Killua, Daniel and Alluka break away from Ashton, now saying their goodbyes after

Killua had his arms over his sister's shoulders, fingers interlocking around the front of her chest. He was making sure she felt protected and okay, while everything around them going on gets wrapped up.

While none of the police technically attempted to bother him during his act, he made sure he was still approachable for any kind of questions.

One did come by earlier, a youngish female checked on them, making sure he and his sister were fine, given that there was not only a bit of blood splatter on his shirt, a spot that was sprayed when he sliced through Hilhike's throat.

But considering the situation that transpired, she was probably thinking the whole ordeal was not only traumatising to the two of them but Killua was hurt in the process of the fight… the police officer wasn't aware of the family they come from, how the fight truly transpired.

It would've been Ashton's account against Margret's in this case given they both were adults in this case. Then again… Killua and Daniel have some weight-shifting power, given they were both Pro Hunters, something Margret lacked…

Margret wasn't going to walk away from this with just bigotry as her motive… she was going to suffer from the consequences of all her actions… she was going to regret hiring a mid-tier mercenary to take out Ashton's empire.

Killua does not need to drop his surname, not in a room full of cops…

But seeing as he was a Pro Hunter… it exempts him from certain rules. Unfortunately, however, Alluka was not. Although, she should be free given that she did nothing during this battle, but hide…

He was glad his sister pointed that out and the evidence would match her case.

The longer the situation got dragged out, the more the boy wondered why Daniel and Ashton were forced to talk to the cops together… sure… he was holding this massive weapon, but surely his Pro Hunter's License would make it very clear he isn't a normal kid.

He guesses talking to Daniel about his perspective on the complete fight could wait a little while longer…

"~"

Ashton had been the one mainly leading the conversation with the cops, trying to leave Daniel out of the conversation as much as she could. She wasn't doing it purposely as his input mattered, it's just as a young teen, he shouldn't have ever been put in a position where he needed to physically defend her.

She should've been the one to take down Hilhike, not Daniel… or Killua. She should've been the one putting her life on the line to defend them… not the young boys.

As she was talking to the cops, Daniel, unfortunately, was leaning against the wall, his weapons now on the floor given the circumstances.

One of the cops tried to take them away, but after he pulled a back muscle trying to lift the unnaturally heavy weapons, none of the others dared attempt, to lift them.

The other problem was the resident bitchy homophobe, Margret, was still screaming and growling like an aggressive dog in one of the other rooms, locked away because of her uncooperative need to remain silent.

"So let me get this straight… two Pro Hunters, which also happened to be kids, caused this massacre?"

"On this floor… yes, downstairs, no…"

The man scribbled notes on his page, "My boss is gonna be up my ass for days about this disaster… and the PAPERWORK, oh fuck me dead… is gonna be never-ending."

"My apologies…"

"It's fine, there's nothing you could do about that…" Giving a slight chuckle, he decided to make a joke about the situation, "Not even a bribe being slipped under my Captain's door could help me get out of this right now…"

"Are you trying to get me to bribe your boss, discreetly, of course, to be lenient with your work…"

The officer frowned, "I was being sarcastic…" Shifting his weight, he tapped the camera on his vest, "This… will make sure that every second of my life is wasted on any paperwork that crosses my desk."

"Speaking of paperwork…"

"Fun…"

"Can I have a list of the names of my workers killed in action, including those rushed to the hospital? I know I'm a high-profile figure… but I would've never expected someone to hire a mercenary willing to target me, knowing the kinds of contacts I have amassed during my years…"

"How whose the one trying to discreetly tell me they have the mafia, or members of the various groups in their back pocket." He flashed the woman a sly smirk.

"I make suits… those men are allowed to have style." When the cop frowned, she chuckled, "I mean… some of my stuff goes to auctions and I don't have complete control over who bids for my stuff. Especially, on the Underground Auction."

"Touché…" Making a physical note in his journal, he continued, "I'll try to compile a list of those who were harmed or killed during this… senseless massacre."

"I'd consider downstairs to be the senseless massacre."

"Not upstairs?" The cop questioned the woman's comment. He couldn't let her get away with it, given that their conversation was being recorded. Both upstairs and downstairs, most of the deaths should've been knockouts, not lead to deaths, especially upstairs in the penthouse.

Sure, there were two Pro Hunters here which meant it could've easily been achieved, but the way some of them died… it looked like an assassin was hired. A skilled one who knew how to leave as few details or clues to who they are.

Although, given the circumstances that two other children, that weren't Pro Hunters, the others could've seen that as a liability, a reason not to leave as many people alive as possible so that Alluka and Leo wouldn't come to any harm by a straggler wishing to get revenge.

Then again… Leo was the main reason why the mercenary group was hired in the first place. Margret wanted her son, or in her case daughter alive "But I can see your point to the situation… Given that Hilhike is a wanted criminal, I'd have rather that man was still alive to see his actions brought to justice. It's a shame he was killed before that outcome could come to fruition."

"Do you even have faith in the justice system for someone like him?"

"Between us… no. We lost five cops in one day, the one time we were able to pin him down. Even if he was alive, there's no way anyone here could detain someone of that strength…" As the body was being wheeled out, the cop looked at the reddening cloth coving the guy, "but knowing he got felled by two Pro Hunters, it's at least relieving to know he won't be harming anyone else."

"And Margret…?"

"She'll be detained for murder if any of the bullets match the ones found in the victims, and if not, she's looking at premeditated murder, along with hate crimes. Hopefully, no dumbass will try to get a mental health or gay panic defence plea deal."

"Let's hope…" Ashton sighed. She didn't understand why those two were still on the books and able to be fought for in a case such as this, but she wishes their existence would disappear.

No one should be killed for being a member of the LGBT…

When Daniel noticed the two were finished with their discussion, one of them actively looked defeated over some kind of point being made, he approached them "What's the problem?"

"Nothing kid, we just discussing things that could go wrong via the justice system, nothing for you to be worried about. We'll do our job and make sure she stays in jail."

"The bigger problem is Leo…" The young boy argued, Ashton's face falling from the realisation.

Leo was the one who'll suffer the most, he's not used to the situation and seeing his mother almost get her face smashed in, along with him almost dying from being shot at by his mother, is gonna traumatise him for weeks to come.

If none of this transpired… she'd have good news to give to Leo.

Too bad after this whole ordeal, Leo wouldn't accept that good news… Especially not, from the person who knocked several of his mother's teeth out in a single punch, "Yeah, did he talk to any of you…?"

"He gave us pretty much the silent treatment…" The cop frowned slightly, "He's a strong kid, I'll give him that. If I saw what happened to him, happen to me in my childhood, I'd still be crying hours later…"

"That's hardly a reaction I expected from him… being silent and letting it bubble up inside of him, is only going to result in it coming out as an explosive force, provided, he continues to ignore anyone else and not talk it through with at least ONE person."

"Well Killua and I haven't tried… we could technically try to reach out."

"Well, considering how he came running in after Killua, I don't think he'll talk to him… You, but no offence, you made him piss himself after having your spear thrust in his face."

"I'm sorry, what?!" The cop looked at the two in disbelief, unable to believe they were planning to continue arguing about a situation.

"Had I not done that, he would've taken a bullet to the head instead…"

"Which I understand from my point of view… you protected him." Ashton's tone was pointed, disrupting the chance of Daniel arguing from any side of the case. Leo wouldn't want to be in that position again… and she can understand why, "But that doesn't change the fact of how he's possibly feeling right now, given that you are also close to Killua, which means… if Leo is aware of Killua's previous profession, he might be assuming you were one too."

"Why are you being secretive, now? Is it something I should be worried about?" Wait… the previous profession. Is Killua the one who may have assassin skills?

"It's best not to question it…" Daniel dismissed the cop's new bubbling attitude towards Killua, the internal thought process he was going through given Ashton's comment "What he did in the past, had he not trained to do so… the results would've been different."

"I'm not going against it, but, Leo-"

"Let's leave Leo out of this point for a moment… Had Killua not come to my rescue, or I failed to break out of his grip… I'd be dead. Can we agree?"

"Yes-"

"Good, so, had I failed and he didn't show up… it'll be up to you, to fight against that man and Margret. Could you… on your own, fight against Hilhike, while protecting Alluka and Leo?"

The woman smirked at the boy's reasoning. He was good… but something told her this wasn't an innate ability, but one learned through either self-discovery or from someone who was skilled at thinking ahead "I guess you're right… against Hilhike on my own, I would've failed."

Daniel began to smile, only to frown once more when Ashton continued "However… You forgot to think one step ahead… had all three of us failed, Leo and Alluka were captured. Neither Hilhike nor Margret would be able to cash in that check… do you want to know why?"

"Enlighten me…"

"Vastorie and Nathaniel Darkscryer…"

The boy's expression deepened. He understands his father Nathaniel, but not Vastorie.

"I can tell you already hate the idea. But had either one of them learned about what transpired here, Hilhike would be butchered by them… or… say someone like Killua's parents. I'm sure they wouldn't let someone like their daughter, Alluka be tortured."

"Son, at least in their eyes…"

"Right, of course, we gotta include the bigotry. Their son, Alluka and the other son, Killua… he'll be nothing but a skid mark along the pavement."

"As a cop… I feel like this conversation should be had out of my earshot."

"Nonsense, it wouldn't matter. From my understanding, he's a high-profile figure… I believe he's also worked with police as a one-man army."

The officer stood stunned, now wondering if such a figure should be working with cops. But he supposes if this guy gets the job done with minimal casualties… who wouldn't want to hire his services from time to time?

But then again… a guy like that, what would they ask for in return for such requests. Maybe if he worked alongside that man, he'd be singing a different tune "Okay let's say… I believe you, that this man is powerful… where is he now, given the circumstances?"

"In hiding…" Another teen piped up, a girl being carried on his back "I came to see what's going on, only to overhear Vastorie being talked about. Are you okay, Daniel? Is it alright for him to be set free, for a moment?"

"Sure, but no leaving the building. Until the floor has been swept and the evidence has been catalogued, everyone still needs to stay bound to the building."

"Sounds fine…" Killua wasn't amused at the situation, but given the circumstance, he could understand the situation well enough to know they were going to try to gather as much evidence to convict Margret, the last living person involved in this preorganised massacre.

Putting Alluka down for the moment, the boy turned to face his sister, hands now being placed on her shoulder "Can you stay with Ashton for a moment, I need to talk with Daniel in private."

"Okay…"

Killua led his partner away, trying to find a room that didn't have a cop in it.

"~"

"Okay, lay it on me… how exactly did you manage to get caught?"

Daniel went on to discuss the situation, explaining as much of the details as he could when Killua wasn't there. His boyfriend listened intently, not infringing or asking for extra details he wasn't including.

Although, he supposes he wasn't leaving out anything for his partner to guess about.

When the boy was finished Killua hummed at all the details, "So, he sucker punched you, which is why you got caught off-guard since he was a smash and assault kind of guy…"

"Exactly…"

Thinking about what's best for them, the boy thought it'll be in Daniel's best interest to focus more on weight training, than speed training for the moment. Although, given how much weight they could gather in a typical, everyday gym… it might not be possible to help Daniel further improve… and he wasn't about to suggest his partner use Alluka's weights, as even with their combined weight, it wouldn't be enough for him.

Maybe he should ask Nathaniel for assistance, using Alluka's weight vest as an example to help him figure out what he can do to help Daniel.

Not wanting to waste too much time in his head thinking about the best possible solution, the boy moved on to something else "You said he could heal wounds right… why didn't he restore his eye?"

"I don't think it's, wounds… I believe it's more got to do with his bones. I smashed his arm in, which I'm pretty sure cracked his bone in two. There was an audible crack… Ashton was there, she could validate my claim. But after that clear attack, right after knocking us both down, there was a second crack. He was moving his arm, in the same manner as Hisoka did after reattaching the first arm he lost during his fight with Kastro at Heaven's Arena. He cracked his arm back into its original position like I hadn't hit him earlier."

"So, it was less healing… and more resetting his bone structure. He must be an Enhancer, given all the details you've pointed out. The question now is… why was that his Nen ability, and not the much more advanced form… self-healing?"

"Wing did say our Nen abilities are created due to our upbringing and potential. Maybe he broke his bones a lot as a kid… so he developed a body and frankly, Nen ability to counter those previous losses."

Killua crossed his arms from the situation. That sadly made too much sense. With Hilhike dead, he supposes that information was useless to them now, besides the fact that Daniel's current fighting style made fighting against someone like that the worst possible match up, "We'll take the current information with a grain of salt. It just means you have places to improve upon."

"I thought the same, after he, you know… he smacked us around."

"I also heard him smashing down walls and the after-effects of the damage… given the state of said walls… or lack of walls. You did well standing up to him, but I think it'll be in your best interest to focus on strength, rather than speed for the moment. Once we get into the swing of things, we'll try to incorporate speed back into your training."

"Sounds fair…"

"How do you propose we build my strength?"

"I'm not sure in specifics… maybe weight training, but not the kind we can find at my home… your house… or at a typical gym. It'll need to be something easily transported like Alluka's weights, but not overweighted to the point we're slugging around too much."

"Then… wouldn't my father know something like that would exist? After all, he's built like a truck. But having seen a photo of him in his younger years, I know he wasn't always like that."

"A photo in his younger years…? You don't have ones like those of Vastorie?"

"No…" The teen shook his head, "Nothing like that exists… at least, nothing that I'm aware of. Nathaniel's photos mostly come from either the orphanage he lived at or during his travel as an early Pro Hunter. The time Vastorie got involved in photos, he was a well-established Pro Hunter. At least, from the stories we've heard so far."

Then… Vastorie and Nathaniel, and by extension Avlas, didn't travel the world together… or maybe they did, it's just that Vastorie didn't get involved in photos till much later. Killua shifted the discussion "I suppose your father did agree to tell us provided we gather all the stories and give our take on Vastorie from the past, from our point of view."

"He did…"

"Then there's no point continuing that talk… I suppose focusing on collecting all the data and surviving our future is our current goal."

"You're right… so about the weights, Nathaniel might know."

"I was thinking of talking to Mikkel… but asking Nathaniel might narrow down our options. As in, he might know the name or type of weights we can investigate."

"Yeah…" Daniel's head snap towards the doorway, noticing Ashton standing there "How long were you listening?"

"Enough to get the gist of the conversation. But I have zero input in the matter. You're right to ask either Mikkel or Nathaniel… but that's not why I'm standing here. Margret is going to be moved, and I think you should be there to give your farewell to the Banshee Queen."

"Why…?"

"Because her seething reaction towards us, will need to be knocked down a peg or two."

"~"

Margret howled with rage, her words condemning everyone in her path. At this point, the three that brought about an end to her plan stood to watch. When the older-looking woman's eyes made contact, she planted her feet down staring at the three "I hope you rot in hell…"

Ashton smirked at the idea, being sent to a place of punishment for ideas she brought about more freedoms to the human population. Every person that walked through her business that was raised in such an environment, struggled to accept themselves in one capacity or another.

Those who weren't brought up religious didn't tend to suffer to the same degree as those who were raised as such.

Then again, it really, depended on the parents. If you were raised to be disgusted with yourself, religious or not, you didn't grow up in a healthy environment, it was an environment that depended on one hating themselves for a fundamental fact about oneself.

Even though the two boys grew up in an environment that involved a sort of control over the things they did and didn't do, they grew out of it and became their own, kind of person… one, reducing the say on their parents.

But going by how they talk, Nathaniel still adds input, offering guidance whenever he was asked or can do so. It might be also the reason why Daniel's environment was much healthier than Killua's…

But those two world views clashed in such a unique way, and Ashton could understand why the two have such a positive relationship. At least in her eyes… not such much Margret's "The Banshee is making one final foresight before she's locked away huh… one of these little demons spawns protected the very child you shot at."

"I didn't shoot my child…"

"On purpose, I mean… I suppose." The expression remained neutral, "But if you were willing to shoot at kids you consider demons, it won't be much before you see your child as such…"

"Jacqueline will return to me! You'll see a mother always knows best for her child…"

"A parent doesn't always know best…" Ashton was quick to reject that comment, "Rejection and selfish, conditional love do more damage to a child than it is to offer selfless expectations. Don't ever ask a child for what you expect… let them be who they are. Let them scream whatever they want to be… let their imagination grow. Because at the end of the day, you are the one that knows yourself best… not your parents."

A few of the cops nodded, agreeing with the sentiment.

"You believe the shit this woman is saying…"

"Hey, you dumb broad I mean…" The male cop leading the crew coughed, rubbing a quick thumb over his nose before speaking "Listen, lady, I had a friend who almost died from a peanut allergy because the parents believed their child was lying about feeling funny after eating something containing peanuts. Sure, I was the dumbass that gave him the bar… but if I didn't call the ambulance at the time, he would've died."

"A peanut allergy is different."

"So, you believe in allergies… and not gay people's existence?"

"Damn right. Gay people are made not earned."

"Take the idiot away Samantha…"

"You'll rot in hell with them, he's watching… you'll see."

"Wait, stop." The officer raised a hand, turning to Ashton, he flashed her a quick smirk, "Samantha why don't you uncuff her? We wouldn't want to rot with the others…"

Smirking back at the man, she lifted the keys, jingling them, "You're right… we would want that."

Margret soon cackled with laughter, "It's good you're listening to me now. You should be cuffing those little monsters and that groomer, especially that little monster with white hair and blue eyes. He killed a man."

"You don't say…" The man acted a little bewildered at the fact. But the fact is, he knew Killua was a Pro Hunter and untouchable right now… not unless he acted out of line and was hunted down by the same group that man him a Hunter "I should… shouldn't I?"

Killua flinched, getting ready to move. But neither the male cop nor the female was moving from their position as Margret cackled. The woman eventually stopped, realising none of what the man was saying was happening "Why am I still in cuffs? You should be arresting them!"

"Actually, I change my mind. I can't put my fellow members of our agenda away… wouldn't you agree, Samantha?"

"You're right… we need all the corruptive forces in the world on our side."

"Wh- What?" Margret couldn't believe her ears. What the hell were the two cops saying to her?

"I'm gay, and Samantha has a wife… we gotta protect our own, members you know."

"You're one of them?!"

"Take the idiot away…" As she was shoved away, now directing her attention towards the two cops, the man sighed in frustration. His plan went off without a hitch, redirecting her attention towards others "My apologies for that."

"How is your relationship status going…"

"Abysmal… but that's not important." Tip his hat, the man whistled as he walked away "Let me know about Leo's opinion, I'll be waiting."

"Will do, Leon…"

"What's that about…" Daniel finally asked.

"Leon was going to adopt Leo… but I don't think it's possible. Leo is traumatised by the situation, so I don't think he'll listen to reason. Alluka is our last chance pretty much… if Leo doesn't want to talk to her… He won't talk to anyone right now."