When Menchi heard what had happened to Gon, she was more than understanding about him and Killua coming back late. In fact, she was furious with herself because she'd had so much on her mind that she'd forgotten to assign someone to ensure Gon had completed the course. Forgetting something like that during Initiation Week was a terrible mistake, so she couldn't help but feel guilt at the bruises on his face and whispers behind his back.

Due to Menchi's soft spot, the rest of the week passed by without a hitch for squad three. Killua helped Gon through the three and five mile courses, and Leorio and Kurapika slowly grew accustomed to the hard pace that was drilled into them. More people dropped out, until by the end of the week, only people who had the physical ability to keep up were there. Out of around two hundred applicants, only thirty remained.

The only problem for Gon and Killua was the in class training. Yes, that's right. In class. They had two classes a day, and the classes rotated every other day, so they had to take four classes total. If they hadn't been able to work in squads, they'd be screwed. The first class was first aid training, which the entire squad only scraped through in thanks to Leorio's extensive medical knowledge. The second was weapons handling, which included learning parts of guns and how to put them together, as well as proper storage of bullets and gun safety. With the exception of Gon, who'd needed Killua's help with everything, they'd done pretty well.

The last two classes were absolute hell. The first was the history of the army and the reason why they were fighting. Everyone pretty much knew why they were fighting, so the majority of the class was spent on history. They would've failed and been kicked out in an instant had Kurapika not totally come through to help them. Even with his knowledge from reading almost every military book ever written, they were only managing to stay afloat by a couple of marks. No one else in the squad had a clue what was going on. The last class killed every squad member, though. It was about the army's values of honor, courage, and commitment. It was basically memorizing an exceptionally long verse they'd have to say when they graduated. Gon didn't think he'd be able to memorize even the first part in the twelve weeks they had left.

"Listen up, recruits! You maggots are progressing at a nice pace, but don't let that get to your head! Drop down and give me a hundred push ups!"

"Yes, sir!"

Menchi was pleased by how far the new guys had come in one week. In just one week, they'd went from snivelling, nervous cowards to quick, obedient recruits. These guys had a lot of potential. The first four weeks were all about turning civilians into soldiers, but half of the men and women before her were already there. She smiled grimly. They obeyed her without question now. A couple more weeks and they'd obey whichever superior commanded them, even if that command was to go to their deaths. The only problem was…

Killua didn't have to look up to know that Menchi's eyes were on him and Gon. He'd sensed her disapproval in their close friendship for a few days now. He knew exactly how she felt; making friends in the military was bad. The kind of bond you needed was the kind he had with Leorio and Kurapika. He respected them, and he'd grown close enough to them to risk his life for them in battle. But, if push came to shove and he had to make a choice to save them or listen to his commanding officer, he'd choose the latter. And he expected them to do the same; commanding officers chose what was best for the entire military, so disobeying an order and saving one friend's life could easily result in hundreds of other lives.

The problem was, if push came to shove and it was Gon's life in trouble, he honestly had no idea how he'd respond. He'd originally thought his high opinion of Gon would wear off, but the more he spent time with his friend, the more he liked him. Life felt simple around him, and every time they were together the world that usually felt stale and meaningless felt fresh and full of life. His eyes unconsciously drifted towards the boy beside him, and Gon gave him a huge grin. He quickly looked away, his heart picking up its pace just a bit. It was the push ups. They didn't usually strain him, but since it was day six, even his body must be getting tired.

"Good work, recruits! And, with that, first week of training is over! At ease!"

Everyone cheered as they finished their push ups, standing up and wiping their sweating brows. Squad mates huddled together, patting each other's backs and laughing with a relief they hadn't felt all week. Everyone had grown closer to their squad mates, even those who had initially fought. There was something unifying about doing the same training side by side every day.

"We did it, boys!"

Leorio laughed, ruffling Kurapika, then Gon, then Killua's hair with a laugh. They were all so happy they'd made it through the first week that none of them bothered to get angry or upset. Their schedule was such that they trained six days a week, then had every Sunday off to do whatever they wanted. Most people went into a nearby entertainment town, the guys going to the strip club or bar while the girls went to the dancing club or bar. Although a few girls naturally tagged along to the strip club as well.

"As a treat on me, I'm taking you all to the club downtown! No holding back! I'll even buy you young ones your first lap dance!"

Kurapika laughed and Killua rolled his eyes. Gon simply looked excited to be going out for the first time in six days. They marched back to their bunks, everyone except for Gon throwing comments around about what kind of woman they'd like and arguing about the clothes they'd wear. Gon was quiet, sitting on his bed and thinking hard. It was quite a rare site, so after a couple of minutes everyone calmed down and shot each other questioning glances. Gon's expression had quickly gone from contemplative to disappointed. Finally, Kurapika spoke up.

"What's wrong Gon?"

"Sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to go with you."

Everyone stared at him in astonishment. He was the one who'd been itching to get off the base and explore, but now he was saying he wouldn't?

"Why?!"

All three other squad members spoke at the same time, crowding around Gon with incredulous looks. He scratched the back of his head, looking down.

"I don't have anything else to wear."

Gon looked down at his clothes, his brow furrowed.

"Are you sure this looks okay?"

Everyone had been furious that he'd thought they'd let something like that stop him, and everyone had been quick to offer him clothes to wear. Of course, the only clothes he'd fit into were Killua's because Kurapika and Leorio were too tall. Seeing Gon wearing his clothes made Killua feel strange, and slightly uncomfortable, because all he could think about was a lover wearing the other person's clothes after… doing the deed. He swallowed. No, don't even go there. This is the military and Gon's your friend.

"They look fine."

Kurapika was reassuring him. Kurapika had been the one to pick out the clothes, and damn, the man knew how to dress someone. Gon was dressed in a loose white button up shirt with the top buttons undone, exposing a hint of his tanned, muscular chest. His jeans were also loose, and they were Killua's favourite designer jeans, ones that were rolled up at the cuffs about half way up a person's calf. On his feet he wore a simple pair of black flip flops he'd borrowed from Leorio because he had surprisingly large feet. He looked hot, there was no denying it. Killua wondered if he'd even have to pay for the lap dance Leorio had promised.

"Hm… okay. I like shorts better, though. And boots! That way nothing can hurt your feet."

Everyone laughed as they reached the club's doors and shoved them open. Shorts and boots? Gon was better off sticking with letting other people dress him.

The instant the door opened, the four were hit with a wave of scents, which included smoke, alcohol, and sweat. It was a familiar scent to Leorio, who'd been in more than a couple strip clubs, and Kurapika and Killua had no problems with it, but Gon wrinkled his nose. He almost looked like he wanted to leave, until he saw the way the lights pulsed all different colours. His eyes lit up.

"Woah! This is incredible, guys!"

Some of the older military guys from their base stifled laughs at his innocence. Killua couldn't believe it; had the kid never been to a strip club before? Well, now that he thought about it, Gon had come from an island. And he'd spent more time alone in a forest

"Would you guys like a table for four?"

Leorio's eyes bugged at the busty, scantily clad woman smiling charmingly at them. His face turned red and the look on his face couldn't be described as anything other than lecherous. Kurapika gave him a swat to the back of the head and smiled back at the girl, inclining his head.

"Yes, please, if it doesn't trouble you too much."

The woman seemed surprised by Kurapika's reaction, as if the majority of the customer's she got had the same reaction as Leorio. Her smiled turned warm, and she led them to a table that was relatively quiet. As they were walking, Gon leaned over and whispered way too loud into Killua's ear.

"She's really pretty!"

Killua's face turned red as the woman giggled, seemingly pleased with Gon's simple, innocent comment. When they were seated, she looked at all of them approvingly, her eyes resting on Gon for a heartbeat longer than the others. She gave a satisfied nod, then spoke in a kind, musical voice.

"I get a lot of requests, but most guys are so lecherous I just can't stand them. You guys are cute, though… My name is Aiko. How about if I entertain you tonight?"

Everyone's eyes grew wide. She didn't even need to strip to be totally gorgeous, and here she was offering to be their hostess. There was steam coming from Leorio's ears and nose as he tried to splutter something, but Kurapika shushed him. Just as he was about to answer, however, Gon surprised them all.

"Yeah! You seem nice so I think it'll be fun!"

Gon's grin was dazzling. Aiko giggled, her face flushing happily. "Thanks! And what's your name, sweetie?"

"Gon Freecss! And this is Kurapika, Killua, and Leorio. We're all in the military and it's been a pretty long week for us, but I'm sure it's been long for you too with all of these guys always hanging around. Take all the time you need."

Aiko's blue eyes widened prettily, then she clapped her hands happily. "You're adorable, Gon. For you, I don't mind at all."

She left humming, and everyone turned to Gon, their jaws hanging open in amazement. He didn't seem fazed or even embarrassed. Leorio glanced over his shoulder to make sure she was gone, then leaned down to whisper to Gon behind his hand.

"How did you do that?"

Gon blinked and shrugged, innocent as ever.

"I just told her the truth. Women like it when you tell them all the things that are nice and true about them. I did it all the time with the women who came to the island."

Everyone was floored. He'd done it all the time? Killua had thought that he had way more experience with women than Gon. He'd gone to second base multiple times, though he'd never actually gone the whole way because he never felt like it. He wondered if Gon had went all the way with anyone. If he had women like Aiko practically falling into his lap, it wasn't all that surprising. A small part of Killua felt wounded, and slightly angry. It was because Gon had gone all the way before he had, he told himself.

"So like… have you done it?"

"It?"

A pretty waitress came by and asked them for their orders. Kurapika, surprisingly, took the initiative and ordered them all some sort of fruity alcoholic drink, insisting they'd like it.

"It."

"Hm… maybe."

"M-maybe? How can you not know?"

Gon looked Leorio dead in the eye.

"I don't know what you're talking about. But… do you mean sex?"

Everyone fell silent. They waited until the waitress came back with their drinks, and they sipped as they listened to the back and forth between Leorio and Gon.

"Y-yes."

"Oh! Um… sort of."

"SORT OF?!"

A few of the patrons shushed Leorio with harsh curses. He had risen half out of his seat, but he quickly sat back down. Killua had spit out his drink when he'd heard that, and Kurapika listened with a slightly amused expression on his face.

"One time, I was going to, but then… I didn't feel like it. It was pretty hot under the covers, even though we were naked."

Three heads hit the table at once. Gon had been naked in bed with a girl, and he'd decided not to sleep with her because it was too hot? It was too much to handle.

"Do you have the self-control of a god?"

They didn't even notice Aiko peering out shyly from behind the curtain a few metres away from their table. She was adjusting her clothes, getting ready to walk out to the pole in the middle of their table. Gon looked at his squad mates as if he couldn't understand what they were talking about.

"She thought it was a big deal too. She kept saying 'But isn't it hard?' I didn't think it was that difficult. She apologized a hundred times for not playing before or something. I don't know. Sex just doesn't seem that appealing."

Again, three heads hit the table. Killua sat up and practically chugged his entire drink, not sure if he was feeling relief or embarrassment for the girl. Gon was so damn clueless it was frustrating. Leorio took a long drink, closing his eyes in jealous contemplation. He knew what he would've done in Gon's place. Kurapika pressed his lips together as hard as he could, trying not to laugh.

"Woah! Aiko's wearing different clothes!"

Everyone looked up, and their eyes widened as the girl they'd all previously considered pretty walked out looking like a goddess. High heels accentuated her long, shapely legs, and her blonde hair which had previously been up in a ponytail hung down almost to her waist. She wore a military outfit, and the cap topped off the look to make her look sexy, seductive and mysterious. Leorio almost passed out.

She sashayed up to the pole and began dancing, slow and full of appeal. Everyone in the room's eyes were drawn to her. Her skill as she slowly began removing camouflaged pieces of cloth was miles above any of the other girls. Leorio, hands shaking, drew a twenty out of his wallet and leaned forward. She leaned down to let him slip it into her camouflage bra, and then he really did pass out, his hand twitching.

"Aiko, you're amazing at dancing."

She smiled sweetly at Gon as she slowly began removing her pants. Killua had to avert his eyes or he'd have a problem he'd have to deal with in the bathroom if he wanted to walk home normally. Kurapika leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he grinned up at her like he did this all the time. When she was finally finished with her pants, Killua wordlessly handed her another twenty. Kurapika did the same. Gon looked horrified.

"K-Killua… I don't have any money."

Aiko spun around and around on the pole, her legs surprisingly muscled. She was extremely skilled. This wasn't just sensual; it was art. Her dancing was seductive, yes, but it was also beautiful. Her body twisted in ways most people couldn't even dream of moving. Killua opened his mouth to reply but all of the saliva left it when Aiko climbed off the table and placed one of her hands on Gon's chest. Gon looked up at her, then frowned.

"I'm really sorry, Aiko. I'd give you all the money I have because you're such a good dancer, but Aunt Mito is poor."

HE STILL HAD COMPOSURE? Even Kurapika was flushed! Aiko leaned down and breathed into Gon's ear.

"It's okay, sweetie. Your compliments are enough."

Well, Killua reasoned, Leorio had slipped the money for the dancing to the waitress. It wasn't like giving money directly to the stripper was required, unless you wanted a lap dance. But… Aiko was obviously going to give him a lap dance, money or not. She lowered her hips onto Gon's, wrapping her arms around his neck. Killua wanted to look away, didn't want to watch something so intimate, but he couldn't tear his eyes away. Gon opened his mouth to speak, but Aiko ground against him and his eyes widened.

"T-that feels… s-strange."

Killua couldn't take his eyes off of Gon's face, which was rapidly becoming flushed as Aiko danced on him and slid against him. Gon's eyelids lowered half way, the lashes fluttering. A small moan escaped his lips, then his eyes widened and he quickly clapped a hand over his mouth.

"W-wait."

Aiko laughed breathily and kept dancing. Gon was getting more flustered and turned on as she danced, and it was obvious the poor kid wouldn't last much longer. Killua's own breathing sped up as he watched, but he wasn't sure whether he was imagining himself in Gon's place or in Aiko's. No, stop. He needed to look away, but Gon's trembling lips were hypnotizing. Kurapika rolled his eyes up to the ceiling, not sure whether Gon or Killua's reaction was more embarrassing. He poked Leorio with his foot, not wanting to be the only awkward one in this situation. He felt like a… third wheel, or maybe even a fourth wheel, to a threesome.

Gon suddenly grabbed onto Aiko's hips and lifted her up. Her mouth opened in an O of surprise, and it would've been comical taken out of context. Gon moved her off of him and stood up quickly, biting down hard on his lip.

"S-sorry, Aiko. I feel strange. I need to use the washroom."

Everyone gaped as he ran off. Aiko frowned, then turned to Kurapika.

"Has your friend ever gotten off?"

Kurapika's face turned bright red as he held up both hands, shaking his head frantically.

"I have no idea."

Killua swallowed, trying to pretend he hadn't noticed the awkward way Gon had been walking.

"Based on his reaction… I don't think he has."

And that was that. Aiko still danced for them, even gave Leorio a lap dance after he woke up, but it was more subdued. It had to have been a full hour and Gon still wasn't back from the washroom. Aiko, sweating profusely from the dancing, excused herself and the three squad mates leaned forward, Killua and Kurapika filling Leorio in on what had happened.

"Do you think he's okay? I mean, do you think he knows how to deal with himself?"

Everyone froze. No, probably not. Or did he? There was no way he could be taking an entire hour to 'deal with himself' was there? They were all worried about what he was doing in the bathroom. But not a single one wanted to go and see for themselves, lest they walk in on something horribly embarrassing. Killua finally sighed.

"I'll go, then."

But it wasn't necessary, because suddenly Gon exited the bathroom and sprinted over to their table, his face flushed in a happy excitement. What had he…?

"Hey, hey, you'll never guess what happened!"

They all looked at each other. They had pretty good ideas about what had happened, but no one wanted to voice them.

"What?"

He was simply going to stare at them in excitement if no one asked, so Killua finally decided to. Gon beamed.

"I met a friend of Ging's in the bathroom! His name is Kaito! I was so excited I stopped feeling strange, and we even talked for an hour!"

Three heads hit the table again.