The Zoldyck Estate
Republic of Padokea...
It is a republic composed of several parts including that of Dentora region where Kukuroo Mountain is found. Access to this country is free, with no special conditions to be met.
And so, when they arrived, they were taken by a limousine and it was a four-hour trip to the mountains.
By the time they arrived...it was late afternoon.
'We are here.' said a butler.
'Thanks, Goto.' said Killua. 'Now we gotta open the gate to get the car in.'
'Don't you have an automatic gate or something?' Leorio asked him.
'Ah, it doesn't work that way.' said Killua. 'Since everyone's after the price on our heads, my great-great-grandpa created this wall and the Testing Gate.' he said.
'Testing Gate?' Gon blinked owlishly.
'Yeah. It consists of seven doors. Each of the 2 panels of the first, smallest door weighs 2 tons, and a bigger panel weighs twice as much as the panel immediately preceding it.'
'That means four tons multiplied by two per gate...' Kurapika gasped. '4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128 and 256?'
Naruko, Gon, Kurapika and Leorio went mental meltdown at that.
'Yup. Dad and grandpa can open seven, Illumi and mom can only do six...I can do three.'
'Oh dear...I can only do one ton...' Naruko gulped. 'The Jounin at home I emulated can only do so and I thought that's the limit of human strength...because back at my village, he is the strongest man in regards to stamina, endurance, physical strength, speed, and agility because he is a martial arts specialist.'
At that, she realized that Illumi held back, or she's mashed meat and smashed bone back at the exams.
That realization pretty much horrified her.
'Well, it just depends on the training.' said Killua. 'It takes trial and error to find the ideal regime.'
'Heee...so that means we'll train at these gates?'
'Yup.' said Killua. 'And the rules of the Family Head states that Invited Guests are Welcome if they can at least open a gate with their own power.'
'For now we shall lend a helping hand.' said the butler. 'However, only Miss Naruko who is invited can meet the family once she succeeds in training for the requirement. Everyone else must remain at the Guardhouse as you weren't invited.'
'Well, nothing we can do about that.' said Kurapika. 'And I'd rather not anger a Zoldyck. If Illumi can open the sixth gate which is 128 tons per door...it means he drastically held back against Naruko back at the Hunter Exams or she's long dead by now as his full power can easily destroy her arm beyond all help.' he stated. 'He fought with only enough strength to match hers.' he theorized and concluded which makes sense as its the truth...a frightening truth.
Once they're in, they went for the Guardhouse.
'Zebro, Seaquant, these guys will stay here and train.' said Killua. 'Look after them well.'
'Yes, young master.' Zebro, a portly old man and Seaquant, a man with a scruffy hunter appearance bowed.
'We'll leave you guys here.' said Killua as he left with the butler.
'Well, you'll be in our care now.' said Zebro. 'The weak cannot live within this estate. And as soon as we can no longer open the Testing Gate, its equivalent to 'being fired' so we are in constant training.' he explained. 'We were informed that Miss Naruko possesses a strength of a ton, so we will adjust accordingly. You can have requests but it depends on privilege granted.'
'Heee...then, I'd like to request the maximum training allowed to Gon, Kurapika and Leorio.' Naruko piped up. 'Then for me, whatever the Zoldycks have in mind.'
'Yes ma'am, for the unknown guests, they are allowed to train to open up to the second gate only and by then if you master it, it won't take you effort to open it as a sign of mastery.' said Seaquant. 'After that they'll have to leave. Miss Naruko will then have to stay in the main estate for a while for arrangements once she opens the second gate.'
For Kurapika, this was a great opportunity as this means he can fight the spiders and kill them. Then if he trains under Naruko, all the better as her combat skills are top notch to become on par with Illumi in an instant.
And so they trained...revealing the fact that out of the boys, Leorio was the strongest as in a month, he was able to push the second door with struggle...while Naruko didn't need any effort. She stayed with them until they can all open the second door with no trouble before leaving her there.
However, what awaited her in the estate, was a rather unique family.
Naruko, who has no concept of family was shown a unique setting.
She was treated kindly...while enduring Mithridatism and Toxicological Pharmaceutical-Compounding Training. And to make her an ideal bride, the adults were determined to pound and hammer the concept of family into her. What it was like to have a father, what it was like to have a mother and grandparents...
For her, it was a big new world akin to stepping into new uncharted lands.
But for her, it felt nice.
The most normal ones so far, was the father, grandparents and Killua in personality. The whole family was informed of her fighting abilities by Illumi so when she showed the whole family while fighting Zeno Zoldyck(who had to hold back his full strength)...THEY APPROVE. They simply said 'her skill is ideal, but strength needs more work'. She didn't need to learn how to fight and kill from them, and instead focused on honing her strength and 'how to apply it properly' in tandem with her skill.
Illumi couldn't make facial expressions or chooses not to. Since he's out for his next job that required a license, he's not home and has nothing to do with her training.
The great-grandparents are sooo small from being super-old but also having sagely wisdom. They are the go-to by the kids if things 'get too much'. The Zoldycks also have their own brand of medicine that heals and avoids scarring...and also the reason why all of them, have alabaster-pale skins. They're in charge of that, too. If they pass away, their duties would fall to their son Zeno.
The mother Kikyo...well, she's excessive(?)ly doting and fussy and has opinions of what she should and should not do as 'bride candidate' and teaches her proper manners. During Naruko's 'interview', she mostly approves of her mindset regarding how and why she kills. She is in charge of Poison Training and telling her how to be a 'proper bride' which also doubles as guardian to her 'favorite son'.
The second oldest Milluki is a human balloon and hikikomori otaku. He had loads of computers and figurines. Since he hates physical work, his way of assassination was messy; insect robots that are remote-detonated bombs that as soon as they land on a target's head...BOOM. This was because while he DOES have the Zoldyck upbringing, he really hated physical work and made ways to compensate by being a hacker, informant and of course, still killing. He's also in charge of 'pain tolerance training' i.e torture. He was bamboozled that she didn't even flinch no matter what he did but in electric torture, was one thing she wasn't used to yet so he rectified that very much.
The youngest child Kalluto was elusive and awkward. Like Naruko, he dresses in a kimono but instead of a yukata, he wears a furisode instead. Since he uses a paper fan and favors a type of combat...Naruko gave him pointers...and an actual pair of decorated tessen fans of good quality. He was also bamboozled with the fact that someone as old as his brother, was in fact, as skilled as his eldest brother in combat and killing, only dwarfed by them in strength and she was the weakest, even weaker than Kalluto himself in strength...until she got the Strength Training...for now, she was weaker than he but even he knew that she would surpass him soon because she was older and thus, had a more developed body ready for harder training.
The reason she can't smile yet was because poison training and electric torture training sucks...and trained in a new thing entirely in which she aimed for mastery with Kalluto while Killua spent much of his time with his father and grandfather who aims to increase his fighting level. And as technically part of the family, she has to let them know of her abilities...with devastating results that her family specialty was summed up as 'wanton destruction' which was why 'she'd rather not use them if possible'. Being wind-natured, she can create sharp, strong, and concussive winds and even suffocate enemies by denying them of life-sustaining air.
Because of her powerful chakra, she cannot do a low-level technique even if it killed her. Even worse, her Nen is just as potent and powerful when she got 'baptized'...and she's a dual-type to boot. Her primary-type is Reinforcement which she dedicated to Healing and Regeneration...but she becomes another thing if certain conditions are fulfilled. With the Shadow Clone Training, she masters her created Hatsus fast, but had to train the hard way in increasing her strength and potency until 'she reaches the pinnacle'.
She essentially stayed with the family for half a year, since the Hunter Exams and Graduation Party ended in January 31st...and Killua long left three months less, his mother utterly unhappy about it..
'Killua left home?' Naruko asked Kalluto as she trains Kalluto in techniques while maintaining her own Ren.
'Yeah. Mom wasn't too happy.' said Kalluto gloomily. 'Mom was crying.'
'Well, everyone has to leave home sometimes.' said Naruko as Kalluto shot her a surprised and somewhat-betrayed look, pausing in getting used to his new fans before Naruko signaled him to continue. 'I too, left a place I can never consider home. I can only call it 'a place I came from'. Because by going out, you'll see what the world is like. Its beauty, its ugliness...you'll meet people. People you'll like and people you'll downright dislike or even hate enough to murder. By traveling in a journey, you'll learn and experience things you'll never get at home. Its by going out that you'll find who and what you are, and how you'll grow as a person. Sometimes you'll see things that are scary but it can also show you good things that make you happy and enjoy those times. When you have had enough, you go home satisfied, knowing what to do from now on as an adult.' Naruko taught him.
'Killua craves for knowing the unknown because well, life is short isn't it?' Naruko continued with a small smile. 'And we're young only once. Children only once, adolescents only once, teenagers only once then adult until the grave. There are things we must experience at a certain point in life.'
'...what about you?'
'I don't know about you but I never had a childhood.' said Naruko as she looked up at the sky. 'All I know was everyone hated me and did all they could to make my life miserable while isolated. All I know was their hatred and beat me up to the brink of death if they catch me. Makes me wonder what my late parents did so they take it out on me. I knew torture well enough that no matter what Milluki did, the only thing that hurts was electricity. Poison hurts me too since I was never poisoned before. I had nothing and no one so I left to look for an ideal place to live in. I watched people to learn things I've never known, and denied to me. Things I need, I steal. Money, food, objects...I steal. And I don't care. I never get caught anyway.'
'Why?'
'Since the world never cared about me and only caused me pain and darkness, why should I care for them? Only my survival and comfort mattered at the time and also, I was out against the world I felt its my turn to cause them misery.' Naruko deadpanned.
Said misery came in the form of what Leorio and Kurapika calculated days ago. Back in the Elemental Nations, she stole several warehouses of food, hygiene and medical products, leaving many villages extremely troubled just to pay the ship she found. She sadistically imagined the people starving and no access to medical needs, the same thing she suffered almost every day in Konoha.
'To me, everyone else's lives have no value...until finally, I met people I can actually call companions in the Hunter Exam. I get along with Leorio and Kurapika the most since they bothered enough to teach and correct me...and then your family opened their doors to me. I tasted what its like to have adults who care for once and whats it like to have a family. I'm beginning to consider the offer but it depends on Killua himself and what the future brings. If he refuses me, I'll be given to someone else in the family to marry, that's that. Master Maha said so.'
'Oh...'
'Well, I'll spend my below-20 living my youth out as I grow up and experience things only young people can taste only once.' Naruko smiled. 'Kalluto should find what he wants in life too. I mean, Milluki loves computers and Japponese anime and video games so that's what he wants for fun. Killing is just a career anyway, but there's got to be something in life you really want so bad you'd do anything to have it. So what do you want in life while doing the family job? Killua went out for the same reason because the world in your estate is too small for him.' said Naruko. 'All work and no fun can drive a person batty and its kids who are most-affected by that while it takes longer to drive an adult nuts. There should be a balance and lines to be drawn and not crossed because working provides for family and having fun keeps you from stress and going nuts that apparently, its what pushed him into the 'rebellious phase' even if he didn't know what those words mean at the time when you told me about it.'
Kalluto paused.
That, was a question he couldn't answer.
His mind went blank as he paused in training again.
'Ah...I don't know...' he said, utterly flummoxed.
'Aaaand that's why you go out while making sure you don't die from work and come home. Dying is out of the question as you'll be leaving those who care for you.' Naruko chuckled, patting his head. 'I already know what I want but I still want to see the world. I guess after this I'll meet up with him in York Shin and start being a proper fiancee. I never see him here except for meal times since he's training to catch up and has to bite me a lot that the madam joked he's giving me love bites.'
Ohhh yes, Kalluto thought sarcastically, what a love bite.
When Killua bit her and consumed her energy, his training injuries healed in seconds flat as if nothing happened. A power greatly made use of to increase his brother's, as well as his own levels. Consuming her powerful, sublime energy was incredible but the ability tends to leave permanent bite marks, a trait of her clan's which was a dead giveaway to what she is, so it was something she rectified with her Nen Ability so progress was indeed, faster.
xxx
Zoldyck Estate, surveillance room...
Unknown to Naruko, during her stay in the mansion, she was watched and her actions recorded by Milluki's bugs and being watched by the adults on their free time. This was to observe her from afar to see if her true nature will come out when not observed.
It did, revealed by her conversation with Kalluto as she let her guard down around the youngest Zoldyck.
'The way she talks, one would think she's a resident of Meteor City but she's not even from there.' Zeno chuckled. 'I talked Netero out of the much-needed information and how the Zodiac are planning an expedition to where she came from. I think I'm of the mind to join them soon once York Shin's Auction is over.'
'You mean going to her world?' Silva asked him.
'Yes. I managed to wrangle a favor out of Netero. He owes me a few big favors after all and venturing to new lands that wasn't the Dark Continent. I want to see how these ninjas work and look into the problem she mentioned. What did her parents do indeed that nobody told her about yet happy enough to make her truly hate them all.'
xxx
When her stay ended, she left the Zoldyck Estate capable of opening the third gate with ease and trouble with the fourth as she had to go to York Shin in August.
No longer dressed in kimonos, now dressed like a preppy middle schooler. And like the family, she now has pale skin but no matter what they try, those whisker marks of hers just won't go away. In the months she stayed there, her hair grew longer again. In six months, her hair is shoulder length now. She no longer wears flower hairpins but rather ties her hair in a half-ponytail accessorized with a big bow.
She finds this fashion much cuter. She's twelve soon-to-be thirteen this october and her fiancee is a year younger than her.
It was normal in most marriages anyway that sometimes, the girl is older than the boy, followed by 'same age', and lastly, the ideal 'man is older than his wife'.
She explored York Shin as soon as she's arrived...as well as the underground auctions.
She's fully-aware Kurapika wanted some things...and it was time for treasures to be delivered into vaults and inventoried by the organizers.
There are two types of auctions. One held by the Mafia that goes September 1-5, and the legal law auction for 6-10.
She stole a catalogue for both auctions and did her research and knew the city's ins and outs...and on August 30 when items are delivered...she struck.
xxx
Zoldyck Family Estate...
'WHAT DID YOU SAY?!' came the gleefully-shocked outburst of one Milluki Zoldyck at dinner. 'Oh boy oh boy, send it here, now! Eh? Well if you got it that way I'll just send someone over as long as I have that thing!' Milluki cried excitedly. 'Coincidentally, a few weeks back, Kill asked me to decode and decipher that very system through a memory he somehow obtained but I couldn't replicate it...oh fuck, seriously? No wonder!' he swore. 'I'll send a butler to your hotel room to get it! I want it in one piece, alright?! Thanks!'
'Who's that and what's going on, Mill?' Silva asked his second eldest.
'Naruko stole a few stuff delivered to the auctions this year dad...' several eyebrows rose to the adults' hairlines, family butlers included serving at their table and his little brother. '...she stole some items of interest though she didn't tell me what those were and she got me the Greed Island game because she thought I'd like it when she had originally no knowledge of games!' Milluki burst out. 'That thing's starting bidding price is 5.8 billion, no way I can buy that...' he swore. 'I'll arrange for a team to get it from Naruko as soon as possible!'
'Greed Island eh? Isn't that a Hunter's Only Game?' Kikyo raised an eyebrow.
'Because what most people don't know is that the game is made out of Nen.' Milluki groaned. 'No wonder no matter what I did I couldn't recreate the system...' he moped. 'I can't recreate Nen!'
'That explains the Hunters Only game rule.' Zeno blinked. 'However, we will have Naruko gather information first before we allow you to play the game because this is Nen we're talking about. Call her back and set it on speaker mode after three days.'
'OK.'
And three days later...
/Ah, about the game? From what I got out of a monkey, its an RPG Game you'd live in for real. You can even eat food and sleep in a hotel there and the setting is in a fictional island. Oh, you can only use the game world's money, our money is useless in there so you'll have to do quests to get Greed Island money as its the only currency NPCs will accept. However, Player Killing is real as ill-repute players will attack you if you have what they don't needed to clear the game. If you die in the game you die in real life too./ Naruko reported. /Accordingly there's this Multi-Billionnaire who hired loads of Hunters who must get some items for him when they clear the game. If they do they have a 50 billion reward. Why and what for is unknown, not even his most trusted agents know why. And when players die, they find dead bodies inside the Game Room. I stole some footages I'll send with the butlers as well, from their surveillance system about couple years back./ she said. /For now a friend hired me to do a spying job on the Auction since his boss wants inside information and the boss will pay me./
'Very well.' said Silva. 'Who is this organization?'
/The Nostrade Family, the one who's daughter is a Nen-using diviner categorizing as Specialist, but a rare genius unaware of its origin, not even knowing its Nen and when I checked the history, it manifested with no training whatsoever when she took interest in the occult. Thing is, she doesn't know what the thing writes as it possesses her when she activates it so the father who's main source of income is her, is highly protective./
'...well, if you want to play the game you'll have to get in shape.' said Silva wryly to his son who looked ready to puke at the mere idea. 'Until then, you are barred even if you get it.'
'Awww...'
xxx
September 1...on the rooftop...
Senritsu was alarmed when she heard another heartbeat who wasn't her and her partner appear on the roof, not even coming from the stairs. All she heard was a 'woosh' and a calm heartbeat from behind them and she saw a young girl who should be in bed by now yet she is here and a powerful Nen-User.
'You rang, Kurapika?' Naruko asked Kurapika.
'Naruko, I told you the job details.' said Kurapika. 'Have you done it?'
'Yeah. I got loads of flies inside the building.' said Naruko. 'Well, a security like theirs is too cheap for me. I've seen nastier in my in-law's place.' she scoffed.
'Its a security made to deal with common man only.' said Kurapika. 'A security that ensures no outsider who's not an invited guest can come within 300m of the building. However, its another story if a nen-user comes. Anything of note?'
'I'm watching the vaults.' said Naruko. 'If anything noteworthy happens, a fly will disappear and I'll gain its memories.' then she flinched. 'Oh! Someone came in and the supervisor allowed him in into the vaults. He came in empty-handed and came out empty-handed...but when the supervisor checked, everything's all gone.' she said. 'One of my flies will automatically follow him.'
'What?!' Kurapika and Senritsu yelped. 'Who is he?!'
'The Supervisor addressed him as 'Owl' so he must be a Shadow Beast member.' said Naruko. 'Sooo why did he take the items? Any idea?' she asked them curiously.
'Well, we got word that the auction will be attacked tonight so the Miss was forbidden from going herself.' said Senritsu. 'So we sent some bodyguards to act as representatives to still acquire the items for bid despite the impending threat.'
'Report the incident.' Kurapika instructed Senritsu. 'I'll keep an eye in the meantime.'