CHAPTER 6

Killua and Hayuri had been training with Okume for almost two weeks, and they were both progressing at a fast rate. Killua was glad that he had made the decision to join Hayuri in her training, except at a certain time of the day. Every time they had to work in the kitchen she would take the chance to boss him around. He knew she did it as payback for all the times he was an ass, but he couldn't help it. He didn't have TV, videogames, or anything remotely fun in this place. So he did what he had to do to keep his mind entertained during their free time; piss her off. He would've tried a different way to pass his little free time, but he didn't know how. He wasn't used to be around people to do anything but work or train.

Usually, all Killua did was hand her ingredients and turn the food. He crouched in order to reach out for the flour in the back of the cabinet. As soon as he stood up he was faced with Hayuri's open palm. She motioned for him to hand the ingredient over to her.

"Come on, I don't have all day." She said while putting one hand on her hip and looking at the nails of her other hand. She was being as bossy as usual.

"Hayuri." Killua came to an upright position and smirked. "I think that after spending so much time with you, I've actually rubbed some of my awesomeness on you."

Hayuri rolled her eyes and turned her head to face Killua, a smart comeback ready in her tongue. However, before she had the chance to open her mouth, she felt a hand rub her cheek.

"Look, over here." Killua said still holding his hand in her cheek.

"W-what?" Hayuri stammered and blushed a little bit.

"Even your skin has started changing colors." Killua smirked and took his hand back; it was covered in flour.

"Hey!" Hayuri immediately forgot her previous shy demeanor and lifted her hand to remove the flour on her skin, but before she could do so, Killua beat her to it.

"Look, over there too." Killua then rubbed her forearm and then her shoulder. "And here."

"Aghhhhh". Hayuri held his wrists firmly and a struggle between the two of them began. Killua was trying to put some more flour in her face while she tried to keep his hands off her. "Bakaaa... don't touch me in the face!"

"Well, I don't want to have people see me around someone like you. So I must do my best to hide your face away, even if just a little." Killua said. He suddenly applied more force and managed to actually wipe his hands on her face and hair. She let go of his wrists and stumbled a couple steps back. Her brown hair was a mess and many of her bangs were now covered in flour. Her brown skin also was stained with white, with her face being almost completely white instead of light brown.

"Nope, sorry. It appears there's no way to improve how you look. Even beautiful silver hair and fair skin like mine can't do the trick." Killua chuckled.

"Well, I have to say that your so called assets need some improvement as well." She smirked while sinking her hand into the bag and then throwing a handful of flour into Killuas face. He coughed when the powder hit his face and closed his eyes tightly to avoid having some of it enter them. When he opened them he moved to dodge her palm that now was covered in flour as well, but she still managed to tint his blue shirt.

"Aren't you a cocky one?" he said with a mischievous look in his eyes.

Before any of them could think about what they were doing, they had both engaged in a flour fight. Soon, they were both covered in white and laughing their asses off, while dodging and throwing all around. Sadly, their childish game didn't last long. Suddenly the door to the kitchen was harshly opened.

"What is the meaning of this?" Okume stood under the doorframe with a stern face. Even though he didn't raise his voice, they knew there would be hell to pay.

"Err..." Hayuri stood firmly while shaking off as much powder off of her as possible. She made a low bow which was replicated by Killua and she apologized. "We got carried away. Please forgive us!"

"You should know that there are people out there that don't have anything to eat" he scolded. "I don't want you throwing my food away."

"We're sorry, we really are." Killua said still bowing.

"That's not good enough. As a punishment you won't get anything to eat until tomorrow at dinner. It may show you to take food more seriously."

"Hai." Both answered simultaneously.

"Now clean this mess up and finish preparing dinner. And remember! You don't get one bite out of it."

When Okume was gone Hayuri turned to look at Killua and pointed at him with her index finger.

"I'm holding you responsible for this." She said while slightly frowning.

"Why?" Killua raised his open hands in front of him. "I barely stained your face with it. You were the one who started throwing it around recklessly."

"Well, it was you who started fooling around with it in the first place. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have to starve until tomorrow."

"Well, it's not a long time, just one day. Besides, where would the fun be in always behaving?" Killua said with a devilish smirk.

"Well… I guess it was fun, wasn't it?" Hayuri smiled and started cleaning the table, with Killua following her lead. "The last time I remember acting like a child was when my parents were still alive."

"What do you mean? You act like a child all the time." Killua half joked. "Didn't you have any friends after that?"

"Well, there were other children living on the streets as well, but we didn't really play. We supported each other to survive but it was not a carefree period of my life. In fact I would've never even thought about wasting food like this. After I was taken in I had no more time for playing, since I had to focus on training and helping them out on jobs. Also, I was the only child around" she said looking out of the window and then turned look at Killua. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you used to having fun like this?"

"Not really." Killua mumbled. I have never had a friend before.

"I knew it." She smiled and Killua raised an eyebrow at her. "I mean, it took me 10 years of harsh training with no time for fun to become this strong. You're stronger than I am and also more schooled and literate than me, so you probably had little time as well."

"Haa, so you actually admit my superiority." Killua smirked while averting his eyes, swiftly changing the subject.

"I have never admitted such a thing." Hayuri smirked. By now, she had realized that the albino was not comfortable talking about his background. "I'll catch up in no time."

"I want to see you try." He smirked and walked over to the oven. "Come on, let's finish this meal already."

When they did they had to sit with Okume while he ate his dinner. They tried to keep their eyes away from the food to avoid feeling so much hunger, but sadly the dish smelled delicious. When they finally went to bed Hayuri was cursing under her breath and she swore she wouldn't fuck up like this again.

The next day they had to endure the same treatment during breakfast, which had their stomachs grumbling all morning. Training their Ten and their Zetsu like that was hard, since their minds would tend to concentrate on their empty bellies. When lunch came, both felt like eating whatever was put in front of them. Thankfully, their sensei realized and allowed them to sit outside in the open while he ate.

"Damn." Hayuri rubbed her aching belly sitting in the wooden garden bench for a while. "It's been a long time since I was this hungry."

"I've never been this hungry before." Killua scratched his head wondering why he was never trained to endure hunger.

"Of course not! You're a rich kid, Killua." She pointed at him and raised an eyebrow. "I must say though, that you look paler than usual. I didn't even think that it was possible."

"Well, whatever." Killua shrugged. Somehow, he didn't feel the need to argue as he usually did. Maybe, he had found a way to keep a conversation without being rude. Maybe he was just too hungry.

"Yeah." Hayuri said and then leaned towards Killua and whispered. "I actually don't regret playing with our food, but don't let sensei know about it!"

"Of course not. You're a kid."

"Well, you can't blame me; you know I had my childhood stripped from me at an early age. If my parents had been around until later on I certainly would've had time to have fun and make friends. I would probably be more mature by now… well. Maybe it would be the opposite, who knows."

"Who knows." Killua mumbled and wondered what his life would've been like if he hadn't been born in a family of assassins. Having friends, joking around, going to school, playing sports, dating a girl, going on vacation with his family. Even though it seemed foreign to him, it was somehow appealing nonetheless. There was in him some sort of yearning for that kind of things that common people relished, things that had to do with simple emotions and enjoying life. Both of which he had never really a change to really experience. They stayed silent for a while until Hayuri spoke up.

"Hey, are you all right?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking about something stupid." Killua said with his eyes hidden under his bangs. He took a deep breath and looked up to her. "Come on, let's get things cleaned up."

Hayuri realized that he had been thinking about something that had affected him. She wondered if it had to do with the issue of having friends that they'd been talking about earlier. She wanted to ask what was wrong with him, but simply followed when she stood up and walked back to the kitchen. They did the dishes and cleaned the place up, after which they went back to working on their Zetsu. The method they had been using was practiced in pairs; they would suppress their own aura, which would enhance their ability to sense other auras around them. They had to keep on working on their Zetsu until the other one couldn't sense their presence at all. This afternoon, even though they were starving, they somehow managed to completely suppress their aura. They wondered if it was a mistake they made due to lack of concentration on both their sides, so they talked to Okume about it and he instructed them to do their Zetsu.

"Ahhhh.. so it did work." He said and the two of them immediately opened their eyes. "I thought that not eating would help you out."

"Haaaah?" Killua and Hayuri exclaimed.

"Zetsu is the act of suppressing your aura. Also, while fasting for more than 18 hours, the body begins a process in which all energy is projected inwards. I thought the biological process might have some influence on the flow of your aura. Apparently it did."

Both Killua and Hayuri widened their eyes. In a way, that did make sense, but Hayuri wondered if it was just a coincidence and he was just bluffing. They agreed and making a feast that night as a celebration for mastering Zetsu and completing their punishment.

So Killua and Hayuri cooked double as much as they usually did and they used the best ingredients. Hayuri didn't say it aloud, but Killua had actually learned how to cook at and impressive rate.

She didn't want to admit it because, even though she thought of herself as sort of smart, she could see that Killua was truly a genius. Whenever some interesting topic came up, he would always know the most unbelievable facts about it. Whenever a puzzling fact came into the news, Killua would always find a connection to some political figure or make it fit into a historical theory or whatever. Seeing him do all that made her feel kind of ignorant and stupid, even though she knew her smarts were above average. A part of her admired him and another part was slightly discouraged. She said she would catch up to him in no time, well, she didn't really think so. While for 10 years she was only physically trained, while he was thoroughly instructed on diverse topics apart from having physical training. And he apparently excelled in all of them.

Besides, she had never been lazy in her training ever since she was picked up from the streets. The last couple months on the streets had been hell for her, so she was more thankful to them than anyone would ever know. They gave her a place to belong, they fed her, they trained her and they gave her a purpose. She was indebted to them for life, so she always did her best.

While learning Nen, she was also doing her best and working hard. But even though she did, she struggled to keep up to Killuas pace in learning. Every night when everyone was asleep, she would get up and practice in the garden for a couple more hours. During the day she tried her best, she never relaxed, while she saw Killua trying just a little and easily getting a hold of things. Sometimes she felt like it was no use to try so hard and that she should just let geniuses like him become masters.

She wondered if it was something that he inherited from one of his parents, who could be some sort of genius, or if it was something that was taught to him, an expectation he had to fulfill as part of an important family.

She knew that the many unanswered questions she had about him would be answered if he talked about his background. But anytime she brought up the topic, he would tense up slightly and answer in monosyllables. There was clearly something about his family that made him uncomfortable or that he didn't want people to know. She was curious about it, but she didn't want to press him into telling her, especially since they had just met a month ago and were not close. Firstly, he probably would just tell her to mind her own business, and secondly, she wanted him to tell her out of his own accord.

Before having dinner, Hayuri came to the conclusion that it wouldn't be healthy to beat herself up so much for not being as good as Killua and it would solve nothing. So she decided to enjoy the rest of the evening and have fun with Killua and Okume-sensei.

After eating that night Hayuri went straight to bed with a full belly and a smile on her face. She didn't do any extra training this time and allowed herself a good night's rest. The next morning she woke up feeling refreshed and happily walked down the corridor, where she met Killua. He appeared to have just taken a shower, since his hair was wet and his skin appeared to be a redder shade than usual.

"Good morning!" She chirped happily and turned to enter the dining room. Killua came back a couple minutes later to find her eagerly munching on a sandwich. He sat down in front of her and couldn't help be surprised at her positive demeanor.

"Why are you so cheerful?"

"Do i need a reason?" She smiled and talked while still chewing on her food.

"I mean, did something happen last night?" He served himself a cup of tea. "I didn't hear you going out to the garden."

Hayuri stopped chewing and widened her eyes. Slowly, a tint of red covered her cheeks and her cheerfulness was replaced by embarrassment.

"Y-you knew?"

"Haaa? Of course I did, you're as loud as an elephant." Killua rolled his eyes and playfully smirked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She slapped her palm on the table and leaned forwards.

"I think I was pretty clear."

"I'm not loud!" She pointed at him. "You're bluffing."

"I'm not. I even hear you say 'yatta' when you seem to get a hold of something that was giving you trouble."

Hayuris eyes widened, not because he was telling the truth, but because he had actually heard that. Every time she managed to do something hard she would whisper that word to herself. But it was just a whisper, how come Killua could even hear her out? His room was at least 6 meters away from that place and he always kept his door closed at night. She gasped in realization.

"No way!" She, again, pointed an accusing finger at him. "You're stalking me!"

"What? I'm not!" Killua fumed. "Why would I even do that? I just have really good hearing!"

Hayuri narrowed her eyes at him. Could he even have that much of a good hearing? She doubted that, it seemed almost inhuman.

"I'll keep an eye on you." She said while gulping her tea up and standing up. "I'm going to find Okume-sensei."

She left the room leaving an annoyed Killua behind. He quickly finished his breakfast in a couple seconds and stood up following her.

"Stalking?" He mumbled."Tch. As if! Baaaka."

He finally entered the room and sat down next to Hayuri, who gave him a weary look. He sighed and looked up at Okume, who was starting the lesson.

"Ok, now that you have already mastered ten and Zetsu, well move to the next phase: Ren. You remember the theory I taught you about it?"

"Hai." Both answered.

"Good. The way in which you'll train your Ren is by expanding your aura as much as you can without releasing it. The aura flows within your body, so you have to force it out in order for it to become available for use. I want you to try now."

Both nodded and closed their eyes. Not a second after, both had managed to release their Ren.

"Good, I want you to train until you can keep for 30 minutes." He said standing up and leaving the room.

Killua and Hayuri trained their Ren as instructed every day. They slowly but steadily started to increase the amount of time they could hold it. Hayuri trained every night in order to keep up with Killuas pace. She tried to sense him watching her, but since every time she got into Zetsu mode and tried to sense him, he would appear to be in his room. She was slightly unsettled by the thought of him keeping an eye on her. She was too honest, and couldn't keep a straight face when in his presence. She knew that he was well aware of how troubled she felt, but neither had talked about it.

Finally, on the afternoon of the fifth day, both managed to keep their Ren for half an hour.

"Well, congratulations." Okume said grinning. "You have finally completed your basic Nen training. Take a good rest today, because tomorrow we'll start with the advanced training." He said and turned to leave.

As soon as he was out of sight, Hayuri stood up and left to room in a not so well disguised hurried manner. She didn't want to spend time alone with him and yes, she knew she was overreacting. She had been too bothered by her thoughts on Killua stalking her and couldn't help being over concerned. However, as soon as she took a couple steps out in the hallway she felt a hand grab her forearm firmly.

"Baka." Killua said, making her turn around to face him.

"W-What?" she said fidgeting in her place and avoiding looking him into the eye.

"Why are you avoiding me?" he said. "You're acting as if I'm sick in the head, it upsets me."

"I'm not!" she said and felt heat build in her cheeks.

"I know what you're thinking. I truly have great hearing and I am most definitely not stalking you." He said letting go of her arm and turned around to walk away "I'll prove it."

Hayuri observed him with a raised eyebrow. When he was a couple meters away, he entered a random room and closed the door behind him. "Whisper something to me!" He screamed from behind the door.

Hayuri raised an eyebrow and whispered. "Freak."

"Hey." Killua popped his head out of the room. "You are the freak here, baaaka."

"Haa!?" Hayuris eyes widened. "You could hear me from there?!"

"I told you, I have especially sharp ears." He sighed and walked towards her. When he was in front of her he roughly poked her on the forehead. "Besides, who would want to stalk you?"

"What!" Hayuri widened her eyes. "Baka, of course you wouldn't, since you are a stuck ass lazy jerk."

"Well, maybe I am." He shrugged and looked back at her. "Why did you over react so much these past days?"

"I-it's no important!" Hayuri said hurriedly and turned around motioning for him to follow her. "Anyways, let's go get a well-deserved rest on the garden before we have to go do our chores. No that I know the truth we can finally sit together in peace. Well… sort of."

Killua watched her retreating form and followed her. It did not go unnoticed to him that, when he asked her about her actions, she tensed up and her aura spiked a bit. Whatever the reason there was for her to act that way, it was anything but unimportant.