Tanaka adjusted the duffel bag over his shoulders. He'd been staying at a shady motel at the edge of town, doing his best to lay low before trying to find a flight out. He had heard about how the Red Queen had gone to Tartarus and slaughtered a hundred warriors and decided that he needed to leave as soon as possible. The next head that might be taken could be his.

It was now or never. He had no family or no other friends so he knew that it would be easy to start anew in a different town, far, far away. He wasn't going to squander the life that Sekihara Jun had spared.

"Going somewhere?" asked a sweet voice from the doorway and Tanaka whirled around to see a tall figure, his features blocked out by the darkness. But by the voice alone, Tanaka knew who it was. He had been a referee a few times for his matches too, per Jun's request.

"What do you want, Hisoka?" he asked, trying to keep his voice firm. Tanaka had known about Jun's strange relationship with this man for some time now, but never bothered to get involved. If Jun was a frightening person, Hisoka was even more so. Not even once had he seen the magician fight seriously and yet he slaughtered his prey.

Hisoka smiled dangerously, his eyes glowing in the dim light. Hisoka held a card to his cheek and Tanaka knew that if he even moved an inch, that card would be embedded in his throat. "I have a favor to ask."

"That sounds wonderful," Jun said into her phone with a grin. "I'll stop by and pick up the job later today." Without even waiting for the other side to hang up, Jun clicked off her phone.

"What was that about?" Machi asked, taking a bite from her sandwich. She was actually a little glad that Jun had called her. She hadn't seen Jun in a while and wondered how she was doing. It was a relief to see that she seemed to be doing fine.

"Someone contacted me about a job," Jun said, smiling at her friend as she plucked some french fries between her fingers. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "A kill-y type of job."

"An assassination?" Machi corrected, raising an eyebrow. "Since when were you an assassin?"

"Since forever," Jun said, tilting her head, a little confused. "Haven't I told you before?"

"You've literally never told me anything about yourself, Jun," Machi said, realizing it only as she said it.

"Oh," Jun said, sounding confused. "It's not like it's something I hide, or anything. I've been working with the same firm for some time now."

"So, that was them, then?"

"Oh, no," Jun said, waving her hand dismissively. "I killed all of those guys. They tried to hire a Zoldyck to kill me."

Machi made a face. If a Zoldyck had been hired to kill Jun, Jun would have been killed. "So, why are you not dead?"

Jun shrugged. "Got lucky, I guess," she said. "He didn't take the job."

Machi scoffed. Sekihara Jun's luck in this world was immeasurable. There were many times before that she should have died but she still sits in front of Machi today, looking as healthy as ever. If "healthy" was ever a word used to describe Jun.

"That was just someone who found me from the Hunter website," she said with a shrug. "I put up something yesterday after I killed all those dumb guys. They said they have information on someone named Sekihara, and are willing to trade me for a hit."

"A family member?" Machi asked carefully. "I...didn't know you had family, Jun."

"I don't," Jun said with a shrug. She took a breath. "We're not related by blood, but I've always thought of this person as a brother to me. I even took his last name. But a long time ago, he was sold from my house. When they didn't tell me who took him, I killed everyone in that house and I've been looking for him since."

That was probably the most Machi had ever heard Jun talk. She wondered why now, of all times, was Jun even choosing to reveal all of this. Machi had been fine the past few years with Jun's cryptic answers and tendencies to change the subject when she started talking about something touchy. But recently - starting with that time she became jealous of Machi - Jun had started acting like a real person.

Jun seemed to realize that perhaps she's given away more than she'd planned to, and chuckled. "It doesn't matter anyway," she told Machi. "I want to tell you. We're friends, right?"

Machi hated when Jun said that. "Yeah," she said, hoping the hesitance in her voice was only her imagination. "Friends." Machi sighed, shaking off the bad feeling she got whenever she acknowledged her "friendship" with Jun. "So, who's the hit on anyway?"

"I dunno," Jun said with a shrug. "I have to go pick up the job later. Do you wanna come with?"

"Not particularly, no," Machi answered. She would rather people avoid seeing her face, and avoid people seeing her with Sekihara Jun. "Aren't you supposed to go to those things alone anyway?"

"I guess," Jun replied with another shrug. "I've never really worked for anyone other than Lancaster and his group."

"Why didn't you try posting on the hunter website sooner?" Machi asked. "You became a hunter two years ago, right?"

"Yeah, I tried two years ago," Jun said. "There was nothing on any Sekihara. I'm from Meteor City," Jun said, and Machi's ears twitched. "So there isn't a lot of information on me or my brother. It's difficult to find anything. I got really lucky this time. I was working with Lancaster for so long because we had already established a repertoire, and I figured they were doing their job. Once I get the information, I have one more thing to do. And then I can go find him."

Machi had wondered what had suddenly changed. She'd never expressed any interest on leaving this town before and suddenly, she seemed to be rushing to leave.

There were a lot of things that Machi wanted to ask, but she didn't know if any of them had answers Jun would be willing to give. But Machi, for some reason, wasn't afraid. Jun had said they were friends. If they were really friends, Machi knew that Jun wouldn't completely flip out. Machi was able to quell Jun's jealousy before. She figured she'd be a little equipped to handle any of Jun's other emotions.

"What if he's dead?" Machi asked slowly. "Have you...thought about what you're going to do if your brother is already dead?"

The answer Jun gave was one that Machi was not expecting. She expected Jun to say something like, "there's no way my brother's dead!" or something, but instead, the woman smiled sadly and averted her eyes. "I haven't thought about it," Jun said softly.

But that was already an answer in itself. Machi suddenly realized that the reason why Jun had stayed in this town for so long was not because she was preparing to leave. It was because she was afraid to. If she was out in a world where her one purpose had vanished, then Machi knew for a fact that Jun would probably take her own life.

Machi didn't really know what to say. So, instead, she changed the subject. "Oh, so, I, uh, heard about your date the other day."

"You did?" Jun asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Yeah, Hisoka told me," Machi said with a shrug. "Did you have fun?"

Jun grinned widely, her happiness already an answer enough. "It was really fun," she said. "I think he owes me another one soon!"

"How?" Machi asked, furrowing her brows slightly. It wasn't like Hisoka to continue to reward Jun this way. "Did you have another fight?"

"Sorta," she said with a shrug. "We fought in the underground arena together and I won a second date! I'm so excited."

"Jun, can I ask you something?"

Jun smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, sure. I dunno if I have an answer for it."

Machi knew that was just a facade covering the fact that if Jun didn't like the question, she wasn't going to answer. But Machi didn't care. Jun seemed to be rather generous with secrets today. "Are you in love with him?"

Jun seemed surprised by the question, her blue eyes blinking a few times. She tapped her nose. "In love with him? I don't know. Am I?"

Machi sighed, remembering a similar banter when she'd asked if Jun had told her she had never kissed Hisoka before. "I don't know. That's why I'm asking you."

"Well, I don't really even know what that means," Jun answered innocently, shrugging. "Being in love with someone is different from loving someone, right? I love my brother because he raised me and he was the kindest person to me. And I love you because we're friends, and that makes me happy."

"So, if something were to happen to me, or to your brother, then would you be upset?" Machi asked.

"Of course," Jun answered in a heartbeat.

"If something happened to Hisoka, would you care?"

"I think I would," Jun said, tapping her nose again as she leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "But I don't think it would be in the same way. I think if something happened to you, I would be upset because you were hurt. That would be the overwhelming reason. If something happened to Hisoka, I think I would be upset that he was hurt, but the overwhelming reason would be because I wasn't the one who hurt him. If he suddenly died, I would be angry because I wasn't the one who killed him."

Machi had to resist another sigh. Jun's sense of relationships was, once again, proving difficult to understand and dissect.

"But isn't everything the same, then? You love your brother because he raised you, and you say you love me because I make you happy. Doesn't Hisoka do that for you as well?" Machi asked, raising an eyebrow.

Machi saw it for a split second, it was like a lightbulb flicked on somewhere in the depth of Jun's mind and for a second, her eyes sparkled. "You're right," she said simply. She stood up. "I think I should probably get going to pick up my job."

"Sure," Machi said, standing up as well. She latched onto Jun's wrist before she could walk away. "Whatever we talked about today, you can't tell Hisoka."

Jun laughed. "He'd probably kill me in my sleep," Jun joked, but Machi knew that she wasn't joking. Not only would Jun be in trouble, but Machi knew Hisoka would be pretty annoyed with her if he found out Machi had been talking to Jun about feelings. That was the last thing Hisoka wanted Jun thinking about.

"I'll see you," Jun said with a smile, and swept off.

Jun's heels clicked dully against the pavement. Her hands were stuffed in her pockets, clenched in fists. She was so excited. She was one step closer to finding a lead on her brother for the first time in over a decade.

The men she met with were dressed casually, in shirts and regular jeans, blending in with the crowd of people at the cafe they had chosen to meet her at. She understood the precaution. If she didn't like what they were saying, they believed that being in a crowd would protect them from the scene she would cause should she decide to murder them all. A silly precaution - Jun wasn't afraid of ashamed of that sort of trivial thing - but Jun didn't bother making a big deal about it.

She sat at the table with three men, all who looked in their mid thirties, nothing quite distinctive about them. They introduced themselves, but Jun had already forgotten their names. One of them handed her a folder.

"This is your target," he said as Jun slid the folder over to her side of the table.

She kept her hand on the folder, keeping the paper closed. "Just to be clear," she started, raising her electric blue eyes to meet theirs. "You have information on Sekihara Jin'ai, sold from the Huang house in Meteor City fifteen years ago?"

"Yes," the first man said. "Sold from the Huang house by Huang Jie."

"Never say that bitch's name around me ever again," she said with a bright smile, but chills rippled down all their spines. "So, when I kill this person, you'll give me all the information you have on Sekihara Jin'ai?"

"Yes," he answered again.

"And if you don't?" she asked. "Will I be able to kill you all?"

"We can assure you that we do have information and that it is accurate," he said, which seemed to appease her. She was smiling brightly and innocently. It was hard to believe that this woman was a psychopath. "Please take a look at the file. I am sure a woman of your caliber will be able to handle such a job."

Jun debated for a moment. She normally tore these folders up. But Jin'ai was at stake. She needed to be sure to know the person she needed to kill. She opened the folder and felt every bone in her body freeze.

The photos were of a certain red haired man. His hair was let down and he was dressed in a deep blue tank top, beside a woman in a summer dress. She flipped through the other photos to see his battles in the Heaven's Arena.

She stared up at them. "What kind of game are you playing?"

"This person is a part of the Phantom Troupe," the man said. "One of the strongest members, according to our intel. We need you to kill him, cause a little distress within the group, and-"

"The deal is off," Jun said immediately, closing the folder. "I'm not killing this person."

The men exchanged glances. She had seemed so desperate for information. The first one turned back to her. "We believe that because you are already familiar with Hisoka, it would only be natural that you-"

Jun's eyes were a piercing black. "Shut up," she hissed. "If you even think for one second that I'm going to kill this person for you then I might as well slit your throats here."

"The information on Sekihara Jin'ai," the man reminded her. "We will trade the information for him for the head of this man."

"If that's the price, then the deal is off," Jun said, her heart pounding so loudly in her chest, it was making her dizzy. "Leave," she told them, firing a vicious glare their way. "Before I make your heads roll."

The men quickly shuffled their things and stood up, reaching to grab the file from Jun's hands. She clutched it tightly between her fingers and did not look up at them. "If I find out that you have hired another person to kill him, I will find you. And I will slaughter you."

Jun sat quietly, alone, for a long time. The file was cold under her fingers, the world before her becoming a blur. That was it. She'd lost the only possibility of a lead on her brother in fifteen years. She hadn't even realized that it had started raining, globs of water drenching her from head to tow, chilling her bones and melting the paper beneath her hands.

She didn't know how long she had sat there, but by the time she had managed to pull herself together and trudge back to her room, the sun had already set and the torrential rain had faded to a light drizzle.

Jin'ai was so close. But she had given him up. For what? Why? For Hisoka? She had told him many times that he wasn't her final goal and that was the truth. Jin'ai was her final goal. If she could find him and be with him and take care of him the way he had taken care of her, there was nothing more she needed in life.

But...what kind of life was that? A life without thrills and bloodshed and battles, a life without challenges? Jin'ai, wherever he was, she knew he was hurting, or sick. What if they couldn't adventure the way she wanted to go adventure? What if she couldn't keep her promise? What if she was stuck at his side for the rest of her life?

A twisting feeling wrenched her gut. She...had never thought of any of this before. Before, finding Jin'ai had always been enough.

But things had changed. She had changed. She wasn't the same helpless girl she was fifteen years ago. She had grown into a fighter. A strong one, too. And the only person she had to thank was Hisoka.

Her door opened some time later and she glanced up at the sound. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and left her room, meeting Hisoka in the living room. He was dressed in his usual garb, a black top and white pants, golden rings around his biceps and wrists. But for some reason, tonight, he seemed to glow in a way Jun had never seen before.

He smiled upon seeing her. "You spent the day inside?" he asked, running a hand through his hair as he approached her.

"Yeah," she said quietly, and Hisoka tilted his head slightly at her saddened tone and obvious lie. She was completely soaked and was ruining her couch.

"How about we spend tomorrow together, then?" Hisoka asked, hooking a finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. Hisoka had nearly memorized the shades of blue Jun's eyes turned and could tell what mood she was in based on the color alone. Her normal bright cerulean was clouded, a dull cottoned indigo. "I still owe you a date."

"Oh," Jun said, instantly perking up, her eyes brightening to Hisoka's favorite sky blue. "That's right, you owe me! Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere you do," he said with a shrug, lowering his hand to catch her by the wrist and lead her back to her bedroom. Why she'd left there in the first place, Hisoka didn't know. Didn't she understand their relationship?

"I don't know that kind of stuff, though," she said as he laid her down on the mattress, climbing atop her. He flicked the hair from her face and licked his lips.

"Well, if that's the case, let me take care of it. You trust me, don't you, princess?"

"Of course," Jun answered automatically, grinning.

Hisoka smiled thinly. "Good."