Helloooo~ *dodges knives*

Apologies for the late chapter. I had the first half written since April but was too busy with life to finish it. It was the story's first anniversary a few days ago so I figured I should post something right about now.

This chapter is a bit more relaxed as I'm still trying to give the poor girl a break. Next chapter will be a lot more fun. Uhuhuhu. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Really appreciate the support and it honestly served as a good reminder that I should update this story.

Onwards!

The next morning, Nikita managed to get up sufficiently early, but she had missed the bodyguards regardless. Trying to get a head start, she stretched her limbs and took a quick shower, dressing up in the usual comfortable attires Leorio had purchased for her earlier.

She managed to move quietly into the kitchen and prepare a simple breakfast for her suite-mates. She didn't know about Leorio, but she was sure the younger boys would be up soon enough.

And they were, by 8 sharp, Killua and Gon filed into the kitchen. Nikita had to surpress a giggle. Gon was wiping his eyes tiredly as he attempted to suppress a yawn, while Killua- looking more awake than his best friend, still had a massive case of bed head.

"What's so funny?" Gon asked innocently after greeting her.

"Nothing. You guys just look adorable," she said, and Killua replied by pretending to retch.

Breakfast was a quick affair, and within twenty minutes, Nikita had put aside Leorio's portion and was doing the dishes, while the boys talked animatedly about their day.

"Kitty, how are you feeling today?" Gon asked, and Nikita could hear that he was trying to get somewhere.

"Pretty good, actually. I slept a normal number of hours, and I don't feel exhausted," she told him, and he smiled happily at her.

"Great! Do you feel like coming out with us tonight?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Sure, what will you guys be doing?" she asked, and this time it was Killua who responded.

"What we've been doing all week- getting funding for the game," he said pointedly, but Nikita ignored his tone.

"Ah, yeah. That sounds exciting. I don't know how much help I'll be, though," she began, but Gon wouldn't have any of it.

"You'll be helping us plenty by just being there!" he smiled happily, and Nikita couldn't help grin back.

"Until then, we can work on your Nen. But I guess that'll have to wait until your moment with Mr. Irksome himself," Killua suggested, though his tone was a bit sour towards the end.

Understanding he meant Seif, Nikita rolled her eyes. "What do you have against him anyway?" she asked and he shrugged.

"Too nosy. And annoying. And his voice," he grimaced, and Nikita laughed.

"I think he's a good person. Very helpful," Gon offered. That was probably the only reason Killua hadn't been too vehement against Nikita spending time with Seif. He trusted his best friend's gut instinct.

"He has to be helpful. It's what he's paid to do," Killua snorted. Nikita had finished the dishes and was drying her hands.

"Will Leorio come out with us tonight?" she asked, trying to change the topic before they started bickering- and possibly waking up said doctor-in-training.

"Not sure. Depends on how he feels, I guess," came Killua's response, and Nikita nodded. Removing the hairband that was around her wrist, she put her thick brown locks up into a pony tail and made her way to the living room. Seif was probably coming up with hot chocolate soon. She'd asked him not to ring the door bell, since it was loud and grating and she'd worried that Leorio or the bodyguards would be woken up by it on the off chance they slept in.

She heard the light tapping as she flipped lazily through one of the magazines on the coffee table. Smiling slightly, she pulled herself up and made her way to the door. Just as she was about to open it, she saw Killua stick his head out the kitchen door and give her a long, steady look. She tried not to laugh.

"I'll be careful," she promised him, taking his half-glare as a warning. She read it as something along the lines of: "come back in one piece, or face my sharp pointy claws". Satisfied that he got his message across, she opened the door. A smile was still on her face from Killua's consideration, and it must've caught Seif off guard, cause his eyes widened at the sight of her.

"Someone's in a good mood," he stated, handing her the Styrofoam cup. She accepted it gratefully, and he motioned for her to follow. "Have a shorter break today and have to help some folks on the floor above you soon. I thought we could go to the roof?" he suggested and Nikita nodded.

"That sounds nice," she said, following him to the elevator. They usually met at their spot outside of the hotel, but this was a welcome change. She didn't really know why Seif was doing this. He had been coming every time he had a decent break, dragging her along with him for his smoke and coffee with the promise of hot chocolate and good company in return. She assumed it was because he'd seen her at her lowest, and he probably wanted to help her out. "How's work going?" she asked, and he winced.

"I would like to make a rule. No talking about work while I'm on my break," he groaned, and Nikita felt sorry for him.

"That bad?"

"You're still talking about work."

Nikita laughed. "Sorry, sorry," she apologized. The elevator filled with a ding sound, and the doors opened. Seif guided her up the staircase, and she followed him two steps at a time, trying to make up for the difference in leg length between them. He was a good head taller than she was.

At the top, Seif pushed open the heavy metal door and Nikita was right behind him. She felt the wind push stray locks of her hair away, and she inhaled deeply. The skies were clouded over, but the air still felt warm with the remnants of summer. Seif gave her a wide grin, before he beckoned her to step out to the roof. She did, taking a few steps to the concrete ledge that ran along all sides of the open space. He placed his coffee mug on the ledge, and fished through his pockets for his smokes and dark blue lighter.

"You seem to be doing better," he remarked, and she watched him light up the end of his cigarette, his eyes trained on hers. She smiled.

"I am," she admitted. "I feel like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, even if it's very far away. Still a step in the right direction."

"I'm very happy to hear that," he told her earnestly, exhaling smoke. She took a sip of her chocolate.

"How about you?" she asked, and he shrugged.

"Can't complain. I'm working long shifts for the next two days, but I get a few days off after that," he told her brightly and she giggled.

"I thought we weren't supposed to talk about work," she pointed out, and he just stuck his tongue out at her. "But that's nice. Do you have any plans then?"

"I think I'll go visit my parents in the country side. Haven't seen them in a while." He paused then. "Do you want to come with me? Might be good to get some change of scenery." The second sentence was very rushed, and Nikita was surprised to see a dust of pink on his cheeks. She remembered Leorio's teasing the night before, and shifted.

"It would be nice, but I can't really leave. There's a lot to be done, and the boys need me here. It wouldn't feel good to let them do all the work," she said, giving him half the truth. The other half of it was that she wouldn't be too safe away from them.

"Ah, I understand. Another time, maybe," he shrugged, flicking the ash off his cigarette. Nikita watched it fly with the wind.

"Another time," she nodded, and lifted the mug back to her lips.

York Shin was a lot busier when the sun began to set. People from all walks of life came out to see what the city had to offer under the cover of darkness. Nikita felt slightly claustrophobic as she sifted through the crowd before her, Leorio's hand placed firmly on her upper arm.

The older boy had decided to accompany them, taking a break from his studies for the entrance exam. He claimed that they wouldn't find an MC that was nearly as good as him if they tried. What the boys needed an MC for was beyond her at this point, but she was soon to find out.

"You didn't forget it, did you?" Killua asked his friend pointedly, hands in his pocket as he walked towards their destination. Nikita couldn't help but notice how the sea of people seemed to part for him.

Gon panicked for a second while he checked his pockets, but then sighed with relief. "Nope!" he beamed proudly, while Killua glared at him, annoyed.

"I was about to smack you," the silver-haired boy said heatedly, and Gon just laughed.

"What's going on?" Nikita asked, not sure what exactly the boys had been doing to raise funds.

"You'll see," Leorio told her, smiling. In his free hand, he held a foldable table, and she wondered how he hadn't hit someone across the face with it yet. A strap was wound across his chest, but she didn't pay attention to what it held.

They reached a bustling street corner and began to set up. Nikita helped Leorio fold out the table while Gon asked a kiosk owner nearby for the chairs they had been burrowing for the last few days. Killua was idly unwrapping a lollipop, which he then began to suck on. When the duo was done, Killua removed the candy with a smack of his lips and began explaining.

"Arm-wrestling," he told her nonchalantly, scanning the crowd. "We've been holding arm-wrestling tournaments," he explained. His eyes swept over hers, and he nodded. "Aaand, your nen's in check, so that's good."

Nikita blinked. She wasn't sure which bit to answer to first. "Ah, yeah. It's been getting easier. And arm-wrestling? Really?"

"Yup," Leorio included himself in the conversation. "We bought a diamond for some 3 million jennies, and we're giving it to whoever beats Gon in the tournament."

"Oh," Nikita said, understanding. "That doesn't seem fair," she noted, laughing. Gon was young and short, but she knew he was incredibly strong. She remembered him asking her if she wanted to be carried. She'd looked at him in disbelief then, but now she knew that it would be a cakewalk for him.

"They wouldn't expect a girl to be very strong, either. Want to give it a try?" Killua asked, eyeing her. She shook her head.

"No, I don't want to jeopardize your prize. I don't know if I can augment the strength in my arms using nen very efficiently yet," she told him, and he shrugged.

Gon was back by then, and they put the two chairs across each other on the small table. He then reached into his pocket and gave Killua the jewellery box. Leorio pulled out a megaphone that Nikita didn't see before. She found out later that he'd had it slung over his shoulder the whole time.

"What should I do?" she asked Leorio, watching as Gon took a seat on one of the chairs.

"You can help us if a brawl breaks out. Other than that, just stand around and smile. I'm sure more people will stop with an attractive lady around," he instructed. Before she even had a chance to react to his words, he lifted the megaphone to his lips and began yelling.

"Step up, step up! Day three has begun!" he started, and Nikita raised her hands to cover her ears. He was incredibly loud.

She heard him rattle on about the tournaments, daring anyone with guts to challenge Gon. The boy looked so innocent in his chair, watching the passerbies with wide eyes as they snickered at him. Nikita would have thought that by now, people would know better about going up against Gon. Especially since it had been three days. But, she was mistaken.

So she stood there for over four hours as challenger after challenger came forward. Everyone from lanky street thugs to businesspeople to brawny martial arts experts tried to take Gon down, only to fail. Nikita watched as Gon continued to win, not showing an ounce of exhaustion despite the time that passed. She didn't know how he did it. She was tired of standing for so long.

She tried to take it as a training opportunity, and Killua always gave her random checks to ensure her aura was in check. They were both switching the role of holding the diamond between each other, and the long wait meant a lot of time for chitchat.

"Five hundred jenny says that woman in the front will step forward," Killua murmured, trying to place a bet.

"Even if I had my own money, I wouldn't bet against you, cherub," Nikita responded just as quietly.

The night swam by smoothly, with minor conflicts being resolved by Gon himself. Nikita admired the way he handled things, effortlessly gaining the other person's trust and talking his way out of whatever the problem was. Nikita used Gyo briefly to recognize a few other nen users take the challenge, but she felt drained after the second time and lost track. Even they were baffled by the boy's strength.

It wasn't until an hour before midnight that something interesting happened. The crowd that stood before them slowly became more and more intoxicated as they got deeper into the night. With that came the brashness.

She'd seen him come here before, only a couple hours earlier. He lost quickly; despite Gon doing his best at pretending the guy had a chance at all.

This time, he looked more disheveled. And she saw the dilated pupils in his eyes as he sneered at her. "I demand a rematch!" he slurred, pushing his way through the front of the crowd. Leorio put down the megaphone momentarily, hesitating. "Right now!" the man yelled, finally breaking through.

"Sir, are you sure-" Leorio began offhandedly, but the man took a step towards him, towering over Leorio's already tall stature. Leorio didn't seem all too shaken up, and gave an indifferent shrug. Nikita acknowledged his attempt at being principled all the same.

After paying his fee to Leorio, the drunkard tried his luck at the game again. Nikita watched as Gon smiled warmly at him, though he didn't seem as taken by the spiky-haired boy's charm as before.

"On your marks," Leorio called. "Get set… Go!" and the match began. Gon looked surprised for a moment, but he furrowed his brow and Nikita watched him slide into a confident place again. Something about this match was different from before, but Gon only had to adjust his strength and he was back to pretending to put up a struggle. Nikita felt something tug at her shirt, and when she looked to the side, she saw Killua furrow his brows.

"Hm?" she asked, and he leaned towards her to whisper in her ear, not taking his eyes off his best friend.

"Use your eyes," he ordered softly, and she frowned. It took her a moment to gain full control, but she managed to activate her Gyo just in time to see the man's aura. It looked like it was glowing, only the light was muffled and staticky.

She deactived the nen in her eyes as her brows raised.

"That looks almost…" she began, uncertain.

"Almost like yours," Killua finished for her, crossing his arms over his chest. "But it's not as pure as yours or Izaak's. This is really weird," he continued, scrutinizing the scene before him.

Nikita didn't know what to make of this. A part of her mind wondered about the man's intoxication, but she didn't know how they could be related. Killua seemed just as clueless.

She managed to focus on Gon's match again. His right arm seemed to be shaking, but Nikita could see it was all part of the show. He tried to placate the man by having the match last much longer than any other he'd had all night, and after a couple of minutes, he slowly lead the back of the man's hand to the table's surface. The crowd, that had already been loud and boisterous during the game, erupted into loud cheering. Nikita saw a few people accepting small notes of money, and she realized that even the audience was placing bets.

"You almost had me there," Gon smiled cheerfully to the man, but something was off. The challenger's face was tilted down and he was breathing heavily. Killua tensed and Nikita saw Leorio reach into his pocket discretely.

In a flash, the man stood up and the table was knocked over. Nikita blinked and suddenly, Gon was being lifted off his chair by his neck. The man was trying to strangle him, but Gon only stared the man down, his brown eyes clear and fierce.

Nikita felt something nestle against her inner elbow and abdomen, and looked down momentarily to see the jewellery box with the diamond.

"Give me that diamond, damn it!" the man bellowed. The audience was just as loud as before, but a few strays were leaving, not wanting to get caught up in this mess if police showed up.

Killua was making his way to Gon calmly, both hands in his pockets. Nikita thought of the sharp, inhuman claws he was hiding and shuddered. She tried to use Gyo again, but only managed to hold it for a second. In that time, she saw the man's aura had turned even more chaotic.

"Sir, this is not a good idea. Put my friend down," Leorio started calmly, his eyes darting from the drunk to his best fried, making sure the boy was okay. Gon seemed fine, which was surprising since he shouldn't be capable of breathing at this point. Nikita thought of Kurapika's hands around her and how horrible it had felt. Another violent shudder ran through her.

A few wandering hands tried to snatch the box from her as she stared, and she remembered she was given a task. She hugged the box to her chest and took a step closer to the others. When another hand tried to reach for it, she relaxed on her Zetsu briefly. She heard a yelp of surprise when she felt some static shock and was satisfied.

"Put him down," Leorio demanded, aggression in his tone. The man only squeezed Gon's neck harder. Killua was poised, ready to attack, but Leorio beat him to it. Jumping over verbal persuasion, he pulled out a switchblade from his pocket and rammed the side of one hand into the man's inner elbow. The man yelled and relaxed his hold on Gon enough for the boy to wiggle out of his grasp.

But Leorio didn't stop there. He gave the man a few quick jabs to the ribs and solar plexus, incapacitating him, and finally placed the blade against his neck.

"Try anything else, and you're losing your hands, understood?" Leorio threatened. The man's frame shook, but he nodded. Taking his eyes off the aggressor for a moment, Leorio allowed his eyes to skim the crowd. "You there," he said pointedly to a shorter man wearing a cap. "He's with you, isn't he? Get him out of here," Leorio ordered. The new guy was quiet but did as he was told, dragging the significantly taller man away from the tournament.

"Why didn't you fight back?!" Killua hissed as he marched up to Gon. His hands were out of his pocket and Nikita was relieved to see they looked like a normal, pre-teen boy's hands.

"I'm a weak little boy, remember?" Gon said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. His head even titled to the side a bit as he spoke. Nikita giggled.

"Tournament's over! Come back tomorrow! Same time, same place!" Leorio yelled over his megaphone as Killua continued to scold the poor brunet.

It took a few minutes for the crowd the clear out and Nikita helped with the disassembling. Gon had taken back the diamond from her, and she was happy to relieve that responsibility.

"How does your neck feel?" she asked him as she followed the trio back to the hotel.

"It's okay," he shrugged, but winced when Killua poked at the tender skin.

"Idiot," the former assassin breathed, but Nikita caught a smile when he turned his face away.

"I could try healing it for you?" she offered instead, and Killua's head snapped back to face her.

"Not here!" he hissed, and she rolled her eyes.

"I meant back at the hotel," she notified him.

"Yes, please!" Gon accepted cheerfully. "And Leorio, you were awesome out there!"

"Yeah, you've always seemed like an "all bark, but no bite" kind of guy," Killua noted, a slight condescending tone to his voice.

"Guess I have a bite after all," Leorio replied, basking under the limelight.

"About as much as a dachshund, maybe," came Killua's quip, which had the older boy chasing after him, hands curled into fists.

Gon sighed as he watched the two boys run off. "I'm so tired," he said, exhaustion clear in his voice.

Nikita felt sympathetic of the hunter, and put an arm around his shoulders. "You've worked hard. How about some food, a nice shower, and some sleep?" she suggested, and he looked up at her.

"Do they have to be in that order?" he asked, and she laughed.