A/N: And I am back! Not as soon as I'd hoped but I already had this chapter ready for about a week now and I just couldn't find the time to post it. But here it is, not on hiatus or anything, just me being lazy. Anyway, have you guys seen my profile picture? It's called "Little Aster" and I would like to thank Kyu-Ay-Ei-99 for it! It's a beautiful fan art and I want you all to commend him/her for it. While I'm on topic, thank you for your input, Kyu-Ay-Ei-99, as I've been thinking about lonely Gon. So maybe I might do something about that, but I don't want this to be a too cliché shoujo fan fiction. And about Kurapika and Renée, well we'll see about it. Thank you again and as promised, Chapter 24.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter x Hunter.
CHAPTER 24
Renée and Killua arrived in the vicinity where the Phantom Troupe is currently based.
They used Zetsu a long time ago, not wanting to catch unwanted attention by suddenly "disappearing". The red-head marked a considerable distance as safe to vanish, and it was only at that point that they did.
The two looked at the sight before them, worry and irritation evident on their faces.
Where there used to be one run-down building, there were now a dozen more. Each building looked exactly alike, scattered everywhere, positioned just right so that you'd lose track of direction if you try to navigate through them.
"I know I said Kortopi isn't the strongest among them, but damn." the girl muttered lowly to her friend.
He looked at her and said in a voice just as low, "Can you tell which ones are fake and which ones aren't?"
Renée shook her head 'no' and Killua sighed.
"Obviously the copies are made of Nen. So it's safe to assume that a trap is rigged in all copies. If you can't tell them apart then I see no point in trying to guess by going through them one by one." the silver-head concluded, to which she agreed.
"So what do we do?" she asked him.
"We stake out somewhere around here, in the outskirts of the area so that we avoid getting caught. I have no idea which position would be the best view though." he replied, still unsure.
"There is no 'best view'. Let's just go in that building then make the most of its range as much as we can." Renée said.
She headed for a small building just outside the buildings' radius.
Killua followed close behind and once they were in, he took out his phone and dialled Kurapika. He explained the situation to the Kurta and his response was very much like Renée's: "Get the most you can from that position. Continue the stake out but do not approach any of the buildings. Contact me if anything happens."
Then he hung up.
"Hey I was thinking, what if I went out to a different building? I mean there are a lot around these faux buildings, just so we can have a wider range of sight." the red-head suggested.
He frowned, thinking about the idea, but in the end the answer was clear.
"No. We don't know for sure if they're even in one of those buildings or maybe they set that as a trap and they're all really outside, hiding in one of the smaller buildings just like us. This is the only safe place here that we know of and it's too dangerous to try and experiment now."
She scowled at his answer and returned to watching inconspicuously out the window.
The boy stared at her from the corner of his eye.
Her now-short hair clung to the sides of her face, wet from the rain. He next noticed the long, thin, white line that ran across her left cheek and he knew what it was.
His heart wrenched painfully as he remembered what he did to her that day; what she found out about him that day.
Even though he wasn't in control of his actions, it was still his fault. If only he hadn't been cocky and won against Pokkle then maybe she wouldn't have ran away and joined the Spiders.
Maybe he and Gon could have helped her instead.
'I just wanna make it up to her.'
Sensing his eyes on her, she turned her head to him and he looked away.
"What is it?"
This snapped the silver-head from his reverie and he shook his head slightly. "It's nothing."
Renée glared at him, unable to take it any longer, "You've been itching to pick a fight with me since earlier. What. Is. It." she demanded, her temper rising dangerously.
Killua looked at her incredulously. "I haven't been trying to pick a fight with you."
"Then why did you stop me from being bait? And just now you stopped me from going outside. It isn't likely that they'll be out here because I do not sense their Nen. It's much more reasonable to think that they're masking their Nen with those buildings. Especially since the great number of structures were meant to confuse you. I know I did some horrible things but you can trust me to be on your side even though I'm the slightest bit near them." she pointed out to him.
He shrugged off her anger and peered out of the window himself.
This infuriated the girl more and she grabbed a fistful of his hair, forcing him to face her with a yelp of surprise.
"Answer me properly, old man!"
"Keep it down! If they hear us, it's gonna be your head on the line! I stopped you from being bait because I know that your betrayal will result in them killing you, especially since you know too much about them! And I didn't want you to go out on your own so that I am reassured that you're fine. No one distrusts you, Ren. We all know that you must be pretty amazing so much so that the Spiders let you join. It's just that... For so long Gon was worried about you. I was worried about you. We didn't know where you were or if you were okay. All you left is a lousy letter that didn't say shit. I guess we were both angry for a while, but we got worried again. And I was guilty because I know that I've caused you some pain. I just wanna make up for that! I'm not picking an actual fight with you, okay? Though I really like bickering with you, dunce, I'm just looking out for you." he retaliated, now slightly angry himself.
Renée stared at him, at a loss for words.
The two continued in awkward silence for about five minutes until she thought she would burst.
"I'm sorry." the red-head said in a small voice.
He turned to her, confused. "What?"
"I said I'm sorry. I'm just so mad at everything and you were the only person I could release my anger to. You annoy me a lot and I annoy you too and I didn't think it would bother either of us if we fought. I should've known better."
Killua touched her forehead, then his.
"What are you doing now?" Renée asked, irritated with being ignored.
"Who are you and what have you done to Ren?" he teased, though she couldn't tell.
"What're you talking about? You really are a crazy old man."
"Ah that's better. Stop saying weird things. The Ren I know never apologises for anything." the silver-head gave a small smile before turning back to the window.
"You're the one saying weird things, stupid." she muttered, a blush slowly creeping across her cheeks.
'He's looking out for me.. Like Kurapika is?'
The red-head snuck a sideway glance at him.
His hair was slightly wet despite wearing a windbreaker. She could see his brows furrow and his fists curl up sometimes and she wondered what he was thinking of.
Killua's phone vibrated which caught both of their attentions, and she moved closer to him as he picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Hello, you are Killua, correct? My name is Senritsu, a colleague of Kurapika. He sent me here to help you monitor the Spiders. I am at the building across from yours."
They looked at the said building and saw a lone figure wave at them from the rooftop.
"Hey Ren, do you know any of the Spiders' affiliates?" the silver-head whispered, covering the phone's speaker.
"Of course I do. I don't know of any Senritsu, though. She might be the real deal." the red-head whispered just as lowly.
"I can assure you that I am not one of the Spiders. You can call Kurapika and ask if you want. Oh, he told me to tell you that you should put down the phone as it could be bugged. You can communicate with me without it. Try asking me to do anything." Senritsu suddenly piped up.
'How... Did she hear us?'
Killua ended the call and muttered, extremely quietly, "Raise your right hand."
The two 13-year olds were surprised to see that the figure raised her right hand in the air, just as the boy had told her.
"Incredible. She knows how to use the Infernal Hearing." the former assassin realised.
"Now I am definitely sure she's real. I don't know of anyone who has that ability and is in relation to the Phantom Troupe. Besides, she knows Kurapika's name." Renée concluded.
"That's not exactly how it works. I can always search the names of the Nostrade bodyguards and see his name there." the boy countered.
"Yeah but I just have this feeling about her. We can trust her."
Killua took one look at the girl's eyes and he knew it was a lost battle. "You're like Gon sometimes." he sighed.
-After a short while-
Renée suddenly gave a sharp gasp.
"What? What is it?" the silver-head asked anxiously.
It can be seen that even Senritsu became slightly uneasy, despite the distance.
"What you said, we can always search the names of the Nostrade bodyguards." she replied vaguely.
"What?"
"When Uvogin died, we knew he was caught by the Nostrade. Technically, it isn't rocket science to know that the chain-user is one of the family's employees. And if it's that easy to search their names then-!"
"Then they already have a target in mind." Killua finished, paling considerably.
"Senritsu, call Kurapika and warn him. Tell him to start evacuation." the red-head commanded her, feeling slightly awkward that she's talking to no one.
A message vibrated on Killua's mobile: 'Way ahead of you.'
"Look, they're on the move." the silver-head exclaimed, pointing at some figures moving in the rain.
"Chrollo is with them. They must be planning something big for Kurapika then. C'mon, we need to follow them!"
The two sneaked off and tailed the Troupe at a considerable distance.
They were soon joined by Senritsu, jogging beside them. "I have already informed Kurapika of their plan."
"That's good. Oh and it's nice to finally meet you. My name is-!"
"Renée and Killua. I've heard so much about you both, you especially." the lady referred to the red-head.
"Huh?"
"Kurapika talks a lot about you. He cares about you a lot."
At this, the girl's face flushed a bit and it made Killua grumble in annoyance.
Senritsu chuckled a bit, "I only ever hear Killua when he's speaking or making such sounds. Even though I'm right next to both of you, I can only hear Renée's footsteps."
"What do you mean?" the boy in question asked.
"I'm guessing you're an assassin then. You use Estinto when you move, especially when you walk."
"That doesn't really explain anything." Killua complained.
"It's a musical term, old man. It means 'as soft and still as possible'. She means that your footsteps generate almost no sound." the red-head explained, to which the Musical Hunter nodded.
The former assassin hummed, "Old habits die hard."
All of a sudden, Senritsu skidded to a stop, pulling the other two to a halt as well.
"They're at the end of this road. A hundred meters from here."
"You have a really amazing ability!" Renée gushed.
"Wait here. I'll go check if our targets are in sight." Killua told them, scaling a nearby building.
"Ah, I'll go with you." she suggested, about to follow him.
"No. You stay here."
"Wha-!? But I can identify them for you!"
"Keep it down and wait there!"
The red-head glared at the boy's back as he climbed to the rooftop.
"Stupid old man. Acting all cool, fucking idiot. Making me look like a useless piece of crap." she continued to mutter angrily underneath her breath as she kicked the pebbles by her feet.
"I don't think he means to make you feel that way." Senritsu said, trying to appease her.
"Oh please. He'll try to go all alpha every time he has the chance. That guy's a show-off, especially now that there's a new audience he can dazzle with his so-called skills." Renée harrumphed, crossing her arms across her chest.
Her companion chuckled at her childish behavior. "I can see why Kurapika adores you. I think this is also why Killua protects you. He made you stay because he was worried about you. You were with the Spiders, yes?"
"Yeah, so?"
"He's afraid that they might see you and take you away again. That's why he tries to shelter you from them as much as possible."
"How can you tell all of that?" the girl asked curiously.
"His heartbeat around you, it's such a wonder. And you might not be able to tell, but your heart beats when that happens too. You are a very curious case." Senritsu simply smiled.
Renée blinked dumbly at her statement, failing to notice Killua land beside her making her jump.
The former assassin smirked, "And you wanted to climb up. If you're this scared, you would've fallen off, dunce."
"Oh how hilarious." she said sarcastically.
"We have to move quick, they're heading to the station." he told them, ignoring her snide remark.
"I can already hear them getting farther."
At this, the trio ran for it and managed to board on the same train the Spiders did.
"Yeah, we're on the train heading for Kastour. No, Ren and I are keeping our distance. Senritsu is on the same car as them. If Ren's deduction is correct, they'll be heading for the hotel."
Renée sat quietly as the boy reported their position to Kurapika, her heart beating hard against her ribs.
She felt terrified.
Now that she has escaped from them, being near them scared her shitless. Cold sweat trickled down her spine and she can clearly distinguish them despite dripping from the rain.
Killua put his hand over her clutched ones and it instantly calmed her, even just a little bit.
The gesture had the same effect as when Gon did it and the red-head couldn't help but wonder at how it could be.
She stared at him, though he was turned away from her and Renée smiled slightly.
She opened her fist and held onto his hand for comfort.
The silver-head's phone vibrated, bringing the two back into reality.
Killua dialled Kurapika's number and told him that they got off at Ripa station.
"They're heading to the Saloma department store." she said over his shoulder.
The red-head heard the blonde curse through the receiver and then he hung up.
"My guess was right after all."
"Let's hurry."
The trio positioned themselves at the front of the station, but the Phantom Troupe was nowhere to be seen. Once again, the silver-head called Kurapika only to find out that the Spiders ran off northwest and that the Kurta was already in pursuit and that Gon ran off with him.
They ran in the general direction the Spiders went off to, hoping to catch up to the two idiots that disregarded the plan.
"Damn those two. How can they make decisions by themselves." Killua muttered angrily.
Renée was also vexed. 'Gon.'
-Near Takuru Beach Hotel-
In the distance, the Spiders had already sensed Kurapika's hostility and Chrollo ordered Nobunaga, Pakunoda, and Kortopi to follow the whereabouts of the alleged chain-user.
As they separated, he, along with Machi and Shizuku, turned to face their pursuers.
Gon sidestepped quickly and hid behind a bin, while Kurapika hid in the alley.
This didn't go unnoticed and the three Spiders approached their hiding places slowly.
Gon came out of his hiding spot, preventing Kurapika from doing anything rash. As he talked with the trio, Killua, Renée, and Senritsu reached the Kurta.
"What's going on?" Killua asked vehemently.
The blonde said nothing, irritating him further.
"Gon is letting himself get captured." Senritsu assessed.
"What? No! Gon-!"
"Don't Ren!" the former assassin held her arm.
"You don't get it! He's my brother! I can't just-!"
Renée was cut off as the silver-head took her in his arms.
"I'm sorry, Ren." he murmured as he pressed a pressure point, putting her to sleep.
He caught her limp form, a sigh of relief escaping his lips.
"There're two of them. Come out already!" Killua heard Machi exclaim angrily.
The boy handed the red-head over to Senritsu. "Take care of her for me, okay?"
"Of course. Please be careful, both of you. She'll need you back."
He nodded once, before stepping out of the alley, revealing himself.
The two boys played dumb about the reward being cancelled.
Chrollo decided to keep them hostage and they all decided to head for Takuru Beach Hotel to wait for the others.
"You are Godfrei's friends, correct?" the man asked them.
"She has nothing to do with you." Gon spat.
Chrollo glared at him, making the islander shiver involuntarily.
"On the contrary, we are everything to her. Now that I have you, will she come out?" he chuckled to himself.
"She won't. She's as far away from you as possible. You will never have her again." the dark-haired boy once again growled.
Chrollo looked at the boys and he sensed their animosity towards him, towards the Spiders in general.
"I see." he grinned.
END OF 24.
A/N: I just want you guys to know that on the next chapter I'll be trying my hand at point-of-view writing style. Of course it would be through Renée's eyes. I'm also working on a sort of schedule on my posting of chapters so that it would be all uniform. Though I'm kinda scared to put a deadline on myself but I will do it anyway! Also, I am proud to announce that we have reached 56 followers and 44 favorites! I would have never made it this far without you and as a reward, I would like to make an omake of your choice. Tell me what situation you'd like to see for the short stories and I'll do my best to deliver. Please review!