Hello, everyone! I am back! Woot. Wow, it has been a while. How was break? You did get a break, didn't you? Anyway, I dearly like this chapter, though it is rather long. I just couldn't take away a lot of what was in here, so I hope you guys will like it! I wrote it all in one sitting because I am horribly jet-lagged. My sleeping pattern is so horribly skewed that I fear I might sleep in class later on in the day.

Anyway, thanks for sticking with me, and do read on!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter X Hunter. I wish I did. I really, really wish I did. But I am no genius like Togashi. Here we go!

Spotlight

Chapter Five: Ayaka Has A Brother

"Zushi, I'm back," Wing called as he entered the small room they shared. "How's Ayaka doing?"

The small boy, dressed in his usual martial arts ensemble, looked up at him from where he was seated on the carpeted ground. He was clearly surprised, and Wing immediately knew that Ayaka wasn't around.

"She told me she was going to go see you, sensei," he said, his voice weighing heavily as they left his mouth. "Didn't she?"

Wing set his large hand – large to Zushi, anyway – on his student's head, sighing slowly as he closed his eyes.

"No, she didn't," he replied, heading towards the door again. "Let's go look for her before she hurts herself."

More than anything, Ayaka's feet were hurting. They were sore, battered, and she knew she wasn't imagining things because her usually pasty size-six feet were painted a bluish purple. Either nen had done that to her, or she had done it to herself. After all, she had just walked over six miles barefoot. Wing had mercilessly taken her shoes, as well as her room key, when he left her with Zushi. Right. Like being barefoot was going to stop her from leaving.

She would've stayed. Really, she would've. After all, this nen business Wing was talking about seemed absolutely interesting and worth her unpaid time. But not right now. She had things to do. People to visit.

She stood in front of a small five-story white building. There were no signs, no name written to mark the building apart from the rest. All its windows were wide and clear, but ugly beige blinds covered most of them so that neighboring skyscrapers couldn't peek through them. In front of it was a huge parking lot, but few cars were actually in it, and there was a beautiful blooming garden just to the side, but it was just as empty. Well, nothing new there.

She trudged through the automatic doors and two different metal detectors, and then raised her hands above her head for the mandatory body search. She did it so mechanically, but that was because she was so used to it. After all, she's been here at least a thousand times before, visiting the sick.

The lobby was quiet just like it usually was, with nurses whispering secrets to each other like old maids. She hated the whispering, but she was too distracted today because the cold white marble flooring hurt her bare feet. Someone was laughing at her from a few feet away – a loud, unhesitating laugh one could only make when one didn't care about anything else in the world. When she reached the third floor, she quickened her pace as some of the more familiar staff greeted her, and she finally stopped in front of a pale blue door. "Room 333 – Ryuu Benneteau" the label read. She sighed and knocked three times.

"Come in," a deep muffled voice came in reply. She slid the door open and threw herself inside the dark room.

"Hey, Ryuu!"

"Hey, yourself."

Ryuu was her younger brother, and he was sitting up against the bed today. Usually he was lying down. Whenever something was different in a place like this, it was never a good sign.

He was turning sixteen in a few months, though he's spent much of his life inside this very room that years didn't matter much to him anymore. They didn't really look much alike. His hair was a brighter shade of blonde, almost white, and his eyes were a brighter shade of sky blue. For a fifteen-year-old, he was tall – almost 6'2" – but people barely noticed because he was always in bed. His skin was a sickly, translucent white, she could practically see the blood through the greenish blue veins that snaked up his slender arms.

"You're looking a bit pale today," she said as she cleared her throat, pulling up the blinds to let sunlight in. "That's better. It looks really nice outside, don't you think?"

"Dunno," Ryuu shrugged his broad shoulders, causing his gown to slide down on one side. There were deep scratch marks all over that one shoulder, the bright red swelling only highlighted by his white skin, and Ayaka forced herself to avoid overreacting.

"What happened there?" she asked softly, as though whispering a secret. Ryuu hurt himself often.

"I did it in my sleep," he said softly, and she could tell he was lying. She could always tell.

"Looks like it hurts," she said, setting a soft hand on the new wounds. "Have the nurses seen it? Might get infected, you know." With a grunt, he slapped her hand away and pulled the gown back onto his shoulders, crossing his arms over his knees. She caught sight of his bloody fingernails. "I said I did it in my sleep," he repeated, his voice deeper and more threatening this time. "If you're gonna act like mom and dad, just leave me alone."

Ayaka bit her tongue. She knew better than to act like their parents, both of whom didn't know when to stop asking questions. Ayaka's job was to act like things were normal, like nothing was wrong…like she was visiting him in a normal hospital, and not one for the suicidal. Besides, Ryuu was in a particularly bad mood today, and if she didn't watch it…

"You're right. I'm sorry. Why don't we go downstairs to the park?" she chirped, watching his face closely for any hint of forgiveness. "I have so much to tell you today. I got a new job, but I think I might've messed up big time today. I hurt one of our customers."

He chuckled ever so slightly at what she said, and it made her smile. Sometimes, she believed that maybe she switched jobs so often and on purpose just so she could tell him stories about the world outside. The world someone like him didn't belong in.

He inched his way towards the edge of the bed slowly. He was so sluggish despite his athletic build, much unlike how he was when he was ten. Oh, how beautiful those days were when they so animatedly played "house" together, from sunrise until sundown. He was the daddy and she was the mommy, and their now-deceased pet dog, Boota, was the baby. Those days had been so much fun, but they were also long gone.

"I'll go if you marry me. You didn't answer me last time."

Ayaka froze. She didn't know he'd say it so soon today. He was suddenly so serious and angry that a few hard lines formed at the base of his chin. She couldn't help but smile sadly. No matter how often it happened, she never got used to it.

She had grown up and he hadn't. It was as simple as that. In his world, he was still the daddy and she was still the mommy, and every time she visited, he insisted that they be married. She could feel the bile in her stomach rising in defiance. She so wanted to throw up again. How many times did Ryuu say this? How did all of this even start? But it didn't matter right now, because she knew it was time for her to go. Things were going to get ugly quickly if she didn't.

"I did answer you, Ryuu," she said shakily, forcing another smile as she backed away slowly towards the door. "Don't you remember? We can't get married because you're my brother and I'm your-"

"You're lying again," he laughed heartily, like she was joking. "You're gonna set a bad example to Boota if you keep lying like this."

He darted towards her, faster than he was supposed to be capable of being, his big feet slapping against the cold marble floor. He grabbed hold of her arms before she could reach for the door, violently pulling her against himself and she yelped out loud. He was so big. He was even bigger when he was angry. "You said you loved me, Aya. I love you too. Why won't you just marry me!"

But the nurses came and gave him a shot of their strongest tranquilizer, and they carried his unconscious body back to his bed.

No thought unwritten

No story untold

Yet life as we know it

Will still fade away

Silently

Greedily

'Til death do us part

SLAP!

Wing slapped her hard. Where did the gentle, messy, half-witted teacher go? It was annoying to think that despite leaving home all those years ago, she still had a parent-like figure hovering around and scolding her when she did something bad.

"What the hell was that for?" Ayaka spat, pressing her forehead against his as if to threaten him. "You think I won't hit you back just because-"

SLAP!

He slapped her again.

"Okay, that's it!" she roared. "I'm in a bad mood anyway, Wing-san!"

She tried to punch him, but she only hit air. Really, didn't people know what modesty was around here? At least let her get one punch in! She tried again, and again, and again, until she fell to her knees when Zushi's room started spinning around in her head. She placed a cold hand on her sweaty forehead, trying to anchor her vision on a single object, but it was no use. She felt so lightheaded and weak that maybe she was on the verge of passing out. She never got tired this easily before.

"I told you to stay put," Wing said as he walked over to the bathroom with his violent hands behind his authoritative back. "You lied to Zushi about coming to see me. He trusted you, so he let you go. Those are two offenses, so you get two slaps." He was busy shuffling through the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and it annoyed her. Was he going to drug her so she would shut up? Two offenses equal two slaps her butt. She wasn't his student! Besides, she was going to quit, or get fired, or whatever anyway, so either way, she didn't need to listen to him.

She stood on her toes when the room finally stopped spinning at least a little bit, and she was headed for the door, but Zushi had fixed himself in front of her only escape – well, there was the window, but she wasn't crazy. He was visibly upset that she had lied to him, and for a moment, she regretted that she did. But the image of Ryuu appeared in her head, and all hesitation disappeared.

"Sorry, but I'm leaving, Zushi," she said, pushing him aside a lot more roughly than she had intended to. "I need to own up to my actions before Honmei finds out what I did. Actually, she's probably already waiting for me anyway."

Zushi grabbed her arm and leaned forward, tossing her over his small back and then throwing her on the couch. Ayaka squeaked like a little mouse. How could the tiny Zushi lift her with such smooth precision and ease?

"Stay put!" he said, using the words of his master, folding his skinny arms across his chest like the obedient student he was. "Can't you see your nen is leaking out? It's all over the place, Ayaka-san! Keep it up a few more hours and you'll put yourself in a coma!"

Zushi's eyes. There was something about them that she loved. Such brilliant honesty and zeal. Didn't she used to look at the world with such eyes before everything went downhill? Before her brother had started to say scary things to her? She glanced at her arms, where hand-shaped bruises were nicely floating to the surface.

"Don't underestimate Zushi just because he's a kid," Wing said as he sat next to her, cotton balls and antiseptic in hand. "Here. You can do it yourself, can't you?" He gestured towards her bloody feet, and she winced as she looked at them, finally feeling the stinging pain. She didn't know they were that bad.

"Thanks."

There was silence among them for a while as Zushi watched her apply the thick yellow ointment on the soles of her feet. She hadn't realized that the nail of her left little toe had entirely chipped off, and that's where all the blood was really coming from. Zushi had fetched a bundle of bandages from the first aid kit, and Wing smiled in approval. What a beautiful team they made.

"So," Wing said as he watched her wrap the soft white material around her two feet. "As a teacher of Shingen-Ryu, it is my obligation to teach you how to control your-"

"No thanks."

Ayaka winced as she stepped on the ground again, feet tightly bound with bandages. She bent her leg sideways to see if any blood had gone through, but she had used the entirety of the roll anyway, so it was probably good. She glanced at Wing and extended her hand, palm facing the ceiling.

"Can I please have my shoes and keys back?" she asked, summoning her courteous mannerisms back to the front line. "I need to tell Honmei that I'm quitting, and I want to keep at least some of my dignity by going there with some shoes on."

"You better let your feet breathe for now," Wing said, getting up and ignoring her irritated hand. "As for Honmei, you can talk to her later. We have some work to do. You don't want to lapse into a coma, do you?"

Wow, how did Wing end up as a teacher if his people skills were mediocre at best? And yet she felt the nagging feeling that she should probably listen to this man, because he had been right once before. Actually, he seemed like the type of person who was right 99% of the time. Besides, Hisoka was probably still inside the building, and who knew what he would do to her after what she did to him?

"Fine," she said, slumping back down on the couch. "I'm pretty much a rouge employee now anyway."

Wing found himself smiling, smelling his own victory. He probably won 99% of the time too. "Good. Now, let's start with some meditation."

Silence,

So much silence.

But even so,

I can hear him.

Loud and clear,

As though he and I,

Are one.

Wing and Zushi were fast asleep, and she took this chance to slip outside. She didn't know why, but she felt somewhat healthier after meditating for fifteen hours, even with nothing to eat. She desperately needed a shower and a change of clothes, but first things first. She needed to go to Honmei's office and quit. Call her obsessive, but she hated starting something without ending it herself.

Only one problem. She didn't really know where Honmei's office was. Well, she knew it was on the first floor, but the building itself was so widely rooted that there were probably hundreds of rooms on this floor alone. How the hell was she supposed to find it? She could feel the judgmental eyes of a few employees on her, some of whom she had spoken to at least once or twice before. So everyone knew, huh. Well, maybe she could ask them and save herself from further embarrassment.

"Hi," she said, walking up to two snobby-looking girls. "I'm looking for Honmei's office."

"Of course you are," one of them smiled, and for a moment, Ayaka couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic. "See that long line over there? Honmei's already holding interviews to replace you."

She glanced at the long line of people. There were maybe around ten or fifteen men, all of whom were pretty husky. Did Honmei also find out how she spilled the rice a few weeks ago? Well, it made sense to start hiring macho men to stock the kitchen inventory.

"Thanks…" she said, and the two girls giggled to each other when she walked away.

She queued up behind the men and sighed at how silly she must have looked. These men were hopefully on their way to getting a good, stable job that offered cheap housing and free food, and here she was, flushing it down the toilet. She was so stupid sometimes.

"Next!" the girl in the matching pink uniform called. "I said next!"

Ayaka shook herself back to reality. Wow, those interviews sure were going quickly. Then again, Honmei had hired her in ten short seconds after all. Maybe she was a really good judge of character. What did she see when she looked at Ayaka? "Have you been here before?" the girl asked impatiently, not looking up at her as she jotted down her information on a piece of paper. "Uhh… to Honmei's office? No." The girl nodded mechanically.

"Okay. Print your name here and here, and then your signature here. Thanks. Go through those doors and we'll call you when you're up."

Ayaka arched a brow. Was Honmei this much of a big deal after all? What if she was the boss of the boss, and not just a mere Human Resources manager? Had she screwed up big time after all? The man behind her impatiently pushed her forward, and she sighed in defeat.

"Maybe I should start babysitting again…" she said to herself as she entered Honmei's office. Only it wasn't Honmei's office. Not even close.

End of Chapter Five!

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