Disclaimer: I don't own anything


Naru clasped her hands behind her back and began to pace back and forth as her eyes drifted towards her door before flickering her eyes to the clock. It was 8:30 and her friends weren't back from their training with Wing. Most of the time, they would have been back by 8:00 or 8:05 if they really wanted to be late. For them, not to be here meant that something must have happened.

The clocks ticked even louder, rippling through the air like a tidal wave. The sound mocked her, almost reminding her of the fact that she was all alone while her friends could continue on with their training. Naru released a shaky breath, steadied her trembling arms and glanced at the food on the table.

For the first time in weeks, she decided not to make her signature ramen for her friends. With how much Killua and Gon had been complaining about having the same food, she decided to change things up. Plates of several sandwiches rested on the table alongside the golden tempura and the large bottle of orange juice that she barely managed to find.

If they were going to be late, then they should call me, Naru thought as her eyes rested on the door. It wasn't like them not to call her to inform her that they were late. She licked her chapped, rough lips and balled her hands into a fist. Something must have happened to them. She just knew that something must have happened to them.

There was a sudden knock on the door and she stopped in her tracks. Hope began to stir inside of her beating heart, and without a second thought Naru dashed straight towards the door. She felt the relief flooding inside of her body, her legs trembled with happiness and she swung the door open.

The moment her eyes caught sight of her two friends, she tackled them to the ground.

Both Killua and Gon groaned, their eyes gleaming with surprise. Naru offered them a slight smile and blinked when she heard someone cough. Heat flooded her cheeks when her eyes caught sight of Zushi. The boy had a slight blush on his cheeks while his eyes gleamed with slight disappointment.

Did he truly want to be tackled by her?

"Hi Zushi," she offered him a slight smile and a sheepish laugh before swirling her head at her friends. "You guys should have told me that you were bringing him! I would've made more food!"

Killua shrugged his shoulders and avoided looking her in the eye. "We thought you would be happy that we were bringing him over! Besides, you always make a lot of food!"

"I make a lot of food?" She snorted and jumped off the two boys. "You guys always finish the food and tell me that I don't make enough food for you guys!"

Gon and Killua offered her a little nervous chuckle and refused to meet her own eyes. Scaredy cats, Naru grumbled as she clicked her tongue at them and offered a bright smile to Zushi. The boy pinkened, ears growing a wonderful shade of red, and she felt the corner of her lips tugging downwards as an uncomfortable feeling settled on her.

I think I feel flattered, Naru thought as she maintained the smile on her face. It was becoming increasingly clear to her that Zushi might have developed feelings for her. That was great in a sense. Nobody normal had ever developed feelings for her so it was great. But…she didn't really like him in that way when she thought about it.

She allowed her eyes to drift to Killua and Gon. There was a large smile on the dark-haired boy's face as he raced towards the dining room table. Her silver-haired friend lingered closer to her, lips curved into a smile but his blue eyes screamed of annoyance. Did something happen today? Naru mused as her eyes drifted to Zushi.

The male blinked and raised his eyebrows at her like he didn't know what to say to her.

"I actually ate with Master, Naru," Zushi explained.

Naru nodded and glanced at Killua. "What about you and Gon?"

"We didn't eat," he confirmed. "Gon tried to convince Zushi to try your food but Zushi was concerned that you might become mad with Gon because it might be last minute."

She released a nervous laugh and poked her fingers together as her stomach began to coil up. I prove him right, didn't I? Naru rubbed the back of her head and refused to meet the eyes of Killua and Zushi. It wasn't like they didn't have any supplies and she got some extra money because of her business…but, well she wanted to be prepared when it came to food.

Shaking her head, she waited for Killua and Zushi to enter the room before walking back into the room. Naru took a deep breath, closed the door behind her, and stared at her friends for a moment. Gon seemed intent in gobbling his food like there was no tomorrow while her silver-haired friend didn't seem to have the same level of excitement like he usually did whenever he ate her food.

She licked her teeth and closed her eyes. "Can you guys explain what happened for you to be late?"

"What makes you think that something happen?" Gon asked, swallowing down his food. There was no denial in his tone but there was curiosity in his tone.

Naru snorted and gestured to the clock. "Because you guys always give me a heads-up whenever you are going to be late!"

The boys kept quiet and exchanged glances. She thinned her lips and tapped her feet against the floor as she waited for them to say something. The air practically tasted of their hesitance. The way Gon could not meet her eyes and the way Killua regarded her with thoughtful eyes told her that there was something on their mind.

"We ran into your former opponent," Killua explained in a casual tone. "And he made it quite clear that he wanted to fight us."

Naru bobbed her head and shifted her eyes to Gon. "Out of all the opponents that you can get, that guy will be the easiest for you to defeat."

"I don't know if he will be the easiest," Gon swallowed down his food and rubbed his lips. "But I've more of a chance of getting to fight Hisoka if I fight him or any of his friends."

She hummed. "That's your main goal, isn't it? If you want a chance to repay your debt, then you fight them instead of having the possible chance of fighting someone like Hisoka."

Killua nodded and swirled his glass around while his eyes focused on her. "It might be the main goal but those guys target newbies like us."

They are looking for an easy way to win, Naru theorized as her lips curved downwards. She understood what her friend's point because that was what she understood when the man targeted her. If the man wanted to reach his goal, then he wasn't going to go for the hard route. He went for the easy route, and after what happened with their fight…

Well, she suspected that he might do something dirty.

"You've to be careful with them," she informed them as she strolled towards the fridge. The door let out a little squeak and it was not long before cold air blasted towards her. "After what happened with me and with what Killua said, I think those bastards might try to fight dirty."

Gon rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't understand how targeting newbies have to do with fighting dirty."

"It means they will do whatever it takes to win," she replied.

Zushi frowned. "But that's dishonorable!"

"Was it honorable of you when you tried to use Nen on Killua?" She raised her eyebrows at the boy and allowed a little sigh to escape when the male flinched. "I don't mean to bring that up, Zushi but there are people in this world, who frankly don't give a shit about honor. They'll blackmail you or bribe you to make you give up."

Killua inspected her. "Did he try to do that with you?"

"Nope," she clicked her tongue and pulled out the chocolate milk. Without turning her head around, the girl tossed the drink to Killua, Zushi and Gon before taking out her own drink. "But he underestimated me because of how I look and probably because of how new I seem to be to Nen. If he saw me fight, then he might have tried something."

"But he hasn't seen me or Killua fight," Gon pointed out.

She poked the straw into the carton and yawned. "True but he probably knows that we know each other, so he might do something dirty."

"Like what?" Zushi probed.

Naru scratched her head and shrugged her shoulders. "How am I supposed to know? I'm only making conclusions of what I know about the man and the information Killua gave us. It isn't like Gon's Aunt is here for them to threaten her and Killua doesn't give a shit about his own family."

"What about you?" Gon pointed out. "If they try to threaten you…"

"I wiped the floor with him," she reminded him.

The dark-haired boy shook his head. "I know but it's just an example!"

"Then yeah I suppose you will do whatever they want," she agreed. "But they've to be complete idiots to target me and they don't strike me as that kind of idiot."

So it is only a matter of time before we know what they will do, Naru mused as her eyes drifted to her friends. Her fingers drifted to her necklace, playing with the crystal as her eyes fixated on the three boys. In this case, she had no idea of who they would target to ensure their win. Her opponent hadn't struck her as a complete idiot, just a cocky idiot and those were the bearable kind of idiot.

So how on earth could they blackmail her friend to ensure their win?

"When are you going to fight him?" It was better for her to focus on a game plan for Gon than to ponder over the various ways that the man could threaten her friend.

Gon rubbed his jaw. "Well, I was hoping for the 9th of June because Wing-san told me that I can fight on that day. But Sadaso said that he couldn't do that day. He wanted me to do it a few weeks after that deadline."

He must be trying to let the humiliation die down before fighting him again, Naru mused as her eyes drifted to her friend. It was understandable why Gon would be hesitant to fight the male. He was doing well in his training but Wing probably made him promise to keep to the deal. Of course, after what happened in her match and her own observation, he must have taken it into account.

"It doesn't matter what Sadaso want," she declared, focusing her eyes on Gon. "You should fight when Wing tells you that it is okay for you to fight."

Killua nodded. "That bastard can go to hell."

You can say that again.

Naru chuckled and shook her head before looking out at the window. It was more important for Gon to win his matches and be mentally and physically prepared for his fight. If her friend even think of doing a fight before his deadline to fight the male, then he could potentially lose. After all, there had been a reason that Wing wanted her two friends to fight them on their last day.

But her life experience told her that something was going to happen to make one of them break their promise because nothing ever went their way.


"Killua, what are you doing here?"

Killua kept the smile on his face as his eyes fixated on the blue eyes that belonged to Naru. His blond-haired friend wore a flimsy orange tank top and a pair of orange shorts while her usually neat hair looked almost like a bird nest. A yawn escaped from the girl's lips and it was not long before she began to rub her eyes.

For a single moment, his stomach churned with guilt as he realized that he woke up the girl from her sleep. It was probably late. Too late for him to come to her but…she was probably the only one that he could see right now. Gon couldn't know while Wing was going to find out about it eventually. Besides, she was the first person that came to his mind when it came to what happened.

"I…just wanted to talk to you," he admitted, digging his nail into the palm of his hand. It might leave a scar at this point but the pain would help him calm down. It always did.

Naru stopped rubbing her eyes and straightened her spine like an alert cat as her blue eyes fixated on him. "What happened to make you piss?"

Of course she would notice his mood. Naru was always aware whenever it came to his mood or anyone's mood as long as it was a negative emotion. Positive emotions? She seemed to be either unaware or good at pretending not to notice it. God knew that Zushi was making his crush on the blond-haired girl right in front of him as obvious as anyone with eyes could see.

But it was not the time to complain about the fact that their friend was trying to catch her attention whenever he had the damn chance.

"What gave me away?" He cleared his throat and ignored the emotions bubbling inside of him.

The blonde inspected him for a moment before scanning the corridor before them. It was a smart idea but not a necessary one. He made sure to check to see if anyone followed him or if anyone had seen him come here. The last thing he wanted was for more people to take advantage over what he did. To know about the length that he would go to ensure that Gon would keep his word to Wing.

Warmth flooded his system when Naru clasped her hand around his own wrist. He made no complaint when the blond-haired girl pulled her into her room, slamming the door behind them. It was always nice to have the girl hold his hand. There was just so much warmth in her touch despite her behavior suggesting otherwise.

But he supposed with the Akatsuki chasing after her and her strong desire to go back home, she couldn't allow herself to show the world that she was a warm person with a lot of love and care to give.

"You practically reek of blood-lust," Naru explained. She pulled him towards the couch and set him down but did not release her grip on him. It was as if she wanted to keep him grounded in reality. "And the last time you reeked like this was during the Hunter Exam after you killed those people in the blimp. So…did you kill someone?"

He stared at those concern eyes and curved his lips into a smile. "And if I did?"

Naru did not tighten her grip nor did she relax her grip on his wrist. Instead, her blue eyes faded while a tiny frown crept up on her lips. That was her thinking look. She always made that kind of expression whenever she was considering her words or thinking of the probability of something happen. Between the three of them, his friend was surprisingly pragmatic about everything.

The girl loosened her grip on his wrist and focused on his eyes. "Then you must be really pissed because you usually have good control over your impulse."

She gives me a lot of credit, Killua mused as his eyes drifted to the recent photo that they took. Both Gon and Naru had a lot of faith when it came to him. They always saw the best in him despite the fact that he had been raised as an assassin or had more blood in his hands than them. Maybe that was why he controlled himself today because he wanted them to be right about him.

He just wanted to prove his parents and siblings wrong about him.

"I didn't kill anyone," he confessed. Naru nodded and removed her hand from his wrist before offering him a frown. "But I was very close to killing your former opponent and his friends today."

Naru thinned his lips. "What did that son of a bitch do?"

"He and his friends followed Zushi and attack him," Killua began. The rage boiled inside of his blood and the desire to rip someone's heart was just there, just ready to be activated but he squashed down the rage and desire. "I knew what he planned to do so I told him he didn't need to go through those cliches to get what they wanted."

The blonde clenched her jaw. "You're going to fight him on his desired day?"

"Yes but after I fight one of his friends on their last day," Killua confessed. "But in exchange of letting them win, I told them that they need to work around Gon's schedule."

There was pure silence between them as his confession lingered in the air. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as blue eyes began to glow with annoyance. A sudden lump formed in his throat, threatening to choke him as the air around them began to sizzle with energy. He steeled himself as his stomach coiled up into a little ball.

The rage in Naru's eyes burned even brighter and he winced when the girl whacked him in the head. A light pain erupted in the back of his head and he scowled at Naru. "Why did you do that, Naru?"

"Why?" She snarled. "Because you didn't think about your own schedule! Wing told you that you couldn't fight until the 9th of June! When he finds out about this, he will be upset with you!"

Killua shrugged and offered her a smile. "I don't really care about him being upset with me and I'm going to lose on purpose."

The girl did not offer him a smile, only trembled and quivered like a shaking willow tree. Blue eyes darkened with an unfamiliar emotion and Killua held his breath as he waited for her inevitable scolding. But to his surprise, his friend only shoved her hands into the pocket of her shorts and jumped off the bed. He held his breath and watched as the girl began to pace back and forth.

"You never put yourself first," Naru lamented. There was no annoyance in her voice except resignation and Killua found himself dropping his smile when blue eyes looked at him with clear sadness. "You always put Gon or me before it comes to whatever you want."

He turned his head. "I think I've been putting myself first for a while."

"Really?" she argued, swirling her body around to face him. Those thin lips curved upwards into a twitching smile and those slender hands settled on her waist. "Because I remember distinctly that you offered to marry me instead of having your brothers marry me because you think I would be happier with you than your brothers. I remember you going back home because you were afraid of what your brother would do to Gon and me!"

Killua clenched his jaw and stared at her. "If my father had been serious about the whole thing, would you honestly have preferred to marry my brothers over me?"

"With what I saw? No way," she agreed. "But you never seem to choose anything that makes you happy! You never choose yourself when it really matters! Because if you really put yourself first, you would have stayed with Gon and me from the beginning! You wouldn't have agreed to your father's demands when it came to what he claims to want from you! For god's sake, be selfish!"

But I'm being selfish because I want to keep Gon and you by my side, Killua thought as his eyes focused on the furious eyes that belonged to Naru. When his father made that fake marriage contract, his friend's happiness had been on his mind but he also…wanted her to be on his side. Because in a sense, Naru was his. She understood him, accepted him and that was all he wanted.

He stared at her. "So you would've preferred if I went for my usual reaction and murder them?"

"Honestly?" Killua nodded and Naru threw her hands up in the air. "Yeah, I would have liked that because they deserve it for putting you and Gon in this situation."

The corner of his lips tugged upwards into a smile. "You actually preferred if I kill three people than for me to lose?"

"Of course because I know those guys have no morals," Naru explained. She licked her lips and took several deep breathes before ranting on. "Those bastards target Zushi with the hope of getting you guys to agree to their demand and you agreed to it by putting your own conditions! You didn't do it in your terms! You walked into their own demands without making it clear what will happen if they don't follow through?"

Killua kept quiet and listened to the owls hooting in the background. He felt sweat building on his forehead as a sense of unease crept up inside of him. Naru was right. There was no guarantee that they would listen to him? It was probably one of the most stupid mistakes he made. A rookie mistake. But he didn't see the point of saying his threat in the building.

Of course, Naru would see things differently.

"I was trying to do the whole good thing," he grumbled. "Do you know how difficult it is for me?"

The annoyance in Naru's eyes faded away, and it was not long before the girl stood right in front of him. His heart skipped a beat when the girl dropped down on her knees and put her hands on his own hands. Killua cleared his throat and turned his head away when his friend squeezed his hand. The tremor, which ran down his spine, stopped and his whole body began to relax as the girl rubbed her thumb over his hand.

"Killua, why do you think you need to do the whole good thing?" Naru whispered. The noises in the background began to die down as warm blue eyes fixated on him. "Why do you think being good means not killing someone or making threats?"

If he wanted to concentrate on her question, then he shouldn't focus on her eyes. "Because good people don't kill or make threats, Naru. You and Gon have this idea that I'm a good person when…I'm not a good person."

"You can be a good person and still kill someone or make threats to people," she reassured him. He could practically hear the smile creeping up on her lips and a strange heat crept up on him when Naru grabbed his face. Hot hands tugged on his face, forcing him to look her straight in the eye. "Gon and me? We knew you were assassin and didn't give a shit about it because we know that you don't think it's fun. Being good means you just avoid killing innocent people but those people threaten our friend. They forced your hand and that is unforgivable!"

He chuckled and pried her hands away from his cheek. "It sounds like you might kill them."

"Me?" Naru chuckled and offered him a soft smile. "No but I may try to find a way to poison their meal as a way to make it clear that neither you nor Gon should be touched. Honestly, you need to take care of yourself because…neither me nor Gon can forgive ourselves if you get hurt trying to protect us."

The air tingled with an unfamiliar energy as those blue eyes gazed at hm with so much honesty, care and another unfamiliar emotion to him. An unfamiliar emotion, which tugged on his heart and caused his stomach to dance around like a honeybee. It wasn't the first time Naru vocalized how much she cared about him. It was probably the hundredth time…and if he was being honest, it always get to him.

And that was why he needed to break the air between them because it always did strange things to him.

"Not because you love me?" This always brought back the comfortable feeling inside of him.

Naru groaned. Her cheeks burned a bright shade of red, and it wasn't long before she smacked him with a cushion. "Are you always going to remind me of that?"

"You were the one that confessed to everyone in the Hunter Exam!"

"And how many times must I tell you that it was meant to be a platonic confession, Whitey!"


A/N: So the next chapter should show some subtle differences of the result of Naru's conversation with Killua. We will see Gon and Killua finding out about their Nen in the next chapter as well as hopefully a tiny time skip to get to Hisoka and Gon's battle. This chapter was short because it felt like it might be a repeat of what happened in the anime.

Here are a couple of questions to think about?

Q1: How do you feel about the subtle differences in the arc?

Q2: Do you think in the case of Killua that Naru is right to say that he can be a good person and do what his impulse say?

Q3: And do you think Naru is right about saying Killua not putting himself first?

BQ: Do you think Killua will listen to what Naru said to him?