Hello there! It's Pixie here with chapter two of my new fic. I just wanted to say thank you to Bella (TitanKisses on here... ) for helping me out and giving me so much support this summer. We are both publishing stories after starting a writing challenge together, so if you are into D Gray-Man, you should definitely check out her amazing Lavi fic!

Anyway, enough of my writing. Onwards to the next chapter. Please review!

The first sense that Nikita regained was her hearing. She could hear the swishing of sheets and a strange, constant beeping sound. On one side of her – she couldn't pinpoint which one in her dazed state – she also heard voices talking lowly, just above a whisper.

She could feel a migraine building up in the back of her head, and she groaned at the prospect of facing a full-fledged headache. She was too tired to bother with anything.

The voices stopped suddenly at the noise that escaped her lips.

"Should I call Leorio?" someone asked.

"I think that's a good idea," said the second one, and then there was some shuffling followed by the sound of a door closing.

Next came her sense of feeling all over her body, and she was shocked at the intense pain that bombarded her body suddenly. She wanted to scream, but her voice couldn't handle such a strain and gave up on her.

"Oi, calm down," a nonchalant voice spoke up from beside her. Calm down? How can I possibly calm down when-

Before she could think her thought through, another surge of pain shot through her body and she clenched her teeth to stop a second silent scream from escaping her throat.

She didn't know how long it lasted- it felt like hours, but then suddenly, the pain felt as though it were being sucked out of her body and instead, the horrible weight of exhaustion settled over her like a fog. Slowly, she willed her eyes to open, and was greeted by the bright white hospital room she was accommodating.

The brightness reminded her of the series of sounds and flashing lights she'd seen before passing out, but her head still throbbed at the memory. Cautiously, she lifted her upper body with her arms and looked around the room.

It looked like any ordinary hospital room and the septic smell lingered in the cold air. The one thing that stuck out was the pale boy sitting beside her, his eyebrows furrowed as he watched her.

Nikita held his gaze for a few seconds, her sleepy state removing all inhibitions as she tried to get her thoughts in order. Where was she? What had happened? Who was this boy with insanely white hair?

"…Are you okay?" the boy asked uncertainly, but the words didn't register until half a minute late. Nikita nodded, but then saw the state of her body. She was covered in bandages and her left leg was in a cast and held up- broken.

Killua watched the mortified expression that fell on the drowsy girl's face. He didn't really know what had happened- only that Leorio had found her and declared himself responsible for her until she could get back to her family.

"Do you remember… what happened?" Killua asked hesitantly, suddenly feeling awkward now that he had been left alone with the girl. He hadn't been very social before meeting Gon, and there were still some barriers between him and people- especially those around his age.

Nikita stared at her body as though in a trance, trying to fit the images and sounds that ran through her head into a sequence of events that would help her remember. She could hear sirens, she could feel fingers prodding her ribs, taste the metallic tang of blood in her mouth, see the glint of glass and blood in her hand.

Her head throbbed even more when she tried to hold on to any of the memories- so she stopped. She looked back up at the boy and shook her head slowly. Just then, the door opened and three men (well, two men and a boy with spiked up black hair) entered the room. She remembered one of the men from before. What was his name?

L…Leo…?

"She just woke up, Leorio," Killua stated to the glasses wearing man in a suit. That was his name!

"I see that," Leorio said as he made his way over to the foot of her bed. "How are you feeling, Nikita?"

His steps seemed so slow and deliberate, but then suddenly he was beside her bed. She felt as though she was experienced multiple miniature time lapses, or that she was inside a movie and someone kept pressing the fast-forward and play buttons at random.

"…Where am I?" She decided to voice the first question that came into her head, and she was surprised at how detached her voice sounded.

"You are currently a patient at the Sacred Hills Hospital in York Shin," the man behind Leorio replied. He was wearing a white coat and had a stethoscope around his neck. Despite the obvious signs, it took a while before Mina registered that he was her doctor. "I'm Dr. Rojei Matts," the doctor introduced himself. He had salt and pepper hair and bright blue eyes. Almost too bright.

There was another skip. Bright, flashing lights. She could hear music blasting from the radio. And then-

She was back at the hospital, with three curious faces staring at her.

"Nikita?"

"Your wounds seem to be textbook vehicular accident ones," the doctor, Matts, said from the side of the hospital room. Nikita tore her eyes away from Leorio and the two youths to look at him. He had put up some x-ray photos up on a board and pressed a button for the backlights. "Your tibia was cleanly broken and you obtained multiple fractures to several ribs. Your larynx was-"

Nikita managed to drift off as Dr. Matts chanted a long list of broken bones and other injuries. Car accident? She tried to think, but couldn't remember. All she could see were the shining bright lights. Could that have been headlights?

"…Temporary amnesia is not uncommon," Dr. Matts concluded, and Nikita figured she must have hit her head pretty hard. But one look at the doctor, and she knew he wasn't finished.

"However…" he began, and started putting up new x-rays.

"However?" the little kid with spiky hair repeated, looking from Nikita to the board beside the doctor.

"These images were just taken seconds apart, and already it seems that at least one of your ribs have completely healed over." Nikita examined the x-rays, and was surprised to see that the rib with the smallest fracture had, indeed, healed over. She didn't really know what to make of it. Her head felt fuzzy.

"Also, the contusions on your chest have been diminishing incredibly fast," he continued, pointing a finger at Nikita. She looked down at her bandaged chest, but wasn't sure how it had looked like before, so could not really compare.

"That's… amazing," Leorio muttered thoughtfully, placing a hand on his chin.

"…I understand this is a touchy subject, but as you are Hunters…" Dr. Matts began, looking nervously at the three other men in the room. 'Hunters?' Nikita had no idea what this meant. How could two young boys be hunters anyway?

"Go on," the kid with spiky hair encouraged.

"Could this have anything to do with Nen? It seems like that's the only reasonable explanation."

Nikita watched as they continued to discuss this 'Nen' thing. She did not have the slightest clue what it could be, and she was feeling much too exhausted to ask.

"Well, in any case, her condition is stable and she is free to go home. However, we have not been able to locate her family. There have been no severe accidents within the city and bordering cities of York Shin, nor have their been any missing reports of a girl named Nikita," the doctor spoke, though something in his voice seemed off.

"Well," Leorio began, scratching the back of his head. "I have no qualms over her staying with us at the hotel," he shot Nikita a look. "Would that be alright with you? To stay with us until we sort out how to get you home?"

Despite not knowing him, Nikita felt overjoyed at his hospitality. It was one less worry in her mind- what she would do until she could get back home.

"Yes. Please," she answered- and she was surprised to hear that her voice wasn't as wispy as before. "If it's okay with you."

And within the hour, Nikita found herself in the backseat of a black sedan. Her clothes had been discarded as they had been too ripped and singed to wear, but the nurse who had attended to her had given her some sweatpants and shirt to wear instead. Nikita really liked the nurse. Her name was Lisa and had long brown hair. Nikita almost wished she could have stayed longer at the hospital to get to know her.

"I didn't like the doctor," came the white haired boy's voice from the passenger seat beside Leorio.

"Nikita, this runt here is Killua. The runt next to you is Gon," Leorio introduced the boys as they seemed to have forgotten to do that themselves.

"Nice to meet you!" Gon chimed, extending a hand to Nikita. Smiling at his enthusiasm, Nikita shook hands with him. "Why not, Killua?" Gon asked, suddenly directing his attention to his friend.

"Something was…off. I didn't like him. He was too nosy about the whole Nen business."

"Maybe he was just curious? Not too many people know about it. I can't imagine it's everyday he meets Nen-users," Leorio reasoned, but Killua shook his messy white locks before sighing.

"Yeah, maybe," Killua said dejectedly, though he didn't sound too convinced.

"Uhm," Nikita cleared her throat. When she saw Gon look at her, she opened her mouth and asked, "Nen?"

"Mm… Nen is, like… your life force. Energy that everyone has, but not everyone can master. If you manage to control it though, you can do incredible things. Like how you're healing so fast," Gon tried to explain, but the empty stare he got back showed that he wasn't very successful.

Life force? Nen? Nikita still hadn't totally abandoned the idea that this was all a crazy nightmare, but as more time passed her doubt grew. She found it surprisingly easy to accept what Gon had told her and not think about it too much. Her state of minor disbelief and the lingering exhaustion helped her, of course.

Nikita turned her attention to the view outside her window. It seemed to be around sunset, and the city was just starting to bustle with life.

"Where are we?" Nikita asked absent-mindedly.

"Yorkshin," Leorio replied. "We're on our way to the Regent Hotel in the city center," he continued to explain. Nikita tried to rack her brain for any hint of familiarity, but found nothing. She had no idea where she was or how she had gotten there. Kidnap? Maybe. In this almost-dream everything seemed possible. But then why leave her in a dark, filthy alley?

Nikita groaned, rubbing her temples as she felt a headache begin to set in. "I'm too tired for this."

"Tell me about it," came Killua's possibly sarcastic reply. Nikita didn't have the energy to pay him any mind.

"Killua's not so good with people," Gon told Nikita, smiling apologetically. "Especially pretty girls."

Woah. That was smooth for a 12 year old. Nikita smiled back in understanding. "I don't mind. And thank you."

Killua scoffed in front of them.

Within minutes, Leorio parked the car in front of a grand looking hotel. The valet service employee rushed to open Leorio's door and help him out. Gon was out of the car in an instant, appearing by Nikita to help her out. She laughed at his manners as he pulled her out of the car and held her steady as she got used to the crutch the hospital had given her.

"I could carry you if you like," he offered, and that made Nikita laugh harder.

"Honey, I'm twice your size, at least," she told him.

"No, really. I can," he replied with all seriousness. Nikita did not want to try, though.

"Maybe when my leg gets better?" she said, suddenly feeling shy under his direct gaze.

"Oh, Dr. Paladiknight! Welcome back!" The bellboy said, coming up to greet Leorio. That's a weird last name…Nikita thought to herself.

"I'm not a doctor yet, Seif," Leorio emphasized, and the bellboy, Seif, just grinned and nodded.

"Oh, and we have a new guest!" Seif said brightly, walking up to Nikita. "Do you need any help, Ma'am? Is there anything I can carry for you?"

Nikita wasn't used to this kind of…service, and simply shook her head nervously. "No, thank you, sir. I'm fine."

Seif shot Leorio a look and broke out in full grin again. "She called me 'sir'," he told Leorio, as if it were a secret, and then went back inside. "Alright, well, the guys know where to find me if you need anything!" And with that he disappeared.

"Weirdo," Killua muttered under his breath, before walking through the automatic doors and into the hotel. Leorio followed him and Nikita staggered after, Gon by her side with his hand out on either side to catch her if she fell.

They took the elevator to the 29th floor, which also happened to be the highest one. Nikita hadn't been to such a fancy hotel before. If she had been slightly more awake, she might've gone exploring for a bit, but at the moment all she could think about was lying down somewhere- anywhere- to sleep…

Room 297 was essentially the platinum suite. One big-ass kitchen, fully equipped with a free bar and snacks. A large living room, with the most comfortable looking sofa set Nikita had ever seen and a flat screen TV that was wider than she was tall. There were two rooms with three beds each and en suite bathrooms, plus a third bathroom connected to the living room.

Basically- heaven.

Leorio stood in the middle of the living room, scratching the back of his neck. "I'll just move my stuff to the boys' room then," he said, after concluding the tour.

"Oh, I don't mind-" Nikita began, but Leorio just smiled.

"It would be rude of me not to offer you your own room. Plus, they're not so bad. They'll just have to put up with my late night cramming, though they sleep like rocks so I doubt that'll be a problem!"

And with that, he went to the room at the end of the short corridor and moved his suitcase to the room next door.

"Nikita-san, you look tired. Why don't you go to bed? Or would you like to eat something first?" Gon asked, still hovering beside her in case she tripped.

"I think I will go to bed," Nikita smiled at him. "I'm not feeling too hungry, but thank you anyway." With that, Gon led the way to her new room. Killua practically threw himself on the couch and picked up a video game controller.

The room was large and spacious, with two beds placed perpendicularly to the wall on one side, and another pushed against the wall opposite. Nikita picked that one, as she liked to press her forehead against the wall when it got too warm.

"Do you need help taking off your clothes?" Gon asked innocently, and though she knew he was a kid, Nikita couldn't help the awkward laugh that escaped her lips.

"No, thanks. I think I can manage," she said, and then she sighed. "Thank you guys so much for letting me stay here. It's a relief to have a place to stay until I figure things out."

"No problem!" Gon replied cheerily. "It's the least we could do." He made his way to the door. "We're literally next door, so just shout if you need anything, okay?"

"Thanks. Again." Nikita didn't know any other way to express her gratitude. Gon closed the door, grinning and waving in the process.

When the door closed, Nikita placed her crutch against the wall and shuffled over to her bed. There was a lamp on her bedside table that was providing light, so she managed not to knock anything over or stub her toe in the process. Slowly, she lay down on the bed. Her leg felt heavy with the cast, but it wasn't hurting her.

Sighing again, she closed her eyes. She didn't know what was going on. She couldn't remember much, and that frustrated her. The doctor had told her that her leg would probably heal in a couple of days, and that seemed like an absurd thing to believe. She kept telling herself that this was a dream, but the doubt continued to grow. She didn't know how much longer she could push the reality at bay- whatever the reality was.

Turning to her side, she found the switch for the lamp and pressed it, before pulling the covers over her. The bed was cool and clean, and she sighed contentedly before deciding to allow herself to get some deeply needed sleep.