Starting from Rammot, Killua details the changes in their dynamic.

A\N: Sorry for the Delay, this dumbass accidentally copied the old document over the new document, instead of making a backup. So, I had to redo this chapter from scratch. FML

What sucks about this mistake, I lost a future chapter, plans involving the connection in the future… and worst of all, I feel like I did a poor job of recreating chapter 140.

Daniel couldn't break his smile, even if he wanted to. It was one of his best memories, a moment Killua felt freedom. He was no longer under Illumi's control, forced into flight every time he felt he was weaker than the enemy before him.

But even if that moment was amazing to relieve, the one the followed was sure to ruin the moment, "The moment I woke, I was scared I failed to protect Killua. I thought… I thought Rammot killed Killua, and what I was experiencing, was the afterlife."

"You thought wrong…" Killua scoffed at the idea. Sure, if he failed to remove the needle, there was a possibility of that happening. However, that wasn't the case, "I shattered Daniel's false perception… I smacked him across the face. Pain is a good reminder, to let him know he was alive."

"Yeah… and what did I do immediately after… I hugged you. I cried in your arms, as you held me. Then… then, for the second time… I forced you into a position I now regret."

"Oh…?"

"The ultimatum? You kiss me, we start a relationship… however, if you don't kiss me, I take that as a message to give up. That the chances of dating you were not possible."

"To be fair… I had a small part to play in your actions that night. I argued that… I think I may like you more than friends… among other things you ignored."

Daniel nodded, "Yeah… but I shouldn't have pushed you for an answer that night."

Killua shook his head, "I don't regret it for a second… All I regret is not kissing you sooner. The time limit you gave me… well, my mind was trying to wrap around your options. To give in… or to push away. When I concluded, that I did want to date you… well… you were pulling away."

Madelyn tapped her arm impatiently; she didn't want to hear any more about their mushy feelings for each other. She didn't want to have her mind contaminated on the 'what ifs'.

For her, pursuing a relationship isn't something she wants to do right now, no matter how much Clarisa wants the chance. Even if a small part of her said 'sure', she wanted to make sure her head and heart were in the right place, before she argues for anything.

All her life she's been arguing she rather be alone…

But now she's got a chance… she wasn't too sure of herself anymore, not after everything she learned about Vastorie so far, "I'm sorry… but can you move along. I don't like hearing about these mushy moments-"

"Madelyn!"

"If YOU'D LET ME FINISH…" The girl sighed from her anger, "Sorry, but hearing these things isn't helping my mental state. I want to make the right choice, not forced into a situation, oh because it worked for you… doesn't mean…" The girl flicked her eyes towards Clarisa, "it'll work for me… for us…"

"You're… you're thinking about it?"

"Yes… but from a logical viewpoint. My mind is still screaming 'no', so the answer is no, until further notice… THAT DOESN'T MEAN… you can start wooing me, so get that out of your head."

"Noted…"

Daniel frowned, "Alright, but this part is important to hear. We're not saying it because we want to sway your position, it's a moment for us… that's important to us… it's where things started to change for us. There was no longer this wall blocking off Killua's thoughts, stopping him from perusing something he may like. It's also a moment where he remembered Alluka, the only family member that was really, important to him. Right?"

Killua gave a nod, "You see… as I said, I pursued the assassin trade, because it meant that my family will finally get off Alluka's back. They wouldn't abuse her powers, for their gain. Understood?"

The two nodded in response, "After me… for lack of a better term, made out with Daniel, I agreed to date him. But I wanted our relationship to stay under the radar with Gon, until, I was ready to say it to him. Plus, there was also Palm… the…"

"Let's say if the grudge and Van Gogh paintings had a child, Palm would be it."

Killua chuckled at the mental image, "Oh yeah… when we went back, we found Gon writing apologies, for playing with her feelings."

"And cheating… which I covered up."

"Yeah…" Killua frowned, "We'll talk about that when it comes up properly. For now, she tried to kill me, to which I disarmed her and passed the knife off to Daniel. When I called her out on her antics, which Gon didn't see; rather than dealing with her head on, I grabbed Daniel, then Gon… and our stuff… and booked it. She chased after us like a monster straight out of hell."

"Killua wanted me to slow her down… I threw the knife at her, which she caught mind you… and continued to chase after us."

"You're still an idiot for doing that…"

"It's not my fault I was in an awkward position. Besides, when you ran past that couple, they let out a blood-curdling scream when they saw Palm run past them…"

"That… was pretty funny at the time, now that I think about it."

"I wouldn't have found that funny…" Clarisa argued, "I'd be shitting myself if I was forced to run away from a monster that terrifying."

"Well, lucky for us, Daniel managed to use his ability to surprise her. He grabbed her by the ankle, causing her to face plant into the pavement. It was… relieving to see her disappear into the horizon as we got as far away as possible from her. When we got to a new hotel, I forced Daniel to guard Gon inside, while I called the others to let them know about the change in circumstances. We couldn't stay with Palm… not while she was out for blood."

"While Killua was doing that, I broached the topic of Sakura with Gon, hoping that I could get him to reveal that fact to Killua. It's not that I wanted to stop him from dumping me for Gon, it was that I was worried… I didn't want this secret to be kept between us. I wanted Killua to know… He wanted Sakura to bring it up, not him. I could understand the boy's reasoning, it's just that…"

"He didn't want to keep secrets from me. In fact, we started opening up more about ourselves to each other after that night."

"I still pressed Gon to work up the courage to tell you though… I wanted to tell you but-"

"It's okay…" Killua stopped his partner from worrying any longer. The past was the past. There was no reason to freak out about the situation any longer. Yes, he got upset when the news came to light, but that wasn't for a while. They still had more to cover before then, "You don't have to worry about that any longer. What is important, is Gon probing me for those false moments… When he asked whether we were boyfriends or not, I sidestepped the argument, to instead focus on why Gon was being forced to write those apologies."

"To which I sidestepped Killua's conversation, wanting Killua to reveal the truth."

Killua sighed, "I relented, calling us friends with benefits."

Clarisa burst into laughter. She wasn't expecting that, and from the look of things, neither was he expecting her reaction.

"It's not funny… I wasn't comfortable putting a label on us, yet. I was still coming to terms with the fact that I was dating someone. It was all new to me then, and I didn't know how I should be acting."

"I did tell you to act, like you'd normally would…"

"Yeah, well you spelling out boyfriends to Gon, wasn't helping either."

Daniel chuckled, "Noted."

"Well, we pressed on, Gon revealing why Palm was forcing him to write apologies. It was half the truth… he didn't say he was dating Sakura at that time. Later that night, we…" Killua gestured to his partner and himself, "made some small talk, nothing too exciting. I was trying to get Daniel to blush…"

"By-"

"That's not important!" Killua argued with a blush on his face, "besides, that'll only piss off Madelyn if you say it. Remember, not more mushy details… got it?"

"Well, when we get up to my conversation with the King, and the one we had with Palm… unfortunately, it's something we'll need to talk about. It's not just about our feelings for each other during those times… it's about the impact it had on ourselves."

Killua gave a nod, "Well this time, it's not important. What is important, is we got closer to each other. I started opening up more about my feelings, about loving my sister… Daniel for a second thought I loved somebody else."

"Well, to be fair… you did start with: There's someone else I love… that didn't help."

"Well, when I said I had no time to date, that was still true. Besides, there were only two people I had feelings for at that time, that was Gon… and you. So, you shouldn't have assumed the worst-case scenario."

"Right… Eventually, the Chimera Hunting party came back with Kite, so while Killua and Gon were dealing with Kite, my sister pulled me aside to talk to me. This is where things get a little confusing. First, of all… I technically have a little… or would he be considered an older brother?" Daniel looked at his partner for guidance.

"I'd say older. Judging by most of their memories, I'd say older. Just because they were born recently, doesn't mean they'd be younger in all cases. Most of them have the mindset of an adult."

"Right… so I have an older brother, but my sister called him a younger brother. His name is Akshasamat or Akamut for short. He's… he looks like a Naga or a merman. Anyways, he technically… is also my sister's boyfriend. He had feelings for her, for a long time… apparently, she just never could sense them… with her ability. Must be a restriction she unconsciously set."

"She's in love… with a half-beast… half-man? Wouldn't she be… you know…?" Clarisa expressed her concern to the boy, hoping she'd be able to hint at it, without, having to say it.

Daniel dismissed the argument, "They may look it, but some act more humane, than humans. The situation is weird at best… she didn't actively pursue it, it just happened to, well, happen… I don't know if their relationship will work, mainly because of my sister's mindset. I believe she'd want to remain single since she doesn't like being able to read the mind of someone close to her. She'd always be fearful of what if she reads something she doesn't want to know…"

"I'd say the opposite…" Killua held a finger out to his partner, "She has a fear of the unknown. She doesn't like me because she thought I hurt you in the past, so I'd say she's scared that for a moment in her life… she'll be unable to read the memories of someone. She's so used to reading those thoughts from others, that the thought of her being unable to do so for herself… it scares her."

Daniel frowned at the news. Killua might be right, she's scared that my boyfriend will turn around and kill me without hesitation. She was so scared of it, she was willing to wipe my memories of him, to turn him into someone I never met… "That's… concerning." The boy hummed to himself, "Maybe we can talk about it more later amongst ourselves."

Killua gave a silent nod of agreement. For now, none of this concerns the girls, it's something for them to think about "So what did Zaikaria try to speak to you about? We kind of got off-topic."

"She didn't get to… Gon running away distracted me. But I have a sneaking suspicion that I now know, what she was trying to say… remember when you came back with Gon, you told us Kite was dead… I think she was trying to warn me, that this whole fight was for a lost cause. We wouldn't have been able to save him, because all he was, was a broken dead puppet… not a living, breathing human that was under the control of Pitou."

"It makes sense, she usually aims to read the person's mind first, before battling them. So, if she was unable to read his mind at all, she'd have concluded that he was dead. Even if one was unable to control their body, they'll be in a state of panic. Kite may have also been begging his limbs on the inside, to listen to him, not attack his friends…"

Daniel agreed with his partner, "I agree, Kite would've been fighting against himself, holding back on any of his attacks against his allies. After that, we continued training harder. During this time, Killua and I felt more comfortable spending the night with each other. We'd either talk or fall asleep from exhaustion. Eventually, we got to work… heading towards our main mission. In this case, East Gorteau, Peijing. It's where the Chimera Ants and the King, had set up their main base of operation. What we learned from the news, was that the Ants were gathering everyone at the front of the capitol, getting ready for a selection."

"What do you mean?" Clarisa wanted to know what was going on with the selection.

Daniel answered for Killua "They were choosing the strongest of the human's turning them into Chimera Ants, the rest they used as a food source. But that's not all-"

"We'll talk about that, once we get to it. For now, let's focus on the here and now. It was also here, where Gon's IRS, Individual Ren Suppressor… which I FAILED to mention its name, was the reason he was in a Zetsu-like state for thirty days. Well, anyway, this is where it ran out. Morel tried to pick a fight with Gon, arguing he didn't have the guts to fight a Chimera Ant. He was testing him, wanting to know if he had the resolve to take down the Chimera Ant Royal Guards."

"He did…" Daniel's expression dulled, looking down at the floor in defeat, "If it weren't for Killua stepping in, Gon probably would've killed him by accident. He knew exactly how to calm the boy back to reality. Was I jealous…? Yes, but at the same time, I wanted to strive towards that with Killua. I wanted to be the one to bring him back if he ever fell to his raw emotions."

"It did happen… at least once… maybe twice."

"I'll tell you when we reach that point, for now, once Morel realised Gon was going to be an asset, we parted. Thankfully, he didn't test Daniel next. You'd have failed…"

"I thought the same thing. I was scared for that…"

"You couldn't have done what Gon did, not without a trigger."

Clarisa was about to ask the question, 'why did he need a trigger?', but then she remembered Daniel wasn't a killer at heart. He couldn't do the deed, unless someone he cared for, was in danger.

Killua saw the girl's eyes waver, the question disappearing before it could come out, "I know that look. You wanted to know why he needed a trigger? Well-"

"I know… I know what you're going to say…" Killua closed his mouth, waiting for the girl to state her answer, "Daniel's fear of losing you is what triggers him to go into 'fight or die' mode."

The boy gave a nod, "Yes… but I wouldn't say that lightly. And it's not so much a fear of losing me… it's a fear of living without me." Daniel was about to agree, but Killua's eyes flicked up to meet his, which meant Killua had something else he needed to talk about, "It's a glaring problem we'll need to eventually tame."

When Daniel offered a nod in understanding, Killua continued "We snuck into the country via the swamp. The country had a network system in place to help track the possibility of an outsider initiating a coup. The others may know a way to blend in… but with Someone like Daniel, who wasn't well versed in blending in… and Gon, it would've been impossible."

"What's wrong with Gon?" Madelyn rested a hand on her hip.

"I explained how the system worked and his brain had a meltdown from information overload," Killua spoke with a deadpanned attitude, acting as though he simply didn't care how idiotic his best friend could be at times. But the reality is, he was so used to Gon failing to take in too much information, he wouldn't be surprised if later they were working for a huge client, Gon's brain dies halfway through an into an orientation, "and that's putting it lightly. I don't expect Daniel to be good with subterfuge, it's not something he used. But a little training, I reckon he'd be pretty good that it. Infiltration, however… yeah, not gonna happen."

"Because I'm terrible at Zetsu, right?"

"It's a multitude of factors, actually. Yes, that's a key component, but you don't have the skillset for it. Sure, you could argue that with your ability to manipulate shadows, you can take out enemies without anyone noticing, but where your skillset lacks, is in your presence. You don't like to hide, nor keep quiet. Your presence serves as more of a distraction to your ability."

Killua was right in a way, he prefers if the attention remains on him, rather than on his partner. That means his boyfriend will have an easier time taking out the enemies. Crossing his arms, he smiled at the quick assessment, "The good thing is while I have the enemy distracted, you can deal with the stragglers. Wouldn't you call that a win-win?"

Killua offered a cocky grin in response, "I'd say that now… but there are still improvements to be made."

"No doubt…" Daniel's expression rivalled his partner's. Even with the smugness in his partner's quick insults, there was a lace of affection interweaved with concern. He was worried about him, but he was not about to put it on display for the girls. Not because he was shy about it, it was more than it was something they were striving to remove through training.

Their weaknesses, being balanced out by their partner's strength. It's what they strived for, it's what they wanted with each other. Killua pressed on, "We ran into a village earlier on. I thought it'd be best if I sneak in and gather information, considering the information I had to work on was decades on. Up-to-date data was more useful than old information. What I instead found… was a harvested village. They wanted the strongest for their armies… it looks like no one in the village met their standard… so they dumped them. There was half-assed dug grave for those who didn't suit their needs."

"I threw out my aura, hoping it will deter the wild beasts feasting on the poor people who lost their lives."

"To be honest… I found it nice. Sure, it could be used to track you… but considering how your aura already works, you were already a beacon for them at the time. But you wanted to help, and I don't think anyone wanted to object to your help… even if you would've been considered a huge liability."

"Should I take that as an insult…" Daniel raised an eyebrow in concern, "or a compliment."

"Neither…" Killua objected, "it's a matter of fact. Gon and I both wanted you to be there, no matter what." Once he saw his partner smile at the confession, he continued, "Gon asked a valid question about the selection. If you wanted to check five million people in that time, you'd need a lot of help. Assuming that one Nen user can check ten thousand citizens in ten days… Now he crashed during the math, but with the information we had learned, Pitou had an ability that casts a wider net for the selection. They were controlling not only Diego but the troops as well. One Troop, was the equivalent, of having a fifty thousand strong army. So, I thought of a good, quick, and easy to pull off-plan, something to delay the selection process. While I had Gon and Daniel hiding out in the countryside, I dealt with the puppets, knocking them out one-by-one."

"As we were about to split up, I spoke with Killua, about Gon. I wanted to know. If he could also sense the upcoming problem with Gon. He did… but I also had an ulterior purpose for staying with Killua. Not so much to help him on his solo task, it was to make sure he knew… that he could depend on me."

"That's not all…" Killua let out a huff of annoyance, "I brought up that Gon has the chance of becoming my family's predestined goal of me… a killer. He tossed the idea out the window, arguing that he was worried about Gon going on a revenge spree… but he wasn't worried about me, possibly relapsing, becoming the thing I hated. It's not an issue right now, given how our relationship has progressed… but back then, I was worried about it."

Daniel held his partner in his arms, "It's okay… these things, being open about these things is what pushes us to strive to be better. No more fear of the 'what ifs', it's about letting each other know we'll be there from them." Letting go of his partner, his smile grew, "It's about the foundation we're building upon."

"R… Right…" Killua's cheeks grew hot, bright red from the comforting hug. He still needs these moments, now more than ever. Shifting his gaze from his partner's intoxicating affection, he focused once more on the girls. Of course, Madelyn was getting tired of these moments, she was being bombarded with the thing she wanted to see the least of.

For now, he'll choose to ignore it, because he realised what she was going through, it's something she needed to figure out on her own, "I went from town-to-town, dispatching the guards, trying to get the city to run around in chaos, to delay the selection as much as possible. Once Diego was being promoted on the screen, my job became insanely harder."

"While Killua was dealing with that, I had a stalker of my own to deal with… A straggler found me, a cautious one."

"One I warned you about… mind you…"

"Which I thanked you for…" He smiled at his partner, "It was a cross between a spider, snake and chameleon. It spat acid and could turn invisible. Every time I tried to kill it, I failed. The best I could do was knock it out, and leave it tied up to a tree to die. I don't know what happened to it…"

Killua crossed his arms at the news, "That could've become a problem for us later. You should've just told me; I would've come back to finish the job for you."

"Not while you had more pressing matters. Namely, dealing with the puppets. Plus, you were really far away from me, considering you told me to meet you at Longtong."

"Which I found you… asleep, in enemy territory, mind you. You could've died in your sleep. What if I was the enemy?"

"Which I told you, I knew it was you standing there."

Killua frowned, "I also told you, someone could've been mimicking my presence, meaning you'll be easy prey." When Daniel gave a nod, Killua didn't relent. There was a more pressing issue. With things he now knows, and what he learned back then. He could paint a clearer picture now. Mainly, his troubling concern with how Daniel's connection works.

This was the thing he needed to bring up the most "There is something I wanted to talk about. It's the way your connection works. While in a state of Zetsu, it tends to lose track of me, becoming erratic while searching for me. Then, when it settles, it knows where I roughly am, but it's not omniscient. It doesn't know my exact location… HOWEVER, this is where things get tricky. What happens if you die?"

Daniel opened his mouth to speak, but his words got lost on the tip of his tongue. Killua was right to be concerned about that. He didn't exactly know what would happen, but he hopes Killua isn't going to say what he thinks he's going to say.

"There's a possibility that this connection could try to kill me."

"I- It would never-"

Holding up his hand, his boyfriend stopped him, "I know it's not what you would want, but it is a huge concern to think about. It's what I hinted at earlier. This is the thing we'll need to address. It's not that you want to take me with you… it's that you're scared to die alone. Your aura could constrict around me, taking me with you… the fear is there, it's evident in your feelings for me."

"But…" Daniel felt tears brimming at the corner of his eyes, "I never wanted that… If I die, I'd rather you get to continue your life, even if it's without me."

"Which I don't want…" Killua confessed in a dry tone, the surprise on the boy's face, revealing the cold hard truth. This was a problem the two of them had set up in advance, "You need to understand that this is a two-way street. We're both making this a problem via our mindset. It's something we'll need to address and talk about later. But for the moment, you need to be aware of this… our oversight on what we deem would hopefully be our greatest asset. The 'what if' our connection, causes the other to have their life taken, if we die in the process… would the other have their aura constrict around them, suffocating them to death in the process. YES, I know that's not what any of us wants… but it's something we need to address…"

"I…" Daniel sucked in a breath, "I understand…"

Killua's expression softened, "You mustn't let this get to you. We each had a part to play in this… so it's something we'll overcome, together…"

The boy gave another nod, agreeing to the terms. It is something they needed to address. He loves his partner enough, to the point he's afraid to lose him. But with that worrying thought now implanted in his head, the 'what if' sounds scarier than losing his partner…

A\N: I don't know how much I changed or added, but previously I was up to Palm's Chimera Ant form :(