AN: I edited the first part of chapter 1. So you might wanna take a look at it (I thought that revealing that information was too soon at the time).

CHAPTER 5

Killua sat in the conference room in which the chairman was going to give them the orientation on being hunters. Hayuri was sitting next to him with half lidded eyes.

"Hey, baka." Killua elbowed her in the side. "Don't fall asleep."

"Hey, careful. I'm still sore." She frowned and rubbed her side. "Besides, being sleepy is not my fault, it's the painkillers."

"It's your fault for not being able to keep your guard up. What kind of fighter gets their guard so easily disabled?"

"Hey! I'm not weak! There was something else about Hisoka, which suddenly made him so much stronger. As soon as the orientation is over I'll call one of my mentors and ask about it."

That moment the chairman Netero entered the room and everybody shut up. He explained how the license worked and what benefits came with being a hunter. When the orientation was over, everybody got up to leave. When Killua stood up, Hayuri stopped him.

"Oi, Killua." She said standing up as well. "Let's exchange phone numbers."

"What?" He asked with a plain expression.

"Come on. We're both hunters now; there is no damage in keeping in touch with fellow workmates."

"Haaa..." he said and looked at Hayuri for a while, thinking how that wasn't exactly true, since he was an assassin and not a hunter. She opened her green eyes in expectation and smiled sheepishly. He sighed "Aaaaallllright."

"I feel tempted to write arrogant brat as your id." She smirked after they'd written down both their numbers. He scoffed, but softly smiled nonetheless. "So, Killua, maybe I'll you soon."

"Yeah, maybe." Killua said. If they met ever again, it would probably be the day she died. He held his hand for her to hold and smiled. "See you around."

"Will do." She stretched his hand and shook it a couple of times. She let go of his hand, threw her bag over her back and walked off towards the front door.

Killua watched her retreating form and picked his own stuff up. He then headed off to the airport, where he would get tickets to his next destination.

-time skip-

Killua stood in front of a traditional building with beautifully crafted details. The whole demeanor of the place screamed royalty and tradition. He entered and found a waiting room. He got a number and sat down to wait, since there were still 10 numbers to go. He sighed and stretched his legs.

The hunter exam had ended 7 days ago, and he had been more bored than he could ever remember. He had to travel 2 days to get to the place where he would apply to be a royal guard, which had not been too bad. But the days after that...what a drag! He sighed and combed his silver hair with his fingers. He wished that he had at least something to do during that time.

After a couple minutes it was his turn and he walked through a door to find himself in a long hallway. He walked to the furthest end and knocked on a steel door. The door opened and he came to a room that appeared to be soundproof. There was a lean and aloof looking middle aged man sitting behind a desk.

"Hello." Killua slightly bowed. "I'm here to apply as a royal guard."

"Of course you are.. tell me, are you a hunter?"

"I am." Killua said and held his license in front of him.

"And also, can you see something above me?" The man pointed towards the ceiling.

"What do you mean?" He looked around trying to find what the man meant.

"So, you don't know what I'm talking about."

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I do."

"Well, having a license isn't enough to call yourself a hunter. There's something you're still missing to have enough power." The man crossed his fingers under his chin and supported his head on his elbows.

"What is it?"

"You'll have to find out by yourself. Come back when you already have it."

Killua blinked a couple times and then put his license back into his pocket. He bowed slightly and left. He walked to a nearby park and sat under a tree.

The man said the same thing as Hisoka. He was missing something important, which would make him much stronger. When Hisoka had punched Hayuri in the arm, the force of it had been out of the ordinary. And he was supposed to have used only 5% of his capacity. Also, in the fight he had against Hayuri, her body had moved against her will, as if pulled by an invisible force. When he had asked her about it, she hadn't seemed to know what it was.

Killua decided to search on the internet about it, but the concept didn't even appear. He used his license to enter a navigation site for hunters only. The concept appeared in there and he even paid to find out about it, but all he found out was that it was a great source of power that could be used by pro hunters. So, in the end, he learned nothing new.

He thought about asking someone from his family, but he was supposed to do this on his own. It was his way of proving his father that he was capable of holding his own. He was allowed to make allies, but of course not ask for assistance wi5hin the family. He thought for a while. Actually, the only person outside his household that he could contact was Hayuri. He sighed and took out his phone. After a couple moments she picked up.

"Hello? Killua?"

"Hey, sorry for disturbing you."

"Not at all! Have you been calling for long? I was not around my phone until just a couple seconds ago."

"No, this is the first time I tried." He answered. "So, I'll be straightforward about this. I came to get a job with a hunter's license, but they said I wasn't ready. That I needed something else to be strong enough. I think the man that interviewed me was talking about the same this Hisoka was back at the exam. Do you have any idea what it might be about?"

"Well, as a matter of fact I do. I'm not supposed to tell anyone, but I myself was told by my mentor after the exam finished." She hummed on the other side of the line. "It would be unfair for me to find out easily and for you to not know at all."

"So, you'll tell me what it is."

"Yes. It's something called nen, but only few people in the world know about it. It's a technique that needs to be learned from a teacher. I've already been told about it, and it can be mortal if not taught the right way."

"So, I need to find a teacher for this."

"Yes."

"Well, damn. It's almost as bad as it was before. I know almost no one knows what it is and I only know its name."

"Hmm... let me tell you what. I currently have a teacher that took me in because my mentor knows used to know him. Maybe if I talk to him he can teach you as well."

"Really? You'd do that?" Killuas eyes widened with expectation.

"I have to ask him first. I'll call you sometime tomorrow to let you know."

"All right, thank you."

"No problem, bye." She said and hung up.

Killua put his phone back into his pocket and walked back to the hotel. If this didn't work out he had no clue how he would learn this nen thing.

Hayuri woke up at sunrise and stretched in her bed. She slowly came to a sitting position in her bed and rubbed her sore muscles. She couldn't remember being trained so harshly ever before. She took some clothes to dress herself. She had convinced her current teacher to take Killua in as well, by saying that he was stronger than her and that he was smart. Which he was. She had just omitted that he had a strong personality and was sometimes kind of a smartass. She hoped he didn't let his bad attitude get out of control and ruin his chance at learning nen.

When she was done getting dressed, she walked out into the hallway and into the kitchen to eat breakfast. After that, she had to clean up the wooden floors in the house, which would probably take her an hour. When she was done she would get a lesson as retribution for her hard work.

She was just sitting down on the chair to finally learn something when the bell rang. Her master raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Hayuri. It seems your friend has arrived already. Go get him."

"Hai." She said standing up and walked to front door. She opened up and Killua walked in with his hands in his pockets and a nonchalant expression.

"Yo."

"Killua" she whispered, but somehow her voice wasn't quiet at all. "Remember what I told you. Behave, ok?"

"Yeah, will do." He said taking his shoes off and then walked into the house. Hayuri followed him and was about to open her mouth when her master walked into the hallway.

Killua was faced with an older aged man that had brown hair and fair skin. He physically looked pretty regular, but did, in fact, provoke him a sense of danger.

"So, you must be Killua." He said examining him.

"Hai." Killua slightly bowed. "Thank you for taking me in."

"My name is Okume and I expect you to be as hardworking as Hayuri over there."

"I will work hard."

"So, let me get this straight." He raised a finger. "Hayuri already knows all the basic theory by now, since she arrived 4 days ago. You'll have to catch up in just today, so you'll be sitting with me today while she takes care of things around the house for the both of you."

"Haa..." Hayuri softly complained to herself and glared at Killua.

"Don't worry." Okume said to her. "It'll only be for today until he's caught up to you, then you'll both learn and work together."

"Hai..." said sighing. She turned around to walk away and do some chores while looking back over her shoulder. Before she reached the door, sensei looked away and Killua sent her and arrogant smirk. He mouthed thank you, with an obvious mocking intention. Hayuri felt a vein pop in her forehead and she turned back and walked out the door. She wondered why on earth she had actually offered to help him.

When the door closed Killua followed Okume into a room and sat down in front of a white board. He intently listened as he explained for a long while about what aura was and how aura lived inside every living thing. Auras connection to the food chain and ecological equilibrium. He talked about how aura disruptions could lead people into sickness or health and mentioned that it could also be manipulated at will. Killua perked up at this and was about to ask more, but sensei stood up and announced that it was lunch time.

Both walked into the dining hall and sat down at the table. The food was already served and Killua wondered if the man had servants as well, but his question was immediately answered when Hayuri came in with a last dish and settled it down on the table. He gave her a smug smirk and motioned for her to bow, mocking her into a sub servant position. When he took a bite he was surprised that the food was actually ok.

"So, I'll explain to you how things work in here." Okume started. "Breakfast is at 7 am. After that you'll do chores for an hour. When you're done, you'll train until noon sharp. Then, you'll have to prepare lunch, which will be served at 1.30 pm. When you're finished with the dishes you'll train again until 7 pm. Then you'll prepare dinner and eat. You can do whatever after that as long as you're on time for breakfast the next day."

"I will do my best, but I have to say that my cooking skills are next to none." Killua scratched his head.

"Well, you'll learn, listen to whatever Hayuri tells you, or do the dishes. I don't care how the two of you divide your work, as long as you both are working hard."

They ate their ration each while talking about martial arts and fighting techniques that they knew of. After they finished eating they went back to the whiteboard and continued with their lessons.

Okume explained about the four principles. Ten, the ability to control your aura and hold it in place, keeping it from leaving your body and putting your life in danger. Zetsu, the ability to completely stop the flow of your aura, which would conceal the user's presence and also allow him to pay more attention to his surroundings. Ren, in which the user forces a great amount of aura out of their body while preventing it from escaping, which allows defense. Finally, Hatsu, the release of aura, which works in a unique way, depending on individual characteristics.

After thoroughly explaining each of the principles, Okume praised Killua for his fast learning pace. Killua thanked his master and left with a bow. It had been a lot to take in, especially in just one day. Thankfully, Killua had not only received thorough training physically speaking; he had also extensively learned theory and academics, so it had not been too much for him. It was already past sunset, which meant he had to go grab something to eat and go to sleep. He entered the dining room to find Hayuri sitting there and having a salad. He sat down and put some food in his plate.

"How come you act like such a gentleman around him? You're an ass around everybody else!" Hayuri complained while furrowing his brow.

"Why?" He said while chewing into his food. "I owe him for teaching me; of course I'll be respectful. Besides, he is my sensei now. I'm not stupid; I can be polite when I have to."

"Tss... whatever." She rolled her eyes "how was your first day? What do you think?"

"Of course there is great power in this. I can now see that there is an abysm between a nen user and a regular person."

"Yes." Hayuri nodded. "Hisoka always was on a completely different league."

"He still is." Killua added. "Maybe now we've closed the gap a bit, but I have the feeling that he has great experience."

"It'll take time before any of us is at his level."

"Well, I don't intend to meet him ever again. You can do whatever." He shrugged. He quickly finished his food and Hayuri showed him to the room he would be using. He entered and bid her goodnight. He got to bed soon and closed his eyes. His mind was instantly filled with thoughts about his father, grandfather and brother. It seems that he finally understood the reason of the difference in their powers. He wondered why no one had told him about nen before and frowned. After a while of trying to figure it out to no avail, he finally drifted to sleep.

The next day, Killua and Hayuri sat together in front of Okume. They had already finished cleaning every window and were eager to start learning.

"So, Hayuri, Killua." He said looking at his students. "Remember how I told you that meditation was the key to mastering ten, the first principle in the road to nen?" He received nods. "Well, that is the traditional way of training nen, through which just being able to release your aura might take you over half a year."

"Half a year?" Killua almost jumped out of his seat, he didn't have that much time to loose.

"That is a long time…" Hayuri scratched the back of her head.

"There is also another way to open your nodes that takes only a minute, but you could die. I usually only teach nen through the traditional way, but I have enough experience to know that you're both strong. So I'm going to try something in between for you. It won't take a minute, but it also won't take half a year. If my assumptions are correct, you should be able to mold your aura in a couple days. A week tops."

"Really?" Hayuri widened her eyes a bit.

"Yes. It's a process in which I put my aura into your nodes to open them, but it's a slow process. Every day you'll receive some of my aura and meditate to strengthen your Ten and keep your aura in place. We'll start now. But your backs to me."

"Hai!" Both Killua and Hayuri turned around and faced their backs to Okume. He walked to them and put his hands on Hayuris shoulders first.

"I'll pour some of my aura into you now. As I do, I want you to close your eyes and feel the flow of life energy through you. When you feel it I want you to concentrate on keeping it around your body." He said and Hayuri nodded. She closed her eyes and concentrated on finding the aura around her body; suddenly her eyes widened. She actually felt as if surrounded by a warm jelly like substance.

Killua smirked as soon as he felt the aura around him as well. He then concentrated on trying to keep it in place. It was hard, but after a couple seconds the energy around him was gone. He opened his eyes.

"Well, how did it go?" Okume asked.

"I have no more of that aura left." Killua shrugged. "I think I managed to slow down the rate at which it escaped my body, but when it did, I was already out of aura."

"Same over here." Hayuri said.

"Well, that doesn't sound bad at all. Let me tell you what. Every day until you have mastered Ten the schedule will be the following. Four times a day I'll push my aura into your nodes and you'll repeat the task you just did. The rest of the time, I want you to meditate and get a feel on holding your aura together. Become used to the sensation, so that when you push my aura into you, it'll be easier to keep it in place."

"Hai!"

Both Killua and Hayuri did what Okume had instructed them, every day after finishing their chores. The third day they agreed with their sensei that they had already a better hold on their aura and that it took almost over an hour to disappear. Therefore, Okume decided to push more aura into their bodies, which allowed their nodes to open up for a longer period of time.

The fourth day, and thanks to the increased amount of aura pushed into their bodies, Killua and Hayuri had managed to keep the aura around their bodies for the whole night. They still had a hold on their auras in the morning, so Okume assumed that they were ready to get their nodes fully opened. He repeated the process of pouring his aura into their shoulder, but this time the amount of energy going into their bodies was 10 times stronger.

Both their eyes widened at the sudden force and they closed their eyes to concentrate. Almost immediately, both of them managed to hold the aura around them in place.

"Well, it appears my technique worked just fine." Okume smirked and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You're both using Ten skillfully enough to move on to the next principle."

AN: Thank you for reading!