The journey through the remainder of the forest borrowed only forty-five minutes or so to clear, and while Gon was ecstatic over Misaki's obvious knowledge of the layout beyond simply pursuing the dirt path, Killua found himself inwardly fuming. His estimate had originally capped at three hours, and he was left with an ill temper at the fact that this girl had once again made him look foolish.
In reality Gon had long forgotten the prediction Killua had announced earlier. He was far too eager to embark on their excursion to the Volcanic Islands now that they had happened upon their guide, but perhaps the young Zoldyck would still have bitter feelings toward the girl even if this actually was brought to light…
"So you were following us the whole time then," Killua had stated in an accusatory manner once the trio had reached the quiet city.
"Of course," Misaki agreed calmly, brushing aside a loose strand of hair that had slipped out of her high ponytail on the updraft.
"Why didn't you just tell us who you were when we met you earlier?" he prodded sternly.
With an unmoved tone or expression, she lied, "You hardly gave me a chance before you bolted."
Killua's brows knitted uneasily as he argued, "If you were following us all day, you had plenty of chances."
"Yes," she replied, keeping her exterior relaxed as she frantically worked to mentally compose an excuse, "but I decided to study you, to see if you were worthy of my time."
"Obviously we failed," he pressed on, "so why take that opportunity to reveal yourself?"
'He's relentless, but very clever in his arguments,' Misaki mused, ensuring that her body language did not expose her true thoughts. 'I knew this wouldn't be easy.'
"I realized that the two of you need to train in combat discipline," she offered. "You might not even survive on this continent as you are, never mind at the Volcanic Islands."
"Hey, Misaki-san," Gon finally piped in, "what will we be doing in the Volcanic Islands?"
Folding her arms with a reasonable amount of slack across her chest, she responded, "I won't be releasing that information to you until you prove that you're even worthy of going."
In truth, it was a decent, evasive fib that successfully served to stall for time. In the meantime, she could research the necessary details to fabricate an elaborate tale that would convince the boys with ease. After all, she had a real job to do and her honor relied on the fact that it could be completed efficiently.
Misaki could sense Killua's eyes searing savage holes in to her as the boys echoed her footfalls in to the hotel of her choosing. Even so, he'd fallen silent again and she knew that the young assassin would easily be her undoing should her composure falter in the slightest.
'Ah, such a challenge you present me with, Killua,' she thought, mildly bemused as she ordered up a pair of adjacent rooms at the front desk. 'You really are Illumi's brother.'
Once the card keys had exchanged hands with the boys, Misaki led the way to the elevator. A breath she had not realized she'd been holding slipped from her lips as she matched the number on her laminated card to the door.
"The night is still young and so are we," she said a little too seriously as she inserted the rectangular key in to the slot. "So we sleep for now. At dawn we rise."
She disappeared behind the door, leaving behind only a soft but monotonous click in her place as the door secured on its hinges.
"She's lying," Killua insisted, positioned on his back with his palms cupping the nape of his neck on the bed parallel to his friend's.
"How can you tell?"
"Satotz told us that the mission at the Volcanic Islands was urgent," he explained, staring at the high, stippled ceiling above. "If that's so, why would we be wasting more time here?"
"Well if we're not ready, why not?" Gon questioned with wide, innocent eyes as a disbelieving frown arched its way along his mouth. "Do you think we should take the risk that she's not Satotz-san's friend?"
Killua narrowed his gaze and lowered his brows. While he may have agreed with Gon's words, he did not particularly want to admit it. In all honesty, he was finding it increasingly difficult to continue concocting reasonable excuses to defy Misaki. Of course he still questioned her motivations, but for each accusation fired towards the girl it seemed that a satisfactory response was always available. He disliked this- being incapable of materializing his suspicions for others, especially Gon- but with no further ammunition to load his arguments against her, he decided to temporarily admit defeat.
"I guess you're right," the silver haired boy murmured, "but I still don't trust her."
The buzzing of her phone vibrating against the bathroom counter greeted Misaki as she leisurely stepped out of the shower. She coiled the white, terrycloth towel around her body and reached for the device, her wet and weighed down hair leaving a small pool of water behind her on the tile floor.
Below her original message- "Do you know a 'Satotz'?"- which she had sent immediately upon entering the suite was a reply:
"He was an examiner at the Hunter Exam the year the three of us were applicants."
Misaki rolled her head back pensively. It wasn't much to draw from, and she sincerely hoped that she would be capable of continuing this charade long enough to finish her contract. Sighing, she snapped the phone shut with slightly more force than necessary and prepared for bed. Even sleep was hardly a solace, as she knew full well that she would be required to enter in to only a shallow sleep in case her target attempted escape during the night.
'Earning Killua's trust will take a while,' she told herself inwardly as she tossed back the comforter and slipped between the sheets, 'but finishing this job to Illumi's specifications might actually take even longer.'
A sizable frown wove its way through her lips as she closed her eyes, unenthused about playing "personal trainer" in the morning She considered the pay, or lack thereof, that she was receiving for such a premeditated headache before drifting in to a controlled slumber with her head lightly resting on the now generously damp pillowcase.
'Why does the sex have to be so damn good?' was her final, self-pitying thought before her mind withdrew into a meditative state for the remainder of the late evening.