A/N: TANANANANANANANNN.

I have returned. On ALH, anyway. xD Been busy with 1.] 'For Life and For Honor' 2.] DeviantArt 3.] School so I haven't really been into this. Stretched the story too bad here... made one short scene to fit in this big thing. Oh well... Nyam. xD I'm drawing Killua-chan right now.

*gets killed for using -chan*

Original Word count: 2,978

Disclaimer: Yoshihiro Togashi owns HxH~~

Chapter 17

Missing. In. Action.

(Third Person POV)

She grabbed her bag, still bloody with Killua's hand-smears, tucking it underneath the thick coat she wore. She brushed roughly down her long hair, the little bits of blood that stuck in her fingers coming through.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Even though she tried her best to tidy up, she still look like she just came out of the bed, or just out of a jungle. She was pale, her clothes were still a little dusty and bloody with her earlier battle (she didn't manage to change), and her sunshine-yellow hair had spots of blood. The tears still was smudged on her face.

She heard a knocking on the door. "Akane?"

She stared hard and long at the door. Should she open it or not? She could feel her resolution breaking, sands slowly being blown by the wind. She felt the tears run down her cheeks again.

How can I be so weak?

"Akane, I'm coming in…"

"No, don't…" she whispered in a feeble voice as she tried to smother the impending sobs. "Please…don't…"

"Akane, are you crying? Akane, what's wrong…?"

"I… I…"

She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what was wrong. She didn't know who to blame, she didn't know if it was her to blame. She didn't know why it was going downhill. After she thought everything was running in her favor, in all her friends' favors. When she thought they were finally one step closer to their goals.

She took a pillow and she buried her face in it as she sat with her head between her knees. She let the tears flow. She sobbed.

I am so weak.

"Akane…"

She didn't respond this time as she heard the door silently open. In stepped Kurapika, who was not surprised she was on the floor. It was the blood that was dripped down everywhere that surprised him.

"Kurapika…" she muttered, silently now. "I couldn't do anything… I didn't do anything… I'm so useless… I… I…"

"Akane…" Kurapika whispered, wrapping his arms around her. "It's not like there was any chance to do something, right?"

She looked up at him with her scarlet eyes. Kurapika's eyes widened; he wasn't used to seeing scarlet eyes facing him. Her eyes were bloodshot with her crying, but it was unrecognizable underneath the scarlet hue.

Tired of crying. Tired of being weak. That was why she was crying. For some reason, she felt like she hadn't done anything right. For the entire test, she felt like she's been dependent on her friends.

She was tired. Exhausted. She wanted to stand up on her own feet… she wanted to go rescue the first friend she had met.

And yet, here she is, not a step out of her door, courage already failing her. How can she do it, then? She's not an inch closer to her goal, she thought. Here she was. Still pinned to the ground. As useless as she was from the start.

"There was a chance, Kurapika," she said, her voice louder, rising to the sob that was suffocating her. He saw her pain. The tears that ran through her cheeks like waterfalls. He knew. "I just couldn't get to it. I am so damn weak."

Kurapika paused. What could he answer? How could he defend the no in that reasoning? "That's not true, Akane," he mumbled feebly, half-knowing it won't work on her.

"Then why isn't he here? Why am I here? Shouldn't we be all together here, celebrating our Hunter 'Graduation'? No. We won't be complete. Not without Killua." She stubbornly stood up, forcing herself on regaining her courage, and tugged at the ends of her jacket as she looked at herself in the mirror. She wiped the tears on her face, her eyes returning to their bright blue—that was starting to look indigo-like, to Kurapika—and she finally went out the door.

It took Kurapika 10 seconds—that long, yes—to recover. He finally blinked and dashed off in the direction of the front door, where he saw no trace of Akane.

She did go ahead, he thought. There's no stopping her now.

He was about to turn back and tell Leorio when he heard the sigh. He spun around and saw her in a little corner.

"I thought you left," he said.

She sighed again. "I thought it was hopeless. You know, acting brave, but still being unable, still being so damn weak."

"No, don't worry, Akane. When Gon recovers, we can all go to Killua's home and we will—"

Kurapika thought he had said the wrong words when Akane's eyes widened. He was chewing on his lips. He wouldn't be able to stand one more crying session, not any longer. He wouldn't be able to take to see her crying again.

"Kukuru…" she murmured. "Why didn't I think of that…" Kurapika thought she was going to go in another round of, I'm so DUMB! I'm so USELESS! I'm so WEAK! but instead she just looked up at Kurapika. "That's where the Zaoldyecks are."

Kurapika didn't know that piece of information. How Akane knew it was out of his bounds, but still he raised an eyebrow. "Killua's name is Killua Zaoldyeck, remember?"

"…the elite assassin family…" Akane continued to mutter. "So that's why…" She hit herself lightly on the forehead. "How did I miss that?"

"What?" Kurapika asked. What is going on in her mind?

"Kukuru mountain is near my hometown… that's what… in the train, he… he was looking out…"

Even with that bare explanation, Kurapika still couldn't make sense of it. "Uhh…"

"When we were going to the docks of Whale Island, going to Dole, we passed by Kukuru mountain… so that's what…"

Kurapika was now utterly surprised and confused. "Wait, you took the ship?"

"Yeah we did," Akane said. "I saw you."

Kurapika blinked. "I didn't see you."

Akane grinned, a genuine one after so long of crying. "Ha."

"So what's your game plan?" Kurapika asked.

"We'd have to tell Gon at some point, right?" Akane said. She felt the strength coming back to her, warming her up, making her feel more human and able than she felt earlier. She felt like it was her alternate conscience, telling her now that this is the right way, how she has to do it. "Is Killua's brother still here?"

"Yes, he passed the exam and he'll take the Orientation."

"Illumi Zaoldyeck, yes," she murmured.

Kurapika had a bad feeling whenever she murmurs. It's as if she was thinking of something devious. Something devilish and out of this world.

Not good.

"We'll wait for Gon," Akane said. "No one moves until the best friend says so."

"Gon's in some sort of coma, Akane," Kurapika said. "No one knows how long it will last."

"He'll wake up," Akane said. "That's the sure part."

The two stayed in Gon's room, watching over their friend as he slept soundly, almost like a baby, trying to recover the strength he had lost. Akane sat by his bedside, once in a while smoothing off Gon's hair.

The room was silent, other than the three's slow breathing, the soft flipping of the paper pages in Kurapika's book and nothing more. From outside, they could hear the voices of the other examinees-turned-Hunters. They heard Leorio, but he seemed to not have noticed their disappearance.

Everything remained like that, until there was a movement. Their eyes both trained to the figure who suddenly sat up. Gon had wide eyes, as if waking up from a bad dream. He had a terrified look on his face. He turned to look at Akane.

"Where am I?"

"You're in a resting room, Gon," Akane answered. Then, she took something out of her pocket. "But more importantly, Congratulations!" She tried to suppress her joy and proceeded to embrace Gon instead of glomp him.

He looked at the Hunter's License that lay on his hand. He couldn't believe it. His win shouldn't have been counted in the first place. But still. He felt undeserving. "But Akane…"
"No, no buts, no ifs, no whatever. You're a hunter, all three of us in this room are," Akane said, nodding.

This caught Gon's attention. He looked around the room, and found no evidence of his friend there. "Akane-nee-san, where's Killua?"

Akane was surprised, with the use of the honorific. No one uses that on her. Only Gon. She felt sad for the kid—for some reason she didn't want to tell him what happened with his best friend. "Killua, he…"

"He passed too, didn't he?" Gon's voice was hopeful, like always, but this time more strained, as if he was already doubtful of his words before he even said it.

In this round, only one will not be able to pass.

"I'm sorry, Gon," Akane said in a solemn voice. "He was disqualified." She leaned over and wrapped her arms around Gon in a comforting way as he stared with confused, disappointed, and surprised eyes.

"Why… what…" Gon whispered. He couldn't put his thoughts into words.

"He made a mistake, Gon," Kurapika said, closing his book shut. "He killed someone."

Gon shook his head. "Killua wouldn't do that."

Akane let go of Gon and looked at Kurapika. He nodded, and she sighed. How Gon would handle this would be something that can't be foretold. But she had to do it—they have said it themselves, no one moves until the best friend says so. Gon would be the mind in this matter.

She stared at Gon with sad eyes, while he still stared back with his signature determined look. Until now, he still wore it. He never gave up.

"It was like this, Gon…"

"…he struck Bodoro right on the chest and was immediately disqualified," Akane finished the story she hated so much. Leorio had told them when hee came by a few hours ago, but he never came back for any follow up whatsoever.

Gon's eyes burned with anger, and he jumped out of his bed and dashed toward the left hallway.

Akane and Kurapika blinked with the sudden reaction, but they soon ran to catch him soon enough.

x~x

"Gon!" Leorio called, and seeing the extra two figures, added, "Akane! Kurapika!"

Akane shook her head, and pointed at Gon. Leorio turned his eyes and saw him approaching Gitarakuru… or Illumi.

Gon's eyes were filled with anger and despise. Akane thought if he was Kuruta too, his eyes would've been flaming red. "Apologize to Killua," he said, trying to make it sound like he wasn't hissing.

Illumi turned to Gon with an expressionless face. "And for what?"

"You don't even understand this? Clearly you don't," Gon spat with anger. "You don't have the qualifications to be an older brother."

Illumi turned back to the Chairman, who was sitting in front. "You need qualities for it?"

Gon was now enraged. He got Illumi's right wrist and threw him up the air angrily, but Illumi landed on the ground with his two feet. For half a second, his expression turned into pure shock. Hisoka smirked, from a distance. Gon pressed and squeezed Illumi's wrist harder, until there was a cracking sound.

"I'll go find Killua," Gon said in a strained voice. Straining to be calm. "I don't care if you apologize to him or not. Just tell me where he is, and I'll bring him back myself."

"You sound like you're accusing me of kidnapping him. In case you don't know, he went voluntarily."

Gon's grip on the wrist became tighter. "But that's not what he wanted to do. You manipulated him very badly, you can talk about kidnappping. Killua's not like that."

Netero broke in the argument. "That's exactly what we're talking about, Gon," he said. "The same thing was brought up by Leorio. Killua's disqualification and the injustice it represents are being examined now.

Leorio, who had briefly explained what was happening to the newly arrived Kurapika, nodded. "Yeah, Killua's attitude wasn't as of the norms. Not that he was really normal, but that's not the point. The thing is, there's a chance, no matter how small, that maybe he was under influence of whatever manipulation or hypnosis and acted under this hold."

Kurapika nodded in agreement. "Generally, even if we use a powerful hypnotism, it's impossible to ask someone to assassinate someone. But for Killua, killing is a daily act"—Akane flinched—"and moral limits don't work. His actions can be explained."

Leorio noded again. "The problem was during my fight. If you look closely, you could say Killua came to help me. That means, the disqualified one should be me, not him. His disqualification isn't justified."

Netero stroked his beard. "But those are only hypotheses. Nothing can prove that he was asked to kill someone. Nor that he was hypnotised."

Akane, Leorio, and Kurapika sighed. That's true.

"Concerning after what happened after the match between Bodoro and Leorio, I don't think there are any problems. The strength of each one was nearly the same, but counting the experience, Bodoro surely had the advantage. If we only count fighting skills, I believe Leorio was at the upper hand. I can only say the situation did not need any of Killua's help."

"Then there is something else not really natural," another candidate, named Pokkle, said. He turned to Kurapika. "About your attitude toward the match with Hisoka…

Akane didn't bother to hear the rest. She knew this was another bad hypotheses, a wrong critic toward her friends' victories. If it was to doubt her companion's ability or inability to win anyway, why bother? She closed her eyes. Trying to find a way, or make a plan, on how to find Killua.

Where is Killua anyway?

Her reverence was broken when Gon's strained voice went up again. "This doesn't matter right now. Qualification isn't something we have to talk about. The ones who are not okay with their success can go through training until they are. Concerning Killua, if he takes the exam again, it's obvious he'll pass and become a hunter. It's sad how he failed but he can't do anything about it now. If he had been under constraint until now, to kill people not by his own choice, I won't forgive you." The bone Gon was gripping had a cracking noise again.

"If you don't forgive me, so what?" Illumi said. "I won't do anything for you."

"I will take Killua back," Gon said, hissing now, angrily. "And I'll do what I can to make very well sure he'll never see his useless brother's face again."

He let go of Illumi's hand.

Akane felt the tension lessen, but it was still there, lingering in the air as Chairman Netero's assistant explained things about the hunter card.

After that, Gon went to Illumi. "Tell me where Killua is."
"You better renounce."

"Y'think I'm that kind of guy? I won't give up on Killua! HE IS MY BEST FRIEND! I'LL DO WHATEVER I CAN, WHATEVER THE COST, TO FIND HIM!"

Illumi raised his eyebrows. Kurapika, Akane, and Leorio, who came up behind Gon, was addressed by Illumi. "You three have the same opinion?"

"It would be pretty dumb to ask…" …bastard, Akane finished in her mind. She wanted to cuss. She wanted to smack the guy straight on the face. She wanted to step on his face, scratch his eyeballs out. Pull his hair down to the very last strand. He was annoying her.

She used to have a special rule that if it annoys her, she would kill it, but that only used to apply to the bugs and ants back home. Maybe my rule could apply here now, right?

"Ahh, well. Even if I tell you, you'll never reach him. He must've gone back home," Illumi said.

"Kukuru mountain, correct?" Akane said, and Illumi nodded.

"Gone there before?" Illumi asked.

"It's the view from my house," she deadpanned, and Gon looked at her with surprised eyes.

What the heck?

Akane didn't do it out, but inside, she shook her head.

Will we ever be able to get to Killua?

As if.