"Leorio. Your education is to be tested should you remain under our tutelage," Silva spoke in his usual baritone. His eyes piercing through Leorio's without giving any hint of the man's emotions. Incredibly similar to his eldest son Illumi. The boy turned man who brought him to the Zoldyck family.

He remained silent, knowing that Silva would explain what would be his test.

"You will be restoring Kikyo's eyes," he stated, and placed a display in front of Leorio. The display had two glass containers with a liquid summerging the eyes he would implant. Leorio's eyes widened. A jolt of fear shot through him. He had never preformed a surgery like that. The closest he had was a particularly nasty stitch job he had to do on one of the new gate keepers.

He had read over the procedure and many others like it many times over. It was something he'd have to do though. Lord knows he would have to if he were to survive.

He should have figured that he would be given a trial by fire.

"Master Silva, when will I begin?" Leorio asked as politely as he could.

"You have half an hour to prepare. By that time I will have my wife prepared."

"Yes Master Silva," Leorio responded. He watched as Silva Zoldyck stood and left to no doubt obtain and restrain his wife. Leorio sighed and grabbed the eyes placed before him.

He then methodically marched towards the room set up for surgeries. He washed his hands and pulled on sterile gloves. A surgeon's smock was worn instead of the butler's coat. His necktie was removed as well, for his own safety. He arranged his tools and the eyes to be as efficiently accessible as he could. His hand hovered over one of his scalpels, more importantly the sharp edge. A needed tool for his work, but living on Kukuroo mountain had his mind thinking about how it could easily be used to kill. He felt a knot form in his stomach at the thought.

No doubt, the Lady of the family wouldn't hesitate to use such a small tool to slit his throat, or to gouge his eye and stab his brain. But even knowing this, and how he would be given an opportunity to kill her and perhaps a slim chance of escape, he knew it wasn't what he wanted to do as a doctor.

He let out a shaky sigh and focused on the meditative techniques that Illumi had forced him to learn. He could feel a torrent of focus fill his body, a blanket of energy enveloping him. It was a fairly new but not unwelcome feeling, especially with what he was about to do.

It what felt like an eternity later, Silva walked in with an unconscious Kikyo in a robe of some kind, her hair pulled back in a bun, and her visor actually removed. Leorio noticed small and unque scars around her eyes he had come to recognize from his time with the Zoldyck family.

Acid burns.

No doubt the very substance that damaged her eyes and forced her to wear a visor.

He watched as she was placed on his table. Leorio was mildly surprised to watch Silva leave, not another word spoken. He lifted a mask to his mouth and grabbed his scalpel.

"It would seem he has mastered his Ten."

"Pardon?"

"Your vagabond doctor."

"Has he really mastered it?"

"He was utilizing it in his prepartation. If the walls were common you would notice his aura now clinging to his body rather than flee."

Illumi felt a slight swell of pride at the comment. While he had not been able to directly tell him what he was doing, nor give him anything more than the basic information to unlock his Ten.

"Should he pass, you will accelorate what you've been teaching him."

"Of course."

Killua walked casually through the gate of the mountain, the first set of doors easily opening for him. Two years since he had been home. Two years since he had been dumped in a city and told not to go home until he made it to the 200th floor of Heaven's Arena.

He had finally bested the goal and didn't think twice about returning home. He wanted to find out what kind of candy Leorio had kept and gave out after appointments. With all the money he had squirreled away, he planned on buying a personal stash of it.

It was as he walked up the mountain that he saw a new face, a young girl with a dark complexion.

"Hello Master Killua," she greeted.

"Hm? Oh hi. You must be new," Killua commented. The girl gave a small dip forward in respect.

"I am Canary," she introduced, "A butler in training."

"Oh. Is that so?"

"It is Master Killua."

"Huh. How long have you been here?"

"Half a year sir."

"You can just call me Killua. You're my age anyway. It's weird to hear you call me sir or master."

"If that is what you wish Killua."

Killua had a strange wish to see Leorio at that moment. He was the help that actually treated him his age rather than like a boss. It was odd, but mostly fun and amusing.

"Hey Canary, do you know where Leorio is?"

"The doctor? I believe he is in surgery."

"Surgery? What, did piggy stab him or something?" Killua asked. Canary looked a tad confused at the response.

"No. He is performing surgery on your mother."

Killua began to bark out a laugh.

"Oh man! Mom in surgery! Yeah right! Like she'd ever allow it," he laughed. It took him a moment to realize Canary wasn't laughing. "Wait, you're serious?!"

"Indeed."

"Whoa! I gotta check this out!" he proclaimed, rushing towards the manor. Canary watched him leave for just a moment, before returning her focus to her post.

Leorio knew something was up after completing the surgery. For one, he had mentioned that Kikyo Zoldyck would need to keep her eyes shut somthey could fully heal and not be damaged after just being added. Silva Zoldyck however had told her to not waste time and to open her eyes.

Leorio could feel dread pool in his stomach. He was going to be killed because of impatience.

Still, he kept his eyes opened and watched in fear as Kikyo finally decided she was ready to listen to her husband. Slowly but surely her eyes opened. No longer the scarred and milky looking orbs, striking red gleamed in his direction. Her face went from hard to curious. Her eyes moved about the room, taking in all she could.

"Well?" Silva demanded moreso than asked.

"I can see. Effortlessly."

"B-but how?!"Leorio blurted out. Kikyo was about to question him and possibly kill him when he continued, "Your eyes should still be adjusting and need rest to see anything at all. You haven't had enough time to recover. You shouldn't have your eyes open now! You could damage them-"

Leorio was cut off by a laugh. He froze, realizing that it was Kikyo laughing. A chilling sound he instantly hated. It was then, she approached him. He didn't move out of fear. She was, in a word unstable. And he had had her under the knife mere hours before. He felt her cool fingers touch his face, making him look her in her new scarlet eyes.

"How naive you are. How you could've ever been seen as a threat, I will never know," she said with a smile, "And yet, you are competent enough to have done me a service."

Leorio felt a wave of dread wash over him, coming from Kikyo herself. He felt himself fall back into the meditative mindset, relishing in the strange mental protection it seemed to give from her menacing aura. Her fingers dug into his skin a bit.

"What is this father? Is he merely a doctor?"

Leorio blinked at the comment. Merely a doctor?

"Hardly. Illumi has taken an interest in preparing him for more, wild conditions."

"Ah. And you approve of this father?" she asked with a touch of curiosity in her voice.

"I have."

And that was the end of that it seemed. Kikyo's death aura relaxed, allowing Leorio to do the same. Her hands left Leorio's face, as did her now terrifying stare. He watched as she picked up her visor, how it had gotten on the table he didn't know, and delicately place it over her eyes.

He didn't ask. Technically, it wouldn't hurt to have her eyes covered from the elements as they were fresh from surgery. And he had already felt sheer terror just by her previous action.

"Hey old man!" a familiar and muffled voice called from the other side of the door, "You alive in there?"

In the blink of an eye, Kikyo had run to the door and threw it open.

"Kill! You're home!"

Killua glowered at his mother. She barely paused as she pulled him into her arms, clearly unphased by his glare. Pity, he had scared many people at the tower of heaven, shame he couldn't scare his mother yet. He squirmed out of her constrictor like grip and saw his father and Leorio.

His father had a familiar and welcome smile and a coldness Killua admired. His father was untouched from time, not changing a bit since the day he had left.

Leorio on the other hand, he was taller. Much taller. He could almost pass off as an adult. If Killua recalled correctly, then Leorio was fifteen. Tall and gangly and apparently had a blade to his mother.

"Hey dad," Killua acknowledged his dad with admiration.

"You have made it to the 200th floor."

"Uh huh. I did."

"Good."

Killua beamed at the one worded praise from his father. Leorio wondered what that was like. Having a father praise you. Was it really worth it? Weren't compliments just compliments?

Killua's home. And Kikyo now has scarlet eyes.