"Finally!" Yang cheered as she and Blake came out, "We made before the clock hit zero!"

"Yang," Ruby practically tackled her sister.

"Hey sis, how's…" Yang trailed off when she saw Ruby in tears.

"Yang, Gon's not here and it's the last day, and I'm worried, and it's not just Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio aren't here either, and Weiss is pacing!" Ruby said in a really fast and high pitch tone, that if it were anyone other then Yang, no one would understand.

"There there," Yang petted, "Gon's a tough cookie, he'll be here, and we'll all pass together."

Weiss was slightly pacing. To anyone, she was just bored and irritated. Actually, Weiss was worried. She wouldn't admit it, but it was taking Killua a long time to pass this phase. Sure, he didn't have Nen but he should have been there by now.

There were prisoners during this phase, was there a Nen user among them? If they use Ren Kil wouldn't have a way to defend. No, Kil should have enough skill to sense the threat and back off, besides the instructors aren't supposed to reveal Nen at all during the exam… So what is taking so long?

Weiss was practically pulling out her ponytail at this point. Where was her brother? She was so deep in thought she almost walked into another applicant.

"Hey, watch it," the applicant said. Pokkle Weiss remembered.

Weiss sighed, she was too stressed to yell, she muttered, "Sorry."

Pokkle looked at Weiss's worried expression. She was actually kind of pretty.

"Um… I-…" Pokkle stopped when one of the more intimidating applicants seemed to appear behind the white-haired girl. It was the tall one with purple skin and was covered in piercings. The applicant's expression was always blank, but Pokkle swore his eyes were glowing with danger. That made Pokkle run to the other side of the room.

"Huh?" Weiss looked behind her and saw nothing. What was he so afraid of?

%%%%%%

There was only one minute left before the third phase ended. Now the girls were getting really worried.

"Come on Killua," Weiss whispered, "I know you're not this weak. You left home on your own after all."

"Gon," Yang was yelling, "Hurry up. The phase is about to end."

Yang didn't care if she looked like a lunatic or if the other applicants were looking at her like she was an idiot. She was not going anywhere without her baby sister or her baby cousin!

"This is bad, this is bad," Ruby panicked, "Gon!" Ruby began yelling, "If you don't hurry up, you'll fail."

"Why are you two yelling," One of the three brothers snapped, "It's obvious the kid failed."

"Not yet," Ruby defended, "There's still time."

"Oh please, it's-…"

Everyone stopped when one of the doors began to open.

"Whew, just in time."

Kurapika, Gon, and Killua came out of the door. Less than a second later, a red blur tackled Gon to the floor, "Gon!" Ruby was hugging her younger cousin as they landed, "I'm so glad you're here, I thought you weren't going to pass."

"Dog pile," Yang jumped into a group hug with Ruby and Gon, "What happened little man? I was beginning to think you weren't gonna make it."

"Heh, sorry," Gon grinned sheepishly.

Weiss released a sigh of relief before approaching Killua, "You took your sweet time."

Killua looked at Weiss and shrugged, "I knew I was gonna pass."

Weiss grabbed his cheek and pulled, "You just barely passed the finish line and you're one of the last ones here. Don't be so lazy."

"Ow, it's not my fault," Killua pulled free and pointed at Leorio and Tonpa who came in behind them, "It's there's. Leorio lost a game of rock-paper-scissors and Tonpa's been trying to sabotage us because we're rookies. They made us take a time penalty. We had to wait for almost two days, I would have passed by now and I totally would have passed before you," Killua stuck out his tongue.

"Excuses, excuses," Weiss playfully smirked before turning around, "Not everyone can be as good as me, but I shouldn't judge. I mean, you are my baby brother after all, so-…"

Weiss stopped when she felt Killua flip up the back end of her skirt.

Less than a second later, Killua was on the ground, in a headlock curtesy of Weiss.

"How dare you flip a ladies skirt?"

"You're not a 'lady,' you're a sister- Ah!"

"Say that again, I dare you!"

While the white haired siblings squabbled, Yang stood up, pulling her family up with her.

"What did Killua mean by Tonpa trying to sabotage you?"

"Exactly, what he said," Leorio exploded, "This bastard has been trying to get us to fail since day one."

Tonpa just smirked, "Yeah, fine I admit it. Crushing rookies is what gets me up in the morning."

Yang looked at the short fat man, "Gon and Killua are kids. This test is dangerous, sometimes failing means death."

"Hmph, so? That's what you get if you think-…" Tonpa bounced off the wall after Yang punched him and sent him flying.

"Next time you mess with us, I won't stop with one punch!"

%%%%%%%

When the phase ended, the door opened which led them to the outside.

"Ah, fresh air, how I missed you," Ruby sighed with a smile.

"Yeah, being stuck in a room filled with sweaty guys, gets boring after a couple of days," Yang admitted.

"Congratulations everyone who passed," the instructor stood in front of the group, "Now, I need everyone to draw lots."

"Draw lots for what?" Someone asked.

The instructor had a grin, "Who you hunt and who hunts you," that made the air more tense at the implication, "Now, we'll go in the order which you passed."

Hisoka walked ahead first. It didn't surprise anyone that he was the first to pass.

Ruby took notice of his cuts. What did that?

Hisoka reached into the box and pulled out a card.

"Next."

One by one, until all the applicants had a card.

"Now, peel off the sticker."

Everyone obeyed.

The man grinned, "The number you see is your target."

Murmurs and gasped filled the air. Almost everyone placed their hands over their badges or just took them off.

The examiner pointed to the island that was off the coast behind him, "The next phase will take place on Zevil Island. You have one week to collect your targets badge. Your own badge is three points, and your targets badge is three, everyone else's is one point. To pass you must have a total of six points."

"Yikes," Yang murmured.

So, it wasn't just the guy who drew your number who you had to worry about. Someone could get desperate and try to attack you just to get points.

"Yang?" Ruby whispered.

Yang flashed Ruby her card. 198, it wasn't her or their friends.

"You?" Yang asked.

Ruby showed Yang. 89.

Ruby was relieved that she didn't get any of her friends as targets. But what about the others?

She did see Blake's though. Blake was putting her badge away; unaware Ruby could see her card. It was number 362.

Who did Gon get?

Weiss looked at her card, she got 53. She recognized that number, it was that scrawny archer.

As Ruby tried to remember who had her number, her eyes went to Hisoka. She frowned, what if his target was her, or Yang, or even Gon?

%%%%%%

The remaining applicants got on the boat. Weiss was walking, stretching her legs when Ruby approached her.

"Weiss."

"What is it?" Weiss asked bored.

"Um… I was wondering…"

Weiss showed Ruby her card, "You're not my target, if you were I would have taken your badge by now."

"Oh good, um," Ruby pulled out her card, "You aren't my target either, but that wasn't what I wanted to ask you about."

"Okay, what?"

"I'm… worried for my friends. Gon, Yang, Leorio, Kurapika, and Killua."

"Well, that's sweet, but I can promise you Killua's plenty strong," Weiss said.

"Is he strong against Hisoka?"

Weiss stiffened, "Why? Did Hisoka draw his number?" This was the first time Ruby saw Weiss afraid.

"I don't know," Ruby said, "I checked you, Yang, and Blake's target. None of us drew Hisoka, but that doesn't mean Hisoka didn't draw one of us. Weiss, if Hisoka came after you, would you be able to beat him?"

Weiss peeked around the corner, where the other applicants sat. Hisoka was there, sitting to 301.

"No," Weiss said, "He might be as strong as my older brother, and I've never beat him in a sparring match."

"Yang, Gon, and I ran into him during the first phase," Ruby rubbed her arm, "He took us all down easily, and he did it with a creepy smile. According to Kurapika, we're alive because he chose to let us live. Hisoka said, 'we passed,' and that was it."

Weiss sighed, "I did catch Hisoka looking at me with a creepy grin too. If he decides to come after me or Killua, it'll throw a Milluki size wrench into our plans."

"Who's Milluki?"

"The fat oafish bane of my existence," Weiss said. She could list all the things she hated about Milluki, but she didn't have all day, "So, are you asking for help?"

Ruby nodded, "He… has a weird fixation on Gon. I don't want him to hurt him."

Weiss glanced back at Hisoka. Ruby had every right to worry for her younger cousin. Hisoka wasn't just strong, he was Nen user. So far he hadn't used any Nen technique and he was crushing the competition. If he went after Killua or Gon, neither would survive.

She looked at Ruby; neither would she for that matter. Honestly, Weiss didn't like the idea of Ruby and her friends getting hurt… or worse.

Weiss sighed, "Okay, we can work together again to pass this phase and protect our brothers," technically Gon was Ruby's cousin, but she made it clear she loved him like he was her little brother.

"Really?" Ruby asked.

"Sure," Weiss sighed, "Gon is Killua's friend, and he likes you and Yang too. So, I guess I should help- Ah!"

"Thank you so much," Ruby began to hug Weiss, "I knew you were a nice person."

"Get off me, we're still not on hugging terms!"

Hisoka chuckled, watching the girls bonding. It was cute.

His eyes went to Ruby. Weiss was certainly strong, but Ruby was clearly a gem in the rough. Hisoka knew Ruby was nowhere near his level yet, but she did have skill and determination, she would blossom into a very sweet fruit one day, one he looked forward to plucking… but there was something else. He didn't know what it was, but there was something that told him Ruby was special.

Perhaps it was her eyes. Ruby had silver eyes. It was very rare and uncommon. He only knew one other person who had silver eyes.

Chrollo.

%%%%%%

Winter walked onto the roof. Her white trench coat didn't get a speck of blood on it. Good, she hated ruining her good coats.

She leapt over some rooftops and landing in an alley. She glanced around, Illumi was late. She checked her phone.

There wasn't a message asking for help, so Winter decided to kill time.

She went to a mall she spotted on the way. Winter liked to consider herself beautiful, but she wasn't there to shop for herself.

She went to the toy store in the mall. Kalluto's birthday was coming up. She also wanted to get something for Alluka, her youngest sister must had been so lonely.

Alluka was a little easier to shop for. She loved stuffed toys. She spotted a stuffed white cat with a pink bow. Alluka would love that. So, she bought it.

Kalluto was handy with things. So, Winter went to the craft store. She found several different colored papers with beautiful designs. This would make beautiful origami.

Winter checked the time. Illumi had to had been done by now.

Deciding to be nice, she got bought two coffees.

She walked to a nearby bus stop and sat down. She took a sip of her own beverage.

"You're late," Weiss spoke when Illumi appeared behind the bench.

"Sorry, I was careless, and he slipped away for a little bit," Illumi said.

"When are you ever careless, brother?" Weiss held up the extra coffee behind her. Illumi took it and sat down next to her. Winter glanced at him as he did.

Despite being twins, Winter and Illumi, looked nothing alike. In terms of appearance Winter took after their father, Illumi took after their mother. Although there might had been a chance Illumi got his black eyes from somewhere else. Winter cannot recall ever seeing her mother without her visor, so she didn't know what her eye color was, plus Kalluto had magenta eyes.

In terms of personality, one could say they were twins. Winter had heard a few butlers calling them both cold and heartless, but that's what made them the perfect assassin duo.

Illumi and Winter had been partners since they joined the business. At the beginning of their lives, the twin was all the other had in their intense training. Then their younger siblings were born.

Illumi glanced at the bag, "I see you kept yourself busy."

"Kalluto's birthday is coming up, or did you forget?" Winter asked.

"No, I got his gift already," Illumi said, "Although a stuffed cat doesn't seem to be his preference."

"It's for Alluka," Winter explained, "I want her to know she's still being thought of," Winter took a sip of her coffee, "Speaking of which, how is Milluki's experiments going?"

"He's identifying the rules for Alluka's powers," Illumi stated.

"Good, the sooner we understand, the sooner we can help Alluka," Winter said.

"You think it's a good idea to remove her power?" Illumi asked.

"You said it yourself," Winter reminded, "It's a danger to us all, including Alluka. She's been placed in solitary confinement because of it. She hasn't done anything wrong, Illumi. Our sister doesn't deserve to be punished."

Illumi's voice was low, she almost didn't hear it, "Maybe… It's no longer a member of our family."

In a flash, Illumi's back was on the bench. Winter's sword at his throat, "What did you just say?"

Illumi didn't show any fear, or emotion for that matter. Not even as his sister's knee pressed into the chest of his green sweater. He held up his hand, looking a little annoyed as if Winter wasn't threatening him, "I'm just joking Winter, lighten up."

Winter narrowed her eyes, but she got off him, "You don't have a sense of humor Illumi. Don't try making jokes you can't pull off."

Winter opened her eyes. She was still in her hotel room. She sighed.

Her conscience was clearly tormenting her.

How could I had been so foolish?

She reached onto the nightstand and pulled out her family's photo. It was her, with all her siblings and their mother. Honestly, they actually looked like a normal family in this photo.

Winter was standing next to Illumi in the back. Illumi had crossed his arms, she supposed everyone had their teenage angst and Illumi was no exception. He was wearing his favorite green sweatshirt back then. Winter was wearing her white over coat. Milluki was next to her, wearing a red sweatshirt.

Their mother was in the middle. She was crouching down, her hands on either Weiss or Killua's shoulder. Weiss was wearing a cute white dress. She was holding Killua's and Kalluto's hands.

Winter's eyes trailed off to the final figure on the right, Alluka. Just as the photo was being taken, Alluka saw a butterfly and went to chase after it. Her back was turned, so you could only see her hair and her yellow sweatshirt. Winter smiled fondly at the memory, before guilt stole it.

She leaned her forehead onto the photo, "I promise, I am coming for you."

She had to save her younger siblings, especially Alluka. Winter cursed herself for being so foolish.

She agreed to Alluka's confinement, because her family promised to find a cure for her cursed powers. Whatever this power was, it wasn't Alluka's fault, but her family didn't want to cure Alluka, they wanted to control her and this deadly power.

When Winter realized that horrible truth; that was when she decided it was time to leave.

Her eyes went to Illumi in the picture, "No matter what it takes. I'll get them away from you."

A/N

What is silver, but a shiny shade of gray?

I'm back. I was on AO3 for a while writing the forbidden fruit. But it is now basically complete.

As for shiny gray and silver, that is a reference for our favorite smooth criminal thief.