Disclaimer: I wish I owned Hunter but it already belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi :( Sadly, I just own my idiotic OC, Hitomi... yay...
Chapter 34: Following the Plan x Getting Closer x Hidden Pain
Morel and Knov were already on move, that was why Gon had met Kurapika, Shoot and Knuckle. He went alone, because he couldn't contact his friends.
"I can't reach Killua," Gon told them, as he gave up calling him. "I guess his phone is off."
"I'm not having any luck with Hitomi either," Kurapika sighed, doing the same. His eyes narrowed as he clenched his fists.
The boy noticed Kurapika's down behavior, and grinned at him.
"She'll be fine," he assured him. "We all agreed that they would initiate all contact, so I guess we shouldn't be surprised if they don't pick up."
"Damn, then we have to wait for them to call?!" Knuckle complained.
"But didn't she tell him that she was going to call you when she finds Killua?" Shoot asked.
"She did, but maybe she didn't find him yet... or forgot to call," Gon sighed.
"Shit, where is she?" Knuckle cursed again.
"You sure don't care a thing about Killua..." Shoot shook his head and Kurapika glared at him again.
Meanwhile, using his powers, Gon's new friend was watching. The chameleon-like ant was called Meleoron, and was watching the others closely.
"Why does that guy look like he was born in the wrong decade? And the look on his face says that he's always looking for a fight..." he stopped analyzing Knuckle and turned to Shoot. "The other has no eyebrows and that expression makes it clear that he trusts no one. It's not even question of whether he and I can get along. I can already see he won't believe a word I say."
Then, Kurapika noticed something and turned at his way. The ant froze, even though he knew that was impossible for him to see him. The boy narrowed his eyes in suspicion, before talking to Gon again.
"And this cat-eyed boy is the worst of them... He looks like a loner... and one that can kill you in five seconds if you piss him off..." a drop of sweat ran in his forehead. "Gon, I'm sorry to say that my first impression is very bad! Unless I get some really good news soon, there's no way I'll be able to trust them. I guarantee it."
Something caught Gon's eye, and he noticed a bunch of dogs walking their way. He grinned, while kneading down.
"Hey, what's all this?" he asked.
"Beats me," Knuckle replied. "Just a pack of strays, I guess."
"But they have collars..."
Kurapika chuckled. "Yeah, just a pack," he teased.
"He's been feeding all the animals left due to the selection," Shoot explained. "He's even sacrificed sleep..."
"I'm not feeding all of them!" Knuckle said, stubbornly. "I know we don't have time to waste on that, so I abandoned those that stood no chance. Some were just skin and bones, but still wouldn't take my food. Some were so loyal, they wouldn't leave their homes after I untied them... What's so bad about saving the ones that want the help?!"
A tiny tear fell into the ground.
"No one said anything bad about that," Kurapika raised an eyebrow. "So, calm down."
"You don't have to cry about it," Shoot added, shaking his head, while Gon smiled awkwardly.
"I'm n-not crying... and I'm completely calm, you fools!" he shouted, wiping his tears. "Want me to smack you both?!"
On the other hand, Meleoron's eyes watered.
"That won't be enough to raise my opinion," he thought. "Well, he certainly is different, though."
"I can't believe it," Hitomi complained, while resting her head on her hands, over Killua's bed. "You're telling me I actually slept for two full days?!"
"Well, you used all your Nen," Ikalgo replied, flipping a page of his magazine. "You needed to rest."
"Yeah, but..." she sighed.
Hitomi then looked at Killua's sleeping face. He definitely looked way better than the last time she had seen him.
"You saved him... but nearly killed him," her face fell at Ikalgo comment. "You know, his wounds got infected. Luckily, he recovered from his fever pretty quickly because of his... uh, unique immunity defense. But if he was a normal guy, he'd be dead now."
"Well, he was going to die either way," she mumbled embarrassed. "But now he is breathing, isn't he?"
"Yeah, yeah," Ikalgo's attention directed to his magazine once again.
The girl pouted, before looking at her friend again before blushing furiously. She buried her face on the blanket, remembering all she had done two days ago...
Even though it wasn't aloud, she did admit that she felt something more than just a childish liking to him... Damn, she even kissed him in his head... And touched his soft hair... Which smelled so good...
"What the hell am I thinking?" she facepalmed, before looking at Killua. Her violet gaze softened.
She then smiled tenderly, she couldn't lie to herself anymore...
Hitomi felt somewhat being pulled to Killua, attracted to him. She was in love with the boy. Nothing less.
She sighed, reaching with her hand his fluffy, white hair. Softly, she started brush it, and the boy somewhat smiled. Then, he did something she had never expected...
A low, but cute purr. That was that he let out his lips.
Hitomi jerked back, withdrawing her hand instantly. She blinked, still in shock, as Ikalgo looked at her way, stunned as well.
"What was that?" he asked.
"Killua... had just... purred..." she shook her head, smirking a bit. "Well, he is such a cat... in a literally way."
"I see..." Ikalgo mumbled, before shutting up because of a soft groan.
The white headed boy snuggled against his pillow, and shut his eyes tightly because of the light coming from the windows. Killua's icy blue orbs then opened a little, staring at the white ceiling. The memories of the last time he had been awake hit his head.
He shot up from the bed, staying for a little in a sitting position.
"Oh? Are you awake?" Killua recognized Hitomi's teasing grin. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."
"How are you feeling?" Ikalgo asked from his other side. The boy touched his forehead and noticed it was wrapped with bandages.
"Octopus! Dummy! Where am I?" he panicked. "How long was I out?"
"Don't call me an octopus!" Ikalgo shouted, as he jumped out his chair.
"He seems fine to me..." Hitomi facepalmed, irritated. "Sadly, too fine..."
Killua just looked at them, waiting for an answer. Ikalgo sighed, before explaining the situation to him.
"This is an underground clinic for folks with roots in the underworld. You were out for two whole days," he looked at Hitomi, who raised an eyebrow. "She was out as well until a little now."
"You were?" Killua glanced at the girl and she just shrugged. Then, he realized what the octopus had just said. "Wait, two days?!" he wanted to get off the bed. "I need to get going!"
"Hey!" the ant held up his hands, to stop him. "You shouldn't more around! Your wounds will reopen."
"I have to follow through with the plan," he took the IV off his arm.
Hitomi just shook her head, chuckling a little.
"Idiot!" the octopus continued. "You were just on the verge of death! You need a few days before-"
"Not necessary," Hitomi cut him off, smirking.
The octopus gave her a confused look, but before he could even say something, a woman who worked there walked towards them.
"Oh, you two are awake?" she asked. "That's great."
"Thanks for everything you've done," Killua said. "We're checking out now."
"Not until you pay me," she raised a finger. "Your total bill comes to 1.8 million jenny... each."
The girl looked at her, annoyed. "Come on! I've been the one doing treating Killua!"
Killua looked at her and then at Ikalgo, in surprise. The octopus just nodded, affirming what she had said.
His sapphire eyes widened even more when he confirmed that as a real fact. He had never dreamed of the day that Hitomi would do something like that without braging about it. He was kind of shocked after knowing that she had practically saved his life.
It looked like he owed her quite a lot.
"And also, the only thing I did was sleeping!" she ended. "Bring down the price a little!"
"I said 1.8 million jenny each," a murderous aura surrounded the woman's face. "If you can't pay, I'll take body parts instead."
Hitomi sighed, taking her wallet out. She frowned at the sight of it, irritated.
"I have enough to cover only mine," she told him, before looking at her phone. "And the battery of my cell phone had died down... Just great."
"Don't worry, you have done more than enough," Killua's sentence sure took her out of guard, but chuckled at it. The boy turned to the nurse. "I don't have my wallet on me. I'll wire it to you when I get back."
"I'm not stupid enough to trust that you'll keep that promise," she replied. "Until you find someone to bring the money, you're staying here."
"We don't have time for that!" he snapped at her. "Give me a phone!"
She directed him to one, deciding to call Gon.
"It costs 10,000 jenny per minute," the nurse told him.
"Would you just shut up and go away?!" the kids shouted at her, both were really annoyed.
And the nurse walked away. Killua sighed, and pressed the phone against his ear.
"I'm going to call Gon," he told her.
That was when Hitomi grimaced and facepalmed. Given the circumstances, she had not managed to call Gon, whom she promised to call as soon as she found Killua. It had been two days since now.
"Hello?" Gon said from the phone.
"Hey, it's me," Killua replied in a casual way.
She just prayed that Gon would be able to be quiet about it...
"KILLUA!" the loud voice nearly left Killua deaf, but he managed to pull the phone apart of his ear.
"USE YOUR INNER VOICE!" Hitomi grabbed the phone and yelled at the boy. "WE ARE IN A HOSPITAL, FOR GOODNESS SAKE!"
"Eh?! Is Hitomi who is with you?!" Gon recognized her voice. "Why are you both in the hospital?! Are you okay?! What happened?!"
Hitomi sighed, before keeping her ear close to the phone, in order to hear the conversation as well.
"Yeah, Hitomi is with me right now," Killua replied. "We'll explain when we see you."
"Long story short, ant problems. Killua nearly died and I ran off Nen," Hitomi explained briefly. "And as I told you, we've been in the hospital."
"I see... Well, I'm glad you called," Gon smiled from the other end. "This means you're okay now, right?"
"Yeah, we'll be back soon," the boy said. "Anything happen on your side?"
"We've found a strong ally," on the other end, Gon turned around to see Mereolon and Knuckle, who were clashing their fists together. "He's bonding with Knuckle. We have a plan that could defeat the King if it goes well."
"Really?" Hitomi was curious.
"We should meet, so I can hear what you guys think."
"Okay," Killua replied. "Then, I need you to send money to a certain bank account. If you do that, we can rendezvous today."
After that, Gon promised to pay and Killua hang up. Hitomi gave the woman the money and she left to check Killua's payment. Ikalgo said something more to him about having to take it easy, but he ignored him. He took his shirt off, revealing his completely healed body.
And Hitomi smacked herself and turned around, when she found herself staring at him for too long.
"You know," Ikalgo told her, smirking. "You're drooling."
"I'm not!" she yelled at him, wiping her mouth.
Before anyone could say something else, the nurse stepped into the room.
"Okay, I confirmed receipt of the money," she told them. "You can leave. Right now."
And she slammed the door, leaving one of Hitomi's eyebrow twitch involuntary. Killua shook his head, as he dressed with a sleeveless shirt.
"Oh, such a warm and tearful goodbye," she mumbled.
Then, they walked to the door, Ikalgo closely following them. When they arrived at it, the ant stopped in his tracks, just looking at them blankly.
"Come on!" Hitomi shouted at him, feeling a little impatient. "What are you waiting for?"
"Let's go," Killua called as well, Ikalgo jumped in his feet. "We're gonna join our buddies. We'll introduce you."
He didn't say anything for a while. "But..." he looked at the ground.
The kids gave him a long look, before frowning slightly. Killua sighed, and looked away from him.
"Well, I won't force you," he said. "I'll just tell you this. Thank you."
"Uh, wait... Actually..." he mumbled, before speaking up. "It's okay if I come? I mean, I'm just a-"
"An ant?" Hitomi raised an eyebrow, completing the sentence. Sarcasm then echoed in her voice. "Wow, big deal. I'm a human bratty girl... Yeah, that's different."
"But..."
"What? Was I the only one who thought we were already friends?" Killua mumbled, and Ikalgo's eyes watered.
"It's... okay?"
"It isn't about what's okay," Killua sighed, opening the door. The two kids started to walk. "It's whether you're coming or not."
"I'm going!" Ikalgo started running after them. "I'm going with you!"
Then Killua stopped, facing Ikalgo with a serious expression. Hitomi stepped right behind the boy, a smirk being drawn in her face.
"I want to make something clear. The next time something like this happens, I won't bother thanking you," he explained to his tiny friend. "So if something happens, and I end up helping you, you don't need to thank me. Friends are supposed to help friends."
Hitomi just held back a laugh at his words.
"From now on, we'll be working together. So we'll be helping each other," he continued. "Supporting each other isn't a big deal. It'd be lame to thank each other for every little thing."
"And also, he's just shy," the girl grinned at him. "He's just embarrassed to thank people countless times."
"I'm not!" he argued and flushed a bit.
"Yes, you are~!" she teased, in a sing-song voice.
"No!"
"Yes~!"
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"YES, dammit!" Killua growled, irritated.
"So you are shy?" Hitomi grinned at him. "Good thing to know then~!"
"Eh-?" he then realized what he had said and facepalmed. "You know what? You should know when to shut up."
"Why? I don't have to."
"You have."
"No way."
"Yea-" Killua cut himself before starting again with that stuff and sighed in irritation. "Argh, I really hate you."
Hitomi pouted.
"Aww... but you like me, don't yo-?"
"That's not the point!" he shouted, before turning to Ikalgo, who was looking at the conversation cluelessly. "So, are you going?"
The octopus-like ant started to think about it, his eyes watering even more than before in excitement.
"Yeah, this is it," tears started to roll down his cheeks. "This is the world I wanted. The world I longed for and sought... But deep down, I thought it was beyond my reach... I'd given up on this world. I thought it wasn't meant to me..."
"Huh?" Killua jumped in his feet, not sure of what to do. "Why are you crying?"
"Because... Because you're doing this for me!" he cried.
Hitomi grinned, at the sight of the ant wiping his tears away. Killua, on the other hand, just sighed, before kneading down in front of Ikalgo.
"I want to make one more thing clear. The world you're stepping into is far more brutal than the world of the Chimera Ants," he told him, with a serious expression. "They may seem similar, but there's a huge difference between risking a life and throwing it away."
Ikalgo didn't say anything, just looked at the boy who was standing up.
"People staring death in the face everyday don't want to hear that someone is ready to die, you know," Hitomi added.
"Yeah," Killua nodded, before looking at the ant in the eye. "Only people who maintain a daily regimen to stay in tip-top shape and can swallow just enough poison to fall short of a lethal dose, get to survive. That's how it goes."
They both then smiled at him.
"Are you ready to join us?" the boy asked.
Ikalgo then smiled widely after hearing that words.
"A foolish question. I see paradise before me," his smirk grew. "I'm going, no matter what it costs me."
"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable."
Kurapika released a long sigh, before hanging up the call. He looked at his phone for a long time and his eyes narrowed.
Two days have passed since he had news about his sister's whereabouts, but it sure had been a lot more time for him at least. The fact that surprised him even more was that Gon hadn't got any word of her either.
He arrived at the place he agreed to be, using the key that Knov gave him to enter to his place, which was created with his Nen, called Hide and Seek. What he found inside took him for surprise.
Kurapika was aware of his master's mental breakdown. As far as the boy was concerned, Knov had sneaked in the King's Palace, and managed to fulfill his quest, which was to put some portals for the operation three days after that day.
But what he ran into was far beyond his imagination. There was the man, sitting in the floor, knees against his chest and his body shaking. He froze for a minute when he raised his head to see him: there was no more than fright in his eyes.
"Master," Kurapika spoke, stepping in front of him. "How are you doing?"
Knov didn't answer his question and just hugged his legs tighter.
"What really happened?" the boy narrowed his eyes, asking slowly.
"That... That vicious aura..." he managed to say in a whisper. "One look... was all it took... to break my will..."
His student kept silent and gazed at his feet, knowing perfectly that the aura he was talking about was Neferpitou, the Royal Guard that attacked Hitomi and the others back then in NGL.
"Hitomi, your sister... Gon... Killua..." Knov spoke, making Kurapika look at him in the eye. "They must have seen that aura... and were probably even closer, actually touching it... Yet... How are they still able to face them? How can they bring themselves to fight?"
"I don't really know, but their willpower is something else... out of this world," Kurapika replied, smiling a little at himself. "You can say that, in that point of view, they are similar to Palm..."
"Palm!" Knov remembered, panicking a bit.
That was when the teen realized that reminding him of her wasn't a wise move. The reason was that she too had sneaked in the building, hiding inside to trap the King once and for all.
"Please, Palm... don't do anything foolish..." he mumbled more like to himself, before talking to the boy. "Kurapika, please, you too... don't end dead."
"I won't, I promise," Kurapika promised.
"And also... the reason I called you..." he looked at him, still a little shaken. "I want you to take my place... and help Morel with Shaiapouf. I won't be able... to go back there... anymore..."
Kurapika doubted he could be any help, but nodded anyway. He placed a hand over his teacher's shoulder and smiled warmly.
"You don't have anything to worry about," he assured him. "I'll complete your task, no matter how much it can cost me."
"T-That's the problem..." Knov frowned. "I don't... want to lose both of my students... Not you... nor Palm..."
"I assure you that I'll live," he smiled, as his sister's smile popped up in his head. "I've a promise to deal with before I die."
Then, he gave Knov the key and he motioned the boy to the exit as well as he could. Outside it, his phone rang. He picked up, just to hear Gon's voice.
"Kurapika! Hitomi has called!" his heart went calm once again. "She's with Killua, they are coming here."
"Thank to goodness," he released a long, relaxed sigh. "Thanks for informing me. I'm on my way there."
"What the hell were you thinking right there?!"
Hitomi rolled her eyes at her brother. "Here we go again," she thought, as the boy continued scolding her.
"Risking yourself like that! That was stupid!" Kurapika shouted. "You could have died there, you know! And who would you leave to tell the notice to the others? Killua? That would be horrible for him! And also-"
"Please! I'm alive and well, right? Stop nagging like an old hag, for goodness sake... and for my ears' sake to... They will start bleeding if you continue yelling that loud..."
"I'm not joking, this is serious stuff!"
Killua and Gon just looked at the scene and sweatdropped. It had been a while since they had heard the boy scolding his little sister. It sure brought them memories...
"Hey, Kurapika, just let her be for now. She's fine already," Knuckle tried to calm him down. "Besides, we haven't time for this."
"Right," he glared at the girl, who grinned, before releasing a long sigh.
Hitomi gave Knuckle a smile, in thanks and he raised a thumb at her, scratching the back of his head with a flushing face in shyness.
Killua bit his lip and huffed in annoyment.
"Huh~?" Gon whispered at him, kind of bluntly. "Someone is jealous here?"
"I'm not!" he blushed, but the other boy's teasing grin didn't wipe out his face. "Argh! You are even more annoying than her."
"Her? Oh, so you are thinking about her again, eh?"
They both were silent for a while.
"Gon?"
"Yes?"
"I'm so gonna kill you."
After that, they all sat around a piece of paper, where the map of the palace was drawn. Then, they told Killua and Hitomi everything that happened when they were out. The filling in was over now, and they all were discussing about a plan.
"Using Knov-san's Apartment Complex, nine people will infiltrate the palace," Knuckle explained. "Shoot, Kurapika and me... Gon, Killua, Hitomi, Meleoron, Ikalgo and then Morel. A few seconds after us, the Chairman will enter from beyond Pitou's En."
"During that time, we must draw the Royal Guard from the King," Kurapika added. "Then, Hitomi, Gon, Killua and Ikalgo will go in first. When we suddenly appear in the midst of the palace, their immediate reaction will be..."
"To protect the King with their lives," Gon completed for him.
"They'll probably use a formation like this," Killua drew in the paper some figures, showing that the King would be in the center and the guards surrounding him.
"Wow, so easy to break," Hitomi whistled, sarcastically.
Meleoron hummed for a bit. "And that's where I come in," he pointed at himself.
They nodded, and continued to design their plan. All of them stood hours there, talking, arguing and nodding, until it was finally complete.
"Something to ask?" Hitomi asked after ending it.
"Uh, about Palm..." Gon went on. "Can we do anything to learn what's happened to her?"
"She's either dead or in hiding. If she's gotten out, she'd have contacted us," Killua replied. "Since she hasn't, that's the only explanation."
"Also, if she were captured, she'd taken her own life," Kurapika frowned. "When she left, she was prepared for that."
"If we try to check on her, it would be an insult to her resolve," Shoot completed the thought.
Gon looked a little upset after hearing that, and lowered his brown gaze to the wooden floor in which he was sitting.
"Hey, you're being too harsh!" Knuckle shouted at Shoot. "Gon's just concerned about Palm."
"And his concern is worthless," Killua said, a little rudely.
"What's that?!" he snapped, anger building inside him. "You just came back! Where do you get off?!"
Hitomi released a long sigh.
"Even though I don't like it, he's right," she spoke. "Assuming that Palm was captured alive, it would mean the enemy knows our plan. That means that we would be walking straight to the trap and our death."
"We'll be destroyed instantly," Killua added. "But instead of worrying about worst-case scenarios, what's important is that we trust Palm."
Kurapika just gave him a long, curious look. "I think that's the first time I hear him talking about not worry about the worst-case scenario," he then smiled a bit. "He changed a lot from the last time I've seen him."
"Well, that certainly makes sense," Meleoron held a finger up. "But Gon's point might be that, if Palm has met such a fate, we still have time to change the plan."
"Think again," Killua did the same thing. "He'll say that we have to save Palm first. But he won't offer any plans for that."
"Sadly, agree again," Hitomi sighed.
Gon's face then fell. "Y-You are right..." he mumbled.
The others sighed as well and looked at the boy, who just kept his gaze on the floor. Killua's expression didn't change though.
"I know you're worried, but once the operation starts, you'll have to forget her until we're done," the boy told his friend.
"If you're distracted for a fraction of a second, that might cause our operation to fail," Meleoron agreed.
"We still have two days... There's still time for Palm to contact us," Hitomi nodded. "But in case she doesn't, we can't leave her in her own. Why don't we send someone with the only task of search and get her out the palace?" she gave Ikalgo a quick glance, who blinked. "Someone who can pass unnoticed between ants..."
"Leave it to me," the ant then smirked.
"It's about time for us to enter Peijing," Knuckle said, slapping his hand on the paper, the night before the operation. "The enemy should have noticed Morel's distraction by now. We'll make some noise in Peijing to negate their belief that this is all the work of one man."
"At the same time, many citizens will be moving toward the palace," Kurapika continued. "If we disappear the day before the celebration, they'll believe assassins are hidden among the citizens, trying to kill the King. And their focus will be outside the palace, on the crowds."
"And that's when we enter the palace with Four-Dimensional Apartment Complex!" Hitomi grinned, excitedly, and pointed at a place in the paper. "And the King will definitely be here. Watching the selection from the third-floor throne room."
Her brother, on the other hand, gave her a long look and frowned. Little after that, he sighed.
"Well, we should split now, don't we?" Kurapika stood up, before glancing at his partners.
"What do you mean?" Knuckle grinned. "With 'us', I meant Shoot and me," he looked at the others. "You're staying with them."
"Eh?"
Hitomi blinked at him for a while. Kurapika's partner turned around to see her and smiled, taking her hand on his.
"Please, take care," he spoke.
Gon laughed nervously as Shoot shook his head, looking both Killua and Kurapika trembling slightly in anger.
"Huh?" Hitomi raised an eyebrow. "I'll be okay... I think..."
"I'd like to stay with you, but-"
He was shut up by a short, cold chuckle coming from Killua.
"Get a room if you want, but why do you keep flirting on her that openly?" the boy rested his hands on his hips. "Even in front of her older brother, for goodness sake."
"What do you mean, dumbass?!" he shouted at him.
"Exactly what I'm saying, idiot!" Killua shouted back, feeling annoyed. "I mean, how old are you, old man? You're old enough to be her grandfather."
"HUH?! Repeat that!" he yelled, in anger.
"You're old enough to be her grandfather!" he yelled back. "See? You can't even hear what I'm saying!"
"I'm just her friend, don't you get it?! F-R-I-E-N-D! Got a problem?" he said, annoying the younger one. "Oh, I think I got it. You are jealous and afraid of me taking your pretty crush out of your reach by any chance?"
They all fell silent at that sentence. Hitomi's eyes opened slightly, as she looked at Killua. The boy didn't spare her a glance, just blushed madly.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" he shouted, pointing at the girl. "I prefer even a red pepper a million times over that tomboy over there! If you want to do that dating-stuff with her, go ahead, but not in front of me! It's disgusting!"
"Yeah, right..." Knuckle gave him an 'I-don't believe-you' look while Hitomi glared at her friend, in annoyment.
After that, they finally split. Shoot looked at his companion with wonder, and he raised an eyebrow to him.
"Why did you let Kurapika go with her in first place?" he asked.
And his good mood - or what it remained of it - died down.
"We don't know how much we can lose there, you know," he explained, gazing at his feet. "Hitomi is his sister, and he needs to have as much time with her as he can... T-That's why."
"Oh," he nodded. "You're so kind. Giving up in having time with her for him."
"I'm not! And I'm not into little girls like that brat said!"
"You're crying, Knuckle."
Trying to fill themselves in about what happened the time they had not seen each other, Killua, Gon, Hitomi and Kurapika sat in the floor of the place in which they were staying along the pair of ants, who were listening despite not being able to understand everything. Either way, they tried to fill them in as well in everything they didn't know.
"The daugther of the Nostrade family lost her powers, and his father got into a bankrupt," Kurapika continued to explain. "That was when I received your call, Hitomi."
"About Kuroro?" she asked, a little unsure.
"Yes. I thought that they could be after us because all the problems we had before. I got scared of them hurting you, guys," he closed his hand, tightly. "That was when I realized how weak I was."
"What do you mean?" Gon was curious. "You were strong already, Kurapika."
"I was strong, true, but it was just based in hatred... More than power to avenge... I needed power to protect. That was why, after finally losing my job, I began to search for a master," they were shocked at his words. The boy smiled warmly. "Then, I met Knov-san and trained along Palm for a while... even though she began to hate me for unknown reasons..."
"Yeah, we're aware of that," Killua sighed, as the three sweatdropped.
"Anyway, I learned about the Chimera Ants, I decided I couldn't just keep quiet about it. I asked Knov-san to go with him a lot of times, until he agreed to put me into a test. I met Knuckle and Shoot, and they gave us the same assignment the Chairman gave you: collect the tokens," he continued. "Although it was a surprise, I'd never expected to meet you guys again in here, and let alone in a situation like this."
"Neither had us," Hitomi smirked.
And then, it was the kids' turn. They told him everything that happened since they splitted off, starting from Greed Island. After finishing the dodgeball game part, Hitomi took the vial she had got from there and gave it to Kurapika.
His eyes shifted in scarlet for a bit, but calmed down.
"They are Pairo's, isn't it?" he asked, softly. They all gasped in surprise, while Kurapika's eyes narrowed, as a thin smile was drawn in his face. "His eyes always had that particular shine in them..."
Hitomi gazed at the ground, pain shining in her eyes. He was damn too right. She then released a long sigh trying to, in vain, trying to erase these memories from her mind.
"Anyway, now that I managed to get a pair of them, it's your time to fulfill your part of the deal," she forced herself to smile at her brother. "We'll search for the ones left after defeating the King, together."
"Yeah, we will," he smiled, warmly. "I promise it."
Killua narrowed his eyes a bit, but didn't say anything. Gon, on the other hand, pouted a little in a childish way.
"That means we won't be together after this?" he asked.
"Well, yeah," she grinned a little. Killua, on the other hand, looked at the floor. "After this, is goodbye," he listened at her, as his fists clenched. "And this time for real."
The boy's teeth grittered at the thought of it, feeling a little hurt at her words. No matter how much the pain burned inside his chest, he forced himself to hide it.
Killua kept awfully quiet after that.
Gon continued to tell Kurapika about everything that happened after that, until they realized how late it was and decided to call it a day. Not long after that, they were all sleeping.
Well, almost all of them. Killua was still wide awake like an owl, blankly staring at the ceiling. After Hitomi had said that sentence, something strange had awaken in him but just wasn't able to put his finger on it.
"Why am I thinking over it that much? It's her own life, her choice," his icy blue gaze didn't leave the roof. "If she is alright with it, so be it. I should be happy that she won't be around for more time annoying us..."
But even he couldn't bring himself to believe his own lies.
"Oh?" he shot up and turned around at that female voice. His eyelid twitched, at the sight of Hitomi. "Is Kitten still awake?"
He didn't say anything, he wasn't in the mood to do so. Killua turned to the window, and looked outside, gaining the girl's curious gaze.
"Why are you that mad? It's because of the nickname? Don't be such a grumpy geezer," his eyebrow twitched again at her comment. "You're a cat, just admit it. You even purr sometimes."
"I don't purr!" he hissed angrily.
"See? You even hiss like a cat," she chuckled. "Sometimes, I feel like I'm in some type of pet shop. After all we have you, the kitty, and Gon, the puppy."
"Is that so?" a vein popped up in his forehead. "Well, if Gon is a dog, I'm a cat... you have no more option than be the beautiful chick of the group."
Hitomi grinned. "I'm the pretty girl? Oh, thanks."
Killua blushed a little.
"I don't mean that!" he shouted. "I mean the animal, you know! A chick!"
Her face fell.
"What?" she went on, angrily.
"You are a lot like chicks. You're small..." Killua smirked, touching her blonde hair, "...yellow..." after that, he poked her cheek, while she was flushing in embarrassment. "... and cute."
"Argh, shut up!" she was feeling annoyed at his smirk. "Stop smiling!"
"I won't," he replied.
"Why?"
"Because it won't be funny."
"I told you to stop!"
He didn't stop though, she pouted about it. She just found herself drown in his shiny blue eyes, listening at his laughing like an adorable, hipnotizing serenade.
But there was something about it she stil couldn't get. She forced herself to not ask, but...
"Anyway, can you ask you something else?" his laugh died down at her question. "What's up with your bicker with Knuckle over there?"
Killua tensed. That was kind of unexpected.
"What do you mean with that? I just hate people who are sickly sweet in public."
"I see..."
No one talked for a few seconds, feeling the tension that thick that Hitomi silently wondered if she was going to get without air to breath.
"Hey, Hitomi," he asked. "What do you think about Knuckle?"
That took her out of guard as well. Killua asking that... What was happening in the world now?
"An awesome friend, why?"
"Nothing else?"
"No," she answered, feeling a little unsure. "Something else to ask?"
The boy just shook his head. Hitomi blinked for a while, before grinning cheekily.
"Is that what they call jealousy?" she teased.
"As if," he replied, a little annoyed.
"Come on! Don't you like me?"
"No," that was his answer.
"Not a bit?"
"No."
"A little, little bit?" she pressed. "Like a sister? Like your best friend? Like a normal friend? Like a... uh... a... an acquaintance?"
"No to all your questions!" he huffed. "Can you just shut up?"
"No way in hell. You will only see me in silence when I'm dead."
"Let see so then!"
He then tacked her, out of cold, starting to pull her cheeks. She reacted, pinching them as well and then the two playfully struggled, rolling across the floor in a fight. Killua ended up winning, and kept in that position, on top of her.
After realizing how childish they had been acting, Killua let out his mouth a burst of laugher, even louder than last time. Hitomi blinked a few times, finding it strange. She had never seen that boy laugh that freely before in her whole life.
But then, a laugh of her own was heard as well. After a while she managed to calm down and grinned a little.
"That's great," she spoke, using her arms to get up slightly.
"Huh?" he was confused.
"You looked really far away recently. It's good to see you smiling again."
"Is that so?"
That's when they realized how close to each other they were, but didn't do anything. The pair just blushed there, frozen.
Violet eyes melted into icy blue ones. The boy then started to bend slowly, without even thinking twice about it, getting closer to the girl. She didn't say anything about his actions, but started to lean closer to him as well.
"What am I doing?" Killua's thoughts weren't that strong to stop him. "It's like my body moves at its own..."
They stopped, staring at each other deeply, just inches separating them. Hitomi couldn't think straight anymore either, her mind was in a total blank. She closed her eyes slightly, feeling his breath on hers. Killua closed his eyes as well, as they got even more closer. He just wasn't explain the feeling that was blossoming in his chest when he felt his lips brushing softly against hers, almost touching...
They were just too close, but he didn't mind. Even more, it was like he was beginning to like it...
Then, they both heard a loud cough, so they instantly pulled apart. The two heads snapped at the direction of the sound.
The pair then were met by a blushing Gon - who was even redder than the other two together - and a pissed off Kurapika.
"What are you doing, Killua?" the older one asked slowly, a dark, murderous aura surrounding him.
Oh, shit.
Hitomi and Killua didn't talk since last night, and Gon just stared at them. Sometimes, they would glance at each other, but instantly look away in shyness. It was like they didn't know what to think about that and about the other one.
It was a little awkward, even for their friend.
"I can't believe I did that... What the hell happened with my self control?" Killua facepalmed, before quickly glancing at the girl. "But... she did the same than me at that time... Can it be...?"
He blushed at the thought, still surprised, and looked away again.
"Good morning!" Ikalgo, who was the only ant there because Meleoron had already left the place, greeted. "Sleep well?"
"Not really, I had a strange nightmare," a dark aura got emitted by Kurapika, as he faked a smile.
"You had?" Ikalgo asked, a little worried.
"Yeah, I dreamed about a boy pinning my sister in the floor... and almost kissing her. I swear that if I have the same dream again... I will look for that guy," his eyes shifted in red. "And hunt him down."
The ant looked at him, in confusion, as all the others sweatdropped at it. Killua flinched and avoided eye-contact with him.
"Hitomi was right... He's kinda overprotective..." Gon let out a nervous laugh. "I feel a little bad for Killua..."
"But it was just a dream, wasn't it?" the octopus asked.
"Yeah," he glared at the boy again. "Just a dream..."
A couple of minutes passed and the atmosphere became heavier, because the task they had on hand. All five of them sat around the piece of paper, where the map of the palace was drawn.
"We have nineteen hours until midnight strikes on selection day," Hitomi commented. "Tonight, we'll finally make our move."
"Let's do one final check," Killua pointed at the paper. "Once inside, Gon, Hitomi, Kurapika and I immediately head up the central stairway, toward the throne room. Then, we will split and Kurapika will join Morel."
"Yeah," Gon and Hitomi agreed, while Kurapika just nodded.
"Ikalgo will take the northeast elevator down to the basement, to search for Palm," he turned to him. "If you find her, escape without us."
"Right," he replied in determination.
"If the King and his three Royal Guards are in the throne room, we proceed with the plan. The problem is, what if they're not there?"
"You're really hung up on that," Gon noticed.
"What are the chances of that happening?" Ikalgo asked.
Hitomi sighed, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"It's highly unlikely," she added.
"Yeah, but the unusual happens pretty often," he replied.
"Aren't you contradicting yourself?" Ikalgo was confused.
"We researched the enemy's behaviors extensively before deciding on a day for the attack. When you're waiting for someone to be in a certain place, at a certain time, that's typically when the unexpected happens. In my old job, I saw this all the time. The unusual always happens on the day you've chosen."
The girl didn't say anything about it. With the luck they had, it would probably be true - she thought.
"In my old job, I could wait for the next chance, to ensure my success. But this time, that isn't an option. We can't wait. Once we move there's no turning back. A moment's hesitation can mean death! So we should take the time now to decide how we'll act in different situations."
"Even if they aren't in the throne room, if they're still in the palace, it's okay. Pitou's En is enough to cover the Palace and its surrounding courtyards, and then some. So if we sense that murderous aura when we enter, we'll know that they're there," Kurapika continued. "From there, we just follow it to where it feels densest, and they'll be at its center."
"The question is what we do if we don't sense Pitou's aura. In other words, what we do if they aren't in the palace," Hitomi frowned. "Or if they're in the palace, but they aren't using En."
"Would they be in the palace, but not using En to guard the King?" the octopus asked
"That's what happened when Knov-san infiltrated the palace!" Gon said, and the boy nodded.
"It doesn't make sense. According to Colt, Knov-san saw Pouf's aura instead Pitou's. The Royal Guard would never leave the King's side. So if Pouf was there, the other two maybe were also in the palace with the King," Kurapika spoke. "Then, why did Pitou stop using the puppets and En, leaving Pouf to handle security, which allowed Knov-san to infiltrate the palace?"
"I believe the reason has to do with how Pitou's power works," the white haired boy raised a finger.
"Why don't we call Colt then?" Hitomi asked.
So did Kurapika. He dialed the ant's number and talked with him for a long time. After hanging up, he told them that it could be Pitou's healing, since it required a lot of concentration, so she wouldn't be able to use En or her puppets.
"Well, at least it makes sense now," Killua concluded. "Which means that someone, most likely the King or one of the Royal Guards, was injured and required healing, so the En and puppets disappeared."
"But hold on..." Ikalgo spoke. "Who would have been able to injure one of those monsters?"
"True..." Gon blinked.
"An internal dispute?" the boy asked.
"Maybe the King injured one of the Royal Guards?" the other boy agreed.
"No way," Hitomi spoke, and everyone looked at her. "I mean, do you think that Pitou would risk the King's life by removing her En to heal someone else?"
They were quiet for a bit, realization hitting them.
"Which means that the one injured..." Killua began.
"... was the King!" Gon completed.
"Not only that, there's no chance that someone else could've injured him," Kurapika went on, calmly. "That only leaves only one possibility," he looked at them. "The King injured himself."
No one talked, but keep in deep thought.
"But, why?" Hitomi frowned.
"I don't know," her brother said, seriously. "But that's the only explanation... Something is going on there."
Six hours before beginning the plan, they arrived at the agreed place, Knov's Apartment Complex. Inside the room, there were Morel, his students, Meleoron and Knov, surrounded by snacks and bottles of water.
"Man," Hitomi looked at her brother's master, whose hair was already white. "Seems like Pouf's Nen hit him pretty hard..."
Morel started to talk with Gon, telling him that Palm didn't communicate, and Kurapika talked a little with the man's students. Hitomi and Killua, on the other hand, sat on the floor. As expected, they were in complete silence. No one made eye-contact. They both released a long sigh.
"About last night..." they went on at the same time.
They looked at each other, in surprise, before looking away. Their faces got even redder than ever before. Hitomi shut her eyes tightly, seeing that Killua wasn't going to speak anytime soon.
"Sorry about, well... that," she spoke. "I'm not sure that came over me. Let's just say... I was just nervous because of the plan and... I didn't really think straight."
Killua didn't say anything for a while.
"Yeah, me too," he finally trailed off. "It's just..."
"Killua, you and Gon are my best friends," she smiled warmly. "Can we just forget it and keep being friends like always?"
He smiled bitterly, a little hurt at her words.
"What are you saying?" he forced himself to chuckle. "Of course we'll always be friends."
Then Hitomi stood up, to her brother soomething. Gon appeared from behind and looked at his friend's depressed state.
"Hitomi once told me about it," Killua jumped in surprise because of his sudden appearance. "I remember her calling it 'friendzone', or something like that."
In a normal situation, he would had gotten already embarrassed and deny it by shouts, but he just didn't feel like doing so. He couldn't lie to Gon, either way.
"You sure jump out of nothing, eh?" his head dropped. "You don't look like the kind of boy that knows about this stuff, you know?"
"I've been in a couple or more of dates than you, right?" Killua's eyebrow twitched after remembering it.
"Should have remembered it..." he mumbled.
Gon grinned brightly, sitting right next to him.
"Don't worry about it, it will be just fine. She feels just like you, I'm sure."
Killua didn't answer, mentally battling to find the correct answer to his internal doubts. First, a part of him wanted to believe him. Another big one actually knew what Gon had said, that Hitomi liked him back. He tried to convince himself about it: that would be the only reason for what she acted like him at... Well, that time.
But another part was stronger, and at the same time he didn't know if it was just disbelieving Gon or lying to himself. It told him to keep it quiet, to remain like nothing ever happened and that they were just pals. It echoed again and again, like it was another needle in his head. Like an unconscious self-defense barrier... To not be hurt.
"And what about Knuckle?" the boy whispered.
"Exactly like Palm and me, remember?" Gon spoke, gaining a long, surprised look from his friend. "She was a little older than me, she liked me. But, guess that? I was never able to think about her as someone more than a good friend. Just believe me."
Killua didn't find words to answer. When did his friend became that wise?
"KILLUA!" Knuckle's shout, however, snapped him out of his thoughts. He was pissed off. "How you dare?!"
The boys blinked while Hitomi eyed at the situation, a little embarrassed, facepalming. She wrote down in her 'what to do' list to kill her brother for telling him that.
"Dare to what?" the young boy asked rudely, feeling already annoyed.
"Don't play dumb! You were so close..." Killua raised an eyebrow at his answer. "Don't you know how important the first kiss is for a delicate girl like her? You dirty pervert!"
"Delicat-! Never mind..." he scoffed. "And what's with that first kiss stuff? Maybe you come from some shoujo manga... Oh, wait, your face doesn't look like it."
Knuckle just smirked at him, before bending a little, getting closer to his ear.
"Are you jealous?" Killua's face didn't change at his question. "Let me tell you something: she liked me ever since we knew each other. How much time you had to be around her to be considered a friend?"
He didn't answer again. Now that he was reminding him that, she considered him a friend by the end of the Hunter Exam... a couple of months after their meeting. They hadn't called themselves friends a lot before then, though.
Oh, yeah, he tried to kill her too - he remembered.
Such a good friend he was.
"That's because I'm kinder than you. The only thing you always manage to do is insult her," he concluded. "Therefore, she will always like more than you would ever be."
Killua narrowed his eyes, biting his lip for a bit. Then, he released a soft chuckle.
"Why would I want to be liked by someone like her?" he mocked. "If that means being your cute princess' dog, no thanks. I prefer things like they already are."
And time went on, as they glared at each other.
In seven minutes, they would be going to break into the Chimera Ant Palace, and the girl was sure that she was going to have a panic attack soon. Hitomi sighed, trying to calm herself down and pouring orange juice in her glass.
Then, Knov entered to the room again.
"The three of them gathered by the gate to discuss something. Pitou stayed there, and Youpi went back inside," he told them. "Pouf returned to the air to scatter his scales, so I don't think anything changed. I'll let you know if anything else happens."
After saying that, the man left again. The girl narrowed her eyes, before sipping in her juice.
"Essentially, that eliminates the possibility of the Royal Guard being out of the palace," Killua told them.
"Well, I guarantee that they'll be near the King," Ikalgo added.
"You can't guarantee anything," Killua argued. "We have to be prepared for any possibility, or we'll be slow to react when something goes wrong!"
Gon sweatdropped while Hitomi rolled her eyes in annoyment.
"Here we go..." she grabbed a chip and took a bit.
"You only say that because you don't understand how loyal they are," Ikalgo was a little pissed. Killua looked away and huffed. "It's impossible that they'd leave the King! The Royal Guard is always with the King!"
"It's fine to believe that! But we should prepare for any exceptions!"
"Give me an example of one of these exceptions!"
Kurapika and Shoot just looked at them, the younger one with a raised eyebrow.
"One exception could be a woman..." they all looked at Morel. "Isn't one of the King's objectives to reproduce? I wasn't sure what the King was doing in the palace, but he was reproducing. That must be it."
"Eh?" Hitomi blushed a little, frowning at him. "There's no way-"
"I see," Killua nodded in understanding.
"EH?!" she turned at him. "You agree with him?!"
"That would give the King a reason to keep the Royal Guard from his bedroom..." Knuckle added. "Perhaps Bizeff was bringing women in for the King."
Then the two older males froze at the thought of it. A tick mark popped up in Hitomi's head, who knew what was going on in their minds... but she wasn't happy about it at all.
"We're sticking to the plan..." Morel stood up. "No matter what's happening to Palm!"
Gon nodded in determination, definitely not having an idea of what they were talking about.
"'No matter what?'" her eyebrow twitched. "Nothing like that had or will never happen, freaking perverts!"
Kurapika just shook his head, a little embarrassed himself.
"Got it now? You can never overthink something," Killua turned to Ikalgo. "There are probably other unexpected situations that we haven't considered yet."
Hitomi's older brother sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, feeling a little troubled about something.
"But, why did the King injure himself?" he asked out loud.
"Hold on..." Knuckle said. "That was just a theory of yours."
"Yeah," Killua agreed with the boy. "But you agreed that there was no other logical explanation."
"You're contradicting yourself... Didn't you say there could be other exceptions? Following that logic, Pitou could have stopped using En for other, unexpected reasons."
"I understand that… But something doesn't feel right."
Morel thought about it a little bit.
"Then, think about it..." he finally spoke. "When would you try to hurt yourself?"
Gon's eyes suddenly turned dark, and the girl flinched a little at the sight of it.
"When I hated or couldn't forgive myself," he replied.
"When you hated or couldn't forgive yourself?" Morel repeated. "That's the logical conclusion... But that would mean the King is a ruler with a personal pride, and not just a cold tyrant."
"Well, you've a point there," Hitomi admitted.
"For the sake of his pride, he's willing to endure pain. Speaking from experience, people like him will never be willing to compromise. If the leader refuses to compromise, neither will the Royal Guards. You should assume that combat will be our only option!"
Then, they realized that it was time. All of them stood up and looked at the door that connected with the palace.
The siblings glanced at each other.
"Promise me," she turned to him, smirking. "Promise me you will fulfill your promise."
Kurapika raised an eyebrow at her unusual statement, but chuckled. If it was Hitomi the one who we are talking about, it was kind of usual at the same time.
"I promise, don't worry," he told her.
She smiled as well, and faced Morel's back again.
"Ten seconds to go," he spoke. "Nine."
Hitomi, like her friends, got ready for the sprint.
"Eight... Seven... Six…"
The girl glanced for last time at Gon, and froze. His eyes were darker than before, nearly reaching the black scale. He was really pissed off.
"Five... Four... Three..."
When she looked at Killua, she noticed he wasn't better than him. Despite looking confident, something different shone in his icy blue eyes. It was like he was to break down in any moment.
"Two... One..."
Her heartbeat increased, and her eyes narrowed in anticipation. Her gaze never left the door in which she was going to burst at.
"GO!"
End of the chapter! Lame romance here XD
I'd like to apologize because I realized I'm an idiot (I realized that long before now, though :S) I was checking my reviews and I just noticed a few people that left me a review in the first chapter of this fic and I never replied them... I AM REALLY SORRY!
Kitty-Cat134: Thanks for the review and I'm glad you liked it! I hope you liked this chapter as well :)
Boulevard-of-The-Unbreakable: Did you actually like my lame english and my lame OC? Wow, thanks XD Thank you for leaving a review and I hope you liked this update :)
otakuufan: Thanks for the review! Hope you liked the update :)
Sorry again! Double sorry to all of you! Also, if for some stupid reason I forgot another one, count it as a triple sorry! And don't kill me please...
Well, let's begin to the others:
Lavendor Queen (Chapter 2): Typing mistake, my bad :S Thanks for telling me!
Mr. Kohen (Chapter 31): You thought the same for real? Wow, I really want to read a story from you XD Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoyed this update!
JokeLover123: Thankies! Also, thanks for the review and I hope you liked this update :D
Kri: Thanks for reviewing! Love confessions will last a lot more, maybe when you die out of boredoom XD Well, just kidding. The reason is that, you know, they both are awfully slow in matters like that. Hope you liked this chapter :D
SoulXHunter: I'm so happy you liked this arc so far! To answer to question, I think Killua just realized that he likes her, but he didn't notice that there's something deeper about his feelings because his unique personality :D Thanks for leaving a review and I hope you liked this update :)
Elisablackcat: Glad you liked that part! Thanks for the review, I wish you had fun in this chapter :)
Another Cosmology: I'm glad you liked that too :D Thanks for reviewing and I wish you liked this!
Silent Readers: Thanks for the visit! Let's hope you liked it :D
See you all soon!