Madelyn has a complaint, although it's more about herself than the boys.

"You know…" Daniel broke the awkward silence once he observed his student long enough to realise something was wrong. It wasn't a natural sense like when he was with Killua; it was something that started in the pit of his stomach, branching out like he had a stomach ache.

It was the eerie silence…

The fact that Madelyn wasn't snapping or arguing with him every few minutes, was an unnatural situation. He doubted she was listening; she was in this sort of daze, like, her mind was elsewhere.

"What are you on about this time?"

"The same could be said about you…" Daniel raised an eyebrow, "you haven't complained in the last ten minutes. You going for a new record?"

"It's not that… Its…" Madelyn crossed her arms, now furious at being prodded, "it's not important."

"Alright…" Daniel was now crossing his arms. She's back to stubborn mode, it was time to move on. If she wants to be stubborn, like Killua, he'll rip her a new one in the most brutally honest way "Your Ten is utter crap. Focus…"

The girl furrowed at the accusation, but given the fact he was expecting her to complain, she'll just continue her training. She won't give him what he's expecting.

But it's not here problem Clarisa gave her these gnawing feelings.

Clarisa was the first, besides Vastorie that was aware of the full context to her past. The girl hadn't become clingy after the reveal, but she's made some serious effort to get her, to like that girl.

Clarisa expected her to be more open, but after that night, she hadn't said anything more. She kept the rest of her past to herself. It's how she always wanted it. Then Clarisa had to ruin it…

Daniel had to ruin it…

Even Kyle was a part of this disaster…

They've all pitched in, arguing that she was trying to reach out… but refusing to make the initial step. But now she had, she was perplexed about the situation she put herself in. Clarisa stated that she didn't know what she meant to her…

Did she think she'll ever be a friend… perhaps more? Madelyn mentally scoffed at the idea, thinking it was all a false hope for Clarisa. Even if it had looked like she was reaching out, it made her upset more than anything else…

"What you said last time screwed with me…"

"Did it now…?" Daniel uncrossed his arms, smiling slightly at the news, "so you reached out?"

"Yes-"

"That's good then…"

"But-"

"No buts, Madelyn." Daniel shut down the girl before she could ponder her thoughts. She didn't need to argue, reaching out was all that mattered. The reactions, what it did to her mentally, can come later. At the end of the day, she needs to let the thoughts and emotions cement, before she's able to come up with a sound and reasonable, response. Whatever Clarisa's told her that night… whatever made her this quiet, was a good thing. It means she was trying to understand what they spoke about that night or afternoon.

Madelyn sounds like the kind of person who needed to keep her distance, in order, to help her come to terms with the reactions she had received "let your thoughts settle… before you say anything on the matter. A treasure is only worth as much as its meaning…"

"What's that even supposed to mean?"

Killua stepped into the conversion, beads of sweat flying off his body as he threw punches while maintaining his Ren, "It means think before you act…" the boy huffed as he threw another punch.

"What Killua is trying to say, is don't let your thoughts fester… let yourself think about what happened, and gauge what you want to come next…"

"What I want next, is for you to leave me alone…"

Daniel offered a sly smirk in response, "Too bad… you're stuck with me next Friday as well."

The girl gagged at the response; Daniel casually admitting, they were forced to meet again due to an appointment schedule, is the last thing she wanted to hear as a rebuttal.

"The treasure is the 'end' result of your thoughts."

"Whatever…" The girl huffed in annoyance once more, returning to what she was originally asked to complete. Hopefully, she was improving because she couldn't wait for the next few steps to help her skip this place, as well as many others.

Solitude is the best thing… it's her treasure.

But something within her was slowly unravelling…

What if the boy was right, that if she stopped to think about what she really, wants?

Would the resulting treasure be different from what she originally strived for?

She wanted to argue against the idea, but would she lose this battle like when she did the last few times challenged the boys? It was an inescapable fact at this point…

They were conniving, cunning… and absurdly strong for their age. They even had their own Hatsu. Not even two years after learning the existence of Nen, they had their own Hatsu. She's three years in and only now had she begun to expand on Ten, the most basic of the techniques.

She was outmatched, given the few times they had sparred, Daniel deflected all her attacks without physically touching her. He was able to manipulate his shadows in a manner that represented hands, hands that not only constantly broke her stance, but her defences as well.

And while she hadn't fought against Kyle, he managed to catch her within a few seconds of reaching the door to escape this situation. After the whole ordeal, Kyle had briefly shown her what he's capable of pulling off; the boy could bend electricity to his will.

At least… that's what she thinks Kyle could do. He hasn't completely open about his ability, going as far as to explain: Kyle can manipulate his aura to mimic electricity, forcing his body to react on impulse, rather than thought…

That was all she was aware of Kyle's ability. All it did was explain how the boy moved, and how he managed to catch her.

She wanted to be stronger, to be able to defeat them… but the longer she spent time with them, the more she realised it wasn't possible. Either they had a connection with one another that made them powerful… or they have been training properly for the last few years unlike how she has been doing.

She wasted those crucial important lessons, demanding to have a better teacher when she could've been learning more about Nen. With an agitated sigh, Madelyn whined at her current circumstances "This isn't fair…"

As Daniel raised an eyebrow, Killua retorted back without a single care in the world, "Life isn't fair… get used to it."

"Killua…" Daniel groaned in frustration, more annoyed at what was to come, rather than his boyfriend's words. Madelyn doesn't like to get treated like she was useless or a burden. He acted quickly, hoping to reduce the time spent arguing, "This is basic 101 Ten training… I went through it… Kyle went through it… Eifion went through it… Even Vastorie would've gone through it…"

"It's not that…" She shot Kyle a dirty look, regardless of whether he was paying attention to her or not, "It's about you two being stronger than me…"

Daniel interjected before Killua could act snarky, "All we did was train harder…"

"Well, we were forced to train harder…" Killua added on top of his partner.

The girl frowned at the news, "Then force me to go through what you did…"

Killua rolled his eyes, "We-"

"We aren't going to put you through what we went through." Daniel admitted with a soft smile, "no one should be forced to go through what we went through."

Crossing her arms, the girl once more argued for herself, "It can't be THAT bad…"

"Let's see…" Daniel pressed a finger against one of his own for every situation he brought up, "Several, life or death situations. A licence test that many examinees died in the process of trying to pass… One involving a gang of thieves that could rip us asunder… A reality game involving a hairdresser, that could slice through our skin like we were sashimi… but let's not stop there. Oh no, in that game there was also a man who threw a volleyball so hard at us, it shattered the bones in one of my arms… A bomber hell-bent on obtaining magical cards, or killing us in the process… Then there was the whole war with the human-like magical beast…"

"So, going through all of that… made you stronger?"

As Killua offered a silent nod, Daniel added one final piece, "Don't get me started on Kyle's family…"

"What did they do, that could make you as angry as I am with my parents…?"

"Try having a kill order being issued on my sister… when she was the only one able to heal our best friend."

"SHE KNOWS NEN TOO?!"

"Keep it down!" Killua growled at the girl. He doesn't want to talk further on the topic, not until she speaks up about what she casually admitted. The reason she was angry at her parents…

That was the very reason, why Daniel tried to have an open discussion with her in the first place. But she shut it down before the boy could learn the truth.

"She's what people would call a genius, at least in terms of learning Nen… but she knows less than you. She has a Hatsu, but that's about it."

"And this Hatsu is…?"

"None of your business…" Killua shot the girl a glare. He told her enough, there will be no more discussion about his sister, unless, Madeline was prepared to offer as much as he has "I made a promise, and I plan to keep it with my sister. She'll never be used for nefarious deeds…"

Rather than accepting Kyle's wanting to end the discussion here and now, she decided to press for more information, "What does your sister have, that other's want to abuse. She doesn't look like someone on the physically fit side… Nor does she seem like the kind of person that's a brilliant tactician…"

"Nor would you be considered smart…" The boy whose sister got insulted turned to face Madelyn, tilting his head slightly as his features grew menacing, "If you continue to insult my baby sister…"

Madelyn felt a shiver run up her spine. The way the boy looked at her, murdering her was a very, real possibility. Yet, the way Daniel was looking at her, either he was ignorant of how Kyle was staring at her, or he was more focused on what she was supposed to be doing, "Your boyfriend just threatened me…"

"You insulted his sister… My sister-in-law… technically…"

Killua blushed at the comment, "Wh- What?"

"You heard me… now eyes facing forward. Ignore what Kyle is saying and doing, focus on what YOU should be doing…"

"Training…?"

"Exactly!"

"But… I just can't ignore the fact that Kyle, mention his sister is like, some kind of… wanted criminal and then just let it slide."

"How about you tell Daniel the backstory of how you met Vastorie, and what you consider him as… and maybe… I'll tell you about my sister."

"How about you tell me about your sister's underground connections, and then I'll tell you my story." She offered the boy a smug grin as if she had beaten him at his own game.

Instead, all she got from Kyle was a shrug, "No can do… The Jenny doesn't match the payout."

"Then I won't say squat…"

Daniel sighed as the two once more started to glare at each other, "Kyle… relax."

Killua was offended at Daniel for picking on him first. He was irritated at Madelyn for picking on his sister, not because he enjoyed teasing the girl's weakness "What-"

Daniel held up a finger to silence his partner. He knew what was going through Killua's mind, so he wouldn't chastise his partner, merely he pointed out that his boyfriend should remain quiet for a second "And Madelyn… Audrey is precious to Kyle. You insulting his sister won't end well. You won't get what you want and he clearly, wouldn't tell you anything, unless… you're willing to offer a better deal. That is, information for information."

"There's nothing I'll give him…"

"Your past…"

"You guys don't deserve it…"

"Then in that case…" Daniel glanced at Killua before looking back at Madelyn, "don't press for information, either of us… aren't willing to give."

"Fine then…"

Daniel held out his hand, offering the girl a moment to continue with their training session.

"~"

The more time passed, the longer Madelyn remained agitated. She desperately wanted an answer to what Audrey could do. But that means, she'll have to tell Daniel and Kyle her backstory… the only one she was willing to talk about it with, was with Clarisa… she was the only person she has ever confided with… talked to about her past.

Yet, Daniel and Killua expected her to be open about her history with Vastorie, even though it was linked to something she was unwilling to talk about with others. Maybe there was a loophole she could navigate around…

Like dropping her history without bringing up what happened, "You wanna know why I don't want to talk about how I met your father?"

"Sure, shoot…" Daniel crossed his arms.

"Your father brought me off my parents…"

Killua interrupted "You're lying-"

"I'm telling the truth!"

"Not the whole truth…" Killua interjected once more, "I've been around enough liars and cheaters to know… that something is off about it."

"I think there's some truth to her words…" Daniel interrupted once he saw the flash of rage between the girl's eyes, "It's not the whole truth… but a fragment of it, am I wrong?"

Madelyn paused to look in the boy's eyes, expecting his determination to flatten under her own. When the boy didn't give up, the girl crossed her arms, "it is the partial truth. But I'm not willing to give YOU, any more of my history."

"Understandable…"

Killua got agitated from his partner giving up so easily, but then he felt a wave of aura flow between them. It felt as though Daniel was letting him know he hadn't given up, yet; he wanted the full truth, not a half-assed one.

The boy kept his mouth shut as his partner continued, "and with that information… what do you want in return?"

"Audrey's ability…"

Killua sighed, "If I told you… my family would attempt to take your life. And even with these school grounds her, if you manage to leave and isolate yourself… you'll be in an unmarked grave, forgotten by all… except for those who'd continue to look for you…"

"What for…?" She paused to think about Kyle's words carefully, the weight of the situation. Something didn't add up… if they were truly partners, Daniel would be aware of her ability as well… unless the boy was lying to cover his tracks. The other problem was who, was the boy arguing about: except for those who'd continue to look for you? Who was it… was it Vastorie? Them…? Clarisa…? "Wait, wouldn't your family want to snuff out Daniel's life, IF… he's also aware of your sister's ability."

"It's a loophole… created by me."

"So… you're not gonna tell me?"

"Think of it as… a fickle genie. I won't say any more than that."

"Fickle in what kind of way…?"

"My lips are sealed…" Killua pretended to zip his lips shut before throwing away an invisible key.

The girl got agitated, but then Daniel forced her to focus on something else, a question he was hoping she was willing to answer, "So… brought, like in he adopted a daughter kind of way… or do you mean brought in another way?" Like a slave…?

"If Kyle won't say anything, I won't!"

Daniel raised an eyebrow. He was annoyed like Killua, but it was for a different reason. He was annoyed that she was shutting herself off after coming so close… to telling part of the truth. Maybe he could make a guess that would make her correct him. Then again, anything could be considered a guess at this point, "Wait, that wouldn't be correct. Vastorie would've treated you similar to my older sister, Zaikaria… like a daughter… family…"

"Damn right. I would've been your older sister and then-" She shut her mouth before she could say any more on the matter.

"So, you did want to have a family connection…" Daniel offered a smug grin in response to her words. If she hadn't cared about having a family connection, she wouldn't have readily agreed with him. But then again, this situation could be more complex than that…

What she casually admitted to, might have been her initial goal… which was to be adopted by Vastorie. But his father may have not adopted her for another reason… a reason that has merits to his reasoning. The question is… what was the man's reason?

Maybe he should bring it up with Killua, see if he could figure out this conundrum. First, he may need to bring up his thoughts to Madelyn, then maybe Killua would interject with an answer "I was thinking, Madelyn… Let's say for argument's sake, that you no longer want to be adopted by Vastorie."

"Even if I did… he'd never want me…" No one does…

Daniel offered a sound of acknowledgement, "What happened in the past between you and Vastorie, the part of history you refuse to tell us… has the answer to why he won't take you on as a daughter."

Killua sat up, listening intently to the conversation. He thinks he might know what Daniel is alluding to, but that would be a huge assumption on his part. They don't know what Vastorie has done to her… or at least, someone close to her, in her past.

"Like what…? He hasn't touched me if that's what your initial thought is. Actually… he doesn't touch anyone, unless, you count shoulder taps as touching someone."

Daniel shook his head. He didn't intend to mean to sound like he was alluding to his father as being that kind of person. His father may not care if his son caught him in the act of getting jackhammered, which in its own right is fucked up… But under no circumstances, would that made touch anyone in a sexual manner, UNLESS, it was Nathaniel…

What he was alluding to, is Vastorie harming someone, whether verbally or physically… as in like Eifion, Vastorie killed someone close to Madelyn "Then…" Daniel paused to ponder for a bit further. Would that be the right guess, or is he wrong again? There was only one way to find out the truth at this point… either he keeps guessing, or she tells the truth "maybe he has done something to someone close to you…?"

When the girl remained quiet, Killua had his "ah-ha" moment. His initial assumption would've been correct, "Stockholm Syndrome… that's what you're thinking of Daniel."

"Say, what now?" Daniel and Madelyn asked in unison.

Killua sighed, of course, he'd be the only one to know about this. He spent years in his family grasps… he wouldn't be surprised if he experienced something similar to Stockholm Syndrome, considering all the shit they put him through "It's where you develop feelings, whether they be romantic, platonic, or an alliance of sorts with your captor… I think that's what Daniel is thinking about."

"I was never his hostage though…"

"We're you…?" Daniel asked again, checking to make sure she was certain of the scenario. She may have not been aware that she was considered his hostage at one point.

"I'm… certain…"

Daniel looked towards Killua. Just peering into his partner's eyes, it looks like they both felt the same on the matter; something wasn't adding up. Unless she was willing to tell them about how she met Vastorie, they'll never know if Killua was correct.

Daniel turned back to Madelyn, now crossing his arms, frustration evident on his face, "I guess we can't cry over spilt milk. If you aren't willing to tell us about how you met Vastorie, we'll never know…"

Madelyn opened her mouth to speak, but she soon shut her lips tightly. She still didn't trust them… this whole secretive thing they have going on with Audrey's ability makes her trust them less.

A fickle genie…

What did they even mean…?

"Your Ten is wavering…"

"Right…" She focused on the current task, deciding to think about whether she trusts them less with the help of someone who trusts them more.