Disclaimer. All characters and general content belong to Togashi Yoshihiro, although I do claim ownership for my OC, Rin, and all other noncanon locations(which there will be a lot of), fights and characters I may end up creating. This fanfiction will be rated M for violence, gore and many other explicit scenes I will more than likely produce from my deranged mind.
You have been warned.

Hope you enjoy and don't forget to review c:

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Chapter two
Hunted

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Swaldani City was like any other metropolis. A lot of people, countless things to do, endless opportunities, sky-high buildings and even higher crime rate. On the surface the city seemed like the safest place in the world with the Hunter HQ right in the middle of it, shining radiantly over the expanse of the city like a brothel in the red light district for a lonely, middle-aged man. Wherever you were in the city, you could see the enormous building giving you the false feeling of security. In truth, however, there's as much crime in Swaldani City as there is in, for example, Yorknew City, the only difference being the covertness of said crimes.

Nonetheless, the denizens of the city were blissfully ignorant and went about their merry ways. They were constantly bustling about, getting to work, coming from work, participating in the exciting night life, because let's be honest here, metropolitan night life was more colorful than a midsummer butterfly. There was always something to do. Especially on a few glasses of booze.

And that's exactly what she was missing right now. She had been hiding her trail for the past three hours, running around in zigzags, trying to lose the pursuers and ultimately exhausting herself. The Hunters were a persistent lot, and not in the charming kind of way. She sighed internally and slumped against the wall behind her, releasing her En to check her surroundings. After making sure that it was relatively safe, she stepped out into the masses to blend in. She swiftly stole a cloak from a nearby vendor, covered her distinct hair and walked away as if nothing happened. She still had things to do and places to be, so the booze had to wait, unfortunately.

"Finally the city is in sight." Phinks grumbled.

Shalnark looked at his comrade, amused. "Phinks is whining like a woman."

"He is being pretty feminine." Feitan supplied with a goofy grin on his face.

"You two.." Phinks ground out and tried to aim a few punches at his partners, which were evaded, "Piss me off!"

Their bickering ceased as they entered the metropolis and they slowed into a casual walk to stay inconspicuous. The suburbs weren't exceedingly populated and most of the folk seemed to be of the shady kind, making them blend in rather nicely. The buildings passed in a blur, growing in height as they closed in on the center. Shalnark suddenly motioned to his two other companions and they made a sharp turn left, entering a narrow, dreary alleyway. The passage was dirty, lined with moldy cardboard boxes and overflowing trashcans, where crows picked at their dinner.

Phinks raised an eyebrow and was just about to comment, but Shalnark cut him off.

"We should stay off the main road now that we are almost out of the suburbs. I doubt anyone will recognize us, but this place is the city of Hunters, with the HQ being here and all. Doesn't hurt to be cautious."

"How should we go about finding that woman? This place isn't exactly small." Phinks pointed out.

"If she is still in town, she must've left a trace somewhere. She wouldn't enter a place with so many eyes for no reason, there must be something of her interest here." Shalnark explained.

"She operates like us – she steals. There must be someone missing something, or will be soon."

Shalnark nodded at Feitan's input. "We will split up; we cover more ground that way. Meet up again here in an hour."

They looked at each other briefly and a moment later the passage was completely empty, save for the few crows picking at a rotten tomato.

"I got nothing." Phinks said as he threw his hands up and yawned. He leaned against the filthy wall and looked at Shalnark. "Any luck?"

"I hacked into the local police databases and checked if anything has been reported missing or stolen, yet I came back empty handed. No reports of such have been made." Shalnark frowned. "While I scouted the center I heard mentions of a white-haired girl. It was probably her, since white is a rather uncommon color. I managed to get a vague description of her, but nothing more substantial since the last sighting was yesterday." A hint of frustration passed through his usually goofy face.

"So, where's Feitan?" He asked, finally noting the absence of their third comrade.

"Good question. He's never late. Let's look for him, maybe he found something."

Phinks pushed himself away from the wall and jumped up on the roof with ease, Shalnark following closely behind. Since the sun went down it was easier for them to move about without being spotted. They jumped from roof to roof, small breeze coupled with a few droplets of rain licking at their faces. Soon those few droplets became a complete downpour, effectively obstructing their vision and soaking them to the bone. Since their visibility was impaired by the darkness and sudden rainfall, they began tracking with their senses, trying to pick up traces of Feitan's nen. After ten or so minutes of perpetual jumping, landing, running on the slippery rooftops and listening to Phinks' mood souring minute by minute they finally located Feitan. They found him at the edge of the town in a clearing surrounded by rather run-down, empty warehouses. They landed softly behind the man and walked soundlessly next to him.

"Hey, Fei!" Phinks addressed him. "Did your brain shut down? What are you doing here, staring into space and getting all of us soaked." He growled. He looked at Feitan only to find his eyes glinting and the corners of his mouth curled upwards into a very appreciative smirk. He then followed Fei's line of sight and finally took in the view before them. There clearly had been a battle here, or, from the looks of it, more like a one-sided slaughter. Five corpses were scattered at the expanse of the clearing. They were distinctly male with their gruff, muscled bodies, but what was most surprising was the fact, that they were all Hunters.

Phinks whistled at the sight, an amused smirk gracing his face. "Well this is a sight for sore eyes. No wonder Fei is nearly giddy with glee."

Shalnark moved closer to the nearest body, inspecting it. There was only a single wound on this specific body which was a deep gash under the armpit. The wound was still oozing out blood, running down the side of the man onto the wet ground, where it mixed with the muddy water.

"The body is still warm." Shalnark said. "She must have not gone far yet, if we hurry, we should be able to track her down." He glanced at Phinks and Feitan, conveying his intention to hurry. Feitan stood up from another body he had been examining with something akin to a pout, but it was gone as soon as it had appeared.

"The trail is fresh, let's make haste so we don't lose it." Shalnark added, as they broke into a run, following the tiny remnants of nen. "She's probably using Zetsu by now, but we have the general direction where she is heading. We're lucky Feitan found the site when he did."

"She knows the human body well." Feitan said after a slight pause, small smirk playing on his lips as they rushed by several unused buildings.

The other two looked at him questioningly.

"She knows exactly where to inflict damage for the maximum result." He elaborated. "On the first body we found, she had slashed through the axillary artery, and on the body I examined she had done in the cervical spine. Those were the only wounds, meaning she explicitly aimed there." He giggled malevolently.

"Granted, those Hunters were total amateurs, but she does seem quite capable." Phinks chuckled as he jumped over a particularly high brick wall with ease.

They sped through the outskirts of the city soundlessly. The slight rustle of leaves and the irregular drizzle of rain made more sound than their muted footsteps, clear indication of their skill. They made several sharp turns, zigzagging between shady buildings all the while keeping their pace steadily fast. They came to a sudden stop in front of a particularly shady dwelling. Judging by the partially broken, blinking sign secured above the door it seemed to be a cheap hostel. Or a brothel, considering the part of the town they were at.

"The presence is stronger here." Feitan glanced at the shabby shack, scrunching his nose as he felt the excessive amounts of perfume wafting towards him. You could see numerous intoxicated figures sloppily dancing through the dirty windows, that were vibrating from the awful, blaring noise some people called music. The place looked disgusting.

"The trail is still ongoing, she must've just lingered here.. for reasons." Phinks wriggled his eyebrows.

"Let's go." Feitan urged, wanting to be away from the foul stench surrounding them.

They wordlessly picked up the pace once more, pushing forward as they passed the city's gates and slowly left the metropolis behind. The excitement was slowly starting to fill the air between them, until it was almost touchable. They knew they were slowly, but surely closing in on their target and the anticipation of the confrontation gave them a sadistic thrill.

Feitan's eyes crinkled as his lips curled into a bloodthirsty grin. "I rather do hope she resists."

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To be continued.