Harry opened his eyes in silence, tears already gathering in his eyes. He'd been pathetically inconsolable all of last night, not even letting Jasper catch a whiff of what he'd been feeling. Eventually the boy had given up outwardly trying to do something and retreated inwards to try to shove him out. Harry let him, not willing to get into a fight. He let Jasper feel his deep well of fear, his neverending paranoia, his infuriating helplessness, his-

There was a never ending list of negative emotions that he just couldn't deal with. He'd overwhelmed them both. And when Jasper finally found a bit of control to ask why, he refused to answer.

How could he tell Jasper about how they were being hunted? How could he tell him that he got a bit swept away in the newness of the boy's friends and having people there for both of them- that he just… he forgot for a moment. And now there was a way to track them. Their name was known. And they'd used it to travel. They'd used it to register at the arena.

Sure, it was common enough especially since they didn't use their last name here, but these people had connections.

Harry had had to rely on Jasper's eyes being blue, on the boy forgetting everything, on not traveling using conventional routes-

They couldn't do that anymore.

He'd screwed up so badly.

It was only a matter of time.

But how was he supposed to tell Jasper? His friends? Their mentor?


"Two fractures on your right arm and a crack on your shoulder. Three fractures and twelve cracks to your ribs. Convalescence: four months. You idiot!"

Gon only stuck his tongue out at Killua with a not sincere, "Sorry," on his lips. That earned him several stinging pokes to the forehead and a tirade. Gon felt no regret, though. He'd wanted to test his new power and he'd gotten a pretty good handle on zetsu even if it had left him vulnerable to attacks. It was actually quite cool to learn it was the same technique that he'd used to steal Hisoka's badge just taken to the next level now that he was nen active.

Then came Master Wing, and he did feel a bit bad that he'd gone beyond the man's teachings, but again- no regrets.

He admired the string around his pinky, solidifying his decision to follow Master Wing's instructions for no nen practice. He had already mastered Ten to a degree that they were supposed to move onto Ken shortly, and that was a bit of a bummer now that it was delayed, but he still was glad he fought. That was his first battle with nen and the next one would not be nearly so far in his enemy's favor.

Gon leaned back into his pillow with a sigh, thinking of everything that had brought him to this point. He missed Aunt Mito. He should probably write her a letter soon so he could tell her all about the Hunter Exams and the friends he'd made. And how having friends filled an empty spot in his chest he hadn't even realized was aching.

Speaking of friends…

Harry had been off all of yesterday. Today was his fight with one of the other men that had been in that group and Gon wasn't even sure if it was going to be Harry or Jasper fighting. The green eyed boy had hardly spoken to anyone, always staring off into space. When Gon tried to bug him, his friend was dragged off by Miss Menchi who said he had a lot of practice to do before his match.

The practice made sense. The rest of it didn't. Had seeing Hisoka thrown the boy off or something? Jasper had mentioned before he'd gone to bed that Harry wasn't talking to him but he'd been talking in the elevator…

Urgh… Thinking was not Gon's strong suit. He would probably give himself a headache before figuring anything out. Maybe he should talk to Killua about it again. The first time, the Zoldyck hadn't been worried, brushing the matter aside, but that had been yesterday. Harry hadn't even come to see him in his room after he got hurt.

He grumbled, deciding it would be a good time to meditate like Master Wing had taught them. He wasn't sure when Killua was coming back and he had a lot of things on his mind to sort through.


Hisoka leaned against the wall with relaxed muscles despite his heightened state of excitement. Yesterday, little Gon's match had been a loss but watching his growth directly had been so delicious he'd spent hours in his room afterwards. And now it was time for another of his little precious fruits to shine.

He wanted to see how far the little rat had come and how big the fruit in his paws had gotten. It was possible he wouldn't be seeing the fruit at all depending on how the match went but… He'd heard the Hunters had called an Exorcist to erase the seal that had been on the boy. There was no telling what direction his little desert rat had evolved! He already knew all of his aura nodes were now open so he wanted to see what power he had delved into.

And wasn't that just so exciting~!

He licked his lips, leaning forward in interest as the competitor's entered the ring. The weakling on the left was a rotten fruit, nothing of note. The one on the right…

The little rat hopped onto the stage nimbly, showing casing his dexterity and balance with how smooth it looked. As he noticed yesterday, there was a new garment there to cover his face. It was a kind of short cloak meant to be used in more vigorous activities. The length allowed for movement, while the stiff hood and shoulders kept it all in place. It also allowed for a deep hood which, just like the desert robe, had entirely hidden the boy's face.

The pants were likely new, a set of deep gray gi pants, and the black shoes were flat but sturdy and most likely flexible to allow for better foot movement. Someone had been spending wisely, it seemed.

"WOW FOLKS! WE SEEM TO BE STARTING OFF WITH ANOTHER EXCITING NEW FIGHT! ANOTHER YOUNG FIGHTER THAT BLITZED THE TOWER AND DIVED INTO THE COMPETITION WITH NO HESITATION! WE HAVE JASPER!

ON THE OTHER SIDE, A LONG TIME PLAYER WHO DOWNS HIS OPPONENTS QUICKLY AND MYSTERIOUSLY! SADASO!

BEGIN!"

The useless one wasted no time pouring their energy into their aura to transmute it, creating something like a large ghostly hand. It was inelegant and a waste of power. Hisoka wouldn't even waste time on this peon but he wasn't here for that one. No, he kept his eye on the little boy who had yet to move or even react to the giant spectral hand reaching for him.

And he was grabbed. Hm. Well, he supposed the aura was hidden with In. It might be too advanced a technique if the rat was only just starting.

He frowned, sucking his lower lip into his mouth a bit so he could suck at it.

He truly hoped today wouldn't be a waste.

He watched… and watched…

But the boy made no moves, only activating his little Ten cloak a second after being grabbed.

The useless one was throwing taunts but the boy was ignoring them or couldn't react, frozen in the spectral grip.

Hisoka huffed through his nose in disappointment as he released his lip and instead chose to gnaw at one of his nails. Still not moving…

Wait!

The rat seemed to be copying the Transmutation technique, his own aura flaring out from his Ten in spikes that was shredding the hand. How interesting! Now, what kind of effect could have been added to make the attack cut through another aura like that? Would it work on Bungee Gum? On any aura? To get past a Ten with a piercing strike? How could this be refined for future use?

The hand had retreated as it was- painfully slowly- reformed.

"AND AFTER ALL THOSE HARSH WORDS, SADASO IS THE FIRST TO TAKE A STEP BACK! HE LOOKS CONFUSED, FOLKS. AND SO AM I! WHAT EXACTLY IS HAPPENING DOWN THERE?"

The rat said nothing, only charging forward and closing the distance between them by more than half before a desperate swipe of the half formed hand made him side hop.

"WHOAH! WE'RE FINALLY GETTING SOME ACTION. WAS IT SOMEHOW SADASO'S FAMED GHOST HAND!? IS THAT WHY JASPER IS DODGING THIN AIR? OH! A CLEAN STRIKE FROM JASPER- NO! THE REF IS GIVING A CRITICAL FOR A CLEAN HIT TO THE TEMPLE AND A KNOCKDOWN! 3 POINTS!"

It was a rather solid hit, launching the pale worthless fruit almost out of bounds. Perhaps if it had less downward momentum he would have actually been knocked from the ring. The little rat was quick to follow up with a brutal groin punch, making his opponent screech and the entire audience wince in sympathy. Hisoka only laughed giddily.

Yes. A little desert rat like this one would always go for the places that hurt the most. Their game was usually to down their opponent as quickly as possible with debilitating pain because they weren't built for long lasting spats. This boy was proving no different. The groin punch had been followed with a curb stomp to the ankle before he dove out of the way of the spasming spectral hand.

"ANOTHER CRITICAL FOLKS! JASPER IS HALFWAY THERE WHILE SADASO STILL LANGUISHES AT 0 POINTS!"

In so much pain, the nen user would have a hard time keeping control and structure for his hand. It would either fade like dust in the wind or, if the opponent was knowledgeable enough, explode in a last hoorah and give you time to recover. That had been a fight to remember, Hisoka thought with hungry amusement.

Sadly, this one only faded and the rat wasted no time taking advantage. But before he could, another hand burst from the rotten fruit's sleeve and a second one from behind his shoulder. Hm. That was a much better reformation time than before but it looked like stability had been sacrificed in the process. With two wavering spectral hands, the boy was pinned to the ground quickly and 1 point went to the pitiful adult pulled himself farther away, obviously panting in fear and pain as he tried to regroup. But the rat, well~, he wasn't ready to be kept down.

His aura spiked again, this time having a bit more difficulty spearing through double the amount of nen even if it wasn't as well constructed. Still, it was clear he would eventually clear away the offending aura holding him down. The rotten nen user realized it too and created a third arm.

That was a mistake.

Already struggling to hold his two, the third completely destabilized the nen aura, leaving the little rat to pick himself up. This whole time, he'd yet to say a word.

Hisoka sucked in an exultant breath, hips twitching, as he watched each strike hit home. There was no hesitation. Even when his opponent tried fighting back in vain he was already debilitated. The match ended with the referee calling it in Jasper's favor after the boy had delivered three more career ending strikes to one elbow, the other ankle and a perfect punch to the kidney that had the man spitting blood.

"How wonderful," he groaned, tipping his head back against the wall. He still wasn't sure which one it had been fighting but either way, he wanted to keep a closer eye on him.

Especially if his suspicion proved correct~!


A fan smacked into the table as Kalluto tossed it down in disgust.

What was he doing?

He shouldn't be admiring someone outside of the Zoldyck! He was here for a mission! One that was far harder than he thought it would be with how Big Brother seemed intent on icing him out, but it shouldn't affect how well he accomplished anything!

Kalluto gripped at his hair with one hand, the other clenched tightly to the phone. Today was supposed to be another check-in. He did his duty. Made his report and-

"You're talking far too much about that desert mongrel, Kalluto! That thing is an obstacle to bringing your brother home. Either pay it no mind or get rid of it!"

He hadn't even realized how much he spoke of Jas- of the incessant pest until Mother pointed it out.

She was right. As always.

He stared blankly down at his blue and white colored obi, worn over his dark blue kimono with white butterflies drifting from the sleeves to the bottom hems. He traced the butterflies almost absentmindedly.

No. No, it was just a coincidence. The pest was always around his brother, that's all. It was inevitable that he'd learn about him. He already knew a lot about his brother but this boy was new. Everything Kalluto learned about him was new.

He was just… a shiny new, distracting toy.

Kalluto was better than this.

The breath slowly left him as he sank down onto the couch, his hand dropping into his lap. His other hand- he held up the phone to eyesight, wincing at the tiny pops it emitted when he relaxed his grip. The screen still turned on just fine, thankfully.

He set it down next to him and picked up his fan for inspection. It was Zoldyck quality so there was hardly going to be any damage to it but going through the motions felt very soothing and allowed him to think without the, admittedly very unZoldyck-like, meltdown.

Kalluto had honestly thought he'd be ready for any mission. Big Brother Killua had started going on them younger than him while unsupervised so Kalluto was sure he would be able to as well. The world was a lot different from Kukuroo Mountain. His expectations had been met and disappointed all at once. Yes, he got to see an architectural marvel but he also saw unending crowds of people that made him nervous just looking at them. All of the threats that could be hidden in the crowds…

But he was strong. He wasn't afraid. He went out and came back just fine.

The world was just a bit bigger than he was expecting. He could deal with it.

Then there was Big Brother who was not making anything easier. He didn't know what to do about that situation than to stick to his brother like glued paper. Even if that seemed to make everything worse, he wasn't sure what else could be done. His happiness during this mission, his need to make nice with Killua… was unnecessary, after all.

And the annoying pest and his annoying head guest…

(If my pretty friend wants to wear pretty dress things then he could do what he wants)

Kalluto sighed, bringing his hands up to rub at his eyes, careful of the fan's rivet.

He'd noticed the lack of the boy because he wasn't around Big Brother Killua. Those two days had been the green guest's turn and the battle that he'd observed from the stadium seating. It had been quick and efficient, almost worthy of a Zoldyck if the boy hadn't been caught twice by the same technique. But no one could find him afterwards for congratulations.

When it came time for the pest's turn, he showed back up (infuriatingly in the same ensemble as before even though Kalluto had gotten him better clothes) he was… quieter. Something was wrong with his guest but they were obstinately quiet. No one could figure out what was wrong because whenever it was time for the guest to come out, he either wouldn't talk to anyone during training or would lock himself in his assigned Tower room.

Kalluto was upset about it only because it upset his brother! There was no reason he should be worried about the obviously miserable creature and his annoyingly avoidant headmate.

Ah.

He was thinking too much about the pest again…

Why was this mission so hard?


Menchi sighed into her hands at the thought of all the work before her. Sure, her brat had won his round. Sure, he'd learned a new technique from his opponent (that she cautioned him not to focus too much on because he wasn't very compatible with it). But he was being very reticent. Harry had hardly spoken since they had made it to the 200th floor almost a month ago. No complaints during training even when she upped his vest weight. Not even a snarky comeback when she called him weak. He even ignored his friends when they tried to goad him. Menchi finally ended up separating them and training Harry alone because that stubborn boy wasn't cracking, only hurting his friends.

It was quite the revelation that Harry could be just as stubborn as Gon. It was impressive but in this case, not a good thing.

Honestly, she was worried. These brats brought so much unnecessary drama into her life but she was already unfortunately attached. And she'd brought this whole mess onto herself by picking the most troublesome of the lot as her apprentice.

She hadn't even had time to test his ability in the kitchen!

But she had noticed that his cheeks were starting to fill out. The body shared by two personalities was still far too scrawny for her liking but she was diligently working on it. When she wasn't training the brats, she was creating new recipes to help with deficiencies (which reminded her that she needed to take them to a doctor to reassess what they needed), or researching health issues she needed to look out for or possibly mitigate.

For how truly bad their body had been before, they were healing fairly quickly and with minimal issues. It was something of a godsend.

A knock on the door stole her attention and she pulled herself from her notes to go let her little apprentice in.

Harry was still out, his green eyes staring dully at her.

Before she could even get a word out, he was pleading, "Menchi, I need help."


"Tch. Disgusting."

She pulled off her soiled gloves and hung them from a piece of rebar jutting out from the wall. It was pretty convenient the body currently caught in her web of threads had smashed far enough through the concrete walls to reveal them. It meant she didn't have to drop them on the rubble littered ground and get them covered in dust as well as blood.

She pulled her phone out of her pouch after a cursory wipe of her fingertips on her black shorts to make sure the worst of the blood was off. Flicking open the contacts, she selected the second person on the list.

It rang once before being answered.

"Hey! You don't normally call unless you have information."

The voice was cheerful and somewhat of a norm for her to hear despite the usual distance that was normally between them.

"You're right. I got another one claiming the Salamander hasn't brought anything home for gold yet."

"That's great news!"

The joy and relief on the other line echoed her own. It really was great news. As long as the Salamander still hadn't returned to his boss like a loyal lapdog, there was still a chance. It wasn't easy nabbing high enough officials in the mafia that had the information they needed. They used to be pretty abundant but their hunt had them running like rats. Now it was almost a guessing game which ones had actual information they needed.

"No other leads?"

"No," she huffed in annoyance. There hardly ever was. They'd been hunting for years now and still couldn't find him. There had been clues that their target was alive but beyond that. The phone creaked in her ear and she relaxed her hand with an inner admonishment at her lack of control.

A sigh crackled through the speakers. "Alright. I'll pass on the news."

"Thanks."

She snatched up her gloves as soon as she shoved her phone away and marched out of the building. The body made a wet thud behind her as her nen dissipated. She wasn't too worried about it. If anyone actually found it, it would only help enforce their message. This place was an old warehouse near the tiny docks of a fishing village, so it would be a surprise if they found out where she'd dragged her victim off too any time soon. Thankfully, there was plenty of cold water to work on her gloves in this place.

It was while she was setting them up to dry on a rock that was baking in the afternoon sun that her phone chimed quietly.

She dug it out of her pouch, answering it with a curt, "Hello?"

"Hello~!"

Immediately she felt disgust curdle in her stomach. "Oh. It's you."

"It's me," the other man laughed in delight.

She could never figure out his deal. Her gut warned him that he was bad news but he'd been with them for years now. Still, he always got far too amused over everything and practically salivated over the boss…

"What do you want?" Her voice echoed the sentiment she felt for him.

"I have need of your expertise, my dear." He hummed and there was the sound of shuffling cards echoing through the speaker. "You see, there's an upcoming match at Heaven's Arena. A little revenge duel."

There was a quiet snicker that made her sneer. "What? You can't put one little pissant into the ground?"

"I could! Don't get me wrong~ I'm more interested in seeing if he's grown at all. You see, he has potential-"

"I don't want to hear it. I'm busy right now so if you want me to go over there it's going to cost you."

"I know your-"

"On top of my normal prices," she snarled. She really didn't want to have to deal with their creepiest member but money was money. It could help her in her unending search.

"Fine! Fine~! Say, are you still looking for… Hm… what was his name? Ja-"

"Don't!" Her voice was loud and echoing even in this little clearing she'd found. "Don't you dare speak his name with that disgusting mouth of yours."

"Mmm~ I love the way he gets you all riled! It's normally so hard to do."

Ugh. Of course, he poked at her sore spot whenever he could. If there was ever a being that personified schadenfreude, it was that fashion disaster of a clown. Her temper was normally very even-keeled but whenever it came to this-

She wanted to tear his face off.

"Do you want me to come or not," she threatened, already sick of talking to him from the very first word that left his mouth.

"Of course, I do." His voice was all saccharine and pouty. Who the fuck let a grown ass man act like this guy? "I'll see you in two days~!"

Sometimes, Machi hated that she offered guaranteed service to all spiders as long as they paid.


AN: Heya folks and Happy Holidays! It was pretty much unanimous that every wanted the filler. I decided to make it a little more important than I had previously. It's still just shy of my normal preferred wordcount but I couldn't find more to add to it so here ya go! I hope you enjoyed! So... who can guess the direction this is going? :3 There's still a few more chapters for the Heaven's Arena but something is brewing in the background for sure!

Q&A:

Shonna C: Thank you for your patience! I love this story as well and I'm sticking to my guns even if I might have to take a while in between each chapter.

Tetractys: It IS always great to see the murder clown! I hope you enjoy more of him in this chapter! As always, lovely to see you~!

Drakality: I think I might cry if I somehow managed to get rid of you XD My holidays were busy but fulfilling and I even got to enjoy Halloween off which was a nice treat. As a reader we certainly get to se a bit of what's wrong with Harry, too bad our knowledge is not knowledge for the other characters! Kalluto may or may not have noticed (he has but doesn't realize what it is), either way his stalker mode has activated!

MewdynZoldyck: The translator seems to be working just fine! Thank you for both of your comments and I'm really glad you've stuck with my story!. Jasper may be flirting but it's absolutely unintentional. He's just admiring a pretty friend right now. Except it's making Kalluto take notice. I'm not sure yet if it'll develop into a crush but it might! They sure do have some adorable chemistry already.

arnologia: I love finding stories in their later stages because it gives me more to read! I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much as the previous ones!