beachside as the odd intruder ran alongside her. Their long kimono flapped behind them, just as Alluka's did, and their stature couldn't have been much taller than her own as the tree line flashed behind them.

She eyed them questionably in the dark and wondered just why they decided to keep their presence so… open. She decided it could've been a trap, but her curiosity got the best of her as she awoke in the hospital room and noticed the intruder's presence with both her older brother and sensei missing. She just had to come do some investigating on her own. Besides, something about this aura seemed very similar to her own… It was something she just had to see…

Suddenly, the odd silhouette stopped in its tracks. She must've been chasing after them for only a handful of minutes at best, yet her heart pounded in her chest.

"Who are you?" She breathed heavily as the waves crashed behind her. "What do you want?" She continued, though she knew, she knew all too well the answers to both questions. It pained her to try to fight the truth, but something was telling her that there must be a sliver of hope… somewhere.

"My name is Kalluto Zoldyck. I'm here as a member of the Phantom Troupe to apprehend the one known as Nanika, the two former princes of Kakin, and Canary."

Alluka felt her stomach churn and she eased her Ren across her body. Kalluto seemed to be more trained than her, especially if he was given entrance to the Phantom Troupe, so she decided to move warily. "Yeah, I know... I was just hoping somehow that there'd be a different answer this time… But just tell me this one thing – why are you after my sensei?"

"Sensei?"

"Canary… She's done nothing wrong! None of us have! If this is about what happened yesterday, then it's none of your business either!" Alluka seethed as her mind raced with the possibilities of what could've harmed her sensei.

It made her realize just how precious their short time together was and just how easily it could be taken away. She tried to remember the girl who got embarrassed just from her brother confessing to her, of the tall calming presence she could call her friend. She tried to remember how happy Canary was performing with Harumi, of how happy she was with her brother, their entire little family…

Something unexpected like yesterday just wasn't fair in Alluka's eyes, but she'd be damned if she didn't try to fight it out with her. She'd fight to the death for her friend, she decided as she conjured a row of daggers to encircle her small form.

Kalluto followed suit as a trail of paper fell from his fingertips and onto an out spread fan. Alluka felt his aura rising, but she refused to cower in fear.

"The Phantom Troupe has a right to all interesting peoples… And for some reason, my boss decided she was one."

Alluka scoffed. "Give me a break! Who is feeding you this crap besides… our mother." Alluka's teeth gritted as the form of her mother appeared in her head, her one robotic eye constantly scrutinizing. It felt wrong, backstabbing even, to call her her mother. She'd found her own family. She didn't need her anymore.

"You dare call her our mother? Just how deluded are you, you… thing!"

"Alluka! Watch out!" Tadaki's voice suddenly sprang forward as a blast of pressurized air came shooting towards her. He focused his Ren in the center of his body as he jumped in between her and the blast of Hatsu, though what he didn't account for, was the attack twisting and contorting his back arm. Tadaki fell to the ground with a guttural yell as he braced his left arm, half cursing himself for not fully protecting his body, and also the attacker who was hiding so cowardly.

"I suppose it's only these two here… Good grief, I kindve hoped we didn't have to spread ourselves too thin, but the different arrival times were just such a pain…" Bonolenov, the tenth Phantom Troupe member spoke as he appeared within a flurry of wrapped bandages.

Alluka watched him appear with pure disgust as she held Tadaki's head in her hands. 'It was a trap… Just how stupid am I! Canary… Big Brother… where are you!?'

Just then, a bird with claws outstretched with pure rage descended upon Bonolenov and began scratching maniacally at his face and pecking furiously at his skull. "Gah! Get this thing off of me! I'm not into hurting animals!" Bonolenov screamed as he fussed under the bird's ministrations.

"I said – get off of me!" The conjurer cried as Pepe successfully plucked his eye out of its socket. This threw Bonolenov into a new state of fury as he directed his Hatsu onto the bird who flew across the beach before crumpling into a small heap in the sand.

"Pepe!"

"Tadaki – I'm so sorry!" Alluka bellowed as she pulled him closer.

"It's not your fault, Alluka. Pepe warned me there was someone hiding in plain sight. I should've been more aware."

"No, I shouldn't have left alone."

"I don't blame you." Tadaki gritted as he eyed Kalluto menacingly, though the boy only looked at him plainly in response.

"This is cute and all, but we only have one of our captives here." Bonolenov mentioned casually as he picked his eye up from Pepe's talons and brushed it nonchalantly across his bandages. He popped it back into his eye socket before addressing Kalluto again. "Where are the other three?"

"You really thought it was going to be this easy? I wish I could kick your ass right here and now!" Tadaki yelled as he felt his blood begin to boil.

Bonolenov's one eye seemed to be trained on Tadaki as he assessed him. The disgust seemed to flow out of him in waves. "It's your own weakness that did this to you, brat, not me."

Tadaki felt his body rising in anger. "I'm not done yet!"

"Yoohoo! Did someone call for backup?" A voice rang out from the opposite direction of the beach. A doorway somehow appeared in the long stretch of sand as Esmerelda came flying through the doorway with a wide grin. "Say hello to your distraction, boys!" She waved as Kalluto and Bonolenov turned towards her. Esmerelda then let several smoke bombs release from her hand as the area became flooded with their Nen camouflaging essence.

Within the tree line, Fugetsu began to grow fidgety as she grasped onto Contessa's arm. The young fighter paused as she witnessed her sister's signal across the beach and the smoke began to fill her nostrils.

"Please. Please don't leave me behind… I'm scared, Contessa san."

"Fugetsu…" Her twin sister scolded as she held her sister's shoulders protectively.
Contessa turned towards the younger girl and smoothed her hair back with her free hand as she wielded a machete in the other. Esmerelda appeared beside Kacho once more as the doorway disappeared beside her and she gave her younger sister a reassuring nod.

"Fugetsu," Contessa began, "I won't be too far from you." She smiled as four body doubles flew out of the tree line and toward the two Phantom Troupe members.

Kalluto fought with three body doubles easily as he wafted his fan through the air and controlled his paper pieces to slice at Contessa's Copy Cat clones, which instantly turned to dust. The smoke began to clear with Kalluto's continued fan ministrations as Contessa's other form began slicing her machete viciously through Bonolenov's air Hatsu.

She ducked and dodged his irritable attacks as the wind whistled through her ears and his slim body feinted from her machete's stabs and slices. Contessa was finding it hard to land a hit, as his body was riddled with various sized holes which he used to his advantage as shots of air continuously blew her back.

Alluka finally joined in the fight once more, as Kalluto began targeting Contessa with his flying paper technique. She quickly diverted his attack, as she led a stream of daggers to cut through the Hatsu and daggered Kalluto's feet before coming after him with one in hand. Her younger brother was admittedly more fluid in his movements as he dodged her attacks effortlessly with his fan. Yet what Alluka lacked in training, she made up for with passion, as she feinted a stab with her right hand before landing a strong left jab into his face.

Kalluto slid across the sand defensively and nursed his busted lip just as Contessa was thrown across the beach from Bonolenov's Hatsu. She immediately rose to her feet before noticing blood dripping from her ear holes – revealing her true form and the clone next to Fugetsu.

Bonolenov chuckled. "Did you really think you had a chance against me? You're just a little girl with a machete - what more can you do?" He asked comically with his hands splayed in a shrug.

Contessa's aura flexed as she noticed Fugetsu's panicked aura in the tree line. She knew her sister was trying her best to calm them, but it wouldn't be long before they noticed the two former princes for themselves as the smoke bomb's aura camouflage began to wear off in their vicinity. She had to act quickly.

"Little girl this and little girl that…" Contessa bit out as she tried to ignore the loud ringing in her ears. "Who gives a shit! I have friends to protect!" Contessa bellowed as she swiped her hands in front of her, revealing a row of sharp, glinting knives. "1,000 Daggers! –"

"Dagger Fury." Alluka continued as her own daggers joined Contessa's fray in the sea of knives that mauled both Kalluto and Bonolenov. Alluka knelt down to assess Tadaki's injuries even further as the attack hid the two Phantom Troupe members from view.

Contessa watched with panicked eyes as the daggers spiralled and weaved in and out of each other like a flock of angry seagulls picking at leftovers, or a swarm of locusts.

Alluka thought perhaps their pursuers would become useless under their combined Hatsu, though it was only hopeful thinking as Kalluto's voice called out, 'Dance of the Serpent's Bite!' and Bonolenov called forth his Hatsu 'Wind Song' which disrupted each of their respective knife attacks as they clanked to the ground before disappearing.

Alluka's chest heaved rapidly as she felt her aura quickly escaping her and as she looked towards Contessa breathing with the same exertion. She knew they were in trouble.

"I said I wasn't don't yet." Tadaki finally spoke as he stood. His stance was firm and his arm miraculously healed as he stared daggers into Kalluto's eyes. His right finger pointed sternly towards the fan user as he addressed him. "I don't know about the other guy, but I know for a fact that I don't need my Hatsu to know what your true fear is… Kalluto."

Kalluto's brows pinched as he waved his hand at Bonolenov to leave the young boy to him. "Oh? And what is that?" He asked smugly, yet his demeanor changed instantly once he realized the immense build up of energy his attacker was amassing.

Tadaki's Ren formed a large flame of aura all around him, which he transferred to his right fist. "You were dead meat the second you called Alluka a thing! Giga Drain!" Tadaki called as he threw his fist which withdrew the aura into the unsuspecting troupe member.

Kalluto desperately tried to deflect the Emitter attack with his Ren, yet it was worthless as he was flung into a large tree situated behind him. He slid to the ground as the attack ended and his body trembled with his lack of aura. "What the hell did you just do to me?" Kalluto coughed as a splatter of blood spread across his fan.

"I just gave you what you had coming…" Tadaki muttered as he swayed in place. "Don't ever talk to Alluka that way again..." He breathed finally before falling over himself.

"Tadaki!" Alluka screamed as she quickly ran to hold up his right side. In a flash of white lightning, she noticed her brother had arrived to hold up his opposite end.

"Kalluto," Killua addressed as Tadaki rose to his feet with both his and Alluka's help. "Why aren't you home."

Tadaki's lip trembled as he tried to make sense of his older brother helping up a stranger, let alone his attacker. And that thing… "Big Brother… Do you really think you have any right to ask me that?" He asked instead with a sad rage filling his eyes. "You've been traveling with that thing for years! When are you coming home!"

"Her name is Alluka," Killua answered smoothly. "And she's nothing to be afraid of. If you really consider yourself my brother, you should know that."

Kalluto stifled as he felt the fight in him disappearing. His fists balled into his lap and his cheeks sagged as he began to cry out. "I only joined the Phantom Troupe to find you! Mother told me they were an important key in finding you and… Alluka." He bit out softly as his voice cracked.

Kalluto looked at the young girl before him, the one sibling he never had the real chance of meeting. He was just a newborn when Alluka was locked away, so he never had the true chance of playing with her, learning what her laugh sounded like, or feeling what her hand felt like during the sweltering summer's on the mountain.

All his life, he's only been told that she was to be feared, but looking at her now, she couldn't look any less harmless. Her face was splattered in smoke and dried blood and she carried her friend almost like her life depended on it. Even through her battered state, tear streaks swept straight through the dirt and uncovered who she truly was. He wondered what it was like to carry bonds like this one, to have someone to care about and cry over…

Just as he was thinking this, Killua sped forward to his baby brother. Kalluto's eyes were stinging with tears that refused to fall as Killua knelt beside him and pulled him into a tight hug. "Don't worry, Kalluto… There's nothing to forgive. Just know that you're not alone and… your future is in your own hands now."

Kalluto finally felt the warm liquid trail down his face as he began to release years worth of training and… surveillance. He took his right pinky finger and pressed it firmly into his forehead. Killua released his hold on his younger brother as he revealed an exceedingly small camera which he crushed between his fingertips.

"What a touching scene," Bonolenov sighed as he readied his Hatsu, "but I'm afraid we're not here for a family reunion!"

Just then, a golden rod cane came eye to eye with Bonolenov as Canary appeared on the scene. "What a shame, it was just getting to the good part," she mentioned with a sly smile as her Hatsu soared. "Maybe you should've came with more party members instead of wasting all of our time."

Bonolenov eyed the cane user warily before, strip by strip, his form began to disappear and float through the air.

"Yeah, maybe you're right... See ya never, brat."

Connie smiled at her two friends holding each other up as she carried Pepe in her outstretched palms. "You guys think you can work your magic with Nanika just one more time?" She asked.

Tadaki and Alluka smirked at one another before Nanika appeared over Alluka's features. "Yes." The high pitched deity responded as they placed their hand over Pepe's lifeless form.

Kalluto's eyes brightened, as in a burst of pure light, their feathered friend went from being completely lifeless to squawking excitedly. The three all laughed together as the affectionate bird hopped about and ruffled his beak through their hair.

In the end, Killua may have just been imagining it, but in the corner of his eye, he swore he saw Kalluto smiling.

Kikyo fell to the floor with sobbing shoulders and a resounding screech as her youngest child removed all communication from her. "GAAAAAAAH! ONE BY ONE! HOW MANY OF MY CHILDREN DO I HAVE TO SEE BE TAKEN ALIVE BY THAT THING! ITS EVEN TAKEN ANOTHER! I SAW THE FOOTAGE! THAT BOY – THAT BOY THAT TOUCHED MY BELOVED – HE HAS THE THING INSIDE OF HIM AND HE USED IT TO HEAL HIMSELF! HOW MANY SECRETS DOES THIS THING HAVE? HOW MANY OF MY CHILDREN DO I HAVE TO SEE BE DRAGGED TO HELL BY IT? GAAAAAAH PAPA WE MUST DO SOMETHING!"

"Hush, my beloved, we will…" Silva answered as he continued to playback the footage Kikyo and Kalluto collected in their family surveillance room. He paused it on the young boy's expression as he lay on the ground next to Alluka as that thing suddenly covered his face. He wondered tirelessly of just what that thing wanted and how long it planned to tear apart his family...

"Just look at her… Alluka…" Kikyo bawled as she remained curled up on the ground. "I just know she hates me… Did you see the way she addressed me? That thing has taken my baby girl…"

Silva sighed as he tried not to remember the first day that thing wriggled itself into his daughter's life. Once a child that was so curious and full of promise, Alluka was overtaken by something completely out of their control. A fearful, haunting thing… A monster. He felt helpless. He felt he'd failed as a father to protect his one and only daughter. So, he closed her away from the world, half terrified of what other atrocities the thing would commit, while also mortified at the idea of losing his daughter.

"I was once young and a fool to think we could go to war with them again…" Silva began as he turned from the large screen. "But now, I think we may have to continue to honor our truce. That thing has claimed another one of our children… I believe they will also be interested to know how it's influenced their own child as well…"

"We won't let the Phantom Troupe take it and we certainly won't sit idly by as Killua continues to make mistake after mistake…" Silva continued as he kneeled beside his wife and smoothed his hand across her slumped shoulders.

"Revive the truce…?"

"Yes, honey… we'll continue our truce. They don't have to know about the personal trivialities... We'll just continue on as planned." He consoled as he rubbed small circles into her back.

"Canary will finally finish her training and return home. Then, they can help us eradicate this thing from our hands. We'll continue to help each other, just like old times."

"Yes, like old times…" Kikyo repeated as she wept silently.