So, he comes the third chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

CHAPTER 3

Killua sat with his legs crossed on the floor of a dim lit room. Next to him was Hayuri sleeping like a rock on a bed. As soon as they'd arrived to the source of the stream, they were told to wait for a helicopter, which would take them to an airship nearby. So they sat down and, as soon as Hayuri did, she felt the built up fatigue of carrying a 70 kg. man around for a whole day catch up to her all at once. She didn't talk while they waited, nor when the assistant said that 20 people had past so far. She didn't talk on the small means of transportation and didn't talk when they entered the airship. Fortunately, Killua understood that she was worn out and asked for a place to sleep in her stead. As soon as she entered the room, she walked to a bed and dropped herself on the mattress. Killua crouched to make some sort of joke, but realized she was already asleep.

She had been sleeping for 12 hours now and, even though Killua knew he owed her at least some rest, he had the now urgent need to use the toilet. Their wrists were still tied, since they had yet to find the chairman. He sighed and leaned on her sleeping form.

"Oii, Hayuri." No response. "Wake up." He shook her.

She shifted and groaned turning to face him. She had drool all over her left cheek, her hair was a mess and her eyes were so swollen that she could barely open them.

"Huh.." she blinked hard, forced her eyes to open and focused on Killua. "Er...Killua was it?"

Killua had the urge to snap at her for forgetting his name. Then he remembered what state she was in when he told her and let it go.

"Yes." He lightly pulled her tied wrist with his own. "I need to use the toilet."

"All right." Hayuri stood up and stretched for a couple seconds while Killua returned her backpack.

After both finished using the toilet, they met on the hallway and looked down to the forest through a window.

"How's your arm?" Killua asked out of the blue and turning to look at her.

"It hurts, but I don't think it's serious. Although I'll have to get someone to look at it." She answered raising her swollen and bruised forearm. "That punch really was something."

"That creeper...I wish I didn't have to see him ever again, but if I want to finish this exam I have no other option." Killua frowned and looked out of the window again. "About your arm, there's a doctor on this airship. At least that's what I heard before."

"Really? Where can I find him?"

"On level B on the central hallway." He said and watched her make a confused expression. He sighed and turned his back to her to start walking, forcing her to walk as well. "I'll show you. How can you not know where that is? I mean, every corner in this ship has a map."

Five minutes later they were standing in front of a medic. He examined her and concluded that she had a minor fracture, but was incomplete with her bone was still being in place. Therefore, she had to avoid using that arm since it wouldn't only hurt as hell, but it could also break completely under enough pressure.

Both of them left and headed to an assistant requesting to speak to the chairman on an urgent matter. They were told he was currently busy and that he would be notified so that he approached them as soon as he was free. So now both found themselves sitting in the dining room once again, but this time the number of candidates had notoriously decreased.

"I'm having anything but meat for the next week." Hayuri scratched the back of her head.

"Me too, I got my monthly ration these past few days." He pointed at the menu. "Sadly there are not many options."

"What do you expect? It's just the hunter exam, not a hotel." She shrugged and opened the menu. "What do you mean, Killua? There are at least 20 different dishes in here."

"Is that a lot by your standard?" Killua raised an eyebrow.

"Wha-? Are you serious?" She gaped at him. "Where do you even eat? Are you some kind of rich kid?"

"You could say that." He shrugged.

"Really? What do your parents do for a living?"

"They run the family business." He answered sharply, Hayuri didn't notice how his shoulders tensed, but guessed he did not wish to speak about it any further.

"Ahhhhh, now I get it."

"Get what."

"How come you're such a spoiled brat." She smirked.

"I'm definitely not spoiled, and not a brat either."

"How old are you?"

"18. An adult as you now know." He answered smugly.

"Really? Me too. And I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but as long as you act like a brat, you're still one to me."

"Well, you're a brat too."

"Oh well, I don't know, maybe I am. But I'm not spoiled."

They spent the rest of the morning and noon in comfortable silence with occasional jokes and comments. When they were finishing their lunch, a man in a suit walked to them and said the chairman was going to see them now.

Both gulped down the rest of their food and followed him to a double glazed glass door. He knocked and opened the door for them as soon as he was instructed to do so from the inside. Killua and Hayuri entered the room and sat down on two small chairs in front of a desk. They couldn't see who sat on the leather seat because it was too tall and facing away from them. After almost a minute of sitting in silence, Hayuri coughed and the chair turned to reveal an old man with white hair and long earlobes that seemed to at least be in his 90s. He grinned at them.

"Well, hello there. I heard you had an urgent matter to discuss with me."

"Yes, sir." Hayuri raised her right wrist, which was tied by the first phase device. "This device didn't release us as it was supposed to after we passed the first phase."

"We were told that you were the only one with the authority to turn it off, old man." Killua added and earned a disapproving look from Hayuri.

"Oh, my. Does this mean that you spent whole five days tied together?" He said giggling and suddenly there was mischievous spark in his eyes. "This sounds like the plot of a shitty porn movie."

Killuas eyes widened for a second. "That's true."

Hayuris aura suddenly turned dark and she stood up.

"Sir, I'd like to be unbound, if you may."

"I would've liked to see how this played out." He said still grinning, seemingly unfazed by her deadly aura. "But if you insist."

He said raising his hand to touch the device and, as soon as he did, it opened up.

"Wha-How did you do that?" Killua asked.

"That's for me to know and for you to wonder."

"Well, thank you for your help sir." Hayuri slightly bowed and walked to the door. She stopped before opening up and looked back with a smile. "I'll see you around, Killua."

She then left both men alone, who stayed silent for a couple seconds.

"So... tell me." The chairman leaned forward in his seat. "Did something happen?"

"What? No, of course not!" Killua scoffed, stood up and left as well.

"Ha... I remember when I was their age." he softly said and leaned back onto his seat.

Killua walked down the hall way noticing that now, after almost a week, he was free. He decided to wash his slightly smelly body, so he found a bathroom and took a shower. He enjoyed how the warm water felt after being deprived from it for so long. He was scrubbing the dirt that was now practically glued to him with a little too much force, turning his pale skin red. When he was finished, he turned the water off and walked out wrapping a towel around his lower body.

Killua had been a little upset with the perverted old man when he left his office, but was now relaxed after showering.

When he finished, he put on clothes and walked out to the hall way. He looked at a clock and realized that he still had a couple more hours to kill until dinner. He decided to head outside to the open deck to chill for a while and enjoy his personal space. He found a spot that allowed him to have a good view of the landscape and where the wind didn't blow too strong. He sat there watching the mandrago forest while stretching and massaging his sore leg until the sky changed colors and a couple stars appeared. It got a little cold for comfort, so he headed inside and ate dinner. He took his time eating and soon realized he was pretty bored, but didn't want to talk to the other participants sitting there, so when he finished he simply left.

As soon as Killua got to out of the dining room, a voice talked though the speakers and declared that the second phase was over with 50 participants passing. It also announced that the airship would arrive at the third exam site in 7 more hours. He assumed that, due to the number of people still taking the exam, there would be two more phases. He decided to sleep for the remaining time, so he entered a dormitory and found a bed to sleep in.

As he stretched his body and covered himself with the soft covers, he found that he was feeling something he didn't remember ever feeling before. Even though the emotion was foreign to him, he immediately knew that he felt lonely. He cursed himself for it, turned to his side and closed his eyes. He didn't need anyone distracting him; he was on a mission. Making allies was all right, but befriending them was out of the question.

- Time skip -

After almost 12 hours of solitude, Hayuri had woken up and turned around to greet Killua. After opening her mouth, she realized he wasn't there and remembered that they were now unbound. She felt pretty stupid after almost talking to nobody and decided to eat breakfast. So, now she sat in the dining room eating fruit and a sandwich with her healthy arm. Suddenly, she saw Killua enter the room with his hands in his pockets, a bored expression in his face. She sprung to her feet and walked his way.

"Killua!" Hayuri waved and he stopped walking to look at her. "Hey, it's pretty boring without you bickering around. How was your alone time?"

"It was good." Killua answered with a plain face. "And I intend to have some more."

Hayuri stood there for a second and watched him walk a couple steps away. She shook her head and caught up to him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She said while softly and took a hold of his arm with her good hand. "If this is about me suddenly leaving yesterday... I was just pissed at the old man."

"Why are you still talking to me?" He said, his eyes suddenly turning cold and sending a chill down her spine. "Our alliance was over the moment the device was removed."

He walked away and Hayuri didn't follow him this time. She was a little shocked at his cold manner and, why not say it, a little scared at his tone and his eyes. Her shoulders dropped a little and she walked back to her table to finish her breakfast.

She sat there, with a tight feeling in her chest, for what seemed like half an hour until loud ring sounded and a figure entered the stage. It was a tall woman with a tight suit, high heels and long blond hair. She was gorgeous.

"Good morning. My name is Geraldine and I'll be you examiner for the third phase. As hunters, one of your most basic skills will be being able to locate particular people. That's why, in this phase, your task will be to locate the members of an underground band of thieves, who currently control this city. Each of you will have a different target, which you'll have to find and apprehend, but cannot kill. Once you find your target, please bring it back here before 3 pm sharp. Also, you have to work as quietly as possible and avoid any harm to civilians. Now, please come over and pick up an envelope."

Everyone did as she said. Hayuri stood in line, picked one and walked back to her spot. She looked at Killua discretely as he received his own. She didn't want to admit it out loud, but she felt a little hurt by his actions. After spending five whole days with him and seeing how well they got along in the end, she'd thought they had a friendly relationship. That's why she'd helped him to that extent on the second exam. She was still a little sore even after a whole day. The thought of him pretending to be friendly, just to get her to help him out throughout the whole phase, made her feel a little sad... and a little stupid. She inwardly scoffed and decided to let it go, she didn't want to get attached someone who didn'twant to be friends with her.

"All right, now that everyone has an envelope, please open it and see who your target is." The woman instructed and everyone did as she said.

Her target was a lean man, he had short black hair, fair skin and purple eyes. He looked to be pretty tall, around 1,85 mt and athletic. She folded the picture and waited for the airship to land to get off.

Killuas target, on the other hand, was a big bulky man that wore a smug dirty smirk on his face. He looked weak and Killua smiled. Piece of cake.

He looked up and his eyes unconsciously found Hayuri. He immediately averted them and he cursed under his breath. A part of him felt a pang of guilt every time he thought about how mean it was to push her away, especially when she'd helped him finish the second phase in good condition. His leg didn't even hurt at all anymore. But, at the same time, another part reminded him that he had to try to avoid unnecessary interactions and that he needed to focus on passing the exam. That part of him was the most influential, as it had always been, and thus he chose to stick to his decision to avoid her.

As soon as he set foot on the outside, he took off to find the nastiest part of town. It was not a big city, probably less than 100.000 inhabitants, so he found the place within two hours. He looked around for a while and made a mental map. When it was around 10 pm, he watched the neighborhood get livelier. He observed for a twenty minutes until he saw somebody who seemed would be useful. It was a tall man dressed in sport clothing, who walked around like he owned the place and people around him were too respectful. Killua smiled at his foolishness and jumped down of the roof, onto the sidewalk. He approached the oblivious man until he stood next to an alley blocking his way.

"Hey dude, move the fuck away." He said.

"Huh? Why should I?" Killua feigned ignorance.

"What?!" The man spat, literally. "Don't you know who I am?"

"I don't. Please enlighten me." He mocked.

"Why you... I'm a part of the pillars, so you be-" he was cut off by a wall slamming on his back. When he opened his eyes, he was in an alley and the white haired boy was holding him by the throat with an iron grip. His steely blue eyes dripped with murder and his voice made him feel like a mouse in front of a lion.

"You will do as I say or I'll kill you. If you understand nod your head." Killua said and the poor guy nodded, while trembling like a rabbit. "Now, I want you to answer me truthfully. If you don't, ill know and you'll fucking regret it." He said, pulled out the picture and held it in front of his eyes. "Do you know this person?"

"Y-yes." He stammered.

"Good." Killua smirked. "What's his name?"

"Alexander Riegs."

"Where is he now?"

"I-I'm not sure, but he lives just around the corner with his mother." He said and gave him directions.

Killua made sure he was too scared to inform anyone of their talk and then followed the man's directions. He came to a small chalet, that had a beautifully arranged garden in the front, which was currently being taken care of by an older woman in a pink dress. Killua knew better than to let a mother know he meant harm to her son.

"Ehh.. excuse me, mam?" He said sheepishly. "I'm looking for Alexander Riegs. Is he around?"

"Oh? Sorry hun, he left a while ago and won't be back until later."

"Really?" Killua feigned demise. "No way! I was supposed to pay up today before noon! I don't want to get into trouble.."

"Oh, boy. Is it that bad?" She asked and Killua nodded. "Well, I suppose I can tell a sweet boy like you where he's gone to, it's not too far and I guess you can make it there by noon."

She explained that today he was doing some business in a nearby blue warehouse, which had the name Tuxeno written everywhere, and that he couldn't miss it. Killua bowed, thanked the lady and left with an amused smirk. He didn't know whose acting skills were better; his own or that oblivious looking lady, that knew all about her sons dirty deeds.

He couldn't blame her for spilling the beans, though. Nobody dared stand up to his band in the city, not even the cops. What could and eighteen year old boy possibly do?

- Time skip -

Hayuri was hiding on top of an old looking container and looking down on a tense conversation. She had just eaten a bread and chocolate bar for an early lunch and was currently licking some of it, that was still stuck to her fingers. The conversation down there was about someone taking somebodies else's girlfriend away, because they owed him money. Where women some sort of bargain now? And why do these women get involved in this kind shit anyway? She was brought out of her thoughts when somebody else entered the place. Black hair, fair skin, purple eyes. It was her target. Bingo. He looked pretty strong; not as strong as her but definitely stronger than most civilians. She could compare him with some of the strongest applicants in the hunter exam apart from Killua, Hisoka and herself. He was probably one of the upper heads of the gang and the reason why the cops had no chance in disbanding them.

She looked at her still swollen arm and frowned; she had always disliked fighting while injured. She tended to focus so much on the battle, that she forgot about her injuries and ended up worsening the damage on her body. But she couldn't take that risk now; she still had at least one more phase to go. She had to wait for her target to be alone and apprehend him in a way that lowered her chances of direct hand to hand combat. She also couldn't simply cut him to death, since she was supposed to deliver him alive.

The best course of action would be to knock him out before he even knew she was there, but since he was pretty strong, there was the possibility that he'd sense her before she striked.

Another way was to injure him lightly on a surprise attack with her daggers and then engage in combat, when she had the upper hand.

She could also fool him and try to engage in conversation, to attack him by surprise. But he didn't seem to be stupid, for what little she'd seen him interact.

She decided to not take any chances in throwing away the element of surprise, so she chose the second option. She waited for half an hour until he left, but he didn't leave alone. She muttered a couple obscenities under her breath and looked at her phone. It was 1,30 pm. If she had to carry a dead weight to the airship, it would take her around an hour, so she still had half an hour to catch the guy. She assessed the third party's strength and decided he was weak. She made the decision in the blink of an eye.

She grabbed four short daggers and threw them at great speed towards her target, hitting both arms and both legs simultaneously. He yelped and turned around raising his guard. Hayuri was sprinting through the place, right behind her daggers, and caught up to them before the third party even finished turning around. She swiftly knocked him out in one second and moved to dodge an attack her target threw at her.

They walked in a circle around each other, while he took the daggers out of his limbs. He threw them back at her and she caught them with ease.

"A woman, huh?" He smirked. "You are strong, and ok looking even though not being pretty. I would've taken you in if you hadn't attacked me, bitch."

"Who would want to have anything to do with you." She glared.

"Don't worry, after I beat you to a pulp, I might give your body some attention."

Hayuri knew what he was doing; he was trying to get her to attack impusively. She jumped and aimed a vertical kick to his forehead, which was blocked. He then tried to punch her side, but she dodged by grabbing hold of his arm and pulling herself behind him. She tried to immobilize him, but before she completed the move, he broke free and elbowed her in the gut. She was pushed a meter back and then jumped further away from him.

"You, bitch, are a fucking rat, aren't you?" He spat. "You are trying to catch me, not defeat me."

Hayuri didn't reply and jumped in order to avoid another kick to her side. She did a roundhouse kick that connected to his head loudly, but before she could pull away, he grabbed her ankle and aimed a punch to her left jaw. She was forced to use her injured hand to block it, and couldn't dodge since he was holding her in place. Suddenly, and before the fist connected with her arm, her leg was freed and her target was laying on the floor motionless. She sharply turned her head to find Killua leaning on the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Killua?"

"You should've knocked him out on your first attack, he was not going to notice." He said.

"Why did you come here?" She asked, ignoring his previous comment.

"Oh, this is my target." He said, picked up the man that she'd knocked out first and put him over his shoulder.

"Why did you help me?"

"If you'd blocked that attack, your arm could've broken up completely. The exam is not over yet."

"I know, but why?" She repeated crossing her hands in front of her chest.

"Jeez, don't ask such questions. I owe you that much at the very least." He said and took a few more steps away, but then stopped. He turned around to look at her still form with a raised eyebrow.

"What?"

"Are you coming or not?" He said with his signature bored expression and turned to leave.

"Who the fuck understands you, Killua." She complained, but a smile could be heard clearly in her voice. She threw her target over her shoulder and followed him out of the warehouse.

Ta dah! Chapter 3! Please review and let me now what you think!