A/N: And I'm back and right on schedule! This is probably record time and it is very refreshing to do this! First of all, I would like to greet all mothers a Happy Mother's Day! Now, TheFlowerWeSawThatDay it is another pleasure to read you comment! Thank you for your concern for my well-being. I can assure you I am perfectly fine. Also, as you have noticed, I am focusing more on building up their relationships for now. You'll get to see more sibling drama, more friendship moments, some fluff, and some special bonding between Renée and Bisky. I also wanted to focus on character development, hence Renée's scars and insecurities. Of course, all of this is build up for the upcoming Chimera Ant arc so please keep reading to find out! And thank you for noticing how I wanted Renée and Killua's resolve to be similar because I sort of see them as somewhat alike to each other as well since they're whole world revolves around Gon and each other. Also, I apologise for not being able to upload the fan art yet as I am having issues with the Image Manager so please bear with me. rycmika I've missed writing so much too! I'm so happy that this story makes people as happy and involved as it makes me! To all my silent readers and supporters out there, I appreciate all of you. Have a good one!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter x Hunter.

CHAPTER 32

"You're 57 years old!?" Renée and Gon exclaimed at the same time.

"Hag!" Killua obnoxiously added which resulted in him getting whacked on the head.

"The POINT is that I've studied Nen longer than you have giving me more experience and knowledge that I can share with you!" Bisky said forcefully through gritted teeth.

After having captured the little rodent puppeteer, the trio followed the apparently older girl to a clearing where they could talk about her proposal.

"Under the condition that we follow your teachings, correct?" the red-head asked, ignoring the silver-head's grunts and grumbles.

"That is correct. It's a pretty swell deal if you ask me."

"So far, I don't see the downside." Renée grinned at her brother.

However, Gon was a bit troubled by the situation and didn't share the same expression she did. This troubled her, of course, and she wondered why he was leaning more to Killua's point-of-view.

Speaking of which, the former assassin glared at her for her remark, then he glared at Bisky. "You're not even listening to what we're saying! Why do you think we would blindly accept, let alone follow, some stranger's words!? Do you really take us as idiots!? Gon, say something too!" he burst.

The dark-haired boy was a little surprised at the mention of his name and muttered sheepishly, "We, um, already have Wing as our teacher. So..."

"That's right! We only learn from Wing!" Killua backed him up suddenly.

"Who's Wing?" Renée whispered to Gon.

"Oh. He's the one that taught us Nen. Learning Nen is actually a secret phase of the Hunter Exam."

"Really? So we've technically passed?" she asked, surprised that she's hearing this just now.

"You didn't know? Who taught you?" Gon furrowed his brows.

"Because of the Nen being inside of me, I've always unconsciously used Nen. I was only made aware of it by Chrollo. He taught me enough so that I could fight and defend myself."

The islander didn't say anything more after that but hearing the Troupe leader's name evidently unsettled him. Whenever Renée talked about him, he would always get this annoyed feeling.

He doesn't like the way she talks about him, like they're close friends or something. Despite all he's put her through, Gon could still feel the sense of respect she has for Chrollo.

He hates that.

He hates the fact that she respects that criminal who has no respect for others.

Due to his emotions, Gon unconsciously released a dark aura. It was subtle but those who were close to him would definitely feel it.

The red-head realised this and she bit her lip anxiously, not used to seeing Gon so infuriated.

'What was I supposed to say? Should I have lied?'

Correctly guessing the cause of his best friend's anger, after eavesdropping of course, Killua decided to change the point of focus.

"See? We have our own teachers. Besides, we're not so desperate to learn so as to accept just anyone's offer." he harrumphed.

Bisky turned towards the silver-head, blatantly ignoring Gon's sudden hostility. "You mentioned Wing, right? He's the one with dark hair, glasses, falls asleep all the time, and has his shirt tucked out no matter how much you warn him?" she asked him, slightly grinning.

"You know him?" the islander piped up, his head finally lifting and the heaviness dissipating.

"Know him? He was my disciple." the blonde said smugly.

The trio gawked at her.

This woman is old and experienced enough to have taught the boys' own teacher.

"Since I am the teacher of your teacher, and Ren here is willing too, I don't think there's gonna be any problem with me teaching you three. You also said that you're not desperate enough to just blindly follow me. I appreciate you being cautious but look...Book!"

Bisky's binder appeared and they all got curious with what she was trying to do. The blonde pulled out a card and showed it to them.

"Ah! It's the cute puffball from before!" Renée exclaimed, recognising the picture.

The blonde smiled at her, "That's right. This is a D-rank card. The fact that you couldn't get this isn't the real problem here. It's the fact that there are hundreds of other players out there who can easily do so. If you were to engage in combat with them, you will die."

The trio wore on a solemn expression on their faces, understanding full well that she was right.

Just earlier in Antokiba, they couldn't even protect the one imposed card they had. And because of the spell cards in the game, avoiding such players will be extremely difficult once they start collecting a lot of rare cards.

Suddenly, Bisky grabbed onto Renée's wrist and made her plop on the ground with her.

"H-hey-!"

"Don't yell. There is an enemy behind me. You two sit as well." she said in a clipped manner.

The boys looked at each other but followed her anyway.

"How did you know he was there?" the red-head asked trying to glance at the direction the blonde said.

"Don't try to locate him! If you do, he might feel your nervousness and attack us on the spot. Pretend that we're just talking light-heartedly."

Renée didn't hesitate in following her orders and leaned back and relaxed, a lazy grin on her face. The others also relaxed visibly, though the boys had a more serious expression on.

"So how did you know his presence?" Renée asked again.

"His bloodlust. He let his guard down for a moment and I felt his intent to kill us. But he immediately masked it so it's understandable that you didn't feel it." Bisky explained.

'I didn't even feel anything and I've been around so much criminals before. Am I that weak?' the red-head thought, slightly worried about her capabilities.

"But wouldn't it mean he's weak if he let slip his intent? Why are we being too cautious?" Gon asked the woman.

"A veteran would immediately say that the enemy has a lot of experience. He let his guard drop because he only saw 4 kids. But before you could feel anything, he immediately erased his presence. That in itself takes a lot of skill."

"So what do we do?" Killua asked this time.

Renée and Bisky blinked at him for a moment, noticing how he dropped the usual banter and even recognised the blonde as an authority he must follow.

"What are your opinions?" Bisky asked, recovering quickly.

"I think we should all attack together." the islander piped up and the silver-head agreed.

"Why do you think so?" their mentor asked again.

"Because he let his guard down because we were kids but because there are 4 of us, he immediately became cautious and erased his presence. If all of us worked together, he won't stand a chance." Renée said as-a-matter-of-factly.

Bisky smiled proudly at them, "That is correct. However, we must make our moves from different directions. If we split up, meaning you three and just me alone, then there's a hundred percent chance he'll come after me."

"Won't you need back up though?" the red-head offered.

"Right. I think we should use the buddy-system in this strategy." Killua seconded, once again surprising the girl with his compliance and ease.

"Okay, then nothing changes. If Ren and I were to separate from you, the enemy will still go after us since we are girls. You boys should head north to that tall rock. Once you reach it, use Zetsu and quickly head straight back here."

The trio nodded slightly at their mentor's plan.

Before they could react, Bisky suddenly slapped the silver-head hard across the cheek.

Gon and Renée were caught unaware and gawked at them both.

"How dare you!? You're flirting with me in front of your girlfriend!? You're so sick! C'mon Ren, you don't need men like him." the blonde screeched, picking the confused red-head up.

"Eh, but Killua-!"

"Just leave him!"

The former assassin's eye twitched in irritation, "Fine! Have it your way, idiots! Don't you ever come back crying to me! Let's go Gon."

The silver-head turned around along with the islander, who seemed to finally be able to breathe.

"I-I didn't realise it was an act." the dark-haired boy admitted.

"Yeah, I don't think Ren caught on immediately as well. That old hag is incredible."

"Hm?"

Killua massaged his bruise, his brows knitted together, "I was so ready to move had she said a word. But I didn't see that slap coming at all. I only realised it after I felt the pain on my cheek."

- With Renée and Bisky -

Renée and Bisky continued walking south.

The red-head noticed they were going in a very slow pace, probably letting the enemy catch them.

'That act was very clever. I didn't realise it until Bisky whisked me away. Now, to bait the enemy.'

"So is it true?" the blonde said through the silence, making the 13-year old flinch.

"Is what true?" Renée asked confusedly.

"Are you his girlfriend?" the woman asked suggestively, an evil glint in her eyes.

The question itself made her blush madly for reasons unknown to her. "No! That's definitely not what it is with us!" the red-head blubbered.

"That reaction itself is enough proof for your crime!" Bisky laughed.

"Geez. Everyone keeps saying that, it's not true y'know." Renée rolled her eyes.

"Oh. So you're THAT type of a smart person."

"What type?"

"The dumb smart person type." the blonde said bluntly.

Despite herself, the girl chuckled. "How can that be? You're contradicting yourself!" she said in between laughs.

Bisky didn't find it amusing that the red-head isn't taking her seriously. But as Renée kept on laughing, she found herself starting to laugh too.

Out of nowhere, a tall man with sunken eyes jumped at them and took a hold of Bisky, in his hand were sharp barber scissors propped as a weapon.

In one swift motion, the red-head had already drawn her sword and slashed at the man's arm. This made him drop his weapon and his grip on the blonde slackened.

Without wasting any time, the older woman grabbed his arm to initiate a judo throw, but he broke free before she could tighten her grip.

In a flash, he has already picked up the pair of scissors on the ground and rushed for Renée.

Unable to see his movements, the red-head was caught unaware when their enemy held her in a head-lock. The thought of capture only registered in her brain when she heard the sickening snip of scissors and felt some strands of her hair fall off.

"You bastard!" Renée growled, about to strike him with her blade.

Nothing.

The girls both looked to the side and saw the man cackle loudly, holding up strands of red hair as a prize.

"Hairs that I cut off with my favourite scissors, I eat. This lets me know the everything about the person. Even more than you know about yourself. Besides, it won't hurt to get to know more about a cutie like you." he rasped, greedily devouring the strands.

Renée glared at him, but Bisky signalled her to be patient.

Suddenly the man's eyes grew wide and he stared at the red-head fearfully. He pointed his weapon defensively at her, "W-what are you!? What is that THING inside you!?"

'Thing? What thing is he talking about?' the blonde thought, casting a brief glance toward her pupil.

Renée's eyes turned stormy.

She looked at the man as if she was gonna release the typhoon in her on him.

"You wanna know so badly? Come and get it." the red-head scowled, getting into an offensive position.

The two stared each other down.

One was wary and a bit shaken while the other was wild with rage.

Before anyone can make their move, Bisky jumped out of nowhere and, in a blink of an eye, punched the man's back. This caused blood to spill out from his mouth and the impact rendered him almost completely immobilised.

"I think that's enough. You guys can come out now. How long have you been watching?" the blonde beckoned at a nearby pillar.

At her call, the boys came out of their hiding places and immediately rushed to Renée's side.

"We saw the part where you tried to throw him down." Gon answered her whilst holding onto his sister's hand.

Knowing that he was just worried about her, the red-head gave him a reassuring squeeze which he returned.

"I see. If our enemy had been an in-game character, he would've been a D-rank in difficulty. If you ran into him without my help, it would definitely be game over for you. So far, you've managed to avoid two near-death encounters. How long do you think that luck will last?" Bisky warned them, looking pointedly at Killua.

"Um, Ms. Bisky-"

"Just 'Bisky' is fine. But if you insist, you can call me Lady Bisky!" the blonde cut the islander off.

"I think 'grandma' will suit you better." the silver-head muttered under his breath.

Unfortunately, Bisky heard him, whacked him on the head again, and made him do a hundred more push ups.

Gon cleared his throat again, "Why did you play Greed Island, Bisky?"

"Well of course I want to clear the game. Once I clear the game, I will be able to obtain a gem called 'Blue Planet'. It can only be found in this game and is actually #81 of the Fixed Cards." Bisky answered with a glint in her eye.

"Actually, we are also here to clear the game. To be honest, my dad and his friends were the ones who created this game. We participated in the hopes of finding clues about his whereabouts." he paused for a moment, "My father is Ging Freecss. Do you know him?"

At the mention of the name, Bisky's eyes went wide.

"Of course I know him! Who doesn't!? He's done so much for the Hunter Community which made him incredibly wealthy and famous! However, I also don't know where he is. Whenever I ask Chairman Netero about him, he just shrugs and says, 'There is no other like him. Only less than five men can reach his level, which is why he is as free as he is'." the older woman gushed.

As she was telling them those things about Ging, Renée looked over at Gon and saw the marvel in his eyes.

'His determination hasn't withered. If anything, I'd say it got stronger. I really wish I have that same passion he has.' she thought, somber.

"If it's alright with you, Bisky, can you please postpone your search for Blue Planet in order to teach us more about Nen?" the islander pleaded with newfound vigour.

The blonde scoffed, "That's what I've been saying since a while ago! But I'm not as kind as Wing or any other mentor you've had before. Is that alright?"

"Osu!" Gon cheered.

"I'm not exactly used to taking the easy route either and I've said yes the first time you asked as well." Renée grinned.

"And you?" Bisky turned to Killua.

The former assassin had just finished his punishment and sighed as he stood up, "That's fine."

"Good! Then we start immediately. You there! Get up and take out all of your cards."

The man, who has just started to sit up, was reluctant but did as he was told immediately.

Bisky then proceeded to put all of his cards to her own binder, "I am offering you a chance. For 2 weeks, you must avoid the attacks of these three. If you get a critical hit or in any injury that prevents you from doing so then it's over for you. If that happens, I will have to kill you."

This statement earned uneasy looks from Gon and Renée though Killua didn't seem to have much problem with it.

"Kukuku... Just for 2 weeks I have to avoid their attacks? It doesn't even matter what happens to them?" their enemy chuckled darkly.

"That is correct. However there is one more rule: you are not allowed to leave this stone quarry. If you do so then I will kill you." Bisky said in the most casual way that it sent shivers down Renée's spine.

"Does that rule apply to us?" Killua asked their mentor.

The blonde nodded, "Yes. If you try to escape then I will punish you severely. Don't take this threat lightly."

The trio looked at each other, each one with a sense of dread.

They would like to improve individually, but for this assignment they knew they would need to work together.

Gon and Killua saw how the man escaped from Bisky's clutches before and attack Renée at an inhuman speed.

Renée was also aware of the fact that her reaction time has slackened.

They all knew they were in for a difficult task.

"Binolt." Bisky said suddenly.

The man turned to her, an eyebrow raised.

"That is your name, right? Binolt, a Blacklist Hunter and Bounty Hunter. His favourite dish is human flesh, especially those of 20-year old females." the older woman finished as she scaled the cliff to a higher ground.

Binolt stood and got into a stance, facing the 13-year olds.

He wiped the blood from his mouth and looked at Renée with a smirk, "22-year olds. But 12 to 13-year old girls are fine for me too."

Killua glared at the man for that comment, wanting nothing more than to burn him to a crisp.

Gon also felt rage unlike any before and his Nen flared a little.

However, it was Renée who was first to act.

She lunged for him, catching the sick bastard by surprise.

Only his quick reflexes saved him from being impaled by her sword as he deflected it with his favourite scissors.

At the same time, the red-head rolled off far to the side in order to avoid getting snipped at.

The silver-head decided to use this as a distraction and leapt to attack him.

In a split-second, he backed off just as he was inches from Binolt as the man had turned and aimed a slit at his eye.

Because of the sudden exertion, Binolt started coughing and hacking, obviously stressing his wounds.

Killua's brain started working overdrive for a strategy, 'He's still wounded which means his attacks aren't too accurate. If it was, I would've been blind by now. I can only attack from a distance with his guard put up so strongly.'

Wiping the blood off his cheek, the former assassin proceeded to pick up stones on the ground. "Gon, Ren, let's do this in intervals. I attack first then Ren goes after 4 hours. Then after another 4 hours, Gon gets to have a go."

The two didn't say anything and waited for him to proceed with his attack.

When Gon saw the stones in his best friend's arm, a lightbulb went off in his head.

"That's it!"

Everyone watched as the islander walked over to a boulder, concentrated Ren into his fist, and shatter the boulder into numerous slightly smaller ones. Gon picked one up and attacked Binolt, using the boulder as a shield.

Their enemy, unable to do anything else, dodged towards the side in order to escape being crushed.

"As expected, scissors can't beat rock." the islander grinned wolfishly.

This move led to being struck in the face with a stone.

Binolt looked up angrily and saw that Renée, who was nearby, flinging stones his way. He also noticed that Gon was gearing up for another shielded attack which would corner him with Killua who already has numerous stones to throw at him.

'Damn these brats!'

With no other choice, he avoided Gon's attempt to crush him and got stoned at by the silver-head.

Binolt shielded his face from serious injuries and the former assassin managed to land a kick on his back.

Aware of his blindspot, the man swung around to slash at the boy but was thwarted when Renée jumped in with a shielded attack as well.

Binolt side-stepped in the nick of time but when he looked around, he saw the three kids were picking up boulders of their own.

'D-dammit. At this rate, I won't even be able to rest enough to heal!'

- At the high ground -

Bisky watched on excitedly.

Many hours had passed but she didn't grow tired of her pupils' performance.

'As I thought, once they take into account the risk for their lives, they aren't bad at all! They didn't allow for him to rest and even managed to push him to his limits. Of course, they still need to learn more in terms of opponent movement patterns, sudden changes in strength, and muscular motions. But for now, this is more than enough! They are all like raw gems!'

Her eyes landed on Gon and she marvelled at him, 'The firmness in his eyes and the deep abilities still hidden within him! When polished, he's a diamond!'

Her gaze shifted towards Killua, 'His cool and calm composure and that look that just intimidates you at first glance makes him such a force to deal with! No doubt he is a sapphire!'

She then turned to Renée and her eyes shone with glee, 'That intense energy paired with sharp intellect and concentration gives her strength beyond measure! She is a ruby! Oooh why is it that things that can be polished and shined just capture my heart like this? I will definitely train them!'

Just then, Bisky noticed that Binolt looked agitated.

He was trapped.

'I see. It was very smart of them to scatter the boulders in such a way. It limits the movements and allows various hiding places. Supposedly, they had 2 weeks but it seems they'll finish this in a day.'

- Back at the Battle -

Binolt kept glancing around, nervous.

There may be a lot of hiding places but there are three of them and just one of him, it would be extremely difficult to deal with any of them in his condition.

Suddenly, a rock shifted from his side and he immediately set his defences for that direction. But as soon as he did it, he felt Killua come up from behind at a frightening pace.

He turned and slashed but no one was there.

This made him tense and panic all over again.

Unknown to the man, Gon was behind the rock that was beside Binolt.

Because of the distraction that the silver-head offered, he used his Hatsu once again to shatter the boulder.

The bits and pieces smacked their enemy right in the face, causing him to stagger backwards.

In that moment, Renée tackled him from behind.

She pinned him to the ground using her bodyweight, including his arms.

She raised her fist at him and grinned triumphantly, "Bye-bye you sick a-hole!"

"No wait, Ren!" Gon screamed.

This distracted her from her attack, making her freeze on the spot.

Killua managed to pull her back just in time before Binolt could cut her.

"What the hell, Gon!?" the silver-head scolded his friend, still holding a slightly shaky Renée in his arms.

'I narrowly avoided death. I narrowly avoided death...' she thought over and over.

"Sorry, but we still have time! We can start doing one-on-one battles with him so we can learn more and improve more!" Gon suggested.

They're attentions were caught by Binolt who seemed to be chuckling to himself. "This was your only chance, you stupid brats! 'One-on-one'! Go ahead! This time I'll be the one attacking! I'll cut you all up!" he cackled.

"Sure! But we can do that tomorrow. It's best that we all rest for now, especially you since you're wounded." the islander continued, unfazed by the man's crazed look.

"I-I guess it's true. He's of no use to us since his movements slowed considerably." the red-head agreed, getting over her shock.

The former assassin mulled it over, but grinned and followed their leads in the end.

The trio positioned themselves at the far-end of the quarry, opposite of Binolt, and leaned on the boulders to sleep.

When he thought the trio were sound asleep, the man tried to get up to stealthily attack them. However before he could stand, the 13-year olds were already aware of him and stared him down until he lay flat on his back and slept as well.

Bisky chuckled at the sight.

'It's impossible. You're Zetsu is perfect. You can't escape the attention of those three now. They can almost sense anything from the slightest movement to the smallest noise. This is definitely going to be interesting!'

- After 10 days -

"We were wrong."

Renée tore her eyes from Gon's fight and turned towards the silver-head.

"Huh?"

"His movements, they haven't slowed down. It's us who've changed. We've gotten incredibly faster." Killua concluded while watching Gon evade and attack.

The red-head smirked, "You thought so too? Well it can't be helped, we've been fighting him for almost 2 weeks now. And for the half-part, he was already healed up!"

Just then, Binolt gave a loud grunt and a groan.

Gon had successfully landed a critical punch on their adversary, just like how his friends did the day before.

The man doubled over in pain and was visibly in agony. "I give up! I'll never win against these three no matter how hard I try! Just kill me now. Please!" he cried.

When he looked up, Binolt was surprised to see Gon bow down to him.

"Thank you for helping us train! Because of that we made great progress!" the islander beamed.

Such kindness was new to the criminal.

Since he was a child, his intentions were always misunderstood. No matter how good he was, he was never thanked. But here, when he wanted nothing more than to kill these useless brats, he was thanked for their training.

Through gritted teeth, he announced his resolve, "Once I get out of this game, I'll turn myself in. Is that fine?"

Bisky scrutinised the man in a bored manner, but seeing Gon's expectant face let her make up her mind.

"Fine. Go away."

"Wait." Renée called out, catching up to Binolt.

"What exactly did you find out about me when you ate my hair? I need to know." she demanded.

At first he was hesitant, but he didn't think there was any harm in letting her know anyway.

"You're not human. Not entirely anyway. There's something inside of you. Something ancient. A deity perhaps? I don't know what it is but it has incredible power." he answered truthfully.

The red-head sighed in disappointment, it wasn't anything she didn't already know.

"Well, whatever. Don't tell anyone about me. And make sure to keep your end of the deal." she emphasised the last point before returning to her friends.

"Was that really your plan all along? To let him go? He's a first class serial killer, y'know?" Bisky shook her head in disapproval.

"We know that, but he helped us a lot!" Gon said defensively.

"It doesn't really justify his actions, but here, apparently, what Gon says goes." Renée teased.

"Hey that's not true!"

"It is so! We're only here cause you dragged our butts here!" Killua said sarcastically.

"You guys are awful!"

The trio continued poking fun at each other and Bisky just watched them fondly.

'These three are flawless. But that can be dangerous. I'm sure we can work this out.'

END OF 32.

A/N: And there it is! More sneak peeks into Renée's relationship with everyone currently onboard! For any suggestions (either for EXTRAS or for chapter improvements) please do not hesitate to review! I would also like to say that only one EXTRA is canon. The EXTRA where Killua narrated Elder Gier's betrayal to his village. That EXTRA talks about how Renée/Naomi lost her memories and how she got separated from Mehika. Well that's it for now! See you on May 28! Please review!