Ging's group - minus Killua - sat hunched around a table, one of the restaurants most infamous for Chimera Ants sightings. It had been an hour and a half since Killua had been dragged away, and Gon was already getting antsy.

Luckily Ryder was a master at sweet talking, so they'd found this place almost instantly once they'd changed into more non discrepant clothing. Their lead had informed them that the north side of the sector was patrolled by an alliance of Squadron Leaders with a man named Leol at the helm. If Killua had gotten captured on the north side, then it most definitely had been Leol.

According to the description of the guy, Gon was certain that he'd been the one who had taken Killua.

Leol was incredibly competitive with the other alliance of Squadron Leaders in this sector, Ants named Yunju, Mosquito, and Centipede. According to their lead, Killua was very lucky that he'd gotten caught by Leol's group, and not Yunju's. And Ging's group was very lucky that the two alliances were so competitive. They had nothing to do with each other. They were both parts of the insurgents' tentative alliance, but they hated each other with a passion.

All six squadrons that were currently stationed on Hallah - Leol's, Koala's, Alligator's, Yunju's, Mosquito's, and Centipede's - had been sent to Hallah all together because of the heavy casualties they'd taken to their Squadron's during brutal combat with the King himself.

Higher ranking insurgent Ants named Cheetu and Rammot had decided that all battle deteriorated squadrons be placed on border control. Apparently, Leol had once been above Cheetu and even Rammot. He was particularly bitter about being forced down to the level of one such as Yunju. He was determined to be the one to bring in the Zodiac, and if he thought that Killua had any connection to the Zodiac at all, then he would be calling all his allies in right about now.

If he could do that, then he'd regain his status and be able to extract troops from lower ranking squadrons, putting himself back up on top.

"We had quite the talkative lead, didn't we?" Ging mused around the rim of his glass.

"All the ladies love me~" Ryder purred, "It excites them that I'm out of their reach~"

Ging rolled his eyes. "That's not the point. What I mean is that she had an insane amount of dirt on the Chimeras around here. It goes to show that Hallaneans detest the presence of the Ants here. And because the Ants have such big mouths, all of them know about the 'Zodiac plan.' As in, everyone on Hallah, and likely everyone who lives even remotely close to the border. That explains why Killua was turned in so quickly. The crewmates knew what he was worth, and knew that they would be rewarded handsomely… or thought that they would be. I highly doubt that someone like Leol would have given them anything in return other than a speedy death."

"So?" Gon muttered, everyone's head turning to face him. He'd been dead silent ever since they'd convinced him to let Killua be taken away. "What do their motives matter? Why should we care what drove them to hand Killua in? None of that is important, not when Killua's in the hands of some psycho Squadron Leader."

"So," Ging snapped, giving Gon a heated glare, "If literally everyone living on the border knows about our little adventure here, then if ANYONE at all finds out who we are, the news will spread like wildfire. That makes it even more crucial that we do this on the downlow. I know how bad you wanna make a big scene, likely detonate their entire base of operations. But this means that we can't do that without attracting the attention of the entire insurgent alliance. So YOU need to calm the fuck down!"

Gon snarled, a bit of his aura seeping out and drawing startled glances from other patrons. "How can I calm down when Killua is in danger right now?!"

"You act like he's made of glass!" Ging shot back. "He's the fucking heir to the Dragonite Valkyrie throne, and I've got the creeping suspicion that he's not in as much danger as you're leading yourself to believe! Knowing Killua, Leol is the true prisoner in this situation. He just doesn't know it yet."

Gon leaned back against his seat, backing down. Yeah… that was true. But still. He didn't like this. He hated that Killua always did the dirtiest of jobs. The last time Killua had been off on his own… he'd almost died. He'd almost killed himself, sure, but Gon still didn't like the horrible prickling up his spine… that horrible knowledge that Killua wasn't by his side.

It was reminding Gon of how he had felt when he'd pushed Killua away in Yorknew City.

The greatest mistake of his life.

He couldn't… he couldn't function without Killua there! He knew that was probably obsessive and clingy, but he cared about him too much to just sit by and know that Killua was in such grave danger! He needed to have Killua with him, he needed to be able to have Killua beside him to remind himself that he hadn't lost him!

Not again… he couldn't lose him again. Gon knew that Killua wasn't even a couple miles away from him, at most, but it just drove him crazy. He was terrified that Killua was going to slip through his fingers again, and that terrified him because he still hadn't gotten the chance to tell Killua just how much he meant to him…

Gon needed to get Killua back.

"I need to get Killua back," he mumbled to himself, accidentally thinking out loud.

The others at the table once again glanced back over at him. Ging rolled his eyes and Pariston swirled his straw in his drink.

"You're blowing this way out of proportion," Ryder snorted. "I know these are pretty high stakes, but it's nothing we can't handle."

Leol slammed the door of the torture chamber shut.

Damned Valkyrie. He was tough…

"Leol. Is it true?"

The large feline startled. There, leaning against the wall with that damn water vase in hand, was Koala.

"Dammit, how many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on people like that?" Leol snapped, regaining his composure.

Koala sighed, taking a drag from his water vase. "Is it true?" he asked again, ignoring the larger male's complaint. "Do you have the Zodiac?"

Leol snorted, walking with Koala back to the common area in the center of the base. "Our subordinates sure know how to exaggerate, now don't they?" He chuckled… Koala didn't laugh with him.

Buzz kill.

Leol cleared his throat, "No. I do not have the Zodiac. But I do have one of his allies."

"Is he truly a Dragonite Valkyrie?" Koala drawled. "Or is that also just… exaggeration?"

Leol choked back a growl. He really hated this guy. "No, he's a Valkyrie, alright. He's just permanently sealed his wings. I assume he must be a rogue from the Dragonite clan's army. Probably ran off to join up with the Zodiacs. Ended up as backup on this mission."

"All speculation? Or do you have any evidence whatsoever to back that claim?"

This time, Leol did growl. "I'm not some bright eyed newborn. I know what I'm looking at. He's a Valkyrie, and as such incredible under torture. But still. He's not the Zodiac. I can tell. Knowing the way of the Zodiacs, we need only to lie in wait for the whole lot of them to bust in here for some sort of prisoner rescue. We'll lay our trap. They'll underestimate us, like the Overworldians always do. All we have to do is wait for Alligator to get his ass over here so we can arrange our troops."

"Did it ever occur to you that it may be a bad thing that the Valkyrie is not the Zodiac?"

"What are you talking about?" Leol spat.

"It's simple, really," Koala sighed. "We have a Dragonite Valkyrie held in our home base. Yet, somehow, the Valkyrie is not the Zodiac. If that powerful being is outranked by his Zodiac officer, then what could the Zodiac possibly be, to command the respect of a Dragonite such as himself?"

Leol frowned, knowing what Koala was implying. "The Fae do not participate in Zodiac affairs."

"You never know. They might just have an Outlier in their ranks."

Leol snarled, "You're reading too far into the situation! We have the upper hand here! The Valkyrie may not be the Zodiac, but he is most definitely their strongest member! We have fifty soldiers pooled between the three of us, there's no way they come out on top!"

Koala sighed again, backing down. "Fine. Just know that you were aware of the possibility that we're the ones outclassed in this situation, and you were the one who chose to ignore that knowledge."

Leol scoffed, marching away from the smaller male in a huff. He didn't know what he was talking about! Leol was the strongest of all beings on this entire lump of rock! He'd show Koala, he'd show that damn Zodiac! Leol would secure his victory, and Cheetu and Rammot would eat their words!"

Killua snorted, his sensitive ears having picked up that entire conversation.

Egotistical asshole.

He'd been worried for a second when that Koala guy had figured them out, Ging really was a whole lot stronger than he'd lead one to believe. But of course, Leol was too narcissistic to acknowledge the fact that Killua was acting, and that he was in fact the one who was trapped.

So they're waiting for another Squadron Leader to meet up with them?

Fifty soldiers is a lot. But nothing I can't handle with Godspeed and the element of surprise on my side.

Killua squirmed in his bonds. He'd been shackled at the wrists, dangling from the ceiling in a fashion uncomfortably similar to what he'd been forced to endure as a child. Once Killua had refused to talk, Leol had thrown him right into the torture chamber.

He'd given up after an hour of Killua refusing to talk, stomped out in a huff.

Killua spat a mouthful of blood onto the cement floor, a smirk on his face.

Leol had torn the top half of his suit away, leaving him shirtless and dangling from the ceiling. He was a skilled torture master, Killua had to say. Anyone else would have cracked ten minutes in. Not Killua, though.

It didn't matter how many heated metal rods were prodded between his ribs. It didn't matter how many lacerations Leol criss-crossed up and down his arms and torso. It didn't matter how many times he was lashed across the back with a studded whip, and it didn't matter how many nails Leol ripped off.

Killua could always just extend his claws and grow them back at will. Blood loss was nothing, not when he'd been trained to endure it. Illumi would slit his throat, and watch Killua bleed out before him; only deigning to stop the bleeding when Killua would either pass out, or learn to remain calm. Killua was bred for torture, and the only person who'd ever be able to break him at this point was Silva, but only on a good day.

Leol was learning that the hard way.

And Killua was laughing because of how proud the Ant had seemed to be over the enormous pool of blood spreading beneath Killua's dangling feet.

Idiot.

Maybe he couldn't Bloodlet himself when he was tied up like this. But Leol had all but done the Bloodletting for him! Fangs bared in a lopsided smirk, Killua shut his eyes and focused on activating his Ren.

He'd had far too much blood drained to be able to activate anything safely, so he'd have to be very careful with his Ren and only allow it to absorb a set amount.

"A combination of In and En," Killua murmured, "Only capable through the spilling of an upper third ranked blood."

With a deep breath, Killua extended his En out and around him, concealed from detection by a blood enhanced In. Slowly and carefully, Killau enveloped the entire base in his En. A thin sphere of Ren that served as a sort of radar. Through En, Killua could see any and everything that was encased within it. Even if he was locked away in this windowless metal box.

He saw all of it. The entire base. His Magic touched each and every corner, felt around every entrance and exit. He counted all of the Ants present. 37 at the moment. Apparently they were waiting on Alligator to arrive, he likely had the other 13 soldiers with him.

Leol truly was an idiot.

He'd spilled his entire plan within earshot of Killua.

Now Killua knew for sure that he only had two other Squadron Leaders allied with him. He was also being a complete moron by bringing everyone in their alliance to this one location. It made sense, even if he was vastly underestimating Ging (and not to mention Killua) he still knew that a fight with a Zodiac was a fight with a Zodiac.

He'd need all the Ants he could get his hands on.

It was truly perfect.

Killua just had to wait for Alligator and his troops to arrive.

Once all of them were here, Killua would activate Godspeed and escape. Killing all of their enemies in one fell swoop.

It had been a half an hour more than Killua would have expected it to take Gon to bust in here and destroy everything in sight.

Good.

That meant that Ging was keeping him on a tight leash.

If Killua had to guess - and his guesses were always right - Ging would figure out exactly what was going on here. He'd scout the situation out, and he'd discover the ins and outs of this triple Squadron Leader alliance in no time at all. Since Alligator was the only Squadron Leader still en route, Killua predicted that Ging and the others would find and follow him here, effectively boxing all their enemies in.

It was just too easy! Once Alligator arrived, Killua would bust out and help the others destroy this little Ant infestation. It would be over in a matter of minutes, and Killua couldn't wait to see the look on Leol's stupid face when he would finally be able put the asshole in his place~

"Yeah! Yeah, I know!" Alligator ran his clawed hand through his hair in exasperation, communicator held up to his nonexistent ear. "I heard you the first time, Leol!" He scoffed. "What do you take me for, five years old?!" He startled, holding the communicator in his ear, Gon could hear the screaming on the other end all the way from here.

"Okay," Alligator snapped, "Fine, I'll rEpEaT iT bAcK tO yOu: I'm supposed to stand guard outside the base. The second the Zodiac shows himself I attack, when you guys hear the battle you'll come around the other sides of the building and box him in."

Gon shared a glance with Ging.

"Okay!" Alligator complained, "Yeah! I know– I KNOW! I'm coming, gods!" he hung up, turning to face his thirteen odd soldiers. "We're moving in," he instructed them.

The group of Ants marched out of the hallway, walking right down the center of the main drag. The crowd fanned out around them, hurrying out of their way as the squadron of Ants paraded through the streets in a showy parade for their base.

"They sure are making a scene," Ryder snorted.

"Yup," Ging agreed, "They're trying to draw us in. This is a message. They want us to follow them. They're taking the main roads to prevent us from going ahead and taking them all out. They know how invested the general public is in our mission. The only people reckless enough, and not to mention powerful enough, to challenge an entire squadron of Ants would obviously be the Zodiac. They're hiding in plain sight, forcing us into a corner. This way, we can't make our move until they've already led us into a trap."

"We can take 'em, right?" Gon asked, itching for a fight. "So what if they lead us into a trap?"

"Exactly," Ryder agreed with a growing grin. "We'll just have to make sure we're properly prepared~"

"They'll be lying in wait for us, ready to strike the second we show up. We can take them, it'll just be messy," Ging mused. "We've already got Killua on the inside, he got himself captured for a reason. If I had to guess, and my guesses are always right, Killua's waiting for all of them to be in one place so he can eliminate all of them at once. Knowing him, he'll be aware the second Alligator and his squadron arrive, and he'll make his move. So if we make our move from the outside at the same time Killua makes his move from the inside, then we can box them all in and take them out nice and easy."

"We'll effectively turn their trap against them," Pariston purred.

"Exactly," Ging said, "But we can't just leave Killua alone with three entire squadrons to take out. We have to time this perfectly, and we have to work fast. These are Chimera Ants we're dealing with, they're tough. Alligator is taking his sweet time leading us to the base, making absolutely certain that we get his message. We'll use that to our advantage."

One level up from where Alligator was making his parade, Ging's group stopped at a weapons shop. It was the best stoked place on Alligator's path, which was taking the main drag all the way to the upper northern corner of the fourth sector.

The four of them stopped at the door, all eyes on Ryder. He patted the swords strapped to his hips, "I'm all set, leave Alligator watching to me~"

Ging nodded, "Good. Don't lose him. And leave your Beetle on, we'll be in contact once we're done here. Don't hesitate to ring if we're taking too long."

"Understood," Ryder purred, swiftly hopping onto the railing bordering their platform and jumping to the next level up. As the retreating clang of Ryder's footsteps disappeared off to the left, Ging led Pariston and Gon into the weapon joint.

The place was dark, every surface pitch black. A few dim lamps lit the space, buttery light reflecting against the shimming metal of freshly forged blades and polished grips and handles. The cashier was menacing and armed to the teeth, an enormous green skinned Alien who was clearly not afraid to kill anyone who tried to make their way out without paying.

"Take your pick," Ging drawled, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he walked over to inspect the selection of studded gauntlets.

Gon nodded, did he even need to be told?

He walked deep into the recesses of the store, passing shelves upon shelves of swords, axes, crossbows, pikes, maces, guns, flamethrowers, you name it. His new boots echoed against the black stained concrete, the glow of his eyes reflecting against the silvery blades.

Gon's heart was in his throat.

He hadn't stepped foot in a weapons keep in years.

Nostalgia hummed in the recesses of his mind. He remembered the first and last time he'd taken this exact march, approaching the back corner of the store. Passing all the flashy weapons, the elegant swords and refined spears.

Kite had been with him. Waist length hair swishing as he walked, hand braced on Gon's shoulder as he led him to the very back of the store.

The scythe was an uncommon weapon.

It was bulky, cumbersome. Its blade was hooked, and it could only be used in a curving motion. Many warriors stirred clear of it, opting instead for learning a more flexible style of weapon. Something more easily concealed. Something that wasn't so heavy.

Gon stopped when he reached the back wall, neck craned to take in the vast selection of different scythes. Some had serrated edges, some were shorter, some had a twin, and some were double sided.

But none of those caught Gon's eye. Those were not the makes he was looking for.

No, Gon's eyes trained on the largest of them all: the Reaper's Scythe.

The largest design, and the most difficult to master.

There was only one in stock, only one on display.

There was only one option.

It felt like a sign.

A sign from Kite.

No more running. This is my path.

Gon reached up, standing on the tips of his toes as his fingers clasped around the very end of the hilt. He lifted the blade from its hooks on the wall, stepping back as he brought it down.

It was large, top heavy, and had a tendency to fall to the left, the side the blade was situated on. Anyone else would have dropped it. Wouldn't have been able to balance the bulky thing.

But not Gon.

He knew how to brace his wrist, he knew how to keep it balanced.

It sent a shiver up his spine.

It was like he'd never cast the weapon aside, it was like he'd had this very hilt in his grasp for each and every battle he'd stepped foot in over the past two years.

Two years since Kite had died. Going on three.

Gon lowered the scythe, letting its elongated hilt slip through his palm until its base hit the ground with a decisive echo.

The Reaper's Scythe was designed to be oversized. It was taller than Gon was. It's blade longer than his arm. It was heavy, 80 pounds at least. The blade was sparkling and new, a deep silvery gray. Almost black. Its hilt was solid bone, stained black and smooth beneath Gon's touch.

The hilt was cold.

The blade was ice beneath Gon's fingertips.

Slowly, silently, Gon held the scythe in his hands.

He gripped it just as Kite had taught him. He bent his knees to balance its weight. He felt the strain in his right arm as it supported the bulker side, the side with the blade. Gon spun the hilt in his hands, adjusting the blade so it faced that perfect angle.

Gon spun on his heel, the scythe slipping through the air with that familiar hiss of motion.

He slung it forward, lopping it through the neck of an imaginary enemy.

Gon stopped, standing with the enormous weapon outstretched, the end of the hilt braced against his ribs, the blade sparkling and just begging to be splattered with blood.

Gon felt the ghost of a smile brush across his lips.

Kite… I'm finally ready to fight in your name. I threw it away because I was scared…

But I'm ready to pick it back up.

I carry this weapon in your name.

Kite.

Every enemy I slay with this weapon, I dedicate to you.

Help me. Help me save Killua.

Ging stood in the shadow of the next shelf over, watching silently as Gon deftly twirled the enormous weapon in his hand like some sort of baton. The older hybrid smiled, a warm tickle of pride stirring in his chest.

It felt like an enormous weight was finally lifted off his shoulders.

"He's okay, Kite," Ging murmured, hoping that Kite… wherever the afterlife had brought him, heard his words. "You don't have to worry about him. He's doing just fine."