Yo. So school's begun. The worst part is that I've already got homework! Can't they just let us relax, and ease us into it the first few days? You know, let us get settled into the class? Honestly, I might even like school if not for the homework. I go into every class fearing the homework to be assigned. Nothing annoys me more than when we have to do things for school at home. School is there for a purpose! And home is there to not be school! And they always say things like 'oh, you're not expected to spend too long on homework. Just a few hours,' I absolutely hate it! School takes up seven hours of the waking day. Now add another hour or so for eating breakfast and dinner, another for getting ready for the day and bed, yet another hour or two for any after school activities people may have, and that's ten to eleven hours taken up. Now let's add, let's say, ten hours to get the appropriate night's rest. We're supposed to get over nine hours, you know? Now that's twenty or twenty-one hours, and that's not taking in account traffic, or any other odd thing that might cut down your time, so I'm being generous. If you spend one or two hours on homework, you're left with a max of one or two hours to relax, and recover from all the work you've done in school (and activities). That's 1/12, or even 1/24 of the entire day! That's not enough time!

Well, you get my point. Sorry for the long intro, and here's your story.

"They're 2,500 meters in that direction," Kortopi says, raising one of his hands to point. The other hand rests on the real scarlet eyes that were to be sold before we stole them. As expected of Chrollo, he was able to devise a way to track down Kurapika just from a tidbit of information about Neon, the employer's daughter. It figures that Kurapika would be after the eyes of his clan. I mean, even if someone's not of the Kurta Clan, those eyes have a magnetizing quality to them. I'm sure it's all the more for him, because of his blood. Perhaps, just a bit, I can relate in the way that Chrollo's even more interesting to me since we share blood.

"Let's get going, then," Machi declares. "But only those of us less conspicuous."

That counts out Franklin, Hisoka, and Bonolenov. Phinx isn't the type to go if he doesn't feel like he has to, and Shal mentions that he feels it better if he stays back. His reasoning is that if he and Pakunoda stay together, they could get killed together, since their deaths were predicted. Feitan decides to stay with Shal.

So in the end, that leaves Chrollo, Machi, Nobunaga, Kortopi, Shizuku, Pakunoda, and me. Well, in my opinion, Nobunaga and Chrollo both attract quite a bit of attention. Chrollo can blend in a bit, I suppose, but Nobunaga's samurai style is a bit noteable. Still, he's pretty toned down when compared to some of the other troupe members.

I'm also unsure whether my presence crosses their minds or not, since my Zetsu's going strong. If they were thinking of me, they might have me stay behind since I've got a Nen sword. Well, I guess they won't consider it if I don't release any of my aura.

I go ahead and hop off the box I was sitting on and join the exiting group out of the auction house. I'm not sure what will happen if I'm there when Kurapika and the rest of the troupe meets. I don't really want him to die, but I certainly do not want to throw my life away fighting the troupe. Ah, decisions are so freaking hard! Will I seriously have to choose between Chrollo and Kurapika? My mind flashes back to the fortune from before.

You will abandon it for your own sake

…..according to that, I'll end up choosing Kurapika. Well, we'll see what happens. If choosing that red eyed beauty means throwing my life away, forget it.

"We'll apprehend him as a group," Chrollo decides, addressing all of us who've come outside. I grimace. It's raining pretty heavy. Even if I'd brought an umbrella, it'd be pointless. Chasing means running, and running in rain means getting soaked. I'm already wet enough just standing here! "Pakunoda, you'll get all information from him regarding Uvo, and about the Nen swords he has in Hisoka and Corona. After that….he's all yours Nobunaga."

I growl, tempted to release my Zetsu and shout at him, but I resist. Like I'd let Nobunaga slice up such a pretty boy. But I can't draw their attentions to me, or they might tell me to go back. And then we'd argue, and it'd just be a mess.

When Chrollo's sure we've received his orders, he turns in the direction Kortopi motions to. "Go!"

At the single syllable, I push off as hard as I can with my stronger foot and settle into a steady sprint with the others. As we run, rain stings against my skin like tiny bullets. As much as I'd like to block it with a Nen shield, I grit my teeth and bear with it. When the area becomes too crowded to continue our pace on the ground, we leap up onto the sides of the surrounding buildings one at a time. Yet another thing I hate. Battling gravity while running is just a pain!

At least the crowd below is gaping in awe. I can even hear one person exclaim, "They're ninjas!", to which I snicker. Then Kortopi notifies us that the target has sped up, and Chrollo presumes he's gotten in a car. In response, we begin darting between buildings in a zigzag motion. Each time we land and push off, we increase speed.

Finally, when the ground has cleared, we leap back to the concrete. It's then that I suddenly sense the presence of two people behind us. My eyes widen, but before I can react, Chrollo begins to give orders. Of course he didn't miss their presence. It feels like they're using Zetsu, but our change of location must've thrown them off for a second and let them leak a bit of their auras.

"Pakunoda, Nobunaga, Kortopi. Keep pursuing the chain user. We'll meet up at the hotel later." With that, the rest of us skid to a stop and turn around. The three that go on disappear before seconds have passed. Whoever it was following us, they've got quick reflexes. In the time it took us to turn around, they've hidden themselves. Where they are, however, is pretty obvious. They're stuck. At least, one of them is. The one hiding behind a trash bin has nowhere to run, but the one in the alley could be gone already. That doesn't mean we won't pursue that one, though.

The other three, Chrollo, Machi, and Shizuku begin approaching the hiding places. I follow, lagging just behind. Before we can reach them, though, a familiar face steps out from behind the trash bin.

My feet freeze when Gon faces us. Then I tilt my head in confusion when Killua steps out of the alley, taking a few moments before I realize what just happened. The one that was chasing us hadn't been Killua. There's no denying Gon was one of those trailing, but Killua's Zetsu wouldn't have stuttered like that. I've seen his Zetsu before, and I'm confident he's skilled enough to hold it up even if he's in a moment of confusion. That could be just my imagination, of course, but I don't think it is.

Taking action, I dart past the others and round into the alley. I'm just in time to see the ends of someone's long hair vanish around the corner. That's all it takes to confirm my suspicions. I dash after the mystery person, catching up quickly. It isn't long before I'm able to reach up and grab a fistful of that person's hair and yank back.

Then I jump, startled when the hair slips off the person's head. Said head whips around, revealing to me rounded sunglasses hiding the eyes. Even so, his real hair alone is enough for me to recognize him.

"...Kurapika!"

That means the Phantom Troupe's going after the wrong person right now. Somehow, I almost feel relieved. That means this pretty boy isn't going to his grave quite yet. I still get to enjoy him a bit more.

"C-Corona!" he stammers, bristling.

"Geez!" I huff, tossing him his wig. "That was close! You idiot! You almost got caught back there, you know?"

"I did," he grimaces, "and now Gon and Killua are caught! Not only did I put them in danger, but if that mind reader touches them now, she'll know everything!"

I blink. "You know about Pakunoda?"

"Killua figured it out."

I nod, not recalling a time when he could have discovered such a thing. She must've read Killua's or Gon's mind before they arrived at the base that one time. "Well, now what're you gonna do?"

He runs his fingers through his blonde hair. "Get them back."

"Gon and Killua? And how exactly do you plan on doing that?"

"...I don't know."

A lightbulb goes off in my head, a mischievous grin tugging at my lips. "Well….you could always trade hostages."

Although I can't see his eyes under those shades, I get the feeling he's staring at me. "Are you suggesting I use you as a hostage?"

"Not at all!" I scowl. "Like I'd willingly take such a vulnerable position. And they don't particularly care for me. I'm not that much help to them, after all. I'm just the little sister tag along."

"Little sister?"

I ignore his nitpicking and continue. "What I'm saying is that you have to capture someone they care about. That means either someone with a unique talent from the troupe, or their leader himself. Those chains you've got should be effective for catching any of them. Oh, but if you choose Chrollo, I'm going to have to mention I don't want him dead."

He studies me, skeptical, but I point to my heart. He knows I can't lie to him, or intend him harm. He sighs and readjusts his wig on his head.

"How do you suppose I go about kidnapping one of them?"

"That's all up to you. If there's something you want me to do, I might even be willing to help you, but I'm not gonna tell you how to do it. Use your own brain! I'll tell you this, though. We split up when we sensed ourselves being chased, and they'll regroup at the hotel the scarlet eyes were at until a moment ago. There's your chance to strike right there."

"What about the scarlet eyes?"

"Don't worry about it," I slap his shoulder as I pass to take the lead to the hotel. "Right now your concern should be your friends, right?"

Again, he recoils from my touch and I can't help but feel a growing dissatisfaction. I didn't even grab him this time. My hand came into contact with his shoulder for less than a second, and he acts like I've got some contagious disease. I know he hates the troupe, but what did I ever do to earn this hate?

"Anyway," I swallow a growl, "let's get going. It'll be a good idea if you can scope out the area before they get there. We should probably run."

After a minute, he nods, and we take off. The icky feeling from mere moments before is replaced by the pleasure of knowing I don't have to hold back my speed. He was able to keep up with us earlier, after all. Even though I run at top speed, he matches me only paces behind. This time, I freely use my Nen to keep off the rain.

As we run, Kurapika removes a phone from his pocket and dials someone. When the person on the other side picks up, he asks, "Are you at the hotel yet?" After listening for a second, he says, "Park and go inside. I'm coming there. We're going to try to capture the leader of the Phantom Troupe."

Ah, I had a feeling he'd choose to go after my brother. I wonder if he'll be mad at me for conspiring with the enemy? A normal person would be, but Chrollo isn't exactly your average jo. He knows my personality well enough to know I'll chase anything I find entertaining. Who knows? Maybe he'll just let it lie.

"I know, I know, but Gon and Killua got captured. We need a hostage to trade with." Kurapika holds the phone away for a moment, and I can vaguely hear shouting on the other end. When whoever it is has quieted down, Kurapika continues. "Calm down, Leorio. I'll think of something. Just wait for me there."

So the four of them are together, are they? I wonder if Kurapika knows how I've associated with those three? Or if they know that I've associated with them? Either way, I look forward to seeing that Leorio's reaction to me showing up with Kurapika.

I feel like the pace is going to be somewhat slow for the next few chapters. By that, I mean that not a lot of time is going to pass. Please bear with me on that matter. I think you'll enjoy it, but that could very well just be me deluding myself. I've completely thrown myself headlong into this story. Honestly, it's been awhile since I've done that! I've just formed Corona so much that I've even had conversations between the two of us in my head when I get bored, and it's like she's a separate person! Is it weird to say writing is my best friend? I have an actual best friend, but Corona might as well be my best friend too. Ah, wouldn't that be lonely? Having only your written characters as friends? Yup, I'm definitely going to do my best to not lose my living, breathing friends. For now, I'll have to brave through school so I can keep myself also living and breathing.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!