With Madelyn now upset and hiding in her room, all that remains is the two boys and Clarisa. Rather than ending it on a sour note, the three decide to continue talking.

After Madelyn had left the three, upset at them for pushing a narrative she doesn't agree with, Daniel decided it's better to shift the topic than leave. Madelyn wasn't going to come out of her room, she's probably going to sleep the rest of the day off.

Or worst-case scenario… stew on her thoughts.

Right now, Clarisa wanted to learn more about Madelyn, even if she must chip away at her walls. If there was any advice Daniel and Kyle are willing to part, she was willing to listen.

"First of all, don't do what I did."

Clarisa raised an eyebrow, wondering what Daniel could've done wrong when trying to get to know Kyle "What exactly… did you do?"

"I kissed him…"

Clarisa looked at Kyle, noticing the slight blush, "I gotta hear the rest of this. How did it go? Was it your first kiss? Was its Kyle's first kiss? Tell me the juicy details…"

She was smiling ear-to-ear, that was until Kyle interjected "Trust me… you don't want to hear."

Her expression dropped, "Did it go poorly…? No, it couldn't have… you're still together and you don't seem like a couple who's pretending to get along with each other. Well, you did that when we first met… but I saw real pieces of your relationship seep through from time to time. It was mainly the way you looked at each other?"

"Let me guess… it was Daniel mainly."

"Yeah, but there were a few times you did it too…"

Killua was mortified to hear that he was unable to hide his feelings for Daniel. He was raised to be a perfect actor, one who get close while still hiding his agender. He failed… when it came to Daniel.

Well, at least Daniel would be happy to hear that. When he saw Daniel smile at him, it was as though it was contagious. He was smiling too.

"See?! You two did it again…"

"Alright!" Killua turned away with a blush, "I'm not as good as an actor as I used to be."

"Wait, you're an actor?!"

"No…" Killua shook his hands at her, he was far from an actor, it just came with his previous profession, "No, it…" The boy looked at Daniel.

"It's a part of his previous title, and why he doesn't want to say his real surname."

"That's understandable. I won't pry further on that…"

"Thank you."

"Unless…" As Kyle groaned, Clarisa smirked, "You tell me how your first kiss was with Daniel."

Killua rolled his eyes, "everything? Or you hoping to get kissing advice, considering… Daniel argues that I'm a good kisser."

"It's not a good argument. He's in fact, a great kisser."

"Daniel…"

Clarisa burst into laughter; between Daniel's sweet smile, and Killua's bright red face, she couldn't hold back if she tried. Madelyn was missing out by not being here, to hear their story.

Once she calmed down, she was excited to hear more about the situation "Please tell me…"

"If you must know…" Killua rolled his eyes, "Daniel was a terrible kisser at the start."

"Can't deny that. It was my first time… and I had no idea what I was doing."

"He's good now, lots of practice with me… and he's a quicker learner, so that helps. That's beside the point…" The boy looked away, unable to say what went wrong during their first kiss.

Daniel spoke up "He called me Gon…"

Killua's head dropped in shame.

"Gon, as in the same Gon that's crushing on both of you?"

"Yeah… that Gon."

"But…" Clarisa scratched her head, unsure how to handle it. If Kyle liked Gon, why aren't they together…? Why is it that Daniel and Kyle, look at each other like they mean the world to each other, "I'm confused… because you two, clearly mean a lot to each other, but Killua had feelings for a guy who, I assume is madly in love with you."

"I wouldn't say madly… It's just…" Killua sighed, "as you're aware, Gon is polyamorous. He can love multiple people at the same time. Balancing that type of relationship can be… difficult."

"I would imagine so, but Sakura and… uh…"

"Iason."

"And Iason seemed to be doing just fine together. So…"

"I'm what people would call a jealous lover." Killua looked towards Daniel, "but I… when we first kissed, at that time I didn't understand the… concept of love. It wasn't ingrained in me. My family is more… like the single business type of people. Unless it's got to do with their line of work… that don't care for it."

"They don't approve of Daniel?"

"They don't even approve of my sister, so Daniel has no chance…"

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Going back to the previous story… I couldn't be in a relationship with Gon. At the time he was seeing Sakura, so when he told me he had feelings for Daniel and myself, I understood what that meant. I explained it, we parted ways due to a change in situation… but we're still friends. Best friends."

"That can't be it… how did you initially react to him announcing her likes you?"

"Confused at first… I was seeing Daniel at the time, and I did like them both… but then he said he liked Daniel too… I felt…" Killua rolled his wrist, now thinking back to that time. He was sure he didn't feel it back then… but now, after being so long with Daniel… he can explain it, "I felt possessive. I had a chance to be with Gon, but as soon as he said he wanted Daniel as well… jealousy got the best of me. I was stuck in a position where I could have Gon and Daniel, but I only wanted one of them… whereas Gon wanted us both. The deciding factor was Daniel… he was the reason I chose him over Gon in the end."

"How so?"

Daniel decided to speak up, "When Kyle was stuck at an impasse, I told him that he wanted to… he could be with Gon. But… When Gon mentioned, he liked me too, I told him I didn't feel the same way for him as I did for Kyle. I've only had eyes for Kyle. I understood that letting go would be painful… it would've been a difficult choice, but at the same time, I'd rather Kyle be happy. Back then, I thought they got along better in my opinion. They bounced ideas off each other like it was nothing… they smiled often for each other. I developed these feelings for Kyle as our friendship with Gon developed, the more I got to know about Kyle. So, when I first kissed him… it did kill me a little to hear him utter Gon's name."

"So…" Clarisa felt sadden over the situation. Even though they're together now, from the seams of things, their relationship wasn't always perfect; at least from what she has seen so far "after Gon made his announcement, you saying you had feelings for Kyle only, is what made him choose you in the end."

"Yes…" Killua sighed, "it was. We liked each other… and while some would argue that I only chose Daniel because he liked me only. I'd say, it was mutual. It took that moment to finally understand why I wanted to be with him. Daniel was willing to give up on his feelings for me. If I wanted to be with Gon more than him. If that's not love… I don't know what is…"

Killua quickly shot the lingering thought away, "Not that what Sakura, Iason and Gon have isn't love. It's just something I can't do… I can't love two people individually. Even if I had a harem of lovers all gunning for only me… and, I had feelings for all of them… I still couldn't do it. It's one or none for me."

"That's sweet. Actually… I guess that makes sense why Daniel chose that song as the final song."

"Only One by Illunium?" Daniel asked, "You knew the title of that song?"

"Well, no… I looked it up mid-song… using the lyrics of course. That's beside the point. That was Daniel's way of signifying you were the only one for him."

"Yeah… he's cheesy like that."

"There's no shame in being extra for a partner. It's not like he gets out of hand and announce-" She stopped, noticing the burning red cheeks, "Oh… he's that bad."

"V-Very…" Killua uttered with a stutter, flushed from being forced to admit Daniel can get out of hand "If he learned every language, he would utter those words… in every… language… every day."

Clarisa smiled softly, "I'd like receiving something like that every day… but that's just me."

Killua nodded at the words, "I do to… it's just sometimes too much."

Daniel scoffed at the idea, "It's never enough for me to admit it once or twice… I have to show I appreciate you."

"I was afraid of that…"

"Daww…" Clarisa uttered with a warm smile, "I'm watching love birds admit they love each other without using the words." Killua's cheeks burned as the girl continued, "I'm curious though… so to jump to something old, but who's your other father?"

"Nathaniel… Nathaniel Darkscryer."

"Huh… never expected that."

"How so…?"

"They never, ever… looked to be together. They weren't like you and Kyle, showing it was a glance or two. Well, with Nathaniel it did… it seemed like he liked Vastorie, but he never even glanced at the dude."

"You should see him at home, he can't get his hands off him."

"Is he ashamed of having Nathaniel as a partner or something…?"

"No," the boy spoke up about his parents, voicing his opinion on the matter, "I think he's open about it when he isn't in business mode. I think he tends to focus on the job, more than his feelings for his husband. At least, that's what I can understand by talking to others about him."

"Then I guess he wouldn't be ashamed just…" Clarisa decided to speak more on the matter. Considering what Daniel originally wanted from Madelyn was now unattainable, at least she can talk about the dynamic of the two from her perspective "I messed up with Madelyn. So, I'll tell you my side about the two of them, mainly Nathaniel as I didn't have many interactions with Vastorie."

Daniel listened intently, he did want to learn more about his other father, so this could be a great learning opportunity, "Please… go ahead."

"As you're aware, Kiel and myself are from the Swordcross Institution. We don't have a tragic story like some of the others, but we did lose our parents."

"I'm… sorry to hear about your loss."

"It's ok… Kiel was too young to remember them, but I do. I was six at the time. They died in a car crash. Kiel asked me what was wrong, so I told him that our parents have gone on a long trip… and we won't see them for a while. I've been unable to tell him the truth, even though he has well past the age to understand death. We experience it a lot at the Swordcross Institution. We get kids who have messed up lives… and while that can be taxing, in all fairness… they have the best chance of recovery in our environment. The carers spend time with us, some of them loving us to the point of adoption. We also get adults who grew up in this household who show up, like Nathaniel for existence. He rather us call us Nathan, but the younger kids love him… Even Kiel. He's like the second father you want to adopt you. I think we've had only one person that he has adopted… Zaikaria, I believe her name was. She was only in the household for a brief week, before she was taken in."

"That would be my sister…"

"Oh, so…" She paused, "HOW DID I NOT SEE IT?! Ziria just missing an 'a' and 'ka'. Gosh… I gotta start reading between the lines with you."

Daniel chuckled, "Yeah… I didn't think that one through. I already said Zai to you brother, so I had to change it mid-thought."

Killua chuckled at his partner's word, he dropped a huge hint, and nobody picked up on it.

"You two are terrible. What else are us you hiding, hmm? Are you skilled warriors from another timeline or something?!"

"You're close…" Killua offered with a sly smirk, "but not close enough. We're both Hunters, if you are aware of them."

"Hunters…? The name rings a bell. I think Vastorie is one… can't exactly remember."

"You would be correct; Nathan is also one. As well as Zaikaria and Scarlet. But there might be a few. Actually… scratch that. Scarlet might not even be a Hunter, but she could be a candidate."

"Is being a Hunter hard?"

"A lot of life or death situations… with high-risk benefits."

"Can't be too hard, if a thirteen-year-old can complete it."

"I wouldn't suggest it…" Daniel countered, eyes looking down for a moment, "We were only able to do it because of our background. Actually… I don't think I would've been able to do it without Kyle and my sister's help."

"Don't sell yourself short. While it's true I helped you get the badge on the third part of the exam, you pointed out that the three brothers had my badge, you just didn't remember which one…"

"Well… while we were in the tower, I nearly got impaled by arrows. Zaikaria pushed me off the trigger and then… proceeded to catch them all."

"Yikes… you were bad."

Daniel pouted and Clarisa's jaw dropped, "What have you two been through… to casually joke about near-death experiences."

Daniel pointed to himself, "I nearly died by a Chimera Cat-ant. And Kyle tried to prove a point by outlasting a dart-throwing match… with him being the dartboard."

"You also forgot about the time you tried to fight Youpi on your own… The Phantom Troupe, Greed Island with Razor. What else…? The survival of the fittest with my brother when we were saving Audrey?"

"How could I forget…"

"Something isn't adding up…" Clarisa pointed to Kyle "Who exactly are you?"

Killua looked at the girl, sizing her up. He doesn't know how she'll react. It's a touchy subject… one that could result in their friendship being liquidated, and Alluka losing her chance to make new friends.

Can he trust Clarisa? Only telling her will be the way he finds out "Only if you promise to not to freak out…"

"I… is it bad?"

"It can be really bad, given that almost everyone knows who I am the moment I drop my surname."

"Everyone except Gon…"

"Gon is a rare case." Killua countered before looking at Clarisa once more, "you have to promise not to tell anyone, especially Madelyn. Until we get her backstory, she might get aggressive with Daniel… and I don't want that to happen."

"I…" She looked at Daniel for guidance, but the boy shook his head. Given that Daniel is in a relationship with Kyle, or whoever the boy 'actually' is… it can't be that bad. Daniel genuinely cares for the boy and he must know, considering the boy mentioned that his brother came after them.

He must know the whole truth because he pointed out that his partner, was the only one allowed to tell the truth. It was his story to tell… just like it was Madelyn's… "I'll keep my word. I can't promise my initial reaction, but I will promise not to say anything to Kiel or Madelyn. If I overreact, as long as I have time to think about it… I'll be comfortable with the bad news."

Killua gave a nod, to the teenager, sufficiently happy with the promise "First of all… my name is Killua… not Kyle… Audrey's is Alluka."

"Ok… not too bad…"

"My parent's name is Silva and Kikyo, with my siblings being… from oldest to youngest, Illumi, Milluki, Alluka and Kalluto. I'm the middle child. Illumi and Milluki are older than me. Alluka and Kalluto are younger."

"Alright…"

"Our family name is… Zoldyck." The moment he finished he watched confusion, then fear and worry flash before Clarisa's eyes. As she sat up, the chair fell backwards with a clatter when took a step back.

Her whole body was shaking in fear, coming to terms with the situation… that was until she realised, Alluka was with Kiel… "I, um-" Daniel crossed the room before Killua could move, stopping her from approaching Kiel and Alluka still playing games in the younger boy's room.

"Let-"

"You promised Killua. That you wouldn't overreact. I promise… Kiel is safe. Alluka wouldn't hurt your brother."

Daniel was stopping her from checking up on her brother. The girl looked at the boy, pleading with him to let her go. But the boy's grip was strong enough to hold her in place, without hurting her in the process.

"Look at me… I knew this stuff from the start. I care about him… I love him more than anyone else in the world. I promise you… your brother is safe. If he isn't, I'd let you kill me… right now… I would even stop Killua from saving me."

"But… why? Why do you value your life so little over their's?"

"I don't value my life, less than theirs… I trust them. Killua isn't like that… he would never want to take a life, not without a proper reason."

"Like what…? What reason could you rationalise a death for a life…"

"Someone you care for. Alluka's…? Mine…?" Daniel's expression softened as he let go of the girl's arm. But he made no move to step back, not yet… not when she could still run to her brother's room again.

Sure, he could catch her again, but he wanted proof that she was listening not because he was holding her in place.

Killua spoke up, "The only reason I became an assassin in the first place… was so I could save my sister from that lifestyle."

"You…" Clarisa looked towards Killua "You mean…"

"She never had the formal training… not like I did."

"But…" Nothing made sense anymore. She relaxed for a brief, moment. She thought about the facts she already knows about Killua and Daniel. She saw Killua dance with Daniel, how he held his partner… the delicate touches, the shifting of his hands…

Those hands couldn't be a killer's…

His eyes were full of love and tenderness at certain moments of their dance… they couldn't be a killer's…

Yes, she was worried about Kiel, but Daniel was a key figure in this situation. The boy loves the sister like his own and filled with affection when talking about the brother. What if she was overreacting, thinking that now she knows… Killua will snuff out their lives if they make a mistake.

"You… You promise."

"I promise…"

When Daniel took a step back, she made no moves to see her brother. She walked toward her seat, picking up her seat to instead sit down. Cupping her face, she was worried about her brother, but finding out the truth was her only option, "You knew about this… all of his history…?"

"Killua wasn't wrong. I was there when he went to pluck his sister out of their grasp. He's compassionate, and shows love… more than his family. He has the training, but he won't take another life… not unless they were threatening us."

"He…" Clarisa looked in Killua's eyes, "were you ever… tortured?"

"Days… Weeks… Months… I lost count with how many days I was electrocuted, left without food… whipped… knives cutting into my skin… forced to swallow poison daily. Then there's the amount of blood spilled by my hands…" He held a finger out to Daniel, "But this… idiot, has held my hands… has said he loves me… fought for what I wanted. He stood up to my family, told them to get fucked… minus the profanity. If I was in his position, I would've sworn like a madman. He even made sure, when I was panicking, he held me… telling me that he'll be there for me."

"Killua has done that same for me." The boy offered as he came close to the table, now standing behind his seat "I lost my memories of him for almost a month… he stayed with me, helping me re-obtain those memories… He isn't without emotions, it was just… difficult to get him to open up at the start"

Shifting his attention to his partner, he smiled at the boy "He's like us… capable of love and affection. He's not some monster his father wants him to be… He's not a mass-murdering assassin like his last name implies. He's Killua, a teen who wants a normal life for his sister and himself. Should that really, be so hard to obtain… just because his last name is Zoldyck…?"

The boy shook his head at his rhetorical question, "No… I don't think so."

Clarisa spoke after soaking those words in. She needed a moment of silence, to think about the scenario. She has been harsh on Killua, assuming the worst-case scenario just because he belongs to a family of assassins "I'll need time to come to terms with this."

"It doesn't stop with me either…" Killua wanted the girl to realise he wasn't the only one around her. Vastorie was a killer too, and since she knew him for longer than she knew him… she'll come to terms a lot quicker than she thinks she will.

"What you mean…?"

"Daniel, tell her the bad news."

"Vastorie and Nathaniel are identical to us… at least in position. I would be Nathaniel… which means…"

"Vastorie also has the same profession as me." Killua added with a snap of his fingers, "He was previously an assassin too."

"He… No, he can't be?! Vastorie would never hurt anyone! He's been nice to those who suffered the most. He…"

"It's because he's been there…" Killua countered, "It's because he knows what it's like to suffer, to be… to be alone when you needed someone. It's just…" Killua stopped himself from saying any more. It's up to Daniel to finish that statement. He knows Daniel would've realised that now, considering what Clarisa yelled at Madelyn about earlier.

"I think…" Daniel stated, trying to put it lightly, without giving away too much "I think he knows what it's like to be alone. It's just he doesn't understand his suffering… At least, I believe he doesn't understand he's suffering; he's just making the choice that seems best for everyone."

"Wait, why is he suffering?"

"I… I can't say. It'll put your lives at risk."

"Is there anything I can do to help. I know what you say about Vastorie and Killua is true… but I don't know them like, you do. I want to help Vastorie, cause from what I hear… he has kept the Swordcross Institution afloat. He brought them out of debt, saved so many lives from what I hear… I can't believe…" Clarisa closed her eyes, tears forming "I can't believe he's…"

"Clarisa…?" The boys and girl turned, noticing Kiel was at his door, looking at his sister full of worry "Did you hurt my sister?"

"No…" Clarisa quickly wiped her tears away, holding out her arms to her brother. The boy walked into them, hugging his sister close, "They were just telling me a really sad story. I'm fine…" She kissed her brother on the forehead before looking at Alluka.

Killua was right about her, she didn't carry that foreboding feeling. She was just a normal girl, a normal girl who suffered… probably alone without her brother's help. Killua will protect her, no matter what. He loves his sister… she just needs to come to terms that not only has Killua and Daniel had experienced near-death situations… they have continued to move forward, no matter how much they suffered along the way.

Drawing her attention to the boys, she spoke softly, "If there's anything I can do for you… I'm here to help."

"We're thankful for that…" Daniel held out his hand, offering to shake hers, "the same rule applies to you. We're here to help as well… just let us know, considering we can get into contact with Nathaniel?"

"What about Vastorie…?" She asked, soon regretting it considering Daniel's immediate reaction. He pulled back his hand as his eyes filled with sadness.

"AWOL, unfortunately."

"I understand…" She shifted her attention back to her brother, "You wanna ask anything from Nathaniel?"

"Nah… I just miss his personality."

Clarisa per her hands on her hips, "No you don't… you miss his hugs, don't you?"

Kiel looked away with a blush, suddenly acting shy. He whispered his response under his breath "Yeah…"

Clarisa pointed towards Daniel, "Well, we have his son right here. Do you know about Nathaniel's Infamous aeroplane hug?"

"Know about it…?! That's how he woke me up every morning!"

Kiel got excited, running past Killua to hop in front of Daniel, "Really?! Can you do it? Please… Pretty please!" Clarisa burst into laughter as Daniel picked Kiel up, replicating his father's movements.

She watched in awe as the boy performed the exact movements… the smile the man would give as the boy drew her brother into his arms once more. Kiel chuckled with bubbling laughter. Daniel was holding her brother exactly how Nathaniel would.

He was happy, smiling widely at his sister now "Oh, I forgot. Alluka and I came out to have some snacks."

The girl chuckled to herself from her brother's reaction. Going from happy to hungry in a matter of seconds, "we'll all have a snack."

"Madelyn too…?"

"Nah, she's just tired. Maybe tomorrow…"

"Ok… that's sad because she makes delicious food."

Daniel pointed to Killua, "So does my partner, he'll leave anyone's taste buds satisfied."

Killua blushed at the compliment. He never expected his partner to throw him under the bus like that, "Baka, warn me next time."

"I'll have to take you up on the deal next time."

"Sounds fine to me… just give me a heads up so I know to cook for more. But if you're looking for a real treat, Daniel over here cooks some fantastic chocolate deserts."

"I learn from the best…"

"Certainly not me," Killua countered, "if you did… I wouldn't have to rip the wooden spoon out of your hand, every time you tried to cook dinner. You're a disaster in the kitchen… YET, you know how to bake… I'll never understand that about you."

As she watched the two bicker over cooking skills, Clarisa burst into laughter; from the way, Killua was acting smug as he chastised Daniel, to the way the latter spoke highly over his partner's impressive cooking skills.

Even when she heard about the darker side of Killua and Daniel's journey, how they survived through the thick and thin… lived through torture, near-death experiences, possibly even a war…

Not only has Killua's hands have been drenched in blood, that he has taken many lives, some of which were also innocent… those same hands could caress Daniel and Alluka with care, and kindness…

Their relationship wasn't normal, at least for a teen their age. Eifion would have to have known about this. He would be well aware of Killua and Alluka being a member of the notorious family of Assassins.

Yet, he accepted them with open arms as new students…

He had to have seen this side of Daniel and Killua's relationship, how they act with one another. It'll take a while for her to come to terms with this information, even the stuff involving Vastorie… but if Daniel can be comfortable knowing Killua's backstory, what he did as a previous occupation, he must know something that she doesn't know.

There is a reason he wants to be with Killua, and she's yet to understand the full story these two have shared. Like she'll slowly get to know Madelyn, she'll take the time to get to know about the two boys and Alluka.

Calming down from her laughter, she looked at the two boys before her, still staring at her in confusion "It's fine. It's just… watching you two bickering… well, it's… refreshing, I guess. Anyways, let's have a bite. Maybe talk some more or play a game or two."

"Sure…" Killua pulled his finger away from Daniel's chest. At least Clarisa was acting reciprocatively, even after hearing about their backstory. She was giving him and Daniel a chance.

It's better than he could have imagined.

She was a normal teen, well… as normal as she can be. She has lived in an environment that had abnormal kids come through. She probably has even experienced a lot of suicidal teens or younger kids pass through.

So, of course, it wasn't completely normal.

But her reaction to finding out his brutal history was normal, at least when compared to Gon's reaction. Sakura was hard to gauge, considering that boy got to know about him through Gon's lenses.

Clarisa will take time to come to terms with the information, so she can have as much as she needs. Once she sees that what he wants and desires, is a normal life… then she could come to terms that his past doesn't make him who he is now, it's his present actions that matter.

Then again, friendships wouldn't matter if Victor continues going after them… They'll have to deal with that.