WhIP

by footfungus

nederlands verhalen over mijn otp

239. Chapter 239

What Was Needed

Serenechaos

Summary:

Non-SI OC.

A young woman is reborn into a loving, but very poor, family. When slavers come and she is kidnapped, all she can think of is getting back home, but every step seems to take her farther from her goal, getting her mixed into a world she never expected.

First few chapters will be build up before the actual timeline for HxH. Character only has seen 1999 version of anime.

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

This fiction is being written in remembrance of a friend of mine who died a little over ten years ago. At the time of her death, her favorite anime and manga was Hunter X Hunter. I deliberately put off watching or reading it for so long because of that, but now that I have, this story began to float around in my head. So, it introduces an original character who enters the Hunter X Hunter world by reincarnation.

Warning: There are mentions of some very disturbing topics in this fiction, the first of which will be abuse. I ask that if anyone does know of or suspect such a thing is happening, then speak up. The consequences of not raising your voice can haunt you for life, and cost someone else theirs.

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Life is a funny thing, but fate can truly be a witch with a capital 'B.'

A vicious kick connected with my chest, drawing a gurgled cry, blood bubbling out of my mouth. Next to me, the broken glass and spilled water, the catalyst of this attack, swam in my blurry vision. It hadn't been broken by accident.

My father had come home in a horrible mood that day. One of his peers had lost a major case that day, a case that he had been helping to organize and research. Because of this, he believed that his possibility for a promotion had been hampered and had turned to his favorite comfort: bourbon. That had been chased with the whiskey that he would eternally deny having.

Once drunk enough, then he'd turned to his second favorite comfort: working out. And his absolute favorite way to work up a sweat was to beat my mother and me.
He had caught me in the kitchen, getting a drink of water and had slapped the glass out of my hand.

Dodging the first punch as he yelled at me for breaking the glass made him angrier, and he caught me as I attempted to run for the door, his meaty hand tangling in my hair and throwing me down before he had begun the beating.

I coughed as my eyes caught sight of my mother, just outside the kitchen door. I didn't dare to hope she would do anything, she was too beaten down to ever oppose my father.

Another kick to the stomach caused me to curl in automatically, unfortunately causing me to come closer to the glass fragments and water, both of which my father was reminded of when a cough sent blood into the water, making it spread.

"Ugly cunt!" he shouted angrily, his foot coming down hard on my hand, and I could hear the bones snapping despite my cry. "Always making messes, even after all I've done for you!"

More blows rained down, the glass cutting my skin as he kicked me into the mess. I groaned and lost a shriek when a particularly large shard cut me across the face, hot blood flowing out of the wound and onto the floor. The sight of it only seemed to make him even angrier and the blows came harder. All attempts to guard anything other than my head were in vain as my arms became bruised and a loud 'snap' signified a bone breaking.

The cry that escaped from my throat at the searing pain earned me another kick, and then I was staring at my arm, a bone poking through the flesh. My arm went limp and left my head unguarded.

My father didn't miss a beat, his foot crashing into my jaw. I felt my teeth grind, but didn't know whether my jaw was broken or not.
A second kick knocked my broken arm and caused the world to dissolve into a haze of hideous pain. Blackness ate at my vision then consumed my world.

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"Are you alright?"

It was the stupidest question I had ever heard. The pain radiated through my form, yet I still felt so cold and numb. I must have given a signal though since the voice came again.

"She's alive! I got a pulse!"

Pulse? Pulse… When had someone touched me?

"Get her on the gurney, if we-… -ve her."

What? Was I going somewhere?

Movement occurred, causing my head to spin. Air was forced into my lungs and I found myself choking on it, almost coming back to full consciousness due to the pain of it only for it to knock me back yet again.

"-losing h-"

A bright light came overhead, blazing into an eye that had been forced open, and I longed for it to stop.

"-cras-…-art!"

The coldness felt… Good now. Warm even. And the light was fading. I felt… relieved.

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Blackness surrounded me. It was endless and wrapped around me like a warm blanket. Everything was warm and wet.
There was nothing else there, and it gave me plenty of time to think.

I had been finally getting my life together. I was in my fourth year of college, seeing a therapist to help me get past my 'previous' abusive relationship. Perhaps it was stupid, but I hadn't been able to admit to anyone that my abuser was my father yet.

I hadn't visited home for over two years and was honestly feeling more confident, like I wasn't a victim anymore. I wasn't my father's punching bag. I was an honors student, well-liked by my professors. I was going to be a doctor, and had already been accepted into my school of choice.

I was the idiot who had decided to conquer her fear of 'home' by visiting her parents for a weekend, and had subsequently been beaten.

In this blackness, I struggled with the resolve that my therapist had been helping me to build. When I woke up, it didn't matter how, I was going to be going after my father and I'd ensure this ended for good. It was a scary thought due to him working at a major law firm, as a prospective partner no less, but if I could convince my mother to testify as well, then I was certain we could get rid of him. Make him sit in jail for a couple of decades, maybe even learn what it was like to be a punching bag.
I'd come clean to my friends and therapist about everything, and maybe I would finally be over all of this.

I had no idea how long the darkness lasted, or what kind of treatment I was receiving, only that I was cognizant so hopefully that would mean no brain damage.

Things finally changed when there was a tight, squeezing sensation in the environment around me. Pressure built and it felt like liquid was rushing around me. Every part of me felt like it was being compressed, and I prayed this meant I was regaining sensation as I woke. Time had had little meaning thus far, but it dragged now as it felt like a vice closed around my head and a wet cloth was tightened over my face.

Attempts to thrash and yell offered few results, less than they had early on. My movements had always felt restricted, but now it was like everything had tightened to unbelievable proportions.

Pain erupted through my head from the pressure and noise began to reach my ears. It was distant at first, and then the pain in my head began to fade and noises became clearer. A voice that sounded pained and peeved rent through the air, giving me hope that I was about to awaken in the emergency room. That this entire trip in my head hadn't been the eternity that it had seemed to be.

Cold hit next, and pain in the rest of my body even as what felt like a giant hand settled over my head. My head was freezing while my body was being crushed in a warm, wet cloth!

Pressure continued to mount and I felt myself sliding out of those confines and into the frigid air. The pain of that air drew a squawk from me and then I was free from confinement, but freezing in the air.

My skin was too sensitive at that moment, and the hand-like object caused a horrible stinging sensation. My attempt to yell at the perpetrator only caused a whine and cry to come from my lips and mentally I groaned. For my skin to be this sensitive and to be unable to produce decent speech, I had to have been out of commission for months!
Scratchy material that was wet wiped me down and I yelled again, trying to let whoever was responsible for this know that I was in pain, but there was no effect and no response. Instead, I was wrapped in more scratchy cloth and settled in… Something.

My mind was not offering any suggestions about what I was in, only that it adjusted to my body with each shift. It almost felt like I was being held by someone who was trying to be careful but was uncertain about what they were doing.

It was utterly disconcerting and in desperation for some sort of answer, I tried to open my eyes. I was met with somewhat dim light, my eyes unable to focus very far. But I did manage to make out the face that stared down at me.

He was smiling, the expression on his face making him look spellbound. Eyes that I couldn't describe were studying me while words I couldn't understand floated from his mouth. His eyes turned away from me for a brief moment before returning to me, his smile gentle.

I was handed to someone else then, far more carefully than what should have been necessary, and settled on a chest. A woman's naked chest. Where I was directed to a nipple and things suddenly clicked.

My mind screamed. I screamed.

Things had ended between my father and I, permanently. My father had killed me!

My screams were of sorrow, pain, fear, and innumerable regrets.

Gentle hands tried to soothe me, and I was certain I sensed more than just one pair. Words that had no meaning to me were murmured, then I was handed to someone else.
I didn't get a good look at this person's face before my eyes slipped shut again, my strength for that moment spent.

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Time had little meaning again, I slept too much to effectively keep track. Whenever I was awake though, someone was always holding me, either one of two women or the man.

I was maybe two days old when a medic or nurse entered the room again and gave me a 'check-up,' though it felt more like they were just confirming that I was still capable of kicking and screaming. The medic's face showed significant wear, as though harsh conditions and a harsh life had caused him to age prematurely.

The medic moved away and one of the women, this one had blonde hair, lifted me gently. The other woman had strawberry-blondish hair and would sometimes hold me, but she felt more distant. They hadn't attempted to breast feed me a second time since my birth, so I wasn't sure which was my mother. Instead, bottles were brought in. The milk in the bottles tasted weird and I could tell that the bottle wasn't the cleanest thing in existence, but it was all that was offered currently.

The blonde murmured to me gently in what I assumed was her native tongue while wrapping me in a blanket, and I tried my best to remain silent as I studied her further. She seemed nice, like a loving mom, and she smiled when she saw I was focusing on her. That smile convinced me of one thing: she was 18 at oldest.

The man wandered over then, checking on us. He made no romantic gestures towards the woman I suspected was my mother, at most he acted brotherly towards her. But the smile he gave as he reached down and tucked one of his fingers into one of my tiny fists was fatherly. I estimated him to be about 15.

So, was I a product of an unexpected teenage pregnancy in a place that didn't have too many options? At least my supposed-father seemed intent to stick around.

My eyes slid shut again as my new mother finished wrapping me, and I was barely aware of being lifted and carried through the cavernous room for the first time.

Sounds surrounded us, as did a number of smells that burned my inexperienced nose and caused me to wrinkle it in displeasure. Then whatever shelter we had been in was left behind.

The air felt cooler here, cleaner in a sense, and there was far less noise. Sleep gripped me and I relented to it.

Noise brought me back to somewhat consciousness, and I forced open my eyes as I felt the arms holding me shift and someone new came into view. Someone whose eager face got so close that I couldn't see anything other than wide green eyes.

A blur of motion and loud voice replaced those eyes and I found myself staring at an afro. That mound of hair was pushed down by someone else and chaos erupted that I couldn't see. My mother chose then to readjust her grip on me and begin moving again, quickly leaving the room. We didn't go far.

I was settled on something that seemed rather firm, then the blanket I was wrapped in was removed, replaced with one that felt much softer and smoother. It took much control to not react as my diaper was checked.

Then the woman curled up on what I now guessed was a bed beside me, her heartbeat and warmth quickly sending me to sleep yet again.

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The days that followed were a blur for the most part. It's possible that the trauma of birth caused me to enter an initial alert state, but within days most of the tension was gone and I was just a baby.

My focus went out the window unless something startled me. I could barely comprehend for several months what was happening, and when I was alert, I was so bored that I kept trying to count my fingers.

Eventually my vision got better and my ability to keep my thoughts in order improved. To combat boredom, I reviewed my memories and the last several years in school as well as began to seriously wonder where I was.

My new family didn't take me outside very often, but when they did, my improving vision had afforded me the sight of a small desert city, one that was rough and worn with few operating vehicles. The people were of a diverse ethnic background. If they had spoken English, my best guesses would have been the western United States or Australia. They also didn't speak Spanish, which knocked out most communities in Latin America. I could only hope I wasn't in some sort of religious nut-case society that had evolved their own language.

As for my new family, they confused me more than the puzzle of my location. I still didn't know for certain which of the two women was my mother, but I had discovered that they were actually lovers, which raised more questions that I couldn't even hope to ask.

On the other hand, there was no questioning or denying that the dark-haired man was my father. He was a near constant in my life, apparently living in the same house as my possible mothers, and seemed eager to take part in my care, sharing the responsibility with the blonde woman while the strawberry-blonde was less than enthusiastic. He would disappear often, usually for days at a time, and when he returned he would usually bring something for me. It was almost always some sort of item used to care for me such as diapers and formula, then he started to bring a toy every so often as well. One that I was particularly fond of was a stuffed bear with strange ears and very soft reddish-brown 'fur.' I had watched him sew in the eyes under the direction of the strawberry-blonde woman. They were mismatched, one eye being black and the other blue, but it made the bear all the more special. I had already decided that the blonde woman was my mother, and since she had blue eyes, each of the eyes seemed to represent my mom and dad.

The rest of the family seemed to just come and go at random, one would be there one day then gone for weeks on end after. When they returned, they brought supplies in the form of non-perishable items plus formula and diapers.

By the time I was a year old, I decided I was very lucky: though they were very poor, I was well-loved by my family. I was learning their language rapidly. I had also learned that my name for this life would be 'Takara,' my family calling me 'Kara' for short.

Things changed around the time I turned 2, with my mother and her lover also disappearing for days on end whereas previously they would only leave for a few hours. When this happened, I was sent to stay with a matronly woman in the town. She seemed to be a general caretaker for a number of children, easily overwhelmed due to her age and thus, easy to slip away from. I just had to make sure I was back before the next mealtime.

The denizens of the town we resided in saw nothing weird or wrong about a toddler exploring the streets since watchful eyes were everywhere. To add to the air of innocent exploration, I always carried my bear with me.

The town was every bit as dilapidated as I suspected, the buildings were old and rubbish seemed to be everywhere. Digging around for newspapers that I could read was fruitless, everything was in a language I couldn't decipher. My determination to figure out where I was wouldn't be deterred though, and the next time my parents were home, I crawled into my father's lap while he was reading.

"Read to me!" I chirped happily as I hugged my bear, hoping to appear childish and innocent but interested.

It disappointed me more than just a bit when my father set aside his book and picked up a more 'age-appropriate' one. But considering that I wanted to learn to read, this seemed the best way to start. Following this, I spent several days trying to familiarize myself with the new written language, my finger pointing at characters and me trying to make the sound that corresponded with them. My father was thrilled. The rest of the family laughed it off as having another avid reader.

Every time that I was left with the caretaker, I continued my adventures in the town as soon as I could slip away. I could now read a number of words, though I had some difficulty in separating the different words in sentences at times since I still didn't know the phonetic rules of the language I was learning, nor was there a 'give' such as a space between words.

Time seemed to move both quickly and slowly now. I was enjoying my new life thoroughly, so it moved quickly. I missed my family when they were away, so it moved slowly.
Since I had had a decent grasp of the passing days by the time my family celebrated my second birthday, I was able to keep track of the months well enough to know that my third birthday was approaching. It was still two months away when I found a treasure in the rubbish, a book with a title that confused me at first.

"A-to-ra-su," I murmured, stretching the word to try to remember what it meant for a long moment before flipping open the cover and almost giggling in delight. An atlas! And the word for it was so similar to English! Then my eyes focused on the general world map and my jaw dropped.

It was a jumble! Nothing at all like the maps I was previously familiar with! It looked like Africa had teamed up with South America to take over the place where North America was normally situated, North America was warped and in what had originally been South America's space, Asia had been cut in two and turned on its side, and Australia was in between Asia and the misshapen and misplaced North America!

Flipping the page, the map now focused on a continent labeled Yorbia, but before I could study it further, a shadow fell over me.

"Gotcha!" a voice rang out as a familiar pair of arms wrapped around my waist and hauled me high up into the air.

"Uncle Gin!" I shrieked as the large fingers tickled my sides and I was flipped around to look straight into my tallest uncle's face. His afro tickled the side of my face as he kissed my cheek then settled me on his shoulder.

My uncles were mostly strong and well-built men, and always had a smell of sweat to them. I suspected that they were all miners, my father included, or did some other form of physical labor.

"Went to pick you up from Granny Jeeb and you were missing!" my uncle declared as he reached down to snag my bear and noticed the open atlas. "Another book?! Geez kid, you gonna be a-," he uttered a word I didn't recognize, "or something? Don't do much good here."

I accepted my bear with a bright smile, noting that he didn't touch the atlas, and decided to come back to it the next time I had the opportunity.

"Your dad ain't too happy you took off, but he'll likely think nothing of it when he hears I found ya reading another book!"

"Depends on the book," another familiar voice cut in and I squirmed as my uncle turned, happy to see my father. "What did you find, Takara?"

My squirming ceased immediately since I recognized the tone: he was upset at me. And I wasn't going to get any support from my uncle since he chose to set me down and retreat.

"Well?"

"An a-to-rasu," I replied after a moment.

My father stared at me for a long moment before a small smile pulled at his features, his hand reaching for mine. "An atlas? Do you even know what that is?"

"World maps!" I stated, my tone bright.

My hand now firmly in my father's grasp, we began to walk back towards the center of town, my uncle going ahead to call off the search.

"Do maps interest you?" my father continued as we trekked past pile after pile of debris and I gave a slight nod. "How about the world?"

I nodded emphatically. "I wanna see it!"

"What if I told you that it ended just a few kilometers outside of town?"

"Then where do you go when you leave?" I pointed out, speaking in a way no two-year-old should, something I had done since I had finally learned to speak.

My father laughed in response. "I suppose that isn't a," another word was said that I didn't recognize yet, "Speaking of the outside world reminds me, I got a new eye for your fox-bear, another blue one."

Horror seized me automatically.

"We can change out the black one when we get ho-"

"NO!" I declared forcefully. "Daddy eye!" It was a childish argument, but I was a child right then and the favorite feature of my favorite toy had just been threatened.

My father looked surprised. "Daddy eye?"

I nodded as I pointed to the black eye on my bear. "Daddy eye." Then my finger shifted to the blue eye. "Mommy eye."

My father's eyes softened in response and his smile returned. "Alright Kara, you can keep the daddy eye."

I smiled up at him as we continued into town, his hand keeping a firm grip on mine as we entered the main town square. There looked to be a riot going on as people shouted towards a building that I had come to believe was for administrative purposes. My father picked me up as we drew closer to the crowd and began to edge our way through.

"Why're they mad?" I asked as my father dodged around several people.

"Because one of our own was killed," my father replied.

"And they're mad?"

"Yes. Always remember Kara, bonds here are different from anywhere else, and most people don't even try to understand. For us, the saying 'thin as water, thick as blood' refers to precious life and family. Neither should be wasted. Bonds are the same, like water and blood and never to be wasted."

"Water and blood," I repeated.

"She's too young to hear things like that," came yet another familiar voice, and my eyes came to rest on my mother's strawberry-blonde lover. "You should just say that outsiders hurt someone and they aren't happy."

"I did, then gave an explanation," my father informed her with an admonishing smile. "If we use baby talk or talk down to her, we'll stunt Kara's mental development."

"Kara is right here," I snarked automatically, drawing an incredulous look from the woman.

"And Kara has a very smart mouth that she probably learned from-"

"You," my father interrupted with a grin. "And possibly me."

The woman huffed as she fell in step with my father. "It might be a good thing that she ran off. Half of the brats at Granny Jeeb's have come down with-" Yet another word was uttered that I didn't understand and I watched her in confusion as she poked her arm. Just the sight of her doing that made me itch.

We arrived at the family home a few minutes later and were greeted to the sight of my mother and several uncles running around the house. They stopped suddenly when my mother caught sight of us.

"She's okay!" she shouted to the men, and a moment later was extracting me from my father's arms. "You gave us a scare!" she declared as she turned to march into the house. "Now you need to be checked for any-" I felt like screaming as yet another unfamiliar word was used and I didn't have the opportunity to ask what it meant.

The resulting strip down was followed by a bath, and I came to realize what they had been worried about: chicken pox. I had several of the marks forming on my body already. It was unsurprising when I was immediately put to bed.

"Come on, we could easily deal with this!" one of my uncles yelled from the front room that evening. I had been told to stay in bed and that my mother would bring me some soup later. "Awaken her and it'll be cleared out by morning!"

"Awaken her, dead by midnight!" another voice snarled, this one belonging to my shortest uncle. I had been taught to call him Aunt Fae by one of my other uncles, a name that he apparently hated but failed to correct. "Kara is two."

More arguments broke out, and there was the sound of some shoving and yelps. I wished I was out there with them, eating with my strange but wonderful family, watching the live entertainment. Soon enough, the noise died down to regular talking, then my mother entered the room with a bowl of soup.

"Uncle Lin will be in shortly to check on you," she informed me as she fussed with a blanket that I kept pushing off.

"You're leaving already?" I asked as my eyes glanced towards her bed.

Her hand dropped the blanket and touched my forehead gently. "Only for tonight. We need to get medicine for you and the other kids."

Feeling particularly childish in that moment, I huffed and lay back down. I might have actually been closer to twenty-three than two years old mentally, but I wanted to feel what it was like to have a doting mother tending to me while I was sick. It was a warm and loving connection that I had come to crave and adore with my family, something I had previously missed.

My mother left after ensuring I ate the soup and tucking me under enough blankets to smother a bear.

Sleep came and went that night, with me waking up when Uncle Lin entered the room to check on me. I had kicked off most of the extra blankets by then and he piled them back on.

"You need to stay warm," he gently admonished as he checked my forehead.

My response was a small cough, my throat feeling dry.

"Want some water?"

I nodded slightly, my eyes feeling far heavier than normal.

A cup was held to my lips as my uncle helped me sit up and I gratefully drank. The water temporarily alleviated the pain in my throat and then the cough returned. It should have kept me awake, but I only stirred when it was particularly bad.

It was still dark when someone entered the room and shook me awake.

"Turn over," the voice instructed as most of the blankets were dragged off of my form. I obeyed simply because I was freezing and the smelly, old mattress offered more warmth than the cold night air.

A large, warm hand came to rest on my back then, and I managed to open my eyes slightly.

The hand seemed to grow warmer with every second that passed, as did my body, and then the dark wasn't so dark anymore. The drowsiness I had been experiencing fled. Heat exploded through my veins.

The door slammed open and three more people barreled into the room. I took the opportunity to turn over to find that the person who had been behind me was uncle Gin, and he was currently being hauled out by uncle Lin and Naga while another of my uncles, whose name was still difficult for me so I knew him simply as uncle Al, gathered me up.

"Kara, you have to calm it!" he ordered. I stared at him, uncomprehending of what he meant while his eyes seemed to pop upon meeting my eyes. "Get control!"

"Of what?" I murmured and my uncle's eyes looked pained for a long moment before he pulled out a stick of some sort.

"Please let this work!" he yelled, stabbing the stick into my arm, and the world went black.

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It was morning when I awoke again, feeling nowhere near as groggy as I had during the night. The cough was also gone and I wasn't feeling itchy.

"THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!" the voice rang out from the front of the little house and I jumped, my hand automatically grabbing my bear. Horrible memories of a former-parent flashed through my mind and I was surprised at the temptation to hide under the covers of my bed.

A softer, rather subdued voice responded, one that seemed out of place being so soft.

"YOU GOT LUCKY! If- Don't you tell me to calm down! This is a serious matter!"

It was my mother's lover who was yelling I finally realized as I rose to my feet and wandered to the door, opening it as silently as I could and peeking down the short hallway towards the main room. From my restricted view point, it seemed a family meeting was occurring.

"Your call said that there was no medicine in the town you went to so I did something!" Uncle Gin's voice responded. "Kara's not sick now and-"

"Awake," my father's voice cut through the din like a knife. His dark eyes had already spied me in the hall.

Neither my mother nor her lover said anything after that, both simply marched up the hall, picked me up, and entered our room. The door was shut and I was set down on my bed again.

I wasn't allowed to leave the room that day as they observed me, my father being the only other one allowed in. He brought us meals and assured my guards/mothers that uncle Gin would be punished.

My mother and her lover (or was she also my mother?), checked me thoroughly several times that day, noting that all the pox marks had in fact vanished. The fever was gone as well and I wasn't showing any signs of fatigue beyond that caused by general boredom.

The next day things seemed odd as my mothers finally allowed me out of the bedroom and I ran to the front room where breakfast was being passed out. It seemed like every eye followed me that morning as I dodged legs and smiled brightly when a bowl of porridge was handed to me.

"When's our next job?" Uncle Al finally asked after a few minutes when everyone settled.

I looked up automatically, hoping it wouldn't be for quite a while. My father didn't meet my eyes.

"Three days," he replied.

"Three days? We're getting a lot of work recently!"

My father shrugged with one shoulder. "Our skills are in high demand with the community, and the recent chicken pox outbreak has strained all of the city's supplies."
I rubbed my arm then, a bit upset that they would be leaving so soon when I remembered the night that uncle Gin had cured my chicken pox. "Why not do what uncle Gin did to me?"

More than a few backs stiffened in response and half the adults in the room glared at my afro-topped uncle.

"You don't yet know what he did," uncle Al started in explanation. "It was dangerous, especially because you didn't know what was happening. Far more dangerous than just letting the disease run its course."

"She won't get sick anymore," uncle Gin pointed out, and a mug was thrown at him by uncle Phi, who muttered some remark about bloody eyes.

"Takara," my father called and I focused on him immediately. "Finish your breakfast."

It was a clear message that the conversation was over and everyone returned to their food, then cleaning up after. The next few days went by smoothly, with no one allowing uncle Gin to be alone with me after he asked about some sort of training. The day of their departure came too quickly for me, which was when my mother unveiled a bit of bad news.

"Granny Jeeb is sick," she informed the family over breakfast that morning. "She sent a message this morning that she can't watch any kids for several weeks."
Silence reigned for a moment.

"Can I come with you?"

"No," five voices responded automatically.

Aunt Fae had just finished his breakfast and rose. "Check around town. One of elders might know." He was gone a second later, moving so fast that my eyes had a hard time following him. The fact that I could follow him seemed strange.

"Slow today?" I asked my mother's lover as I glanced at the door.

The woman glanced at the door also then at me. "No, you're just getting faster." She leaned against my mother then and whispered something, and my mother gave me a slightly searching look.

Aunt Fae returned ten minutes later, a sour look on his face. "Found something. Elder's wife."

Uncle Lin sighed deeply. "Probably just wants us to hurry and not have to hunt for a babysitter."

Aunt Fae shrugged while my mother rose. "I'll get her bag."

I watched her head towards the short hall that led to the two other rooms in the house before glancing at my father. He had another book in hand at that moment and I felt a burning itch to try to read over his shoulder, even if I wasn't at the right reading level yet. He had been pushing my education forward at a steady pace ever since I had taken the initiative in learning to read, but I wouldn't have called it anywhere near a well-rounded one. Then again, my father likely thought that he was just dealing with a bright 2-year-old.

My mother returned with my bag then, and handed my bear to me.

"Thanks mom," I chirped, drawing a smile from her and an irritated look from her lover.

The walk to the elder's house was quiet since it was just my mother, her lover, and me. It surprised me when, while my mother spoke to the elder and his wife, her lover pulled me aside.

She looked me straight in the eye and it occurred to me rather suddenly that I didn't know her name or have a title to refer to her by. She had always avoided being named, deftly turning conversations while she was in the room. It was why she was always just my mom's lover in my mind.

"Be mindful of people," she started then paused. "Don't wander off and…" Her eyes softened at that moment, and she suddenly pulled me into a hug. "Let this feeling be wrong."

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The elder and his wife were decent people who obviously cared for the people of the town. Part of that care extended to doing what was necessary to ensure that things ran smoothly for those who were the supporters of the community. Whatever my family did, they helped ensure that key supplies could be brought in and with the chicken pox outbreak, a lot of people had been mobilized.

So, it was no surprise that there were a lot of children that needed to be watched; the house where I was left had taken in eleven not including myself. The elder's wife, Uta, wasn't just overwhelmed, she was being utterly crushed. She did manage to do one thing though: a thorough check-up when I arrived to ensure I was clear of the pox.

"Alright, you look mostly healthy," she stated after pulling up my shirt sleeves and the front of my shirt, checking my skin for any marks. Keeping my shirt raised, she turned me around to check my back and made a light noise. "That's a birthmark to be proud of."

I knew I had a birthmark, I just didn't know what it looked like and its location just above my right shoulder blade made it impossible for me to check, especially since there seemed to be no mirrors here. My family found it amusing whenever I asked about it.

"Why?" I asked, but a screaming match started then in the next room and Uta waved me off.

"You're not sick, so stay out of the room with the red sign," she instructed. "If you get itchy at any point, tell me."

Yes, she was definitely overwhelmed. I might have been holding still, but I was still in the form of a not-quite 3-year-old holding a teddy bear. Granny Jeeb had at least tried to put me in a supervised group. I wasn't the only kid that walked out the door less than ten minutes later.

The last couple of days with my family had been great, but I was always brimming with some sort of new energy and considering that the atlas I'd found before was a fair distance away, I took off at a run.

It seemed that the world went in slow motion at that point as I tore through the streets of the desert town, heading towards the rubbish heaps. Behind me, a surprised yell rang out and I glanced back to see several older kids staring.

The atlas was right where I left it, though some loose papers and sand had covered the pages. I wiped those off quickly before lifting the book and glancing around for some sort of shade.

"Hey!"

I spun immediately to face the direction the voice came from and relaxed when I saw it was one of the older kids I had passed minutes before. He was still a fair distance away and was running hard to close the space.

"Man, you're fast!" the boy declared with a grin as he finally slowed down, breathing hard. "Me and my friends are playing 'Bandits and Outsiders,' wanna be on my team?"

"Hey!" another voice called and I realized that the rest of the kids had come running also. "You don't get her just cause…" The second boy trailed off as he got a good look at me, his eyes moving from my small frame to my teddy bear to the thick book I held. "That's just a baby! Man, and right when I thought we'd have even teams!"

"She's faster than you!" the first boy argued. "I bet we'd beat ya hands down with her on my team!"

"Ha! You and your team couldn't win even if you had an actual bandit helping you!" the boy shouted back.

I stared at the square off, mildly amused at the two boys who were maybe six or seven years old. Their argument was actually rather cute, but the second boy kept referring to me as a baby in his arguments and I had energy to burn.

"How do you play?" I asked.

The first boy turned automatically. "You have two teams, the bandits and the outsiders. Three places are picked: the mansion, the base, and the jail. Bandits hide and then try to get to the mansion then the base. Outsiders try to catch them. If caught, they go to jail! A bandit can be freed from jail by being tagged by another bandit who isn't in jail."
The second boy chose to speak up then. "We already have teams, so the baby is on Rick's team. And we're the bandit-"

"We already won the coin toss!" the first boy, Rick apparently, declared hotly. "We're the bandits this round!"

The yet unnamed boy scowled darkly but relented and several minutes later they had chosen a vacant shack to be the mansion, a brick heap to be the jail, and a heap of wood to be the base. The outlander team gathered around the base and began to count, so I ran with the bandit team to find a hiding spot.

Hiding in what essentially amounted to a junkyard is tricky business. There are plenty of places to hide, especially if you're small, but many risks to consider. The 'safer' places to hide are very obvious, while the better places can be dangerous. I realized that as I watched another girl, this one a fair bit older than me, scramble over a debris heap to hide in a large tire. The pile shifted alarmingly beneath her.

Running a bit further out, I clambered up a pile of trash that swayed a bit then leaped, surprising myself when my jump carried me farther than expected and rather than landing on the other side of the pile, I was over halfway up the next.

Grinning, I climbed to the top of that then ducked down and used the vantage point to check for the other players. The top of the girl's head who had hidden in the tire was just barely visible and the other team had finished counting and were beginning their search.

I lost a smile when one boy lost his footing on a pile of trash and came up covered in greasy-looking bits and ends. It didn't matter if I was technically possessing the mind of a 23-year-old who studied Microbiology and previously had her eyes on medical school and thus had a pretty good idea of how nasty that was; it was still funny.

As the kids wove through the garbage piles, I saw the girl and one of the boys on my team slither from their hiding spots, preparing to run for the mansion. They were too far away for me to get a good look, but the girl had black hair and the boy was blond. I followed them with my eyes as the girl managed to make it to the mansion, but the boy was caught before he got even halfway there.

As the boy was marched to jail, under guard by one of the other kids who then remained stationed on the approachable side of the jail, I glanced around. My eyes caught on Rick as he tried to sneak over a pile, staying out of sight of the kids who prowled on the ground.

Studying the terrain again, I noted another spot on a garbage pile that was closer to the mansion, and the jail. I also noticed that the other team was starting to congregate closer to the mansion. Using the momentary clear, I abandoned my perch and surprised myself yet again as my jump took me halfway to my destination. Another jump took me halfway up the pile and I heard a choke. Glancing down, I saw Rick had circled around and was scaling a pile nearby. Currently, he was gaping at me.

A shout cut through the air at that moment and I scrambled up my pile, checking around that I hadn't been seen. I hadn't been, but there were some strange adults that had appeared, two of them having grabbed a kid each. The others reacted immediately and aggressively, the girl in the 'mansion' abandoning it in order to grab a brick to strike at one of the men.

Grabbing a pipe near me on the trash pile, I jumped down in order to try to help. Rick was ahead of me and held a board in his hands.

We didn't even get close. There was a whistling sound and Rick stumbled as he was hit with something. My eyes quickly caught sight of the red dart in his shoulder as I looked him over while passing him and I tried to change my trajectory too late. The whistling sound came again, then I felt a sting in my arm.

It is shocking to know you've been shot, even more so when you realize it's a dart and you only have a few minutes at most to do something. My first thought was to get help, but attempting to turn towards the city sent the world swimming in a sideways dance.

"Gotcha!" a voice declared, and it was like déjà vu from just days before, but this time it wasn't my uncle picking me up. This person looked nothing like my uncle: his hair was short and close cropped with eyes that looked cruel.

"Man, this one is gonna be tough! Still awake!" he declared as he tucked me under one arm then turned to gather Rick. Rick was unresponsive.

"Don't care, at least two of those brats got away. Gotta get outta here before the entire city's on us!"

My head was spinning along with the world now. My grasp on my bear was barely there and I focused everything on keeping that as the world blurred. There was plenty of cursing and the sounds of scuffling rose in several directions, but I couldn't see it.

Then the movement stopped though the world continued to spin. A second later, the man carrying Rick and me tossed us into a shaded area where there were several other moving bodies that yelped or groaned.

Something closed and everything went dark. The movement around me increased and I groaned as I dragged my bear to my chest and locked my arms there. What had happened?

Chapter 2

Chapter Text

This fiction is being written in remembrance of a friend of mine. She asked for my help in writing it before she passed away 10 years ago.

The first few chapters are going to be the buildup before the actual timeline starts.

Beware: there are some disturbing topics in this fic.

Zzzzzzzzzz

The world swam and my head seemed to bob along with it. The darkness was filled with other squirming bodies that were made worse by the bumping and swerving of whatever it was that we were trapped in.

It took a few minutes to realize that this had to be a truck of some sort. It was the first time I had been near one, much less inside of one, in this life.

The bumping combined with my reeling head caused nausea to rise quickly, clawing at my stomach and the back of my throat. Swallowing didn't help.

Little by little, the squirming bodies gained some sort of order as they disentangled from each other despite the jarring ride of the truck. Barely able to move, I remained on the floor, focusing on my breathing as my eyes closed.

Several hours must have passed before my eyes opened again. The ride had smoothed out and my head was no longer reeling. My eyes had also adjusted to the dark and I found that I was no longer on the floor, instead I was on the lap of an older girl.

"Ah, you're awake?" she asked as I blinked and recognized her as the girl that had managed to reach the 'mansion' from the game.

"Yeah," I croaked, my mouth dry as I realized that the heat in the truck was intense. "What's going on?"

"Slavers," the boy next to us replied flatly.

"You don't know that for sure!" the girl holding me declared. "They might…"

"Be what, Shizuku?" yet another voice demanded. "Bounty hunters? Run-of-the-mill kidnappers? Anyone can tell we don't have money to pay ransoms!"

The girl was quiet for a moment before returning. "He shouldn't say things that'll scare the kid. Besides, the elders will be sending someone after us, I know that Denzel got away at least."

"Who?" was the retort. "The city has sent almost the entire militia out because of the chicken pox outbreak! Even adults are getting sick with it and there's no medicine."

The girl behind me shifted, pulling me back against her chest and hugging me almost like a teddy bear. That thought caused me to check my hands and I was pleased to find my bear still in my grasp.

"Face it: they struck at the perfect moment. It'll be at least a week before they can send anyone after us."

Silence stretched on for minutes after that and the heat in the truck grew more intense. Our packed in bodies began to sweat and there was not even a hint of a breeze to help. There was no water either, and our captors didn't seem to feel any need to stop and check on us.

By mid-afternoon everyone was trying to put a bit of distance between each other. I had crawled off of the lap of the girl, Shizuku, and had found a small amount of space for myself. Rick had been identified and was still passed out. Most of the boys had removed their shirts and the girls were trying to tie their shirts up to get a tiny amount of air. The truck hadn't stopped even once despite our attempts to shout or escape.

Several of the boys were stationed by the back door of the truck right at that moment, one of them trying to pick the lock on the handle while the others were preparing to jump whoever was the next to enter.

The lock picker grunted angrily as he wiped sweat from his eyes before returning his attention to the bit of wire and metal he was using to tinker with the lock.

"Come on, Kihu, it's been an hour," one of the boys groaned.

"I almost got it!"

"You said that half an hour ago, you've been saying it since five minutes after you started!"

"I almost got it!"

"Shouldn't you let someone else at least try?"

"I got it!"

There was semi-stunned silence before the boys surrounding the door swarmed forward to grasp at the door and try to shove it up. It rose several centimeters before stopping, and no amount of pushing could get it to budge.

I glanced under the slightly raised door from behind the forest of legs at the same time that one of the boys had the same bright idea, and he saw the same thing I did.

"They put a freaking lock on the outside!" he practically shouted, and curses rang out from the collection of kids.

I settled back with a groan before an idea struck and I tried to get closer to the door, which the boys didn't bother to try shutting. Peeking through the tiny space, I found we were on a highway.

"Someone hand me a shirt or something," I called out.

One of the boys stared at me incredulously. "Why?"

"We can try to signal other drivers that we're in here."

"And what'll they do? Call the police?" The response was dripping in sarcasm and annoyance. It surprised me more than a bit.

"Better the police than slavers," the lock picker, Kihu, threw in as he crouched next to me and began working his worn shirt through the opening. A moment later, I was pushed back as several other boys and a few girls came to the same conclusion. It was then I realized that there were too many kids in here for these guys to have just broken up the game of 'Bandits and Outsiders' that I'd been a part of.

Glancing around, I realized there had to be at least twelve of us, but not more than fifteen. That was based on counting shuffling legs since I was too small to do a proper head count.

Moving back in the truck, I settled next to Shizuku again as one of the boys gave a shout as he managed to work his shirt through the small opening. She was talking to the boy who had been the captain of the other team. Both of them glanced at me as I settled next to them.

"You… Don't need to worry," the boy started, sounding like he was attempting to be comforting. "Babies like you are usually sold in black market adoptions. You'll probably get a rich mom and dad out of this."

"Sunter!" Shizuku grunted angrily as she elbowed him.

I was hugging my bear at this point, less than thrilled at what he'd said. "I have a mom and dad and a bunch of uncles and an aunt I love," I replied, feeling like the almost-three-year-old that I physically was.

Sunter rolled his eyes. "You're a baby, you won't remember them for long. One birthday or Christmas, that's all it'll take to get you to forget or decide you don't want to go back."

"Christmas?" I asked, a bit confused. It hadn't been celebrated wherever we had come from. Before seeing the atlas, I had assumed that I was in a remote part of the world that didn't celebrate Christmas. After seeing it, I assumed the holiday didn't exist.

"You'll love it," Sunter assured.

Screams erupted from the door area a second later and all heads snapped in that direction to see one of the boys was clutching his hand, blood oozing from a wound.

"Kihu's been shot! Shot!" Someone yelled and I rushed forward with several other kids. They gaped in mixed awe and horror of the wound as I grabbed a shirt from the floor, intent to make a bandage before the braking of the truck we were in caused us all to be knocked off balance.

Determined and undeterred, I focused on ripping a strip of the shirt free and lurched towards the shocked Kihu.

"My hand…" he murmured, staring at the appendage. "My hand!"

Finally getting a decent view of the wound, I almost swore. The bullet had torn a gaping wound over his thumb and I could see a scrap of bone.

I was too small to reach and properly bind the wound, Kihu was too shocked to bend down, and the children around us were too surprised and frightened to do it for me. We looked like a terrified mob when the door was thrown open and two men climbed into the cramped area.

The boys who had been planning to attack almost looked ready to follow through until they saw the guns that the men wielded and quickly backed down. Most of the kids fell over each other to give the men a bit more space due to fear of those weapons. I found myself rooted to the ground as the men started grabbing arms, inspecting each kid before quickly honing in on Kihu.

"So you're the smart little shit trying to get attention with that flag," one of the men growled as his beefy hand grabbed Kihu's hand, squeezing the wounded appendage and dragging a shriek from the boy. "Lucky us that some of the guys drive lookout vehicles and saw."

The man now glared at the rest of the kids in the truck. "Let this be a warning in case anyone else gets a smart idea!" he declared as he pressed the barrel of his gun to Kihu's head as the boy trembled in fear and pain.

"No!" I shouted as I realized what was about to happen a mere second before I was blinded and deafened by the gun going off in the dim area. The sound roared and drew cries from a number of the kids.

Kihu's body dropped in a boneless heap to the floor as the men walked back to the rear of the truck and jumped out before slamming the door shut again. The scrape of the padlock being replaced outside was far quieter than the gunshot had been, but just as deafening in that moment.

We were locked in the back of a truck with a dead body.

Some of the girls shrieked when the truck started and they were certain they saw it twitch in the gloom that none of us could see well in. Sunter was the one to grab me and drag me back to where he sat with Shizuku.

I still had the discarded shirt in hand and began twisting it as I realized that there was a distinct possibility that the owner would never need it again.

Shizuku pulled me back into her lap despite the heat and I found that I was shaking.

"It's alright," she promised quietly. "Someone will come for us, and these guys will pay for this."

xxxxxxxxxx

Rick woke up an hour after Kihu was shot and he quickly joined our little circle.

"Denzel will tell the head elder," he assured us. "They won't need the militia to come after us, he can take them out without leaving the city, my dad told me that!"

I hadn't quit shaking since Kihu had been shot, and I clutched my bear and the shirt to me as though they were lifelines. Deep breathing kept me from going too far into shock.

"They'll need to find us; how can they do that without a trail?"

"They keep an ear to the ground."

I wasn't really paying attention to who was talking at the moment, my mind still trying to process everything. I'd been kidnapped by slavers who had just shot someone for trying to signal for help! No hesitance, no regret, nothing! They shot a boy who was eight at oldest in completely cold blood! As a demonstration!

Rick nudged me out of my thoughts by grabbing my arm a second later.

"Can you fight?" he asked, his eyes looked like he was pleading, trying to come up with some sort of plan. "Leave a trail?"

Shizuku knocked his hand away. "She's way too young."

"I saw the way she moved! She could jump just like the Special Forces in the militia!"

There was a long moment of silence as Shizuku and Sunter seemed to consider this.

"How old are you?" Shizuku asked after a moment as she turned me a bit to look me in the eye.

"Almost three…" I answered dully and Sunter groaned loudly while Shizuku's arms tightened a bit more around me.

Rick looked flabbergasted and Shizuku gave him a flat look.

"Not happening," she stated.

"She can run if an opportunity arises," Sunter pointed out, though he looked uncertain. Focusing on me a moment later, he changed his statement. "Don't do anything reckless."

The heat in the truck had long caused everyone to get drowsy, and a number of kids were lightly dozing, though many woke up whenever there was a gasp or groan. It was getting more and more difficult for me to remain awake as well…

My eyes flew open when the truck seemed to lurch and I glanced around. Many of the kids were awake now, groping in the dark.

"Did the militia come?" one whispered voice asked as a bump rocked the truck, and many of the kids looked hopeful.

The truck bumped again and rocked over something, and after a moment I dismissed it as a speed bump. Most of the kids didn't come to that conclusion and began banging on the sides of the truck.

"In here!" a voice shouted.

"Help!"

Shizuku remained seated and kept a firm hold on me. Rick and Sunter were also banging on the wall.

"They shot Kihu!"

"Kill them!"

The door being thrown open caused all heads to turn, and all faces dropped at the sight of a man with a wicked grin on his face. He was bald and almost looked like he was formerly in the military, then went down a very dark road. The semi-automatic machine gun he held only made him seem worse.

"Out, all of you! One at a time!" The order was barked in a deep authoritative voice and half the kids jumped, though few moved immediately to obey. This semi-defiance was met by the man firing his weapon just over the heads of those closest to the door.

Screams erupted and the kids hustled to the door, jumping down quickly. Shizuku led me to the door then jumped out and turned to help me out. My legs were still shaking from all the shocks I had received, so I allowed her to carry me out.

"Set that one down!" another man's voice ordered as a hand grasped Shizuku's arm, yanking her arm hard and causing her to lose her hold on me. I slid to the ground quickly, my bear stuffed against my chest.

"Got a tiny one here!" yet another gruff voice called out as a hand shoved me towards where the other kids were congregated, guarded by a circle of guards.

"How many are there?"

"Thirteen, shot that one bastard that was attempting to signal for help. Can still sell the body."

A loud, barking laugh exploded. "Got a good haul today then!"

I glanced around at the men that surrounded us and saw that they were all armed. Their faces were cruel and scarred. They looked exactly like what one would anticipate a group of mercenaries or pirates to look like, except one. His long blond hair looked greasy and his face was long and horsey. Despite the fatigues he wore, he looked like he wouldn't be out of place wearing a lab coat.

This man circled our group slowly, studying each kid in turn and marking them on a clipboard in the dying evening light. He'd pull one out, examine their face and hands, occasionally checking their teeth. With Shizuku, he pulled her out of the group and touched her hip area before examining her eyes as well.

"This one needs glasses," he noted. "We may be able to sell it to a specialized brothel. 3,000,000 jenny."

Several of the men hooted in response as he shoved Shizuku back into the crowd before his cold eyes landed on me.

A spark of interest appeared in his eyes as he crouched down to grab my arm, pulling me from the group. He immediately turned his attention to my teeth.

"Less than three," he noted immediately. "Beautiful skin. Eyes."

I yelped when he attempted to pull at my clothes and backed away with a glare.

"Healthy enough," he decided before pulling out a camera and snapping a picture much to my shock. The camera produced a square that he grabbed and waved towards one of the other men.

"Fax this ahead. And tell that lunkhead Jonk that if he sets up the sale before we get there, that he better not accept anything less than 5,000,000."

I gaped, uncertain what the figure he had just named meant, but I was certain it was far more than my family could afford. Good lord, if it was in any way similar to the value of the dollar, I would never even be able to hope to pay it off.

More importantly, I was getting an idea for the level of technology present. I wasn't on the Earth I knew: the atlas had proven that. To be using a fax and a camera that was that old, if cellphones existed yet then they were likely still large and direly expensive.

It also meant that it was unlikely these guys had access to things such as GPS which might not seem big now, but could prove useful later. It also meant that they probably had alternative tracking means.

Shizuku had dragged me back into the group and the cold man had continued on, pulling out Rick next. He felt Rick's arms and legs, glanced at his eyes, then dismissively declared '1,000,000 jenny,' before moving on. Sunter received similar treatment and a similar amount was named, and I felt my mind go into further shock.

"These are the suggested opening prices," the man finally stated as he handed the clipboard to the bald former military man. "You might get more on the twelve-standard-stock in auction, especially if you sell some of the females to specialty shops. The toddler we should follow through with the sale on unless multiple parties express interest. You might get a bidding war if they do."

The man glanced at the clipboard before offering a dark smile. "Desperate rich old-farts with money to burn," he stated with a chuckle as his dark eyes glanced at me.

"Get them on the boat!" the man shouted to his men as the scientist-looking man stepped past him to examine Kuhi's body, still sprawled on the floor of the truck.

Several of the gun-wielding men closed in on us, pushing and shoving, herding our small group towards a concrete dock where a boat waited. Many of the kids glanced back, obviously hoping for some sort of last minute rescue. I glanced back myself, but the sight of Kuhi's stiffening form being dragged out of the truck caused me to face-forward quickly.

The ship was old, dirty, and reeked of fish. The reek was worse below the deck where the lot of us were forced into a single room. The room was bare, a single portal being the only source of light and it was small to the point that I doubted I could fit through it. Each of us was passed a water bottle as we were shoved into the room then the door was slammed shut and a heavy sounding bar lowered.

I glared at the door until Shizuku touched my shoulder and pulled me towards a corner of the room adjacent to the door. Rick and Sunter joined us.

"See, the baby is going to get rich parents and we're going to auction," Sunter stated quietly as he twisted at the cap of his water bottle.

Shizuku grabbed his arm before he could sip it. "Don't."

"I'm thirsty," Sunter argued angrily.

"It wasn't sealed."

I glanced at my water bottle as well and noticed that my water bottle wasn't sealed either. Twisting off the cap, I sniffed the water and immediately recapped it. No matter how I looked at it, I had been taken from my home and thrust into a rather cruel and suspect world where I was going to need to check everything.

Around the room, other kids had heard Shizuku's declaration, but it was too late for a number of them since they had already begun to drink. Still others had decided that there was no point fighting this.

I glanced at my own water bottle again, sorely tempted after the terrible day and long, hot truck ride. It couldn't have been anything worse than a sleep inducing drug, but at the same time it wasn't worth it. If any chance came, I couldn't be in a drugged stupor.

Rick set his water bottle down and joined a small group that were staring at the porthole. All of them seemed to be contemplating the possibility of escaping through it, one boy going so far as trying to get a friend of his to give him a boost and then try to push him through. His head didn't fit.

"What's your name?" Shizuku asked suddenly as she took the water bottle from my grasp and set it next to the wall.

I pulled my bear in front of me, staring at the mismatched eyes. "Takara."

Shizuku sat back and stared at the ceiling for a moment. "He's right you know, I do need glasses," she admitted after a moment.

Sunter groaned as he leaned against the wall as well. "Fat chance of getting them. But is what Rick said about you true, Takara?"

"About what?"

"The way you run and jump."

"Oh," I replied. "It just happened today, I never did it before."

"So, you don't really know," Sunter surmised. "I heard of what the Special Forces in the militia can do. They defend the town and take jobs outside of it to help bring in supplies. They're supposed to have special powers."

My ears perked immediately and my mind went back to my overnight recovery from chicken pox as well as the late-night visit from Uncle Gin that had everyone mad at him for days. And him being told 'no' when he raised a question about training me.

Rather than miners or laborers, was my family in the militia? It made sense with what Sunter had just mentioned.

"Hey Takara," Sunter called, getting my attention. "If you get away, make sure to tell the militia about us, ok?"

"Do you think we're just going to cross the sea or follow the coast?" Shizuku asked before I could respond.

"Is there a difference?"

"Harder for us to be followed if we cross," Shizuku pointed out as a shudder ran through the boat, apparently the engine being started. "Guess we'll find out soon enough."

Outside the porthole, the sky was now totally black. I crawled up to the wall and settled between Sunter and Shizuku, my body reminding me of the fact that I was a very small child who had gone without food or water for most of the day. I'd be asleep soon without a doubt.

Above our heads, heavy feet ran about on the deck as the boat pulled away from the dock. Shouts echoed back and forth, but there didn't seem to be any sound of a rescue party. Around the room, kids were nodding off, either due to the drugs in their systems or naturally.

It happened so fast, like I closed my eyes and the next time I opened them, I was sprawled over Shizuku's lap and dim morning light was peeking through the tiny portal, barely illuminating the murky room.

The others were spread out in the room, some curled up on the floor or piled on top of each. Some, such as Shizuku, were leaning against the wall.

Tiptoeing to the portal, I gazed up at the tiny window for a long moment. It was so small and high on the wall and I was so short that I couldn't see anything other than a sliver of sky.

Taking a breath, I thought about the jumping I had done the day before and the energy I had felt before attempting to jump. I didn't get high enough.

Drawing in another breath, I focused again and tried to jump once more. This time my jump took me to the lower edge of the window and I saw the ocean for just a moment before I was on the floor again, stumbling a bit due to an unstable landing. My stumble sent me sprawling over a small pile of bodies, but the kids didn't react. Glancing down, I saw the empty water bottles next to them and was instantly glad I hadn't drunk mine, even if I felt like I was dying of thirst right then.

But if water wasn't offered soon, I'd likely be in the same condition soon enough.

Returning to the space I had claimed between Shizuku and Sunter, I gathered my bear in my arms and tried to think despite the thirst and aching of my body.

If my family really was in the militia, then they might have still been close to town when I was grabbed. Otherwise, I wasn't really sure how they'd be told. I had never seen any of them with a cellphone and Uncle Al was the only one who seemed to have an interest in technology, though he never let me get close to items he had. He said I was too young to be careful.

My education in my previous life had never covered things such as tracking, so even if the militia and my family came after us, I wouldn't know how they'd follow, especially in a low-tech world.

Shizuku stirred next to me, drawing my attention. Groaning, she sat up straight and glanced at me for a moment before turning her eyes to the rest of the cabin, noting the positions of the other children. Neither of us spoke.

Glancing at Sunter, I saw that he had his water bottle in hand, and a portion of it was gone.

Hours passed, and some of the kids who hadn't drank all of their water stirred and woke. Nobody spoke.

Everyone was awake by the time the cabin was fully illuminated and I regretted not drinking my water. I also wished I had the energy that some of the kids had in order to bang on the door. Some of the slavers shouted or banged on the door in response, but otherwise we were left alone.

Mid-morning came and I was playing with my still full water bottle, twisting the cap back and forth and contemplating taking a drink when the bar on the door was pulled off and the door swung open.

Three large men entered the room, two visibly armed with automatic weapons while the last stayed in the door.

"Line up if you want food and water," was the barked order, and around the room the kids shuffled up to form a rough que in front of the man. Each kid was handed a water bottle and a wrapped bar of some sort before being shoved aside by one of the guards who also seemed to be doing a head count.

Shizuku stood behind me, holding my shoulders as our turn approached. Sunter was ahead of us and morosely accepted what was offered without a sound before being shoved aside.

The guards glared down at me, looking not unlike hulking monsters now that it was my turn. Neither of the men touched me after I had accepted the bottle of water and a protein bar from the man in the door. One thing I did note was that my water bottle had a red dot on the cap.

Shizuku gently pushed me towards Sunter and accepted her paltry portions then was unceremoniously shoved aside, quickly rejoining us.

We returned to our corner and sat down as the last of the kids received their portions, Shizuku immediately grabbing my bar and opening it then handing it back to me. Our water bottles were once again not sealed, but it didn't matter now: they wanted us alive and we couldn't go any longer without water.

Even Shizuku said nothing as we sipped the water between bland bites of the protein bars.

"How much longer until we get there?" Sunter muttered as Rick rejoined us again. He had been alternating looking out the window with some of the others.

"We don't see land at all," he admitted as he fought to keep his eyes open.

"Won't take longer than a few days," Shizuku stated, her eyes half-mast.

I was rubbing my own eyes also, less than thrilled about knowing this could go on for several more days.

Unfortunately, that was the pattern that fell into place. We would be fed perhaps twice a day, each time including a water bottle of drugged water. I seemed more resistant to the drugs than the others, or was on a lighter dose since I noticed each time that my water bottle was marked. Perhaps it was both because I got thirsty enough to drink my first water bottle and wasn't out as long as the others were.

A bucket was tossed in for us to do our business on the second day. We tried to dump it out of the porthole but it was too small. Before long, no one went near the window if they didn't have to. As the days passed, grime built up and the smell of our unwashed bodies would make one think that we had been rolling in something dead.

Finally, on the fifth day on the boat, six days since our kidnapping, things changed. We all knew something was different that day because of the sound of activity on the deck. It was the time we generally received our evening portions but we didn't hear the sound of a cart.

Some of the taller kids tried to peek out the porthole without getting close, but they didn't see anything. But we all felt the slight bump of the boat settling at what we assumed was a dock, and heard the engine finally cut off.

The quiet was eerie for a minute, and then the sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the hall before the door was thrown open.

"All of you out!" was the barked order, and after so many days of being locked in, there were no complaints.

I followed Shizuku closely out the door and down the hall, armed men directing us up to the deck then down a gangplank to the dock. There was yet another truck and we were loaded up quickly.

No one spoke as the doors were shut, not even Rick or Sunter. Shizuku attempted to stroke my hair, but it was oily and clumpy after so many days and she quickly stopped.

The engine started and the vehicle began to move. We all leaned back, uncertain of how long this would last, unable to relax.

It was surprising when this particular ride only lasted twenty minutes. Surprising to the point that some of the kids looked hopeful, though that ended quickly as the door of the truck was opened and it was the slavers yet again, no saviors in sight.

This time, the truck seemed to have stopped in an underground garage and the slavers took care to direct us through a set of doors.

The portion of the building we were in had concrete floors and walls. Sounds echoed faintly in the grim halls that we were guided through before the scientist-looking man reappeared, moving to the front of the group.

"Boys on the left," he instructed coldly. "Girls on the right. You will shower and change into the provided garments. Failure to do so will be met with force."

The division earned him glares and mutters, but we separated quickly, everyone eager for the opportunity to get clean. As Shizuku and I fell in with the other three girls heading right, the scientist man grabbed Shizuku's arm.

"You will ensure the toddler is properly bathed," he informed her. "Failure to do so will mean that you will be the entertainment for some of the men tonight. A virgin sells better and they can have their fun without messing up that area."

It was a vile threat and my lips were curling into a snarl when Shizuku replied, "Understood," and pushed me forward.

The shower area on the other side of the door was cold and made me think of prison shows, except this was far dirtier. I wouldn't have willingly showered here had I not been so dirty, or if there hadn't been such a horrible promise made to the girl behind me.

The water was cold. It smelled of rust, but it did the necessary job and the five of us showered quickly, Shizuku using a bar of soap to scrub my arms, legs, and back despite my insistence that I could do it myself. Shampoo was passed around and then after a quick rinse; the water was shut off.

The provided clothing was a simple off-white shirt and drawstring pants for the older girls, and a single shirt provided for me, long enough to serve as a dress. It was big on my thin frame, big enough that I was able to grab my bear and shove it under the shirt. No shoes or socks covered any of our feet.

Returning to the hall reunited us with the boys, who were being inspected by the scientist guy. He checked hands, hair, and feet before moving to the girls and similarly checking us. I almost glared when he stopped in front of me and ran his fingers through my hair, then checked my face, arms, feet, and legs. He seemed satisfied after a long minute and nodded.

"The auction will begin in three days," we were informed coolly as he led the group further down the hall, the armed guards still in close proximity. "Possible buyers will be coming to view the wares tomorrow, so some of you might be bought before then. Otherwise, you'll be kept down here. Any attempts to escape will be met with maximum force since it is more profitable to sell a corpse than to lose everything."

I glared at the back of the man's head, hoping he would spontaneously combust. My wish was not granted.

"Boys in here." The order was barked as a door was shoved open and the boys were quickly ushered into the room. Between legs, I saw that the room was bare, the floor concrete. And there appeared to be a large window opposite the door.

The door was slammed shut as I considered the window and a number of locks and bars set in place, then the remaining group of girls were guided up the hall to the next door.

This room seemed to be identical to the one the boys were in, and after the door was slammed shut, I studied the window more closely.

On the other side of the window was a carpeted hallway, one that I could see ran parallel to the hall we had just been in. There were no intercepting halls that I could see, just the straight one. Light sconces were placed every so often, emitting a warm light.

"Takara," Shizuku called, and I glanced at her. Shizuku and the other girls were against one of the side walls, a small area that had some thin mats on the ground.

Chills ran up my spine as I realized what we were in: an observation room. Buyers would be on the other side of that glass, observing us like animals and deciding if they wanted to buy one or more of us.

I shivered at the thought, even if that wasn't what the slavers intended for me. They couldn't hope to get much from selling a two-year-old as a slave after all. Still, that they would sell me in a black-market adoption seemed worse; such people would have not been granted a regular adoption for a reason!

A hand touched my shoulder and I tore myself from my thoughts to look up. Shizuku gently pulled me towards the padded area once she had my attention.

The pads didn't offer much comfort. They were old, thin, and I was certain I could smell the large number of people that had used them. We slept that night, all of us more than a little restless. The room we were in was disquieting to say the least.

Breakfast came in the form of a slot opening and bowls of some sort of rice porridge were shoved through with cups of water. The porridge was cold and had the appearance of glue, but every one of us ate it.

The first observers appeared shortly after we were ordered to pass the bowls back through the slot with the threat of not having another meal while we were there if we didn't.

I wasn't the only one staring at the window when the buyers had appeared, a man and woman who were dressed in far too elegant clothes to have simply been going on an outing. Both had dark skin and hair, their heads held high and proud. The woman's gown seemed to have diamonds sewn straight into the fabric and more diamonds seemed to drip from her ears and neck on golden threads. The man wore a tuxedo with diamonds in the buttons and on the cuffs. Both of their faces had a cruel tint to them, and their dark, flinty eyes passed over me quickly to my relief. Unfortunately, the woman did focus on one of the other girls and she seemed to make note of a small sign in the corner of window, one that we couldn't read.

The pair murmured to each other for a moment then moved on.

Several breaths were let out in that moment, and the girl the two had been focusing on groaned loudly as she sat down.

There wasn't much that we could say to each other from that point on. Two of the girls huddled in a corner, hoping to be ignored. Shizuku and I settled near the window after dragging one of the mats there, settling on the side that the first couple came from, hoping to be ignored also. The last girl on the other hand…

"LOOK AT THIS YOU BLOWHARDS!" The shout rang loudly in the cell, bouncing off the walls as the girl threw one nasty gesture after another at the observers. It seemed that the stress of the past couple of days had caused her to crack.

Observers were coming by more often now, though always with space between them. Some were over-dressed and pompous looking, others looked to be of the significantly greasier and sleazier sort. One had done a double-take upon spying me next to Shizuku and had leered until the shouting and gesticulating girl had jumped in front of him.

Shizuku grew more and more anxious as the day wore on and bottles of water and protein bars were shoved through the food slot to us. She checked the caps of the water bottles and kept a hand on my water bottle until the other girls had drank their water. At least it seemed that the drugging portion of this nightmare was over.

More hours dragged by and the number of observers suddenly seemed to skyrocket. Whereas earlier in the day there had been a minute or two between the observing parties, the hall outside the room looked more like a large number of people were gawking and observing rare animals in a zoo. Some looked disappointed, some excited, and still others were trying to get one or more of us to step closer to the glass.

Several carried notepads and I noted that they were writing down numbers, leading me to believe that there were definitely more people being sold than those I knew. It was a relief when the flow became a trickle that finally ended.

The observers had been gone for almost an hour when the scientist-looking guy appeared in the hall.

The girl who had been shouting and making rude gestures previously suddenly was at the window, shouting louder than ever as she threw gesture after gesture, half of which I didn't know at all.

The greasy scientist on the other hand, thoroughly ignored the girl and instead turned his attention towards me, gesturing towards me. At that moment, I noticed the people who had been following him.

There were three couples, two of the pairs looking to be well beyond child-bearing years and the last pair were two men. All of them were well-dressed, though not in the 'look-at-me' way that so many of the previous observers had been. Their eyes were also a lot more kind, and they all stared at me, several of them looking to be evaluating though one of the women was smiling as she focused on my arms.

It occurred to me in that moment that I was fiercely hugging my bear and I glanced down at it before returning my gaze to them.

One of the elderly couples seemed to be shaking their heads, but the other two couples were smiling, one of the men actually looking as though he were 'awwing' behind his hand.

Shizuku's arms wrapped around me and she shifted us then, putting herself in front of me. The scientist guy was glaring at Shizuku before he escorted the three couples away.

"Looks like they might get their bidding war," Shizuku said after a long moment.

One of the other girls glared at me in that moment, her irritation after a long day of being studied was understandable, but we had all gone through it.

"Don't see why these people make such a big deal about little kids. You find them everywhere back home!"

"That's there, this is here," Shizuku pointed out as she glanced out the window again, but no other observers appeared. "They must be keeping the observations during the day."

The two girls who had stuck to a corner looked relieved while the one who had gestured rudely growled deep in her throat.

"Still means that day after tomorrow, the lot of us will be sold off," she stated as she stormed to where the rest of the pads were arranged.

Several minutes later, the sound of the lock scraping drew all our eyes to the door and I clutched Shizuku's hand in reflex. She glanced at me, gasped, and grabbed my head, pulling me to her chest.

"Keep your eyes closed," she ordered as the door scraped open.

"You, out." It sounded like the voice was directed towards Shizuku and me. "Now!"

I didn't know who they were referring to, but due to our most recent observers, I thought it was me. But Shizuku stopped me from getting up, rising instead, and heading towards the door. It slammed shut several seconds later, and I finally dared to open my eyes.

Shizuku was gone.

The night passed slowly, with me remaining on the single mat that Shizuku and I had grabbed. The other girls soon enough had arranged themselves on the other mats, talking and eventually falling asleep. Shizuku didn't return.

Sleep eventually came for me, and I slept lightly, waking before the other girls the next morning. Shizuku had still not returned.

Breakfast came, and I couldn't eat my small portion, too worried that Shizuku had either been sold already or that that scientist guy had followed through to have Shizuku serve as 'entertainment' for his guards.

There were several observers that day, though nowhere near as many as the previous day.

The gesturing girl went back to her spirited shouting and gesticulating, and I was tempted to ask what several of the gestures meant. The other two stayed in their little corner again and I was left alone.

Noon came again and more water bottles and protein bars were slipped into the room, only four this time.

Several hours after, the door was opened yet again and a guard glared in at us before focusing on one of the girls in the corner.

"Out," he ordered, gesturing her through the door. The girl got up quickly, glancing back at her friend before she was gone.

I shivered as I stared at the door, a door that we would all likely be going through tomorrow. It surprised us all when the girl returned ten minutes later, her hair wet from a shower. The guard focused on the other girl in the corner then and ordered her out.

"Final clean up before the auction," the gesturing girl sneered at the door. "We should cover ourselves in that sludge they give us for breakfast tomorrow."

The first girl to shower didn't respond, didn't even look up from the floor.

The second girl returned a few minutes later and the guard focused on the gesturing girl and me. "You, grab the toddler and get moving."

I had tucked my bear under my shirt as soon as I had realized that my turn would be coming and walked quickly to the door, the gesturing girl ignoring me as she stepped out. The guard escorted us to the shower room then waited outside with an order of, "Make it quick."

The showers were just as dirty and disgusting as I remembered, the water still smelled of rust. This time I was able to bathe myself, the other girl ignoring me completely as she scrubbed herself with quick, angry strokes.

All too soon, we were back in the tiny cell/observation room and I had glanced around hopefully, but Shizuku wasn't here.

The final night in the cell was a lonely one, as two of the girls finally broke down and wept while the gesturing girl finally seemed to lose her spirit. She spent the night staring at the floor or a wall. Nobody slept much.

Breakfast that final morning was just nutrition bars; easy to eat and not very messy. The gesturing girl had choked a bit as her final plan for rebellion was denied. To me it made sense: these guys had likely had plenty of people try to either escape or rebel over being sold. They knew when to drug us and how much as well as had procedures in place. They knew how to stop even small acts of rebellion, especially right before the auction, aka: their pay day.

Two hours later, the door scraped open again and the guard entered the cell.

"All of you out!"

Gesturing girl got up first and I followed her, the two corner-dwelling girls slowly extricating themselves from their corner.

I watched them slowly hobbling towards the door when a hand grabbed my shoulder, shocking me enough to drop my bear. A deep voice laughed as I immediately reached to grab the toy.

"Got a bidding war over this one boys," the voice stated and I turned to see that it was the bald leader of the group of slavers. His cold grin caused me to shiver and I felt the energy inside me again and reached for it as he grasped my hand. "We're getting final bids from a pair of fags from Kakin and a pair of old farts from Okin. Gotta love the strict adoption laws that those countries have!"

"Doesn't Kakin require there be a blood relation? And Okin for that matter?" one of the guards asked as the group started down the hall, the bald leader keeping my hand firmly in his.

"How hard do you think it is to forge a few papers stating that their third cousin died and left a kid? Houzin has done it before and already has the paperwork ready."

Suddenly it made a LOT more sense why these people were turning to a black-market adoption.

The group marched down the hall and we joined with a second group that contained the boys, then a third group that contained people we hadn't met before. Most of the people in the third group looked worn, tired, and hopeless.

"Get those to the pens until their turn to be auctioned," the bald man ordered as he tugged my arm, signaling I was to go in a different direction.

"Yes sir!" several of the men called back, their eyes and weapons remaining on the people they were guarding.

The concrete floor felt especially cold under my bare feet as I was guided/dragged away from the rest of what had once been my group, and the bald man suddenly seemed so much taller than he should have. He kept a pace I could barely match through a series of doors, and up a flight of stairs. Passing through yet another door, my feet hit carpet and noise hit my ears from a large number of people.

More than a few of the people were laughing in an exaggerated fashion, or sneering at those around them.

"Can you believe some of the products they had down there? Some looked like they had been freshly plucked from the garbage heaps! Probably rife with disease and lice!"

Red hot anger flashed through me and the bald man gave a yelp as my hand squeezed his, right as I tripped. His hand kept me from sprawling on the floor, but he still gave me a sideways look, as though suspicious of something.

"Some grip you got, brat," he stated after a moment before turning to continue.

"Hold it, is that one for sale?"

This voice belonged to a woman whose sharp features made her look wolf-like. I instantly didn't like her.

"If you got the money," the bald man replied.

The woman's eyes narrowed. "How much?"

A laugh was her answer. "Bid on this one was at 8,000,000 jenny when I left to fetch her. Interested?"

The woman huffed and I felt something. Was it in the air or…?

"If not, then we should continue. Hope you find something else that interests you in the auction."

A sense of relief washed over me as I was pulled along by the bald man, but it didn't block out the conversations around me.

"One slave was making these rude motions. Let's see how long that continues in my brothel!"

"-sell the parts."

"-entertain my guests-"

Being guided into an elevator was a relief, though my rage at what was going to happen to the others burned hot, even my eyes burned and I shut them as my guide pressed a button. I opened my eyes a moment later, determined that I would study and remember his face. As soon as I could, I was going to make sure that he and the rest of his men paid dearly for this!

The bald man knew I was staring at him, it was in his posture, but he didn't look at me. He said nothing for a long moment.

"You're a smart one," he stated suddenly. "Even though you're two, I can tell that you can plan and understand what's happening. So why do you think I've ensured that we don't use names?"

My eye twitched for a moment. "Houzin and Jonk."

A snort came from the man. "You don't have their descriptions. So let's just make something clear: this is probably the best thing that could happen for you. You're out of the junkyard and will have parents that can afford to send you to some of the best schools in the world, especially if you're as smart as I think. Besides, no one will trust the word of a two-year-old, especially one who we'll claim was traumatized from the deaths of her parents. Especially if she accuses a group renowned for assisting with the evacuation of refugees, the ones who saved her."

"Do your numbers all add up?" I challenged.

"People disappear every day, brat. A few lowlifes that nobody cares about here and there don't raise alarms. Even more, when it comes to refugees," now the man offered me a sinister grin. "People expect for a few to be… Lost."

The elevator pinged that we had arrived on the intended floor, and I glanced toward the floor marker. We were on the second floor, meaning the auction hall as well as the cells were all in the basement. Likely the third or even fourth basement level. That they had access to such a place meant this group either was in business with the owners of this building, or were the owners.

It looked like we were in a hotel, a fancy one at that. Though the halls were mostly empty, the marble under my feet was highly polished and the decorations were overly grand. What few people that were around were either uniformed employees who smiled and bowed to the man who escorted me, or well-dressed people who I had to guess were guests.

The bald man nodded and waved people away, signaling he was busy and set a fast pace down the hall to a door which he swung open after a quick knock.

A well-appointed office was on the other side of the door, decorated in dark woods and reds. A man that I hadn't seen before sat behind the desk, a warm smile on his face as his eyes turned to greet us, yet I felt colder than ever. In front of him, smiling brightly, were the male couple that had been with the scientist-like guy.

"So, for the paperwork, I believe the two of you agreed that this would be the daughter of your third cousin, right Kinze? The official statements will read that you paid us to extract her from the Republic of East Gorteau after the deaths of her parents."

"Correct," one of the men stated as the other stood and walked over to me, kneeling down to look me in the eye. He was smiling broadly and he felt very nice, not like the fake nice that the man at the desk exuded. The one in front of me had black hair and green eyes that sparkled brightly while the one who remained in front of the desk had reddish-brown hair.

"Very well then. With these signatures, we of the Federation of Ochima acknowledge the transfer of custody of…"

"Lana Pidel," supplied the man who had remained in front of the desk. He received a nod in response as the man behind the desk wrote the supplied name on the paper in front of him.

"But my name's Takara!" I argued.

"I'm sorry sweetie," the man in front of me stated quietly as his hands came up to rest on my shoulders. "It'll seem weird at first, but you'll be safer with a new name."

"You might want to have her see a counselor," the bald man cut in, his voice disguised to make it sound like he authentically cared. "She really is a refugee orphan from East Gorteau and has been making up stories to try to deal with the deaths of her parents. It's beyond traumatizing for children her age to witness the murders of their parents."

My breath caught as the black-haired man in front of me immediately wrapped his arms around me. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry that happened."

A glance at the other man at the desk who was signing the papers confirmed it for me: the bald guy was right. No one was going to accept the word of a two-year-old over him, especially if his public face was as reputable as he claimed. Even more so since I didn't know my last name or even where it was that I came from. I could be certain of one thing though: it wasn't East Gorteau.

"We've confirmed during her quarantine that she doesn't have any contagious diseases, though you might want a more thorough screening," the man behind the desk continued.

"We'll have it happen when we're back in Kakin. Are we finished?"

"Yes. These are your copies of the papers, including a copy of Lana's birth certificate and the contract for her extraction from East Gorteau. This should make the official adoption in Kakin a very easy and straight forward process. All that's left is confirmation of the transfer of funds."

"Nothing is easy and straight forward in Kakin," the man shot back as he pulled out a large cellphone. "Kinze, I'll finish up here. You take Lana to the car."

The man in front of me, Kinze apparently, smiled softly to his partner as his arms shifted so he could lift me. "We'll get you some new clothes on our way to the airport, sweetheart," he promised as he moved to the door.

Numbness from shock at the situation circulated my body. "No…" I whispered as I glanced to the bald man then to the desk. My bear was still in my grasp and I hugged it under my chin when I saw the knowing smirks that played on the faces of the men who had just sold me.

There was a cart next to the door of the office being attended to by a bellhop, and I was set down for a moment so that Kinze could fish a jacket out of one of the bags on the cart, which he wrapped around me. It was far too big for me, but it was better than just the shirt I had been wearing. Then I was back in Kinze's arms, the bellhop following us with the cart as he walked to the elevator.

"Have you ever been on an airship?" he asked with a smile as he selected the ground floor.

"No." My answer was a response to more than just the question.

"You're in for a treat then, we rented a private airship for this trip. It'll take a day to get to Kakin, so we'll have time to get to know each other and you can explore the ship."

The elevator arrived on the first floor and Kinze walked towards a side entrance, the bellhop following. My eyes scanned the floor, praying for some sort of solution when a cold feeling erupted in my senses and I shivered in reflex, my eyes searching for the source. I couldn't find it.

We passed through a set of sliding doors into a private parking lot, and Kinze shifted me to one arm as he patted through his pockets then handed a ticket stub to a valet, who grabbed a set of keys and ran off.

The feeling that we were being watched crept up my spine and I shifted nearly continuously, shivering a bit. Kinze misunderstood my discomfort.

"Cold?" he asked. "It is a bit cooler here than East Gorteau. We'll need to get you some warm clothes, Kakin is even colder."

A car rolled up then, one I was completely unfamiliar with. But the moment the door was opened and I saw the interior, I knew it was a luxury vehicle. The bellhop immediately moved to the back of the car and began loading the trunk while Kinze moved to settle me in the back seat.

"Ready to go?" the voice of the second man asked as Kinze attempted to buckle me into the seat, quickly realizing that I was far too small for the regular seatbelt.

"Almost," was the reply as Kinze glanced at his spouse. "She's smaller than I thought she'd be. We'll need to get her some clothes before leaving."

"We can get lunch while doing that," the second man stated with a smile, and he pressed a kiss to Kinze's cheek when he straightened up after he finished with his attempts to buckle me into the back seat. I gave him an A for effort and a C for ingenuity since he had attempted to use his jacket to create a manual bind to bring the shoulder belt to a level that wouldn't choke me.

The door for the backseat was shut quickly and the men, after confirming the bellhop was finished, tipped both the bellhop and valet, then got in the front seat. Kinze was in the passenger seat while the brunette drove.

"We should get some souvenirs too!" Kinze continued with a bright smile. "My parents would probably love just about anything, and I know your sister adores those little rice and tea confections that Ochima is famed for!"

The other man began to laugh and Kinze looked offended.

"What is that about, Juo?"

"Nothing love," was the response as the car began to move.

I observed them quietly from the backseat, my mind trying to come up with some sort of plan, but drawing a complete blank. A two-year-old screaming that she had been trafficked would raise alarm bells, but mostly people would wonder who taught her those sorts of words and believe there was some sort of scam being unfolded. Not to mention that I didn't really want to get these two guys in trouble. They seemed nice and though they had just illegally purchased a kid, they did it believing me an orphan that they could provide a family for.

Just trying to run wasn't an option either. I had no money, no way to contact someone I knew for help, and no idea where on the planet my home was. And that was before you got to the part of thinking about what most people would do if they saw an unaccompanied two-year-old wearing only a shirt on the street.

For a moment I thought of trying to run back to the hotel and forcing them to follow me to where the auction had to still be going on, and discarded it instantly. Those men had guns, none of us would survive!

I shivered again and tried to glance out the window, but found myself too small, as the feeling of being watched settled over me once again.

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Chapter Text

It was official: being a small child SUCKED! Especially a small child with the mind of an adult.

The shopping for clothes had been a beyond embarrassing affair with Kinze wanting to dress me like a little doll. That had included a yellow dress, white shoes and jacket, and putting my hair in pigtails.

Considering the fact that all of my clothing thus far in this life had been cutdown hand-me-downs or worn items that a neighbor had outgrown, suddenly being surrounded by rack after rack of new clothes was overwhelming.

The shopping wasn't the truly bad part though. Lunch was.

Juo had chosen a nice restaurant in a tall building that had a breathtaking view of the ocean. It was a far cry from the basement/prison of the slavers, and an even farther one from home.

I had stared at the view, hands pressed against the glass until Kinze had gently guided me to the table that had been arranged, and set me in the most heinous contraption that day: a high seat for toddlers. In front of me was a sheet of paper, a pen, and a sippy cup.

Homesickness gripped me hard in that moment. My family had never bothered with things such as high chairs or sippy cups, they couldn't afford them. We all ate on the floor in an almost circle, passing bowls back and forth.

Juo and Kinze started discussing their lunch choices as soon as the menus were in their hands. Seeing nothing else to do, I grabbed the pen and began to doodle. Maybe I could try to give them a message about my family and what happened?

It was obvious within moments that just like in my previous life, I couldn't draw. Every person I tried to draw was a stick figure, and my attempts to draw the kidnapping were… I groaned at how poor this was.

"Lana, what did you draw?" Juo asked as his hand set a small plate in front of me. He settled the plate within my reach and gently slid the sheet away from me. His eyes widened a bit as he stared at the paper.

Kinze leaned against his shoulder to glance at the paper, then he gave me a sad look.

"Must be when the soldiers killed her family," he stated quietly as his finger traced from my rather blotchy sketch of a truck to the house where I had drawn each member of my family. "She had a large one from the looks of it."

"They're alive," I attempted to insist before Juo settled the paper in front of me again, drawing side down.

"Can you make one of these?" he asked as his hand took the pen and traced a star on the sheet. The pen was handed back to me and just to appease him so he'd stop staring, I attempted to draw one also. Apparently, knowing the movements to make do not make up for lack of practice or art skills if the condition of that poor star was anything to go by.

Setting down the pen once Juo and Kinze had turned most of their attention back to each other and their conversation, I glanced at the small plate that had been settled within my reach. On said plate were bits and pieces of both men's meals, vegetables from Kinze's plate and some sort of meat from Juo's. All of it was finely cut with the intent of small fingers and free of any sauce.

Having gone over a week without a decent meal, my immediate fixation on the plate should have been understandable. My hands moved automatically in snagging the plate and dragging it closer before I started picking up various bits and transferring them to my mouth.

"So, are we going to select some souvenirs before heading to the airport?" Kinze asked as he settled into his own meal. I glanced up to see his eyes focus on me for a moment, a slight smile on his lips.

"Aren't we bringing one anyway?" Juo replied, a smirk on his lips. "Though we could pick up a few more. But I would like to takeoff before this evening. I do have some meetings I'll need to attend the day after tomorrow."

"A new father and still a busybody!"

The teasing continued for a few minutes, with me getting increasingly uncomfortable. Had I been in my original body, I would have viewed these men as very cute together. There was obviously a deep love between them, and any child in need of a home would have hit jackpot with them.

I didn't count.

The question was: what could I do? My attempts to explain things during the shopping had only gotten me hugs and promises that they wouldn't let anything happen. Accusations against the slavers as being my kidnappers had gotten me a talk about how they might have taken me, but it was a rescue, not a kidnapping.

The pair spoke about taking me to see a psychologist, and I entertained the thought for a while. Maybe I could convince a psychologist that I was telling the truth, but I didn't think I could fool an experienced therapist into believing I was an intelligent and observant toddler. There was a severe difference between people who saw you every day and accepted your odd tendencies and a person trained specifically on picking up on and treating emotional and psychological behavior. Then again, I doubted that they would actually acknowledge the thought or suspicion of a small child having the mind of an adult unless they believed in reincarnation.

Lunch ended with the waitress bringing the check and a cookie. The check was set before Juo and the cookie in front of me. I attempted to hand it off to Kinze when I saw him staring at it. He got the wrong idea.

"She's sharing already!" he had announced as I attempted to hand him the cookie since he seemed more interested in it than I was. "Thank you, Lana!" he stated with a large smile as he broke off a piece of the cookie and popped it into his mouth.

"She might not know what a cookie is," Juo pointed out.

Kinze's eyes widened. "You're supposed to eat that, sweetie." He made motions for me to take a bite from the cookie. I'm certain I gave him the flattest look a two-year-old has ever given. Even that was not taken for what it was.

"Aww, don't pout! Daddy is happy that you want to share but you should try new things."

"Flour, sugar, salt, eggs, baking powder, oatmeal, raisins." I began to list off the ingredients that I knew were used to make oatmeal cookies. Kinze looked more than moderately surprised.

"Did your mommy bake?" Juo asked quietly as he stood from the table, then moved to pull Kinze's chair back. "Would have taught her," he whispered into Kinze's ear, yet I still heard.

"Homesick then," Kinze responded as I set the cookie down.

It was official: people could find excuses for everything, at least when it came to small children. I bet me reading or speaking English would be excused also, especially since I couldn't find evidence of English here, so they would likely think it a made-up language. As for reading, I wasn't at a particularly shocking level, at least not in my mind. I was past the picture books that my father had gotten to help me learn, but hadn't gotten anything higher level yet.

Attempting to talk about higher level subjects was also out. My degrees were in Microbiology and Chemistry, and I didn't yet know the equivalent words for things such as 'infectious' or 'quantitative'.

I was pulled out of my thoughts as Juo lifted me from the booster seat before he and Kinze began to walk towards the exit.

As they walked through the dining room, my eyes were drawn towards a table where a woman and man were eating. Nothing too eye catching until you saw the jewelry the woman wore, as well as the clothes they wore. Too extravagant, like they were showing off. It was that couple who had passed by the observation room in the basement first!

My ears sharpened as we passed them and I could hear their conversation.

"That new slave you bought is already causing trouble," the woman informed the man. "She trips over items, messes up simple instructions, and has tried to escape four times since we purchased her two days ago!"

"She does an excellent job at general clean up. If you hate her so much, I have other places I can assign her."

"I wanted that younger one! The one with the brown hair and plain face."

"Someone who won't possibly become more attractive than you then?" the man quipped in a clipped tone before his eyes caught sight of me staring at him.

I leaned my head against Juo's shoulder in that moment, praying I looked innocent. The woman followed his gaze.

"This is hardly an establishment that people should bring such small children to! We came here for a peaceful lunch, not to hear children screaming," she snarled. "And honestly, could those two-"

I turned my attention away, determined to not listen to someone making such mindless and rude remarks. But I now had something else to think about: those two had bought Shizuku. I was certain of it. They also apparently lived here, in Ochima, especially if they were already talking about making her work.

It gave me something to aim for once I could get away from my 'new parents.' I was going to need help once I did since I didn't know where I came from, and Shizuku would be easy to locate if she had been bought by those people. The wealthy and extravagant never could dodge making the news after all. The ultra-extravagant like those two would view making the news in regards to social events, parties, and galas as completely necessary.

And if Shizuku got away before I could do anything, those two would likely have bought other people who would have an idea as to where she would try to go.

The cold feeling of being watched picked up again when we descended to the lower levels of the building, causing me to unconsciously tighten my hold around Juo. His response was to glance around for whatever might have scared me, then patting my back in comfort.

The first few floors of the building that the restaurant was in were part of a large, popular mall. It was where the shopping for clothes had occurred earlier, and now Kinze walked to a number of different stores. Juo walked behind him, carrying me against his shoulder for a while. I used that time to try to scan the area for whatever was making my senses go wild. I was finally set down when Kinze ran out of arm space.

"Lana, hold my hand," Juo ordered as he accepted a box of sweets from a cashier.

I glanced at the front of the shop, even as I slid my hand into his. Mentally, I was weighing my options. Whoever was watching felt cold and possibly hostile, a far cry from Juo and Kinze. If I ran now, I might get away only to be caught by this mysterious watcher.

There was security throughout the shopping mall, but they seemed like the typical mall cops. A few people looked nervous, but I was certain I saw more than one of them carrying ill-gotten goods with tags underneath coats. With so few people nervous, it made me certain that we were being targeted specifically.

Kinze must have visited ten shops before he declared that he was finished. I was relieved that we were leaving until I realized what came next: the car and the airport.

Juo had bought some sort of seatbelt device meant to make a regular belt fit a small child who was too big for a regular car seat. He dug it out while the valet brought the car, then slid it easily over the seatbelt and settled me in the seat while Kinze stacked their other purchases with their bags in the trunk.

I still could feel the watcher when Juo and Kinze got into the car and pulled away from the mall. It sent chills through me and I tried to glance out the window, hoping to finally see something, but I was too short and the seatbelt held me fast.

"We should be at the airport in thirty minutes." Juo had his cellphone out and was speaking to someone. "We'll come to the west entrance, the Executive Center, to return the car."

"Make sure they have a cart for our bags this time," Kinze stated softly, and Juo nodded.

"Yes. The pilot? I see. Thank you."

Juo hung up the phone. "Our original pilot got sick, so they brought in a replacement. Also, a Hunter requested a ride. I gave them the go ahead for it."

"A Hunter? What kind?"

I almost groaned. A hunter? They were excited about some person who went tromping around a forest in order to shoot some poor defenseless animals?!

"He seems to be an Archeological Hunter. He's documenting a number of ruins that are located on some of the islands that aren't commonly visited, and his next intended destination is easier to reach from Kakin."

I felt my eyes narrow in confusion.

"He might have some interesting stories then. We should invite him to dine with us tonight! Do you hear that, Lana?"

I glanced at Kinze, more uncertain than ever. Why were they excited?

The rest of the ride to the airport was filled with Kinze chattering excitedly while I almost sighed in relief when the feeling of being followed left after we pulled into the airport. A porter took the bags and the boxes of souvenirs as Kinze unbuckled me and collected the seatbelt device. Yet another valet took the car, this one in a suit, making me think he came from a fancy car rental place.

The terminal was a strange place, not at all like the ones I was used to. There were no plastic chairs with harried looking people running around. No cheap carpet with scuff marks and fast food restaurants. Even the employees looked better dressed than what one would expect and smiled brightly. Kinze didn't even have to set me down in order to pass through security.

"Mr. Duazel! Glad to see you and your partner are safely back. Did you enjoy your trip? And who is this?" The person speaking seemed to be the manager of the facility if the way his employees deferred to him was any indicator.

Juo waved the man away. "Yes, we enjoyed ourselves. This is my partner's cousin, she'll be staying with us." Juo never even broke stride during the brief exchange. "Is the Hunter already onboard?"

"No, he claimed to have some calls he needed to make. He's right over there, actually."

My eyes followed the man's arm as he gestured to where a rather rough looking man was yelling into a phone.

"So he came by the island looking for me?! That brat should know better than to think I'd go there. And tell Dwun to stop complaining about his name! It was necessary and easier than thinking of a new name."

He hung up the phone then without any excuse or goodbye, just hit the button and stashed the phone.

"Ging! They said a Hunter was here needing a ride, but I didn't realize it was you!" Juo declared with a smile as he walked forward, his hand extended.

"Juo Duazel. The guys at the Restoration association said that you were bankrolling their most recent exploit. I had some time and decided to check out other sites that we should try to restore!"

"Near Kakin? I'm looking forward to it already!"

"I see you have Kinze with you! And-"

The rough looking man had a friendly smile, and his deep blue eyes reflected it. His smell was that of a man of the earth: dirt, sweat, greenery, and open air. He was giving me a deep, penetrating stare.

"If I knew you guys liked kids, I'd have brought my son along! He's almost the same age as her. Based on coloring, I suppose she's related to Kinze."

"This is my cousin," Kinze replied as he shifted me in his arms, eyes glancing to Juo.

"We'll tell you later," the other man whispered, though once again I heard him.

Ging had perked up when Juo had whispered to him, his eyes locking on me before nodding in understanding.

"So, shall we be on our way?" Juo asked, though it seemed more a statement as he headed straight for the door to the ramp, the manager bowing to him as he opened the door. Ging followed him and Kinze stepped lightly after them.

I don't know what I had been expecting, perhaps an airplane? Now I saw that when Kinze had said airship, he really had meant a dirigible. I stared at the enormous craft, more than a little flabbergasted. Why the heck did people think bobbing around in the air under a balloon filled with highly flammable gas was a good idea?!

Kinze must have noticed my wide eyes. "That's our airship! We'll be going home in that, Lana."

"That thing is a fire hazard waiting to happen!" My response drew several looks, namely Juo who looked confused while Ging actually laughed.

"Cousin!" another voice called, and Juo straightened as he and Kinze both turned back to the terminal.

"Halkenburg?" Juo asked. "I thought you were in school!"

"I was, but there's a break now and mother said you were in the country. I was waiting in the breakroom," a young man's voice answered. "I know it's sudden, but would you mind if I came back with you for the break? Father… And Cammy…"

I managed to turn my head enough at that moment to see the young man that had just approached. He looked to be in his early teens and wore a pair of khaki pants and a sweater set that looked like a school uniform. His blonde hair had a slight curl and his cheeks had a faint flush, like he was embarrassed. His eyes caught mine but he didn't say anything.

"Of course," Kinze replied before Juo could say anything. "Family is always welcome!"

Juo sent him an admonishing look, but it quickly faded. "If your mother asks?"

"She's the one who advised me against going home. Cammy is throwing one of her fits and even Tubeppa and Luzurus is attempting to find somewhere else to stay for a few days."

"Then we might be seeing both of them soon, won't we?" Juo asked as he stepped toward the airship. "I'll need to check with the steward, ensure that we have enough food for dinner and breakfast."

"We'll get settled in while you do," Kinze answered. "There are more than enough cabins for everyone to have their own."

I watched in mute horror as Juo began to climb the ramp into the airship, followed by Kinze who persisted in carrying me.

"I'm telling you that that thing is one spark away from an explosion and the cabin has the… flying ability of a brick!" Damn, I didn't know the word for 'glide' in this language yet! More importantly, Kinze seemed to think I was just frightened of the ship and patted my back soothingly as he carried me up the ramp. Apparently, the Hindenburg explosion hadn't happened in this world.

"It's alright Lana, we'll be perfectly safe."

Behind him, I had a clear view of the two guests. Ging looked to be ready to laugh again while the boy, (Hal-something?), looked shocked and confused.

Determination gripped me in that moment and I twisted in a serpentine fashion. I was not going without a fight!

Kinze yelped in surprise when he lost his grip on me and I tumbled to the ramp, landing with surprising ease and felt the strange energy as I took off- WHAM!

Ging was either very fast or very lucky. The man had stepped onto the ramp as I attempted to pass and had caused me to run into him. He didn't budge whereas I was knocked onto my butt from the impact.

"Huh? Oh, what're you doing down there?" Ging asked, looking as though he were oblivious to everything.

I stared at him, mouth agape.

Kinze was there a second later. "I didn't realize you were so scared! I promise that everything will be fine." This time when Kinze swept me up, he held me so my face was pressed against his chest. His grip was firm as he carried me up the ramp to the cabin door and passed through. Ging and the boy followed him quickly, Ging shutting the door with a loud 'click.'

The bags had already been delivered and were sitting in a small pile by the door, an attendant standing by them. A small figure caught my eye and I stared at it. With all that had happened today, I had lost track of my bear. Luckily, either Juo or Kinze had saved it since I could see him sitting on one of the shopping bags.

"The cabins are this way," Kinze stated as he started down a hall and climbed a set of stairs. "I'm going to put Lana in the cabin next to ours, the two of you can choose whichever one you like. Dining room, lounge, and reading room are on the bottom floor. It's an open bar, but that is not an invitation or a challenge, Ging."

I envied the flat expression Ging gave Kinze, there was no way someone could misunderstand that! It was probably a plus that he didn't have his hair in pigtails.

"Here we are!" Kinze announced as he shifted me to one arm so he could open a door.

The room was easily the size of the one I shared with my mother and her lover at home, but it contained just one bed near a large window that I could see the airport terminal through. We were still on the ground!

"You'll have a nice view," Kinze stated as he set me on the bed and I felt more disoriented than ever.

"Attention, the ship is departing. All passengers are requested to secure themselves."

Kinze's arms immediately encircled me before I could jump, and he leaned back against the wall at the foot of my bed with me on his lap. The window was in full view as the sound of the engines revving filled the air. It was nowhere near as loud as I remembered an airplane being, but the vertical takeoff that followed made my skin crawl as my stomach dropped.

Through the window, the world seemed to drop away rapidly, the airport and terminal falling away while the buildings of the city came back into view only to fall away as well. My ears popped and I yelped slightly at the pain.

"Look, a boat," Kinze stated as he pointed out the window at the ocean that was just in view on one side of the window.

I followed his finger and saw he was pointing at a large cruise ship, but was not particularly interested in it. The modern city was so different from home and I found myself drawn to the sight, wondering how I was going to find Shizuku in this mess. Wondering how I was going to get home.

At some point I had wiggled out of Kinze's lap and was staring out of the window, hands pressed against the glass while Kinze pointed at some landmark or another. That was how Juo found us.

"Thought you'd be here since you weren't in the lounge," he stated as he entered the room. I glanced at him before turning my eyes back to the window where the landscape beneath us was changing from city to suburb to country.

"Just spending some time together," Kinze replied. "I'm guessing that we didn't need to have any extra supplies brought onboard?"

"No, Ging keeps getting ahead of us. Apparently, he brought enough curl shrimp to feed an army. The chef has decided to switch up the menu because of it, so we'll be having pasta and blackened shrimp tonight." Juo settled on the bed next to Kinze as he spoke. I didn't look until something tickled my cheek and a kissing sound was made.

Glancing back, I saw that my bear was being offered and immediately reached for him. Juo handed me the bear, then his arm snaked around me and drew me into his arms. "Gardo is making you some fried shrimp since blackened would likely be too much for you," he informed me with a smile.

I wasn't sure how to respond, and Juo took my silence as confusion. "I'm sure you'll like it sweetheart. Would you like to explore the ship now?"

Given that my choices were to either stay in a bedroom in a death trap that felt too large or explore the death trap, I decided it was in my best interest to find where the parachutes were kept. And the fire extinguisher. And people who could operate both of them.

Jumping from the bed got a laugh from both men.

"Someone's eager." Kinze sounded happy as he stood along with Juo.

Turning into the hallway, I glanced both ways before heading towards the stairs. There was a choice of going up or down, but considering the build of this thing, if I were stocking parachutes with the intent of jumping, I'd put them on the bottom floor. Thus, I began to climb down the stairs.

"Not so fast!" Juo called and a moment later he was grasping one of my hands and guiding me down the stairs. "Lana, unless you're with an adult, stay away from the stairs."

We stopped on the bottom floor and waited as Kinze turned and shut a set of doors, blocking the stairs and then I was allowed to explore as the two headed into a room with a bar. Ging was already there, nursing a bottle of something.

Turning, I headed down the length of the ship, pulling at every door to check what was behind it. There was a dining room first and I hastily made my way to a second door that was in the room. It wouldn't budge when I pushed at the door, but it seemed a safe bet that it was a galley kitchen. That meant a fire extinguisher. Hopefully.

Heading back to the hall, the next door proved to be a closet that contained cleaning supplies, the next was a restroom, and the last room was a reading room that had bookshelves on two walls, several couches, and the last two walls had floor to ceiling windows. Outside, the landscape was just grassland with some forests and the city we had left was disappearing in the distance.

Turning my attention to the bookshelves, I glanced at the titles. Several looked interesting, but many looked like they would be so far above my reading level that it wasn't even funny. Then my eyes froze.

'20,000 Leagues Under the Ocean,' read the title, and the author was Julian Vernes. It was so close to a favorite book of mine, the author's name so similar, that I had to try to reach it. It took a stool and standing on my tiptoes to reach the book, but I did manage to drag it down from the shelf and stared at the cover.

The cover was a simple but elegant green leather hardcover, and stamped on it was the image of a submarine that looked achingly like the Nautilus.

Moving to a couch by the windows, I climbed up onto the seat after tossing my bear and the book up to keep my hands free.

Within a minute I was reminded of something painful: my reading level. I worked my way through words as much as I could, determining the meaning of ones that I didn't know and doing my best to recognize names.

Just as I was starting chapter two, the door opened and the boy poked his head in. He didn't look surprised to see me, though the book did cause him to raise an eyebrow.

"Dinner is about to be served," he stated as he walked over. "20,000 Leagues? Would you like me to read it to you later?"

I shook my head as I grabbed my bear while the boy took the book and set it on a table next to the couch.

"Wasn't it cool when the professor's notes caught fire when he knocked over a candle?"

It was obvious what he was doing, and I called it automatically. "That didn't happen!"

"Yes it did! In chapter one, as the professor was introducing the story, he apologized that some of his details and dates were vague due to his original notes being burned."

"Chapter one was about ships being struck by something and sinking!" I responded as my eyes caught the darkening sky outside the windows. There was a serious blow to my pride: it had to have taken at least an hour to finish one chapter!

My attention was drawn back to the boy when he tapped my back, indicating that he wanted me to get off the couch. I obeyed automatically, tucking my bear under one arm as I did, and headed for the door.

"We haven't been properly introduced; my name is Halkenburg."

"Takara," I replied automatically as I headed into the hallway, the boy's longer legs allowing him to easily catch up to me. "Is Juo really your cousin?"

"He's my mother's cousin actually. I just call him cousin because I stay with him so often."

"Then that makes him your two cousin?"

"Second cousin," Halkenburg corrected, his eyes amused as he realized my mistake. Looks like I still had a lot to learn in regards to language.

"How long have Kinze and Juo been married?" It was a question that had burned in my head for a while now. Both looked to be in their mid-thirties.

Halkenburg settled his hand on my shoulder and pulled me to a stop just before the door to the dining room. "They're not. Married that is."

"Why not? They seem to care and deeply love each other."

The boy's face softened a bit then hardened. "Because they're both men. Kakin doesn't allow for them to marry. Too many people in Kakin believe that marriage should be a union that results in children."

"By that reasoning, the old and those who can't have or don't want children shouldn't be allowed to marry either!" I snarled as I headed through the door.

Kinze and Juo were already at the table, both laughing as their hands brushed and eyes met before looking towards the door. It was such a sweet sight that my sour mood evaporated almost instantly and behind me, I felt Halkenburg step easily into the room.

"Lana, come sit next to daddy," Kinze beckoned, patting the seat next to him. There were several other places at the table, but I didn't feel like arguing right then, too drained from the frustrating day.

Dinner passed by with quickly, Ging recounting a number of his stories that sounded embellished to the point of ludicrous. More than once, Halkenburg tried to pull me into conversation by stating a subject that actually did sound interesting, but was blocked by Juo or Kinze.

Following dinner, the adults adjourned to the lounge and I attempted to return to the reading room only to be caught and carried to the lounge as well. Ging continued with his stories, and though interesting, I had difficulty focusing on them since certain elements seemed off about the stories.

"Bedtime," Juo announced when Ging had just rounded off a story of an exploration of a royal tomb for a culture called Mesophothalian that sounded like it had been ripped off from Indian Jones.

Kinze lifted me up and followed Juo out to the hall, then up the stairs after the doors were pulled back. A minute later, I was carried into the bathroom attached to the bedroom I was to occupy and settled on the sink area as Kinze prepared a toothbrush.

For the first time in this life, I saw a mirror and was able to study my new appearance.

I had black hair, I'd known that from the one haircut I'd received thus far. But it was different to see it on my head. My skin was pale and poreless. There was no doubt in my mind now, my father was definitely my father, I seemed to have all of his features except eye color. My eyes were blue.

It was also very evident in how those slavers were able to believably claim I was a refugee survivor from a country that sounded like it was a military dictatorship: I was thin. Not gaunt, but thin enough that it was obvious that I didn't eat much or well. Not at all like a chubby cheeked toddler most people would anticipate seeing.

In the clothes that Kinze had chosen for me with my hair in pigtails, I almost looked like a porcelain doll.

My teeth were brushed by Kinze then, who allowed me to hold the brush after a minute and demonstrate that I knew how. Then I was changed into a pair of footed pajamas and tucked into the bed by the pair, my bear with me.

"Sorry we don't have a story for tonight," Juo told me, "but you've had a big day."

The men left after a few minutes and I stared at the door, then the window, then threw off the blanket and glared at the room. The way they acted was so similar to my family that it hurt, just without the entertaining mock fights. I didn't think I could sleep.

Maybe I could sneak downstairs and grab that book?

Tiptoeing to the door, I glanced down the hall but saw no one. Everything was quiet. Making my way to the stairs, I grabbed the banister to help me on my descent.

Once again, the hall was empty as and I crept down to the reading room, and seeing it empty, rushed in, grabbed the book, and started back to the stairs.

"She said her name was Takara."

Halkenburg's voice stopped me cold as I was about to begin climbing the stairs.

"Lana witnessed her family getting killed, this is likely just a means of dealing," Juo explained as I crept towards the door to the lounge. A word was uttered that I didn't understand "- is well documented. She needs to feel safe and secure, and this fantasy will settle. Right now she's in shock."

"Where did you say she was from?" Ging asked. "East Gorteau, right?"

Kinze responded this time. "Correct. My parents and I are refugees who managed to escape to Kakin, leaving behind a number of family members. We paid the Black Brigade to help them escape, but Lana was the only survivor. I'll be adopting her officially once we reach Kakin."

"Have her talk to someone," Ging stated bluntly. "Something about this doesn't seem right."

"And have her intelligence tested," Halkenburg added.

"Intelligence?" Juo asked.

"Something is strange. I found her in the reading room right before dinner. She had a book."

"Lots of books have nice pictures," Kinze pointed out.

"Not classics like 20,000 Leagues. I even tested whether she understood what happened in chapter one. Consider also what she said about this airship: she understands basic chemistry or at least flammability, as well as basic physics of structures, namely aerodynamic properties. I have three younger siblings, and though I don't see them often, I know that isn't how Kacho, Fugetsu, or Momoze speak or think."

I peeked into the room then, spying that Juo and Kinze had their backs to me and Halkenburg was staring at them intently. Ging seemed to be staring at them as well but I could tell instantly that his eyes were actually on me. The wink he gave seemed to be too knowing.

Withdrawing, I climbed the stairs quickly, heading back to my room. I was unsure about Ging, but I might have the support I needed in Halkenburg. And a few days at least to convince him if he was really staying with Kinze and Juo for a while.

What worried me now was that it was being emphasized to my 'new parents' that I needed to speak to someone and have my IQ checked. It was one of those issues that could either work in my favor or against me.

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Chapter Text

I didn't actually get to read more of the book that night. Despite how I felt mentally, I was in fact a very small child. A very small child who had a full belly and was in a soft bed after over a week of sleeping on cold floors. The fight against sleep was lost almost immediately after I got back in bed, before I could try to switch on the wall lamp to read by.

Kinze woke me the next morning by pulling back the covers and gently shaking me.

"Good morning sunshine," he cheerily declared as I blinked at him, the memory of the day before hitting me hard. I gave my bear a squeeze as Kinze moved to where the bags containing the clothes he'd bought the previous day were located before remembering the book.

Glancing at the covers, confusion hit when I didn't see the book, so I glanced over the side of the bed. It wasn't on the floor either.

"Lana," Kinze's voice caused me to face him as he set another new dress on the bed. It was mint green and a grey, pink, and white jacket was set beside it. "Did you bring this book up here?"

He indicated 20,000 Leagues Under the Ocean then, set on the nightstand next to the bed.

"Yes," I responded automatically. Either he or Juo must have checked on me last night and discovered the book. Having always been a light sleeper, not waking up when someone came in while I was sleeping in a strange room was perturbing.

"Thank you for being honest," Kinze stated. "But it was past your bedtime, and it also means you went down the stairs without supervision. Please don't do that again."

Kinze proceeded to then lift me into a standing position and changed me into the new dress and jacket, despite my protests that I could dress myself. Embarrassed, I turned my eyes and found myself staring at the book again as Kinze rolled socks over my feet.

"Do you like books?" he asked suddenly, and I nodded.

"Dad had stacks of books he kept in his favorite corner, he'd sit there for hours reading."

Kinze looked pained for a long moment, and I realized that I had called my father 'dad,' a title he was trying to take. "Did he have that book also?"

"I don't know." The response was completely honest since I didn't know. My father had always read 'appropriate' books with me, not adult ones.

"You'll need a bath tonight." The change in subject was sudden and horrifying, and I glanced at the small shower in the bathroom as Kinze guided me in. "Once we're home, Lana. I have issues with bathing in certain places and you're too small for a shower," he explained as he ran a brush through my hair quickly, then used a ribbon to tie my hair half up.

"Germs?"

Kinze stared at me for a moment before taking my hand and guiding me down the hall to the stairs to the bottom deck.

"We're having-" a word I didn't know was used, "for breakfast today. Do you like that?"

"Never had it," I replied, though I did attempt to sniff the air for some sort of hint. I smelled tea, coffee, spices, some sort of meat, and bread.

The meal on the table was unrecognizable to me. It seemed to resemble a middle-eastern breakfast and I recognized some things on the table such as dates and various other small fruits, but the bowl of noodles was strange to me. Two intricate looking pots also steamed and I could smell fragrant tea and coffee.

Kinze helped me into a chair next to Juo then sat on my other side.

"Good morning," Halkenburg called when he entered the room a few minutes later, fully dressed. He sat across from Kinze and immediately helped himself to the pot that contained the coffee. I stared at it for a moment then turned my eyes longingly towards the tea. I had preferred tea to coffee previously, and this smelled wonderful.

Juo smiled at his cousin and Kinze returned the greeting with his own as he served both me and himself, putting a bit of everything on the plate in front of me. Juo noticed my eyes on the tea and seemed to consider it for a moment before grabbing the pot and pouring a small amount into a cup and offering it to me.

"Juo! She has juice!"

"Nothing wrong with letting her try this. Careful sweetie, it's hot," he stated as I accepted the cup.

I sniffed the tea for a moment, smelling the spices in it, giving the liquid a moment to cool. Both of the men on either side of me watched as I tilted the cup to take a sip.

It was far too hot for me currently, and I quickly pulled away, but still got a small taste. It was almost like chai!

"See, it's too much for her!" Kinze declared as he attempted to take the cup from me.

"Just needs to cool," I informed him.

"When will we be arriving?" Halkenburg asked.

"Around 3 in the afternoon," Juo informed him as he sat back to tuck into his meal. "We should have plenty of room in the car. But be forewarned that we will likely be bombarded by a Pidel family reunion this evening."

"Why would we- Oh you little!" Kinze declared with a laugh. "You called ahead, didn't you?"

"My sister might also drop by," Juo continued slyly. "I believe they might want to welcome our new addition. Lana, that has a pit!"

I glanced at Juo, having just put a date in my mouth. After chewing a bit, I spat the seed out much to his relief. He then went over my plate, cutting several things up such as the fruits and removing the pits or seeds.

"We need to look into having more child-friendly meals," he stated after a moment, drawing a slight laugh from Halkenburg while Kinze blushed a bit.

Breakfast continued in that manner, with Kinze or Juo either cutting food up for me, or taking utensils when I tried to pick them up. Ging never joined us.

Following the meal, I was taken upstairs to brush my teeth by Juo, and I grabbed the book while there. Halkenburg observed me for a while as I worked my way through chapter two. Finally, he seemed to come to a decision.

"Takara," he stated as he sat down beside me. "Could you describe where you came from?"

"Desert area," I replied automatically, and Halkenburg seemed to relax. "There were lots of people, you could walk around without worry, but a lot of trash everywhere."

"What was it called?"

I shook my head. "I don't know."

"Did you cross the ocean?"

My head bobbed in affirmation. "We were in a boat for five days!"

Halkenburg seemed to think and then glance at the wall. Following his eyes, I saw a map on the wall.

"Where's Ochima?" I asked automatically.

Halkenburg glanced at me again, then stood and walked towards the map, pointing at the southern portion of the large eastern continent, right at the west coast. "We took off from Beikong, the capital of Ochima which is right here. Kakin is up here by the way." Now his finger shifted to the northern part of the continent.

I stared at the map, trying to mentally judge how far a boat could get in five days. I began to hone in on the southern continent of the western hemisphere that I recognized as Yorbia.

"This is East Gorteau," he finished, pointing at an island that was to the south of Yorbia. "A good portion of the nation is covered in desert, including the capital. A boat traveling at top speed could make the trip in the time you stated."

Damnit, I should have known that I needed to present him with proof other than my word.

"Who taught you to read?"

"My dad," I replied quietly as my eyes turned back to the book. "He loves books. He would bring me books back whenever he went out on a job."

"What did he do?"

"He and the rest of my family are in the militia. They got sent on a job because of a serious chickpox disease."

"I see," Halkenburg stated, his eyes indicating he was deep in thought about something.

Before I could ask what he was thinking of, the door swung open and Juo entered the reading room. He saw me on the couch and a warm smile lit on his face before he noticed the book I was holding.

"Let's find a better book and we can read together," he suggested as he moved towards the bookshelf.

I glanced back at 20,000 Leagues and sighed. It was such a good book, but I had to admit that I did probably need to read something a bit easier. Getting through chapter two had taken twice the time it did for chapter one and I was honestly guessing with some of the words.

Juo found a book that he believed would be good and moved to the couch where I was, easily lifting me into his lap as he held the book open in front of both of us and began to read aloud.

It was a book about an adventurer who traveled the land and reminded me a lot of Don Quixote, complete with an obviously mad old man believing himself to be a knight, though in this case he was claiming to be a Hunter.

I listened to the story at first, then followed the lines with my finger, then finally beginning to read the words as well. So absorbed in the book, I completely forgot that I wasn't in my father's lap, reading a book with him. Every so often, when I encountered a new word that I wasn't sure about how to pronounce or the meaning of, I would pause, my finger on the word, waiting for it to be pronounced or explained. Juo caught on quickly.

"Very good, Lana," Juo murmured as we finished a chapter and I snapped out of whatever comfortable spell the book had caused as a bookmark was placed and the book closed. Halkenburg was no longer in the room, but Kinze was in the doorway, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Lunch is ready," he informed us as Juo stood, keeping me securely in his arms.

"Assumed as such," the man carrying me replied. "You should join us for more reading after lunch. Or if Ging finally wakes up, maybe he'll tell us more about those ruins he wants to restore."

"He's awake alright, and muttering about someone that he says is a true rat. With a bottle of bourbon in hand."

"What did he do otherwise?"

Kinze's expression was a bit flat.

"Based on that look, he either is very drunk or talking politics."

"Or talking about how he thinks Lana will become a Hunter."

"Nothing wrong if she wants to."

"She's two!" Kinze exclaimed. "One of the things we agreed on was to not try to force our thoughts on our child! If Ging talks about how she needs to be a Hunter, she might think it's expected!"

"No I won't," I stated, disliking the that the two were talking like I didn't understand. "I don't feel any need to kill a defenseless animal!"

"Good, but wrong kind of hunter, love," Kinze replied as his green eyes focused on mine.

"I'll talk to him if he says anything inappropriate or pushing," Juo promised as he passed me to Kinze then settled his hand to the small of Kinze's back and guided him out to the hall.

Ging didn't appear drunk, then again he seemed uninhibited in general and I likely wasn't a good judge. He welcomed us loudly to the dining room as an attendant ran around the table, setting plates at the prepared places then disappeared into the door that I had thought would lead to the kitchen.

Kinze settled me between him and Juo once again, and I noted that the food on my plate had already been cut up. And the utensils removed. There was a new pot of tea on the table but it didn't have the same spicy smell that the one at breakfast had.

Lunch passed with conversations jumping between topics such as friends Halkenburg was making at school, what subjects he enjoyed, and Ging talking about an island he was setting up as a game. I choked when he mentioned that, wondering why it sounded familiar.

Juo seemed to be in business and Kinze the head of a legal department. That caused a familiar sense of dread to rise for a moment, but I quickly pushed it down. I wasn't truly a child now, I knew how to bring the legal system into play.

After lunch, I tried to go back to the book but was stopped by Juo handing me to Kinze who carried me to the lounge. Ging joined us immediately, then Juo appeared carrying the book!

Ging and Juo continued to talk then, mostly on the renovation of ruins while Kinze opened the book to the marker and began to read aloud to me. Once more, the spell of the book gripped me and I began to read aloud with him, then alone as he trailed off though his finger continued to pass under each word as I read.

My imagination ran wild as I envisioned the countryside that the elderly would-be Hunter scoured across. He challenged a tavern keeper to a duel, who he was certain was an evil warlock who transformed beautiful young women into pigs that he kept. He was 'informed' of this event by a young woman who had been turned into a pig and promised to marry him in return for breaking the curse.

I was thoroughly hooked on the book, not noticing that I wasn't pausing much for words anymore. Or the passing hours until an announcement rang out.

"We have begun landing procedures into Kakin Royal Port airfield. All passengers are requested to seat themselves."

Finally pulling away from the book, I glanced out one of the floor to ceiling windows and saw that we were in fact over a city. It was not as modern looking as the previous city, but looked far more established. Like it embraced a historic identity and kept the architecture rather than moving on to glass and steel.

I was quite pleased that we would soon be out of this flying death trap.

Kinze didn't bother to place the bookmark as he shut the book and set it on the table beside us while across from us, Juo and Ging still seemed to be discussing ruins.

"We missed your naptime," Kinze informed me as the dirigible descended. "Yesterday couldn't be avoided, but you can sleep in the car today."

"Can we take the book?" I asked after a minute, as the ground came closer.

"Afraid not, sweetheart. It doesn't belong to us."

The bump caused by landing felt like the sweetest thing in the world. I was ready to charge the door and probably would have if I hadn't been caught by Halkenburg appearing in the hall outside the lounge.

"Up we go!" he declared as he lifted me, his eyes traveling to a window. "Cousin, we'll need to have the car brought to the ramp!" he called in to Juo.

"As usual," Juo replied as he stepped into the hall. "Can we offer you a ride somewhere, Ging?"

Ging stretched from where he still lounged on the sofa. "Nah, I'll go my own way from here. Less troublesome than dealing with what you guys go through. Throw in a - and a new kid and this'll be a storm."

I glanced up at a word I didn't recognize, but saw an immediate person I could ask.

"What's a -?" I asked Halkenburg as he watched an attendant exit the cabin to the ramp.

"A person who can… Inherit from the king."

I stared at Halkenburg for a long minute as my mind caught up. 'King' was one of the new words I had learned today in the Hunter book, so I now realized what this new word was. Prince.

Halkenburg was a prince! And Juo was his cousin… This seemed more convoluted than ever!

Ging was heading towards the door now and passed us, grabbing a small satchel by the door as he walked.

"Hal, would you mind keeping a hand on Lana and getting her to the car?" Kinze asked as he stepped into the hall. "I'm going to make a quick run into the terminal to use the fax."

"Fine," Halkenburg replied as he shifted me.

Kinze nodded as he ducked out of the cabin and I wished we were leaving also. He walked rapidly across the tarmac to the building, disappearing inside right as a car pulled onto the ramp.

"Go ahead," Juo told Halkenburg when the car pulled up, attendants who had been invisible throughout the flight appearing with bags and carrying them down to the ramp. "I need to make some calls."

Halkenburg carried me down the ramp without a second glance, and I felt tension that I hadn't known I'd been carrying evaporate as his feet met the solid ground.

Juo remained on the ramp, cellphone out, as he spoke quietly over the line while Halkenburg moved to the car, the backdoor being held open by a man. Unfortunately, there was a car seat in the back that was obviously meant for toddlers and Halkenburg settled me into it without preamble. At least I could see out of the windows.

Kinze returned before Juo was finished with his calls and began checking that I was strapped in correctly before settling on the seat across from me, next to Halkenburg, leaving the seat next to me open for Juo, who climbed in with his phone still at his ear.

"So you've received the papers? Good, I'll be in the office tomorrow, which reminds me, do we have a daycare?"

That sounded conventional. And intensely boring.

As the car began moving, I glanced outside and was mildly surprised when I didn't see Ging anywhere on the airfield or surrounding grounds. My eyes searched for him then began to focus and study the few buildings we passed. I had been wrong in the air, there were a lot more modern touches to the buildings than I had noticed. I couldn't be sure about the city since the car didn't move in that direction.

Halkenburg, Juo, and Kinze began talking quietly as I watched the scenery outside the window, noting the beginning of the forested area. I must have nodded off because I woke up upon feeling the car stop, blinking at the sight of a gate.

Kinze noticed I was awake and smiled brightly. "Welcome to your new home, Lana!" he stated as the gates opened. "You'll be able to see it in a few minutes, after we pass the privacy line."

Juo's phone began to ring and he answered the large thing automatically. "This is Juo Duazel. Luzurus? … I heard that Camilla was… That bad? Yes, I understand."

Juo turned his face away from the phone, a smirk playing on his lips. "I think that fit is worse than your mother made light of," he informed Halkenburg.

"Luzurus has a tendency to exaggerate when he thinks it'll help."

"He's claiming that Camilla has mobilized the army without 1st Prince Benjamin's consent in order to try to have her winter wardrobe remade and a company that produces haircare products destroyed. She believes they contaminated her order."

Shock must have hit everyone and I stared at the three. What kind of ludicrous power structure allowed for such a thing?!

"That sounds like her," Halkenburg admitted as he shook his head. "And people think I'm in exile…"

"Look Lana!" Kinze was determined to distract me and pointed out of the window at their house.

I found myself paling at the sight of the monstrosity: it looked like some sort of old, possibly haunted, manor! Beautiful, but something about it made my skin crawl. Maybe I had watched too many horror movies that had occurred in large houses.

Juo unstrapped me from the seat as soon as the car stopped and carried me out of the car. None of the men so much as blinked at the house, but a loud 'BANG' caused Halkenburg to jump. Neither Kinze nor Juo seemed surprised and then I was staring at an elderly woman.

"There you are! Welcome to the family! Oh, she's so cute!" the woman gushed happily, taking me from Juo's arms. "Hello Lana! I'm your new grandma!" she continued as a man who looked like an older version of Kinze approached. He gave both his son and Juo a warm greeting, hugging both men.

"She's been flying since we got the call. Though you might be getting a lecture later about keeping things such as paying a mercenary group to extract her, orphaned or not."

"We didn't exactly have time, and it needed to be kept quiet," Kinze defended, and the woman holding me went stiff.

"We raised you better than to think that there wasn't time for family, young man!" she lectured angrily. "I would have liked to know that Humi managed to contact you. And that you were going to try something so risky to help them! Dear, hold the baby for me."

I was handed to yet another woman then, this one had blond hair and hazel eyes. She smiled at me before glancing at Juo, and I saw that he and Kinze were being thoroughly harangued by the smaller woman. Turning my head, I saw several more people congregated at the door, all looking amused.

That evening flew by in a rush of activity as the various members of Kinze's family took turns holding me, declaring I looked so much like one person or another. Dinner was in the form of small plates of sandwiches, veggies, and fruit.

Halkenburg seemed to be a regular visitor and was familiar with the people present who welcomed him with open arms. Rather than a prince, they treated him like a cousin or nephew.

As it grew later in the evening the adults were moving into smaller conversation groups when I overheard Juo and the woman that Kinze's mother had passed me to.

"How are mother and father?" he asked quietly.

The woman looked uncomfortable. "They're fine. I told them about the two of you taking in a child, they weren't thrilled."

It sounded like Juo's parents didn't approve of his relationship. That had to be painful. But it also brought to mind my own parents. If Sunter had been right about it taking at least a week before the elders could send anyone after us, then they should be on our trails by now.

I had a decent trail to follow, provided that they caught one of the slavers. Their leader had been quite loud about the people bidding for me being from Kakin and Okin. Airport records could help slim that down quite a bit.

As for the others who were kidnapped, I wasn't sure but it did occur to me that the other buyers might be able to give descriptions to our would-be rescuers…

A loud yawn cut through my musings and Kinze seemed to notice and looked at the clock, which I noted to indicate that the time was about 8:00 PM.

"Everyone, say goodnight to Lana," he instructed as he lifted me quickly, while a chorus of 'goodnight' sounded around us and several people hugged Kinze and me. His mother even ambled over and kissed both of our cheeks while hugging us.

Kinze carried me up a flight of stairs quickly, then down a hall, pausing in front of a door.

"This is where Juo and I sleep. If you need something, just come get us," Kinze informed me before heading down the hall and opening a door halfway down the hall.

I didn't even look at the room, though I did focus on the window. Would the militia make it here tonight? Would my parents come with them?

I barely noticed when Kinze carried me into the bathroom, but water running into a tub successfully got my attention. Remembering what Kinze said about baths that morning sent me into a momentary panic and I quickly ran from the bathroom.

Unfortunately, the main door to the room had shut and I had trouble turning the doorknob. Kinze easily caught me, and carried me back to the bathroom, laughing about sleepy toddlers who didn't like baths.

Surprisingly, the bath wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, it was similar to being bathed by either my dad or mom. Following that, I was dressed in a pink nightgown, teeth were brushed, and as I was being tucked into the bed, Juo appeared with Kinze's mother.

"Look what we found!" she declared as she tucked my bear into the too large bed with me. Juo on the other hand, set a book on the nightstand.

"I found a copy of the book from the airship," he said. "You can read more of it tomorrow. Goodnight sweetheart."

zzzzz
Ging stared out at the island that he was going to be visiting in order to check on some ruins. Supposedly, the ruins were from an ancient tomb for the Kakin royal family five hundred years ago. His co-workers would be thrilled if it proved to be authentic…

There was something seriously wrong with that kid Juo and Kinze taken in! His thoughts kept going back to it! Prince Halkenburg had spoken to him about the girl, including things she had said.

Five days on a boat was believable and a large amount of East Gorteau was desert, prison communities, the capital, and the Supreme Leader's palace were all in such areas. Because of the poor health care system, illnesses were regular and if something was really serious, then a village might be purged.

There was also the reading. Apparently, the kid had also said her father had books that he kept in a corner of their home. Most books were banned in East Gorteau and having them could result in a purge.

Those all pointed to the kid actually being from the place, but something else was bothering him. There was also the point that small children didn't usually have a concept for time. Most of them called an hour, much less five days, a long time.

Perhaps he should investigate the Black Brigade later. Let Juo and Kinze figure out their kid.

zzzzz
The militia didn't come the first night, or the day after, or the one after that. Slowly a week passed. A week where I had searched the 'house' and studied the garden, the only place I was allowed outside with an adult.

Halkenburg was present as well as my 'new grandparents,' while Kinze and Juo both worked most days. The night before, two new people had arrived at the manor, though I didn't get to meet them right away.

Today was different: Juo and Kinze had taken me to the city with them. The car ride confirmed for me that we were more than a fair distance from anything. I wouldn't be able to leave without assistance.

I had been brought to a counselor who was currently playing a card game with me. We were maybe a third of the way into the game when I noticed that the counselor was not playing to win. She was flipping cards at random, not trying to match anything, just letting me see the cards. The shocking part was that despite there being over fifty cards on the ground, I knew exactly which cards matched and their positions.

"Ok Lana, do you know which card matches this one?" the counselor asked after she had me flip one over.

For a long moment, I considered faking that I didn't know, but pushed that aside. I had other things to think about than fooling this woman about something such as memory or intelligence. I flipped cards automatically as I contemplated why I was remembering the way I was. In my previous life, I had been smart, but I definitely hadn't been able to keep track of 50 cards.

Still, this was a new life in a new body. A new body meant a new brain, which also meant a change in mental ability.

The counselor had me play several more games with her, including showing me a picture of a figure and having me use painted blocks to recreate the image. Each time, I found that I was testing myself as well, and it was more than slightly shocking. I had perfect recall!

"You were right to get her tested," the counselor informed Juo and Kinze after calling them back into the room. "Her memory appears to be perfectly eidetic, and her IQ very high. But there are signs of trauma, a hesitation and mistrust. I showed her a picture of a man making a threatening-expression and she flinched."

'Maybe because the guy looked like someone who never should have been a father,' I thought as I focused on the new book that Kinze had given me that day.

"Will more meetings benefit her?" Juo asked.

"Definitely. And I realize it might seem early to discuss this, but I know of a number of schools that specialize in teaching children like Lana. You should consider them as well as read some of the materials I give you on how to raise highly gifted children."

Kinze's eyes looked at me searchingly for a moment. "Anything we should know right now?"

The counselor shrugged. "I'm afraid this situation is new for me. Lana is highly intelligent, traumatized, and at an age where she doesn't entirely understand all that has happened. Intellectually she understands that her mommy and daddy aren't here, emotionally she doesn't understand why not."

"And these fantasies she has that her family is still alive?" Juo pressed while I mentally snorted. I knew exactly what had happened!

"Imagination can make a bad situation tolerable, ease the pain one experiences. It can be exceptionally powerful in children, and dangerous. You'll need to confirm to her that she's safe, and help her come to accept that her birth parents are gone."

Kinze breathed a sigh in relief. "Thank you. Anything else?"

"Boundaries." I looked up sharply at that word. "Lana is intelligent and will test them, and you. She won't accept something just because you say it, so give an explanation on why something isn't allowed."

Mentally I sighed and tuned out the counselor by opening the book in front of me. From now on, without proof of a kidnapping, my accusations were going to be utterly dismissed. I could already see Juo relaxing at the words of the counselor.

Juo lifted me a few minutes later, causing me to shut the book and ensure I had a firm hold on my bear. Kinze held open the door as he headed through it.

"One more thing." The counselor's voice drifted from the office. "Are you certain that this current arrangement is… Healthy? Lana might be confused by it."

I went rigid as I stared over Juo's shoulder at the woman, my eyes narrowing. I might not view Juo and Kinze as my parents, but over the last week I could admit that they were more than decent! The suggestion otherwise was infuriating!

Kinze gave the counselor a flat look, but Juo didn't even break stride.

"We'll arrange for Lana's next meeting," he called back, voice even and cold. I admired his composure.

The drive back to the manor saw Kinze grow angry.

"How could you want to take Lana back to that woman?" he demanded hotly. "Suggesting that we might not be good for our daughter!"

"It was a fair question the many therapists wonder," Juo replied, squeezing Kinze's hand lightly. "And even if she has biases, she was professional enough to limit it to just that. We'll be hard pressed to find another therapist who'll allow us to come in with Lana. Maybe working with us will help?"

Kinze pouted then began to fuss with the car seat I was in.

"You haven't met Tubeppa or Luzurus yet, have you?" he cooed. "I have a feeling that they'll love you! They got in really late last night. They're Halkenburg's brother and sister."

"Apparently the palace got too crazy," Juo added. "Couldn't imagine why, what with the King having seven wives and twelve children."

My eyes must have popped then. Honestly, twelve? AS IN 12?! And how many wives? Geez, no wonder Halkenburg wanted to stay with Juo.

When the car finally pulled into the manor, I was trying to ignore Juo discussing tutors with Kinze and subjects they wanted to get me started on. I focused on the trees instead, praying I'd see some sort of movement.

Instead, I was greeted to the sight of Halkenburg talking amiably with Kinze's parents in the garden. Another teenager was there, a boy with dark hair that looked oddly frizzy/curly. He had it pulled into a single tail and was carrying a bag towards the small group. He paused at the sight of the car.

"Luzurus, glad to see you're up!" Kinze called as he unbuckled me and set me on the ground.

"Hey," the boy called back, offering a wave. "Brought some stuff for you guys!"

Juo and Kinze looked taken aback before planting fake smiles on their faces. "Wonderful," Juo answered as he urged me forward. "Where's your sister?"

"Library," he answered as he set his bag on the ground next to a bench and sat down near Halkenburg, nodding at him in greeting. "Telling you, Cammy and Benjamin got so into their fight last night that when mother ordered me into a car, I was relieved! The little kids were being sent to visit other relatives too. Hey there!" he declared brightly when I wandered a little too close.

A moment later, I was pulled up onto the bench next to him before he began combing through the bag in front of him. Kinze's mother walked other to sit on my other side.

"Back scratcher," he said, passing it to Kinze. "Pet cactus." This was passed to Juo. "This is mine," he stated as he set a wide black belt between us.

"Did Cammy really mobilize the army over clothes and shampoo?" I asked, the question burning in my mind.

"Yes," Halkenburg cut in as Luzurus opened his mouth. "I called Tserriednich. Camilla mobilized the army to recover her new wardrobe that had been stolen in transit. He had never heard about the shampoo factory, though he did admit it wouldn't be surprising. The explosion last night was over our sister demanding that certain soldiers be executed for ruining her things. Benjamin put his foot down."

Ok, sounds like this Benjamin person was reasonable.

"He in turn began demanding that Cammy be executed for wasting time and resources."

I take back the thought on Benjamin being reasonable.

"They just need to chill out and relax more," Luzurus declared. "Cammy's too obsessed with her looks and having everything. She doesn't wear any of her clothes more than once, and the most any piece of jewelry she owns has been worn is four times. She doesn't even know that as soon as she goes through one season of clothing, I donate it to auctions for supporting orphanages."

Ok, Luzurus seemed pretty nice.

"So, what is that thing?" Kinze's mom asked, pointing at the belt thing.

"A piece of junk he found in the shop he insisted we stop at," a new voice answered, and I turned my head to see a person with a rather square face and chin length blond hair. The man wore simple clothing that looked well-made.

"Tubeppa," Halkenburg greeted curtly and I did a double take. That was a girl?! And Halkenburg's sister?

Tubeppa was just as curt and brief as Halkenburg, offering only a nod.

"It vibrates at high speed. The claim is that it makes muscles stronger."

Glancing at the belt as Luzurus began trying to defend his purchase, then at the 'gifts' he had given Kinze and Juo, it became apparent: Luzurus was altruistic, but a bit of a moron. And I was currently two.

No one scolded me when I grabbed the belt, stood up on the bench, and strapped it to Luzurus's head.

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Chapter Text

To those wondering when they'll get to see the regular HxH characters, give it another chapter or two! The story is alive and writing itself, so I can't exactly nail down an exact time, but certain events that will further shape Takara/Lana still are coming.
zzzzzz

Things began to calm down and fall into a routine at the manor.

Halkenburg did his homework and would sometimes walk with me in the garden or talk about his family. He was actually very open-minded and a supporter of reform in Kakin, amongst those issues was allowing for same-sex marriage, loosening adoption laws, educational reform, open healthcare, and a number of other issues.

He and Tubeppa didn't get along too well, despite the fact that they seemed to have plenty of similarities.

Tubeppa was straightforward and had a very scientifically oriented mind. As soon as Kinze had admitted what the counselor had said about me, she had made an effort to get me interested in the sciences. That had involved doing small experiments that were safe for children, such as putting a burning match on a piece of putty in a dish of water and covering it with a glass so when the match went out, the glass filled with water. Luzurus had walked in on some of the experiments and had been engrossed.

Luzurus for the most part enjoyed having fun and was quick to forget the rules. Under his watch (which naturally only occurred once), I was able to leave the garden and wander near the forest. He wasn't completely oblivious and did walk nearby.

Kinze's parents, though they had a home of their own, stayed with their son and his partner often. Their names were Konu and Himari Pidel, though they tried to get me to call them 'grandpa' and 'grandma' respectively.

"Do you know how Kinze and Juo met?" Himari/grandma asked several days into Tubeppa and Luzurus's stay. Juo and Kinze were at work currently and it was lunch time. The meal was being served at a table outside with Halkenburg and Luzurus in attendance. Tubeppa had declared that she would prefer to eat in the library.

Luzurus looked thoughtful for a moment. "Wasn't it because they work at the same place?"

"Oh no, dear!" Himari declared with a laugh as she drew me into her lap.

"We actually met Juo when we were escaping East Gorteau," Konu explained. "We waded across the river that separated East and West Gorteau. We saw a patrol coming and were certain we'd been caught when Juo, who was on a mission trip, drove past in a car. He saw us, realized what we were trying to do, and stopped. He smuggled us to the port himself and paid for us to be brought to Kakin."

Himari nodded. "He found us again when his mission ended. Though we were getting some aid from the government, it was going to end soon if we couldn't find employment. He managed to secure a job for Konu at his father's company and helped Juo get into school."

Himari licked her lips and took a drink of water. "We found out about them being attracted to each other when we caught them kissing. Our reaction was… Not pleasant. I'm honestly ashamed of it now, how we ordered them to never see each other again."

It was an interesting story and I stared up at the woman who had seemed to be nothing except sweet and loving to both Kinze and Juo.

"They continued to see each other?" Halkenburg asked.

"Of course. We found out again and tried to force them apart, then went so far as to kick Kinze out. We let him come home again less than a month later, but during that time, Juo allowed him to stay with him. So we decided that the best way to cool things off was to not allow for Juo to use his money."

Konu nodded. "We gave them an ultimatum: for three years, Juo could not spend more than 200 jenny on a single date. If they still felt the same at the end of it, then we would accept their relationship. It seemed like a good plan since Juo was so used to money, making him accept a budget that wouldn't allow for more than a couple of drinks, maybe a sandwich, would drive him away."

"It didn't." Himari was smiling brightly. "He got creative. They'd go for walks, read books, several of their dates even involved him helping me cook dinner so they could have a good meal, but he was hopeless in the kitchen! There was even this one time where Kinze was trying to teach him how to make cookies and Juo managed to make the cookies explode!"

Luzurus looked a bit confused. "Is it difficult to make cookies explode?"

"I had never seen it before or since," Himari admitted. "He won us over little by little, especially when his dates included helping Kinze study for and pass the exams for the National University of Law. At the end of those three years, he proposed right in front of us on a picnic. Said that he was certain on who he wanted to live his life with, and even if he had to wait for the rest of his life, he wanted to marry our son."

Luzurus had a faintly starry-eyed look while Halkenburg smiled. I also was smiling, it was actually a nice story.

"Unfortunately, Juo's parents refuse to accept them. They've refused to see him ever since the day he announced his proposal, his sister only came around in the last three years."

"Thought he worked for his family's company?" Luzurus pointed out.

"There are ways, especially for the higher ups, to avoid him," Halkenburg pointed out. "And since there weren't any other possible heirs amongst the Duazels, there wasn't much of a choice since Adalia refuses to displace him." He took a sip of his own water and stared hard at the glass. "There are so many biases and regulations, Juo isn't even allowed to adopt Lana. If something happens to Kinze, she won't be allowed to remain here."

Tubeppa and Luzurus left to return to the palace after a week when their mother sent them an 'all clear' message. Halkenburg stayed for another two weeks, preferring the quiet manor over the palace before returning to school. When he left, Kinze's parents also departed and my days experienced a shift in that I wasn't left at the manor during the days. Rather, I was woken up early and taken to the daycare at the building that Kinze and Juo worked at.

Once a week, I was taken to see the counselor. At first she seemed professional enough, but little by little, her bias became more apparent. Luckily, there was enough of a build up that I was able to come up with a plan to seriously jerk her bias chain. The day she finally asked me whether Juo and/or Kinze touched me, I immediately declared, "All the time! They make me hold their hands in whenever we go out and going up or down stairs!" That began the first of a continuous series of small 'misunderstandings' over things the therapist would try to talk about, digging for something to accuse of Juo and Kinze of and getting absolutely nothing.

Night after night, I stared out of the windows of my room, praying to see my parents or one of my uncles, but no one ever came. And little by little, I had to accept certain truths: even if I left a good trail, finding it depended on figuring out who took me and the other kids. None of us knew who they were, I only knew now because Juo and Kinze had admitted to using the Black Brigade. Even if they found any of the other kids, there was a definite likelihood that they wouldn't know who had taken them, only that they were slavers.

It would be years before I'd be big enough to do anything on my own, and the one person who seemed to believe me was still in school.

Months slowly passed and I did find myself enjoying the company of Kinze and Juo. Kinze's parents visited every two weeks and when they were at the manor, I wasn't taken to the daycare.

The weather turned cooler and the leaves changed. Kinze's parents, who I had begun to call 'grandma' and 'grandpa' since I hadn't had grandparents at home, began having leaf piles made and watched me jump in them. It was on such a day that I accidentally called Kinze 'dad' for the first time.

I had been thoroughly enjoying the crisp smell of the leaves as I jumped through a pile of leaves. Grandpa had hidden my current book under one of the piles and encouraged me to look for it. It was a good book and I was intent to find it.

It was while digging through one of the piles of leaves that a pair of hands grabbed me, lifting me up with a laugh that caused my heart to race. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw black hair and after months, joy at thinking that my father had finally come caused me to yell, "Dad!" automatically.

Kinze was almost in tears when he turned me around and hugged me, but I felt my fragile joy shatter. Not even finding the book several minutes later had made it seem better.

The leaves withered to dust and the ground turned grey as winter's icy fingers seemed to choke the last of the life from the land. Then it happened: snow.

My home had never seen snow, even rain was a rarity. The falling flakes had entranced me and I stood by the window watching them fall for hours. Decorations began to appear and Kinze's parents seemed to move in as the manor grew more festive.

A tree was erected in a large living room downstairs and the smell of spices filled the air. Then Halkenburg appeared at the door one day.

"Hope you don't mind," he stated as Juo welcomed him with a hug and grandma offered him some hot chocolate. "I got into another argument with mother."

"What was this one about?" Kinze asked as he shifted me in his arms.

"I decided to take the graduation exam, it indicated that I could skip the next few grades. I began the application for Miwall and plan to make this spring semester my last at Aton. Mother is against it." He accepted the hot chocolate then with a smile and a nod.

"Seems there are congratulations in order then," grandpa Konu stated. "What do you plan on studying?"

"Physics, with Diplomacy as a minor. Tubeppa actually sent a message of support."

"Good," I called out.

"So, you'll be joining us for Christmas?" Juo asked, earning a nod from Halkenburg. "Excellent, your room should be as you left it, and we'll be going Christmas shopping the day after tomorrow. Lana will be meeting the Sleighman."

This was news to me. "Sleighman?" I asked.

"East Gorteau doesn't allow for the celebration of Christmas, Juo," grandma Himari reminded him. "Remember how you had to introduce it to us?"

"Looks like I know what kind of story will be told tonight," Juo responded. "Unfortunately, we've also been invited to the Christmas Party of the Royal Family. I suppose you will be made to attend as well?"

"As a Prince, I can't avoid it," Halkenburg admitted.

The next day, as I was looking through the library for something new to read, Halkenburg found me.

"Good morning Takara," he greeted as he entered the room.

"Good morning," I called back as I focused on a book that was on the third shelf. I'd practiced some of my jumping and running when I could using the weird energy, so I'd be able to grab the book after Halkenburg left.

"I have an early Christmas present," he announced as he set a heavy box on the table before him. I could tell there was a book in it based solely upon the sound and immediately approached the table. "These are from Ging, he told me to give them to you on the 'down low,'" Halkenburg informed me. "He seems to be shy since he said the same thing about the gifts he sent to Juo and Kinze."

I raised an eyebrow in response, somehow Ging being shy seemed strange and far-fetched to me, unless the semi-boisterous personality was a cover. Halkenburg smiled faintly, likely guessing my thoughts.

"I can open it for you," he offered, and I nodded in response.

"Thanks by the way."

"For what?" Halkenburg asked as he picked up a letter opener.

"Calling me by my name."

"Did Juo and Kinze tell you that they've been requested to bring you to the Christmas party?" Halkenburg asked as he sliced through the tape.

I was honestly surprised. "They want children, small children in particular, at the royal Christmas party?"

"There'll be a separate party meant specifically for children, anyone who is twelve and younger will be kept there unless the king or someone wishes to meet them. In your case, mother wants to meet you. I can also introduce you to Tserriednich. Of my siblings, I believe I like him best. He's a scholar in philosophy and art."

"Tubeppa and Luzurus are likeable in their own way," I pointed out.

"Maybe when they're away from the palace," Halkenburg admitted. "I didn't know that Luzurus was making those donations from Camilla's wardrobe."

"He's likely absconding with some of her jewelry as well," I pointed out. "How else would he know that she's only worn certain pieces more than once?"

Halkenburg looked me in the eye then, looking slightly surprised. "Perfect recall," he finally muttered.

"Is it really that they're different, or that you feel them to be?" I pressed. "Tubeppa did send her support for your decision, did you say anything back? Maybe even discuss your decision to study Physics with her? I'm certain she'd be thrilled."

"Maybe the next time we meet," Halkenburg finally said as he pulled a book out of the box. "Ging sent you a book. It looks hand written."

"Wouldn't that make it notes on some place that he studied?" I asked as I accepted the book and flipped it open to a random page. A picture of a person with holes all over their body in the middle of some sort of dance-like pose appeared.

"The Gyudondong," I read. "Once a thr-iv-ing…"

"Thriving," Halkenburg supplied.

"Thriving civilization, they were hunted to near extinction by flesh-hunters until laws prevented the practice. The current whereabouts of the tribe is unknown due to the remaining members of the tribe being forced off of their ancestral lands by modern development. The holes on their bodies are formed starting at three years old, when males are cir-cam…"

"Circumcised."

"Circumcised and then their bodies per-for-ated by needles."

"Perforated," Halkenburg corrected, though he was visibly wincing. "Typical that an Archaeological Hunter would send a book like this," he muttered as he glanced over my shoulder and turned the pages. There was a picture of a robed person wearing a headdress that looked like an Egyptian, a woman wrapped in what looked like a dress made of seaweed, and what looked like an Amazon warrior.

"Why is he called a Hunter?" I asked. "I mean, he just seems like an Archaeologist."

"That's just his main focus," Halkenburg explained. "A Hunter does a lot more than just that. Some of them search for new food stuffs, or viruses to keep outbreaks in check, or hunt down wanted criminals."

"So, it's like a club meant for people who just hunt something or another?" I asked as an eerie feeling hit. Why did this sound familiar?

"Precisely. Now, want to go see what Ging got for Juo and Kinze? I'm sure they'll be fascinated by your book."

The pair had received models of the ruins that Ging had found and wanted to restore. Juo was practically dancing.

The next morning was a rush of activity. Kinze and grandma Himari were fussing over what clothes I should wear for a picture with the Sleighman as I mentally prepared myself for whatever this version of Santa was like. I felt like I should have been a bit more excited, but… I just didn't feel like that much of a kid.

Finally, we were at an upscale shopping district and I was being guided into a line by Kinze.

"It'll be quick, sweetie," he told me. "They'll take you to sit on the Sleighman's lap, you tell him what you'd like for Christmas, and we'll get a quick picture."

I stared at the large sleigh, certain that some entity HAD to be laughing about this. It was nice to get away with certain things right now as a small child, but sitting on some random old guys lap while those who wanted to be my family took pictures crossed a line.

"I'm not certain about this-" I began, right as the 'helper' caught my hand.

"Your turn! My, what a pretty dress!" she declared in a too happy voice as she lifted me into the sleigh.

The old guy at least was an actual old guy, but I could smell the alcohol on his breath. It was also apparent because of his red face. He wasn't wearing a Santa suit, rather he was wearing a green cloth and fur costume, a faux sword strapped to his side with a long bow behind the seat.

Apparently in this world, the Sleighman/Santa was a Hunter who delivered sweets, toys, and food to poor communities to celebrate the New Year and the passing of the Winter Solstice. Unlike Santa, he was also a warrior who fought off bandits who plagued the communities and attempted to rob him.

"Hello little one! Up we go!" the actor declared as he lifted me onto his knee. "Where are your parents?"

"Over here, Lana!" Juo's voice called out, and my eyes turned to the men who were a rather obvious couple. They were getting stares and mutters from other couples.

"I see…" the actor stated as grandma Himari raised a camera, the disapproval in his voice causing me to smile at them just to annoy him. "And what do you want for Christmas?"

My parents were the first thought that came to mind whenever someone asked that. Like hell if I was going to give this guy that satisfaction. So, I recycled the same answer I had given to the therapist on my most recent visit.

"I want to be the flower girl at Juo and Kinze's wedding!"

There was a bit of coughing from the man before he patted my head. "You're such a sweet girl to want something so nice for your uncles."

"They're my dads!"

I was lifted off the man's lap a moment later. "Well, I hope you get your wish. Merry Christmas."

Halkenburg was shaking a bit with laughter as I was brought over by the attendant, then Kinze immediately wrapped me in a hug.

"Of course you'll be the flower girl!" he promised happily as he stood. Juo was standing intimately close to him, also looking very happy.

The following shopping trip was one that consisted of me being bounced from one minder to the next, each person using the time to buy Christmas presents. I thoroughly ignored the obvious bags they attempted to sneak out to the cars.

It was as we were leaving the shopping center that someone decided to be excessively rude to Kinze and Juo.

"Fags!" a woman called out angrily, glaring hatefully at the pair. "You're living in sin and taking an innocent child down the road to hell! Repent for your sins or you'll burn!"

Juo had my hand in one of his and his other arm laced through Kinze's. I glanced back at the woman but was given a quick tug on my arm. I still got a good look at the woman though and almost laughed: she looked like the typical Bible-thumper in a very long and conservative dress, her hair wound up in a bun, and a thick book in hand that for once, I felt no compulsion to read.

More importantly, other people were looking a bit embarrassed being near her and moving away.

"Children are a gift sent to a man and woman, not to fags who would rape them! Only a man and woman can raise a child correctly and those who believe differently and choose to embrace someone as a gay are no better than animals!"

My eye was twitching and I was slowing down, wanting to respond to the verbal assault on the two men who had been nothing but kind to me. Juo solved this by bending swiftly and picking me up, continuing to ignore the idiot behind us.

"Nature doesn't support a man being with another man, they just choose it for sex! Don't just ignore me and harass that child! She'd be better off coming with me to an orphanage! Hey!"

The woman was apparently used to having her targets respond to her, I now understood why Juo was keeping us moving and not engaging. She was getting angrier and looking more foolish by the second.

"Don't ignore me!" she screamed, then threw her book at Juo.

From over Juo's shoulder, I saw the book coming and reacted instinctively, my arm swinging back to guard my guardian's head. The spine of the book slammed into my arm and I cried out.

Everything happened so fast after that: the woman suddenly looked terrified as Halkenburg entered 'Angry Prince' mode and demanded her arrest while Juo set me down, he and Kinze checking my arm.

"I'm a doctor!" a shout came out, drawing my attention away from my guardians as they attempted to see if my arm was alright. Another woman stepped away from a small crowd, approaching our group at a rapid pace. "Let me see."

The woman who had thrown the book was kept from leaving by several bystanders until the police arrived to take her into custody for attempted assault and injuring a child. Unfortunately, Halkenburg had to return to the palace to see that the charges were processed immediately and without bias.

The lady doctor checked my arm, then requested that I be taken to the hospital for an x-ray. The concern proved unnecessary, my arm was barely more than bruised, but Juo still thanked the doctor and hospital staff profusely for their concern while Kinze and his parents hovered over me.

I was released from the hospital that same day and was more than happy to see the manor again.

It was three days before the Christmas party was to take place, apparently it was meant to occur on Christmas eve, which was the 22nd of December in this world, the day after the Solstice. I finally realized that I was three now, that I had been for several months.

Halkenburg called, explaining that he would have to stay at the palace until the party but wondering whether it was alright for him to return to the manor after the party. Kinze told him it was fine.

The day of the party was a surprisingly clear one and Kinze and Juo were dressed and ready to go right around noon. As it turned out, the Christmas party started at mid-afternoon and lasted until shortly before midnight. It was so long so that people could meet each of the royals in turn if they'd been invited.

The palace seemed like an oddly ordered madhouse when we arrived, valets and butlers parking cars and greeting guests while trying to keep any and all mess to a minimum. Halkenburg and Luzurus met us at the door.

"Glad to see you made it," Halkenburg stated formally as he shook hands with Juo and nodded to Kinze, Luzurus doing much the same. Then he asked in a low voice, "Would you mind if Luzurus came with us tonight after the party?"

Juo looked momentarily surprised. "He's welcome to come. Did something happen?"

Halkenburg looked embarrassed while Luzurus laughed, tucking his arm over his brother's shoulder. "This guy covered for me during my most recent raid of Cammy's closet! Because of him, we were able to buy some great gifts for all the kids at seventeen orphanages! Unfortunately, Greedy also noticed that one of her 'old dresses' was gone."

"I don't know how she noticed, that closet is bigger than Lana's room!" Halkenburg grumbled. "And still packed with extravagant clothing even after our 'donations' were gathered!"

"Cammy threw a fit then?"

"It was epic!" Luzurus exclaimed as we moved down the hall. "She was interrogating every member of the staff and fired all of her maids. We were able to move them to other jobs in the palace and many of them were grateful to be done with her."

"That was before Luzurus claimed responsibility, and naturally she didn't believe him. It probably didn't help that he borrowed a dress from Tubeppa and wore it in front of Cammy, claiming that he wanted to 'feel pretty.' It did cause the interrogations to end at least."

I was giggling at this point, Kinze smiled brightly, while Juo barked a laugh and clapped both boys on the shoulders. "Glad to hear you're finally acting like brothers. And that Tubeppa was willing to help."

"She just wanted to get rid of the dress," Luzurus informed Juo. "And mother asked that we bring you to her as soon as you got here."

The brothers guided us to a massive ballroom, and despite the party having just started, it was packed with people. The decorations made it look like a winter wonderland, even champagne flutes being carried on trays looked like they were frosted with elaborate ice crystal designs.

I was so busy looking each way that I failed to notice as our group approached a particularly busy area, or how the crowd parted easily for Halkenburg and Luzurus, Kinze and Juo following in their wake. Stopping caused me to look forward.

"Vicky," Juo greeted as he bowed, and I looked at the woman who was the mother of Halkenburg and his siblings.

'Vicky' was beautiful, there was no denying it. Even her smile was graceful, but her eyes held a definite sadness. It was apparent that she was the source of Halkenburg and Tubeppa's blond hair.

"Cousin." She sounded intensely formal yet also caring. It seemed that Kalkenburg had taken after her in many ways. "Cousin." This time she addressed Kinze and I felt a smile pull at my lips.

"This would be Lana?" she asked as her eyes settled on me.

"Yes, say 'hello' Lana."

"Hello," I parroted as Kinze set me down.

"She looks very similar to you, Kinze," Vicky said with a smile. "Has my son been behaving himself when he visits?" she asked.

The Queen chatted with Juo and Kinze for several minutes as I glanced around the room again and noticed that most of the people were congregating in groups that seemed to center around one or two people. By far the largest was before a throne and the second largest was around a rather tall and brutal looking man. Halkenburg and Luzurus also had a crowd forming around each of them.

"Mother, Cammy will speak with you."

The voice was sharp and had me instantly on edge. People parted as a tall, beautiful woman wearing an elaborate dress and jewelry walked towards the Queen. Her eyes were icy and gave Luzurus a momentary glare and completely skipped over Halkenburg before focusing on Juo.

"Cammy will speak with mother's cousin as well."

Why was this woman speaking in third person? I realized that a number of people viewed it as an elegant form of speech, but it seemed infantile to me, like the way a small child might speak.

"Would you give me a minute, Prince Camilla?" Juo asked. "We need to escort-"

"Cammy will speak to mother's cousin now. And cousin's partner."

Halkenburg stepped up. "I'll take Lana to the children's party," he offered, earning a nod of thanks from both Juo and Kinze. 'Prince' Camilla on the other hand, offered an elegant sneer, her eyes flashing darkly at me, before she walked away, her mother and my guardians in tow.

"Come on, let me introduce you to Tserriednich before we go." Halkenburg wrapped his hand over mine, and I realized that my hand felt very cold in that moment.

Luzurus wished us well before we walked towards the second-largest crowd that I had noticed, and once again the people parted like the water for Moses as Halkenburg approached. In the center of the crowd were two men, one was the intensely large one I had noted from across the room while the other was closer to average size. Halkenburg addressed the shorter man.

"Tserriednich," Halkenburg greeted.

"Halkenburg! Is this the child you told me about?"

The man seemed nice, but he felt off. Like his presence was something vile. Every instinct I had was screaming for me to not allow him to get near. The energy inside me reacted and seemed to push out as the man approached, almost like it was prompting me to move. The tall man who was behind Tserriecnich, though facing another direction, went rigid.

"This is Lana. Lana, this is the brother I told you about."

"A pleasure," Tserriechnich offered his hand, and after a moment of hesitation, I offered mine as well, but alarm bells pounded against my skull. Something was wrong with this person! Still, if Halkenburg said he was ok, I should put my misgivings aside.

"Halkenburg has told me that you're reading already. What do you like to read?"

I stared at the man for a moment. "Everything."

"Everything?" The smile on the man's face seemed a bit more interested, more honest, and strangely, more sinister because of it.

"Everything that I feel a compulsion to read," I corrected.

"What don't you feel the need to read?"

"The book that a bigot threw at Juo several days ago. If it causes that kind of behavior, then I don't wish to read it."

The Prince's response was to throw his head back in laughter, and I almost shook at his amusement. It felt like something slimy and the energy within me reacted again, pushing away to feeling.

Several minutes later, Halkenburg delivered me to a ballroom filled with children. The daycare I attended was divided into several rooms filled with toys and books for different age groups, and this single room had about twenty adults attending to roughly one hundred kids. They were everywhere: playing games and jumping on inflatable play equipment. And no Tserriednich in sight. I had never been so relieved.

The rest of the day was like reliving early childhood as kids, most of whom were bigger than me, ran around the room. At one point, I encountered a girl named Momoze who I ended spending the rest of the evening with. She was quiet and trying to replicate a knitting that she had seen her grandmother doing. It took almost an hour before I remembered that 'Momoze' was the name of one of Halkenburg's sisters.

There was a room right off the ballroom that had a number of cots set up for kids as they fell asleep, and seeing how I had a strictly enforced bedtime of 8 o'clock, I wandered in there before 9 that evening.

Kinze arrived to pick me up at some point and carried me to the car, the cold air causing me to wake up a bit, and I smiled at the sight of Halkenburg and Luzurus getting in the car with Juo. He might have been a bit of an idiot, but he was a good one and I much preferred Halkenburg in his company than Tserriednich's.

"What did Cammy want to talk to mother about?" Luzurus asked as Kinze buckled me into the car seat.

"A way to punish you for 'stealing' her dress," Juo answered. "Your mother put her foot down."

"How did that involve you?"

"It didn't. She wanted to talk to me about a different matter."

Halkenburg looked confused. "If not wanting to exile Luzurus to your estate, then what?"

"Inheritance."

Halkenburg drew in a breath but Luzurus remained quiet.

"Camilla wants to be the next heir to Duazel Enterprises. And she found out that I have made Kinze my heir."

"But… Cammy is a Prince! She can't inherit anything except the throne unless she gives up her title and the Hui Guo Rou name!"

"I know. She wants the laws changed. If she has her way, no domestic partnerships can have a survivor inherit from the deceased. Everything will go to the state, and in the case of a familial tie to the royal family, the eldest sibling of that tie will gain control."

"That would never pass!" Halkenburg almost exploded. "Partnerships are the only protection that Kakin gives to homosexual pairs! Isn't it enough that members of the Royal Family can build their own businesses with state funds?"

"Shh!" Kinze cut in. "We're not discussing this tonight. It's Christmas."

I fell asleep again soon after and didn't stir even when I was carried upstairs to my bed.

My first Christmas as a reborn child was filled with educational toys and books while Halkenburg received a new bow and Luzurus got several small items. I was watching the two in the garden as Halkenburg demonstrated to Luzurus how to string the bow when a car arrived.

The driver stepped out and glanced around before zeroing in on Luzurus and Halkenburg.

"Sirs, your mother requested that I deliver some things for you," he stated with a bow.

"Probably just some clothes," Luzurus muttered, then his eyes widened a bit as the driver pulled not just a suitcase from the car, but five wrapped packages as well which he carried to the door in trips.

"I believe the Queen said that the intended recipient was listed on the tags," the driver continued then pulled out an envelope from a pocket and offered it to Halkenburg. "She also requested I give you this."

"Thank you," Halkenburg replied as the driver turned back to the vehicle.

"Prince Tserriednich also requested I deliver these to the intended recipients." Now he pulled out two more wrapped packages, and glanced at the tags. "One is for you, sir. The other is for a 'Lana Pidel.'"

Luzurus's eyebrows shot up while Halkenburg offered a small smile. "You can tell him they were received," he said as he accepted the packages.

The driver got into the car and departed as the three of us entered the manor, Halkenburg fiddling with the envelope.

"Delivery?" Grandpa Konu asked as he entered the main hall. "Right when I thought the mess was finished!"

Luzurus had already divvied up the presents. "These two are for Hal, these are mine, and this one is for Juo, Kinze, and Lana!"

"Another just for Lana," Halkenburg stated as he handed the package to me.

I was terrified to open it, but did at the urging of the everyone else. It was a book, Celsius 233 by Roy Bradburn.

"Won't that be a bit… Adult?" Kinze asked as I stared at the book, thinking on what I remembered from reading Fahrenheit 451. I remembered the plot, but not all the details, a theme I had noticed with my memories. If it was something of this life, I could recall all the details, but my previous life memories were remembered with the same clarity I had in my previous life. It was like comparing high definition to a fuzzy broadcast from the 1950's.

Halkenburg didn't open the letter from his mother, I know because I spied it in his room on the dresser after he went back to school.

Halfway through January saw the manor overrun by the Pidel clan that had escaped East Gorteau over the years. The birth certificate that had been issued to Juo and Kinze indicated it was my birthday, so they believed me to now be three years old.

I read the book Tserriednich sent, little by little. It was more enjoyable yet deplorable than I remembered, especially upsetting was the burning of the books.

Luzurus didn't return to the palace until spring brought budding green to the land, choosing to perform his duties by commuting or over the phone.

I continued to attend the daycare at Juo's building, but every so often, protesters began to line the streets near the building. They protested Juo and Kinze's relationship as well as Kinze's adoption of me. Police were called more than once and Kinze tried to talk to me at one point about what was happening.

The therapist had finally stopped with her questions, and I finally decided to learn her name; Dr. Murphy.

Summer came and we attended Halkenburg's small graduation ceremony along with Luzurus. He spent his short summer with us at the manor and too soon departed for Miwall. There had been a small celebration thrown for his acceptance.

The leaves changed again, and Juo hired my first tutor around the time that I estimated I turned four in October. Two days a week were spent with the tutor from then on, with us flying through much of the elementary level of education within a month.

Several times I listened in on Kinze and Juo as they had 'private' discussions. Cammy was continuing to demand that Juo either name her the heir or take Kinze out of his will. They had determined that she had attempted to form several companies in the past and had failed terribly, which was why she seemed to think she needed an already established company. She wanted to prove herself to be a serious contender for the throne through industry since Prince Benjamin already controlled the military. She had failed miserably in following through with putting her wishes into law.

Tserriednich sent roughly a book every month, each a novel that could be considered a classic, and each addressing a theme that would be considered disturbing for one to introduce to a small child. One of the lighter books he sent addressed philosophical quotes which were actually fun to consider.

The leaves withered to dust and I gained another tutor, this one for etiquette. Being made to stand up straight and taught to address people by station had never interested me, but I wasn't going to allowed out of it. It was through this tutor that I learned more of the traditions of Kakin, the one thing that most interested me was that all the children of the king, male or female, had the title of 'Prince.' It was meant to demonstrate that each child, regardless of age or gender, had equal opportunity to inherit the throne.

It struck me as odd that a country could have such progressive practices yet so archaic as to cause people with alternative preferences such grief.

Halkenburg returned from Miwall when the Royal Christmas Party was just a week away. Similar to last year, I was taken by Juo, Kinze, grandma, grandpa, and Halkenburg with the addition of Luzurus this year, to see the Sleighman.

This time, as I was set on the old man's lap, I did have a wish. I didn't want to go to the Royal Christmas Party. The Queen had sent an invitation again this year. So had Cammy. And Tserriednich.

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Chapter Text

Halkenburg and Luzurus apparently planned their yearly sting on Prince Camilla's closet in conjunction with Tubeppa, she was the one to give them the 'all clear' on when to make their strike, which they did three days before the Royal Christmas Party. They were delivered back to the manor by a car, the driver obviously on the 'in' of what had happened since he had driven them to the site of the auction.

Both were laughing as they told Kinze and me of their 'endeavor,' Juo choosing to leave the room so that he could claim ignorance without even a hint of guilt in case Cammy noticed.

Cammy didn't notice.

The brothers returned to the palace again the day before the party, a grim reminder of what was coming. I didn't know why, but Tserriednich made me extremely uncomfortable. It seemed even more disturbing when Halkenburg told me that Tserriednich had said that he believed I had potential.

Attempting to throw a fit to make Kinze and Juo let me stay home just made me feel weird, and I knew better than to think that I could get sick by standing in the snow while soaking wet. Bacteria and viruses didn't work like that.

Trying to discuss my concerns with Juo had me trading points and counterpoints on why I shouldn't go to the party. Unfortunately, Juo seemed to believe that I was just shy and nervous, pointing out that Prince Tserriednich had sent me a number of books over the past year and the least I could do was thank him in person, even after sending him Thank You notes.

This led to me being guided into the palace by Kinze, praying that Tserriednich had gotten sick. Halkenburg and Luzurus didn't meet us, though they had already made plans with my guardians to go home with us.

The Queen, or 'Vicky' as Juo addressed her, greeted Juo and Kinze warmly once again, addressing both as 'Cousin' as she had the year before.

"I've noticed that Luzurus and Halkenburg are getting along well now, they've even drawn Tubeppa into some of their activities," she informed the men, the sad expression on her face seemed significantly lessened from the previous year. She even had a slight sparkle in her eye. "Just last night, Halkenburg and Tubeppa had a debate over the sciences. I believe they quite enjoyed it as they found parallels in Physics and Chemistry, their preferred fields."

I found myself liking Queen 'Vicky' more as she spoke with Juo and Kinze, trading stories on the goings on in the palace, Tubeppa's research, and how Luzurus had recently decided to dedicate himself to more charity work. He was talking about refugee and drug addiction assistance programs and beginning to look at what other nations did rather than maintain institution-style orphanages. Luzurus was talking to certain groups and people about setting up a foster care system in Kakin.

Juo in turn told her about how the company was doing, Kinze throwing in points about how some people kept trying to slap them with a lawsuit over something or another. Then Kinze started talking about taking me to see the Sleighman for the first time the previous year.

"It was so adorable! Lana was on his lap and said she wanted to be the flower girl at our wedding!"

The Queen seemed to morph then, going from beautiful to positively radiant.

"That's a good wish," she said as she looked down at me. "Hal-"

"Cammy will speak to mother's cousin now," a sharp voice cut off the Queen, and Queen Vicky's eyes and expression saddened.

In an extravagant silk gown with a velvet outer gown, her hair up in an intricate twist and held there by jeweled combs, with two necklaces around her thin throat, the value of which likely would have bought two cars, Prince Camilla was once again the picture of elegance and over-the-top opulence.

Juo sighed, glancing at his cousin who nodded, then to Kinze. "I'll speak with Camilla, you take Lana to answer Prince Tserriednich's invitation."

"You will refer to Cammy by the appropriate title," the spoiled brat snapped angrily. "The child can see Tserriednich alone. Cammy will speak with you both."

"Camilla, surely you can understand that they-"

"Cammy did not ask for mother's opinion. Mother should pay attention to her other guests while Cammy discusses issues with those that Cammy invited to speak with Cammy."

The Prince said the last statement as though getting the opportunity to speak with her was an honor. It seemed quite the opposite to me.

"I have some business to discuss with Prince Tserriednich. I could take the child and hand her off to a guide to take her to wherever she needs to go next." The speaker was a wealthy looking middle-age man who was a bit heavy in the midsection.

Neither of my guardians looked pleased. "Fontess," Juo greeted flatly.

"Duazel, imagine seeing you here!" the man jovially exclaimed. "Then again, for the cousin of our lovely second Queen, not attending would be rude, regardless of how other's might feel about him flaunting his little… Family."

His smile was the fakest thing I'd ever seen, and I pulled on Kinze's hand. "Is that a sleazy politician?" I asked quietly.

Kinze lost a small smile then forced his face straight. "You shouldn't say such things. Yes."

"Enough. That man can take the child so that Cammy need not wait any longer! Or shall Cammy have an escort for mother's cousin brought in?"

The more she spoke, the more aggravating I found this woman. No, girl. She was too immature to be anything other than a girl, especially since I had never heard her refer to another by their name. It was by a title or some other belittling noun, a way to show how much higher she believed herself to be.

Fontess on the other hand seemed to eat up the abuse and belittlement, savoring just being noticed.

I looked to the Queen. "Can I wait with you until-"

"The Queen is far too busy to watch a child!" Fontess declared, his hand grabbing my shoulder. Juo had to stop Kinze who looked peeved in that moment. Queen 'Vicky' looked ready to object as well.

"Mother, Cammy believes you should come as well," the greedy Prince stated as I was turned away.

Kinze managed one more request before I was ushered away. "Stay with Tserriednich until one of us comes to get you!"

The walk to the crowd gathered around Tserriednich was a short distance, but unlike last year, it took a few minutes to get through since the people didn't automatically part. Fontess said nothing to me in that time, just tightened his hold on my shoulder to ensure I didn't slip away.

It must have taken twenty minutes to get through the crowd and wait for our turn to be addressed by the Prince, and when he did look at us, I was almost relieved at the dismissive and disinterested look he gave Fontess.

"Prince Tserriednich, a pleasure to meet you," Fontess gushed, offering a slight bow. "I heard you were planning to build a new hotel and nightclub in Port City. Naturally, my company would be more than pleased to provide building material and I would love to assist in any votes you might need."

I rolled my eyes, unfortunately as Tserriednich glanced at me.

"Who do you have with you?" I almost shuddered as the slimy feeling crept over me again, and this time when the energy I had pushed against it, the tall man from the year before turned.

"Ah yes, this is the Duazel ward. Prince Camilla interrupted them as they were discussing bringing her to answer an invitation from you, so I stepped in."

Tserriednich waved the man into silence. "It's good to see you again, Lana Pidel."

Etiquette classes forced me to stand straight as I replied. "I see you're well. Thank you for the books. They were quite enjoyable."

"So you read them?"

"Some of them I could barely put down," I admitted. "Celsius 233 in particular was a horrifying, but fascinating read. The notion of a future where knowledge would be so restricted is daunting, and that people would believe Clarisse dangerous for wanting to know the why's and not just the how's."

"Not just knowledge, art as well. Art and culture, that is what separates mankind from pigs."

"Sciences do as well; I for one have never seen a pig capable in Physics. Have you encountered one, your highness?"

Tserriednich laughed and the energy activated again, pushing away the feeling of his interest and mirth. The tall man hadn't turned away yet and I felt more than saw his attention zero in on me. Assessing.

"I suppose I haven't," Tserriednich offered with a laugh. "At least not well. But I believe there to be a line between Art and Science."

"I disagree." The answer was so automatic that it shocked me and Tserriednich. Beside me, Fontess was radiating shock.

"Care to explain why?" Tserriednich requested, though the order was not missed.

"While Science is focused on understanding, it also involves innovation and invention. Anything that is created by science, whether that be technology or concepts, came to be because someone imagined them to be. Art is much the same: someone imagines something and brings it into being. The difference is that many times, science will create something that started as art, submarines for example. Those started as fantasy, as art, and then science made them reality."

Tserriednich stared at me for a long moment, the satisfaction on his face apparent. His cold fingers slipped under my chin and ice flew through my veins as every muscle in my body tensed with the urge to run.

"You may grow up to be quite interesting."

Luzurus arrived at that moment, and I would have latched onto him if I had been any less scared. As it was, fear had frozen me as I stared into Tserriednich's eyes. I could read him perfectly in that moment.

Tserriednich saw Fontess as a pig. The various men and women who surrounded us were pigs as well. Luzurus was a pig. I wasn't a pig in that moment, but how I wished I was. It would have been better, safer, than the interest I saw. He viewed me as Entertainment.

"Hey, I want to introduce Lana to Kacho and Fugetsu if you're done."

Tserriednich made a motion of dismissal and Luzurus took my hand.

I was frozen until we were halfway to the children's party, my steps robotic. Luzurus was filling the quiet with chatter.

"Man, don't know how you and Halkenburg can stand that guy, he gives me the creeps!"

'You and me both,' I thought, my mouth still not working.

"Anyway, Juo can't seem to get away from Cammy, so during a short break he asked me to get you to the children's party. I hear they're having peppermint cake this year! Man, I miss this party: no sipping champagne, few judges, and you get to eat all the sweets you want! I know the kitchen staff likes to bring their kids to this simply because of that!"

"Why don't you join us for cake then?" I asked, determined to hold onto someone whose presence I viewed as comfortable. "You want to introduce me to your sisters, so why not stick around?"

Luzurus authentically looked interested. "You know what, I think I will! Maybe I'll bring Kacho and Fugetsu in on the heist next year with Hal and me!"

"What about Tubeppa?"

"She might join. This year I think she joined because Cammy was being cruel about her looks."

Luzurus did stay at the children's party for cake as well as cookies and punch. He found his sisters, Kacho, Fugetsu, and Momoze and brought them to the small table we occupied.

Momoze was the same Momoze that I had met the year previous. She had been practicing more with knitting and claimed she was getting better, showing off her most recent piece.

Fugetsu and Kacho were twins, though their coloring seemed to make them perfect opposites. The were authentically surprised to see one of their older siblings trying to get to know them. They were also several years older than Momoze and me, at nine.

The remainder of the day was quiet, Fugetsu asking that Momoze show her how to knit while Kacho moved about and socialized or bounced on the play equipment. I might have joined her if not for the arrival of a messenger who bore a small parcel. One of the attendants asked around before finally zeroing in on me.

The parcel was from Tserriednich. Inside was a book that had a collection of stories by Julian Vernes, including 20,000 Leagues Under the Ocean.

When Kinze appeared to pick me up at just before midnight, I was still shaking. Seated at a table, the book was open in front of me. There had been a message that had been whispered to me when the book was handed to me.

"Why did Captain Nemo give the professor the opportunity to live?"

I already knew the answer: because he found him interesting. Captain Nemo was interested in Professor Aronnax for his work and his mind. Tserriednich's threat was obvious: I had to be interesting or he would try to do to me what Captain Nemo had done to Ned Land and Conseil, tossing them out of the Nautilus to drown as the submarine submerged.

Granted, Captain Nemo had changed his mind when Arronax had decided to join his shipmate and assistant, but I doubted that such a thing would happen with Tserriednich. If I failed to live up to the role of Entertainment, then I would be dead. Luckily, the way to play had been shown to me. But I did wonder what Tserriednich's touch on reality was if he believed a supposed three-year-old would understand this.

Kinze had been upset that I was still awake, lecturing about how I was obviously tired as he carried me to the car. He seemed tired also, and deeply upset.

Luzurus, Juo, and Halkenburg were already waiting in the car when we arrived, the mood somber. I didn't dare to let my eyes close until we had passed through the gates of the palace.

The next morning was filled with presents, laughter, and hot chocolate. I received more books as well as a book of hand-drawn maps and pictures from Ging. Halkenburg surprised me a bit by presenting me with a child's bow set.

"Never too early to learn a sport," he explained when Juo gave him a questioning look.

Since the set had the 'arrows' tipped with suction cups, there were no objections.

Juo and Kinze seemed a bit more worried during the day, not speaking about whatever was wrong no matter who enquired. When my bedtime came, they were quick to carry me upstairs and tuck me in.

Curiosity pulled me from my bed and I snuck back down after them.

"So what's wrong?" Grandpa Konu demanded, I could hear his worry from the hallway. I stuck close to the wall, not daring to get too close to the cracked door.

"Cammy," Juo stated flatly. "She refuses to realize that she isn't qualified to be made the head of a major business. I even offered that if she got her MBA, I would let her try her hand as a junior executive. She declared that it will either be her or no one."

I crept away from the door, having already heard about Cammy's threats over the last year.

New Years passed rapidly, and I continued to read the book Tserriednich had sent. It was surprising, the difference that a year made in regards to one's reading abilities, and I devoured the book.

Halkenburg and Luzurus left in the first week of January and the next week saw the celebration of my supposed fourth birthday.

My academic tutor was attempting to step back on the pace that we were going, viewing it as unhealthy. His efforts were acknowledged by Kinze and Juo who let him arrange trips to the zoo and aquarium. They joined in some days, and when the spring came they began to seriously search for schools for me.

"I don't want to send her to boarding school!" Kinze declared one day as he threw down a pamphlet that had been provided by Dr. Murphy. My therapist had slowly become friendlier to the pair, and during my last visit had spoken with them extensively about schools.

"I know, love," Juo murmured as he squeezed his partner's hand. "I went to a boarding school and I wished I hadn't plenty of times when I was young. I liked it more when I was older."

I stared at the two from the opposite couch as my tutor attempted to interest me in one pamphlet or another.

"The Royal Academy serves all grade levels," Kinze pointed out. "And it's close enough to the offices that we could easily drop her off every day."

"It's a good school," Juo admitted, "But you heard Neville, she'll be skipping grades! And Dr. Murphy told us that that isn't good for her when learning to socialize and interact with people!"

"You could consider an early college program," my tutor, Neville, suggested. "Have Lana do a sport for socializing while going to the Royal Academy for a few years. Port University has a program, one that Prince Tubeppa attended if I remember correctly."

As it turned out, I wouldn't be able to attend for another year, but the application process had to be started then.

Spring came and Juo seemed to be getting more nervous every week. Apparently, Cammy was refusing to move on or try something else. She had begun to show up at the offices, acting as though she held a seat on the Board of Directors.

Juo's parents made their first appearance at the manor at the end of April. I wasn't invited to meet them, but I heard the terse meeting that occurred since I was eavesdropping right next to Kinze.

"Father, mother," Juo greeted them in far to formal of a tone.

"This isn't a social call," a male voice snapped. "Prince Camilla is starting to cause far too many disruptions. She keeps insisting that she is meant to be the heir!"

"You should know your niece isn't a viable candidate."

"I'm well aware, but that partner of yours is not a good choice either! Camilla insists that you offered her a deal to make her the heir!"

"What I offered was a more than generous offer that if she were to earn an MBA, that she could try starting at a lower executive level."

"That's too generous! You shouldn't start her any higher than a supervisory position if she wants to prove herself so much! You've always been like this, too-"

I didn't hear the rest of what was said because Kinze chose that moment to grab me and walk away. Juo's parents left twenty minutes later, his mother throwing me a curious look when she spied me in the garden. I was reading Inferno, a book that neither of my guardians were likely aware of me having.

Summer came and Luzurus and Tubeppa both came to the manor, intent to welcome their younger brother back from his first year at Miwall. Halkenburg was doing well, achieving top scores in his classes as well as making the archery team.

Luzurus's charities were doing surprisingly well, though he was meeting a fair amount of resistance on trying to set up a system for foster care. Kakin apparently had deep seated beliefs about traditional values and families being bound by ties of blood and/or marriage. Adoptions for non-related individuals were limited to married heterosexual couples who had to go through an extensive application process. Blood relations had to exist for anyone else.

Tubeppa had put together a research lab at the palace and was quite pleased with the progress that she was seeing already in the development of a new mass spectrometer. The scientist wanted to create a new one that met all her specifications. It was proving to be devilishly difficult to develop, but she was certain that they could create one that would be economical and accurate.

That night, the three plus Juo and Kinze sat out late in the garden after I was taken upstairs to bed. Since my window overlooked the garden, I was able to see them. The discussion looked to be heated, but I didn't dare to open my window to listen in.

Moving back towards my bed, I was about to climb in when movement in the trees caught my eye. Turning fully, forced myself to not stare at the spot where the movement had occurred, remembering that the blindspot in human night vision was the center of vision.

I couldn't tell whether I'd seen an animal or a human, but I found myself hopeful in that moment. Turning my eyes back to the garden, I saw that no one else seemed to have noticed the movement, and then I saw the black figure.

Certainty caused my breath to become short, excitement rising. Had the militia finally found me? Were my parents here?

They wouldn't hurt Kinze or Juo, would they? I'd come to deeply care, possibly even love the pair.

Moving back to my bed, I climbed onto the soft mattress and grabbed my fox-bear before heading towards the door. Quick feet moved outside and I stopped right before grabbing the handle.

"Remember, grab the girl and keep her quiet. Last thing we need is for the brat to give us away by screaming."

"Grabbing a kid doesn't sit right with me," another voice murmured.

"We were ordered to kidnap either the partner or the kid. We can't grab that fag without being seen so that leaves the kid."

These guys weren't the militia, they were kidnappers!

Glancing back to the window, I contemplated trying to get to it and yell but doubted I'd be fast enough. Instead, I stepped back behind the door as it was cracked open, gloved fingers curling around the dark wood.

The door didn't open much, just enough for a head to peek in, their focus being on the bed.

"I thought you said that Jimber confirmed this room was the one the kid was in," the head whispered as his head swiveled back and forth a bit, and I could see the faint green glow of night vision goggles.

"He did," a voice behind the guy in the door confirmed. A faint buzzing sound came, then the voice ordered, "Check behind the door."

My head snapped automatically towards the window, realizing I was being watched even now, as the head swiveled and caught sight of me.

"Found you, brat," the voice whispered as the hand snaked towards me.

I practically threw my fox-bear down as I dodged the hand. A few steps brought me to a small table that had a stack of books I intended to read and I grabbed one, hurling it at the man who tried to grab me again. It struck him in the elbow, earning me a yelp as I grabbed another book as another man slipped into the room. The first man took a book spine to the knee before I hurled the second book at the second invader, catching him in the face.

My arm was caught before I could grab a third book and I kicked wildly, overturning the table and scattering the books.

A strong hand covered my mouth as a second lifted me, then one of the men was inserting a needle into my arm, and everything went hazy then black.

zzzzz
Juo walked down the hall, a cup of tea in hand to try to calm his nerves.

Camilla had issued another threat today, her most recent exploit had tanked spectacularly. He didn't know why she seemed to think that a successful business could be built inside of four months, but some how she did. More importantly, whenever a snag occurred, she seemed to think that she could use her position and title to power through it and bully people into complying.

He had hoped that she would at least consider taking a few classes towards an MBA, maybe have learned some of the skills required to negotiate and make sound decisions.

Lana's door was open a crack and he lost a small smile. For such a smart little girl, she sometimes missed very telling signs that she had gotten out of bed.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door slightly more open and slipped into the darkened room, moving towards the bed. He made it halfway there before noticing something very wrong. There was no dark head on one of the pillows, no tiny form under the sheets and blankets.

"Lana?" he asked out loud as his fingers found the nearest lamp, switching it on. Nothing seemed out of order other than the bed. Turning to the bathroom, Juo walked the few meters to the door and knocked, but there was no response. He opened the door anyway but didn't see his little girl.

As he turned toward the door to the room, panic surged into his chest when he saw the overturned table and books on the floor. And the fox-bear that Lana treasured, the last reminder of her destroyed home.

Lana NEVER made messes like that, and would never consider making a mess at all using books or her beloved fox-bear.

The tea cup shattered on the floor, forgotten as Juo dashed from the room. He rushed into his office where he kept his cellphone and had it halfway to his ear, the emergency number already dialed when his wrist was caught by a hand.

zzzzz
The next time I opened my eyes, I was definitely not in the manor anymore. The small, dark room confirmed that for me, as did the chain on my left ankle. I was lying on a thin mattress, covered with a blanket.

Footsteps caught my attention and I lay back, feigning sleep.

"See? Still out like a light," a gruff voice stated as plastic squeaked, most likely a chair of some sort. "That sedative'll keep the brat out for hours."

A second person grunted, then sat heavily on a chair. "Ou didn' gib yur nose broken by dat brat," the second person snapped. "Pocked a wollop wit dose books."

"Tanner's knee and elbow are both smashed, elbow was just dislocated but looks like the kneecap might be broken. Consider yourself lucky. Still not feel right about grabbing a kid?"

"Yes, wen I tink 'bout whut da dads'll do if tis is what ta kid does," was the response.

Slitting my eyes, I stared at the men and almost smiled. They both sat with their backs mostly towards me at a small table. Widening my eyes a bit, I glanced around the room but saw no one else. I did see the location of the medicine cabinet though; these idiots had stationed it near where they had dumped me.

Turning my attention to the one restraint I had, I did a rough estimate on the length of the chain then looked at the cabinet again. From where I was, I could see a single filled syringe. I would enter the peripheral vision of the guy whose nose I had apparently broken if I tried to grab the needle. I needed to wait for them to get distracted by something.

The men continued to talk.

"Can't believe the orders though: either kill the fag dad or grab the kid. Can't be seen doing either, and it has to happen tonight. Did you remember to leave the note?"

Silence was the response and I rolled my eyes. I'd been kidnapped by the world's most incredible idiots. Or had I? They had moved like… Like military men.

Focusing on them again, I noted the formalness of the men despite the fact they had definitely dressed down. The facility indicated funding, but also that they weren't used to taking prisoners. Not at all like the Black Brigade.

That they had completed a kidnapping when my attackers had likely been in pain, one of them severe pain from the sound of it, meant training and professionals. Escaping with the victim and a person who could barely walk would be difficult otherwise.

In total, Military. Likely a private force.

I turned my attention back to the men in time to see that one guy finish berating his partner.

"Go call the boss and tell him your mistake!" he ordered. "He might have an idea to get this back on track."

"Relax, I kin easuly deel wit tis," the broken-nosed man declared as he stood and headed for the door. His partner stood and followed him.

"Remember, no leaving the building!"

Seizing my chance, I shot up and wrapped the blanket around the chain before lurching toward the medicine cabinet, my fingers closing around the syringe quickly before I retreated back to the mattress, freeing the blanket from the chain as I did.

The syringe was stashed in the space between the mattress and the wall as I lay down again.

Hours slowly passed, and I knew it had to be morning by now. Unfortunately, without a window or a watch, I didn't have a way to confirm this.

"F*cking idiot," the supposed leader muttered as he entered the room, alone. I sat up and stared at the man, surprising him.

"Where's my dads?" I asked, attempting to sound innocent, and the guy's eyes softened a bit.

"Sorry kiddo," he sighed as he sat in his chair, though he did keep an eye on me. "Your dads aren't here."

"You're one of those people that want to take me away from them?" I pressed, doing what I could to sound tearful.

The man shifted in a beyond uncomfortable manner then and turned away from me. "You'll be fine, you've got other relatives who'll likely take you in."

"I want my dads!" I yelled, even as my hand wrapped around the syringe and my other hand wrapped the blanket around the chain again.

"Are you hungry?" the man asked, though he didn't look at me, which was fine as I crept up to him on all fours. "Kid?"

I struck like a viper, the needle slamming into his thigh as my fingers struggled for a second before depressing the plunger, the man's shock preventing him from reacting in time. I threw my weight against the chair to try to buy a second for the medicine to kick in, to keep him in the chair and away from the door, the energy assisting me. I was honestly surprised when my strength held, and seconds later the man was limp in the chair.

The door was smashed open a moment later.

"Lana!" Juo yelled as he rushed into the room, then froze, staring at me with shocked eyes. "Lana…"

"Oi! Move already! We ain't got time to…"

Ging stepped out from behind Juo and his eyes widened spectacularly. "Hell…"

Glancing at the man I had just drugged, I immediately stepped away. "I just knocked him out with the stuff in the syringe!"

Ging came back from his shock a mere second after Juo, who had started across the room.

"Sweetie, are you feeling ok?"

"I'm fine," I reported automatically as my heart began to calm, the excited nervousness from my plan beginning to wear off.

"Your eyes are red…" Juo stated in a shaking voice.

"It's called Scarlet eyes, and we really need to go," Ging informed him. "I'll tell you about it later."

"So it's… Normal?"

"NOTHING about this is NORMAL!" Ging exploded. "And I said we'd talk about this later! Now grab Lana and…"

I had begun searching my former captor's pockets under the scrutiny of Ging and Juo, soon finding the key in a breast pocket. Two breaths were released when they saw me unlocking the chain on my ankle.

Juo lifted me then, tucking my head under his chin and hugging me tightly. Ging on the other hand, grabbed the drugged man at the table and slung him over one shoulder.

I had been wrong, it was not yet dawn outside, and Juo settled me into my car seat while Ging shoved his captive into the trunk of the car before joining Juo in the front seat. It was the first time I had seen Juo drive since he and Kinze had taken custody of me a little more than a year and a half ago.

"Ging, what was-"

"Just drive," Ging ordered gruffly. "We are going to have a long discussion when we get back to your place, as well as with Kinze."

I could have sworn I heard Juo gulp as he started the car and pulled away from what I now saw was a bunker.

"Least we know who's responsible for this," Ging stated blandly. "This is land that your 2nd Prince wanted to build a cosmetics company on, or was it a spa?"

"A clothing studio," Juo corrected. "She talked about trying to bring top designers here for months."

That was the last of the conversation for the rest of the drive back to the manor. I didn't talk or sleep, instead staring at the window, studying my reflection. Ging had said that I had Scarlet eyes… I knew what it meant yet at the same time I didn't.

Juo's phone rang soon after the sun rose, and he answered it automatically. "Hello? Sorry love, something came up and I had to leave suddenly. Yes, Lana is with me… Ging wants to have a talk."

Juo sounded like he thoroughly dreaded this talk, and Kinze did as well. Ging kept glancing at me every few minutes, his gaze calculating and I got a sudden feel for how he truly was. Ging was a planner and right now he was weighing his plans, making adjustments, and trying to come to a decision. A decision that would likely hinge on whatever happened during his upcoming talk with Juo and Kinze.

Kinze met us at the front door when we returned to the house, quickly rushing over to pull me from the car seat and into a hug. His shoulder was caught as he straightened by Ging, who also had a hand on Juo's shoulder.

"Since your guests are still asleep, let's have this discussion now."

Kinze broke into a cold sweat as Ging pushed him into the house, while Juo seemed to have already accepted what was coming.

"Shouldn't I put Lana-"

"This concerns her too."

We were in Juo's office right as I began to get nervous, and Ging was quick to slam the door shut and turn the lock. A faint pulse went through the room and I jumped, though Ging grinned slightly.

"Ok, no one else is here," he finally stated before heading towards Juo's desk and then dropping into the chair.

"What is this about?" Kinze demanded, going on the immediate attack. "What happened last night? Where did you two go with Lana?"

"Nice ploy," Ging called out. "Giving her the name Lana, after your real cousin's daughter. Unfortunately, the real Lana is believed dead along with her parents. This kid is about the right age, and close enough in appearance to pass muster."

"What are you saying?"

"The Black Brigade doesn't just evacuate and aid refugees, they kidnap and sell people as slaves."

Both Juo and Kinze went rigid in shock.

"It took a while to crack their operation, and someone got to most of them before I did, but I finally found this one guy who was willing to talk. He told me about the dirty side of their operations, including the sale of refugees as slaves, or small children in adoptions."

Ging sighed and glared at Juo and Kinze through his bangs. "The Hunter Association is trying to keep this quiet since they worked in conjunction with the Black Brigade several times, so it won't make any news. But it does cause me to question how Lana came to be with you. Especially with those Scarlet Eyes of her's."

"Scarlet eyes?" Kinze asked while Juo stood defiantly before Ging.

"What happened? Why were Lana's eyes red?"

Ging sighed then glanced to the side and picked up a book. A book I recognized as the one he had given me for Christmas that first year. He flipped idly to a page and turned it so we could read it.

The picture featured was of a brunette man with glowing red eyes. My eyes widened as I read the passage.

"The Kuruta clan. Key feature of the clan is the Scarlet eyes, activated whenever one who possesses such eyes experiences extreme emotion," Ging recited. "Widely regarded as the most beautiful color in the world, Kuruta have been hunted in the past by people who either sought to see the eyes, or kill them for them."

Kinze's hold on me tightened.

"So, someone took Lana for these eyes?!" he demanded.

"No, I think your 2nd Prince is to blame, which reminds me, I need to get that captive out of the trunk before too much longer. Anyway, the location of these people is largely unknown."

"And you think Lana would know?"

"No, I think Lana was born to half-bloods or exiles. And the Black Brigade didn't know or else she'd have been sold for hundreds of millions to flesh collectors."

Kinze and Juo's eyes widened in horror as did mine.

"Which leads to our current problem: I know that you bought a kid. One who was likely kidnapped, possibly from East Gorteau. What are you going to do?"

"She's not going back to East Gorteau if that's what you're implying!" Kinze snapped. "You saw how small and thin she was! She's far better off here with us."

Ging focused on me. "Lana?"

I took a deep breath, finally at a moment that I had been praying for but uncertain of what to do. "My parents were just a bit older than Halkenburg," I admitted. "I want to see them again, but I don't want Juo or Kinze to get in trouble. I want to help everyone else who was kidnapped."

Ging bent his head slightly in thought. "Did anyone know what your cousin looked like?"

"No, Humi was born after we escaped," Kinze admitted as he adjusted his hold on me.

"Then if we can find Lana's parents, we might be able to arrange something," Ging concluded. "I wouldn't mind getting to study the Kuruta culture, maybe find out some of the locations of their old towns. Make no mistake though, I'm going to keep quiet about her, even tell the Hunter Association that you guys are one of the legit jobs the Black Brigade did. In turn, you're never going to let anyone know about her eyes. She'll be coming with me when I've found the location of the Kuruta. And if we find her parents and they want her back, you'll comply."

Ging rose suddenly, his eyes narrow as he turned to the window and found it faintly ajar.

He moved too fast to follow. One moment he was behind Juo's desk, the next he was halfway out the window, hauling Halkenburg up by his collar.

Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Chapter Text

Halkenburg was surprisingly understanding of the situation, even somewhat relieved to find out his belief in me was well founded.

He was also understanding of Juo and Kinze wanting to have a family, to the point where they had given the identity of Kinze's actual dead cousin to what they had believed was an orphaned refugee.

"It's the laws that caused this," he told them as he settled down with them while Ging went to collect the captive. He was staring at the book, still on the Kuruta page as I stared at it as well. It felt like I was missing something, something that just couldn't be real.

It hit right as Ging returned, the captive still snoring over his shoulder. Ging Freecs, the father of Gon Freecs. And the Kuruta clan, massacred by the Phantom Troupe.

"Your son, what's his name?" I asked as I stared at Ging while he settled his captive into a solid wood chair.

"Gon. He's the same age as you," Ging said nonchalantly before his eyes narrowed for a moment.

Good god, I was a defenseless child with a feature that had resulted in the Kuruta being massacred so a bunch of bandits could cut out their eyes! I had no doubt that the Phantom Troupe could and would kill Juo and Kinze if I was ever found out.

How had I never been made aware of this?! There should have been signs, something th-

Wait, there had been. The first had been my Uncle Al when he had looked so surprised that night with Uncle Gin. Then Uncle Phi muttering about 'bloody eyes' when I had asked about doing what Uncle Gin had done to me to cure others. Then Shizuku who had immediately shielded my face, ordering me to keep my eyes shut.

Both of the incidents that correlated with these events were moments when I had experienced a strong emotion, namely fear, and some anger during the kidnapping.

Good god, had Tserriednich seen?! Heaven knows that in the past year and a half with Juo and Kinze, he was the only thing to have raised such a reaction from me. What would happen when I eventually lost my temper?

I needed to learn to defend myself. Now. My eyes automatically landed on Ging.

"How do I become a Hunter?"

Ging glanced back at me, his eyes searching mine, and I could tell that he saw more than most. His groan as he turned away was one of utter dismissal.

"Sorry kid, you ain't got what's needed."

"What?! How can you know that?" I demanded. I was scared and angry at that moment, and becoming a Hunter was the only sure way I could think of to learn to use nen.

"I've trained several Hunters, and this latest debacle with the Black Brigade has caused me a new headache: Chairman Netero is demanding I apply for a Third Star and take up the position of Vice Chairman. Do you know how irritating that is?"

"That hardly sounds like something that anyone other than a lazy bum would complain about!"

"I got better things to do than be bothered by desk job issues," Ging declared as he shuffled around in a pocket, pulling out a small packet. "Can you send the kids out? I have some hold ups about interrogating someone in front of children."

"Hey! I'm not done!" I shouted as Juo and Kinze quickly escorted Halkenburg and me to the door.

"Yes you are," Kinze informed me firmly, then froze, staring at my eyes. "Halkenburg, please watch her. Don't let anyone see…"

Realizing what must have happened, I took a deep breath to level myself and saw Kinze relax.

zzzzz

After Halkenburg and Lana had been sent out, Ging glanced at the two men behind him.

"What I'm about to do is only legal because I'm a Hunter, and that's only barely. Even if you get upset, you can't interfere."

Ging didn't even wait for a response before he shoved the smelling salts under soldier's nose. The man's nose twitched a bit, but otherwise he didn't respond.

Ging stared at the man for a full minute in confusion. "Oh yeah, your kid hit him with that drug! This isn't going to do much good." The Hunter tossed the packet of salts to Juo, who gave them a brief sniff and choked, then placed them on his desk.

Kinze shook his head as he sat in a chair. "What are we going to do?"

"Wait for the drug to wear off," Ging replied, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I meant with Lana! She's supposed to start school in another year. How will people react if they see her eyes change?"

"This is the first time you've seen 'em, right?" Ging asked.

"Yes."

"Then I don't see the problem."

"The problem is that kids are cruel!" Kinze snarled. "I remember going to school for the first time here in Kakin. The school itself was understanding of my situation. My peers weren't. If not for Juo, I would have likely dropped out!
According to Neville, Lana could enter the 5th grade right now without difficulty. Most of those kids would be 11 to 12 years old. How do you think they'd react to a 4-year-old being in their class? Especially if she's been adopted by someone who is openly gay?!"

"In that case, there are choices," Ging responded. "Since the Scarlet eyes activate with emotion, you can try mood stabilizing drugs."

Juo's eye twitched. "I'd rather have her wear contacts or sunglasses."

"I know some people who could write a prescription for any of those things," Ging responded evenly. "The worst thing you can do is isolate her, she'll never learn to control her eyes and emotions otherwise."

Kinze stared at the Hunter for a long moment. "You originally said you believed Lana could be a Hunter, but just now you said differently. Do you still want to take her with you to meet the Kuruta?"

"I'll have to," Ging admitted. "They'll likely never let me get close otherwise. Oh, and look who's coming to!"

The soldier in the chair had just given a grunt and was fluttering his eyes open, staring at the three men. Two of them had expressions that momentarily flickered to murderous before cooling, the last looked rather bored.

The man sighed deeply then looked to brace himself, determined to remain quiet during the upcoming questions.

zzzzz

I glared at the door after it had been shut, but had to admit that as much as I didn't like this, I did understand it. Besides, I would have years to wear Ging down so that I could learn to defend myself.

"Come on," Halkenburg urged as he grabbed my wrist. "You need to get dressed then meet me in the garden."

"Why?" I asked, not really feeling up for a walk or whatever Halkenburg had in mind.

"You want to learn to defend yourself, am I right?" he replied. "I'm going to teach you to use a bow and arrow today."

Though I didn't see how archery was going to be of any help with what I knew could come, I did as he asked. The toy archery set he had given me for Christmas hadn't been used up until that point, but it was where we had to start. I was too small to use his bow.

The garden didn't have enough space for working with a target, so Halkenburg moved us to a slightly more open space just outside of it. We had the window for the office just barely in sight. Juo noticed and drew the curtains before we saw anything.

Luzurus joined us less than an hour later.

"Hey! You guys already have breakfast?" he asked. "Himari and Konu just showed up, she kicked the Jiemo out to make crepes!"

Jiemo was the cook, and a wonderful woman. She actually got along quite well with grandma and was probably brewing tea or chopping fruit while the two shared a conversation.

Halkenburg almost smiled at the mention of crepes, gathering his bow and arrows and setting them in his case, though he intended to return to them. The three of us wandered into the kitchen soon after to find that Tubeppa had already beat us there.

It took most of the day for Ging to draw out the information he wanted from his captive.

"It was definitely Cammy," Juo told us at dinner that evening, after admitting to Luzurus and Tubeppa that I had been kidnapped the night before. Both had been livid but had paled in comparison to the wrath of grandma Himari and grandpa Konu.

"Why would that wretched… AGH!" grandma Himari looked ready to strangle someone and even Ging, mouth overflowing with food, was staring at her.

"Her newest idea: eliminate any possible hindrances or force our compliance by what she views as a weakness," Kinze grumbled. "As my daughter, Lana is my heir and since I'm Kinze's, that is how succession of the company shall occur."

I choked at the mere thought of having to go into business.

"Killing me breaks that line of succession, leaving Juo without another heir. He wouldn't be allowed to name Lana his heir either since she's not of age and associated with the company. In turn, if Cammy has Lana, I would rather Juo write me out of his Will than let her get hurt."

Kinze's hand squeezed mine on the table, and his smile was warm. It seemed that he had come to accept my bloodline very fast and decided that I was still his child. It was… Comforting. The thought of being rejected had occurred, but I was glad that it didn't happen.

Grandpa Konu spoke next. "Does that mean that we'll be pressing charges against Prince Camilla?"

It didn't. She might not be very popular, but Camilla did have a fair amount of power as the 2nd Prince. The evidence we had was limited to a single captured soldier and a theory of what was intended.

Publicly, Cammy suffered no consequences. Privately, the nobles and business leaders of Kakin became extremely wary of the 2nd Prince. The 2nd Queen kept close tabs on what occurred and sent messages through Luzurus.

I requested to start taking martial arts and/or weaponry classes. Kinze wanted me to take ballet. We met in the middle with gymnastics. Secretly, Juo tried to teach me to fence but the foil felt wrong in my hands. We kept at it anyway.

As the summer slipped by, Ging did me a favor and went to Ochima. I gave him a description of the people who had purchased Shizuku, hoping he would help her as well as determine where it was that we came from. That wasn't meant to be.

The socialites were apparently the heads of a major drug and crime family. They had been murdered a mere week before Ging got to Ochima, their household servants slain along with them. Their additional crimes of keeping slaves and torturing people had made the story all the more sensational in Ochima when they were discovered.

Shizuku was nowhere to be found.

Juo also told Ging which hotel they had seen me in, and that horrible basement. Unfortunately, due to the Black Brigade being destroyed, it was now under new ownership and there was no sign of anyone who might have known of the previous activities. The basement had been completely sealed off for months.

Months passed. Though Tubeppa, Luzurus, and grandma and grandpa had been informed of my kidnapping by Cammy's forces, those that knew of my heritage remained at just Juo, Kinze, Ging, Halkenburg, and myself.

Ging also came through with a doctor, who willingly wrote a prescription indicating I needed to wear a special type of shade over my eyes. The shades were small, unobtrusive, and a very dark green. If at any point my eyes turned red, the shades would neutralize the effect to a casual observer. For occasions when the shades couldn't be worn, five pairs of one-use black contact lenses were also supplied. I could wear them for a couple of hours at most, when I was certain that they would be needed.

It seemed too soon that Halkenburg departed for school, though he did spend a few days in the palace with his mother and two siblings that he got along with before going. Soon after, the leaves became crisp and fell before withering to dust.

Then the horrifying thing came: another invitation to the Royal Christmas Party from Tserriednich. It arrived by messenger alongside an invitation from Queen Vicky, who invited all three of us to meet with her, Tubeppa, Luzurus, and Halkenburg. Tserriednich's invitation was only addressed to me and I felt sick just looking at it.

Tserriednich had continued to send books this last year, though not to quite following the same topic list. There was still plenty of philosophy, but the books were more welcoming of technology and science it seemed. I read each book, well aware that I would be tested as I had been the previous two years. I also read a book that had Kinze and Juo both scratching their heads: The Evolution of Evil. Unfortunately, the book offered no tips on how to deal with someone that you knew had to be evil, but rather explained how evolving society shaped how people perceived evil.

It did give me an idea on how to deal with Tserriednich though: understand his mentality.

Dr. Murphy surprised us all that year when she invited us to a brunch. She and Juo had become pretty good friends over the last two years. The brunch was attended by a Sleighman actor, and after last year, I'm certain both of my guardians were happy to not have such a public setting.

Luzurus arrived at the manor just as he had the year before in order to spend some time with Halkenburg away from the palace. Officially at least. Unofficially, Cammy seemed to have finally moved on and didn't have her eyes on Juo's company anymore. Instead, she was trying to reconsolidate her base of power and was doing it using her normal methods: bullying. So, he evacuated before there was an explosion.

Her target this time was the 3rd Prince, Zhang Lei, and the family of his mother, Tang Zhao Li. The Li family were a major clan that specialized in tea production and had done well in creating many blends that were believed to be quite beneficial for health and beauty. In addition, they also owned many ships used in shipping.

Currently, she was attempting to discredit Zhang Lei and accuse his family of some less than savory practices, such as forced labor. Just murmurs of such things caused horrible outrage in Kakin.

"Zhang's actually really honorable," Luzurus informed us at dinner the night of his arrival. "He might have a taste for the extravagant, but he'd never let something like slavery just happen in his family's businesses. He's had a hand in them since he was old enough to add!"

Juo nodded, "I'm familiar with him. We've helped with financing some of the ships for the Li clan and I've seen him at negotiations. I'll send a letter of support."

"Send him that thrice-" Kinze set his hands over my ears, but I still heard his thoughts on the captive soldier from my kidnapping. He had been given to Queen Vicky's forces for 'safe-keeping' and to help ensure the good behavior of the 2nd Prince. Apparently, if Juo thought that the 3rd Prince could sink Camilla with what could be gained from my kidnapper, then Kinze would gift wrap the man himself.

Juo didn't need to be told twice and after dinner, he called the 3rd Prince himself with the information. Luzurus also spoke to his half-brother, voicing his support and wishing him luck.

Tubeppa arrived the next day with Kacho and Fugetsu, mere hours before Halkenburg was expected. She looked rather confused.

"Zhang met with mother, and she ordered me to come here and bring these two," Tubeppa explained. "Queen Seiko is currently away, so no one objected."

Luzurus had been giving me a piggy back ride through the garden at his insistence when the trio had arrived, and had run up to them when he saw them arrive. Kinze had been watching us from Juo's office, having taken the day off due to having caught the flu and had also seen the three arrive.

"We gave Zhang permission to talk to the man who had kidnapped Lana," Kinze explained.

"That explains it," Tubeppa sighed. "This is going to be interesting. No wonder Cammy was trying to claim that Zhang has kidnapped one of her men and demanding that Benjamin have him released. Hope you don't mind, but some of my research and team will be arriving here later."

"It's fine, just don't expect me to join in," Kinze replied then coughed and sipped at his cup of tea, then glanced to Kacho and Fugetsu, both looking a bit nervous. "You're both welcome to whatever we have available. If you need anything, then just request it." Again he coughed.

"Thanks?" Kacho asked/replied, looking a bit less than sure of the situation.

"We'll have a great time!" Luzurus declared. "You can help me make a plan for raiding Cammy's closet and help with the shopping for the kids at the orphanages!"

Kacho had looked significantly happier at the mention of shopping. "Really? Clothes and toys?"

Fugetsu still looked uncertain, but as the day progressed and Halkenburg arrived and explained things to her more thoroughly, she seemed to lighten up and have a good time.

Queen Seiko arrived back at the palace three days later, and promptly called her daughters with the order to stay away. She drove out with Queen 'Vicky' Duazel the next day. Juo had been tight-lipped about what was happening at the palace, and with Kinze still being sick, news was very limited.

"Zhang Lei and Camilla are really having it out," Queen Seiko informed us as she accepted a cup of tea from Jiemo. "She's targeting the shipping business in particular, probably because it would be easier for certain things to be missed. Zhang and the Li clan are responding by opening all of their records as well as bringing up some unsavory practices that she has employed."

"That almost sounds like a typical audit," I stated, wondering why that would result in an evacuation of the palace by four Princes.

Both of the Queens stared at me, shocked that a supposed four-year-old would understand what an audit was, much less the word itself. They didn't know that my body was now five.

"It is an audit," Queen Vicky admitted. "An audit that has rival Princes and a powerful and wealthy clan behind it."

Now it sounded more like a plausible bloodbath. The feuding Princes were at each other's throats to such a degree that when Luzurus and his crew, this year consisting of Halkenburg, Kacho, and Fugetsu, snuck back to the palace for their raid, they pretty much walked out with more from Cammy's closet than any of them could have otherwise hoped. Only one person saw them.

"I didn't know Tserriednich was cool!" Kacho excitedly told everyone at dinner that night. "He saw us with all that stuff and ran ahead to tell the guards that he had seen ninjas running off with Cammy's Christmas wardrobe!"

'Probably had his own reasons, like seeing if people would actually fall for that,' I thought darkly, now slightly relieved that I hadn't been allowed to go.

The 'all-clear' was sent the next day by the Queens, seeing as how Cammy decided it was more important to let go of her feud with the 3rd Prince and pursue the supposed 'bandits.' The Princes had a shopping trip in route to the palace, as well as dropped off their purchased donations for the orphanages.

Finally, the dreaded day arrived, the day of the Christmas party. I had been praying the day before that Ging would arrive and say we had to leave immediately to meet with the Kuruta, but luck was not on my side.

The weather that day was grim, the grey sky threatening snow. Because of that, Juo insisted on us leaving early, and the snow began to fall before we were halfway to the palace. The intensity of it increased and by the time we arrived, Juo already had his phone out.

"I'd like to make a reservation for a suite," he said as we got out of the car. "No? What do you have available? That's fine. If the plows are operating, we should be there by midnight. I'm afraid we can't get there any sooner-"

Kinze was dusting the snow off of me, when a hand reached out and plucked the phone from Juo.

"Hello, which hotel is this? I see, then you will be happy to know that this is Prince Tserriednich and I do know that we have executive suites available. I would appreciate if you didn't lie to my guest. Excellent."

Tserriednich hung up the phone and handed it back to Juo, a charming smile on his face that caused my skin to crawl. "I apologize, but some of the managers think they can wait and wring higher prices out of people when they name drop. The room will be free of charge tonight seeing how you are my guests."

Juo smiled graciously. "Thank you, your highness," he stated. "Can I help you with something?"

"Would you allow me to borrow Lana? I just acquired some interesting artifacts and believe that she might enjoy seeing them."

I had no idea whether my eyes changed due to fear at that moment, but I was certain they did. Luckily, I was wearing a pair of the contacts. Hidden as they were, there was no way for Kinze or Juo to see.

"We could all go," Kinze offered before a guard approached.

"Juo Duazel? I've been asked to escort you to meet with 3rd Prince Zhang Lei."

Juo must have been expecting this since he didn't look surprised. And because it was a request from a Prince, one that was superior to Tserriednich, he couldn't refuse.

"I'll catch up with you," he promised as he walked after the guard.

Tserriednich had seemed unbothered as he nodded to Juo, looking like a gentleman. I couldn't read him at the moment, but I suspected he didn't view Juo or Kinze as pigs, but they weren't Entertainment either. They just were, and he would leave them be, for now.

I followed the Prince along with Kinze as decided as we passed turned down a hall, the best action for now would be to start a conversation.

"What are your thoughts on evolution and survival of the fittest?" It seemed to be an open topic that could go in many different directions, and would give me a better feel for Tserriednich's mentality, as well as hopefully clue Kinze in on something being wrong.

"An interesting topic," Tserriednich replied with a sly smile, and mentally I cursed. He was on to my plan. "The various environments lead to the rise of so many different mutations, with superior creatures devouring those that are inferior. It has been demonstrated thoroughly in nature and proven many times by those that study Biology."

"And yet it seems that ancient creatures, far bigger and more vicious, fell while smaller and less strong predators survived."

"True, I myself would have loved to see a Dire wolf, though I believe a modern wolf is likely smarter, and thus the reason it survived. Perhaps one of the best methods of survival that has been largely discounted has been the ability to reject open bloodlust for a calmer mind that can approach problems with reason and not brute force."

"Regular wolves formed packs," I pointed out.

"Led by an alpha male who makes the choices for the pack. Genetically, the rest understand the Alpha is in charge. Do you know why, Lana?"

"He's typically the biggest, strongest, and best fighter," I replied.

"So what of humans, who lack the claws and teeth of wolves?" Tserriednich asked as he paused before a door, calmly unlocking it.

"Intelligence, charisma," I replied flatly while Kinze glanced between us.

"Very good," the Prince responded as he pushed the doors open and ushered us inside.

"Viciousness," I whispered as I passed the Prince, making sure Kinze wouldn't hear me.

"Is that a Minet?!" Kinze declared as he practically raced to a large painting on the far wall of a garden.

"You have a good eye!" Tserriednich called after my guardian before his voice dropped to a whisper. "It sounds like you're likening humans to animals."

"Humans ARE animals," I shot back. "They have instincts, just as animals do. They feel a need for companionship and procreation, just as animals do."

"Humans use tools."

"Beavers build dams, something humans copied. Otters use rocks to open shellfish. Tools and building are not exclusive to the human race."

Tserriednich had guided me to a small door as Kinze continued down the length of the gallery, and alarm bells started going off in my head.

"So engineering isn't as impressive as many would want to believe?" the Prince asked, a touch of amusement in his voice.

"It's plenty impressive when you consider how far we've taken it, from tents made of skins to towering buildings of steel and glass. Each is a marvel of understanding physics, chemistry, weather patterns, and in some cases, art."

The smile on the Prince's face was sinister. "Art is exactly why we're here. Perhaps you can see the art in this piece."

The door was pushed open with a slight flourish and I stared at the thing on the opposite wall with momentary horror, then took a deep breath.

I'd heard of preserved human skins before, it had been around for hundreds of years. In my original world at least. The skins were usually tattooed from head to toe, and the skin of whoever this had been was as well.

My heart slowed as I stared at the skin, the tribal designs melting into roses, and tried to determine if I liked it or not. Tserriednich's hand on my shoulder brought me back to reality.

"You seem to not mind it. I will admit that I expected you to run," he admitted as he studied me in the corner of his eye then leaned in closer. "Only humans kill for fun."

My breath caught, my fear skyrocketed and I studied the skin with new eyes. It… The tattoos looked fresh, like the skin had just been inked, but no blood had been released. That it had already been drained… Oh god… Tserriednich had had whoever this was killed, skinned, and the pelt tattooed!

My eyes were definitely red behind my contacts.

It took ten precious seconds for me to calm down enough to respond. "No, dolphins do it too."

There was half a minute of silence that followed my comment.

"Interesting." Tserriednich's breath was warm on my ear, and it was sheer force of will that kept me from shaking.

Kinze and I were escorted to the main party twenty minutes later by Tserriednich. After showing me the pelt, he had closed and locked the door, then turned on the charm as he showed some of his favorite pieces in the main collection to my guardian.

"Thank you," Kinze declared enthusiastically as we left the gallery. "That was wonderful! I know Lana enjoyed it as well. And thank you for those books you send, she always reads them straight away."

Tserriednich laughed brightly. "It was no trouble, in fact it's quite refreshing to share those pieces with others who enjoy them! As for the books, I'm glad to hear it. I can tell that Lana is quite smart and it would be a waste to not try to assist in her intellectual development."

I was so shaken that I was barely aware of when Juo found us, right as we joined the crowd around Queen 'Vicky' Duazel. He seemed excited about something, and I later learned that the 3rd Prince and the Li clan had decided to accept a business transaction that they had been hammering out.

Momoze found me at the children's party when I was delivered there, and seemed to know that something had disturbed me. She filled the evening by telling me the stories that Fugetsu had told her had happened during their stay with Juo, Kinze, and me. She smiled brightly, talking brightly about how Luzurus and Halkenburg had become more brotherly to her and the other younger children. Just the day before, they had taken them to the park!

Fugetsu joined us and she and Momoze worked on a new knitting, comparing colors and styles while trying to determine how to make certain flower patterns.

The night wore on and for the second year running, I received a package from Tserriednich. This one contained two items: a gold encrusted dolphin made of crystal and a book called 'Utopia.'

When Juo came to retrieve me, I wasn't asleep, instead staring at the dolphin. It and the book were quickly swept up and I was hauled up by Juo and carried to the entrance. It was still snowing but the plows had religiously been clearing the fluff, and the hotel was just down the street, so the brief ride was quickly over.

I didn't sleep well that night, the image of that skin was burned into my eyes. All I could think of was how much I wanted to be far away from here, where Tserriednich held power. Even the Christmas breakfast provided by the hotel of sweet cream and lingonberry stuffed crepes sickened me.

The snow continued that day and Tserriednich called, insisting we stay and my guardians accepted graciously. I couldn't bring myself to tell them about the skin.

Dinner was an extravagant affair in the hotel dining room, with us seated in a special private room as the guests of Prince Tserriednich. My relief that he didn't join us was palpable, but things got a bit ugly as we were leaving.

"The Prince supports fags?" a whisper rang out in the dining room as we were departing, and my sharp ears and foul mood caused me to glare at the perpetrator, right as Juo's hand blocked my eyes.

"Face forward, Lana," he commanded.

"You shouldn't have to take ugly from stupid," I replied, and he squeezed my hand in response.

"Stay calm, sweetheart," he whispered, hand gently smoothing my bangs. He and Kinze had decided that I needed longer bangs earlier that year, something to help block my eyes.

"The Prince doesn't support fags, he likes support from businesses, even if it means getting in bed with fags!" a voice I vaguely recognized shouted and Juo couldn't stop me from turning my head.

"How's your knee?" I called at the man. "Did it fully recover after it got smashed while you were attempting to kidnap me, Tanner?"

The man's face went pale while Juo and Kinze both stiffened and half the room looked disbelieving until Tanner attempted run, only to slam into a waiter.

Long story short, probably not the brightest idea I ever had. But my temper was short then and I had needed an outlet.

Despite Tserriednich not being there, a small security force of his always manned the hotel and they apprehended Tanner before he could leave the building. Unlike his comrade, or maybe it was different techniques, Tanner cracked when questioned.

He admitted to being in the hotel to try to stir up some unrest and was arrested immediately for attempting to slander a Prince.

Tserriednich visited that night.

"I apologize for that rude appearance," he stated as he offered a bottle of some sort of alcohol to Juo, then offered his hand to Kinze. Since it was past 9 at night and I was supposed to be in bed, I was watching from the safety of the cracked door of my room.

"The rudeness wasn't yours to apologize for," Juo assured.

Kinze took the bottle from his partner and retrieved some glasses from the bar. "I'm afraid we are getting used to this sort of harassment. Prince Camilla has been rather dedicated to her vendetta."

"I'm aware," Tserriednich nodded as he accepted a glass with some of the red liquid in it. "She will also find I'm far less forgiving of rudeness than Zhang Lei."

"Will you be using this man, Tanner, to your benefit then?"

"Definitely. You know, the other day Lana likened me to the most surprising animal."

"Oh, which one?" Kinze asked as he seated himself next to Juo, across from Tserriednich.

"A dolphin!" Tserriednich's voice was bright as his eyes glinted, moving to just over Kinze's shoulder and staring straight at me. "I'm just like a dolphin."

Juo and Kinze both laughed.

"She must really like you then," Kinze stated. "But really, a Prince being like a dolphin?"

"I actually have been thinking on it and believe she was quite accurate. Surprising the things you can hear from intelligent children!"

I moved away from the door, shutting it silently and climbed into my bed. Tserriednich would be using Tanner against Cammy, I was certain, but not the way Zhang Lei had used the first guy. He likely already had a companion pelt being prepared to be hung next to the first one. The head wouldn't be needed.

My guardians and I finally left the hotel the next day, Luzurus and Halkenburg returning to the manor with us and we celebrated a delayed Christmas. Halkenburg gave me a new bow and arrow set, these had tips that could be changed out from suction cups to actual tips.

I began to practice with the small set regularly. I wasn't good, but I could hit a target decently. Gymnastics was proving to be a talent and I advanced quickly, at least partially due to the fact that I seemed to have no fear of falling.

Juo's attempts to teach me fencing didn't pan out well. I could handle shorter blades well enough, but longer ones always felt wrong. I didn't quit, but I obviously had no talent. Luckily, Juo seemed to enjoy the extra time we had together and continued the lessons.

My adopted fifth birthday passed, then several more months in quick succession. Spring came and I was outside every day for at least a few minutes to practice with my bow and arrows. Summer crept in, and Halzenburg returned from school. Queen Vicky, Tubeppa, and Luzurus visited for several days when he did, all of them looking happy to see each other.

Halkenburg chose to stay at the manor after they left, helping me with my bow and arrow practice. He was there when Juo had taken me for the Placement exam at the Royal Academy and had celebrated with us that night.

"6th grade!" Grandpa Konu had crowed loudly. "Skipped all the way to the 6th grade! She'll be accepted into that early college program in no time!"

"The examiner said that she tested higher, but they weren't comfortable putting someone so young any higher," Juo explained then nodded to Jiemo, signaling for her to join us for the meal.

Perhaps it was because I knew I had already gone through college, but I found it some what annoying to be put in the 6th grade.

Halkenburg left for school and then on September 1, I was loaded into Juo's car, dressed in an extremely formal looking uniform with the shades to hide my eyes. The car seat was thankfully long gone, and in route to the school, Kinze continued to review last minute points with me.

"The school day goes the same length for all grades, so you'll get out at the same time as Momoze, Kacho, and Fugetsu," he recited. "At the end of the day, go to the front office where you'll meet up with them. The four of you will be taken to the palace and you will stay there until Juo, me, or grandma and grandpa come for you."

I nodded, but on the inside, I screamed. My guardians had realized two weeks ago that they could take me to school in the morning, but I got out almost two hours before they did on a typical day, never mind a busy one.

Luzurus was the one who came up with the solution to the problem, suggesting I spend the extra time with Momoze at the palace.

That morning, Kinze walked with me in the school since he was my father on paper. We received more than a few stares when we moved to the area for middle grades and headed for the room number that was meant to be my homeroom.

"Remember to pay attention," he said automatically as we approached the room. "Some of those kids might have some cruel things to say, but don't listen to them. Don't get upset."

"Alright mom," I teased lightly, and Kinze smiled before wrapping me in a hug.

Several things I had forgotten about in regards to school: kids are intensely cruel and can be just as intensely stupid. This was proven in that as soon as I entered the classroom, half of the kids looked shocked and others looked angry.

"This ain't Kindergarten!" one boy with a prominent brow called. Seeing as how he was in the back of the room, I moved to an open seat in the front. My feet didn't even scrape the ground when I sat in the chair for the desk. And just to be smart, the person behind me decided to plant their feet on the back of my combination desk and chair and pushed, sliding the piece forward and out of alignment with the front row.

"I said this ain't Kindergarten!" the boy called again, having moved to stand next to where I now sat.

"Of course it isn't, so why are you here?" I asked.

Several voices laughed as the teacher walked in. "Good to see that the morning is starting out well," she began. "Good morning to you all, now please have a seat and I'll take attendance."

The boy moved back to his desk and I did a quick headcount. Fifteen students, and there were two homerooms for each grade if I remembered correctly.

The teacher had a stack of paper with her, and as she read each name, that person was passed a sheet of paper. When my name was called, I accepted the offered paper quickly. It proved to be a schedule. Each day was divided into four classes with alternating days being identical. Mine indicated I had science, math, study hall, and history on Mondays and Wednesdays while on Tuesdays and Thursdays I had literature, PE, geography, and computers. Fridays were blank.

"Most of you have identical schedules," the teacher explained as she stood before the classroom. "For the most part, you'll have classes with your classmates. As you'll also notice, Fridays are blank. This is because on Fridays, you'll be expected to join a club in the mornings, while in the afternoons you'll take weekly tests for your classes."

"Is there a club list?" I asked, wondering if I'd be able to join some sort of martial arts club since Kinze was still opposed to me taking lessons.

The teacher looked surprised for a moment then grabbed another sheet of paper from her desk and handed it to me.

"Sorry, most students are introduced to clubs in Kindergarten," she apologized as she handed me the paper.

That day, I found out just how much of the odd-man-out I really was. The rest of my class already had clubs chosen and attended regular classes. I was one of the eight 6th graders who attended 'special education' classes, five of us in an advanced program, the other three were in a remedial one.

The advanced 'special education' class had two full-time teachers, meant to try to keep us focused and moving. We could move as far ahead in the material as we wished, so long as we passed the necessary tests every Friday. Homeroom, PE, study hall, and computer classes were all conducted with the other students.

The teachers were notified that I had an 'eye condition' and needed to wear the shades at all times, inside and out.

Things seemed to go well on that first day, which was a Tuesday. I met up with Momoze in front of the office as the day ended.

"I was hoping we'd have the same class," the girl confessed as we settled down to wait. "Everyone was nice."

"What did you do?" I asked, trying to move my rather heavy bookbag out of view.

"Just introductions. Several of the teachers spoke about teaching my older siblings."

Kacho and Fugetsu arrived soon after, as Momoze and I were looking through the various clubs offered.

"I do flower arranging," Fugetsu offered as she led us out to where the car waited. "Ka-chan is in fashion club."

"Don't call me that!" Kacho declared, though it lacked heat.

Momoze found crafts club on the list, and I tried to find something that had anything to do with martial arts, but found it lacking.

Fugetsu shrugged when I asked. "They don't let youngers kids join the martial arts club, so they probably don't list it," she admitted. "It becomes available in the 3rd grade."

Wednesday went smoothly enough, then on Thursday, the rude boy from my homeroom finally decided to try making trouble again. In the one class we shared that day, PE, he did the typical childhood bullying gestures and started trying to push and shove me as the coach had us do laps.

"Fag kid!" he yelled when I tried to pick up the pace, then stopped suddenly when he attempted to trip me again, causing him to miss me. Luckily, the coach had eyes and ears and started separating us a bit more.

The months didn't seem to go as quickly as they previously had. Though I was keeping busy, school seemed to drag a day to unbelievable lengths. Then the afternoons were horrible as each day, I was terrified of seeing Tserriednich. The Prince never appeared, but I wondered how long that would last.

Once again, the time for the Royal Christmas Party approached and once again, Queen Victoria Duazel sent an invitation to my guardians and me while Tserriednich's invitation was just to me. A week before the party, Tserriednich's invitation was cancelled due to him having contracted an illness that would prevent him from attending. I breathed the biggest sigh of relief I had ever made.

Once again, I was not included on the raid of Cammy's closet, but the day of the party, Kacho was talking about it, privately, to Fugetsu, Momoze, and me.

"She has two whole closets now!" Kacho complained. "One of them is almost as big as my room! And they're packed with dresses, wraps, shoes, and jewelry!"

"She's excessive," Fugetsu offered gently.

"Mother has told me that, and brothers Luzurus and Halkenburg warned me, but this is beyond what I imagined! We only saw one of her closets last year, and it's the smaller one!"

Despite Kacho's complaints, the Christmas party was actually enjoyable for me that year.

The New Year passed, school started again, I supposedly turned six, and was almost halfway through the 7th grade curriculum. The 'special education' teachers didn't bother trying to keep me on a schedule, just let me move to whichever subject I wanted.

I had settled for gymnastics club since martial arts was out, but kept asking to be allowed to take lessons. Kinze finally acquiesced after almost of full year of asking, allowing for me to have lessons twice a week. The instructor was an elderly man who seemed a bit put off to be teaching a little girl, but definitely knew what he was doing.

Summer came and school let out, with me having finished the material for 7th grade as well. The school officials didn't like it, but they had no choice except to bump me up to the 8th grade.

Halkenburg visited for a short time that summer, then moved to an internship. He would soon be starting his Senior year at Miwall and was excited. He had been appointed Captain of the Archery team and believed they would have a good year in competition.

Fall came again, school started again, and I hit the ground running as I had the year previous. Part of me felt that I should consider slowing down since I didn't know what I wanted to do after school yet, especially since I would be ready for college in the very near future.

I also reminded myself that there was the possibility of becoming a Hunter. No, it was necessary at this point. I needed a career that would allow me to get FAR from Tserriednich and learn nen so I could defend myself. Becoming a Hunter was about the only legal thing that would allow for that since it would allow to leave the country quickly and without requiring permission.

I had a rough idea that the Kuruta massacre would be occurring in another year, but I didn't know what I could do for that. I doubted even Ging could hope to stop the Phantom Troupe.

My actual birthday passed, meaning I was now seven. It was just entering December and I was trying every trick I could think of to get sick. Some kid at school sneezed? I stepped into range and inhaled. I licked my hands, hugged people who coughed, and did everything that would normally make me vomit since I knew all about bacteria such as S. aureus and E. coli. Nothing worked.

Finally, I came up with the most perfect thing! It was something that could appear distressing and no one could possibly be immune to: food poisoning!

A week before the Christmas party, after the invitations had been received and while Juo and Kinze were planning a trip to see the Sleighman, I snuck into the kitchen while Jeimo was out and got a glass of milk. Taking it back to my room, I hid it in my closet and stuffed a coat under the door.

The milk was a chunky, horrendous smelling mess by the day of the party, but just the thought of Tserriednich and the number of human pelts or other things he may have collected in the last two years and would want to show off, had me chugging it.

Grandma Himari found me an hour later, the glass safely hidden under the sink, crumpled on the bathroom floor with a fever and vomiting into the toilet.

It was a small victory, but a victory none the less when Juo and Kinze apologized and left me at home grandma Himari and grandpa Konu. I was put to bed immediately after they left, with my grandparents checking in on me regularly. As it turned out, the food poisoning didn't last anywhere near as long as I had thought it would and I was better by evening, though I still acted tired for the sake of no one finding out what I had done.

Juo shook me awake after midnight that night, his face a bit tight as he turned on the lamp, Kinze behind him.

"Wha-?" I asked, terrified of what might have happened.

"Ging called. He found the Kuruta clan," Juo stated in a tired voice. "They want to meet with you in a month."

Chapter 8: Chapter 8

Chapter Text

The time leading up to the visit with the Kuruta was busy. Christmas was a bit muted due to Kinze and Juo seeming a bit worried. I already knew that they were terrified of losing me and tried to comfort them a bit, going so far as squeezing onto the couch between them.

Halkenburg, Luzurus, Tubeppa, and Queen Vicky joined us for Christmas that year, with me being examined by Tubeppa-the-scientist to ensure I was healthy. They picked up on the somber mood very quickly.

"What's wrong?" Luzurus flat out asked over Christmas dinner.

"Nothing," Kinze responded too quickly.

Even Luzurus could tell he was lying.

"Lana's mother's side of the family has some members not in East Gorteau. They got in contact and want to meet her," Juo covered.

Queen Victoria almost beamed. "That's wonderful!"

Kinze's expression turned particularly stormy.

"They can't dissolve the adoption," the queen pointed out. "You'll have our support."

An uncomfortable silence followed and Halkenburg chose to try to change the subject. He brought up the Foster Care program that Luzurus had been pushing hard for.

"I heard you finally got a majority vote in Parliament," the college student stated and Luzurus grinned.

"Yeah! Zhang and Tubeppa both got behind me in the last few months, providing funding and research on how much better of a system foster care is over institutional orphanages. Got the vote the day before the Christmas Party!"

"Zhang Lei did it to help his image," Tubeppa pointed out. "After Cammy's slander, he wanted to do something to show how serious he is about defending those who are vulnerable."

"Better him than Cammy," I stated, my dislike of the woman having skyrocketed in the last few years. She was still a lesser evil than Tserriednich in my opinion, but I might not throw a life jacket to her if she fell off a boat. If it was Tserriednich, I'd throw the anchor at his head and consider it a good deed.

"Can't deny that," Tubeppa admitted. "Zhang can be kind and reasonable, even if he lives for excess and extravagance."

The Queen, Tubeppa, Luzurus, and Halkenburg all remained at the manor until after the New Year, when Halkenburg returned to school. While Tubeppa worked on research, something I found more and more interesting, the other three plus Kinze worked on a legal plan for the foster care system to be presented to the Parliament.

Things were more interesting at school. Because of the pace I set and remembering so much of my previous life, the only new information was in History and Geography. Those were easily covered by reading, so I was plowing through the 9th grade material now.

When Kinze had come in to discuss me taking a vacation to visit family, the response had pretty much been that I was set for the remainder of the year if needed.

According to records, I was now seven-years-old and the party that year was a small affair involving just Juo, Kinze, and grandma Himari and grandpa Konu.

The day after my 'birthday,' Ging arrived. He stormed in during breakfast on what was supposed to be my last day of school.

"Alright, we've got ten days to get to that meeting and these people live so far off the beaten path, it'll take a three-day drive from the nearest town with an airport," Ging declared immediately as he seated himself at the table, slouching in a manner that had me wincing after having so much etiquette beaten into my head. "That gives us seven days to get to the Chingko Airport in Lukso Province.

"That's a trip that shouldn't take more than three days by airship," Juo stated. "Meaning we have a few days."

"True, going to call in?" Ging asked with a snarky smile.

"Yes, actually," was the response. "I've been getting ahead of work and arranging things as much as I could. I haven't taken a vacation since the five-day trip when we… picked up Lana."

"And that was hardly a vacation," Kinze pointed out. "I finished almost all of my projects as well. If something comes up, we can be reached by phone."

"So, when will we leave?" Ging asked as he grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl, then the coffee pot.

"We'll finish up our preparations today and Lana has school," Kinze replied as he handed Ging a cup for the coffee. "You have no objections?"

"You kidding? I'm not going anywhere alone with a kid! Plus, there are likely ruins nearby and this could be my only chance to investigate! I'd be an idiot to not bring some assistants."

"So, we're your ticket in and pack mules?" Juo demanded with a small smile.

"With me, you don't have to worry about immigration," Ging pointed out. "Otherwise, you'd be waiting months for a tourist visa that would only be good for ten days!"

School that day was tolerable except that my idiotic former classmate in 6th grade, Holmer was his name, caught up to me as I was heading into the special education hall for my last period. Unfortunately, special education classes, both remedial and advanced, were held in a private hall of the school. Everyone entered through the same door and then moved to different rooms.

Holmer caught up to me as I collected my Analysis of Functions textbook from my locker.

"Well well, it's the fag kid," he declared loudly as he slammed my locker door shut. Thankfully I had already removed my book and stepped back quickly.

"It's the verbally challenged Neanderthal." Turning, I headed towards the Special Ed hall.

"So, I have a running bet. Some people are saying that you got pushed ahead another grade, but I bet that the story that you're some super smart kid is just a lie. I bet you're actually a midget who's at least as old as us, except in the remedial classes. And the fags were the only ones who wanted you."

Hearing nasty things from adults directed at Juo or Kinze usually was enough to get a rise out of me. They were wonderful people. Hearing a kid utter such things towards me was almost laughable, especially since I had been in Homeroom with him the previous year and knew his grades were barely above the point that they would put him in remedial classes.

When he passed the doorway into the Special Ed hall, I had a rising suspicion, and it was proven right when he attempted to follow me into the 8th and 9th grade advanced room. The teachers were both busy and I automatically opened my folder to check my assignment when Holmer grabbed my book. He stared at the title then brayed like a donkey.

"You're trying to understand how to set up a math problem?!" he howled and I rolled my eyes.

"Young man, I don't believe this is your room," one of the teachers, Mr. Fueven, said as he stepped over.

"Relax, I'm in this hall for one period, was just saying 'Hi' to a former classmate." Holmer tossed my book onto the table as he turned to leave, Mr. Fueven following him to the door and shutting it.

"Did he bother you, Ms. Pidel?" Mr. Fueven asked as he focused on me again. All the teachers at this school were formal to the point that a student was never called their first name.

"He was just being a teenager," I replied as I focused on my book before mentally adding, 'One that I would like to punch sometimes.'

Mr. Fueven sighed then turned his attention to one of my six classmates, heading over to see what the young woman needed.

Holmer caught up with me as I was leaving that day, following me to the front office.

"You really got nothing to say?" he demanded. "I might be in special ed for one period, but I can tell you're there all day!"

My shades were on, a practice I had kept since being given them, but even as Holmer swatted the back of my head, knocking me over rather firmly, I couldn't say that they were needed. This kid had nothing on my former-father, and it was easy to anticipate where his childish bullying was headed.

"Hey!" a shout came from up the hall, and I was surprised to see Luzurus standing by Momoze, his bodyguards heading straight for Holmer. Luzurus was by me a few seconds after the bodyguards passed.

"You ok, Lana?" Luzurus asked as he offered me a hand up.

I accepted the hand with a nod. "Something that I just kind of have to expect currently."

"Why'd he do that?!" Momoze looked immensely upset as she glared at Holmer, who was being held by one of the bodyguards.

"Because he's a bully." Luzurus groaned his answer as he gave the kid a flat look.

Holmer wasn't having any of this. "Let me go!" he demanded loudly as he tried to kick one of the guards. "Wait til my dad hears about this! He's Samuel Fontess!"

After my first meeting with Fontess, I had seen him several more times at court since starting school. He was always trying to ingratiate himself to any of the royal family that he came across, though his focus was mostly on the higher ranked Princes. This being his son made a lot of sense.

"What do you guys care if I make fun of the fag kid in special ed?! She's in special ed and everyone knows that that's for the retards!"

I almost rolled my eyes, Luzurus actually did, and Momoze looked a bit confused.

"Special ed?" she asked before a throat behind us was cleared.

I had never seen the Head Master of the Royal Academy, it was a good thing since it usually meant that you were in serious trouble when one was called to his office. Other matters were dealt with by one of the three Deputy Headmasters/mistresses; it had been one of them who had spoken to me when they had bumped me up to the 8th grade.

Head Master Mackernasey was a large man, his dark hair cut short and just beginning to grey. Rumors said that his brother was a Hunter and he had taken the exam twice before a leg injury left him missing his leg from the knee down. It could be true and he had a prosthetic since he walked with a permanent limp and had a cane.

"It seems that someone might need to have their horrible behavior corrected as well as have Special Ed properly explained," the Head Master stately in a gravelly voice.

Holmer Fontess was taken by the shoulder by the Head Master and guided into the office, most likely for a discussion as well as have a phone call made.

"What's Special Ed?" Momoze pressed as Kacho and Fugetsu approached.

Kacho jumped in to explain. "Most people think it's a class for people who don't learn as fast, but that doesn't make sense because I know Tubeppa was in Special Ed."

I let Luzurus explain it after that, and he of course had to throw in that I was in Special Ed, though the others already had guessed based on Holmer's statements. Thankfully, because they had had several siblings that had been in such classifications, the three girls willingly dropped the subject.

Kinze and Juo were a bit late picking me up from the palace that day, but I had expected it. What I didn't expect was to find half the books from the manor library stacked in the foyer when we got home that evening. Juo wasn't surprised.

"Ging, why're the books out here?" he called as he stepped around a rather large pile. "And you had better have plans to put these back! Ging?"

"Up here!" a call came and all three of us looked up to see the professional Hunter looking intensely unprofessional as he read on the chandelier, a book open in his lap. A book I recognized as the oldest book in the library.

"You had better be wearing gloves!" I shouted at the lazy Hunter as he leafed through the fragile book, and my vision went red as he licked his very much not gloved finger and turned a page. The only thing that kept me from attempting to climb up to the chandelier to strangle the man was the fact that the only route involved having to climb on books.

Taking a deep breath, I noted that Ging, though not looking at me, was definitely paying attention.

For a moment, I thought of trying to go find his bag to see if there was anything in it to get a rise out of him, before a much more malevolent idea struck.

You can tell a lot about a person at a meal. Table manners indicate how they've been raised and their general demeanor. Preferred foods indicate the region they are from as well as any sensitivities.

Ging had a taste for sweets, especially ice cream. I had noticed this during his sporadic visits, when he'd usually ask for ice cream.

Moving to the kitchen, I saw that Jiemo was busy and easily moved behind her, grabbing a jar of mayonnaise from the fridge and moving it to the freezer. I snuck out again before the friendly cook could turn around.

Determined to distract myself at least a little bit, I opened my backpack to see if I had brought a homework assignment, but naturally, it was empty. The wonders of Special Ed when you're ahead and about to go to a 'family reunion' at my school: they don't give you any homework. I had already finished the most recent book that Tserriednich had sent.

Considering the fact that he had deigned to send a complete set of a classic book series called 'Alienist Hollander' that was extremely similar to Sherlock Holmes. The main protagonist was an alienist who used his abilities to form an early version of profiles for criminals, then checking their backgrounds once the suspect was arrested.

It seemed like he was sending me a rather notable message, namely in he was analyzing me. Trying to figure me out. And since the books were the sort that would be read for entertainment, a warning against boring him and skipping another Christmas party.

Moving to the library, I groaned at the sight of all the books that had been scattered around the room and grabbed the nearest book. A mere glance at the spine, and I knew exactly on which shelf it belonged, third case to the door right of the door, second shelf, tenth book in. The book that belonged next to it was on the chair by the window, next to the book whose home was on the case directly to the left of the door, fifth shelf, second space in.

Making my way through the room, I collected book after book, setting them into their place then stared at the still mostly vacant cases.

"A Book Hunter," a voice declared behind me, and I turned to stare at Ging. "If you had the right stuff, that's the sort of Hunter I think you'd be."

Ging moved past me easily, feet almost not touching the floor despite the large stack of books in his arms.

"What do I lack?" I demanded, channeling my almost 21 years of abuse and the determination I'd found in the years following. I wasn't going to be a victim ever again and Ging wasn't going to stop that.

"Not determination," was the nonchalant response. "But if you find it, then you'll know."

His hand slipped, causing him to drop a book, and I almost howled at him as I swooped forward to catch the book then set the book in its specific place. Instead, I considered what he said. I lacked something that I could gain, but what? I needed to consider that.

My eye twitched as I focused back on Ging and saw he was tossing books on the shelves in a random looking pattern. Unfortunately, he was putting the books back into their places and I was certain that 'nen' or whatever the word for it was here was to blame.

What did I lack? The question haunted me until dinner, and then I excused myself to get a scoop of 'ice cream' ready, setting the bowl in the freezer and transferring the mayonnaise back to the fridge.

What did Kurapika, Leorio, Killua, and Gon all possess that I lacked? I wasn't going to count Hisoka or Illumi since they weren't really interested in becoming Hunters, just in the privileges the license would allow.

Goals? No, Killua lacked those when he entered the exam, and I did have a goal, namely in finding my family. Gon kind of lacked them also except for the goal of finding Ging.

Passion? Once again, Killua kind of lacked that at first.

I had returned to the table distracted with my thoughts, so naturally I had barely noticed the meal. That was probably why Ging wasn't clued in on my prank when Jiemo asked if anyone wanted the one scoop of ice cream she had found in the freezer. Ging accepted the 'ice cream' right as I focused on him, trying to consider his attributes, and I lost a grin right as he shoved a big spoonful into his mouth as his eyes locked on mine.

Suspicion flashed in Ging's eyes right before his face contorted in disgust, and he spat the mayonnaise into the bowl.

"Sour," he offered in explanation when everyone else looked at him in confusion.

My thoughts continued later on as I considered what it was I lacked, with me finally focusing on the main characters.

Gon was driven, cheerful, and his goal for becoming a Hunter was finding Ging.

Leorio was driven also, with a very good heart though he was also a pervert. He wanted to become a doctor so he could save people, and becoming a Hunter allowed him to attend school for free. Also using the license, he could get high paying jobs that would allow him to treat people who couldn't afford it for free.

I'd likely get on board with that if I followed through with my plan from my previous life and became a doctor.

Killua initially had no goals other than not wanting to kill people anymore, not wanting to be an assassin.

Kurapika was focused, serious, and believed in a rather extreme justice. His goals involved avenging his as-of-yet still living clan and bringing the Scarlet… Holy shit.

I lay awake that night as a new problem occurred to me: I might be able to say or do something to help Kurapika's clan survive. But could I? Warning them might cause them to move, but that could draw a lot of attention. If Kurapika hadn't left yet, then that could result in him dying along with his clan.

If he had left, then we could be at the epicenter of a massacre. I doubted that the Phantom Troupe would spare a bunch of tourists. What if we arrived and the massacre had already occurred? The guilt would be on me for not sending an alert to them through Ging. It was too late now.

How was I so short-sighted? I had wanted to be a doctor, saving people was what I had decided I was going to do, yet my plans up until this point had been focused on defending myself…

That was it.

Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio had all defended others. Killua had learned it later, after he'd become friends with Gon, but he had come to authentically want to save those he cared for.

I was in my room at this point, the hour approaching midnight, and I jumped from bed. There might not be much time, but there was some. There might be something that could be done.

I ran towards the guest wing at top speed, ignoring the cold floor under my bare feet. Ging had to know something, had to be able to do something! If nothing else, he might be able to send a message ahead of us.

Ging barely glanced up when I entered his room without knocking.

"Thought you'd have b-"

"The Kuruta are going to be attacked."

Ging sat up straight. "What?"

"They are going to be attacked, massacred almost to the last person. Only one will escape, and it's not me."

Ging stared at me hard. "Why do you think this?"

"A memory."

The Hunter's eyes narrowed as he studied me, thinking hard. "We can't avoid this meeting," he informed me. "If they know your parents and they want you, your dads have to give you up."

"That isn't what this is about! The Spiders are going to attack."

"In this memory, what did you see?" Ging demanded.

"What?"

"What did you see?"

The anime had never shown the massacred Kuruta, Kurapika's flashbacks… "Horses, a twelve-legged spider. Their eyes are going to be gouged out."

Ging nodded, though his form was still tense. "Are you sure you won't survive?"

"No…" I honestly had no answer to that.

"Ok, go back to your room and tell me immediately if you 'remember' anything else," Ging instructed as he moved to his bag and pulled out a phone.

"That's it?" I demanded. "Is that all?"

"What else can you do?" Ging shot back.

I took a deep breath, already understanding that I really couldn't do anything. I knew better than to try to fight the Troupe and they could and would win against the Kuruta who would have no warning.

"You can think, so do so Takara."

It was the first time I had ever heard Ging use my name, and it centered me in that moment.

"What would happen if we approached this wrong?"

"At best, caution," I admitted. "At worst, disbelief or panic. Both of those would result in the annihilation of the clan since disbelief would mean not listening to our warning. Panic could cause a careless move that would cause the Spiders to cut them down faster."

"So what is the best course of action?" Ging pressed.

"Find the most level-headed of the Kuruta, preferably an elder. Alert them to the situation and have them start a small-scale evacuation, starting with those that can't fight, disguised as hunting or gathering parties. No bags or suitcases. Have some sort of system to check-in and send them on different routes… Or with a Hunter and his assistants for a unique opportunity to learn about some ruins." Now I gave a meaningful look to Ging.

Ging grinned in response. "So, the kids and some scholars? Learn about some ruins? More hands to help clean them up!"

His attitude turned serious again. "I'm going to make some calls. How should I-"

"Make something up!" I almost shouted. "Tell them you heard someone talking in a bar, anything more credible than a seven-year-old told you!"

"Fine, fine," Ging stated in a flat tone before pushing me out of the door. "And remember, tell me if you have anymore of these 'memories.'"

I was halfway back to my room before I realized that Ging thought I had visions. It would make dealing with him in the future difficult.

Ging was awake the next morning for breakfast, despite that I knew he had been up all night. He chatted amiably with Juo and Kinze.

"I spoke with the Elder of the Kuruta clan last night," he stated as I sat down. "He asked us to push back our meeting three days. He's allowing someone to take the test to leave the village and wants some time to organize a party for our visit to the ruins."

"He agreed?" Juo asked, his voice thick with excitement.

"He sounded like he was looking forward to it. Apparently, a number of the young people are restless and he hopes this'll appease some of them."

Kinze wasn't as avid a lover of ruins as Juo, but he was willing to go along with his interest. "Since they pushed back the meeting date, does that give us more time?"

Ging shrugged. "I want to head to Lukso Province within the next few days, we'll get out of the cold. And the food there is good."

"You're meeting someone." This statement came from me, and Ging shot me a look.

"We're all meeting someone. About 128 someones. And they're not sure about your parents just yet. They suspect that they would be half-bloods that were sired accidentally by members of the clan who were traveling."

Kinze visibly relaxed while Juo was a bit more discreet.

"We'll keep our plans then and leave tomorrow," Juo decided. "Good thing too, I have one more meeting today."

"I thought you finished yesterday?"

"Camilla."

"The Prince? What-"

"Don't ask," Juo, Kinze, and I all practically yelled.

That day dragged by. I wanted to talk more to Ging, get a better idea for his resources, but he disappeared. Instead, I ended up in my room with Kinze who fussed as we repacked my bag for the fifth time. We couldn't take conventional suitcases, so backpacks were being employed instead. Kinze loved dressing me up in dresses, so he was naturally upset that I put my foot down against them for this trip.

Juo's return was both a relief and a reminder of the mess that Prince Camilla was causing. She seemed to have finally given up on taking over Juo's family company, but she was still determined that she needed to improve her standing in some way.

Ging appeared at dinner, with a carton of ice cream which he handed immediately to Jiemo.

Juo told all of us about Cammy's recent attempts to lobby corporations into investing in her most recent project: an organic make up company.

"She did some research this time," Juo admitted. "She knows now that she'd need chemists as well as people with an eye for color. Now if only she could minimize her attempts to bully people into compliance."

That night was the longest since I had come into Juo and Kinze's care. We would be leaving in the morning and I paced the floor, terrified of what was going to soon occur.

I had deduced that Kurapika had been tested so he could leave the village, and we were expected there in twelve days. We would be cutting it close at best. I knew that Ging wouldn't tell Juo or Kinze what we believed was coming, they'd refuse to let me go near the country, never mind the village. And without me, Ging wouldn't be able to do anything.

I fell asleep some time around 2am, then tension had me up again at 7. Kinze was just opening the door to wake me when I finished dressing.

"Excited?" he asked as he took my backpack from its place next to the door.

"Yeah." But not for the reasons he thought.

When we all loaded into the car that day, I looked back to the manor that had been my home for four and a half years, wondering if I'd be coming back to it. Everything was suddenly far more precious, including the moments when Kinze would squeeze my hand or Juo would offer me a reassuring smile.

I was shaking a bit when we reached the airport, though it was probably just dismissed as the cold.

"You got to be kidding me," I grumbled as we boarded the airship.

"I remember the first time we brought you on one of these," Kinze giddily exclaimed. "We had just taken custody of you and you tried to escape me when I was carrying you onboard."

"I remember. I ran into Ging."

"You were adorable," Kinze replied as we headed towards the stairs. "Let's get settled. Juo and I will be in the main stateroom, which should be… right…here." Kinze pushed open a door to reveal a large room.

My room was next to theirs, and Ging's was further up the hall. My room was agony to look at due to it being identical to the one I had occupied on my first trip in an airship. I couldn't look at it and not think of that first night, right after being purchased/adopted by Juo and Kinze.

Juo must have recognized my hesitation over entering the room, because he directed me to another room, across the hall from what was originally supposed to be my room.

This room had a slightly different layout, but I still found myself staring at the window during takeoff, watching as Port City was left behind during takeoff. My eyes found the royal palace and I stared at it for a long moment, quickly coming to the conclusion that one bright point at the end of this would be that I might not ever have to see Tserriednich again.

Juo and Kinze hung around me a fair amount that day, making talking to Ging about certain matters difficult, with us finally getting a few minutes in the afternoon when I managed to corner him in the reading room.

"What is the plan?" I demanded urgently.

Ging glanced at the door then shrugged. "No plan other than what I told you earlier. We'll be taking a group with us to visit the Ortho-Kuruta ruins, a town that was once the seat of power for Lukso when the Kuruta were a ruling family. They gave up that power about 300 years ago and the capital was abandoned. If there happen to be another party of Hunters there, they can help provide security and support."

"They won't let you close to their current village, will they?"

"No," Ging admitted.

The next several days were torturous in length. Staring at the windows only reminded me of the fact that we were in a balloon and going a very far distance. For once, books couldn't distract my buzzing mind. I didn't much care for television or movies anymore, but whenever Juo or Kinze would ask me to watch something with them, I'd comply.

We had nine days until the scheduled meeting when we landed at the Chingko Airport. Ging directed us to a hotel before disappearing, his orders being to remain in or near the city.

At Juo's insistence, the three of us explored the city which reminded me of an almost Chinese-like culture. Dragons and phoenixes were common decorative pieces, and there were tours of several ancient palaces near the city as well as gardens and museums.

Having not had the time for a 'proper' vacation since my adoption, Juo and Kinze dove headfirst into the activities. Over the next four days, we visited three palaces, six gardens, and two museums, one for art and the other on natural history.

Finally, Ging returned and he brought a car with him, having ordered that we were not to rent one, much to Juo's consternation.

The first day of the journey was a long cross-country trek over grasslands ended with us having to wait for a ferry. Since the next one left in the morning, we stayed at a small hotel that Ging used his Hunter license to get us into. This proved an interesting night for all of us since there were only two beds. I ended up on the sofa after Ging took one bed, and I refused to allow either Juo or Kinze to take the sofa or the floor. They were both in their 40's now and couldn't take such punishment without pain.

The ferry ride took almost eight hours out of the next day, and once off, we were in a rather mountainous area. That night, we couldn't find a town and instead slept in the car, Kinze sharing the backseat with me while Ging and Juo kept the driver and passenger seats respectively.

On the final day of our commute, with two additional days until the meeting, Ging drove through the roads of the mountainous country, stopping every so often to check his map before continuing. We passed through one tiny town after another, each looking smaller.

At one point, I was certain I saw a boy on the side of the road with dark blond hair, but I said nothing. If that was Kurapika, then not interfering with him was the only way to ensure he survived at the very least.

"Don't think I need to remind you guys of this, but no telling anyone what we're really here for," Ging stated as we rolled into a tiny town and he finally brought the car to a stop in front of what had to be the only motel in town. "If anyone asks, I'm an Archeological Hunter and you're here as my assistants. We are waiting for an additional team to catch up with us before heading to the Ortho-Kuruta ruins."

"The Kuruta are that secretive?" Kinze asked.

"They're feared and hunted, of course they are. It was a miracle I was able to get in contact with them at all."

Luckily, this motel had three available rooms. Juo had initially wanted two, one for us and the other for Ging, but upon hearing that they only had singles, had instead opted to take the second key for the room I'd be in. And lay down some rules which were that my door was to be closed and locked. He would use the key to enter. If someone knocked and I was uncertain of who they were, I was to use the room phone to call him or Kinze.

Those measures were unnecessary since I was never bothered in the motel. Instead, a number of punks patrolled the town and they had an ungodly love of giving people from out-of-town a hard time. Kinze became a favorite target of theirs after he and Juo had been sighted together, looking far too intimate to just be friends.

They trashed talked him, slinging slurs from across the street. On one occasion, they had even gone so far as to throw eggs and rocks at Kinze's feet. Kinze turned red more than once, and his temper fast approached boiling when Juo wasn't there to mediate.

Juo spent an inordinate amount of time on his cellphone, talking to secretaries and board members at his company. Two of the senior board members had spoken in favor of giving Prince Camilla the funds she wanted, hoping she'd finally leave them be. Another two staunchly opposed, certain that if they gave in that she would come back for more. Juo's father was still the head of the company but wanted Juo to make the final call. Both of the factions had taken to calling him, discussing the points behind their stances.

Ging and I found the path that we would meet our guide at, and on the day before the meeting, I found myself staring at the road, shivering. We wouldn't be taking the car tomorrow, and I wasn't certain what was going to happen. I was terrified and excited at the same time. Would they figure out who my actual grandparents were, or perhaps they would be my great-grandparents?

Neither Juo nor Kinze were particularly chatty that night, and Ging was absent. My seven-year-old body had finally had enough in regards to sleepless nights and I passed out early in Juo and Kinze's room, waking up early to find myself between them in bed.

Ging met us in the lobby, as did our guide that morning.

"Pleased to meet us all, my name is Mizeru," the man introduced himself, his voice more than a bit accented.

I bit back a smile at the small flub in the man's speech.

"Before we go any farther, your blood in clan test."

Now his flub was phenomenal.

"You mean test her blood? How?" Kinze asked when the man nodded.

"Scarlet eyes. If she can activate them, we'll go."

I had known that I'd need to do something like this, and for the first time in a number of years, I lowered my shades in public.

"Hold it!" Ging declared loudly as he shoved us towards the back, Juo and Kinze following. He glanced around, looking for anyone who might be around before nodding. "Clear for now."

I focused, thinking of moments that I had felt strong emotion. Tserriednich came to mind, being kidnapped, the terror of being sold.

Nothing. The fear of those moments seemed muted now.

Scouring my brain, focusing on upsetting moments that had caused my eyes to burn, but nothing stirred for a long moment. Then I remembered my father's face, his dark eyes smiling as my mother held me out to him. I had only been a year old at the time of the memory, but I had known by then that I could trust my new teenage parents more than I could my previous ones. Because of the Black Brigade, I might never see either of them again, or any of my family. I didn't know if they were alive or dead, and they didn't know about me.

Without the Kuruta, I might never know since those who were also kidnapped… The image of Kihu's limp body flashed through my mind and for once, rage blazed in my veins, completely overturning the fear from that moment.

They could all be dead, and I couldn't do anything!

"Definitely Scarlet eyes," an unfamiliar voice floated into my head. "Bright."

"Lana?"

The world had exploded with light when my eyes started burning, now something dark lowered in front of them but the world continued to shine.

"Lana!"

Shaking brought me back to reality and I looked up at Juo to find his worried face studying me. Kinze was next to him, checking our surroundings.

"Need to get going, long walk," our guide stated. He had a look a fading surprise on his face, like he hadn't expected me to actually have the eyes.

Our guide seemed intent to not draw any attention as we left the town, part of why we were leaving early. It was barely past dawn as we walked into the forest.

"It'll be six-hour walk," Mizeru explained. "Stay close because can be dangerous."

The first two hours were not difficult, even if they were mostly uphill. The path was easy to follow. Then our guide veered into the woods and progress slowed spectacularly. Though neither of my guardians were in bad shape, they weren't in great shape. Juo was a bit better off due to his fencing practice, but Kinze dragged hard.

I did decently due to gymnastics training, but it was obvious that I was still not in as good of shape as Ging or Mizeru.

Conversation had tapered once we left the road, now it was completely replaced by gasps and groans. Any attempts I made to help my guardians were waved away.

The area finally flattened out, fruit trees and berry bushes dotting the forest, becoming more common. Finally, seven and a half hours after leaving the village, the first of the buildings belonging to the Kuruta appeared.

People moved rapidly amongst the buildings, some with basket or cloth sacks. Chatter reached my ears as we approached, the language yet another unfamiliar one. A shout came as a kid rushed toward Mizeru, latching onto his leg and babbling happily in the Kurutan language.

Our guide smiled happily and lifted the child as another kid, this one almost a teenager, slowly walked over.

"Pairo," Mizeru addressed the boy with a nod, and the boy responded with several words I didn't understand, though Mizeru's name was amongst them. Mizeru's response was short, then the boy turned to us.

"Hi, welcome to the village! I'm Pairo. I'll take you to the Head Elder."

"Ok," Ging responded as his eyes glanced around at the people, most of whom paused to stare at us. "Guessing everyone is excited about visiting the ruins?"

"Yes!" Pairo declared with excitement as he began to slowly walk towards the buildings. "First time we've done this, most surprised. Kurapika would have loved it."

"Your friend?" I asked as I watched a woman packing some dried fruit that I didn't recognize into a pack. She looked up at us with an excited expression and waved.

Pairo waved back to the woman.

"Yes, Kurapika is best friend. He took leave exam and left two weeks ago."

"No way to contact him so he can join us?" Ging asked immediately while Kinze pointed out a nearby cart that had three small children in it.

"Are they planning for us to leave TODAY?!" he demanded as Juo patted his arm.

"Yes, three-day hike at slow pace," Pairo explained.

It made sense to me, if I thought a massacre was coming, I'd want everyone to evacuate as quickly as possible. But how was the Elder making this possible without raising suspicion? Or were the people so excited that they weren't asking questions?

Glancing at a pair of chattering women who smiled broadly at our group, I leaned towards the excited explanation.

Pairo led us to the largest building in the small village where we were met by another man. This one definitely looked like a scholar, and he greeted our group curtly.

"I see Mizeru did lead you here. The Elder is currently overseeing some last-minute preparations, but he told me to let you all into the meeting house. Feel free to relax. Pairo, would you stay with them?"

"Ok!" Pairo responded as the door was opened, and he promptly ushered us into the space.

The inside of the house was cozy, the front room looking to be a meeting room of some sort. Several floor cushions were scattered around the room, and a low table had several charts written in a language I couldn't read.

"So you're from the outside world. What's it like?" Pairo asked excitedly. "Kurapika was so determined to go, and I'm waiting for him to come back and tell me. What's it like?"

I stared at Pairo for a long moment, uncertain of what to say. If he survived this, then he'd be meeting the real world in excruciating detail very soon. If not…

"Good and bad," I admitted. "People are people, you have to find the good."

"I think you've seen plenty of good, Lana," Juo pointed out as he glanced at the charts. "What are these?"

"Records of people who were allowed to leave who might have sired offspring. It lists where they went," Pairo explained as he glanced at the charts then pointed at a list that contained what looked like five possible names. "I think Elder Baine is trying to figure out who Lana is descended from."

The premise made sense: find out where two could have sired kids that could have encountered one another. Provided that the people reported fully and truthfully, it narrowed down where I could have come from dramatically. Where my family was.

"What's listed?" I asked as Pairo's finger trailed down the list.

"Is East Gorteau mentioned?" Kinze pressed.

"A Gorteau is," Pairo replied, drawing a nod from Kinze.

"Could have been when the East and West were still one nation."

Ten minutes passed as Pairo was requested to read off the various places that were listed and the people involved. Glam Gas Land, Zaban, Begerosse, and Gorteau were all listed and I honed in on Glam Gas Land after Ging pointed out that it was in a desert area.

Finally, the door swung open and an elderly man with a prominent beard hustled in.

"You lot are later than expected. The first group will be ready in an hour, so get ready to move," he ordered without preamble before focusing on me. "Mizeru confirmed to me that you have Scarlet eyes, so we'll be trying to determine your relatives in the clan tonight. We'll also be discussing some things with you though I thought you'd be older. Now, how old are your parents?"

"Hey! Lana was a toddler when she got kidnapped!" Juo snapped. "We adopted her and have been raising her since."

"And brought her here, to the people she belongs with," the man who I presumed to be Elder Baine pointed out with a bit of irritation.

"Actually, according to the laws of Kakin, I belong with them." My interruption drew a flat stare from the elder, so I elaborated. "They have paperwork assuring them that I was the daughter of a cousin and an adoption was granted. The dissolution of this adoption could only occur if it were proven that I was being endangered or abused by them, which I guarantee is not happening, or it is proven that I'm not a blood relation, even a distant one. You can't disprove that."

"Your eyes prove a more notable blood relation to us."

"They raised me, and they are terrific parents. In this case, a psychiatrist would argue against me being removed from their custody since I'm quite well adjusted!"

"You're going to be just like Kurapika!" the elder yelled.

"Logical?"

"Determined to have your own way! Even if it's not in the best interest of everyone involved!"

"Who are you to determine that?!"

"Hey! Easy, both of you!" Ging ordered as he shoved his palms between the elder and me. During our arguing, we had been moving closer and now were almost in each other's faces. "This isn't the time to argue!"

The elder sighed as he sat back, though I still felt tense about this guy. "You're right. I welcome you, but I'm afraid that I'm needed for getting the village in order. Our current historian for the Kuruta clan will be going through the records, cross-referencing what is known about your past in order to narrow down possible relatives. Lismo is a brilliant record keeper and knows more of what those who have visited the outside world get up to than I do."

Juo sighed. "Alright, then we'll meet wi-"

"You'll be leaving with the first group," the elder ordered plainly, earning dismayed looks from Juo and Kinze. "Outsiders are not needed here at this time and I'd prefer you to leave."

Juo's eyes narrowed. "Then how will we be speaking to this Lismo?"

"You won't. Lana will."

Kinze objected immediately. "We're not leaving our daughter!"

"Only for a night, she'll set out tomorrow with the second group."

"Then we'll wait, outside the village if need be, and join that group."

"It's only a day," I pointed out to the men, as I turned to Juo. "They probably want to discuss some things with me, and it's best kept private."

Kinze's hand grasped mine. "You're seven," he pointed out. "You haven't been away from us for even a night since we brought you home."

"You're… One of my dads," I admitted. "But you can't shield me from this."

"You're not being left here," Juo stated firmly, and my eyes sought out Ging.

Ging looked me in the eye, understanding what I was asking immediately. His fingers tapped both my of guardians on the neck, knocking both men out instantly, causing Pairo to stumble while the elder scowled.

"Are you sure?" Ging asked as he lowered both men to the floor.

"Yes. Get them out of here, and don't let anything happen to them."

"Could it happen tonight?"

"Yes." My throat was dry beyond belief. In fact, it was damn likely that it would and each hour spent in this village increased the likelihood that we'd be caught in the attack. But I needed this information, regardless of the risk to myself. But not at the risk of Juo and Kinze.

"Those two didn't know?" Elder Baine demanded as Ging hauled Juo over his shoulder.

"They wouldn't have allowed Takara to come if they did. That's her name by the way, Lana is just her public name."

"What's going on?" Pairo demanded, his eyes glancing around at us.

"Nothing you need-"

I interrupted the elder. "There's going to be an attack." The elder blanched at my statement. "A really nasty group of bandits are planning to attack and massacre the clan. That's why you're all moving."

Now Pairo looked shocked, his eyes seeking out the elder.

"You're leaving in the first group, keep quiet about this," the elder ordered sharply.

"But Uncle Mizeru's wife is pregnant and you're going to make her wait until tomorrow. You should have her go!"

"I chose the groups based on speed of movement."

"My body is weak but I can still move faster than her! I'll trade places with her."

"Didn't you hear them? The attack could happen tonight! Leave!"

Pairo must have been terrified, but he glanced at me then shook his head. "They said it COULD happen, not that it would."

"It'll happen," I assured. "We don't know when. For all I know, they could be gathering outside of the village right now and will attack within the hour."

"All the more reason for Aunt Dimi to leave now!" Pairo demanded. "I'll leave tomorrow."

The elder sighed as he stared at Pairo, then shook his head. "When did young people get so stubborn?" he demanded. "Fine, but you'll have no one but yourself to blame for whatever happens."

Departure was stepped up dramatically after that, with Juo and Kinze being set on a large carrier bird for transport.

"I'll keep them on track," Ging promised as he checked over the pair. "The trip will take two days. If you don't show up the day after we arrive, I won't stop them from coming back."

"If something happens, that should be enough time," I admitted. My hands felt so cold in that moment.

Beside me, Pairo watched a woman who I assumed was his aunt get helped onto another of the carrier birds by Mizeru. Everyone who was getting ready to go were either very young, very old, or infirm in some way. Those who were most fit were the ones remaining behind.

The procession moved slowly from the village. They'd be using the last hours of sunlight to try to get as far as possible, and I hoped it would be enough.

"Pairo, show Takara to Lismo then stay with them," the elder ordered from behind us.

"Ok," Pairo replied, his hand pulling out a bottle of eye drops which he applied to his eyes before turning to me. "I'm sure everything will-"

My hand covered his mouth automatically.

"Murphy's law is too powerful a force to challenge," I stated, my eyes looking towards the procession that was disappearing into the trees before turning back to the village. I only had a few hours at most to peruse the Kuruta records, so I needed to make them count.

Chapter 9: Chapter 9

Chapter Text

Lismo proved to actually be Pairo's father. He was training Pairo to keep up the records of the clan despite his failing eyes and had been briefed by the elder about my search.

"We have so few people, being able to add three to the records would be great," Pairo translated for his father, who spoke a rather broken version of the Common tongue.

"Aren't they worried about their location getting out?" I asked and Pairo shrugged.

"I think that the elder is more interested in knowing whether or not they had more children, and how much they know about us."

I almost rolled my eyes but understood where this came from. Survival for the Kuruta would require both secrecy and fresh blood. Secrecy was obtained through care and limiting contact, fresh blood was a bit more difficult since it meant breaking secrecy. From the elder's point of view, getting a handle on me and my parents took care of both problems.

"I doubt I have any siblings," I admitted.

"Don't be so negative! I would have loved having a brother, Kurapika was like one. It's why I'm looking forward to the birth of my cousin. Aunt Dimi seems certain that she's having a girl."

Lismo called us over to another book and handed Pairo a pen and paper, and the boy started to write down various things that I couldn't read as Lismo listed them off.

"Was the list that the old man had just an initial one?" I asked.

Pairo spoke to his father then nodded. "Just names of people who came back, some didn't and sent letters of where they went."

Lismo spoke again, causing Pairo to turn back to his father then turn back to me. "He wants to know if you know how old your parents were."

"Teenagers when I was born," I replied, causing Pairo's eyes to widen.

"Teenagers? As in 15?"

"Yeah, they were poor and I don't recall either of their parents being there. We lived as a group with several others and they all supported each other."

"Sounds like a clan," Pairo replied before turning back to his father and explaining what I'd revealed.

The man grunted before grabbing the list and striking off several names and waving Pairo to another book. This he flipped through quickly, reading off more of what could only be assumed were names and places.

"Different list?" I asked, and Pairo nodded.

"That actually did narrow it down a bit, he's looking at people who traveled between 20-25 years ago rather than the 40-50 that was initially assumed. It could mean your grandparents are alive." Pairo looked happy at the thought, but I was divided. Living grandparents could mean people that would object to Juo and Kinze.

"Are there any books or letters in the Common tongue?" I asked as Lismo turned pages rapidly.

Pairo pointed to a stack of books in a corner. "Those are used to teach people born in the clan the outside language."

"No letters that I could read through?" I asked.

"Those are read as soon as they're received. Most are in the clan's language."

"Of course they are," I grumbled as I headed towards the books. Flipping open the cover, I was unimpressed to find that the first book was an elementary level reader. Each of the subsequent books were a level up from the previous one, the last one looking to be around the level expected in the 7th grade. All were more than a little dated, perhaps printed almost fifty years previous.

Seeing no reason to distract Pairo or Lismo, I moved further into the records hall, studying the shelves, hoping to see something in a language I knew. Books lined one wall, but most of them were obviously handwritten and bound. Every so often, a print book was present, but they looked like they had been sent to the clan by travelers and had been placed in here rather than being read.

Books were meant to be read, and I pulled the ones I found from the shelves, unsure of what to do with them other than look through them while I could. I had been at it for an hour before the elder stormed into the records building and called us out.

Pairo had had to sit down some time ago while his father had pulled out a map and was drawing territories on it. Likely mapping the travels of my possible grandparents using the new information I had given. Unfortunately, the map was also quite dated and he seemed confused as to several of the locations.

"We'll be having a communal meal tonight," the elder announced. "Watches have already been decided. Any progress?"

Pairo translated the elder's words to his father, who began explaining the situation. I might not have known a word of the language, but I was certain that he was explaining that he was back at square one due to the change in age of my parents.

I watched the pair confer for a moment before turning my attention back to the stack of books I had gathered, picking one up at random and flipping open the cover.

'Historically known as Red Earth, Glam Gasland got its name from a tribe known as the Glam Caravan who discovered reserves of natural gas in the area. Abandoning their traditional nomadic lifestyle, the tribe settled in the area and began to prosper and build what is now considered to be the entertainment capital of the world.

In this book, the building of this city, starting as a gas mining site and then an entertainment hub, is explored as well as the effects it had on the area and the original settlers of the land. Included is the chilling testimony of the forced labor of those who originally settled the land, made to work with little compensation, and their continued struggles through today, including records that show unpaid wages still owed to people and families who have either died or disappeared.'

Flipping the page, I prepared myself for what could possibly be an interesting read before a thought occurred to me: if we were attacked tonight, what the hell was I going to do?!

The thought of finding records I could use to find my parents had distracted me, but I couldn't read them and now that the thought had come, I couldn't ignore it.

Mentally setting the book aside, I tried to bring up all that I could remember of the Kuruta massacre, but there wasn't much. In Hunter x Hunter, they were attacked and Kurapika was the only survivor, end of story. I had to assume that originally they had had no warning, but the Phantom Troupe wasn't going to get the drop on them now. That opened some possibilities in regards to getting warnings to everyone, but the Spiders would probably be plenty fast and I doubted I could outrun them.

Elder Baine cleared his throat then and I looked up.

"Because of the security measures we're taking, sleeping arrangements are being made with the intent of everyone being in the meeting house, where the evening meal will also be had tonight. We will be introducing you to those who might be your grandparents then."

I nodded in understanding then quirked an eyebrow. "Did you tell the clan about the possible attack?"

"No."

"Then how are you getting them into one space like this without causing suspicions?"

"They are plenty suspicious!" the elder replied. "None of this has ever happened before! But whether or not there's an attack doesn't matter anymore, it is past time that we moved!"

"If you let them get surprised, they won't even have the opportunity to implement a plan!" I argued.

"They already know that something is coming. I wouldn't be surprised if there are six or more plans."

"How do you know that they won't accidentally interfere with each other?" I snapped.

The elder had a knowing look in his eye. "Because I set them up. If an attack comes, they will follow predetermined plans that should send six groups in different directions."

"And if someone tries to bring a friend from another group into theirs?"

"They will follow the plan they are part of. What else do you expect?"

"A little honesty with the people who expect you to be forthcoming?" I shot back.

"Which will cause panic right now," the elder declared in a superior tone.

"The time for panic has passed! If they're suspicious, then a bit of candor will put them on guard so if an attack comes, they will not hesitate!"

Elder Baine glared at me sharply before turning to Lismo and asking something in the Kurutan language. The response caused the man to lose color for a moment before clearing his throat.

"Gathering for dinner will be in an hour. Be sure to be there," he ordered all three of us, then paused in front of Pairo. "Go get more of your medication from Hijo. After tomorrow, there is no indication of when we'll be able to get more."

"Ok," Pairo replied before glancing at me. "Want to come?"

I wasn't going to be getting anything done here, so I nodded and stepped into the late afternoon sun after Pairo.

"Any luck?" I asked after a long moment.

"Yes actually. We've narrowed it down to four people who could be your grandparents, two of whom are still alive," Pairo explained cheerily.

"How?"

"Based on who came back! If your grandparents aren't there, then they're either dead or came back. In the time frame for when your parents would have been born, six people left the forest. Four were men."

"And they could have accidentally had a kid without knowing it," I reasoned.

Pairo nodded.

We walked in semi-silence at a slow pace to the village medical center after that, and I became quite aware of the stares I was receiving. Guess in a community that only had a little more than 120 people, it was easy to spot someone new. That, and I was definitely not wearing the traditional robes of the Kuruta. I'd be easy to spot in a crowd of them.

The medical center was next to the main meeting hall, a mere stone throw away from the head elder's house. Pairo didn't even knock before entering.

The medic was throwing medicinal herbs and books into bags in an almost haphazard manner while two men gathered the bags and headed out to a cart.

"Sends Dimi on ahead but expects me to get everything ready alone!" the medic grunted before noticing the two of us when he automatically handed me a stack of books that were almost as tall as me.

"Oh, Pairo! Good you're here," the medic declared, and I heard him rummage through some of the bags before handing Pairo something that I couldn't see around the books. "This contains five bottles of your eye drops. Don't lose it because we don't know when we'll be able to get more… Who did I hand those books to?"

The top few books were grabbed, then several more when the person still couldn't see me. Still more were grabbed and I could just barely peak over the top of the stack that was left in my arms.

The medic in turn gaped at me before handing a few books to Pairo. "Would you two put those on the cart outside as you leave?" he asked then turned away before receiving an answer.

I didn't argue, only turned towards the door that I could thankfully now see and headed towards through to the waiting cart, Pairo right behind me. We set the books into the cart, with me fussing about how they shouldn't be left uncovered, earning a chuckle from Pairo.

"You're very particular about books, aren't you?"

"Of course! Books are extremely important."

"Why?"

"Every book in existence represents an idea, another reality," I explained as I settled a tarp over the books.

Pairo raised an eyebrow. "Reality? What's that?"

I paused, then stared at Pairo. I reminded myself then that he wasn't a native speaker of the Common tongue, so he was bound to have words or phrases he didn't understand.

"Reality is what is real to us," I explained. "The world we live in."

"And how do books offer another reality?"

Once again I paused, wondering how to explain. "Have you ever heard of multi-universe theory?"

Pairo shook his head in the negative.

"It's a theory that there are multiple realities, ones where the rules of what we believe to be real may be changed. Sometimes the worlds can be vastly different, other times the differences could be limited to the effect of a single choice made by one person."

"So, there could be a world where the Kuruta never went into hiding?"

"There could," I admitted.

"How does this tie into books?"

"Because, an infinite number of universes may exist, each differing from the others in some way. Meaning every story told in any book is a reality for someone, somewhere," I explained. "Every thought, every concept, they are reality somewhere, and books allow you a view into this reality."

This mindset was probably the reason I had been so accepting of my reincarnation, and the bizarre world I found myself in. This world had been reality somewhere, so why not mine?

Pairo had a smile that indicated that he viewed me as reaching more than a bit, but that he was used to this sort of behavior.

Our return to the records hall was fast, and I returned to the books, leafing through more than a few. The book on Glam Gasland hit a rather notable chord, and the location of the city on the map indicated that it was possible that I came from there. The terrain was desert, which fit, and the oppression of the Glam clan would cause the conditions where I came from.

The light outside was fading when someone came to the door of the records hall and called Lismo. The woman had short blond hair and a smile that seemed to border on mischievous. She spoke quickly to Lismo, and Pairo turned to me.

"Dinner time, and the elder has told your possible relatives about you. They want to meet you." The woman continued and Pairo paused to listen in then translated. "The first group also checked in a few minutes ago. Those men you were with regained consciousness and had to be restrained by the Hunter."

"I'm probably going to be grounded when we see them," I admitted, a wave of embarrassment rolling over me. "Or never allowed out of the manor again."

Pairo seemed to understand and patted my shoulder. "I'd say a year at worst."

"That's not helpful!" I called after him as I followed him through the door.

The meeting hall was fairly crowded now as the Kuruta gathered for the evening meal. More than a few stared and/or whispered when they caught sight of me, and heat began to rise in my cheeks.

"There you are!" the elder declared when he caught sight of us through the crowd as people began to line up to collect bowls and plates. He had two men in tow, both of whom looked to be in the 40's. One of them had a woman who looked to be about the same age as him and a girl in her older teens who had to be his daughter with him.

"This is Fie and Cail, your possible relatives," he explained as he set the men into the line with us then ambled off.

Both men looked a bit uncomfortable, the one with the family even more so. The one who didn't have a family decided to speak first.

"My name is Fie," he introduced himself in an uncertain manner. "Your name is Takara?"

This man had black hair and I believed I could see some similarity between him and my father, but I didn't want it to be true.

"Yes," I replied quietly. "Did he tell you anything?"

The response was slow, and I realized that Fie was out of practice with the Common tongue. "Some," he admitted. "That we might be your grandparents and accidently had children when we traveled."

"Didn't do! Can't me be!" the man who I assumed to be Cail declared as he raised his hands. His wife on the other hand was studying me intensely before stating something.

I glanced at Pairo. "She says that if you are his grandchild, then your parent from him was born before they married. But she also believes him."

So one possible grandparent of two surviving clan members down, and he was not interested in me. Rather than being insulted, I felt relieved.

They weren't allowed to leave, but Cail and his family didn't attempt to engage with me any further. Fie wasn't so easily gotten rid of.

"One of the men you came here with would be your father? Older than expected."

"I was adopted," I explained. "I remember my birth parents, and they're trying to help me find them."

Fie looked confused then looked to Pairo, who translated what I'd said.

"What your father like?" Fie asked.

"I look like him," I continued as the line drew closer to where the food was being distributed. "He was also an avid reader."

Fie understood this time, and nodded. "You read?"

"A lot."

"I read a lot," he continued, looking slightly happier. "Met a woman while traveling, she collected books. Thought to bring her with me."

"Was she from Glam Gasland?"

Fie shook his head. "Place now called NGL. When Gyro rose to power, he had people object to modern items and executed or exiled learned people. She got captured, never found her again."

I felt sympathy for Fie then, and my hand moved automatically to touch his. He in turn bent down to my level and looked me straight in the eye, searching for something.

"I could believe you're her's. So much like her," he breathed, tears forming.

I squeezed his hand in turn, we had both lost in this. If I was his grandchild, then that meant his lover had lived for at least a few months longer, or had been exiled and never contacted him. He in turn couldn't tell me where my parent through him, most likely my father, had come from. Whether he'd been born to an exiled mother or one that was soon to be executed and was passed along to someone else.

That still raised the question of who my maternal grandparents, but it seemed likely now that her parents had died. I'd need to check where the other two candidates traveled to, determine a place that an exile might be sent or if they went to this NGL place.

When our turn had arrived to get food, Cail and his family had thoroughly disengaged and moved back several places in the line while Pairo, Fie, and I were discussing the outside world. They were interested in why hearing about devices such as refrigerators and freezers as well as air conditioning. Talking about modern laboratories also caused roused interest, though Pairo was more interested in movie theaters. He was disappointed that I'd never gone to an amusement park.

Fie was more interested in my general life, in school and what I did outside of it. Talking about Juo trying to teach me to fence confused him.

"Fence? What's fence?"

Should have realized the term for it would be odd for people not familiar with the language. "It's a type of swordplay performed with very thin swords," I explained.

"The needle swords?" Fie described the foil perfectly in that moment and I laughed. "Not good weapons."

"Good for teaching," I countered.

"Not good, too thin and not heavy enough." Fie was certain in his stance and maintained it as we were served a vegetable stew and bread. "Use a kun, you should try."

A scream rang out and I dropped my spoon as my heart dropped. Every head in the room looked and then a teenager started laughing as the woman next to him started yelling at him. She wielded a spoon that had a bug on it and it didn't take a genius to figure out what happened. Either that kid had placed a bug in her food or one had fallen in and she was upset at him for laughing about it.

As soon as dinner was finished, Fie dragged me to his house where he pulled out several staffs of varying weight, thickness, and length. After some consideration, he handed one to me. The weight of the weapon felt much more natural than foils ever had and I rolled it in my hands experimentally.

Fie grabbed one himself, then led me outside and entered a stance. I studied it for a moment then attempted to copy the stance. The man inspected my stance then laughed.

"Widen stance and turn hips a bit more," he instructed, then nodded when I followed the request. He reentered his own stance then swung the staff he held at me slowly. I moved my own staff automatically to catch his blow with the end of my staff only for him to easily go through the attempted block and deliver a light smack to my thigh.

"Not on end, that is for attack! When close to body, block with middle."

In the darkening evening, the two of us continued our play fight, Fie calling instructions every so often, smiling broadly when I landed an attack no matter how weak. He had us stop as the last of the light died, and I attempted to return the kun he had given me. He waved it away, instead showing me how to strap it to my back.

"Keep it, I can't take it with me," he informed me as he led the way back to the meeting hall. "Group setting out early in morning, get some sleep."

Pairo greeted us brightly as we approached the meeting hall.

"Hey, you guys were gone a while. They're started to set out sleep rolls."

Fie smiled at Pairo as he moved past him towards where several men were talking. "Guard duty tonight, stay close," he told us.

"Fie is happy," Pairo stated as we slipped into the hall and headed towards an open space where he had set some sleeping mats for us. "Must like you if he gave you a kun. Hasn't trained anyone for years."

"So this is his specialty?" I asked as I nudged the kun on my back.

"Yes, he's amazing!" Pairo declared. "Wanted to learn but my legs are too weak."

"Too bad," I admitted as I removed the staff and settled it on the floor next to me. "It's actually a lot of fun."

"If you stay with us, he might train you," Pairo pointed out as he settled next to me. "Then you could become a Hunter. Kurapika and I want to do that."

"How do you know about Hunters?"

Pairo flushed slightly then glanced around for any eavesdroppers. "Kurapika and I met a Hunter who was hurt. She gave us a book about a Hunter and we both wanted to see the outside since. Right now, Kurapika left to find a doctor to make me strong enough to go, then we'll go together."

If we got out of this alive, then I'd take an interest in ensuring that Pairo got his wish. For now, we just needed to make it through the night.

The people around us were nervous and excited, talking quietly as they settled for the evening.

"Pairo, where's your dad?" I asked after a moment when I realized I didn't see Lismo at all.

"Went back to the records hall. He wants to get as many of the records onto the carts as he can."

"Oh." It made sense to me.

"Any way, get some sleep. We're leaving at dawn," Pairo stated as he dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out the bottle of eyedrops. Leaning his head back, he squeezed the bottle but nothing came out. Shaking it, Pairo let out an embarrassed laugh. "Empty. Guess I need a new bottle… Have you seen my medicine Takara?"

"Never saw it. Did you put it down at the medical center?"

"Maybe, when we helped to load the cart," Pairo admitted then stood. I got up also. "You don't need to come."

"And sit here in a room full of people I can't talk to while dressed like an outsider? No thanks. I've been stared at enough today." I strapped the kun back on then followed Pairo.

The guard at the door to the hall stopped us, but let us through after Pairo gave him an explanation. I stayed silent as my eyes gazed out at the dark forest, practically black due to the thick trees.

Pairo's eyesight must have been worse than I thought since he blinked rapidly in the darkness and stumbled regularly. He knew where to go, but was obviously not able to see small obstacles that could move around such as rocks. More than once, I had to help Pairo catch himself which wasn't easy with my small frame.

The medic was still in the medical center when we arrived, throwing together last-minute packages and he tossed one that had little bottles at me automatically. I yelped as the concoction splashed onto my face, but managed to catch the package against my chest.

The medic yelped and rushed over, checking the bottles, then my face and eyes before turning to Pairo and speaking rapidly.

"He says not to worry, that's just a medicine that'll cause your eyes to stay red for 24 hours if you activate your eyes," Pairo translated then smiled. "He also wants to know if you'll take that out to the cart."

"Check for your medicine," I responded as I turned around and headed out the door, settling the package into the over-filled cart. How much stuff was this guy planning to bring?

Hands finally free, I wiped at my face to remove more of the liquid and waited until Pairo emerged a minute later with the medic, each holding a package. As they approached, a horrible feeling began to crawl up my back.

Pairo looked disappointed. "This is the last of it, and my medicine isn't here." The medic set his load into the cart then grabbed Pairo's and loaded it as well.

"Records hall then?" I asked and Pairo nodded.

"Probably."

The medic walked with us until we passed the meeting hall, when he peeled into the building. The feeling increased with every step, and the few guards I could see were going rigid as well. We were halfway between the meeting house and records hall when I was certain that we were in trouble: we were exposed and Pairo couldn't run. Naturally, I almost screamed when a hand caught my shoulder. Instead, my martial arts training kicked in and I attempted to roundhouse kick the person behind me.

They caught my foot effortlessly as Pairo stumbled back, and I found myself staring up at a pale, thin man with the ugliest smirk I had ever seen. His face was silver/grey in the dim light and his clothing not unlike the Kurutan robes. More importantly, the hand that gripped my leg had a horrifying mark that would haunt my dreams for years to come. It was a large, twelve-legged-

"SPIDER!" The scream tore from my throat without a thought, volume alerting the entire village. Yells erupted around us and the man cursed colorfully as he dropped my leg to defend against a guard that rushed towards us, double swords in hand.

Pairo grabbed my hand. "Come on!" he yelled as shouts went up throughout the village. We couldn't get back to the meeting hall, but the path to the records building was still clear.

Pairo could barely run, but he still tried as behind us, the guard gave a wet choke and the sound of a body hit the ground. A door slammed open and the sound of dozens of feet hitting the ground exploded into the night, but my ears caught something else: one pair of feet following us.

The bounce of the kun on my back caused me to grab it, and I pulled it around as I turned. The energy came to my aid in that moment as I swung the weapon harder and faster than I should have been able to, slamming the end into the man's arm.

A yelp rang out, one that was more surprise than pain, but the man's face was twisted with excitement.

"Scarlet eyes!" he crowed. "A human with some bite. What a doll I could make with those eyes!"

The energy continued to thump in my veins, strong as a heartbeat as I prepared to defend myself. Terror fueled me as well as anger, I could hear the screams of the Kuruta around me.

A glint was the only warning before the man started his assault, his hands and feet moving in unpracticed patterns, but he was fast enough that I only managed to dodge some blows due to sheer luck, he still landed several and I couldn't land one. I was blown back like I was nothing and landed flat on my back next to Pairo, who was frozen in shock and fear.

"Too bad, looks like spirit and those eyes are all this human has." The man actually sounded like this was a tragedy and considering the circumstances, I agreed with him.

Another scream rang out as I forced myself back to my feet. "Run," I ordered Pairo, who grabbed my arm.

"Come on!" he yelled as I tried to disentangle his fingers.

"I'm faster, run now!"

"No!"

"Don't worry, humans. Both of you shall die and your eyes salvaged."

My grip on my kun tightened automatically, my mind and eyes raced, but I couldn't think of anything. This man was faster, stronger, and had nen abilities! I was a little girl carrying a stick in comparison!

Anger shot through my veins, hotter than ever as I saw a woman get cut down by another of the Troupe behind this silver/dark man. I shot forward, Pairo's fingers tearing off a bit of my sleeve as I rushed this man, then dove into a somersault, dodging the man's counterstrike and bringing the staff around hard, slamming the end against his shin. My attempt to follow the strike with a second one earned me a hard kick, and I was again by Pairo, my head reeling.

"Hold still and this shall be fast once your eyes are scarlet. Human boy, follow the human girl's example and change your eyes," the nightmarish creature purred as it approached.

A scream ripped through the air again, this one a vicious battle cry and a figure leaped over Pairo and me, his staff raised.

Our assailant barely leapt back enough to avoid a blow that created a small crater when it struck the ground.

"Run!" Fie ordered loudly, but I was frozen as he began his assault. Unlike my attempts to fight, Fie moved like a dancer, fast and precise, his kun spinning around him in an elegant arc before slamming into the Spider's side with a loud crack, earning a scream.

Taking a step back, the Kurutan spun, hand grabbing the arm of a woman I didn't recognize and slamming her to the ground, staff causing a wet crunch as it connected with her back, and then he twisted, somersaulted, and flipped to avoid what looked like bullets.

Pairo tugged my arm then and I finally relented, running after him to the records hall. His father met us at the door and dragged us in while quietly saying something.

"Get to the back!" Pairo ordered as quietly as he could through his panic, then grasped my arm, intent to follow the instruction, when a loud thump echoed from the door.

"Go!" Lismo ordered, the first time I had heard him utter a single word of the common tongue.

Pairo continued to urge me, and I followed but we both looked back when the sound of cracking wood reached our ears. Lismo was knocked back and a candle tipped over on the table, lighting the parchment that littered the table.

Lismo shrieked, eyes jumping from the table to the door before grabbing an armful of the burning material and hurling it at the door. The crack widened as the material hit then fell to the floor, igniting more scattered pages and licking a carpet, quickly spreading the blaze. Pairo dragged me to a bookcase and was grabbing at books randomly, panicked.

"Where is it?!" he cried then froze as the door banged open.

Lismo attempted to strike at the man with a chair, but was knocked down. His last act of defiance that we saw was of him shoving a blazing table towards us, blocking the path of our would-be assailant, but trapping Pairo and me in a now blazing room.

I stared at the man, our initial attacker for the first time in full light. He was definitely ugly, cruelty and insanity twisting his face that now glared at us through the flames.

"Too bad for you, humans," he stated dully, before turning and grabbing Lismo, who cried out in pain, and dragging him through the door. Leaving two kids to die in the fire.

Pairo unfroze a second later. "Where?"

"What?"

"Dad says there's an underground room used to store the oldest of clan records. He told me to go there but I don't know how!"

I lurched around, tugging at the bookshelves and the books in desperation. Where was the entrance? The shelves all seemed solid, and against the walls, nowhere to hide a secret staircase.

The fire spread behind us and I dared to look back, noting a dark figure that watched us from the door for a mere second before moving on. The flames were massive now, smoke choking the air. I grabbed Pairo's arm after clearing the last bookshelf and tugged him to the ground.

"It's not here!" Pairo declared, panic thick in his voice.

"Your dad wouldn't lie about this! Think! Have you ever seen him disappear or appear suddenly?"

Pairo thought for a long moment then nodded. "He was over there!" he replied as he pointed towards a corner of the room near the fireplace. The fire was uncomfortably close to it, but we needed to risk it.

Crawling towards the area, I tried to study the fireplace, looking for any handle or disguised switch, but it was plain and smooth. We were almost there when a flaming table gave up and fell, scattering embers over the carpet, flames springing up almost automatically. Using my kun, I knocked the carpet aside and stared at what was uncovered. A trapdoor!

"Found it!" I cheered as I dragged myself over, fingers grabbing the handle gleefully, ignoring any heat that might have been present. Pairo was beside me in a moment, yanking the door up.

The stairs down were wet with moisture and the air cool.

"You first," I ordered Pairo.

"No, you first."

"I have to shut the door," I reasoned. "If we leave it open, the fire could follow us, or it could give us away to those attackers.

Pairo looked ready to argue then relented. "I'll wait at the bottom of the stairs," he promised as he slid his shaking legs to the opening and slid into the stairway. I watched him take two steps before attempting to follow, my hands dragging the door.

'CRACK!'

The explosion happened right as I was about to shut the door, and I wasn't certain what happened aside from the fact that a second later, I was screaming due to pain Pain PAIN!

It seared across my face, and my hands only made it worse as I tried to pat at the flesh. My eyes watered. Pairo stared down at me, tears in his eyes.

"We have to move!" he exclaimed as he tried to haul me up, but I was barely aware for a minute. When I came to, everything was hazy but I could focus through the pain. Pairo had managed to haul me upright and was using my kun for support.

"We're almost there," he promised, but I couldn't see the hall anymore. I didn't see the door that Pairo dragged me through, or the dark room where he struggled to light a candle for almost twenty minutes before giving up.

My body was in shock, but I was alive, for now at least.

In the darkness, my shock cold body managed to find a rug which I fell on. Unconsciousness fell over me fast.

Chapter 10: Chapter 10

Chapter Text

Time had no meaning. There was no light. I didn't know how long I'd been out when I woke, only that Pairo was next to me in the darkness and we were still alive. The smell of wet dirt assured me that the fire hadn't spread down here.

The pain on the upper portion of my face confirmed I was alive. I'd need Pairo to tell me if the burns were first degree or worse when we finally got some light.

I drifted off again, and the next time I woke, Pairo was awake as well.

"Do you think it's safe?" he asked when he felt me sit up in the dark.

"No." I had no idea how many people the Troupe had caught, but to be safe I had to assume everyone. I didn't even want to consider how long it would take to torture and kill everyone of them then remove their eyes.

Hot tears burned my eyes as I thought of Lismo or Fie being put through that, but it would be so much worse for them if we got caught.

Sleep came again, and once again Pairo was asleep when I roused, though he woke quickly when I moved. It took us several minutes to find some matches, then Pairo finally managed to light a candle. He had to move it quickly due to a steady drip of water.

"So that's why I couldn't get it lit," he muttered as he moved around with the dim light.

It was slightly worrying to me that the light was so dim, but my face had to be swollen right now.

I set a cup under the drip, and another under a drip that I felt rather than saw. It might not be much, but a little water would keep us going much longer than not.

"Pairo, would you check my face?" I asked, and the boy walked over and settled the candle on the table between us.

His face came into view, very close to mine as he studied my face. "Ow…"

"Is the skin broken? Blistered?"

"Not broken, but there are blisters," he admitted. "It's swollen and red around the eye area."

Relief rushed through me. My eyes should be fine in a few months, once given time to heal and the swelling went down.

We found a dry place as well as a door that went deeper. Seeing how we didn't need to go down there, we settled the candle in the dry place then extinguished it in order to conserve our one candle.

Hours passed slowly, the cups slowly filled to about a quarter, and we drank it. My eyes stung horribly.

"I've decided on the best thing about the outside world," I finally stated as we set the cups back to catch more water.

"Running water?" Pairo asked.

"Electric lights," I countered. "Far fewer fires started by candles when you have those."

Pairo's response was a dry laugh that lacked all humor.

We were both on edge, both scared, and every creak in the dark terrified us.

"What are we going to do when we get out of here?" Pairo asked.

"Do you know where the radio to call the first group is?"

"No, but the elder probably smashed it to keep those guys from getting it," Pairo admitted.

It made so much sense that it hurt. The elder lived in the meeting hall and couldn't run, so why not show defiance by smashing that thing and protecting a small portion of the clan?

"Assuming the attack was last night, the front group will arrive at the ruins tomorrow. When we don't show up, Juo and Kinze will come back. So four days."

"Can we last that long?"

"No. The small amounts of water we are getting are too small. They'll only stave off dehydration for a day at most, and then we'll a day at best before it will be critical for us to move."

More hours passed, and we both got a quarter of a mug of water again. I lay back down on the rug and slept again, Pairo joining me at some point. The next time we woke, we drank our water and agreed that it was time to check the hatch.

The tunnel was far deeper and longer than I had thought, sloping upward rather sharply before reaching the ladder. Here the air reeked of smoke and I felt lightheaded.

Moving up the ladder, I felt the door, faintly relieved to find it was cool, then pressed the hatch up.

Soot and ash erupted through the door, and a loud creaking and shuffling from debris caused me to stop immediately. There was no sound of footsteps or voices, and after a moment I pushed up on the hatch again. This time, with no debris in the way, the door opened a lot more quietly.

It was nighttime, the place was completely dark. Not a hint of light except in the sky. My eye sight wasn't great right then, but I knew the roof and most of the walls of the records hall were now ash.

Pairo's head popped up next to mine, his eyes blinking in the darkness and I realized we were in the same boat: neither of us could see.

"It's dawn," Pairo whispered. I estimated that we had spent at least 32 hours underground.

So we were most likely in the clear, the Phantom Troupe weren't likely to stick around in the middle of nowhere any longer than they had to. We still retreated back into the tunnel for several more hours and finally emerged once the sun was out in full. We needed food and water, and the best place to get them were the storehouses.

We didn't even get a dozen steps from the hatch for our hideout when we encountered the first corpse.

"Dad!" Pairo sobbed loudly, recognizing the bloody form of a man who had the look of having been tortured and then his eyes torn out.

I let Pairo cry for several minutes as I attempted to scan our surroundings, but my eyes were still no good and I ended up having to pull Pairo up.

"He'd want you to keep moving," I whispered as I pulled Pairo away. "We'll bury him later, but we need to make sure that we're safe for now."

The next corpse was only a few steps further, and I recognized her as Cail's daughter. Pairo clutched my arm sharply as we stepped around her, only to discover her mother. Both of their eyes had been ripped out.

Corpse after corpse, we checked some who still had their eyes or thought we saw movement, but we never found one alive. My stomach was seizing and then Pairo stopped, his expression a bit angry.

On the ground before us was a single grave that had flowers settled on it. It hadn't been there previously, so obviously it was made by the Troupe. They had lost one of their own. My mind immediately went to Fie, and the woman he had struck. Without a doubt, that sound was her back being broken, had that strike also killed her? I hoped so.

Pairo grabbed the flowers off the grave and threw them, spitting on the mound.

"We should dig that up and leave the body to the birds!" he declared angrily.

"Later," I promised, though I doubted we would. We had our work cut out for us with just burying the Kuruta, never mind digging up a Spider.

The meeting hall reeked of death, and even with my poor eye sight, I could see the blood that stained the floor through the open door. It seemed that either not as many people escaped as I had hoped, or they had been dragged back to the place. Pairo swallowed thickly.

I'd been checking the ground for Fie, but I stopped when we reached the storehouse. Could he still be alive? If he'd killed a Spider, wouldn't the Troupe try to recruit him? I doubted he'd join, but not seeing his body raised my hopes.

Pairo and I found the water barrels first in the storehouse and were quick to drink. The water from the tunnel had been enough to keep up going but not much else, and though a bit warm, neither of us complained about the water.

Food was the next priority and knowing that the perishable items wouldn't keep, we were quick to grab the fresh fruits and vegetables that were left. The juice from the apples seemed divine, especially with the berries and carrots. It was the strangest meal I had ever had, but it gave us the strength we needed.

"What now?" Pairo asked, and I wasn't certain. The forward group was bound to have tried to check in by now, and would have arrived at the ruins today. Ging had promised to keep Juo and Kinze safe and away until tomorrow, when I should have shown up.

Glancing out of the door, I saw yet another body dressed in the Kurutan robes and bowed my head. I hadn't managed to save more than a few, but I could show my respect to the rest.

"Know where we can get some shovels?" I asked.

Pairo did, and also pointed to the official graveyard of the Kuruta. It wasn't large enough to hold everyone so we made plans to bury people where we could, after organizing them into their families so we could minimize the number of graves we'd have to dig.

Pairo knew everyone and was able to identify who should be paired with who, and we settled his dad in the graveyard next to the grave occupied by his wife, Pairo's mother. She had passed away several years before.

The people in the street were dealt with first, and then we began to move through buildings, dragging the corpses out and placing them with their families if they had one. Even if we were doing group burials, I counted almost sixteen graves that would have to be dug, and that was before we reached the meeting hall. Unfortunately, the sun had begun to set already, and Pairo's legs were shaking from exertion despite the many rests we had taken, so we returned to the storehouse for a quick dinner of some smoked jerky and peppers. We slept in a corner of the storehouse behind some shelves that held pickled foods.

The next morning started with us eating more of the remaining fresh food, pomegranates and pears this time and more water. Afterwards, we finally approached the meeting hall. Both of us were numb by now due to the terror and blood we had experienced, but nothing could have prepared us for what was inside the meeting hall.

Blood painted every surface: the floor, the walls, the tables. Men and women, bound at the wrist and foot, were tossed in careless piles, their clothing ripped. Hands were bloody, feet exposed, lacerations littered their skin. More than a few had dried blood pouring from their mouths, and I could see that teeth had been pulled. Passing close to a table, a pile of bloody things caught my attention and it took a minute of focusing to make out what they were: fingernails.

Bile rose in my throat, hot tears burned my eyes again. I could barely see right now and I wished I couldn't at all!

Pairo rushed out and vomited a moment later, and I moved further into the hall. Near the back of the hall, the place farthest from the door was where I found them: Elder Baine and Fie. The elder had been bisected, the two halves of his body hanging limply, head barely attached to the left half of his body. Blood had matted his hair and rendered his face unrecognizable, I could only guess it was him due to the beard. Organs and bits of flesh littered the floor beneath him.

I gagged and finally vomited before turning my eyes to Fie. Unlike the elder, he was easily recognizable. They had crucified him, jagged looking pieces of metal shoved through his arms at various locations, clothes torn off, and… He'd been castrated.

Tears burned my eyes as I approached the hanging man in the middle of a room of torture and death. Crucifixion was a horrible way to die, one that involved the condemned slowly suffocating due to their own weight pulling them and crushing their lungs. It would take hours-

A rasping breath pulled me from my thoughts and I screamed, rushing to the man in front of me, my eyes fixated on his rising chest.

"Pairo! HELP!"

Scrambling feet rushed in as I yanked a chair over to where Fie hung and forced it under his feet, trying to take his weight off of his arms. I was in tears yet again, but I didn't know if I was happy or angry. Fie was alive!

"We need something to pull out the metal!" I yelled, my eyes searching for anything we could use while Pairo turned and rushed as fast as he could from the room.

Pulling over another chair, I yanked at one of the spikes as hard as I could, barely making it budge. Blood rolled out of the wound, and I grabbed one of the strips of what had formerly been his clothes, using it to make a tourniquet. An idea hit and I grabbed another strip of cloth, wrapping it around one of the bits of metal in his arm and leaned back while clutching the cloth.

The cloth groaned from my bit of weight, then the metal began to move slowly, agonizingly. It slid wetly from Fie's flesh and fell, the cloth unwrapping as it went. Looking down the arm, I counted six more pieces of metal in the arm I was working on, and another six in his other.

Wrapping the cloth around another bit, I repeated the previous procedure to remove another bit of metal, but the cloth gave out right as the metal was freed. And Fie groaned as his body sank a bit, legs unable to support him.

Jumping down, I looked for some other means to support him. There were several benches and more chairs around the room and I rushed to gather a few, stacking them in order to make a seat that I could wedge under Fie's rear. His weight was surprising and I barely managed to get his hanging legs over the seat. There were still several inches between him and the chair, and this was covered with a stack of cushions.

Sweating hard, I found another piece of cloth and managed to removed one more piece of metal before Pairo returned, several hammers in hand as well as a blanket. I used the blanket to tie Fie to the back of the crude cross for support while Pairo moved to the other arm and tried to remove pieces of metal with the back of the tool, but most of them lacked a place for the forked end to catch. After removing three pieces, he borrowed my idea and tore off a piece of cloth to wrap around the 'nails' and used his weight to pull the metal out.

It took an hour to free Fie, and then we had to drag him to the storehouse. Pairo went to find more blankets as I attempted to clean the man up, remembering the cart of medical supplies as I considered how I'd be able to boil water.

Rushing to the cart, I found several bottles of antiseptic alcohol that obviously came from outside of the clan after a bit of shuffling. I also found bandages and grabbed those as well.

Fie jerked when the alcohol met his gaping wounds, groaning in obvious pain. He needed serious medical attention and a tetanus shot at the very least. Pairo returned as I finished treating and started wrapping one of his arms in bandages.

He stared at Fie, tears in his eyes, studying the damage. "Why would anyone do this?"

I glanced at Fie's face, a surge of pride running through me. "Because he had to be the one to kill one of theirs," I stated in complete certainty. "They wanted to make him suffer, which is why they left him like that."

"Won't they want to confirm he's dead?"

Pairo's question caused me to freeze and I turned terrified eyes to Pairo. If we had entered the meeting hall yesterday, we could have possibly found Fie in better condition and gotten a day for a head start. Now…

"Get a cart, we can't wait," I ordered before my eyes caught on Pairo's shaking legs. He was pushing himself already. "Wait, do you know how to take care of wounds?"

"Yes, we're all taught," Pairo admitted and I shoved the bottle of antiseptic into Pairo's hands.

"I'll get a cart, you bind his wounds and get some water in him. If you can, gather some supplies also, but water is primary."

Rushing out, I contemplated overturning the cart of medical supplies, but realized that would make noise. Pairo and I had been sloppy enough up to this point.

A cart up the street was overturned next to a woman with a few blankets scattered around it. It was small, but it would have to do. My feet seemed to create loud, echoing booms as I ran to right the cart and threw two of the blankets into it before returning to the storehouse. It hadn't taken anywhere near as long as I had thought it would, and Pairo was still cleaning Fie's other arm.

I pushed past him, snatching a small water barrel and dragging it out to the cart, hauling it in roughly before running back into the building and grabbing an armful of dried fruits and vegetables. My next trip had me carrying out an armful of fresh food, then another small barrel of water was forced out to the cart.

Pairo finally finished bandaging Fie's other arm and we each grabbed an arm to drag the man out. Getting him into the cart involved Pairo having to get into the cart to pull while I attempted to lift and push the grown man. Desperation and fear gave us more strength then either of us believed possible, and we managed to force Fie into the cart and were about to cover him with a blanket when I stopped Pairo. Neither of us had cleaned Fie's groin, and it needed to be done.

Pairo followed my gaze and shuddered. "It needs to happen," I pointed out, and he nodded.

Glancing down the street didn't do me any good, my vision had barely improved over the last day so I couldn't see anything further than a few meters away. Pairo was a bit better off, but he had been off his medicine for over 24 hours now.

"I'll do it fast," I volunteered, and Pairo nodded before turning away.

The cut that had removed Fie's manhood was rough, like it was meant to hurt, but I saw no signs of metal in the wound as I took a cloth, soaked it in alcohol, and pressed it to the wound. Fie jerked hard, almost screamed, but my hand covered his mouth fast as I quickly cleaned him.

Glancing up, I was surprised to see Pairo was gone. Glancing around, I couldn't make out Pairo at all.

"Pairo? Pairo!" I whisper/shouted. I didn't have a bad feeling currently, but I was willing to bet that we had a few hours at best.

Minutes passed slowly and my nerves fried. We didn't have time for this!

Jumping from the cart, I grabbed the handles for the cart and pushed hard. The cart wheels groaned over the ground, slowly turning and the cart began to inch down the street. Puffing hard, I pushed the cart towards the edge of the village, certain that Pairo would catch up.

Heavy feet sounded behind me and I swung around to see Pairo coming as fast as he could, leading a giant bird like what Juo and Kinze had been loaded on.

Pairo was grinning. "I saw him when I turned," he explained as he caught up, quickly pushing me out from between the handles of the cart. The bird had a harness on already and Pairo was quick to attach the cart to it. "This'll be a lot faster, give me a boost!"

My fingers automatically came together and I braced as Pairo climbed up onto the bird's back. Once he was up, I jumped into the cart and tried to find a small amount of space as Pairo turned the bird about and into the forest. We didn't follow the same path that Mizeru had led Juo, Kinze, Ging, and me on, this one, though easily missed, shot through the woods and we quickly joined a small trading road.

My eyes closed as I considered what we were going to do. We needed to get to a city or town where I could have access to a phone so I could call my guardians, if the Troupe went to check on Fie and found him gone, they would tear this countryside apart. My injury and Pairo's robes were dead giveaways for what we had gone through, plus with Fie with us, we'd be lucky if they killed us fast.

"Don't stop in the first town," I finally called up to Pairo.

"Straight through?"

"Definitely. We need to find medical help, but we can't be close!"

"Alright," Pairo called back. "This'll be farther than I've ever been."

"Remember to keep using Common tongue."

Two hours later, we passed through the first town, Pairo not allowing the bird to break stride while I did my best to cover Fie completely with one of the blankets.

We were now on a road and the bird was moving at a decent speed. The sun was rolling high in the sky and I grew more nervous with each kilometer we traveled. Juo and Kinze would have already started back to the village if Ging had kept his word, and his phone couldn't go too much longer without a charge. Would he even get a signal?!

I shook, wishing for something to do other than to dwell on what could be happening behind us.

"20 kilometers to the next town!" Pairo called when the afternoon was half spent. I had been slowly pouring water into Fie's mouth using a rag. He was beginning to grunt and groan more often, but I hoped we could get him to a hospital before he woke up.

"Need some water?" I called up.

"Yeah," Pairo admitted.

"Then pull over. We can't risk any of us getting dehydrated."

Pairo did as I said, bringing the bird to a stop near a river and led the bird to the edge of the water so it could drink. He used his hands to cup water from the small barrel and drank quickly then accepted an apple.

"Want to try guiding the bird?" he asked after a moment as he watched the mount drink.

I shook my head automatically. "I don't know how. And my eyes… I think they're getting worse."

Pairo focused on me quickly, studying my face. I hissed a bit when he used a finger to try to widen the space, and I saw him gulp.

"Your eyes are scarlet."

"What?" I was a bit scared and nervous, but not to the point where my eyes should have activated.

"They're completely red! Even the whites!"

I gulped as I turned and focused on the cart. "Looks like I'll need to see the doctor as well." Until the bird was finished, Pairo and I did our best to adjust our supplies and Fie in the cart so I had space as well and Fie wasn't in a position that would suggest he had been thrown into the cart haphazardly over several armloads of food.

The bird finally finished and we hit the road again, Pairo keeping us going even as the evening set in and I knew his eyes couldn't see much in the gloom. He had to trust the bird to keep us on track.

Night had fallen before we reached the town, and I made Pairo stop at a gas station where a payphone was wedged against the wall inside the store.

I had never been so happy that Juo insisted I have at least 2000 jenny on me at all times than I was at that moment. After dialing in the number, the requested sum for the out-of-country call almost wiped me out.

My nerves rose as the line seemed to take forever to connect, but I let my breath go when Juo picked up before the first ring had ended.

"Hello?" Juo's voice was thin and the line crackled alarmingly.

"Juo!"

"Lana!" the relief in his phone was palpable. "Ging didn't let us leave the ruins until an hour ago and you haven't shown up yet! Where are you? Did the Kuruta keep you in the village?" Scuffling occurred and I heard Kinze's voice. "Just wait a minute!"

"Listen!" I ordered sharply. "The village got attacked by bandits. I got away with two others but everyone else… They're all dead." Tears formed yet again, this time rolling down my cheeks. "They tortured them and took their eyes. You can't go to the village."

"Where are you?" Juo demanded. "Tell me where and we'll get there as fast as we can!"

Glancing up, I saw the shadow of what I assumed was the store clerk. "What town is this?" I asked, drawing the man's attention.

"Oh god…" the man muttered as he stood and rushed over to me. "God, what happened?!"

"There was a fire. Please, what town is this?"

The man glanced at the phone in my hand. "Who are you talking to?"

"My dad, he needs to know where-"

The phone was jerked from my hands by the clerk. "I'm taking your daughter to the Hukufima Hospital! Get there fast!" The phone was returned to the cradle as the man rushed to the back. Several voices shouted back and forth, then the man was back with a set of keys in hand. He grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the door.

"I'm not alone!" I shouted. "I'm with Pairo and Fie. He's been hurt a lot worse!"

The man must have seen the cart and Pairo did his part in yelling, "Hey!"

I was tugged along to the cart and the man pulled Pairo off of the bird before looking to the cart where Fie's head was just visible under the blanket. He yanked it off then gaped at the grisly sight.

"Oh god! Wait here!"

Pairo followed the man with his eyes. "What's going on?"

"I got in contact with my dad, that guy said he was taking us to the hospital."

Wheels screeched over the road and then the man was back, reaching into the cart to drag Fie out and then carrying him to the vehicle that idled nearby. It turned out to be a truck, which I found out when the man came back to collect the blankets as well as Pairo and me.

"It'll take an hour to get to the hospital, so hold on!" he ordered as he raised the back of the truck then ran to the driver's door.

The wheels screeched again, and the truck took off down the road. The ride was bumpy and I clutched the side of the truck hard. Beside me, Pairo moaned at the rough ride while Fie groaned, his head bouncing slightly on a rolled-up blanket.

"Can we trust this guy?" Pairo asked as the truck bounced over the pavement as it merged onto a road.

"Not much of a choice right now," I informed him then glanced at Fie. He looked pasty under the moonlight and every hour brought an increased possibility of infection. Add to it that I was certain my eyesight was fading, and we really needed this ride. Pairo was the least injured of us, and possibly the strongest at this point.

Moving over, I gently touched Fie's head and almost cursed at the fever I felt. We really were running out of time.

Pairo was leaning against the cab of the truck and watched as I tended to Fie. "Are most people like this?" he finally asked.

"Like what?" I was checking the wounds on Fie's arms and wished we had brought the bottle of alcohol with us as I did my best to smooth the blanket over the ravaged body.

"This guy… He's being nice, helping us. The one time I went to an outside town, the people were nice until they saw Kurapika's eyes."

"And they got scared, right?"

Pairo's nod was slow and sad.

I sighed as I finished my exam of Fie then settled next to him. "I think most people will help someone who they see is hurt, that most people are inherently good. You have to be mindful of the few who aren't. No better example than what happened at the village."

Pairo shook a bit. "So most people would try to help us, but what about those that are afraid?"

"They just need to get to know you. Once they do, most people get over any initial fear."

Pairo hummed in response, obviously thinking. "Those men you were with, they know of your eyes?"

"Yeah." I paused, remembering Juo's initial reaction to my eyes. He'd been afraid at first, but he had known me and quickly set it aside. He viewed me as his daughter and that hadn't changed.

We were silent for a few minutes, before I glanced at Pairo's face, then shut my eyes resolutely. Over the course of the day, things had been getting dimmer and dimmer, and now I could barely make out Pairo's face. We'd be at the hospital soon, I could only hope that they could do something.

Fie regained consciousness halfway to the hospital, gasping loudly. I heard him fumble around with the blankets as Pairo tried to calm him down.

"Takara, help me!" he finally calmed, and I reached out to settle a hand on what I believed to be Fie's shoulder, fingers careful.

The staff wielder was delirious, but he did recognize Pairo after the initial panic and actually let out a sob.

"You're alive!" Fie gasped. "You're both alive!"

"Yeah, my dad distracted one of those guys and sent us to a hidden cellar," Pairo admitted. "What happened?"

"They claimed they got everyone in the village. That nobody made it to the forest." Fie looked pained. "If I don't make it, you two should know: they tortured everyone but Elder Baine got the worst."

"I saw," I interrupted.

"No, they were demanding to know if everyone was here and the elder, he spat in their faces, even as one of them sawed him in half!"

"You had it the worst," I insisted. "You were strung up to die and forced to watch everyone else being tortured."

Fie fell silent for a few minutes, shifting a bit under my touch and I felt his hand brush my cheek. He could likely see my face but said nothing of it. "One of them carried a sword and kept nominating me to replace one I killed after I broke his arm, said he wanted to spar with me more. The leader-" Fie coughed roughly. "He turned it down completely."

"Not like you would have taken it anyway," Pairo muttered and Fie laughed roughly, which quickly devolved into coughs.

"I swore I would bash his brain in for this, for coming and…" Fie choked then, half sob and half cough. "Where are we going?"

"The hospital," I replied. "A man saw my face when I was calling my dads and grabbed me. I told him about you, and he loaded all of us into his truck."

"Ok," Fie accepted the explanation quickly then shifted some more. "Pairo, take off your robes."

"What?!" Pairo sounded more than a little surprised at the order.

"Just the outer portion, they give away who you are to anyone who might be looking."

"Oh," Pairo responded and the sound of shifting cloth reached my ears.

The truck seemed to be moving at dizzying speeds, but it still seemed to take forever before Pairo called out, "Lights! We're approaching a city!"

Our driver barely slowed as he pulled off of the highway and onto a road where his driving went from just fast to that of a madman! We were thrown one way then another as every rule of the road was tossed out of the window. I couldn't even see what he was doing, but I was certain that it was highly illegal. I was proven right when a siren sounded behind us and then the truck lurched as though it were being directed over a median.

"My top!" Pairo cried as the sound of fabric fluttering rapidly faded.

"You'd need to lose it sooner or later," Fie ordered, then groaned as the truck bounced. "What is this guy doing?"

"Probably still panicking over our wounds," I admitted as the sound of brakes filled the air and the truck finally came to a stop.

Our savior jumped from the cab, the sound of the door quickly being drowned out by the sirens, and then the back of the truck was being lowered.

"They need help!" the driver shouted as the sound of footsteps rapidly approached and several voices called out. Fie was dragged away and then Pairo and I were grabbed by either an officer or a medic, I couldn't tell which anymore. My feet never touched the ground as we were carried into a building and dim light filled my vision.

"Temperature is 40 C, we need to cool him down!"

"Wheelchair! And get her to the burn unit!"

"I don't care if he looks uninjured, check him anyway!"

Voices shouted and a flurry of motion prevented me from even attempting to keep track of Pairo or Fie, and I knew we were being separated.

"What's your name?" a voice demanded next to my ear.

"Lana Pidel," I answered, that would be the name Juo and Kinze would ask for when they arrived.

"She seems to be coherent," the voice noted. "When did this happen?"

"Two days ago, we got trapped in a burning building when bandits attacked!"

I was settled on something and then a strap was wrapped around my arm while a light was shined into my eyes, but it barely registered now.

"Hell," a voice murmured. "MRI, now!"

zzzzzzzzzz

Hachiro Nico considered himself a normal man. Naturally, when a little girl showed up at his gas station with a burned face, he was concerned. Finding out she had arrived in a cart with another kid and a castrated and beaten man had caused his nerves to fry and he panicked. Naturally, his driving had suffered a bit. Ok, a lot.

Which was why he was being spoken to by a police officer currently.

"So they showed up in this condition at your gas station?" the officer confirmed.

"Yes!" Hachiro practically yelled as he sat heavily in a chair. "The girl was calling her father and wanted to know what town they were in."

The officer sighed. "I have to write a ticket for reckless driving, but after seeing those people, I can understand what happened. We'll need your statement later, so make sure to stay here."

Turning to a nurse, the officer asked, "Where's the man who was brought in?"

"Being cooled down and given a broad-spectrum antibiotic," the nurse replied. "He's in no shape to answer any questions currently."

"What about the boy? He looked uninjured."

"Being examined currently. He seems to have some long-standing injuries that weren't properly treated."

Hachiro sighed as he sat back, then glanced outside to his truck. He should move it, but the officer had ordered him not to. He had a full view as a blond boy ran up and jumped into the bed of his truck and grabbed up a piece of cloth.

"Hey!" he yelled as he jumped up and rushed towards the sliding doors. "Drop that! It belongs-"

"To who?" a young voice hissed at him. "Where are they?"

"With the doctors! Do you know them?"

"These are the robes of our clan!" the boy practically shouted.

A nurse must have heard the boy because she rushed over to him. "Do you know their medical history?"

"Who's here?"

The nurse checked a clipboard quickly. "Pairo, Fie, and La-"

"Pairo?! He's here?"

"Do you know his medical history?" the nurse demanded, receiving a nod from the boy. "Can you answer some questions then? I can take you to see him after, but the other two are in critical condition."

"How are they here?"

Hachiro answered this. "They showed up at my gas station. They were hurt so I drove them."

"You almost flattened me," the boy informed him flatly. "That was when this flew out of the back of your truck." He held up a piece of cloth as he stated this.

"Crap, that was you? Why the heck were you in the middle of the road?" Hachiro demanded before the nurse broke in and tugged on the boy's arm.

"We need to ask some questions," she stated firmly as she guided the boy into the hospital.

zzzzzzzzzz

Two hours later, Pairo glanced up from the bed he'd been forced into and felt simultaneous relief and fear.

"Kurapika," he breathed as he sat up. "What're you doing here?"

"Looking for a doctor for you. Pairo, what happened? Nobody is telling me what happened, they just wanted to know about you, Fie, and some girl I've never met! They said they were critically injured and want to know who to call, but the elder's phone isn't connecting. When did he agree to let you get outside help?"

"He didn't," Pairo swallowed thickly when Kurapika's eyes widened, so Pairo continued. "The village got attacked! Everyone was killed except the three of us!"

"Everyone?" Kurapika asked after a long moment, his voice thin and shocked. "My parents?"

"Everyone… Except a group that was sent out!" Pairo corrected. "A Hunter came and he took a group to the Ortho-Kuruta ruins… They brought Takara with them."

"Who's Takara?"

"The girl who was with us."

"They said her name is Lana!"

"It is. She has two," Pairo replied. "She's a Kuruta too, possibly Fie's granddaughter!"

"So, the clan got attacked, but a Hunter took a group to the ruins with him and then there's you, Fie, me, and this girl, and that's all that's left of the Kuruta?" Kurapika clarified.

"Yeah," Pairo replied as the situation finally sank in. He and Kurapika had lost their parents and home. Fie had been tortured brutally.

"Why?"

Pairo looked up at Kurapika. "Why what?"

"Why did the elder send that group with the Hunter?"

Now the boy shook under his friend's scrutiny. "Because the Hunter who brought Takara knew an attack was coming. I guess elder Baine knew over a week in advance because he announced we were all going."

Kurapika looked furious and sad. "He delayed?"

Pairo nodded. "He didn't tell anyone either."

"Damn him." Kurapika stood abruptly. "Sorry, I need to sign some forms right now."

"For what?"

"Authorization for surgery," the blond boy replied. "For all three of you."

"What?!"

"They said that they can easily fix your injuries: your legs weren't set right and there's pressure on your optic nerves. I think you already know why Fie and Lana/Takara need surgery."

"Fie yes, but Takara was only burned!"

"Pairo," Kurapika's eyes were sad. "Her eyes were injured by a boiling fluid that reacted poorly with some sort of medicine in her eyes. They were damaged and an infection set in, bad enough that they need to be removed for her to survive."

Chapter 11: Chapter 11

Chapter Text

Ging glanced into the rearview mirror and blew out yet another breath as he spotted the car behind his borrowed vehicle.

Next time he decided it was a good idea to follow the wishes of a 7-year-old over the wishes of her parents, he would be reminded of this incident. And would probably do it all over again with the realization that had he not followed through with her wishes, there would be more people dead. If he had left Juo and his partner, they'd undoubtedly be dead and the Troupe might have headed to the ruins.

Though both of his friends had screamed bloody murder at him about how that elder was going to make Lana disappear, he could proudly say that his instinct on the old man being a tough nut was correct. He and Netero might have been great friends if he'd been less of an isolationist with a serious stick up his ass.

Juo and Kinze had departed with him to return to the village the moment that the time limit had run out, both of them riding one of the Kuruta birds with him trailing along behind. He had heard it when Lana/Takara managed to make her call, and knew the news was bad. He hadn't anticipated the men turning back and heading full speed back to the ruins.

Aside from the twenty-two people they had evacuated to the ruins plus Lana and whoever she had managed to escape with, the Kuruta clan was now extinct. Chairman Netero had sat with a number of the smaller children when they had received the news that their parents were gone while Mizaistom, Botobai, and Morel did their best to reassure the elderly and few adults that they would do their best to keep them safe.

Externally, Ging huffed as he stared at the crew. He'd asked Satotz to bring a group of one-star, maybe two-star Hunters, and the Chairman had seen fit to come himself and bring two of the other Zodiacs when he had heard that there might be an evacuation of some sort happening. Apparently, the old man was still smarting over the Black Brigade.

At least Satotz had had the common sense as to make himself scarce.

They had brought several large trucks with them, hoping to have them filled with Kuruta to relocate. Now they had only needed one, so Juo and Kinze had grabbed him with demands to get them to their car and guide them to the Fukuhima hospital.

It was after 11pm before he got them to the town, and now, at just before 4am, they were pulling into the hospital. Juo barely parked the car before both he and Kinze rushed into the doors of the emergency room, even forgetting to turn off the headlights of their vehicle.

Not wanting the headache of having to help them deal with a dead battery later, Ging shut off the headlights before heading into the hospital himself.

Juo was talking rapidly with a receptionist, who looked at Kinze's identification, then nodded and began to check a chart.

"Pidel, Lana. She's in recovery room 231 along with that boy she came in with, Pairo. The- Sirs?"

Neither of the men had waited, instead rushing past her towards the elevators while Ging scratched the side of his head.

"Are you looking for someone?" the receptionist asked, turning her attention to him.

"Nah, just with those two," Ging replied as he slouched after the two.

"Then, you might want to prepare yourself for a bit of a shock. I'll be alerting the doctor on-duty of their arrival and he can explain the situation."

Ging's ears perked at the word 'situation' and he headed down the hall at a slightly faster pace, catching up to the pacing parents right as an elevator finally arrived.

"The stairs would be so much faster," Kinze gritted as his finger anxiously hammered on the button for the second floor then switched to the 'door close' button. Ging almost pointed out that repeatedly banging on the buttons wouldn't make the elevator go faster, but decided he'd heard enough lectures and shouting already.

Finally, the doors closed and the elevator began to rise and Kinze started pacing the elevator while Juo watched the number over the door. Leaning against the wall of the elevator, Ging didn't think he'd ever experienced a longer half-minute in his life. It was made especially long whenever Kinze turned and glared at him. Obviously, the man blamed him.

After an eternity, the chime sounded as the elevator stopped and the pair rushed the door, scanning the room sign that hung on the opposite wall, and taking off down the hall. Even Juo tossed aside etiquette and formality in favor of keeping up with his partner.

Two halls down, the pair found the right room and settled themselves down a bit by knocking quickly, then entering the room. Ging followed and saw that there were four beds in the room. A blonde boy was sitting up in the bed closest to the door, his Kurutan robes a dead giveaway as to where he came from. The bed next to his was also occupied, this time by the boy he recognized as their guide in the village. Ging could say that he was secretly glad the other survivors were kids.

Juo and Kinze were both leaning over Lana's bed, Kinze's hand grasping her limp one, bandages covering her eyes. There was a fading burn mark just visible on her cheek.

"Lana? Sweetie, are you awake?" the dark-haired man asked/pleaded, while Juo settled his hand on his shoulder.

"Let her sleep," he whispered before turning his attention to the blonde who continued to stare at them. "I know this had to be a trying time, but can you tell us what happened? How you escaped?"

The boy's eyes were suspicious as he regarded the pair, though his eyes did soften a bit when he saw Kinze holding Lana's hand.

"Relax, kid. We're with the team that helped to evacuate some of your clan," Ging explained. "Aside from you, twenty-two people are with the Chairman and a team of Hunters who'll get them somewhere safe."

The boy blew out a relieved breath before glancing at his friend. "I wasn't there, I was looking for a doctor for Pairo. I caught up with them here."

Juo glanced towards the other bed then and smiled faintly. "That was our guide in the village. I'm glad he survived. Is he hurt?"

"He has surgery the day after tomorrow," the first boy replied. "I'm Kurapika by the way."

"Lana said she escaped with two people, where's the other?" Juo continued.

"Surgery right now," Kurapika replied as he glanced at the one empty bed. "Fie was one of the best warriors in our village, and those beasts tortured and mutilated him." The boy was beginning to shake, tears pricking his eyes. "Pairo told me they killed everyone else and strung him up to die because he managed to kill one of them… Pairo's dad, my parents, the elder…"

Kinze watched the boy, his gaze softening as he traded looks with Juo, who stepped closer to the boy and squeezed his arm.

"You're not alone," Juo informed him firmly. "Cry if you need to, don't hold it in."

"Why?" The tears rolled down the boy's cheeks. "Why did they… What did we ever do to earn their hate?"

"Nothing," Juo replied as he looked the boy in the eye, not flinching at all at the sight of a red luster in the boy's eyes. "Sometimes people hate for no reason other than not liking what you are. I've experienced it plenty of times, and I can tell you this: it's not your fault."

"Doubt it had anything to do with hate anyway," Ging stated from his position near the door. "They wanted your clan's eyes. There was no hate in this, only greed."

Kurapika nodded before attempting to stand. "Tell Pairo I'll be back soon if he wakes before I get back."

"Where are you going?" Kinze asked as Kurapika gathered his shoes.

"I used clan connection to sign the forms for everyone to be treated, that leaves me with the bill. I need to find a job-"

"Back in bed." Kinze stood from Lana's side and took Kurapika by the shoulders, wheeling him around to put him back to bed. "I'll be paying the hospital bills for the lot of you."

"B-but you're not-"

"As Lana's father, I am technically your guardian for the time being since you're a cousin of her's. As such, I'm taking over your financial well-being for now."

"Her father?! But you're almost the same age as Fie and he's supposedly her grandfather!"

Kinze froze for a long moment, before continuing. "I adopted her."

Ging watched the pair as Kinze pretty much forced the boy back into bed then glanced at the ceiling. "It still counts," he informed the pair. Fie might not be the father, but if he was believed to be her grandfather and he wanted her, then they'd have to hand Lana over.

As Kurapika was put back to bed, Juo moved to sit by his daughter's side, his eyes studying her, memorizing her features as he grasped her small hand.

A doctor bustled in then, a clipboard in hand, and quickly focused on Juo. What he had to say broke more than a few hearts as he reported on the condition of the survivors.
zzzzzzzzzz

Darkness surrounded me, reminding me too much of that time over seven years ago. Had it happened again? I hoped it hadn't. Still, as hours passed, I became more and more aware of my surroundings.

Sensation came back first, and I was relieved to take that as a sign that I was alive. Sound came next, a conversation occurring.

"-n't take them," a voice that sounded a bit weak stated. "Can't protect them now. I don't know how all the muscles and nerves in my arms weren't damaged, but I'm sure those people did something so I wouldn't bleed out and suffer as long as possible."

"Are you certain?" It was Kinze's voice, I knew it. He was next to me, his hand on mine.

"Definitely. You cared enough to try to find us, and with our current situation, she's better off with you." Fie. That was Fie speaking.

My hand twitched, fingers closing on around the hand on mine.

"Lana? Lana!" Kinze's voice raised in volume as his hand grasped mine. I groaned in response.

Attempting to sit up got me pushed back down, Kinze was firm in enforcing this.

"Don't try to get up, sweetheart," he pressed. "You need to rest."

"What happened?" I managed to croak.

"You're in the hospital, do you remember that?" I nodded in response to the question. "You had a massive infection from your wounds, it peaked when you reached the hospital, your eyes being the main infected area."

Kinze was shaking right then, and my throat was dry. "What are you not saying?" I demanded.

"Your eyes are gone." The answer wasn't from Kinze or Juo or even Fie. It was Ging, and he seemed more a bastard than ever in that moment.

Shock gripped me, my hand squeezing Kinze's as I tried to ground myself. He didn't yelp, didn't attempt to stop me, only murmured softly as I felt my world slip away. Rage rushed through me, as did fear, and logical thought left me.

A slap brought me back to myself, and Kinze was berating Ging loudly.

"She's entitled to have a momentary freak out! She just found out something highly upsetting and life altering!"

"Not right now, not like that." Ging's voice was firm, and I knew he was right. I couldn't freak out like that ever again. That was what could get me killed, especially now that I was without a key sense.

Pairo's voice floated over. "What's going to happen now?"

"The Hunter Association will need to find a good place to relocate the Kuruta survivors. Somewhere that is fertile due to your isolationist tendencies, but taking into consideration that most of the survivors are either very young or old, this could prove problematic," Ging explained.

Meaning they wouldn't be as capable of farming as they had once been. Or defending themselves.

"Naturally, we'll also need to try to find a place where people won't ask too many questions. If people are even remotely suspicious of there being Kuruta survivors, news will reach the Underworld fast. The Phantom Troupe will hunt them mercilessly, all of them." I could practically feel Ging's eyes on me.

"They'll need to hide in plain sight," I filled in. "With people who either know who they are or with access to means of disguising their eyes. They can't isolate themselves anymore because they can't support themselves currently."

Kinze was obviously thinking hard and I felt him shift. "It might be a stretch, but I might be able to gain custody of Pairo and Kurapika by claiming them to be relatives through Lana," he slowly reasoned. "At the very least, foster them."

"And leave twelve children age 11 and younger alone?"

"I'll talk to Juo. But how would we be able to legally bring them to Kakin?"

"Leave that to me." Ging sounded too smug, and I knew that this had been his goal, one of the reasons I had played along.

Juo had taken a bit of convincing, but Ging and Kinze eventually won him over and he invited the survivors of the Kuruta clan to move to the manor in Kakin. Fie was hired immediately as an estate guard, something that there had originally been very few of.

Almost every member of the manor staff was replaced inside of a day, sent to work at the palace or estates of business partners. The maids who came in three times a week and the gardeners were all replaced with Kuruta who would be provided with new identities through the Hunter Association. Jiemo was the only one who I knew of to be spared, she gained an assistant.

Pairo's surgery was underway while Kurapika attempted to argue his way out of being placed in the custody of Kinze. He and Pairo would be the only ones publicly taken in since they would be traveling with us, and he bristled at being renamed Kurapika Keeno. Still, knowing that he would be out in the world and that his clan would be taken care of had appeased him a bit.

There was no airport closer than a two-day drive for the dirigible to pick us up at, but Chairman Netero came through for us, getting a permit for the ship to land in a nearby field. Pairo was carried onto the ship by a paramedic the day he was released from the hospital, both legs in casts but his eyes were now fine. A mere three days had passed since I had woken up blind.

Kinze guided me from the car to the ship, hands on both of my shoulders while Kurapika, now dressed in regular clothes, assisted Fie who still had a limp. The kun he had given me was strapped to his back currently.

The news of the massacre of the Kuruta clan had been released the day before, with two unnamed Hunters being quoted as the clan being completely wiped out.

"Where would you like to sit, Lana?" Kinze asked gently while Juo hustled around outside, thanking people for everything they had done. Ging was behind me, I don't know how I knew his exact position.

Juo had already provided me with a book to learn braille and had raised print, and I intended to start it immediately.

"The library, please," I replied, and tried to follow Kinze's movements as he walked me to the library area and guided me to a couch.

"I'll be in the lounge, and Juo will be around. If you need anything, just call."

Kinze was a true parent, he knew I needed space right then and I wished more than ever that I could see his face, reassure him that everything was going to be ok. But I couldn't. All we could do was stack the decks as much as we could.

I heard glasses and bottles in the next room as I shuffled with the book, trying to identify the individual characters and numbers in the bumps under my fingers. Take off drowned out the sounds from the next room, but soon the noise was back as well as whispered voices. I heard as they came to check on me every so often.

Soft footsteps reached my ears and pulled me away from the book yet again, and my attention turned towards the open door. It had to be Kurapika.

I hadn't had the opportunity to speak to Kurapika yet, had only been in the same room as him for several hours that I knew of. Currently, he was lingering at the door, uncertain as to whether he should enter or not.

"You can come in, books are meant for everyone," I called out, and after a moment longer, Kurapika entered.

Though blind, I knew that Kurapika was following the bookshelf by the door towards the window and turned my attention back to my book.

"Pairo told me about what you did," Kurapika's voice cut through my focus and I turned my attention back to him. "That you fought one of them while telling him to run, helped him get to the records hall, and into the hidden room. That you got Fie down and were the strength he needed to make it through."

"He helped plenty as well," I responded. "We worked together."

I wasn't sure what Kurapika did, but a moment later I knew he was by the couch I was seated on.

"I won't let this go, I'm going to become a Hunter and bring all of those monsters to justice," he promised. "Pairo wants to help me, and we'll get the eyes of our kin back."

"Don't think that you're the only one who's going to act," I replied.

"You've done your part," Kurapika pointed out. "You're blind now."

"But I'm not dead!" Anger was returning, but it wasn't at Kurapika. I couldn't see, so now the images of what I'd seen in the Kuruta village floated freely through my mind. "You didn't see what they did… How respectful and even loving they were to their own, but treated the clan like they were trash!"

"You can't get involved anymore."

"Tough, I'm already involved! It's not a matter of 'if' the Troupe finds out, but 'when' they do! Do you honestly think just you and Pairo will be enough? There's thirteen of them once they replace the one that Fie killed! We need to defend those who are alive, find those who are lost, and make sure this never happens again!"

"Your parents?"

I stopped cold.

"Pairo told me that you're looking for them. Isn't that why you sought us out?"

They were, and I still wanted to, but the more I thought of it, the more I realized that I couldn't anymore. If I found them, the entire family would be in danger along with the Kuruta clan. At least they would be until…

"It'll have to wait until after the Spiders are dealt with," I finally admitted. "I can't just let you and Pairo do everything, especially if I want to be a Hunter. I want to Hunt for my family and remove the obstacles that would stop me."

"Finally!" Ging's voice rang out. "Had me wondering for a while if you'd ever get the right mindset."

"You can't tell a blind person to become a Hunter, it's too dangerous!" Kurapika argued.

"Less dangerous than letting someone blinded by rage and bloodlust," Ging responded before turning to me. "And she's not completely blind. Heck, I'm sure I can get her reading again in six months even without eyes!"

Ging's arrogance made me long to trick him with another bowl of mayonnaise/ice cream. But if he was sincere in his ability, then I would put that aside. For now.

"This isn't going to be easy," Ging told me plainly. "You can't tell anyone what we do, and if I hear any complaints, I'll quit."

It wasn't a hard decision.

Ging escorted me to the top of the airship and had me settle on the floor in front of him, him sitting as well if the semi-heavy thump was anything to go by. I felt the strange energy fill the air again and Ging shifted a bit.

"You felt that, didn't you?" he asked rhetorically. "Eh, don't bother to answer, I already know you did. You've been aware of it since you were a toddler. It's called nen, more specifically, the technique I used is called 'en.' With it, I can scan my surroundings, even know if leaves are falling."

"I'm capable of it too then?" I asked.

"Probably. You're partially awake, probably just enough to do something like that, but nothing else. And if you try to learn anything else before becoming a Hunter, I'll seal you myself."

"Jerk."

"Nerd."

The comments were made without heat, so I guess we were used to each other.

"Focus your energy into a ball between your hands," Ging instructed as he positioned my hands in front of me.

The energy had been slippery when I had first become aware of it, acting more with my emotions than under my instructions. Knowing it was nen didn't do me any good since I didn't know any exercises for it, and you couldn't look up instructions in texts that were generally open to the public, especially to small children. I had called it 'the energy' since I couldn't completely employ it. My practice over the years had gained me some control, but now I wrestled with it, forcing it. The energy didn't want to leave my body at all, and fought to return as soon as it was pushed out mere centimeters. I didn't know how far apart my hands were, but the energy wasn't meeting.

Several minutes passed and I was exhausted, the energy not being plentiful and my forceful touch seemed to burn through my stamina rapidly though I never lost any of my nen. But I needed this. I needed to have some way to make up for my lack of sight!

Pushing harder, only seemed to increase the distance that the energy went out by maybe a centimeter, but it wasn't good enough. I was going to make this confounded energy meet in the middle or- WHAM!

I yelped as pain erupted on my shoulder and knocked me off-balance.

"Pay attention to your surroundings! You can't always use this!" Ging ordered as I righted myself. "Now try again!"

My hands came up again, and I pushed the energy out again while trying to keep Ging in focus. I failed spectacularly as his hand knocked me over yet again.

"Again!" Ging ordered as I sat up again and tried to focus yet again.

An hour slowly ticked by with me being knocked over by Ging far more than once while I tried to push my nen into a ball between my hands. For a short time, I thought to try to form a ball on one of my hands and move that between them, but Ging smacked my side.

"It's easy to focus nen on your body, you need to make it move as you command away from it!"

Lunch time came and an attendant came to tell us that the meal was being served. Ging didn't even attempt to help me up.

"I have nen, everything does. Try to follow me by focusing on my nen."

Since I had been able to leave my hospital bed, someone had always guided me when I walked. To have that abruptly taken proved difficult and I stumbled down the short hall, using memory to try to find my way to the stairs only for Ging to catch me and spin me around multiple times, thoroughly disorienting me.

"I said to follow my nen!" he ordered, and seeing as how he didn't make any noise when he walked away, I had to focus on any energy in the air. A thin line of it finally caught my attention and I followed it, only to fall down the stairs.

I must have made a lot of noise because an attendant was beside me soon after I landed, as I attempted to regain my feet.

"Miss, are you alright?" she demanded, attempting to take my arm. "Let me help-"

I shook her off as I turned back to the stairs. "I need to do it myself!"

The stairs to the bottom were treacherous and I stumbled and fell again, this time after making it almost halfway down, and this time Kinze rushed over.

"Lana! You should call someone if you need to go somewhere," he chided as he attempted to lift me. I allowed him to help me up, but shook his arm off.

"I have to do it," I informed him. "If you care about me, you'll understand that I have to learn this!"

Ging was already in the dining room when I arrived and he whistled faintly at the various bumps and bruises that were forming on my arms. "We'll be heading back up after lunch."

"Got it," I acknowledged.

Juo shifted beside me. "What are you doing?"

"Helping her learn to navigate so she can become a Hunter." Ging's blasé response earned chokes from Kinze, Juo, and one other person at the table, I wasn't sure who.

"You cannot be on that again! Lana can't even see!" Kinze's frantic tone indicated he was bordering on panic and he was quick to settle a protective arm around me.

"Wouldn't be the first blind Hunter," was Ging's response, and Kinze stiffened.

"It's not going to happen. I can understand her wanting to not be completely dependent, but becoming a Hunter is out now!"

I felt my plate being settled in front of me and reached out with a hand to try to find a fork. Unfortunately, lunch today was a short rotini pasta in a light sauce, and I was having a very difficult time trying to catch the little noodles.

"Earliest she can take the exam is 12, so we have a few years," Ging continued, ignoring Kinze's objections.

"Pairo and I wish to take the exam as well," Kurapika tossed out. "Could you train us, Fie?"

"Might want to talk to Hayahito," Fie replied. "You at least I know are better served with bladed weaponry, and Pairo might be as well."

"Is he alive too?" Kurapika sounded excited.

"Left with the first group. Elder Baine didn't want to send them without some protection."

"Yet he let everyone else be wiped out without warning." Kurapika's tone was bitter, and the sound of a chair sliding back reached my ears. "I'm going to check on Pairo."

Kurapika let in a hurry and the subject of Hunters was not broached again.

Following lunch, Ging once again made me follow him to another part of the ship, except now he didn't return to our first practice room. Instead, he headed back to what I believed to be the library.

"We're going to play Follow the Leader," he instructed. "I'm going to walk to some point in the ship, and you have to find a way to get to me. I won't hide my aura. This time."

By dinner, I had been through Pairo's room, walked into Juo and Kinze twice each, walked straight into six walls, fallen down the stairs three more times, and caught Ging seven times. The first two times were easy with me only needing to stick to the halls, but afterwards he started locking doors, hiding under pieces of furniture, and moving around whatever room he settled in. More than once, I managed to follow him into a room and only caught him by sheer accident when something caused me to trip.

The atmosphere at dinner was tense, Juo was trying to play peacekeeper between Kinze and Ging (though Ging didn't even seem to realize that Kinze was probably ready to murder him,) and Kurapika had opted to eat with Pairo in his room. Pairo himself would be down for several months and Juo tried to talk to Kinze about finding tutors for the three of us plus the twelve other Kuruta children.

Ging ended the conversation by stating that he'd talk to someone he knew, and the room descended into tense silence.

Kinze didn't let me out of his sight when dinner ended, and Ging seemed content with my current level of bruising, so I found myself seated next to my guardian, slowly working through braille characters and numbers again, then small sentences.

Juo took the book at 8 that night, which was still my currently enforced bedtime, and walked me to the stairs. Unlike Kinze, he didn't try to take my arm automatically to guide me up them.

"I'm right behind you if you slip," he promised, patting my shoulder, and I nodded in return before slowly making my way up. Ging had forbidden me from using the handrails, so the climb seemed far more treacherous at that point in time.

The next day was a repeat of the first, except now Kinze watched me like a hawk. Ging didn't dare to do another nen exercise, instead limiting us to his version of Follow the Leader and Hide-n-Seek. The difference was that he dragged everyone else on the ship into the game by having me find them without their knowing. Kinze had yelled and cried, attempting more than once to guide me as I ran into furniture and walls, but as the exercise continued, he began to see the necessity. I needed to be able to navigate in a room at the very least. It didn't mean that he liked Ging at that moment, in fact I was certain that he was attempting to set the man ablaze.

On the third day, something changed. It was almost like seeing, but surrounding Ging's form was an energy that I was just barely able to discern now. I had felt it previously, but now it was almost like I could see the Hunter as a mischievous, bouncing ball of energy. Fie was also discernible, but barely and everyone else remained hazy. I reported this to Ging in a brief moment when Kinze had left us.

"Good," he stated flatly. "Took long enough, guess your brain had a lot of rewiring to do, but without your sight this was a lot faster than normal. Maybe I should insist on blindfolds being used for training…" Ging trailed off, obviously deep in thought and I threw a pillow at him only for it to be sent right back with enough force to knock me off the chair I was on.

"Try making the ball again," Ging continued, acting as though I hadn't just been knocked to the ground and I grunted in response as I retook my seat and brought my hands in front of me.

The energy, my nen, reacted a lot better this time, going further than I thought it would.

"Now bring your hands closer together," Ging instructed, and I followed the order. "Closer." My hands were moved closer still. "Closer."

My arms were crossed, my hands having completely missed each other.

"One of the reasons your nen never formed the ball: you're not aware of the position of your own hands. You'll need to work on that, train hard so you can sense their positions. Place them a small distance apart and make the ball."

Starting with my hands in a prayer position, I separated them a small amount and pushed my energy into the space, and lost a grin when I was certain I felt a ball form. It was barely discernible to me, but definitely there. Only as bright as Fie's presence was.

"Is Fie a nen user?" I asked automatically.

Ging grunted. "You noticed. Not like me, just an unconscious user like you were. One of the reasons I believed he could be your grandpa."

"So it's inherited?"

"Nah, someone awakened him. Probably an accident and he was never aware of it. Explains how he killed one of the Troupe. You just have a similar aura."

"I would have a similar aura to my parents?" I clarified.

"One or the other, most likely the parent that came from Fie. Now I want you to try to maintain the ball while directing it to circle you at a fixed distance."

It took considerable effort to lower my hands and maintain the ball, it seemed to flicker like a candle in the wind but I managed to keep- Whack!

I yelped as Ging struck yet again, and the nen ball dissipated.

"Form it again, don't use your hands!" Ging ordered, and mentally I swore that I was going to find this planet's equivalent of ghost peppers and mix them into Ging's next candy/sweet binge!

Practice continued until the airship finally landed and then Ging disappeared, much to Kinze's relief.

"Finally," he groaned as he pulled me tightly to his side. "Dear, I realize that Ging is your friend, but I'm surprised you let him get away with all of this."

"He couldn't have foreseen that attack occurring," Juo grumbled in response.

Kurapika made a noise from where he was assisting Fie, and an attendant was helping Juo with Pairo, but I was surprised when everyone kept quiet to the contrary.

I could tell that Kinze was still upset, and he kept a firm hold on me as he guided me down the ramp into the cold February air of Kakin. Kurapika gasped at the chill while Pairo, who was wrapped in a blanket, was kept warm.

The ramp seemed to rattle alarmingly under the various feet and I found myself automatically clutching Kinze's hand for support before taking a deep breath and forcing myself to calm down. The rattling became less alarming after that, but I was still pleased to return to the ground.

"What happened to the car?!" Kinze declared the moment his feet reached the ground, and I realized he had been heavily focused on me.

"We wouldn't have all fit, so I had this brought instead."

"What is it?" I asked as Kinze guided me forward again.

"A stretch limo," he replied distastefully, and I almost laughed. Kinze could be a bit flamboyant at times, but he utterly hated extravagant displays of wealth and limos were at the top of the list. Luxury cars that were understated were his honest preference. He loved the manor because he had slowly gotten used to it and had been able to have his family over for extended periods of time.

"It's just this once," Juo reminded him as his feet crunched past us, and I felt the static on the blanket that Pairo was wrapped in. He was loaded into the limo first, and then Fie was helped in. The staff wielder was still moving a bit stiffly, but he was definitely getting better. Kurapika followed Fie in, then Kinze and Juo directed me in carefully, guiding me to an empty seat.

I had been settled into the seat next to the window in the front of the passenger section, next to the minibar. Kurapika was next to me, Pairo on his other side with his back on the seat against the cab and cast-bound legs on the perpendicular seat. Fie was at Pairo's feet and Juo and Kinze shared the back seat.

Things were silent as the car glided smoothly away from the airport until Pairo finally spoke.

"What's going to happen now?"

Kinze shifted. "I submitted a request for guardianship over you and Kurapika, so you'll be living with us officially. The other Kuruta children will be staying as relatives of immigrants we hired."

"The surviving adults," Kurapika clarified. "They've been hired as gardeners and maids."

"We'll be opening the servant's quarters and guest wing for them," Juo continued. "They were renovated a few years ago, so they should be a good place to house all of them. Once the kids have learned Common, we can arrange for them to attend school."

"Will we be attending school?" Pairo sounded hopeful.

"Once you're better. We'll arrange tutors for you for the rest of this year so you can settle and we can deal with the red tape involving your custody."

"We're with you, so shouldn't that be it?" Kurapika asked.

It wasn't. Not by a long shot. My adoption had been rocky and challenged on a regular basis, but gaining guardianship over two boys that Kinze wasn't directly related to was like pulling teeth. The courts were slow and protests erupted. Kurapika and I were made aware due to us eavesdropping on the pair.

The Hunter Association delivered the Kuruta survivors to the manor almost a week after we had arrived. Kurapika and Pairo, who was now in a wheelchair, were delighted by their arrival. Though some of the people had to double up on rooms, everyone could be housed in the estate.

Kinze had taken time off when we had initially returned from our trip, with the Kuruta here and me constantly surrounded by watchful eyes, he felt it safe to return to work though he called multiple times a day.

Ging finally appeared again and we continued our lessons so that I could navigate the world without sight. It took a month, but I became more aware of my surroundings and stopped running into walls and furniture or falling down stairs. Hide-and-Seek continued, with me having to find various people in the estate, some of whom Ging described by physical features I couldn't see such as long hair or foot size. For those, I had to learn to be discerning based on the sound of the person walking as well as their aura.

Fie noticed the change and decided to join in on the training, attempting to sneak up on me, a practice that Ging picked up on. I forgave Fie since he was authentically trying to help, but Ging got a heavy dose of cayenne pepper packed brownies after he shoved me down a flight of stairs.

By two months, my nen balls could reach distances of twenty meters, and that was when Ging started on expanding my aura for En. I surprised both of us by managing almost ten meters on the first day, though the effort exhausted me.

"It needs to be like a tide," Ging instructed afterwards. "Goes out and comes back in, that's how you conserve energy!"

Pairo's casts finally came off and a therapist came everyday to help him relearn how to walk and improve his reflexes. As he began to tromp around the estate, April finally arrived and spring brought green back to the land. The Kuruta children took to playing outside when they weren't in lessons, and Ging got a new idea for testing my abilities: Tag.

My teacher argued it would test and exercise my focus along with forcing me to move, sometimes erratically, in order to catch the other kids. The first day seemed like an exercise in futility as I attempted to catch kids only to lose focus and stumble. Kurapika finally seemed to come around to the thought that I could be a Hunter when May was half over and I was finally catching the kids regularly. My En could now expand out to fifty meters now, surprising even Ging with my range, but I still couldn't tell anyone.

My reading abilities with Braille had been addressed by a tutor and a small team were brought in to teach the Kuruta Common. The kids picked it up rapidly and soon joined Kurapika, Pairo, and me in a classroom where we worked on regular topics. The tutors already knew about me, but Kurapika was shocking for some of them, with his knowledge and ability in Arts and Literature eclipsing me.

I missed books. It was like a physical pain that twisted in my gut every time I heard paper flipping, but En didn't allow me to read the words on the pages. Ging had promised that at six months that I would be reading again, but it had been almost five and I was confused on how that was going to occur.

Then it happened again: Ging took the books out of the library and stacked them around the manor, ordering me to find them and put them back into their places in the library. Finding them wasn't the problem, but putting them back was impossible! I couldn't see the titles and most of them were leather bound, so I couldn't even feel a telling feature such as width!

I'd gotten the last book back to the library and was clutching it, trying to figure out where to put it. All of the books were stacked on desks, chairs, couches, and tables, none in their proper place and it was driving me crazy! The only plus was that Ging wasn't in the room to further irritate me.

"Where do you go?" I wondered aloud, depression weighing heavy in my chest as I smelled the book, felt its weight. It held a story I could no longer read, even if I could feel the rest of the world and…

A presence pulled my attention and I spread my En automatically. Was someone else in the room? No, it wasn't a person, though they felt similar to Ging.

Setting the book I was holding on a nearby stack, I navigated through the room carefully, feeling the stacks and furniture around me automatically now. The nen came from one stack in particular and I sifted through the books carefully before finally freeing the one that had the nen. A book could hold nen?

My fingers traced the cover, and I identified it as the book on cultures Ging had given me, the book that had shown Juo and Kinze the Kuruta. A compulsion caused me to flip open the book, and I gasped.

The nen in the book was endowed in the letters! It was blurry at first, but as I focused, the letters became discernible! I could read them!

If nen could be pushed into the letters of this book, could it be used to highlight the letters in other books?

My hands grabbed the next book in the stack, fingers tracing the spine as nen pushed onto the surface, and the letters seemed to illuminate. The grin that reached my face as I turned to place the book in its place on the third bookcase from the door, first shelf, was of pure joy. I could read again!

Book after book, each was grabbed and 'read' through my nen, then returned to its place in the library. I was so focused, that I missed it when Ging arrived, though I didn't miss the two claps he made when I set the last book in place.

"Well, this has been fun," he stated as he sauntered into the room, and I could now follow every movement he made. "Still need to work on awareness, but I'm afraid I'm bored now and going to be moving on."

"Not used to spending so much time in one place, are you?" I challenged.

"Nope, and I doubt I'll ever do it again." Ging stretched out a bit as he made this admission. "Not good to settle, you'll need to remember that when you become a Hunter."

"Because a Hunter will always be on the move, determined to find their next hunt," I responded. I felt like I could finally understand Ging to a certain extent, beyond the laziness he seemed to exude that is.

It didn't mean I viewed him as being any less of an obstinate jerk.

"Keep practicing," Ging ordered as he stood and stretched, and suddenly was gone. I gaped at the empty space and expanded my En as far as I could, but still couldn't find him.

Ging's disappearance was disturbing to me, since it meant my En did have a weakness and I could be snuck up on. That was unacceptable, but I had other things to deal with now as well.

Leaving the library, I dodged a group of three kids as I headed down to the ground floor, then out to the garden, and past it to the field that had been converted into a training field. Kurapika and Pairo were working with an elderly man using a pair of double swords while Fie watched from a bit of a distance. He glanced up at my approach, then tossed my kun to me. I felt his grin when I caught it easily.

"Finally ready?" he asked as he entered his opening stance.

"Ready," I responded.

That first training session was brutal. My body needed to be hardened against blows as well as my En trained to keep up with me as I moved against an opponent with a weapon that was far faster than a bunch of kids, but I had learned well from Ging to never complain.

Training ended an hour before my guardians/parents were supposed to return and we all headed in to wash up. I intended to show them that I could read again, albeit slowly, but those plans got derailed when they returned, and the mood that surrounded their demeanor was dark and worried.

"What happened?" Pairo demanded when he saw the pair as they settled in for dinner.

Silence reigned for a moment, and then Kinze's hand settled on mine and squeezed before Juo spoke.

"The Hunter association has been keeping tabs on Lukso province and the Ortho-Kuruta ruins. The ruins were visited by a group of three just a few days ago. Their descriptions match what little intel they have on the Phantom Troupe."

Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Chapter Text

A secret is something that is best kept when those who know of it are few and tight-lipped. No one doubted that Ging's lips were sealed in regards to the Kuruta, and everyone seriously doubted that the other Hunters who had assisted them would ever tell.

Jiemo was without family and had been living in the manor for about fifteen years, having been a cook that had also cared for Juo when he had been growing up. She had welcomed the refugees to the manor, having been told that they were my relatives through my mother and their home had been destroyed by bandits. The words Kuruta and Scarlet eyes were never spoken to her. She understood that the people who killed the parents of so many children were still at large and might come to try to eliminate any possible witnesses. She would never speak of their presence at the manor.

What everyone had forgotten was that we had several visitors who were prone to show up rather suddenly when school let out for the year. Add to it that Halkenburg had just graduated, and it was understandable that he was upset when only his mother, Tubeppa, and Luzurus attended the ceremony. Them showing up at the manor upon returning to Kakin made for an interesting situation.

Since Juo and Kinze were both at work, I ended up being the one to greet them and I was backed up by Kurapika, Pairo, and three of the oldest kids to survive the massacre.

All four were staring at us in shock while aother group of kids ran past, playing a rowdy game of tag.

"I realize that this seems a bit odd," I admitted as I attempted to placate the adults so that explanations could be made.

"Odd nothing, what happened to your eyes?!" Luzurus demanded, and through En I could sense that he was pointing at my bandage covered eyes.

"Umm… Long story."

"We have the afternoon, and your fathers should be back this evening," Queen 'Vicky' Duazel stated mildly, though she sounded concerned as well. "Do they know about all these children?"

"Yes."

She relaxed immediately. "Good, I would have hated to have to report to them that you were having parties behind their backs."

The sun was shining that day, so I guided the four to the garden veranda for the discussion. Kurapika followed me while Pairo went to organize the other kids and keep them away from the visitors. Our cover story had been made months in advance, so I launched into it automatically.

"I believe you're all aware that we took a trip earlier this year?" I started, receiving nods then voiced affirmatives as they continued to study my bandaged eyes. "We went to visit my relatives and while we were there, a Hunter friend of Juo's took them to see some nearby ruins."

"That sounds like Juo!" Luzurus interrupted.

"I stayed with my relatives while they did, getting to know them," I continued. "While they were away, a group of bandits attacked. They killed almost everyone in the village and stole anything of value."

Tubeppa cleared her throat. "Was that when you were injured?"

"Yes, a boy named Pairo and I were hidden by his father. Unfortunately, the building caught fire and I was injured by an explosion. We escaped the fire and stayed hidden, then managed to save someone else, but Pairo's father died. All of the kids here, their parents died also, but most of them have a grandparent or another relative who survived. Juo hired them to work here so we could hide them, and Kinze applied for custody of Kurapika and Pairo since they don't have anyone."

That was a bit of a lie, Pairo's aunt Dimi was alive, but she had a new baby now and was still mourning the death of her husband.

Luzurus was gaping a bit, his mother actually reached over to shut his mouth, while Tubeppa and Halkenburg studied both Kurapika and me. Then the four heads turned to study the adults around the lawn.

Fie was on the training field with Hayahito, performing a demonstration spar. Dimi carried her son in a baby sling as she approached our table with a tray that contained a tea set and a plate of cookies. Various adults, usually older, were scattered throughout the garden and into the surrounding woods, each turning a watchful eye on the children that passed nearby.

All that was needed were a few small houses and this would probably be exactly what the Kuruta village had looked like, if there were more people.

It came slowly, a crack in Halkenburg's normally composed mask, and then the man began to laugh, but it was a sad sound.

"I'm sorry!" he declared when Kurapika drew back, likely in shock. "I knew for the three of you to miss my graduation that something serious had to have happened, but I didn't realize it was this bad!"

"It gets worse," Kurapika informed him flatly, speaking for the first time.

"Of course it does," Luzurus responded. "Are you Pairo or that Kura- kid?"

"Kurapika."

Luzurus raised an eyebrow. "Ok, so how does it get worse?"

Tubeppa shoved a cookie into her brother's mouth. "You shouldn't ask such things. They'll tell us if they think we should know."

"I'm going to tell you so you know not to tell anyone," I clarified. "The bandits that killed all of the villagers didn't mean to leave survivors, and will try to correct that mistake if they find out."

Luzurus's mouth was still filled with cookie when his head snapped up. "Cowwec?"

Queen Vicky sat up ramrod straight and Halkenburg made a sound that indicated he had just swallowed air. Tubeppa was shifting to indicate she was less than happy as well.

It surprised everyone when Luzurus sat up straight, swallowed his cookie, and wiped the crumbs from his mouth. "Then let's see what we can do to help. Lana, do you know where your birth certificate is?"

As it turned out, Luzurus had learned a fair amount on adoption laws and guardianship regulations. Since the courts were being profoundly slow with approving Kinze's guardianship over Kurapika and Pairo, the Prince attempted to study the documents that had been provided for me and my adoption as well as the documents the Hunter Association had drawn up for Kurapika and Pairo.

"I think there's a problem here," he stated after a long moment, causing me to have a momentary heart attack. "Someone didn't convert the dates right on Lana's birth certificate!"

"Dates?" Tubeppa asked while Halkenburg glanced at the documents himself.

"Yeah, it's commonly overlooked, but East Gorteau changed its New Year to the date of birth of its first Supreme Leader," Luzurus explained while I blew out a silent breath. "Whoever made this conversion pushed Lana's birthday back a little over a month! She was born in early December the year before!"

Luzurus began making calls to have the correction made while Halkenburg looked thoroughly shocked. I didn't need to use En to feel his expression, or the fact that Tubeppa was mildly impressed. Queen Vicky was actually beaming.

"So, how have you been adjusting?" Tubeppa asked casually, earning a swat from her mother and Halkenburg.

"You don't need to answer-"

"Quite well actually," I responded, pushing past the Queen's attempt to be polite. Tubeppa was a scientist after all, and curiosity was part of the description. "I fell down the stairs quite often at first, and walked into walls. Now I seem capable of navigating decently."

"She'll make a great Hunter," Kurapika stated as he accepted a cup of tea. He had found out the day before that I could read again, but had yet to figure out how.

Tubeppa continued her own line of questioning. "How are you going to continue school? Have you started on Braille?"

"Already learned it," I explained. "As for classes, my dads had tutors brought in for all of us. The academy sent my study folder, and I managed to finish the 9th grade curriculum. The tutors just got permission for me to continue into the 10th grade over the summer. If I pass the exams before school starts, they'll send me straight to the 11th grade. Kurapika and Pairo will be testing as well, so they've been studying pretty hard. Kurapika is a genius with literature and history!"

Beside me, Kurapika shifted a bit, probably uncomfortable with the praise.

The rest of the afternoon continued in a pleasant manner, Luzurus making calls in an attempt to smooth out Kinze's guardianship applications after correcting my birth certificate. Tubeppa excitedly explained her recent experiments with a polymer called polyethylenimine.

"It's amazing! It can absorb the carbon dioxide emissions that have been driving environmentalists crazy, and I'm certain I can make it dirt cheap to produce!"

Halkenburg in turn was forming a possible friendship with Kurapika, both of them sharing thoughts on laws that needed to be changed in order to actually protect citizens. Kurapika was further fascinated as Halkenburg explained the workings of the royal house and what he'd like to change. Queen Vicky gravitated between our groups and glancing through the papers in front of Luzurus.

Finally, Luzurus threw down his phone in disgust. "Damn it! I've done what I could, but this is utterly ridiculous! If cousin Juo and Kinze were a regular couple, they'd be declared saints for taking in two kids they weren't directly related to! Instead, they're being met with suspicion and out-right stupidity!"

"Story of their lives," I informed Luzurus flatly, right as the sound of the tires of the car my guardians shared when going to work reached my ears.

Some of the kids that were playing in the yard started shouting and waving at the vehicle, as did a number of the adults that were still outside. Kinze exited the vehicle first and smiled broadly at the welcome, then froze upon seeing who was sitting with me. Juo was similarly greeted and unlike Kinze, didn't freeze, only offered a sheepish smile to the Royals.

"I can explain!" he began, but was waved off by Queen Vicky.

"If it's about a village and refugees, we already heard about it," she called back, her tone light and understanding.

Both of my guardians relaxed that night, though they had a silent momentary freak-out when Luzurus had informed them that something had been wrong with my birth certificate. His explanation of the problem and informing them that he'd gone ahead and fixed the issue had caused them to breathe easier. Their initial fear was likely dismissed as worry for me.

Several of the Kuruta doubled up further during the visit, Pairo even moving in with Kurapika to make more room. The Queen and Tubeppa only stayed two days before returning to the palace. During that time, Queen 'Vicky' continued to tease Juo and Kinze on how they had finally managed to fill the house with the sound of little feet.

Luzurus and Halkenburg stayed for two weeks, witnessing Pairo, Kurapika, and me training as well as the training the other children received. He taught several who showed interest to use his bow and was pleasantly surprised to find two who demonstrated decent talent.

"Keep practicing and you might be in competitions one day!" I heard him promise the pair the day before his departure.

The day Luzurus and Halkenburg departed, they followed up with Juo on what would be happening when the school year started.

"You can keep sending them to the palace," Halkenburg informed him. "Momoze and Fugetsu have been worried about Lana's disappearance, mother wouldn't mind them being around, and I know that we'll be there."

"That would be wonderful," Juo admitted. "It'll allow us to keep a somewhat normal schedule."

"Speaking of normal, have you applied for any assist-"

"Heavens no!" Juo exclaimed before Halkenburg could finish the word 'assistance.' "We make enough on just Kinze's salary to support everyone here comfortably, never mind mine. The last thing any of us need is to draw any sort of attention by applying for aid."

"So your finances look relatively normal?" Halkenburg continued.

"No worries at all."

Luzurus set a hand on Halkenburg's shoulder to guide his brother to the car as he began to ask whether we had everything we needed.

The summer passed slowly, with Kurapika and me practically competing over our books. I'd go through a Chemistry chapter and he'd study Biology. I'd study Calculus and he'd attempt the same lesson. The tutors gave him a history assignment and I'd try to follow. Pairo and the tutors would give up the moment the two of us started debating.

It was no surprise to anyone when Kurapika and I both passed the 10th grade exams at the end of the summer, Pairo passing the 7th grade. Thus, that night, the manor had a bit of a party to celebrate Kurapika and me starting 11th grade and Pairo getting in the 8th.

If I could finish with the 12th grade material by the end of the next school year, I might be on track to have a college degree before the Hunter Exam! Kurapika would be in the same boat, and Pairo would have a diploma (or about to have one).

The next day, another over-sight came to bite us all in the butts: Kinze's parents. They had stayed away for months due to Kinze telling them that it was not a good time but had finally run out of patience and driven out to see us.

Needless to say, their reaction to the whole 'we brought home a bunch of refugees who happen to be Lana's relatives' story had resulted in grandma Himari hugging and kissing my adoptive parents, declaring she was so proud of them, and then promptly turning to yelling at them for trying to keep them out of it. She and grandpa Kuno were immensely warm and welcoming to the Kuruta, promising not to tell anyone.

That night at dinner, grandpa Kuno reminded me of something that I'd not really considered.

"So, starting the 11th grade already?" he asked jovially. "College will come soon enough. Do you know what you want to study?"

I opened my mouth then closed it, uncertain at the moment. What did I want anymore? I wanted to protect the Kuruta, to Hunt books, but you didn't need advanced degrees for that. What else was there? Could I still do something else?

"Microbiology, maybe…" I said, just to put something on the table, and Juo laughed.

"Part of Duazel Corporation includes a small department for medical research," he pointed out. "You might be interested in expanding on that."

That actually didn't sound like a bad idea. A Hunter in medical research who also Hunted books. Or would I be a Hunter of knowledge?

Kurapika was asked a similar question. "I don't know," he admitted after a moment. "Maybe History?"

"Anthropology?" I threw out.

Kinze's parents stayed until the day that school started again, and waved to the five of us as we departed. Pairo, Kurapika, and I were all dressed in the too formal uniform for the Royal Academy while Kinze and Juo were in their suits. It made an interesting picture when we arrived at the school and Kinze followed the three of us into the building.

Pairo's homeroom was easy enough to find, and he wasn't much younger than his classmates, so hardly anyone blinked as he entered. Kurapika and I on the other hand, got long stares and murmurs when we arrived at our homeroom.

"That kid's the one who skipped all those grades!" one voice murmured as I headed to the front of the room.

"Neither of them are that old, but why is that girl in a boy's uniform? Think she's a… You know?"

I could feel the blood rushing to Kurapika's face at being confused for a girl.

"Damn, I hope she's not a dyke! She'll be seriously hot in a few years!"

I was fighting a grin as I took my seat, Kurapika was scowling as he settled next to me.

More murmurs came and Kurapika's mood turned definitively black because the whispers weren't just about him.

"Think she was adopted by those fags like the kid?" another voice whispered.

"Careful, my dad told me to be friendly because those fags are close to at least three of the Princes."

"That's because one of them is the cousin of Queen Duazel!"

Looks like Kurapika was just as prickly about people talking trash about people we were close to. Add to it that my dads had taken in his entire clan to protect them, essentially risking their lives, and provided education freely to the Kuruta, and you likely had the perfect storm brewing.

"Keep calm," I ordered under my breath to Kurapika, his sharp ears picking up my words. "We're only in here for this period, study hall, and PE."

"How can you ignore this?" he demanded quietly.

"Know this: throw a punch and they'll know they got under your skin. They'll also use it against you, to make you seem weak or volatile. Save it for when we're in an environment that isn't politically charged."

Kurapika groaned as he sat back and the teacher entered the room. He was fascinated by the schedules we were handed, especially when I explained that most of the schedule was just a suggestion for us, and clubs were new to him entirely.

After homeroom, as I led Kurapika to the Special Ed. hall, he stared at the lockers that lined the walls in surprise.

"We actually keep our things in one of these?" he asked as glanced at the number indicating his locker on his schedule. "Anyone could break into them with a basic pick!"

"Then you can teach me how later, I know someone who I would love to plant a rotten egg in the locker of."

Kurapika offered a small laugh. "What happened to not punching?"

"People know if you punch them, they can only guess when it's a quiet, non-confrontational prank."

The rest of the school day went decently after entering the Special Ed. hall and I counted it as a plus that we didn't run into Fontess Jr. The books in Braille and raised-print were odd, bulkier than I was used to, and at least one of the teachers was always hovering over me which made concentration a bit difficult at first.

The PE coach acted like I was made of glass and had me walk three kilometers next to him before sitting on the sideline. Kurapika warmed up with everyone else then was made to jog five kilometers before sitting with me. This was because the coach believed him too small to play Sahertian football, which was essentially American football. We both ended up jogging around the track due to boredom.

At the end of the day, we met up with Momoze at the front of the school and discovered Pairo had beaten us there. Unlike Kurapika, he had given in to temptation and thrown a punch. The good news was that he had thrown it at Holmer Fontess (aka: Fontess Jr.) who now had quite the record of being a bully. Three of their classmates claimed that Pairo had thrown the punch after being shoved into a wall to get the other boy away from him, which was why he wasn't in too much trouble.

Kacho and Fugetsu arrived last and stopped at the sight of Kurapika and Pairo.

"Who are you two?" Kacho asked immediately. "Why are you in a boy's uniform?"

The question was directed at Kurapika who finally lost his patience. "Because I AM a boy!"

Pairo snickered the entire way to the palace while Momoze and I caught up. Kacho didn't believe Kurapika at all and kept trying to prove that he was a she all the way to the palace.

When we reached the palace, I sensed something horrifying, a presence that I was hyperaware of. It sent chills up my spine and I grabbed my bag and made a dash for Queen Duazel's chambers.

My En had expanded some since Ging had left. After determining that if he could move so fast as to be out of my range before I was aware of it, then I didn't want to know if persons such as Hisoka or the Troupe were as fast. That was probably his point for doing it. Currently, I could expand my En to almost 60 meters, which was not far enough in my opinion to avoid Tserriednich.

Pairo and Kurapika both knew something was wrong and had fallen in step behind me, which was good because I didn't want to have to explain my panic.

We had just turned a corner leading to the offices of the Queens, when my En alerted me to an incoming person who was definitely NOT Tserriednich. I barely noticed them enter my range before I forced myself to come to a screeching stop as they planted themselves in front of our small group.

Pairo's hand was immediately on my shoulder while Kurapika tried to push himself in front, shielding Pairo and me.

The person in front of us glared at Kurapika before focusing on me. This person was very tall. Very wide, but not fat, just built. They felt ferocious, like an animal, but maintained a thin veil of control. Bloodlust, a love of violence, I could feel it all in this person's aura, as well as a sense of superiority. They were like Tserriednich except that this person would kill someone fast if angered or annoyed while Tserriednich would torture for fun.

Pairo audibly gulped while Kurapika shifted in front of us, attempting to look firm and brave.

The scan using nen raised hairs on my arms while both Pairo and Kurapika seemed oblivious of what was happening. They weren't awake yet, so they didn't yet know.

"Who are you three?" the man finally demanded.

"Who are you?" Kurapika demanded in return.

There was no amusement in the man's aura, only annoyance. "Do you not recognize the First Prince?" he growled angrily. "I shall be King once the succession is determined."

Kurapika seemed to think for a moment while Pairo sudden straightened. "Oh! That's Benjamin Hui Guo Rou, we learned about him in class today. He's the current head of the military."

Benjamin's aura improved in temperament a bit. "A least one of you seems to pay attention in class. Now who are you three and what is your business?"

"We're here to see Queen Duazel, your highness," I replied, tacking on the title to try to settle the situation a bit. I never bothered with titles for Tubeppa, Luzurus, or Halkenburg since they were comfortable with being family, and I'd sooner eat my shoe than give Tserriednich any kind of power, even the acknowledgement of a title. Two years ago I had likely gotten away with it due to being a supposed 5-year-old, but I didn't know about now.

"The 2nd Queen," the Prince stated blandly, emphasizing the title of Second, a way of reminding us that there was a Queen above her, though publicly they were considered equal. "Who are you three?" he demanded again.

I didn't know if Kurapika or Pairo knew of the etiquette for these situations, so I spoke. "Lana Pidel, accompanying me are Kurapika Keeno and Pairo Keeno. We are members of the House of Pidel, under the House of Duazel."

Prince Benjamin snorted, likely regarding us as far too low to be worthy of any note. I liked him less with each minute, especially if he dismissed people due to their rank.

"Are you telling me that Queen Duazel has time to call for the children of a House that is cadet to her House of birth?" he snarled.

A door opened up the hall and I mentally sang praise as Luzurus and his mother stepped into the hall. They were deep in conversation, but the Queen caught sight of us almost immediately. Luzurus followed her gaze and headed towards us.

"Hey! This was your first day of school, right?" he called as he headed towards us. "Halkenburg will be excited to see you guys, he's in a meeting right now with a Minister of Trade so you can tell us about your first day!"

Luzurus side-stepped Benjamin to get to us and attempted to herd us past his brother, but the 1st Prince wasn't having any of that.

"You know these children?" he demanded, his eyes still focused on us.

"Yep! Lana is the daughter of my cousin's partner. Kurapika and Pairo are her foster brothers."

Benjamin seemed to consider Luzurus's words for a moment before his aura seemed to darken a bit more. "The 'cousin' who's partner is male and that Camilla was attempting to force into allowing her to take control of the family company?"

Luzurus didn't seem to notice at all. "Yep, that's the one!"

The 1st Prince glowered at us. "If that cousin would do his duty and accept a proper partner and produce a proper heir, then he would have saved us all a number of headaches. Playing family with this bunch of…" The nasty look he gave us had my hackles rising and my nen lashed out automatically, sharp and angry. Benjamin stopped his speech in surprise.

"Maybe this wouldn't be an issue if you people would learn that your opinions shouldn't be enforced universally!" I snarled. "Just because something works for you doesn't mean it's for everyone, look at the general divorce rates of heterosexual couples! Kinze and Juo have been together for almost 20 years! An-"

Luzurus cut me off by settling a hand over my mouth and guiding our group past his flabbergasted brother. Several of the doors down the hall had opened and I felt the eyes of various people follow us into Queen Duazel's office.

The silence settled over the five of us as we settled in, with Queen 'Vicky' calling to a handmaid to bring some tea.

Pairo and Kurapika were new to what had just happened, but both knew that something had just been addressed that was a bit of a taboo.

"What happened to not punching?" Kurapika asked.

I shrugged in response, feeling rather drained in that moment before fishing around in my school bag and pulling out my work folder. After checking several of the assignments, I pulled out my Calculus book and started working through the next chapter, determined to distract myself.

"The issue of Camilla is a rather sensitive one," Queen 'Vicky' explained to Kurapika. "She's been attempting to dissolve Kinze's adoption of Lana for years, as well as other things. Benjamin touched on that, and he's a bit outspoken with his views on what is proper and should be expected of anyone who is a noble or industrial leader."

Kurapika nodded after a minute while Pairo looked a bit confused. He and Kurapika exchanged a few words before the issue seemed to be explained and understood.

Things settled down for a few minutes, and the tea arrived. I set aside my book and had a cup halfway to my lips when I felt it again: Tserriednich. He seemed to be heading straight for this office!

I grabbed my book again, wondering if I could jump out of the window, but couldn't abandon Kurapika and Pairo.

It was then I noticed that the horrifying presence was next to a bright and comforting one, one I knew well. Now I really couldn't just jump, the devil was next to Halkenburg!

The knock at the door fried my nerves as I contemplated shutting down my En, but decided a monster you weren't tracking but knew was there was far scarier than the one you were.

"Good afternoon mother, Luzurus," Halkenburg greeted warmly when a maid opened the door. "Lana, Kurapika, and Pairo as well. How was school?"

Pairo grinned brightly. "It's been great for the most part! We played a game called Sahertian football in PE and the other kids in class stuck up for me when another kid tried to be a bully. They told me that he's mostly in Special Ed, but not the good kind like Lana and Kurapika."

Tserriednich had not been dismissed, in fact he had followed Halkenburg into the office and had settled on a chair nearby that was provided by a handmaid. He accepted a teacup graciously and looked to be attempting to mind his manners, being as charming as one would expect a Prince to be.

"I heard something disturbing recently, that you lost your sight," the bloody Prince murmured as soon as everyone had finished shifting and were focused on their individual conversations.

"Sight isn't everything," I shot back quietly. "For instance: eyes wouldn't have picked up that you have three abrasions on your chest."

Tserriednich's surprise was pleasant for a moment, and then became twisted with his interest. "Other senses would make up for a lack of sight. Too bad about your eyes though, I quite enjoyed it when you were shocked or surprised. Red suited you."

SHIT! Tserriednich, he knew, had known! But for how long? We had exchanged some important information just now, him knowing what I am and me knowing what he gets up to.

"Little good it does now. I guess our interactions will be limited to just the meeting of two minds," I stated.

"Yes, just as it started." Tserriednich's response was sincere and had me mentally biting my nails even as he noticed the book in my lap and his next question was at normal speaking volume. "You are continuing at the Royal Academy? In Calculus no less?"

"Yes," I admitted dryly.

"Lana's in the 11th grade!" Pairo tossed out brightly. "They estimate she'll graduate after this year and said she was thinking of studying Microbiology."

"Microbiology?" Halkenburg asked with a laugh from where he was settled. "Tubeppa will be thrilled to hear that! Only thing better would probably be Chemistry for her."

Tserriednich left twenty minutes later, and I was relieved to leave that day when Juo and Kinze showed up.

The next several months saw several of the Kuruta children attend a local public school while Pairo and Kurapika got used to going to the Royal Court after classes. I began to learn of new places to hide from Tserriednich, but unfortunately, Benjamin had begun to track me down several times a week. He was angry to have had a child tell him that he was wrong about anything and we had several debates in the halls of the palace.

Surprisingly, Benjamin could keep his head around him during debates and made several points about tradition and religious values that, although I didn't share his opinions, showed some thought. In turn, I focused on economic issues and changing social standards. The debates drew both attention and Tserriednich, who would at times join the debates, playing either the Devil's advocate or the middle man.

Months passed and the leaves changed, I couldn't see it but I could smell them, an aroma not unlike cinnamon and nutmeg. When they fell, my En had increased to 80 meters and the leaves drove my senses bonkers at first with the near constant movement at the edge of my senses.

Fie and Hayahito continued to train Kurapika, Pairo, and me. One exercise that Fie in particular enjoyed was having me do forms and spar with him amongst the trees. If I wasn't vigilant, then my kun would strike a tree or my foot would slip in the leaves. Hayahito had all of us practicing moving through the leaves, learning to move soundlessly. He also had Kurapika and Pairo practice strikes against the falling leaves, cutting them in two as they fell.

When the first snow fell, my En caused me to have a momentary panic attack before I realized what was happening. It was bizarre, being able to follow individual snowflakes as they entered the range of my En and fell to the ground.

The Kuruta kids and a number of the adults had never seen snow and went wild. The number of snowball/mudball fights that erupted on the first day alone was staggering. Soon, there were more snowmen than people on the estate and snow forts enough to dive for cover no matter where you were.

Christmas approached and Kinze spoke to me about there not being as many presents that year, something that I assured him multiple times to be just fine.

The invitations for the Royal Christmas party arrived and I was surprised to receive one from Tserriednich yet again. Kurapika and Pairo were invited to meet with Queen 'Vicky' Duazel along with Kinze, Juo, and me, so I looked forward to having them at the Children's party as well, until it was pointed out that they were 13 now and would be staying at the regular party. Luckily, Kacho and Fugetsu were both expected to attend the regular party as well and had invited the three of us as well.

Luzurus and Halkenburg arrived at the estate a week before the party, bringing Kacho and Fugetsu along with them to plan their annual heist on Camilla's closet. Kurapika had been flabbergasted at first, but he had been told about Camilla's past concerning Juo, and when he heard about the funds being donated to orphans, he was quite welcoming of the idea even if he couldn't participate.

"Momoze is also helping this year," Halkenburg explained. "More than five people would be suspicious and get attention."

Surprisingly, it was Luzurus who noticed my increasing anxiety as the days passed. I couldn't even hope to dodge Tserriednich right now, if he lost interest then any of those I held precious could end up dead or subject to his perverse 'interest.'

"What's wrong?" he finally asked after I lost focus and walked into the wall beside a door.

"Nothing," I responded.

"You think I'm not as smart as you, and you're right when it comes to book smarts," Luzurus stated quietly. "I'm aware of where I stand: I'm erratic at times, gullible about products, and my grasp of the sciences isn't good. But I know when someone is upset. What is it?"

I took a long breath as I considered whether or not I should tell Luzurus. Unlike Halkenburg, he wasn't taken in by Tserriednich's mask, a mask that had fooled Juo and Kinze as well.

"You're not the only one who is wary of Tserriednich," I finally stated, and left it at that. I couldn't risk Luzurus against Tserriednich because I didn't trust that he could either keep his calm or win an argument against him.

The 'Closet Pirates' as Kacho dubbed them that year, departed for the palace three days ahead of the party so they could make their donations to the auction that would occur the next day. They returned that night, laughing with a wild tale about Tubeppa shutting off all the cameras in the castle to cover them and how several of Cammy's former handmaids had helped them carry stuff out. They also surprised the entire estate by bringing five large oster turkeys and a crate of spider hawk eggs. Included was a cake recipe that had been made for the eggs and Jiemo had gone wild about the creator of the recipe.

I on the other hand, remembered the various phases of the Hunter exam, especially Menchi's portion upon hearing the name of the eggs. Thus, I volunteered to help in preparing the holiday meal since I needed to learn to cook. The cooking would occur the day after the Christmas party and I barely bit back a curse.

The days seemed to move too fast now, and then it was the day of the party. Kacho, Fugetsu, Luzurus, and Halkenburg had all returned to the palace and unlike previous years, I was in a customized dress that had been made for my eighth birthday. Kurapika and Pairo both fidgeted in their tuxedos, uncomfortable especially with the ties. I could smell that Kinze had gone after both with hair products and cologne and had studied them through my En. Though it lacked color, both boys looked quite handsome.

We actually did look like a family as we piled into the car: three kids in the back seat with parents in the front who were singing Christmas carols with the radio. For a while, I forgot about where we were headed and the devil I was going to have to face. I even laughed at a particularly lame joke that Kinze made.

Then we were at the palace, and I was being guided into the palace by Kinze while Juo gave last minute instructions to Kurapika and Pairo.

"Remember to not speak to an adult unless they speak to you first," he quietly instructed. "Lana will be sent to the Children's party after answering her invites, but if you need a break then feel free to come to us or to 'check' on her."

Our arrival at the party was quiet as we immediately headed over to greet Queen Duazel and Princes Tubeppa, Halkenburg, and Luzurus. Camilla was present but definitively ignored us.

Tubeppa was practically glowing as we discussed the early college program at Port University, quickly drawing Kurapika into a conversation about carbon dating. She was quick to start making suggestions on careers based on his interests of history.

"The Museum of Natural History will be needing a new curator in a few years," she suggested brightly. "There's also the Museum of Art and Science." This was mentioned when Kurapika's smile had frozen a bit.

Too soon, I was being drawn away by Juo to meet with Tserriednich while Kinze walked Kurapika and Pairo over to where Kacho and Fugetsu were holding a small court.

As we approached the large crowd, Tserriednich's presence caused me to break into a cold sweat and I began to use some of the meditation exercises to try to calm and center myself. Tserriednich seemed to have been looking for us because he was quick to extract himself from the crowd with a large smile on his face.

"Juo Duazel, always a pleasure. I'm glad to see you brought your lovely daughter with you. It's been a while, hasn't it, Lana?" Tserriednich's voice indicated he was playing his charming role right then.

"Happy Holidays to you as well, your highness," Juo replied with a smile.

"Almost feels like years," I threw in, wishing it had been years.

Tserriednich hummed in agreement. "I have had several items added to my gallery that I'm interested in showing Lana, if you don't mind."

"I'm sorry, but Lana had an accident-"

"And lost her eyes, I'm quite aware." The prince's voice changed to sound like his throat was tight with sympathy. "These items are things that can be touched, and I'm sure she would appreciate them."

The urge to run and alarm rang through my being, but I forced myself to remain still, even as my alarm caused my nen to jump and Benjamin went shock still for a moment before turning to stare at me. After a moment, I felt his recognition, and not just from earlier this year. He recognized me now from the previous years and I knew for certain that he knew about nen.

"I don't see why not," Juo answered after a long moment. "Would you like to go, Lana?"

He was offering an out, but I couldn't accept it. "Yes."

We followed Tserriednich from the ballroom quietly and quickly, but I didn't miss the small gesture that Tserriednich towards a guard.

I kept my En up, but my focus was almost entirely on Tserriednich as we followed him down halls that I remembered as leading to his little museum, and right as he opened the door, a guard came running towards us.

"Mr. Duazel! Your partner, he just collapsed!" the guard yelled as he stopped several feet from us.

"Is he alright?" Juo demanded.

"He's being taken to the medical center for the palace," the guard replied before a quiet noise came from his ear, an earpiece of some sort. "A server seemed to have tripped and knocked him in the head with an ice bowl of shrimp!"

Juo glanced at me and Tserriednich, before taking a deep breath. "Lana, would you mind?"

"Go," I replied. If Tserriednich wanted to show something to me in private, he could do far worse to make sure he got his privacy.

Juo didn't need to be told twice. "I'll send someone to get you," he promised as he followed the guard.

Tserriednich watched my guardian leave as well. "I've collected several more pelts, but I find that such art is beginning to bore me. I long to make a true masterpiece."

"Have you tried tattooing the skins with your own hand?" I asked, doubting that he could complete such a task.

"Heavens no! I have the eye of an artist, but I'm ashamed to admit that I lack the hands of one," the Prince informed me as he guided me into the gallery, shutting the door behind us. He took the lead and walked past the door that I remembered to hide the room with the human pelt. I followed, mindful of the displays around us before freezing, horrified at what I was next to.

"Gyudondond," I murmured, even as I became aware of the rather phenomenal change to the gallery. The body beside me was posed with a spear, wearing a loincloth. The holes in the body were definitely real, not inflicted post-mortem. On the pedestals and walls, where there once was bright art, now dark pieces were displayed, gory pieces. There was a set of carved up lungs in jar beside the dead Gyudondond and what looked like a set of vocal cords that had been stretched out like the strings of a violin in a display beside that.

"Strange, no eyes yet you seem to see all of my pieces," Tserriednich's voice almost caused me to jump, but I pressed forward. Like it or not, all of this could in fact be obtained legally. It was gory and horrifying, but it could be legal.

"Hard to miss something that whistles when air passes over it," I responded.

"And the slight turning of your head was to listen to the air?"

"Possibly, considering that shifting the head would distort the wavelengths as one hears them."

Tserriednich didn't believe me, I could tell based on the smirk he wore. He led me further into the gallery and finally stopped, lifting a cylinder.

I could feel what was in the cylinder and my breath caught in my throat. If I could discern color, I already knew that the iris would be a vibrant red. Scarlet eyes, living rubies.

Tserriednich opened the container and rolled up his sleeve, fishing the eyes out and setting them in a small dish that was offered to me. I could smell the preserving fluid as my hand reached out automatically to accept the dish.

"What are these?" I asked, even though I knew exactly what these were.

"Touch them and find out, if you need to that is."

"I can smell the fluids, I know it's a body part," I snapped back.

"What can you tell me of them?" Tserriednich pressed. "Did you hear them as they screamed? Were your eyes cut out in the same manner? Maybe I should have these implanted in your head, allow me to see living eyes again."

"You know quite well that wouldn't work!" I snarled. "The Spiders ripped out fingernails, tortured people for hours, and sawed one in half to get these eyes!"

"So, you did see it," Tserriednich noted. "I wonder if that would reflect in your eyes if you had new ones."

"Read an anatomy book and actually do some research on transplants before you suggest such things." I set the dish down, even though I wanted to keep the eyes close, to never allow Tserriednich to touch them again. But if I tried that now, I'd never make it out of here alive.

Tserriednich didn't move to take the dish, instead he settled into a throne-like chair that was carved with a macabre scene of skulls. His smirk was sickening.

"That is the first in quite some time I've been told to read and do some research," he stated dreamily, as though he were considering something wonderful. "Why do you think that group settled on an animal such as a spider?"

"Instead of a dolphin?" I pointed out, knowing that he's had his seal altered soon after that Christmas party two years ago to include a dolphin. He'd had a rather notable upturn in popularity.

"Do you think that the spider represents something personal to them?"

"More that they are all part of a whole, the head and legs all surviving as a group." It was the explanation I remembered from the anime, but I did wonder why they chose a spider. "It's also a successful hunter, and trapper. The silk of a spider has greater tensile strength than steel at the same thickness."

Tserriednich seemed to consider what I'd said then shook his head. "Why not chose something that would cause fear, like a snake?"

"On top of being overused, some spiders eat snakes."

Tserriednich turned his gaze back on me. "Hand me that cup that's next to the stretched out vocal cord."

I turned and my fingers were closing around the handle of the cup before I realized what I had just demonstrated. The damage was already done.

"And going back to my first statement, you seem to see despite having no eyes."

Five minutes later, a knock came at the door to the gallery and Tserriednich allowed me to finally leave. Finally turning my focus from Tserriednich, I was surprised to see an anxious looking Luzurus on the other side of the door.

I was careful as I exited the gallery to not let Luzurus see the nightmare inducing collection housed inside, but was surprised when the man practically scooped me up and ran down the hall where Halkenburg was waiting. Both men looked sickened and anxious.

"Lana, what did he show you?" Halkenburg asked, his tone thick with worry.

"Nothing," I replied dully, but the man grabbed my shoulders firmly.

"Don't lie. We saw, Luzurus swiped the codes for the security cameras!"

"Then you don't need to ask!"

"Is he always like that?!" Luzurus demanded.

"Why do you think I said I was wary of him?"

"Why not tell us?" Halkenburg urged.

"You can't tell? You can't look in that room and not tell? Can't think of why he changed his personal seal to include a dolphin after I said he was like one?"

Both Luzurus and Halkenburg went stiff and silent.

"The last time we were both here, he showed me a tattooed human skin, minus the human."

I could feel Luzurus's face contort in disgust while Halkenburg drew in a fast breath.

"We had been discussing how humans were like animals, he pointed out that only humans kill for fun. I responded that one more animal does it too."

"Dolphins," Halkenburg gasped in realization.

Luzurus leaned heavily against the wall. "I'm never going to look at dolphins the same again…"

We were thankfully moving away from the gallery and I had my En stretched out to the max. "If I say something, if I disappoint him, he'll kill either me or someone close to me and I can't risk that."

Luzurus opened his mouth to object, but no sound came out. He was the 7th Prince, Halkenburg was the 9th Prince, and Tubeppa was the 5th Prince. Though Camilla was the 2nd Prince, none of us trusted her to keep a lemonade stand operating, much less to keep Tserriednich in check. To be honest, I doubted any of the Princes could stop Tserriednich.

"What's your plan?" Halkenburg demanded after a long moment, as we turned into a hall towards the ballroom for the main party. I still needed to answer the invitation from Kacho and Fugetsu after all.

"Finish school, get myself into a position that he can't touch," I responded. "A Hunter fulfills that criteria." And I was well on track, Kurapika and I had both finished the 11th grade exams before Christmas break. Our competitive streaks had caused us to have record scores.

I separated from the men as I headed towards the small crowd around Kacho and Fugetsu. I was surprised to find that the crowd around the pair had increased a fair amount. Using En, I easily navigated towards where Pairo was and found myself thoroughly confused.

"Where's Kurapika?" I asked as I stepped up next to him. Pairo's response was to point at where a woman with long dark hair looked like she was suffocating a blond head.

"I think we need to mount a rescue," he stated as Fugetsu stepped up beside us.

"Possibly," she admitted softly. "That's my sister, 6th Prince Tyson. She likes to collect good-looking young men."

I turned my head, simulating a glance at Pairo, then headed towards the pair. "Hi sis!" I squealed loudly, clutching onto Kurapika's arm. "I wanna go to the kid party now and have cake but dad says you gotta take me!"

The Prince blinked, looking at me in surprise, then released Kurapika who gasped loudly. She studied him for a moment before moving on.

"See you in a few years," the Prince called over her shoulder, winking at him.

Kurapika shuddered a bit while Kacho stepped up beside us.

"She didn't believe you," the Prince informed us. "Tyson might not know much about sciences, but she claims to be an expert on love and men. She's interested in Pika and intends to 'collect' him in a few years."

"My name is Kurapika." We had found out fast that Kurapika hated being called 'Pika,' but Kacho was the only one who persisted in calling him that.

Twenty minutes later, I left the regular party for the Children's party, and was surprised when upon arrival, an attendant approached me immediately. Tserriednich had already sent a gift.

I stared at the package for almost three minutes before Momoze found me and tugged me to her table.

"My mom had another baby," she told me as an attendant brought us some hot cider and cake. "So I'm a big sister now. Think you'll be getting a little brother eventually?"

"At the rate we're going, that's quite likely," I admitted with a smile as Momoze's eyes caught on the package.

"Oh! What did you get?" she asked.

I didn't want to know, I honestly wanted to toss the package out a window. But I knew better than to do that and instead, opened the thing, praying for something that wouldn't make me long to claw something.

"Wow! It's so pretty!" Momoze declared as a necklace slid out of the package. My attention was drawn to the book and my nen ran over the title, illuminating it.

'The Devil's Game,' read the title, and I knew what Tserriednich meant. His little game would be continuing since he believed I could still play.

"Here," Momoze had moved behind me, intent to clasp the necklace around my neck. I grasped it and settled it back in the package. "But that's a really pretty necklace! The ruby was so clear and red!"

I almost swallowed my tongue in reflex. Instead, I smiled and said, "Tell me about your new brother."

That night, when the lot of us returned to the manor, Juo and Kinze were oddly stiff and silent. Add to it that Luzurus and Halkenburg were coming back to the manor along with Tubeppa and were also bringing Kacho and Fugetsu, and I knew that they had been told what had happened. They were going to try to make a plan.

My dads were quick to send Kurapika and Pairo to bed that night, but pulled me aside for a talk, and at 1am on Christmas morning, I came clean as to what Tserriednich had been up to. And the plan I had made. Kinze had broken down while Juo had stared out of his office window, Halkenburg, Luzurus, and Tubeppa all scattered on the couches in the room.

"Lana, you're blind," Kinze tried to argue yet again. "You can't be a Hunter anymore."

"Yes she can," Juo argued, his voice cold. "She understands this situation better than you do, love. She has to get beyond Tserriednich's reach, or he'll eventually kill her. We can't stop that since if we try to intervene, he'll kill us and she'll lose what protection we offer. I'd rather not have him display our tattooed pelts to her."

"But she can't find her way! Can't read, or follow signs!"

My response to this was to stand and grab a book from the shelf, flipping it to a random page, and reading aloud, "'I know what I have to do,' said LaSalle.

I'd almost forgotten that she and her pearls were still in the room. 'What's that?' I asked.

'I have to suspend the Vows column effective immediately,' she said."

I set the book down on Kinze's lap, letting him see the lines at the top of the page that I had just read. He stared in mute shock.

"Ging taught me, but I can't explain how. I'm aware of everything within an 80-meter radius of me now," I explained quietly.

Kinze shook as he clutched the book, his eyes shut tight, either denying or disbelieving.

"Kurapika and Pairo want to take the exam in four years, and I can take it with them since I'll be 12," I tried to placate. "You know you can trust that they'll look out for me."

"But… But…"

"It's either that, or I'll take the exam myself, at 17, when I won't need your permission. Provided I can hold off Tserriednich that long. I doubt Kurapika and Pairo will wait for that, nor would I ask them to."

Juo was silent as Kinze's grip on the book tightened, his eyes tightly shut as he tried to consider the ultimatum I had just presented.

"Fine," he finally relented. "With Kurapika and Pairo. But you'll still be getting a college degree. All three of you will."

Chapter 13: Chapter 13

Chapter Text

Although I now had Kinze's approval to become a Hunter, the meeting between my guardians, the three Royal siblings and myself lasted several hours more. The chief concern now: what to do about Tserriednich until I could get away.

Luzurus had been all for attempting an assassination but was shot down by Tubeppa and Halkenburg. Everyone was certain that Tserriednich would kill Luzurus if he so much as suspected something. We had no allies powerful enough to hold the 4th Prince in check, so the best that could be done was to plan for me to never be alone with him again. We were up until dawn trying to figure out ways to intercept him.

Christmas day at the manor was simultaneously immensely cheerful and somber.

For the Kuruta, it was their first Christmas since the massacre. The clan had observed the holiday, but not given it the same amount of attention and dedication that most people did. Many of the kids had run around screaming after hearing the story of the Sleighman from Juo.

On Christmas morning, each of those same kids had run shrieking through the manor, yelling that the Sleighman had come. Considering that several of us had not slept, hearing a bunch of kids rushing around caused several of us to start groping for coffee and a pain-killer for headaches fast.

"You've complained each year about Lana not running around in her robe, screaming about the Sleighman coming," Juo teased Kinze as they nursed tall cups of coffee. "How do you like it now?"

Kinze's expression was flat as he regarded Juo as a five-year-old boy ran past them, cheering as he tossed a ball to another one of the kids. He lost the look in place for a fond smile as a four-year-old girl latched onto his leg, a doll in hand and a smile on her face.

"I'd like it a lot more with a few hours of sleep," he finally admitted. "But I think I'm going to miss Lana's more sedate approach."

"Sedate nothing, you were up before her and trying to find a way to excite her!" Luzurus grouched from over his mug of coffee.

I focused longingly on the coffee. Since I was still physically eight, neither Kinze nor Juo were willing to let me touch it and no amount of asking could get them to change their minds. Normally I didn't mind, I could even admit that it would likely be better if I never got hooked on the stuff, but after a sleepless night I longed for it. Surprisingly, I didn't feel as bad as I thought I would, but I wasn't fresh.

Three of the other kids finally were successful in dragging the six of us to the room with the tree and gifts scattered around it. Each of us was handed a present and Christmas morning commenced.

The Hunter Association surprised us all by sending a number of seeds from the flora that were native to Lukso Province and a letter that pretty much read, "Look outside." Some how or another, most likely involving nen, the Hunter Association had erected a greenhouse overnight without anyone noticing. It was just outside of the range of my En, which explained why I hadn't noticed, and there were signs that Ging had been involved due to the architecture, which resembled ancient glasshouses according to Juo.

Kurapika, Pairo, and I each received a cellphone. Juo simply stated that it was time that Kurapika and I had one since we would be attending college the next year, and Pairo couldn't be left out. My phone had the numbers for Juo, Kinze, Kurapika, and Pairo already programmed in.

Kurapika and I also each received a laptop, the keys for mine had raised letters and a program had been installed that could read aloud what I typed. Once again, these were for college classes.

The Kuruta in turn presented each other plus the rest of us with new robes, even Jiemo received a set. Their message was obvious: they considered us to be part of them.

Cooking started soon after and Jiemo was intent to just give me simple tasks that she believed a blind person could perform, such as beating the eggs or tearing vegetables. At no point was I allowed near the stove or the knives.

A brief nap in the afternoon helped me recharge, and then I joined Luzurus, Kacho, Fugetsu and most of the Kuruta children for a snowball fight.

Kinze's parents arrived in the mid-afternoon, as did Queen Vicky and Queen Seiko. Whereas grandma Himari and grandpa Kuno looked cheery and happy, the Queens looked disquieted. They had immediately withdrawn to speak with my guardians and the three older royal siblings. It took me almost thirty minutes to be able to follow them so I could eavesdrop. To my surprise, Pairo was already at the door, listening in.

"I see why you brought my daughters out here," Queen Seiko's voice floated out, her tone strained. "Perhaps I should consider sending Kacho and Fugetsu to boarding school."

"That won't work," Halkenburg's voice cut in. "Mother sent me away because I expressed that I was overwhelmed by the palace, and I felt isolated. Tserriednich was able to get closer to me because of it… I still can barely believe what I saw!"

Juo spoke up next. "His attentions are on Lana once a year, and she refuses to back down-"

"Actually, he's been finding a reason to drop in on us at the palace," Queen Vicky said quietly. "He talks to either her or Halkenburg when he does."

"When we talk, it's usually mundane subjects or about reform." Halkenburg took a deep breath. "Perhaps I should try to engage his interest, see what kinds of discussions he has with Lana and Benjamin."

Tubeppa piped up then. "Benjamin? But I thought Tserriednich hated him!"

"He does. He views Benjamin as a muscle-bound oaf with subpar intelligence." Luzurus was speaking now. "I've seen him and Lana verbally sparring, he's not really open to new ideas, and I think Tserriednich gets involved just to demonstrate how little he thinks of his brother. It's proving interesting in court though: Lana is developing a bit of a following herself amongst younger politicians who want change."

"Then we turn that into her shield," Queen Vicky stated firmly. "If we place Lana as a key figure in front of a movement, Tserriednich won't dare to touch her."

"Why?" Kinze demanded. "How would that stop him?"

"There were bodies and body parts in that gallery of his. If he's killing people the way Lana believes, then he has to aim at people whose disappearance could be covered up or not connected to him." Halkenburg's voice indicated that he was disappointed and disgusted.

Tubeppa made a noise. "So, what are we going to do?"

"Help Lana chose a movement she'd want," Luzurus replied matter-of-factly.

"I mean when succession is decided!" Tubeppa snapped. "If Tserriednich is crowned, we could all be in considerable danger!"

The sound of footsteps caused Pairo to grab my hand then and we beat a hasty retreat.

That evening, Christmas dinner was a mix of joyful and tense. The royals and my guardians attempted to look like they were having a good time, but I could tell they were terrified. They likely hadn't come up with a plan for Tserriednich.

Later that night, as Kurapika, Pairo, and I all practiced our sneaking abilities, we came upon another meeting being held, this time by the surviving Kurutan adults. Kurapika and Pairo had begun teaching me the language for the clan months ago after determining that I could be on their Hunter team, so we all understood the small group.

'Including Fie's granddaughter, there are fifteen children,' one of the elderly women stated. Her name was Nerijima and she was considered to be the current head elder for the clan. 'Of them, there are four with Scarlet eyes; Kurapika, Pairo, Sasame, and Takara. We should arrange their marriages now for the sake of continuing the clan and the Scarlet eyes.'

Fie spoke up immediately. 'You can't be planning to do that now, they're children! And I gave up Takara to her adoptive parents, they might not approve.'

'Not to mention Sasame is four years old!' Geera was Sasame's grandfather and her last living direct relative. 'There are several half-bloods in the clan they can choose to be with, which could result in offspring with the Scarlet eyes.'

'And didn't Takara lose her eyes?' Dimi asked.

'Not the genes for it. She carries those even without her eyes.' This voice belonged to Hayahito. 'Fie, I know you don't approve, but we should talk to Takara about this.'

'And what of our hosts?' Fie snapped angrily. 'Do we discount their plans? What if they already have their eyes on a partner for Takara, or should I say Lana?'

'Considering their choices, I doubt it,' Nerijima pointed out. 'We should talk to Takara directly. It could be that she'll recognize this as being for the best, especially if we need to stay here long term. She can have a husband without the worry of betrayal of her secrets.'

'She's eight,' Fie pointed out sharply, right as the three of us decided it was time to go. Not one of us ever discussed what we had overheard.

Little by little, problems were beginning to build and pressure built. At least the elders didn't approach me immediately about an arranged marriage.

School started up again, and Kurapika and I took the exams for the Port University early college program. We passed with flying colors.

While at the palace, steps were being taken to try to ensure I was never alone. If Tserriednich was in the vicinity, then Tubeppa or Halkenburg weren't far from my side, even when Benjamin managed to track me down for another debate.

It was during one of our debates that I realized just how closely we were being watched, as my attention shifted to check for Tserriednich's possible approach only to find that a number of people were watching or listening throughout the hall. Considering that we were in the office area of the place where all matters legal, military, and business were settled, it was little wonder that there were so many people. That they were paying us any attention was disquieting.

"The allowance of partnerships should be as far as we need to go in regards to the recognition of non-traditional couples. It affords them some protection for each other, including a recent allowance for them to declare their partner to be their legal heir."

"But it doesn't cover adopted children, nor give them the opportunity to have families with children that are adopted without a previous standing familial relation! Outside of a disaster that would be devastating to families, they cannot hope to have children!"

"Blood relations are what keep Houses running strong, ensuring that the weak seeds are not planted or can be uprooted in favor of stronger ones."

"Does that mean your strength is due to your mother and father being blood related? If so, then I believe that a legal issue needs to be brought up, not to mention a concern for genetic disease."

Several breaths drew in at what I had just insinuated, and Benjamin looked stormy.

I continued anyway. "Strength and character are things that only have a partial genetic factor, the way a person is raised, the environment that surrounds them plays a much bigger factor. Bringing up the studies that supported the initiation of a foster care system, children are better adjusted when they have stable parental figures to form attachments with."

"Parents are a mother and father. Having two of one gender could not possibly provide a child with everything they need."

"Considering that I have two dads and I'm about to start college, I don't agree. Rather, I wonder if I would have gone as far if I didn't have them, and I can admit that I probably wouldn't have."

That was a painful truth. If I were still with my original family, I might have gone through a form of school, but college probably wouldn't have been conceivable considering the state of the place where we lived.

"What benefit would there be in allowing the marriage of these individuals? Traditional values still indicate that such relations are wrong and many of the religions that the people of Kakin follow don't support it."

"Am I wrong in there being a separation of church and state?"

"No, but we are obligated to do what is moral and right."

"Moral and right according to tradition, but what about telling a kid that a couple that would love to adopt them, provide them a loving home, cannot have those things? That they have to remain in an orphanage or foster care, or worse: be sent to one because the partner of an adopted parent isn't married and has no legal right to them? How can you call that moral and right? And as far as traditions go, people adjust! We as humans are known for it, and that is why we've taken so well to inventions such as refrigerators and air conditioning!"

This was a topic we'd visited more than once and it came down to this: I supported homosexual marriage, and Benjamin thought it to be an affront to nature. We were both stubborn but we did attempt to make points for the other. Surprisingly, despite his tough demeanor and hatred of weakness, Prince Benjamin didn't like hurting the weak if he didn't have to.

He was also not very good at business and finance and couldn't overturn my preferred points on the economic benefits of allowing marriages and adoptions.

"I call it legal, and that child has the possibility of being adopted into a traditional home."

"Do you know the statistics of a child being adopted by a non-family member? Especially if the first adoption attempt falls through?"

"Do you know the statistics of children who are sexually assaulted by gay couples versus straight?"

My breath drew in, anger rushing through me. "Actual statistics, or vile lies cooked up by biased sources?"

Luzurus approached before Benjamin could continue. "Hey, homework time for you!" he declared as he took my shoulder. "Kurapika said that you're both reading 'Darkness of the Heart.' How's it?"

Not long after, a movement to legalize gay marriage and adoption started, mostly bolstered by younger politicians who used my image and arguments with Benjamin as major points. It caused Benjamin to back off for an entire two weeks before he returned to our debates with a vengeance, this time trying to keep a fair distance from our previous major points of contention. Instead, he focused on military issues, something he was intensely familiar with but I had little knowledge.

The months came quickly and graduation came. I didn't want to walk, but I didn't have much choice. The entire Pidel clan came for the graduation of Kurapika and me, as well as Juo's sister, Aunt Adalia. Fie also watched the event, but the Kuruta mostly chose to remain either at the manor or to do their little day trips.

Fie began learning to drive before the school year ended and continued to practice over the summer, driving Jiemo and the various Kuruta on errands to surrounding towns as well as mapping out the best route to reach the university.

Halkenburg mentioned a brother of his that was supposed to attend Port University, but this particular prince was rather lazy, unfocused, and was about to flunk out due to cutting all of his classes. Juo informed him that Kurapika and I would not be in contact with Salé-salé.

That summer, Fie and Hayahito kicked training into high gear again, having Kurapika, Pairo, and me running half-marathons in the morning and continuing with physical and mental training in the afternoon. A number of the older children began to join us, several because they were considering becoming Hunters, others just to learn to defend themselves.

I continued my limited nen training and managed to push my En out to 120 meters by the end of the summer.

Enrollment for classes came and Kurapika and I didn't share any classes. His Ancient Civilization and History focus didn't coincide too well with my Microbiology major, but our classes were similar enough in regards to time that we didn't have to ask Fie to make multiple trips to pick us up.

One good thing that happened was that I didn't go to the palace in the afternoons anymore, so my contact with Tserriednich was cut to none. The only times we visited the palace now were to pick up Pairo in the afternoons.

The leaves changed once again, and my En picked up on the crisping of the leaves now. I could be in the library, the kitchen where I was sneaking cooking lessons from Dimi behind Jiemo's back, or anywhere on the manor grounds, and I could feel the leaves.

One weekend, Hayahito took Kurapika, Pairo, and me to a clearing in the forest and ordered that we were to survive there until Sunday night. We had been undergoing survival training for months now and it was different to put it into action. Kurapika attempted to hunt while Pairo and I set up a shelter and gathered wood. The shelter was more than a little ramshackle since we had no supplies on us, and the fire took quite a while to start.

Kurapika failed to catch anything while hunting but did identify some roots we could eat in the now otherwise barren forest. We roasted them over the fire for dinner then attempted to get some sleep.

It was still dark when the shelter crashed down on the three of us, earning yelps before we dragged ourselves free, and the attack commenced the second we did.

Coming from a deep sleep, it took a moment to bring my En into focus, and then I was knocked over by a punch. A kick followed and I barely got my bearings in time to roll away from another kick. But I also got a surprise as I focused on our attackers.

Kurapika had been knocked over by Fie, who had him in a firm hold. Pairo was attempting to beat back one of the other Kuruta elders, and Hayahito was coming at me again.

En and practice (plus nen enhanced reflexes) allowed me to dodge the next punch, and I scrambled around a tree even as I realized just what kind of survival exercise this was: true survival. We had to be able to defend ourselves at the drop of a hat and survive without weapons or supplies.

Grabbing a stone, I threw it at Hayahito's chest, earning a gasp as it connected and I rushed at him hard, pushing him into a tree.

Rushing back to the campsite revealed that Pairo was still struggling with his attacker, so I attempted to free Kurapika. Fie wasn't having any of it and had decades of experience on me. My attempts to strike him bare-handed were easily warded off before my feet were swept out from under me by his kun.

Jumping back to my feet earned a strike to my shoulder, but I pushed through the pain and attempted to find another weapon only to take a moment too long as my feet were again swept out from under me. Hayahito arrived and tackled me then, at the same moment that Pairo was finally brought down by his opponent.

"Do the three of you understand?" Fie lectured after the three of us had been let up. "If we had been slavers or flesh traders, you would have been on your way to a market by now. And if we'd been the Phantom Troupe, let's just say there are fates that make you long for death."

Having seen first hand what the Troupe did, I didn't doubt him.

Hayahito picked up the lecture. "You need to be ready to defend yourselves at all times, even when you think you should be safe. There will be moments you are not well rested or fed, when you don't have necessary supplies, and your opponents won't care. Even now, you should have had at least one of you standing guard and had a system in place to alert you to anyone approaching. You in particular Kurapika, if you'd been awake then you wouldn't have been pinned so quickly."

"Takara's fault was hesitation and thinking," Fie continued, focusing on me. "You realized who we were and hesitated rather than acting immediately. Pairo on the other hand reacted well enough, even held off a strong opponent for a few minutes, but didn't try to retreat or escape. Or find a weapon."

Hayahito cleared his throat and picked up the lecture again. "One thing I would like to say that you all did well was that at no point did one of you attempt to abandon the others. That is excellent since you should always remember this: no one person is invincible. Everyone has a weakness, which is why people work in groups. Even the Troupe moved in teams, something Fie told me."

We were left alone again by the adults soon after, and this time none of us treated this as a simple exercise of our survival skills. Our previous campsite was abandoned and this time, we took measures to disguise and camouflage our new shelter. I wasn't good at it for obvious reasons, but Pairo seemed capable.

Kurapika began setting traps around our new location as well as setting up false shelters.

I took over the hunt for food and discovered that my En was quite useful for finding small animals. Most of the animals were already tucking themselves into their burrows, prepared for the rapidly approaching winter. There were still a few fish in a nearby stream and catching them by hand fishing took some practice.

We smoked the fish near the stream then tried to scatter the ashes. Kurapika understood that we couldn't have a fire that night and we explained it to Pairo.

"We're in for a long, cold night," he admitted as we finally headed back to our new shelter.

"We've got several alerts," Kurapika said quietly as we moved through the forest. "I made stick traps and pushed leaves around to cover them. I also dug a few small holes and filled them with leaves, someone stepping on those will make noise regardless of how careful they are. If they dodge those, it'll send them towards a fox den and the foxes that live there are still active."

We did rock paper scissors to determine watch rotations, and I was pleased to win the first shift. Pairo had built a small alcove for the person who was on watch, theoretically the person on watch could look out with little chance of being seen.

I settled in the alcove but refused to go near the peep window since it would do me no good and people outside might see my breath. Instead, I relaxed and sent out my En, pushing it as far as I could. My best estimation was that I could extend it to 140 meters now.

Hayahito was out there, he'd probably been observing us all day. He looked tired, but not as tired as we were. Then again, he had had some rest while we had to get ready for another possible attack.

Fie entered my range several minutes later, along with another of the adult Kuruta. They met up with Hayahito and settled down, planning their approach most likely.

I watched them before something else entered my En, and my attention shifted to a small group of Kuruta children and adults that were moving carefully through the forest.

They were upping the game it seemed, trying to train us with unexpected scenarios.

Taking a deep breath, I dropped my En. Avoiding the upcoming fight was not going to train us to act, and me warning Kurapika and Pairo wouldn't train them either. And if they didn't attack before my watch was over, all the better. I needed to learn to wake from a deep sleep fast.

An hour passed, that turned into two. My ears listened intently for any sign of our would-be attackers but they didn't trip any of the traps during my watch.

My time ended and I prodded Kurapika awake before settling next to Pairo.

Kurapika prodded both Pairo and me awake an indeterminate amount of time later, and my senses were muddled from lack of sleep. All three of us were tired, but our attention was quickly grabbed by the sound of crushing leaves.

Without sight or En, we had to follow the approaching group by sound alone, and Kurapika's traps didn't seem anywhere close to adequate. The temptation to activate my En was so intense that it almost hurt.

The noises continued for over ten minutes as the three of us tried to ready ourselves for an attack.

"There's more than three this time," Kurapika whispered.

Pairo shifted a bit, probably nodded based on the shifting of his hair. "What are they doing?"

"Testing our responses," I whispered. "They want to see if we'll stay hidden, attack, or try to escape."

"Should we?"

"Based on their movement patterns, they know where we are. They're circling us," Kurapika pointed out. "They want to see if we'll realize that."

"So staying hidden isn't a choice," Pairo surmised.

"Neither is attacking," I pointed out. "They have unknown numbers and there is more to survival than fighting."

I reactivated my En when we began to move, but only enough to guide me. At most I could sense what was two mere meters in front of me. We had to track the party based on the noises of their movements and running into Kurapika's limited traps.

We might have gotten away if we ourselves hadn't run into a trap, bringing Fie and Hayahito upon us immediately.

"You got the idea," Hayahito informed us after our capture. "But you weren't aware of your own traps and didn't even attempt to make weaponry of your own. A sharpened stick is better than nothing!"

"We get it!" Kurapika yelled. "Now get off of us!"

I winced at the boy's volume from my position next to him, the three of us pinned to the ground by our teachers in the most humiliating way possible: they were sitting on us. On Kurapika's other side, Pairo was impatiently tapping his fingers on a rock, obviously thinking about trying to throw it.

It wasn't the last time that we were sent on survival missions, those became quite regular, even as the snow came. Sometimes we had some supplies, most of the time all we had was the clothes on our backs.

I turned nine according to my new birth certificate, and then the invitations to the Royal Christmas party once again arrived. Kurapika and Pairo were once again included in the invitation to meet Queen Duazel and three of her children as well as to meet Kacho and Fugetsu.

The invitation from Tserriednich was treated as though it were a viper; it sat on Juo's desk as Kinze held me, terrified of what could be in store for me this year.

"We can claim you're sick," Kinze offered. "Pay a doctor to back up the claim."

"And what if he decides to come here?"

Giving Tserriednich any reason to come here was definitely out with the Kuruta present. So it was with much trepidation that I accepted the invitation.

"We're going to be watching the entire time," Luzurus reminded me when he and Halkenburg arrived for their Christmas visit. Once again, Kacho and Fugetsu were with them and this year, they brought Momoze as well. She would be participating in the heist on Camilla's closet this year.

Halkenburg nodded. "Tubeppa has managed to set up a surveillance system throughout his gallery. He… Purchased a second pair of those eyes."

And he would long to show them off.

Neither Momoze, Kacho, or Fugetsu knew about Tserriednich yet, no one wanted to tell them how close to home an actual monster lurked. They were naturally excited about the upcoming party and seeing us again.

"Hard to believe you guys are actually in college!" Kacho declared over cocoa after a kids-only snowball fight. "I mean, we never even had class with Kurapika, and Pairo is in the year younger than us!"

"Believe me, we want for him to get bumped up to your year," Kurapika informed them.

"It would be nice to have him in class," Fugetsu admitted shyly, and I felt her gaze shift over to Pairo for a moment. The heat that rose in both of their cheeks caused me to smile into my mug of cocoa.

A snicker echoed from Kacho and I knew she had noticed as well. Kurapika paid the action no mind.

"Hope you guys learned to dance this last year," Kacho stated with a grin. "You were able to back out last year, but I think Tyson is going to insist on a dance with Kurapika."

Kurapika choked and I reached over to pat him on the back. "Is she really that bad?" I asked.

"I've received a love letter from her on an almost weekly basis for two months after the party last year!"

"That's the first I've heard of it," I returned, and Pairo shook his head.

"To be honest, I would like to move up a grade." Pairo was trying to change the subject. "Since these two graduated, Holmer has been relentless. I think he finally realized that there were other types of Special Ed."

Fugetsu nodded. "I don't think he has a very good home life. His father is known in the court to be a social ladder climber, but not very successful. Camilla talks to him, but that's all."

I turned my attention to Momoze, who had been rather silent up until then. From what I'd heard, the main reason that she'd been brought along was because her mother was ignoring her in favor of her now one-year-old brother. It was the sort of isolation that Halkenberg felt Tserriednich would capitalize on.

Before I could try to draw her into conversation, Kacho set down her mug rather firmly. "So, you haven't learned to dance yet?" she asked, an evil smirk apparent in her voice.

Later, I was certain that Kacho's goal was to play matchmaker rather than embarrass anyone. The reason for that was that she always made sure that Pairo and Fugetsu were partners. To be honest, I found them rather cute together as well since Fugetsu was still sweet-natured and a bit shy while Pairo was sweet and friendly. Both had a love of plants and he told Fugetsu all about the greenhouse as they practiced a simple waltz, heading there together as soon as the dance was over.

Kurapika and I had less of a good time due to the fact that Kacho focused intently on us, letting Fugetsu teach Pairo herself. Momoze was dragged in with us since she had had some dancing lessons. Every so often, we'd have to switch partners so I might be paired with any of the other three. It was an uncomfortable time where Kurapika and I used our awareness training to keep from stepping on toes and to try to smooth out our steps.

Things turned far more interesting when, after Pairo and Fugetsu had left, Luzurus stumbled upon us and decided to join in.

"Dancing is quite common at the Christmas party!" he explained as he spun around with Momoze on his hip, the other girl laughing in her brother's arms. "Good time to make business deals and meet future partners. I've heard a large number of people say that when dad was younger, he was a great dancer! That's how he wooed my mom."

"It happens later then?" I asked as I observed the man spin once more before setting Momoze down, he seemed dizzy.

"Yeah, usually after the dinner hour." Luzurus drew in a breath. "Most kids are sent to the kids' party before the dinner hour arrives, so they don't see much." Now he caught my hands and hauled me around in a rather choppy version of the waltz. "If people have dates, it is anticipated that they will dance exclusively with that partner unless they are making a business deal-"

"Kacho, would you be Kurapika's date?" I asked immediately, earning a slight cough from Kurapika and a laugh from Kacho. "You can see he doesn't want to be bothered by Tyson!"

"Tyson is a higher Prince than Kacho," Luzurus pointed out as he led me through a turn that was far more graceful than I thought he could manage.

"Unfortunately. If she wants a dance, she can take one," Kacho pointed out. Kurapika audibly groaned. "But only one, she couldn't hold him hostage for an hour."

"Would you be his date then?" I asked, earning a shrug from Kacho.

"Maybe if he asks." Through my En, I observed that Kacho was studying Kurapika. In turn, Kurapika took a deep breath before marching from the room.

Kacho looked more than a bit dismayed when Kurapika left and stormed over to the door, slamming it shut. "Is he saying that I'm worse than Tyson?!" she demanded angrily, sounding very bratty in that moment, but disappointed as well.

"If Kurapika thought that, he would say something or have refused to dance with you," I informed her flatly, even as I followed Kurapika's path. I lost a grin when I saw that he was headed towards the greenhouse.

Luzurus finally let go of my hands as I saw Kurapika pull Pairo aside, whispering something to him before exchanging more words with Fugetsu. Kacho continued to look upset and Momoze was trying to placate her.

"It's probably the situation," Momoze pointed out. "And he might be embarrassed to be asking for help."

"Kurapika is a bit prideful," I admitted as I walked over to join the pair. "He likes to deal with problems himself. Juo told me that when he and Kinze first met Kurapika, he was trying to get a job so he could pay for the hospital bills for Pairo and me."

"It's just… I know that Pairo is going to ask Fugetsu, I've seen how they act every day after school! I… Guessed that neither of us wanted to be left out."

I found myself confused, but this was also teenagers. Kacho was either attracted to Kurapika or just didn't want to be left out when her sister had a date was the best that I could determine. Considering that her opportunities to interact with boys her own age outside of school was likely limited to Kurapika and Pairo, it could have been both.

Fugetsu returned to the room a minute later, a slight flush in her cheeks, and Kacho's mood seemed to take a definite nosedive.

"Kurapika asked me to come here," Fugetsu informed her twin. "He said that he and Pairo wanted to ask us something. You should see the greenhouse! They have flowers that I've never seen before!"

Luzurus grabbed the shoulders of both Momoze and me, guiding us out of the room with a grin on his face.

Later, Kacho was grinning and Fugetsu blushed brightly as they joined the crowded dinner table. Both had a small bouquet of flowers from the greenhouse. Though most of the people at the table congratulated Kurapika and Pairo on getting dates with actual princesses, a title no one tried to correct, I felt the deepening of the lines on Nerijima's face and the disapproval of some of the elders.

The next day was when the heist on Camilla's closet was held, and the royal siblings departed in good spirits.

That day grandma Himari and grandpa Kuno came to the estate, receiving warm welcomes from the various Kuruta as the annual room shuffle began again. I welcomed two of the younger Kuruta girls into my room to help make room since Kurapika and Pairo were already doubled up, and then Kinze suggested a sleepover arrangement in one of the lounges.

Thus, when the siblings returned from their trip, they found themselves dragged into the front lounge to see the pillow and blanket forts being built. Kurapika and Pairo had been dragged into the fort building also, on separate teams.

Luzurus tried to join one of the teams only to be stopped by Halkenburg. "Lana, could we talk?"

"Be right there," I promised as I helped my team straighten one more blanket and anchor it with a chair before turning to follow the pair, Momoze taking my place with my group.

"We never do this sort of thing at the palace!" she declared happily as I left the room.

Halkenburg led the way to a small sitting room and was quick to settle into a chair before freeing a letter from his pocket. "We were caught this year, by Benjamin," he admitted quietly.

"He has no reason to stop you, he seems to hate Camilla."

"He does," Luzurus replied. "But Ben's a stickler for rules and considers Camilla to be above us."

I barely bit back a sarcastic comment.

"In return for not turning us in, he ordered us to deliver this to you," Halkenburg explained as he handed me the paper.

My En and nen focused on the paper, illuminating the letters, and I felt confusion rise.

"An order to stay away from the Royal Christmas Party?" I asked, a slow smile creeping over my face.

Halkenburg was barely holding back a smile himself. "I believe he's attempting to marginalize you, make the gay rights movement not as annoying."

"Tserriednich can't oppose this, right?"

"No."

The grin I wore at that moment was brilliant. "So, I was thinking of organizing some events supporting gay rights on campus. Think that'll put Benjamin's underwear into a twist?"

Kinze was practically giddy with happiness about me avoiding Tserriednich while Juo couldn't decide whether to be happy or disappointed.

For the second time since my adoption, when Juo and Kinze departed for the Royal Christmas Party, I didn't go with them. Unlike the time I faked sick, I wasn't stuck in bed and instead enjoyed a wonderful evening filled with Christmas cookies, cocoa, and sitting with the Kuruta children and grandpa Kuno while Jiemo, grandma Himari, and Dimi made a special Christmas dinner.

A movie was shown for some of the children while Fie shared Christmas stories shared amongst the Kuruta. They weren't traditional Christmas stories, rather shenanigans that some of them got into. I was drawn in to a story he was currently sharing about three Kuruta who had misunderstood what was happening when they found a bandit who had disguised himself as the Sleighman.

"So, they attempted to help to the nearest town," Fie explained brightly. "They didn't realize it at the time, but the reason the bandit was screaming and squirming wasn't because of his broken leg, but because the clinic they were trying to take him to was the one he had just robbed! The doctors and nurses had already called the police and greeted them there in disbelief, thrilled to have their medicines and money back. The nurses and some of the police and patients forced so many cookies and Christmas treats into their arms that they had to abandon the shopping trip and return to the village without the intended supplies because they didn't want to be rude!"

Bedtimes came, and everyone headed to their rooms, but I found myself to be oddly awake and lay still until my roommates were asleep, then snuck out. Moving silently through the halls, I took note of Fie walking his patrol and decided to see how long I could follow him before he'd notice.

Fie marched down the hall to the front lounge area, then moved to the library where he stared out of the window towards the greenhouse. Something flickered at the edge of my En, and I tried to focus on it, but found it was staying just outside of my range. Were the Hunters staging another gift this year?

Movement closer to me brought my attention back to Fie as he moved away from the window and towards the kitchen where Dimi was still roaming about. Her son was asleep on a cot just outside of the kitchen and I settled next to him silently.

"Keep quiet," my biological grandfather whispered as he shut off the lights.

Dimi was a shrewd woman, and though kind to everyone on the estate, her voice now held steel. "Do you think it's them?"

The movement on the edge of my En occurred again and this time, whoever it was decided to approach. I didn't recognize them at all, I could only discern that it was a well-built man who seemed to be on the older side. His step was light but confident, a sense of danger exuded from him in a solid wave.

Fie opened the kitchen door, and the man's step remained the same, his trajectory definitely being towards the door. My teeth began to chatter as the man approached.

"Didn't quite expect this sort of welcome," the man stated as he entered the kitchen. "Do turn on a light, this cloak and dagger atmosphere is older than I am!"

"Did you receive our request?" Fie asked as Dimi turned on a light, and I shuffled back just to ensure I was out of sight.

"Taking out a hit on the Phantom Troupe. Unfortunately, the money you offered is only good for one, maybe two of the members," the man stated blandly.

"But we offered everything we have left! Those monsters kil-" Fie covered Dimi's mouth automatically.

"We Zoldycks are assassins, not a charity," the man snapped. "We run a business that risks our lives, and we won't do it unless we're paid."

"One will be fine, just try to make it their leader," Fie instructed.

"We'll take out the first one we find," the man replied. "It'll be one less you'll have to worry about."

"I've killed one of them and they aren't that hard to kill," Fie argued but was cut off with a gesture.

"Kill? Perhaps not. Getting away after is the trick, and I have a feeling you didn't get away unscathed." There was a pause for a long moment. "Give me the one responsible for surveillance and I will consider it as payment for the leader."

Fie glared at the man. "I'm the guard that's on-duty right now."

"Not you, the one who is using En."

"Using what?"

The old man sighed, his face screwing in a way that indicated he believed he was talking to an idiot. "Someone who can sense things they can't to see."

I felt Fie's eyes shift to the door where I was hidden and knew I was caught before his gaze fixed on the man again. "Sorry, that one isn't mine to give."

"Too bad. We'll inform you when the hit has been made," the man replied before stepping back into the night. He didn't leave straight away, instead dancing around the yard and into the forest, determining my range most likely. He even had the audacity to give a jaunty wave right as he did reach my current limit.

Fie's hand caught my shoulder and I turned my attention to him.

"I'm not going to ask how much you heard, I just want to know if you'll keep quiet or have any objections?"

"You won't hear a word from me," I replied quietly.

Fie patted my shoulder as Dimi moved past us to where her son continued to slumber.

"Do you understand what's going to happen?" he asked.

"You're trying to have the Troupe eliminated, sparing Kurapika and Pairo from making it their duty to kill them."

"What about you?"

"Do you think I would back down?" I demanded sharply. "I'll do what I need to in order to stop them." It was a matter I had thought of extensively, and I knew of two massacres the Troupe would be responsible for: the Kuruta which had already happened, and the Mafia in York New that was still a few years away. I doubted I would be powerful enough to change that, but it did harden my resolve. The Troupe would kill hundreds of people in horrible ways to get what they wanted or for no reason other than revenge. Killing or neutralizing them would save far more than just 13 lives.

It was too bad we couldn't strip them of their nen… Or could we? Chrollo Lucifer could steal the abilities of others, so why couldn't others do it? Apply it to the Phantom Troupe, and you'd have 13 bandits who wouldn't be even half as dangerous as they normally would be. But that was a Specialist ability…

Fie brought me back to the present by shaking me. "Promise me you won't try to kill them yourself!" he demanded sharply.

"I won't," I promised, and found that I meant it. "Unless I have no other choice, I won't kill them."

I was in bed when the four partygoers returned home, so I didn't see them until the next morning. Tubeppa had joined us for Christmas this year and Momoze had returned to the manor with her three older siblings. Kacho and Fugetsu had opted to remain with their mother.

Christmas morning was a bright celebration as presents were passed around, the Kuruta once again handing out new robes to all residents of the estate, as well as small carved pieces to the four visiting royals plus two extra for Kacho and Fugetsu.

Kurapika received a new pair of swords, Pairo got a sword and dagger set, and I received a new kun, one that I suspected Fie had carved himself. We each also received emergency pouches we could hide under our clothes and new packs that felt like they had been handmade by several of the Kuruta women.

There were so many books being passed around that Juo teased that he might have to expand the library.

The courier arrived in the afternoon, while most of the kids were outside enjoying the snow. I was attempting to build an igloo while talking to Kurapika about his date the previous night while he attempted looked through the culture book I received from Ging, focusing on the page of the Inut, the people responsible for igloos in this world.

"So, did Tyson manage to steal a dance?" I asked innocently after he spoke of having to participate in the opening waltz with Kacho.

"Don't remind me…" he muttered darkly. "She kept going on about a bible she's writing for her religion, which focuses entirely on love."

"Better love than the survival tests."

"I think I'd rather sleep in this igloo," Kurapika shot back with a laugh. "Which we might have to do if we're taken out again soon."

"How were Pairo and Fugetsu?"

Kurapika set the book aside and came over to help me forming the 'roof' of the igloo, which kept falling since we were using snow rather than ice blocks. "I think we should use branches and leaves then cover them with snow," he observed. "As for those two, they seemed to have a good time. And before you ask, Kacho was nice, but just a friend."

"A friend who kept you out of the evil clutches of a woman who likes to collect cute boys," I teased, earning a fistful of snow being thrown at me that was difficult to dodge. It caught me on the side of my head and I laughed as I threw a snowball back.

The van pulled up in the middle of the fight that broke out after that, breaking up the small wars that were erupting across the yard.

Juo had been observing all of us and approached the courier quickly, everyone watching as he exchanged some words then stiffly accepted a small package.

I mentally groaned as my dad's attention focused on me and moved away from the igloo to follow him inside. Kurapika moved to follow, concern evident, but Juo waved him away.

"Tserriednich?" I asked flatly as we entered the manor.

"Yes." Juo sounded stiff and I half expected him to toss the package into the fireplace where a fire roared. Instead, he handed me the package and I moved to open it. "Need some privacy?" he asked.

I shook my head. "He typically sends an ornamental piece of some sort and a book."

That proved true this year as well, the ornament being a pair of earrings that Juo identified as ruby and the book was rather telling. 'Renaissance of Thought,' was the title.

Juo relaxed at seeing the relatively normal gifts. We all relaxed over not actually seeing the 4th Prince.

The royals departed before the New Year, and Fie and Hayahito marched Pairo, Kurapika, and me out for another survival test. Luckily, Kurapika and I had practices with igloo making and were able to build several before the three of us settled in a hole Pairo dug into a large pile of snow, falling snow covering our tracks.

This time, our 'pursuers' hadn't been watching us and didn't know our location, so we were able to stay hidden that first night as they crushed igloo after igloo while looking for us. Unfortunately, there was nothing to forage in regards to food aside from tree bark, so by the end of the second day, we were all tired, hungry, and cold. Naturally, the focus of the exercise that night was limited engagement of pursuers that attempted to split up and look for us. Using our hearing, we had to determine the least competent fighter and either move past them or take them 'out.'

Naturally, Fie faked us out and I didn't realize it due to not using my En.

School started up again, Kurapika and I starting our new classes and trying to keep them close enough in times to keep Fie from having to make extra trips during the day to pick us up.

It was as February rolled in that I began talking to other students on campus, following through with trying to create a movement on campus. If this could jerk Benjamin's chain hard enough to have me ordered to remain away from the Christmas party, then I would get louder about it.

Things took a nasty turn in May, right when final exams were finishing. Halkenburg had come to the campus that day and was talking to a number of the people I had managed to gather and felt were serious about the issue of expanding gay rights. He was proving quite popular and animated, drawing in a number of other people to the group when my En, now extending 180 meters, found someone that caused me to freeze.

Halkenburg noticed who was approaching a minute after I did and also went stock still. "Brother," he greeted, and I was certain that if I could make out color, that Halkenburg would have been quite pale.

"Halkenburg! What a surprise!" Tserriednich declared warmly as he approached our group. "Talking to the rights group that Lana is trying to set up today?" The 4th Prince didn't wait for an answer as his focus shifted to the assembled people.

"I hope none of you will mind me borrowing your leader? I'd like to discuss my own support of this cause."

There were murmurs of approval while Halkenburg looked ready to object. I noticed the single narrowing of Tserriednich's eye at Halkenburg before stepping forward.

"Please excuse me," I called to the group, plastering a political smile (aka: fake) onto my face. "Good luck with your final exams if you have any left."

I turned to follow Tserriednich, feeling Halkenburg pull out his phone as soon as we were heading away, the murmur of the crowd covering his voice.

Chapter 14: Chapter 14

Chapter Text

Tserriednich walked to a water fountain near the main administrative building of the campus and stood there, looking to the world as though he were deep in thought. I kept a short distance away, observing him with En and felt disgust build as he offered a slightly embarrassed looking smile.

"I intended to invite you to my gallery, but that might be getting old. My next thought was to visit the opera, but I'm afraid I'm not a fan of Dellario and Sera Darkboy, the two leading singers of their current production. Tell me, do you have any suggestions, Lana?"

My thoughts raced, uncertain of what kind of game this was. He wanted entertainment, and he wanted me to suggest something, but what was the point? If I chose something specifically because he'd hate it, he might find that amusing, but if I chose something meant to appease him, that could be boring.

I shifted my bag after a moment then froze, an insidious idea cropping up. If in a situation where you are forced to attack, go full force. I'd been on the defense with Tserriednich each time in the past in regards to our location, but now I could see if I could make him squirm. And considering that the 4th Prince viewed himself as a connoisseur of the arts, then I might have something even he would view as horrifying.

"Follow me."

As we walked, I wondered if I should be concerned for my own mental wellbeing, then pushed the thought aside.

"Where are we headed?" Tserriednich asked after a minute.

"To the medical school," I replied, fighting a small smile.

My response must have surprised Tserriednich, but he offered no objections as he followed me to the building. It was a place I anticipated having some of my high-level courses at, and they had a particular gallery that I believed Tserriednich would find disturbing considering his preferences in regards to maintaining perfect hygiene and germaphobia.

The gallery was empty that day and I walked through the doors confidently, my En picking up on a number of the pictures that had been taken and developed by certain people.

I wasn't disappointed as Tserriednich entered the room and gasped in surprise, freezing by the door before moving towards the first picture. Through my nen, I knew it to be a stomach-turning picture featuring a rose thorn fungus infection that had eaten away at the patient's flesh on their arm, revealing muscle and even a scrap of bone under necrotic flesh. Tserriednich's disgust was palpable.

"This is the Infectious Disease and Mycology Exhibit," I explained with vicious delight, happy to turn the tables for once on the sadistic murderer.

Tserriednich was still in shock as he moved to the next picture, this one displaying a person with half of their face rotted off. He moved slowly from picture to picture, taking in the gallery that was meant to help prepare Medical students and Microbiology majors for what we might encounter beyond school.

Considering that Tserriednich bathed at least twice a day, it surprised me when his disgust began to be matched by interest. He studied the photos with a new interest and a delight that worried me, until he suddenly seemed to be filled with a perverse ecstasy.

I shut down my En automatically, almost certain that I felt Tserriednich becoming aroused by the pictures of disease.

"Splendid!" he hissed. "I never knew disease could be so… Magnificent!"

I decided right then that if I ever got to chose a location while having to meet with Tserriednich again, I was going to chose something as close to a pink princess teahouse as I could find. With dolls.

Tserriednich studied each photo, occasionally asking about the affliction, and my disappointment at failing to make him squirm rose, as well as my worry for feeling the disappointment.

Was I turning into a monster or a psychopath due to proximity to this man? I had never thought of deliberately trying to mentally hurt someone before, yet I had delighted at the brief moment when Tserriednich was in distress.

No, I couldn't be. Just the difference in my feelings for this gallery should confirm that: these photos filled me with sympathy for these people, I wanted to help them. Tserriednich delighted in their pain as he did with everyone. Me bringing him here was an attempt to punish in some limited form.

I just had to keep reminding myself of that.

"Are you actually interested in assisting the Gay Rights Movement?" I finally asked as the sadistic man studied a picture of a foot that was decaying due to a MRSA infection.

Tserriednich seemed to ignore me for a long moment. "Do they treat these here?"

He'd definitely heard me. "Sometimes. I know that the Without Borders relief group likes to bring some of their cases to Kakin for reconstructive surgery, but they usually go to United Saherta due to Sanbica Norton being based there. She's the lead doctor of the Hunter Association after all."

Tserriednich moved away from the pictures at long last, and I reactivated my En, only to find him to still be horribly excited. His walk was slightly jerky due to this excitement, like he was trying to suppress the crazy twitching of a number of muscles.

"Too bad," he murmured as his fingers came out to tip my face up towards his. "Seems we may share more in common in our tastes than I thought." His voice dropped to a whisper. "You get more interesting, I wonder for how much longer you will manage to surprise me?"

At least the foul man wasn't a pedophile. But that was the only positive mark I was willing to give to him.

A ringing caught my attention and I yanked out my phone.

"Lana, are you ok?" Kurapika demanded. "Halkenburg is making a fuss about us needing to rescue you."

"I'm fine, just at the Medical school," I explained.

"I know, I'm outside with Halkenburg. He's attempting to call in the army."

"If that's Halkenburg, tell him that we're coming down," Tserriednich instructed, slipping back behind his Prince mask. "I believe I would like to visit a teahouse before returning to the palace. Ask my brother if he'd like to join us."

Tserriednich moved past me to the door, and I was happy that our brief time alone was over.

"Ask Halkenburg what teahouses he knows of in the area," I instructed before hanging up and moving into the hallway.

Tserriednich used the brief walk to calm himself and by the time we reached the exit, he was once more composed. Halkenburg was waiting for us, Kurapika notably absent. Stretching out with my En told me he was with Fie, less than 100 meters away.

"Madam Yu's teahouse is less than a five-minute drive from here," Halkenburg called in greeting, talking louder than was entirely necessary. "I just called and they said that they are serving cinnamon tea today, your favorite Tserriednich?"

"You know me well!" The jaunty response made me long to hit something, but I refrained as I was guided into the car by Halkenburg, who made it a point to sit between Tserriednich and me.

I normally loved cinnamon tea, but the tea tasted bitter that day and I didn't dare to take a scone. Kurapika and Fie managed to stay close by, Halkenburg telling the server on the down low that they were friends that we would be meeting after parting with Tserriednich. Using that excuse, he was able to get them placed at a nearby table as well as pick up the bill for their tea.

Tserriednich's gentlemanly mask stayed firmly in place as the three of us discussed the Gay Rights movement, mostly focusing on the aspects of marriage and adoption. Madam Yu made a brief appearance and acted charmed by Tserriednich, but I could tell that she could feel something was off.

Turning my attention a bit more outward, I was surprised to notice that a large number of the patrons were shifting uncomfortably, like a monster was in the room. Kurapika was fingering his swords, a cold sweat rolling down his back while Fie was tensing and obviously looking for a weapon.

It took me a long moment to realize: Tserriednich was still excited and everyone was sensing his bloodlust. Everyone but Halkenburg and me, we were either too used to him or being deliberately overlooked. He was hunting for a victim.

Despite the fact that it was May and we were drinking hot tea, I shivered. Tserriednich noticed and smiled before snagging the tea pot and topping off my cup.

The ride to the palace was tense, Fie and Kurapika barely managing to slip out of the shop ahead of us. I noticed that they tried to stay close at first, but abandoned that in turn for getting to the palace fast.

I barely took a moment to thank Halkenburg and Tserriednich for the ride and tea before heading to the car, Pairo already climbing in ahead of me.

"What happened?" he demanded the moment the car closed.

Kurapika beat me to a response. "Lana has a disturbing friend."

The comment nauseated me. "He's no friend."

"Good, I don't want him near you again." Fie spoke up this time.

I sighed, wishing the same thing. "You can't stop him, that's the 4th Prince Tserriednich, and the reason Kinze gave me permission to take the Hunter Exam."

"He felt like he could be a member of the Phantom Troupe!"

"He's definitely a murderer, and is probably counting down until he does kill me," I admitted. "But I'm stuck in his sick game until I reach a point that he can't command. You play the game by drawing his interest, that buys you time. You lose when you are no longer interesting. That's when he kills you."

"And that's why you have to become a Hunter," Kurapika muttered.

"One of the reasons. The Kuruta are another, as well as Fie, Kinze, Juo, you, Pairo, my family, everyone! The Phantom Troupe will kill everyone if they're not stopped, but he'll kill all of you if he gets bored."

Understanding dawned on Kurapika. "How long has he been doing this?"

"Since I was four, that's when he really became interested." I didn't count the first meeting since he hadn't presented any threats then.

"We need to take summer classes," Kurapika suddenly announced.

"What?!" Pairo demanded, he'd been shocked into silence during the conversation.

"We can't give him any reason to go out to the manor," Kurapika explained. "And if you want to have your diploma before the Hunter Exam, you'll need to get pushed ahead a grade."

It wasn't too late to sign up for summer classes, and Kurapika and I opted to take a full load. In turn, Juo hired another set of tutors to come to the manor to assist Pairo in his studies.

The summer passed in a blaze of heat and activity. The tutors helped Pairo pass the exams to skip ahead to the 11th grade. Kurapika and I passed our summer classes and had half the necessary credits for our Sophomore year.

The three of us also decided that the summer was the best time for the survival tests. Fie and Hayahito upped the ante more than ever, but food was plentiful in the forest now. Shelter could be had far more easily, and we weren't in danger of freezing. Naturally, they focused more on armed confrontation now.

The royal siblings visited as did gandma Himari and grandpa Kuno, thankfully Tserriednich didn't rear his head. Several people had birthdays, and then school started again. Kurapika and I signed up to take as many hours as we could, unfortunately our schedules didn't line up as well this time, and I would be in classes until 7pm on Mondays and Wednesdays while Kurapika had an ancient history class on Fridays that met at 8pm.

Tserriednich surprised me one Wednesday, a mere month into the semester when he arrived on campus right as my last class let out.

"Lana! Wonderful to see you," he greeted as his hand landed on my shoulder. He emphasized the 'see' in his sentence and I was instantly on edge of the implications.

"How may I help you?" I asked as he guided me from the building towards the medical school.

"No help necessary tonight, I just wish for you to join me for a display."

Now I felt exceedingly on edge.

"Has the dolphin come to play?" I asked after a moment, praying I was wrong.

"No, not tonight."

Several of Tserriednich's bodyguards were stationed at the entrance to the building, and I was surprised to be guided towards an unfamiliar room. Through my En, I could sense a number of people present.

Tserriednich was in a tuxedo and he ushered me into the room, and my current attire of a simple pair of jeans, jacket, and t-shirt had me instantly feeling out of place as my En and keen ear told me that the people in this room were in formal attire as well.

"Sorry I'm late," Tserriednich offered, his voice sounding mildly sheepish as he guided me further into the room. "It occurred to me just a few minutes ago that I had failed to invite an important person, so I went to fetch them. This is Lana Pidel, a student here at Port University who made me aware of the horror that a number of people go through, and that our fine country was lagging behind in our medical services."

More than a few eyes focused on me, and I felt recognition in almost all of them. Especially one particular pair: Benjamin. A part of me was relieved, if Benjamin was here, then Tserriednich couldn't be planning anything particularly heinous.

"I notice that many of you are avoiding the walls, even avoiding looking at them," Tserriednich continued, and my attention snapped to the walls as well, feeling the photos and bringing the misery of the people they contained to my notice. These weren't the photos I had shown Tserriednich months ago in the gallery, these were worse. Rather than focusing on the wound, you could see the faces of the afflicted, their pain and misery or worse, their resignation, painted in disturbing detail. The infections were prominent as well, and they were just as horrible.

"This is the reality that many people live with, and by letting our health care be anything less than the best, we ignore their pain and fail them. Realizing this, I have invested in this medical school and the hospital, as well as a relief effort to help bring these people to us so they may be treated by the best, just as our country deserves!"

The applause Tserriednich received reminded me that he was popular, but I doubted this 'investment' was meant to be altruistic. Benjamin must have known about his brother as well; his aura was one of suspicion.

One of the walls for the room felt off, and I side-stepped to it when Tserriednich left my side to socialize, brushing my fingers over it. Glass. I pressed my En further, and was surprised at sensing that this wasn't just a window. It overlooked another room, one that a number of people were moving around in. Two of them went still and glanced in my direction as I felt the room and swallowed.

A surgical theater. Being prepared for use.

I swallowed thickly as someone approached me from behind.

"Ms. Pidel, we've had several dresses brought for you to change into," a woman's voice stated. "If you would come with me, we can get you changed quickly."

I moved automatically to follow the woman, who caught my hand to try to guide me. Knowing I'd need my strength later, I didn't argue as I was led to a room that must have been an office ordinarily, and allowed for another woman to help me change into a dress.

"Whose dress is this?" I asked when my fingers didn't recognize the material.

"One of Prince Momoze's," the woman, likely a maid, informed me. "We didn't have time to retrieve one of your own, my lady, and Tserriednich called to ask his sister if she wouldn't mind loaning you something appropriate."

The second I was out of here, I would be calling Luzurus and Halkenburg to inform them that Tserriednich was speaking to Momoze. Often enough that a made at that a maid of the court would refer to them as brother and sister.

Shoes were included, they were a bit tight since my feet were slightly bigger than Momoze's, and then the maid discovered that my ears weren't pierced.

"Too bad," she clucked before the door opened.

"Are you ready?" Tserriednich's voice asked. "No earrings?"

"Her ears aren't pierced, your highness," the maid informed him, her voice nervous and I knew that she was aware of Tserriednich's character.

"That won't do at all. I chose those earrings specifically," the 4th Prince sounded only mildly disappointed. "Best to take care of this now."

"Now?" asked the maid as my heartbeat picked up.

"Of course now, we're in a medical school so a needle should be easy to find!"

"Have you contacted my guardians about my whereabouts?" I asked as Tserriednich sent several of his bodyguards to find an implement for piercing.

"Yes, they promised they would get here as quickly as they could," Tserriednich stated as he raised my chin to study my ears. "Normally you should ice the ear, but I think we will forego that since we can't have your ears looking red for the pictures."

In other words, he wants to see me squirm. Things were escalating if he wanted to see me in pain. What should I do?! What COULD I do?

One of the guards was on his way back, I could feel his approach and my mind whirled. Tserriednich got off on fear and pain, and ear piercing wasn't all that painful. He wanted to see fear then, and there was one way to show I wasn't afraid.

Catching the maid's hand, I could tell she was afraid for me. "Wash the earrings with alcohol," I instructed quietly. "Also, given me a cotton ball soaked with alcohol."

The maid opened her mouth to object, then glanced at Tserriednich and nodded. Luckily, there was a first aid kit in the room with a bottle of alcohol and she quickly passed me the requested cotton ball.

I scrubbed my earlobes, both back and front, determined to cut down any possibility of infection as the maid did the same with the earrings. I didn't even appear to look when the guard returned and handed Tserriednich an object.

"This school really did need a sponsor to push for new equipment," Tserriednich observed as he studied the object he'd been given. "They actually have a piercing needle set from thirty years ago."

"Hand me the needle," I stated blandly.

"Intend to do this yourself?"

"I intend to disinfect the needle, I've no illusions that I could make an even and straight piercing."

Tserriednich handed a needle over, observing as I got another alcohol soaked cotton ball and practically slathered the needle in the cleansing substance.

"How do you know I didn't plan to sterilize it with a match?" he asked as he took the needle back a second later.

"You didn't want to ice my ear," I shot back, even as I felt the needle brush my earlobe and fought to keep my expression neutral while the maid gasped.

"True enough."

The needle sank into my earlobe with an excruciating slowness then retreated. A second later, the hook of an earring was being pressed into the newly made hole. I tried to reach for the needle, determined to disinfect it again, but my hand was batted away by Tserriednich, who pressed the needle against my other earlobe.

"Need to make sure this is even," he stated in a low voice, and I felt the maid shake as she watched.

"Can't make it look like an amateur pierced my ears at the spur of a moment," I shot back, then held my breath as the needle sank into my ear.

Tserriednich seemed to take delight in seeing the needle slip into my skin even more slowly than the first one, before he withdrew it and forced the second earring into place. I made a mental note to have the earrings removed to let the holes close up and then see a professional about having my ears re-pierced. Make sure this didn't occur again.

"Hmm… Not much reaction," Tserriednich observed as I stood. Then, fast as a viper, Tserriednich turned and plunged the needle into the eye of the maid who had assisted me in dressing.

Her cry was cut short by a sharp smack from Tserriednich before the prince swept from the room, hand once again on my shoulder, forcing me along.

I didn't need to ask why Tserriednich had done that: it was as simple as he couldn't do it to me. I hadn't reacted.

Luckily, the maid was taken by a female guard who I knew to be a nen user and moved towards the hospital entry. I wanted to call Halkenburg so intensely at that moment, but my phone was out of reach as I was guided back to the party.

"What are you intending?" I hissed when we still had a few moments before we would reach the room.

"A simple dedication, a way to celebrate successfully enticing Dr. Norton to come to Kakin."

"And the surgical room?"

"What better way to commemorate the occasion than to watch the treatment of the first patient? His case is so advanced that even Dr. Norton was unsure of his chances. Of course, those were increased dramatically when it was promised that all supplies would be provided without fee."

My brain froze, so that was why Tserriednich was so excited and intent to get a reaction. He was going to get a very gory show soon, one with the distinct possibility of the patient not making it. My mouth went dry. Tserriednich had the resources to have contaminants added to the supplies, either the blood or fluids or even the surgical tools themselves! He was giving himself a large pool of victims he could murder on a whim without anyone noticing!

A waiter offered me a glass of juice when we returned to the party, and I accepted it readily. My nen must have been lashing out terribly because I sensed the two people in the operating theatre react again, looking in my direction as well as getting the attention of Benjamin.

My ears didn't sting anymore, but I longed for that bit of pain. I needed to center myself, focus. If that was truly Dr. Sanbica Norton, then she might notice an issue, but I couldn't risk not letting her know. How could I possibly signal the woman?!

The answer came to me as Benjamin stepped up next to me. His voice was low as he spoke quietly.

"What's wrong?"

He could sense nen, I knew it. "Your brother."

Through En, I felt Benjamin's eyes narrow.

"I think he's planning to kill the patient."

Benjamin's attitude darkened. "This is his project, not mine. It will reflect poorly on him which is none of my concern."

"No, it'll reflect poorly on the medical capabilities of Kakin, make the country seem subpar. Especially if the patient is a demonstration with Sanbica Norton at the helm, using supplies from Kakin. An autopsy would prove it."

"There wouldn't be an autopsy, if the patient dies then it should be obvious why. Now calm yourself."

I took a deep breath, even as I scanned the room again. Tserriednich was mingling with his guests, playing the charming host and in the theatre below, the fluids were being prepared. I mentally screamed, uncertain of what to do. Bodyguards were watching the door so I couldn't leave and hope to stop this.

The two heads in the operating theatre shot up again and I realized that my nen had lashed out again. Wait, that was how I could tell them! I didn't know Morse code, but they might get the idea if I kept signaling.

I put pressure on my nen again, causing another burst as one of the two women touched the tools. She froze and glanced at me. No one was near, so I mouthed 'check them,' praying she could lip read.

Confusion was the answer I got, then the other woman grabbed the sealed package of surgical tools. Both seemed to notice something, and it took a moment for me to notice it as well: air in the bag. And it was deflating! The sterility of the tools had been compromised!

The woman who had grabbed the package called something that I couldn't hear, and then Tserriednich was next to the window next to me, watching as the package of surgical tools was replaced by a clean set and new blood was brought straight in.

My nen calmed, and nearby I felt Benjamin shift. The preparations continued and I felt myself relax.

"What happened?" Tserriednich demanded.

"It seems they noticed a hole in the sterile packaging for the surgical tools," I replied. "You check those before each surgery to minimize contamination."

Tserriednich's eyes narrowed at me for a moment before he slipped into his role of a gentleman yet again. "Once again, you seem to have very keen eyes. But this is a mystery I will look forward to addressing."

The surgical theatre was deemed ready ten minutes later, and at that time a team of aspiring medical students entered the observation room. They crowded the windows, whispering excitedly while Tserriednich's guests for the most part kept their distance.

I followed the surgery with my En, intently watching the medical Hunter work, and was shocked with the speed and precision with which she worked. It was like watching an artist, the way her hands danced over her patient, creating minimal cuts to excise the maximum amount of dead flesh and remove cysts. Her nen was mixed liberally in her work and I drank in the complex manipulations as she fulfilled her duty.

"Lana," Juo's voice whispered into my ear a mere twenty minutes into the surgery, and I stepped back into him.

"Juo, wonderful for you to show up!" Tserriednich greeted, stepping away from his guests yet again. "I apologize about the abruptness of my invitation to Lana."

Juo was an excellent actor and he smiled while waving away Tserriednich's apology. "It's quite alright, but I'm afraid I most take Lana home now. She has classes in the morning."

"Of course, I really shouldn't have scheduled this event so late, but I wished to maximize the number of medical students who would be in attendance." Tserriednich's hand reached out then, and Juo caught it before it could be determined if it was meant for me or him.

The sound of several cameras flashing put me slightly on edge, but then Juo was whisking me from the room. One of the bodyguards pointed us to where my things were and I gratefully dove into the office to change. The maid was absent, but the female bodyguard who had assisted her was there. I felt her concern and focus on my still newly pierced ears.

"Would you give me a cotton ball soaked in alcohol?" I asked as my fingers automatically came up to remove the heavy earrings.

The cotton ball was provided and I welcomed the sting of the alcohol on my ear as the other was liberated of the second earring. My ears had definitely been weeping, there was a slight crust that stuck to my ear on this one, and I wiped it quickly.

"The Prince said that the earrings are yours to keep," the bodyguard informed me as she helped me out of Momoze's dress.

The sarcastic remark I longed to make was kept silent. "Is she ok?"

The bodyguard was silent for a moment before answering. "She should be fine. She'll be given a severance package and sent elsewhere. As long as she keeps silent, she should survive."

"Tell he to do that," I instructed as I yanked on my jeans and shirt then grabbed my jacket.

Juo's car was right outside of the school, waiting for us, with a terrified Kinze and an angry Fie behind the wheel. Both relaxed when they saw Juo and me exit the building.

"Lana!" Kinze declared as he wrapped me into a hug the moment the car door was opened, dragging me into the seat next to him. Juo practically jumped in, squeezing me between them and shutting the door fast. Fie didn't need to be told to go, he hit the gas automatically.

"Did he hurt you?" Juo demanded the moment we were away.

"Nothing permanent."

"Be specific."

"He pierced my ears."

Kinze groaned and checked my ears, turning on an overhead light. "Damn him."

"He could have done far worse," I stated, trying to pacify the man. "Which brings me to a question: to ensure this doesn't happen again, when my ears are healed, may I get my ears pierced?"

Kinze gave me a spectacularly flat look that just screamed 'No.' I could have picked up on it even without En.

It took me until the next morning to calm down enough to realize the new problem that I was going to have to drag Luzurus, Halkenburg, and as many members of the royal family into as I could: getting Tserriednich away from this 'charity' project/murder/torture scheme.

Luzurus was already busy with his foster care system, and though interested, admitted he didn't know enough about health care to be able to be of much help. Halkenburg similarly didn't have the skills to understand the system, having only basic understanding. Camilla was not trusted in any way shape or form and anyone else was too young with one exception.

"I'm being pulled from my research to try to wrest control of the medical program from Tserriednich?!" Tubeppa demanded over tea, a mere two days after the hospital/med school incident. She had been brought out rather forcibly by Luzurus and Halkenburg, apparently they had resorted to using a gag and carrying her out of the palace labs.

"He doesn't have control, he just has extended his fingers into it," Halkenburg argued. "I checked with the current Ministers of Science and Medicine, they're both rather firmly in his corner!"

"I might be able to help with the Minister of Science, but Medicine is out of my reach!" Tubeppa explained. "Chemistry and Math, I excel at both. But this is Biology and medicine, the Minister of that has always been a doctor!"

"Then show an interest in Pharmacy!" I urged. "Get someone in there and make sure Tserriednich can't touch anything without it finding its way into an autoclave immediately!"

"Perhaps you're approaching this wrong," Kurapika's voice called out, and all of our heads turned to him. "I've never met Tserriednich officially, but he's likely suspicious of all of you. He'll have something in place to guard against any of you becoming involved."

"What else is there?" Luzurus demanded. "I'm not going to let Kacho or Fugetsu get involved! Heck, if I had my way, we'd have shipped Lana off to a boarding school that would change every year to keep Tserriednich's contact with her minimal!"

"That's never been an option," I cut in, and Kurapika cleared his throat to indicate he wasn't finished.

"I've never met this Prince Camilla, but she seems intent to try to bolster her own standing any way that she can."

Kurapika had our undivided attention.

A week later, I could admit that Kurapika's plan was genius. Setting Camilla on the hunt hadn't been harder than a few words, and she had proceeded to hound the Minister of Medicine mercilessly. Being a superior Prince caused Tserriednich to not be able to touch her. Luckily, Camilla's unknowing interventions to try to head the project herself caused the number of deaths to be kept to a minimum, and they all seemed to be natural.

It was fine for right now, but the more time passed, the more certain I became of one thing: despite how Halkenburg felt, Luzurus was right in that Tserriednich had to die.

The months passed swiftly, and the snow began to fall in Kakin once more. Listening to the whisper of the snow was probably the moment I missed my sight the most.

December came, and I finally turned ten years old. The invitations for the Royal Christmas Party arrived, as well as a letter from the 1st Prince, once again ordering me to not attend. I'm fairly certain Kinze was ready to start the Holy Church of Benjamin in that moment.

That year, the heist of Camilla's closet was kept small with Fugetsu opting to go out with Pairo instead of participating. The two had gotten closer over the school year and when she visited, they spent a fair amount of time in the greenhouse.

Momoze also opted out, she looked troubled and thin right then, her knitting suffering because of it. I approached her after Halkenburg, Luzurus, and Kacho had departed for their traditional heist.

"What's wrong?" I asked Momoze as I seated myself across from her.

Momoze glanced up at me for a long moment before looking back to her knitting. "My brothers are acting strange," she admitted. "Tserriednich used to ignore me, but now he seems to be going out of his was to talk to me. Luzurus and Halkenburg keep trying to prevent us from talking."

"Do you like Tserriednich?" I asked, willing to bet he was trying the same game he had played to win Halkenburg's trust.

"No." The answer was surprising. "He's… There's something about him that's wrong. I don't like him or trust him, but I do like and trust Halkenburg and Luzurus. Something about Tserriednich makes me feel like he'd love nothing more than to strangle me."

"You should listen to that feeling," I admitted, glad that Momoze's gut instincts seemed to be sharp.

"I do, which is why I want to warn you: he likes to ask about you." Momoze set her knitting aside.

I swallowed thickly. "What does he ask about?"

"What you like, if you ask about him," Momoze replied quietly, though her hands clenched. "It's the look he gets that worries me. If he wants to strangle me, then he wants to do far worse to you. Mother won't listen anymore when I try to tell her to talk to the 2nd Queen, that Tserriednich is dangerous."

I'd known that Queen Sevanti was ignoring Momoze, but to disregard something like that was dangerous.

"She insists that my little brother has what it takes to be the next King, but she's become fixated on it because father's attention had shifted from her. She insists that he is planning to take an 8th Queen."

Christmas that year was wonderful: for the second year running I got to avoid the uncomfortable experience of the Royal Christmas Party. The Kuruta and my adoptive grandparents had planned for this and had plans for the evening that had all of us enjoying Christmas cookies and decorating the tree, an activity that grandma Himari had insisted we wait to do until then.

Sometime around midnight, I woke suddenly due to my now sharpened senses picking up on something. It danced just beyond the range of my En, even when I had it stretched out to my most recent maximum of 220 meters.

Slipping from my bed, I moved in the direction of the movement while restricting my En, bringing my limit closer. I only needed to move to the hall and down a small distance, 10 meters total, before I blasted out my En to its full distance.

Ging.

Currently, the Hunter was moving around the woods and seemed to be disappointed. I moved to the window down the hall and stared out as Ging headed towards the manor. When he jumped and reached the ledge of the window, though shocked, I quickly opened the window to allow him in.

"Shouldn't you be in bed? What if I'd been the Sleighman?"

"What if you'd been a Spider?" I shot back.

Ging shrugged as he leaned back, looking unconcerned. "Shouldn't you be at the Christmas party your dads go to every year?"

"I believe I've been permanently uninvited by the 1st Prince," I informed him. "Apparently, he hates that he is known to argue with someone who only recently turned 10. And losing more than half the time."

"How do you beat an argumentative prince?" Ging asked, a lazy smile crossing his face.

"Infuriate them enough with facts that they walk away. You need to convince Dr. Norton to move out of Kakin."

"Sorry, no can do," Ging stated blandly. "Did you attend the Christmas party last year?"

"No. Why can't you?"

"Sanbica is getting over twice the amount she was promised to improve Kakin's medical services due to those feuding princes. You might want to approach her about studying under her since you're close to one of those princes."

It was appealing, but didn't seem feasible currently. Not unless she left Kakin.

"Then tell her to screen everything! Autoclave, dip in bleach or sulfuric acid, don't let ANYONE mess with or handle the supplies that she or anyone at the hospital uses."

"Tserriednich?"

"You knew?"

"Sanbica suspected. Good job alerting her by the way. She intends to stay because she caught on to the plot and is reducing the contamination risk. Besides, what would happen if she left?"

Ging had me there. "A greater risk due to it being doubtful that whoever replaced her being anywhere near as skilled. Tserriednich won't stop even if she left."

"Good, now get back to bed."

"You're not going to do something weird like set up a playhouse that is designed to look like an ancient Suneri temple, right?"

"Of course not!"

The playset looked like an ancient Jappon palace and was almost as tall as the manor, complete with three slides and two ziplines. Several swings hung from the overhanging roof. Kinze was quaking with laughter while Juo shook his head, a grin on his face. A number of the Kuruta children had rushed to crowd onto the playset, fighting for who would get to use the ziplines first.

New Years passed quickly, and school started again, and once again, Kurapika and I couldn't get our classes to line up well enough to prevent Fie from having to make multiple trips.

Tserriednich managed to grab me after class one day, insisting that I join him for a performance being held at the opera. He must have recently killed someone because he barely said more than two words that counted as Tserriednich-level creepy. After he re-pierced my ears that is.

This incident caused several things to happen: this time Kinze decided that my ears should be pierced by a professional to keep the sociopath from approaching me with a needle. Juo on the other hand, viewed this as the perfect opportunity to take slightly more affirmative action: he bought Kurapika a car as soon as he turned 16 that April and assigned Fie to remain near me on a permanent basis. There would never be an excuse for me to be alone now, and if Fie even thought he saw Tserriednich, either he or Kurapika could get me away from the campus.

The Gay Rights movement gained a fair amount of steam in Kakin due to it having the support of four adult princes. Adding fuel to the fire was that the United States of Saherta had just legalized gay marriage, causing a number of politicians to start changing their tune as younger voices called for change.

The summer semester was once again a full one for Kurapika and me, but we were both determined to be finished with school before the exam. Considering that it would occur in a year and a half, we both pushed hard to start our senior year as far as credits went.

Pairo also entered his senior year that fall, and Hayahito was already discussing a long training trip as a final preparation before the Hunter exam. Both Juo and Kinze were against it until it was pointed out that Tserriednich would know I was available to entertain him if I graduated come the spring.

Before the leaves changed, an invitation came from the palace for a different event: a wedding. The King was taking an 8th Queen.

The wedding occurred during the autumn, a mere month after it was announced. Queen 'Vicky' managed to invite Juo and Kinze, they in turn brought me at the request of the King.

The service was lavish as was the following reception and banquet. The Queens were all in attendance, each in their best finery, and each presented the newest Queen with a piece of jewelry. I noted that each Queen wore a particular type of gem, each valued according to the rank of the Queen. Even if they were publicly meant to be equals, anyone who paid attention would notice that only the first three queens wore gold, and only the first queen had more than one diamond. The lower the rank of the queen, the plainer the jewelry became. The newest queen, much like the others, had an exquisite diamond bracelet to mark her marriage to the king, but otherwise, her jewelry was silver and set with lesser stones and ornamental carvings than the other queens wore.

Kinze and Juo were counting down how quickly they would be able to leave when Tserriednich approached. The King was just beginning his first dance with his newest Queen.

"This is quite embarrassing, but I'm afraid that my original partner for the dance has disappeared," Tserriednich explained as he stopped in front of us. "Would you mind if I borrowed Lana?"

"Actually, we we-"

"Juo," a gruff voice spoke suddenly, and during the brief moment when my guardians looked to see who had spoken, Tserriednich swept me away.

"I assume you've been taught the basic waltz?" The question was rhetorical as Tserriednich had already begun the opening steps and I followed. Our height difference should have made this extremely awkward, but he managed.

"Soon you'll be a college graduate," Tserriednich stated. "I've heard that a number of professors have expressed interest in taking you as a student when you pursue a PhD."

"I'll be looking around at my options," I replied. "Do as Juo did, take a year or two to work as a relief worker or travel."

"There's also medical school," Tserriednich pressed, his grin becoming quite malicious. "A blind doctor would be quite interesting, especially if you pursued surgery."

I felt a glare on my back, knowing that Benjamin was probably close. A quick scan with En revealed that he was indeed close, his date seemed to be a bit of a chatter box. Camilla wasn't too far away either, talking with some of the most flamboyantly dressed people I'd ever seen.

Halkenburg was talking to Zhang Lei, both of their dates involved in the conversation. His face when he noticed my predicament was one of abject horror.

Kinze and Juo were also horrified, the elderly man next to them not seeming to care or notice as he continued on with his one-sided conversation.

"There's also your little gay marriage movement, though I don't see you being needed for that in another year," Tserriednich continued.

"It's hardly little if I have almost 46% of the Ministers and Parliament behind it," I pointed out.

"And a protest breaking out on a near weekly basis. It's been very entertaining how beaten some of those people get, many are exposed to some rather interesting bacteria and fungi."

My breath caught, so that was why the deaths from his 'charity' were so low. Sanbica Norton could only watch so much, and she had focused on the obvious class of victims. People coming in to have bruises and abrasions treated were easily overlooked!

I had the most unlikely of saviors at that moment, as Benjamin plowed into us and did a partner switch that was so fast, I stumbled for three steps while Tserriednich and Benjamin's original partner stood frozen as Benjamin steered me away.

"I'm not going to risk you awakening Tserriednich's nen on accident!" he hissed, and I realized that I had been about to have an outburst before the shock I'd been given. "I don't care what Tserriednich said, get yourself under control. I haven't been blocking you from the party just to have you ruin things for me now!"

My brain took a moment to catch up. "Awaken him?" That sounded like the ultimate nightmare: Tserriednich with nen.

Benjamin left me with Kinze and Juo, both of whom were quick to excuse ourselves so we could make our escape. I grabbed my phone immediately to call Halkenburg.

Kurapika and I finished the semester and found we could finish the next semester while Pairo was excited about graduating high school.

"It's just so awesome! I never would have…" he trailed off as his thoughts turned to the village, his destroyed home. "Some of the kids are talking about college."

"Do they know what they want to study?" Kurapika asked.

"Botany, Criminology, and History seem to be the major topics. I'm still not certain, but Kinze said he'll allow me to wait until after the Hunter Exam. Maybe I'll get an idea then." Pairo's smile didn't cover up the fact that he was still depressed.

This year, Kurapika and Pairo were able to escape the invitations to the Royal Christmas party by requesting to be excused. Queen Duazel was understanding, but Kacho and Fugetsu were disappointed.

"It's Tyson," Kurapika informed both of them during their visit. "Last year, she kept trying to drag me away and call her 'cute,' even when I made it clear that I needed to get back to a conversation I was having with Halkenburg."

"That sounds like her," Kacho admitted with a laugh.

"She kept telling me to lighten up and stop reading history books before they twisted my looks and made me as ugly as Tubeppa or Tserriednich!"

I choked. Kurapika had been a pretty boy in the anime, and Tyson's pursuit confirmed it, but if she thought studying could twist someone's looks…

It snowed on Christmas eve when Juo and Kinze departed for the party, and the Kuruta children plus Kurapika, Pairo, and me took to the lawn. We built snowmen and forts, threw snowballs, made angels, and had a snowball war over the playset, kids zipping down the ziplines and slides being pelted with snowballs. Then Hayahito decided to declare himself 'King' of the fort, stationing himself at the top of the playset. For the first time, all of the minors came together to fight against the 'tyrant king' of the fort.

Jiemo and Dimi welcomed us all back with cocoa and tree decorating followed.

"Better than wearing a tuxedo," Kurapika stated as we settled down then glanced outside. En indicated that the snow was still coming down, heavier than ever.

Grandma Himari was settled behind me and gently brushed my hair with her fingers. In that moment, I realized just how long my hair was, almost extending to my hips. I had never quite noticed.

"The weather station indicated there would be a blizzard tonight," she pointed out conversationally. "My son and Juo will likely not be back until tomorrow."

"But they'll miss Christmas!" one of the smaller children whined. "Why'd they have to go?"

"Because of Juo's father," grandpa Kuno stated flatly. "The man has no intent of letting Juo have his inheritance, but he has no other choice since his only other living relatives are the royal siblings and Adalia, who refuses to have anything to do with the family business."

"No it-"

"They went for an inheritance?" Pairo asked after slapping a hand over his cousin's mouth. Grandma Himari and grandpa Kuno didn't need to know that Juo and Kinze were covering up for the fact that they didn't plan for us to be here next year.

"Of course, they need to keep this house. And…" She paused then for a long moment. "Juo's father is a Marquess."

"WHAT?!" I demanded loudly.

"We saw no reason to tell you because you're so young," grandma Himari informed me. "He has a seat in the Upper House of Parliament and he seems to have been coming around to Juo being with Kinze recently. He told them that he wishes to speak with them."

No Hunters or assassins appeared that night, and sure enough, Kinze and Juo weren't present the next morning as the house woke up for Christmas. Almost two-thirds of a meter of snow had fallen overnight, which explained their absence, but as the day dragged on, I grew nervous.

Helping in the kitchen didn't take my mind off of the absence of my guardians/dads, and I grew more worried.

My phone went off in the afternoon and relief flooded me when Kinze's voice came over the line straight away.

"Lana? Are you alright? How are Kurapika and Pairo? Ging didn't bring a bunch of those carrier birds the Kuruta had in the forest last night, did he?"

"I'm fine, everyone is fine," I reassured him and myself. "And unless he hid something under the snow, then I don't think so."

"Thank heaven!"

"Why did it take you so long to call?" I demanded.

"Both of our phones died and we had a difficult time getting a charger. Luckily, the desk clerk was willing to loan us one when we explained that we needed to call our family. And just so you're aware, motels aren't as bad as Juo is going to claim."

"You're in a motel?"

"Not much of a choice, love. It was either this or Tserriednich's hotel. Merry Christmas, and here's Juo."

Shuffling indicated the phone being passed to Juo, and then his voice came through. "Motels are just as bad as I think and worse! The heat went out!" he informed me, drawing a laugh. "Merry Christmas Lana, be sure to wish everyone well for us."

"Ok," I replied, then the line died. They must have run out of power.

School started up once more, Kurapika and I had classes that lined extremely well and Fie didn't have to drive with us anymore. He still did, just in case, and dropped Pairo off at school as well as picked him up.

The semester flew by very fast, and this time, when Kurapika and I opted out of walking for our graduation, it was respected. Pairo didn't get out of it though, and we all observed him receive his diploma.

On Graduation day at Port University, Halkenburg called Juo.

"He's planning to attend!" the Prince informed my dad. "He's bound to come out to the manor when he realizes none of you are there!"

My departure date with Kurapika, Pairo, Fie, and Hayahito suddenly got stepped up from a week to an hour. Luckily, all of us had packed up long before this point, Kurapika, Pairo, and me had been keeping packed survival bags since shortly after we had begun survival exercises.

It was May: Kurapika had turned 17 just the month before and Pairo would be 17 in another month. In December I'd be 12, and then Ging would guide us to the start of the exam.

"Remember, call us at least twice a week," Kinze ordered. "You all have cellphones, so you have no excuses to not call."

"We'll try to meet up with you before the exam," Juo added.

We were tossing our weapons and bags into the back of Kurapika's car when a thought made me freeze.

"I'll be right back," I called as I raced back into the manor. Taking the stairs two at a time, I dashed to my room and my attention settled on my fox-bear. He had been retired to a shelf when I was 5 and had stayed there since, but now I plucked up the stuffed toy and ran my fingers over the eyes. The mommy eye and daddy eye. The last link I had so I could protect them.

The toy was quickly wrapped in an old shirt and I turned to head back down the stairs, shoving the bundle into my pack before climbing into the backseat of the car. Maybe it was just a superstition, but maybe my parents' will to protect me was in that bear. The one time I had not had it with me was the Kuruta massacre, so it couldn't hurt.

The entire estate waved goodbye to us, the Kuruta kids climbing to the top of the playset or running by the car until we reached the gate, En showing them all in shocking clarity. I pushed my En as far as I could, now reaching 300 meters, as we drove away, and then they were gone.

For the second time in my new life, I was leaving a home behind to face an uncertain world. The difference being that I was leaving willingly this time, and not being dragged away by captors.

I thumbed the small wallet I carried in a hidden pouch. It contained a bankcard and cash, something each of us carried though we all agreed that we would be trying to make our own way as soon as we were out of Kakin. Our plan was that we would head to the port and hire a tow truck to take Kurapika's car back to the estate, with us leaving on a ship.

Juo had already called Zhang Lei, and he knew of a ship that was leaving today in less than two hours, headed for Jappon. They would be expecting us.

It took almost an hour to reach the port and park. Kurapika called a tow truck, informing them that we wouldn't be with the car as the rest of us gathered our things.

The captain for the ship greeted us at Customs, guiding us through rapidly as we presented passports.

It was as we were boarding the ship that I paused, momentarily sickened by the boat. I hadn't been on one since being kidnapped by the Black Brigade.

"Takara, something wrong?" Pairo asked behind me, and I could feel Kurapika and Hayahito staring down from the deck.

"No."

It was going to take some time to get used to being Takara again.

zzzzzz

Alright, we should hit the official story line next chapter!

Chapter 15: Chapter 15

Chapter Text

Training began before the ship was out of sight of the shore according to what Pairo told me. Fie and Hayahito had the three of us climbing the masts with the crew, then running the length of the ship as the pair encouraged the crew to try to trip us.

I could sense that a number of the crew were staring at me, probably because of the bandages that had been tied over my non-existent eyes by Fie.

"It wasn't necessary before because we were in a clean place," Fie stated as he secured the bandage. "And you likely know better than me of the various nasty things we'll encounter."

"Encounter nothing, what you have on your skin right now could make you want to scrub your skin to nothing."

Due to the tight quarters of the ship, we refrained from the use of weaponry, but the second our feet touched the ground in Jappon a week later, Fie and Hayahito were on the attack. The streets near the docks bore witness to our sparring as we each were pushed to our limit.

Training ended that evening in time for dinner, and we piled into a restaurant that smelled good, not one of us honestly knowing what was served there.

It turned out to be an okonomiyaki restaurant and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal.

The next day began with an interesting twist: thus far in our training, Kurapika, Pairo, and I had had to evade capture, that got turned around and we had to chase down Fie and Hayahito. This time, I made liberal use of my En while Pairo and Kurapika attempted to follow tracks and ask people if they had seen our teachers. Three days later, we caught up to them in a town that was two over from where we started in a sushi restaurant. None of them knew what sushi was, but I had a front row seat to their mixed reactions when they found out.

We were in Jappon for two weeks after that before heading to Mimbo Republic on the Northern continent.

Juo and Kinze called us several times, waking us up due to the time difference, but we made the same mistake more than once. Tserriednich had gone to the manor looking for me, and the Kuruta had masterfully disappeared into the surrounding woods. He had asked several questions about my location, then had left a 'Graduation Gift' for when I came back. They had had the thing scanned with an x-ray and determined it was another book.

We did small chores for money, then arrived at Heaven's Arena near the end of June. We stayed there through July for Pairo's birthday and managed to reach the 80th floor, expanding our capabilities in unarmed combat since weaponry wasn't allowed until the 200th floor.

The money we earned at Heaven's Arena kept us for the rest of the trip.

We crossed the narrow sea to the Begerosse Union in August, following a call from Juo telling us that Ging wanted to meet us in Glam Gas land in December. He'd give us instructions while there.

Begerosse had lots of grassland and we ran all day to increase our stamina, crossing the minor continent in a month before taking a boat to Yorbia. October was spent trudging through marshlands in the eastern part of the continent, learning to keep our footing on the treacherous ground until it gave way to mountains.

It was November before we reached the edge of the mountain range, and apparently we hadn't maintained a perfect course due to us coming out to the south of the range into a desert area. Getting back on track took two weeks and a train ride.

Through calls with our families, we got news at home and found out that Dimi had been away from the manor, met a man, and was pregnant again. The man was also honorable and attempting to convince her to marry him. Halkenburg and Luzurus were heading the Gay Rights movement and approval had just passed 51%, they anticipated being able to press the vote within the next few months, but adoption rights were lagging behind in approval ratings at 42%. They were hoping to get the last few percent needed by expanding the adoption rights to allow non-married individuals to adopt children they weren't related to.

Tserriednich hadn't given up his search for me, according to investigators, and was trying to figure out where I'd gone. He knew that we had boarded that first ship to Jappon but had had limited success following us after due to us using aliases.

It was due to him that Kinze and Juo had cancelled their original plan to meet up with us in early December.

December had just begun when we arrived in Glam Gas Land by train. Ging had insisted that he would meet us right after Christmas, so we used the time for last minute preparations, final practices with weapons and fine-tuning our supplies. Our hammocks were mended as were our clothes, and then I needed something very badly: a haircut.

Pairo was the one I approached on the issue, and he agreed, so after a shower, I sat before him in a tank top as he got the scissors ready.

"How short?" he asked.

"Long enough that I can still tie it back." My hair was mid-thigh now while wet, far too long for the rough conditions we had gone through and would face soon enough, even if I kept it tied back and braided.

Pairo tapped a point on my back, right at my shoulder blades. "Here?"

"Sure."

The boy raked his fingers through my hair, taking off most of it in one snip then set about to straighten the cut. I felt small strands fall as the scissors sliced more of my hair off. Then my brother-figure froze.

"What happened?" he demanded as his fingers touched my back, my birthmark.

"Just a birthmark."

"It looks like someone kicked you right on your backbone! And splintered a few ribs at that!" Kurapika insisted as he came up to stand behind Pairo.

The memory of my last moments of my previous life returned, of the kick my previous father delivered to my back.

"I've read that people who believe in reincarnation believe that birthmarks are an indication of how we died in our previous lives," Kurapika finally admitted as his fingers hesitated over my back.

"Your eyes are red," Pairo murmured quietly.

As my documented birthday approached, I managed to get away from the rest of our party for one particular errand: to visit a reservation for some of the people who were subjugated by the Glam Clan. Conditions reminded me a lot of my birthplace except not as much garbage.

It took a bit of asking and explaining of my predicament, but I was eventually pointed in the direction of an Elder who kept records of all the missing. Unfortunately, he had no record of a child named Takara being stolen from his or any of the surrounding communities.

Pairo won the match we had for determining how we should celebrate Christmas that year, and decided that we should go to see a Christmas special being held by one of the traveling troupes. En indicated that at least a few the performers were unconscious nen users, and one was definitely a nen user. The ringmaster declared her to be Abaki, and she performed using a jump rope, using the rope to send herself flying through the air and sending nen bullets to knock over targets before her rope. It was amazing even if one knew about nen.

Ging found us the next day, even in the rundown building we'd been renting without us telling him.

"Alright, I've gotten you three signed up for the exams. Lana, you've been signed up as Lana Pidel but you can use an alias. Kurapika and Pairo have been signed up as Kuruta." Ging stated all of this as he handed us our documents.

"In three days, a boat will be headed to Whale Island, be on that or else you'll miss the exam," he ordered. "Once you get to Whale Island, the ship you'll want will be headed to Dolle harbor."

He didn't even give a Christmas greeting, instead leaving straight away. I was pleased that although I hadn't been able to focus on my En for months, I was able to follow Ging's departure for a short while, until he left my now 320-meter range.

Fie and Hayahito parted ways with us the next day, and for the first time in months, it was just Kurapika, Pairo, and me. This time, it was the ultimate survival test.

We bought our tickets to Whale Island that same day, amongst a number of other Hunter exam hopefuls. It seemed that most of us were headed in different directions, and it made sense that the Hunter Association would try to have people go through different routes.

The next two days followed in quick succession, the three of us dodging pickpockets and would-be thugs before heading to the boat, which we boarded in silence. Whale Island was very out of the way, but the boat we were on had a surprising number of people.

As we set out, I listened to a number of the conversations that occurred, just as Kurapika and Pairo did.

"Seems most of the people are headed to Whale Island with the intent of participating in the Hunter Exam," Kurapika murmured that night as we ate a small dinner. Due to there being more people on the boat than anticipated and everyone showing up, the crew and passengers were on reduced rations for the two days it would take us to reach the island.

"Anyone interesting?" Pairo asked.

Kurapika glanced around. "Twelve people have calluses on their hands that indicate they've trained hard with their weapon of choice, most seem boisterous."

I said my bit then. "Not to mention not in as great shape as they think, some look like they have only worked their upper body strength and ignored cardio completely."

We slept in our hammocks, though more than once, someone attempted to kick us out of them. By the second morning, I had given six men concussions with my kun when they attempted to take either my small amount of food or hammock. Kurapika and Pairo had knocked out twice as many each, due to them being older and most didn't view it to be as disgraceful to take what they wanted from them instead of a blind little girl. They were all knocked out of the competition, leaving our trio and two other passengers who seemed to be smart enough to not try to steal from the three of us.

"We have three hours until the ship to Dolle Harbor departs," Kurapika observed when we finally disembarked on Whale Island. "I'll admit I'm interested in getting something to eat."

"I agree with that!" Pairo declared cheerfully.

"We'll need our strength, and we should also get some food to take with us in case of a repeat of the overcrowded ship without breaking into our current supplies."

Truthfully, I was interested in meeting Gon, but he didn't interact with Kurapika until they were on the ship. Him getting to the ship was part of what made Gon interesting and I was also biased on one thing: I wanted him to free those animals from the fake Hunter.

"Agreed, I'd rather not have to resort to those at the very beginning either," Kurapika stated as he headed toward a fruit stall.

An hour later, we each had several apples and bread tucked into our bags and were at a restaurant for lunch when a ruckus sounded.

Not bothering to raise my head, my En gave me a clear picture of Leorio as he stole a number of fish while Gon watched, his fishing pole giving him away.

"That guy just stole several fish!" Pairo murmured, looking ready to go after Leorio.

Kurapika caught his arm. "He's not our problem. People like that eventually get what comes to them."

The dark-haired boy puffed slightly then glanced at the stall, obviously wanting to do something, right as I noted a bit of movement by his hand.

The spider had crawled onto the table from the one unoccupied chair and was lingering near Pairo's hand as the restaurant owner/waiter approached and noticed the monstrous creature, unknowing that all three of us were already aware of it.

"That thing is poisonous! Hold very sti-"

I was seated on the other side of Pairo and couldn't reach the spider, Pairo was holding a spoon in his other hand, so Kurapika slammed his fork down, stunning the spider before sending the fork and spider across the street, embedding the prongs into a wooden post.

The shocked store owner stared in silence at the utensil as the spider wiggled and freed itself after a moment, then crawled away.

"So, any thoughts on what we should do after the exam?" Pairo asked quietly after the store owner had wandered over to collect what was formerly Kurapika's fork and Pairo had passed his to the blond so he could finish his meal.

"Work," was Kurapika's short response as he gave me a short glance. "We need to support ourselves, and even if we fail, I believe we can agree that we can't go back to Kakin for now."

After the exam would mean learning nen. I wasn't sure what my nen type was, but I was definitely not an Enhancer. And as much as I would love to be a Specialist so I could try to think of a way to permanently strip the Spiders of their powers, it was far more likely that I was a Conjurer.

"Go back to Heaven's Arena then?" Pairo asked. "It might not be legitimate work, but we'd get free housing, few questions asked, and the money was good."

"If just one of us passes, we have our pass," Kurapika returned before he stood and dropped some money onto the table. "That person can work and get a lead on the eyes while the other two train for next year. Let's head for the docks."

I didn't miss that Pairo passed the stall owner that Leorio had robbed some money as we left, and neither did Kurapika if his slight smile was anything to go by.

We arrived at the ship in time for boarding and were quick to settle near the rail on the opposite side of the deck, listening to the other applicants as they boarded and evaluating them one-by-one. More than a few of the other applicants sneered at our group.

"So, back to what happens if we don't pass, or even if we do; Kinze told me that I have to enroll at a University by next year," Pairo continued, a slight smile crossing his face. "We'll need to plan for that."

"Why?" Kurapika asked. "It's not like you would have to return to Kakin. As a Hunter, you could attend any University you might want free-of-charge."

"But it would mean that I'd need to separate from you guys," Pairo explained. "Tserriednich knows I left with you."

I thought of what I knew of Tserriednich and shook my head. "He wouldn't bother you, I'd dare to say that he wouldn't do something that would seem desperate or rude. Reprehensible as he is, he despises even the thought of being rude. If he came where he thought I was, it would be under a different pretense."

Boarding continued, then a loud ruckus occurred on the far side of the docks, far enough that some of the late arrivals commented on hearing people screaming.

Pushing my En out to my max, I smiled as I observed a number of exotic animals essentially being pointed to freedom by a young boy. Unfortunately, the crew was already casting off before either of the people who I assumed were Gon and Leorio turned towards the ship.

"Finally underway!" Pairo murmured as the ship began to creep away from the dock.

"Hey! Wait! Wait for us!" the voice of a young boy yelled, and I found myself grinning automatically. That would be Gon.

"Takara! Don't grin that they missed the boat!" Pairo chastised.

"They'll make it, I promise you," I assured him. "That's Ging's son."

"That one he told us to pretend we didn't know him around?"

"Yep."

"I'm suppose to be on that ship!"

"Yeah, me too!" Leorio already sounded winded.

"You're too late, I ain't turning back so ya better start swimming!" the Captain called over the rail to them.

A small group of rather arrogant jerks who had sneered at our group made their jeers.

"The ships already under full sail, it'll be impossible to catch up by swimming."

"I guess becoming a Hunter ain't what it used to be if a kid like that thinks he's got a shot. Or that one." Now the sneers were back as they glanced at our group. The wonders of being a twelve-year-old.

The temptation to throw a rock was rather notable, but an utter lack of rocks killed that thought.

I followed their progress as Gon peeled off, leading Leorio down a side path and turned my attention to the sails, ensuring that we wouldn't need to move.

"Where are they going?" Pairo asked as he stood and turned to watch the pair as they ran up the path to the cliff area.

Kurapika's response was to grab my arm and haul both Pairo and me from the railing. "I think they're going to jump!"

"Shouldn't we help them if they do?" Pairo demanded, attempting to move back towards the railing.

"Not at the risk of being landed on."

Gon and Leorio finally managed to get ahead of the ship on the last cliff that it would pass before heading out to sea.

"That's way too far to jump!" Pairo observed. "Wait, that kid has got something!"

"A grapple?" Kurapika asked.

"A fishing pole," I corrected, and felt the shock from both of my companions.

The sound of a thin line cutting through the air caused me to look up, my En just catching the filament, before both man and boy jumped from the cliff. Briefly I wondered what Gon's fishing line was made up before noting that Pairo was already moving forward as the two collided with a sail.

Pairo focused more on Gon as the two slid down the sail.

"Kurapika! Give me a hand!" he shouted as he yanked a tarp up and moved to where the two seemed to be coming down. Both Kurapika and I moved forward, grabbing an edge to the tarp and pulled it taunt as the pair made the final plunge to the deck.

Gon turned feet first and landed on the tarp in a crouched position, surprise on his face at being caught, while Leorio landed in a pile on the side of the tarp, half on and half off. It was just his luck that the half on was his lower half and he still essentially hit the deck face first.

"HA ha! We made it!" Gon cheered as he leapt off the tarp, Pairo and Kurapika dropping their corners while I held mine for a second longer as Leorio struggled to make sure his head didn't end up under the tarp. "Thanks for the help!"

"Yes, you made it," the Captain observed as he approached. "Now you can pay the toll to be on this ship."

Leorio grumbled more than a little as he fished through his briefcase while Gon automatically pulled out a pouch in good cheer.

"What's your name?" Pairo asked Gon after he finished paying for his passage.

"Gon. What's your name, mister?"

"I'm Pairo. These are my companions, Kurapika and Takara." Both of us nodded as we were introduced, and I could feel Gon's bright smile.

"Great to meet you guys! This exam is already turning into a lot of fun!"

I barely held back a laugh, Pairo smiled, but Kurapika was staring at Leorio with a mixed expression. He seemed like he was trying to weigh the man's character.

"So you use a fishing rod as a weapon? That's a bit unusual," Pairo continued, obviously already intending to integrate Gon into our group. Pairo was protective, not just of his family but of people in general who he saw as younger.

Leorio moved away from our group and settled on the deck, looking to all observers as though he were lazy and uncaring.

Kurapika turned away from him, initial judgement already made. It was better to let him determine Leorio's true character on his own.

The had been beginning to set when the ship departed, within two hours it was down in total and everyone began to move about the ship. There were no private cabins, just general rooms, but most of the applicants opted to stay up on the deck. We couldn't due to the bandages over my eyes, but did manage to get a room to ourselves that night, Gon opting to remain on deck with Leorio. Dinner was whatever we brought with us.

The next morning was a mildly lazy feeling morning, though the galley did finally open and provide breakfast. The mostly male crew and passengers loitered as the ship crept along, the breeze intermittent, not enough to push the ship along at anything more than a very slow pace.

Even though we had stayed underdeck, the bandages that covered my eyes were soggy and had to be changed. I used a small sanitary wipe to clean the area before covering the empty space with new bandages then followed Pairo and Kurapika to the deck.

Gon was already fishing and we settled near the main mast while Leorio lay nearby. Pairo brought a deck of cards and we were soon playing a game of Doubt.

Men and a few women had settled into groups, some just talking, a few showing off. A knife flying through the air caught my attention, followed by the dying squawk of a bird before the body hit the deck.

The Captain and three of his crew were moving about, glancing at a number of us, evaluating us.

"I wonder how many of them will make it this time?" the Captain asked aloud as his group passed a man who was vomiting over the side of the ship.

"Look around! There's maybe two with half a chance," stated a semi-arrogant man who walked behind his superior. A slight shimmer surrounding him confirmed for me that the man was a nen user of some sort. Unfortunately, my observation wasn't unnoticed and the man went rigid for a moment before a second En opened, no where near as developed as mine, but I could feel the tension before the man dropped his En and rushed forward, leaping high to catch a knife that was aimed to take out another bird.

My attention returned to the cards right in time for Pairo to call 'Doubt' on Kurapika and having to pick up the pile when the card was turned over to prove Kurapika hadn't lied. I was keenly aware of the nen-using sailor that fought the knife-wielding applicant, but I could tell he was just playing.

"I GOT ONE!" Gon's voice rang out over the ship, causing a number of heads to turn.

Gon's battle with the fish made it obvious he was strong: the fish was large and a strong swimmer. It fought the line hard before finally being reeled in.

"He'll be having fish for dinner," Pairo observed as the Captain headed towards Gon. "I quit."

"You do that often," Kurapika observed as I handed my cards over.

"I know you and Takara hate to lose. Just think about what happens whenever you two compete! You almost collapsed from exhaustion after trying to outpace each other during our last long-distance hike!"

There was no denying that.

Leorio let out a loud yawn then as he finally stood from where he'd been lying for the past couple of hours.

"There's no wind out here at all, not even a slight breeze. How long is it gonna take to get to Dolle?"

The question drew my attention to our surroundings and I noted that Leorio was right, the slight breeze we had had earlier had died down.

"There's a storm coming our way." Gon's voice was a bit muffled, but he had the attention of the Captain, Leorio, Kurapika, Pairo, and myself.

"Very funny, the ocean is totally calm."

"Yeah but… It's getting humid and you can taste salt in the air. And the sea cranes are calling out warnings."

Pairo glanced at the birds while Kurapika began to scan the horizon. All of our hands were already packing our things again, our breakfast leftovers and the cards disappearing.

"Sea cranes?" Leorio asked with a laugh. "You understand all their squawking?"

"Animals are more in tune with nature than humans," Kurapika called out. "He likely can see the difference in their behavior which can indicate danger."

Leorio seemed incredulous while the Captain was thoughtful.

"But I can honestly understand them, mostly," Gon insisted. "They're calling a warning."

The Captain seemed to go into a deep contemplation for a moment before saying something quietly to Gon then turning to the rest of the ship. "Listen up all hands! Bring those sails down!"

"Need a hand?" Pairo called up to the crewman who had been taunting one of the applicants by taking his knife.

"Got enough!" was the shouted response.

A number of the sailors had nen, I could feel it as they jumped and climbed the masts to tie up the sails. Several gave me sideways glances, but quickly enough dismissed me.

Leorio stared up at the working men with something akin to shock at their strong and rapid movements, studying them as he moved to get a better view of the activity.

"We should head down and get our stuff organized," Pairo suggested as the flurry of activity continued.

Kurapika objected. "We don't know how long the storm will last. I think we'd all prefer to have fresh air as long as possible."

A yell drew our attention and the infamous bucket came down on Leorio's face, coming apart due to the impact with his hard head. Each of us bent or shifted to avoid the remnants of the bucket while Leorio growled.

"HEY! Watch it!" the volatile man shouted, receiving a distracted apology that didn't seem entirely sincere.

Gon decided to abandon his spot on the upper deck then. "You ok, Leorio?"

"I'm fine." Leorio still sounded deeply irritated but wouldn't take it out on Gon.

The crew continued their flurry of activity and a number of the passengers joined them, grabbing ropes and carrying spare equipment under the deck. Pairo and I were handed a stack of buckets while Kurapika helped in tying down and securing the barrels in the galley. Gon seemed to disappear, and then reappeared as we moved through the ship, collecting cups and plates to take back to the galley.

"Too bad about the storm, I was hoping we could have that flying Benito I caught for dinner…" Gon sighed sadly as he set his load of dishes into a crate that we had been pointed to.

A wet slap on the counter indicated that the fish had just been brought down and the cook grabbed it and moved to shove it into an ice barrel, earning another sigh from Gon.

"Sorry kid, if that storm be as bad as ya think, then I ain't risking to cook that thing," the cook apologized. "Maybe in the morning."

"Ok, smoked fish would probably be great in the morning too!"

"We could have sushi!" I teased Kurapika, who I knew turned slightly green. He had tried the food when we were in Jappon, and like me, he had not liked it unless there was a lot of wasabi and ginger on it. It was surprising to me that my tastes had changed to such an extent. Kurapika called it 'sensible' that I would feel the need to cover the sushi in items that served as antibacterial agents.

Pairo offered a short laugh while Gon gained an aura of confusion.

"Don't even joke about such a thing!" Kurapika ordered as we headed back to the deck.

The sun was gone, I could feel it. The wind was picking up and a slight chill rose in the air. Lightning danced, electrifying the air and causing the hair on peoples' arms to rise.

"What the heck is that?!" a voice shouted, drawing the attention towards the main mast of the ship. It was disconcerting, but I could see it through my En. Even a small trail of it that led to… The captain!

"I'll bet that's Saint Elmo's Fire," the Captain's voice suggested.

"What's Saint Elmo's Fire?"

Kurapika answered Gon's question automatically, explaining about the illumination being caused by a buildup of static electricity.

"Thanks for the encyclopedic explanation, professor!" Leorio called out, earning a dark look from Kurapika. Pairo immediately chose to defend his friend as Leorio tried to tease Kurapika further.

"I'll say, this would have been far spookier if I hadn't had that explanation!"

"There's an old legend, that no sailor who's ever seen Saint Elmo's Fire has ever made it back to port alive."

"Then how do people know of it?" I asked the Captain, realizing that this 'Saint Elmo's Fire' was actually a trick of the Captain's nen. A Conjuration of some sort, an illusion. The storm was just convenient for him to really test our mettle.

"Probably the same as they know of other legends," the Captain responded. "The storm's coming and it's gonna be bad. All of you, unless you're crew, get below deck!"

Pairo grabbed my shoulder and pulled me below deck, Kurapika following us with Gon close behind. Once in the large bunkroom we had occupied the night before, the three of us quickly set up our hammocks.

"Why're you setting those things up?" Leorio demanded as he entered the room several minutes later. "Just gonna make yourselves sick!"

"Actually, the physics of this would be that we're not going to be thrown around as much," I argued and gave my hammock a swing to demonstrate. "Gravity will always pull downwards, regardless of how the ship tilts. Adding our weights and it should smooth things out a lot."

Leorio made it a point to give my hammock a push when I climbed into it, but was disappointed when I didn't fall out.

The build up of the waves was slow, many of the men and women that surrounded us already freaking out due to the 'Saint Elmo's Fire' that appeared on the mast. Naturally, when the waves did become big, the screaming started fast.

"I WANT MY MOM!" one man shrieked as he was tossed down the length of the room. Several of the other applicants were clinging to tables, posts, the walls, each other. Then there was Gon. He was humming as he slid one way before springing onto a barrel that almost rolled over him. Leorio just shifted his weight back and forth while eating first a banana, then an apple.

Kurapika seemed unaffected as he napped in his hammock, but Pairo sat up after a little while and began applauding Gon as he balanced on his barrel.

The worst of the storm was over after about two hours, and during that time Gon and Pairo began a word game that I joined after a few minutes, then Kurapika joined during the third round. Leorio started called out words randomly as he pulled out a mirror in order to make adjustments and straighten up his appearance while Gon circulated the room, offering water and sometimes herbs to those who were the worst off after our ordeal.

"Vain," Kurapika muttered as his eyes glanced at Leorio.

"No worse than Kinze can sometimes be."

Kurapika frowned in response. "He's a professional who makes regular appearances at the royal court. There's a rather notable difference."

I shrugged in response. "We're already being watched, and some people feel they make the best impression when they look their best."

The door opening caught the attention of everyone capable of moving, and the Captain entered. Kurapika finally sat up in his hammock as the Captain's eyes scanned over the room.

"Ok, you five, what are your names?" he asked.

It was a simple question, but Leorio already seemed to irritated by it, possibly even offended.

"What? You want me to tell you what my name is?" he demanded sharply.

Gon popped up immediately. "My name's Gon!"

"I'm Pairo! These two are Kurapika and Takara." Pairo introduced our group with a bright smile as he gestured to both Kurapika and me, both of us nodding or waving in turn.

Leorio growled lowly. "And… I'm Leorio," he stated after a moment, exasperation thick in his tone.

The Captain nodded slightly. "Alright, now I want each of you to tell me why you want to become a Hunter."

"Why do we need to tell-"

"My dad is a Hunter and I want to see what it's like!" Gon called out immediately.

"Hey, I wasn't done. I see no reason to tell this guy your life story!"

Gon was nonchalant. "What's the big deal? It's no secret."

"Because I don't want to tell him! I don't have to do what he says, because you see, I can stand up for myself." Gon's attitude turned slightly dejected at that moment.

"I wa-"

Kurapika's hand covered Pairo's mouth automatically. "I agree with you, Riolio," Kurapika stated coldly and I sighed. Kurapika wasn't normally cold, but when he was, it was due to someone displaying a personality trait that he didn't like. And I had to admit that thus far, at least in front of our group, Leorio hadn't displayed anything particularly likeable.

"The name's Leorio, ya got that?" the man growled.

"If you don't want to say, then you can come up with a plausible lie. I however view most lies as a sin equal to greed."

Pairo managed to shove Kurapika's hand off his mouth. "I want to become a Blacklist Hunter and ensure that criminals are punished and people don't suffer because of them."

Kurapika glanced at Pairo for a moment then sighed. "A Blacklist Hunter for the same reason."

"A Blacklist Hunter for the same reason, and possibly a Book Hunter," I admitted.

The Captain nodded then focused on Leorio. "Well? If you're not going to answer my question, then you can get off of my ship."

Leorio made a surprised noise.

"Don't you understand? The Hunter Exam has already begun. It started the second you set foot on my ship." The sound of cloth moving followed and the Captain raised a card that Leorio recognized.

"That's from the Hunter Association!"

"The number of people wanting Hunter Licenses are as numerous as the stars in the sky. It's up to people like me to screen the applicants. The rest of the passengers didn't make the cut, and I'll be making my report on them to the committee. If any of them, or you without my approval, manage to get to the exam site, they'll be turned away. Well?"

Leorio groaned. "Fine, I'm not even going to try to guess what you want me to say, so I'll get straight to the point: MONEY! As a Hunter I'll make loads of money, and then I can buy myself everything I've always wanted! A huge mansion! A cool car! Top grade booze!"

Kurapika had tensed when Leorio declared money, and now his disdain for the man was more apparent than ever. Pairo settled a hand on Kurapika's shoulder while I shook my head. I knew for a fact that Kurapika didn't mind people having money, provided they earned it honestly and materialism wasn't the center of their being. He'd been tense and uncertain of Juo at first because of his apparent money, but had relaxed when he saw that my father used his money to help and hide the rest of the Kuruta.

What Leorio had just declared would undoubtedly annoy him.

"Then perhaps you could buy yourself some class, Riolio!"

Leorio wheeled around to glare at Kurapika. "You've got a smart mouth for a rich brat. And don't think I can't hear it, it's all over your accent that you come from some noble house. I can take a lot, but I refuse to take a lecture from some know-it-all rich brat! Let's take this outside!"

Kurapika didn't hesitate as he followed Leorio into the hall.

"Hey! Wait! Kurapika, don't hurt him too badly!" Pairo called as he followed the pair.

"Wait! I'm not done!" the Captain called as I stepped around him myself to follow the other three, Gon right behind me.

"Aunt Mito always says that if you want to understand someone, you should understand what makes them angry," Gon explained to the Captain as he fell in step behind us.

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Luzurus stared at the man across from him, before taking a deep breath.

He had been considering something like this for years, but had pushed it back when he thought of how Hal and his younger siblings would react. But yesterday, things had changed: the 8th Queen was pregnant. In a matter of months, he would have yet another little brother or sister, and he had a feeling that he would like this one as well. Queen Oito was a very nice woman, and he had come to like her as well as Queen Seiko over the past several months. She even asked that he and Hal just call her Oito in private.

Several years ago, he wouldn't have cared very much. He probably wouldn't have cared very much if Hal hadn't made an effort and they had truly become friends and brothers. Including Kacho, Fugetsu, and Momoze had expanded his care and his desire to protect his siblings, even Tubeppa's smug/know-it-all mug.

There were several exceptions, the key one being Tserriednich. His despised sibling had not given up on finding Lana, and just the day before had scared Momoze to the point of tears, demanding to know if she knew where her friend was.

That Momoze had run to him first for comfort was a point of brotherly pride for Luzurus that had driven this meeting.

Luzurus didn't want either Hal or Tubeppa doing this, making a sworn enemy of not only Tserriednich, but Zhang Lei as well. But he needed something to push against his half-sibling, and he hoped he could keep things at least some what civil with Zhang after.

"If given the opportunity, I want Tserriednich disposed of," he finished the last line of his demands and instructions to the head of the Sha' A family. "In return for these favors, I'll back the Sha' A activities, provided they remain within a certain limit."

"What of the other Princes?" the mafia man asked as he poured a small bottle of ceremonial wine into two saucers.

"I intend to deal with them in my own way."

"Very well then," the man responded as Luzurus accepted one of the shallow wine cups. "From now on, you have the support of the Sha' A family."

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"Gon, that was a very stupid thing to do," Leorio stated from under a tarp that Kurapika had thrown over him when he had stripped out of his soaked clothing.

"Very reckless," Kurapika added.

I groaned. "We were hardly any better," I pointed out, referencing how he and Leorio had fought in the rain followed by Gon trying to save the sailor who went overboard and then Pairo and me catching Gon, going over the side of the ship as well, and being caught in turn by Kurapika and Leorio. Pairo had already dragged me to a cabin to change the bandages over my eyes yet again.

Leorio rounded on me. "And you, we hadn't caught you and your brother, all four of you would be drowning!"

"But you did catch us!" Gon exclaimed brightly. "So, what about your fight?"

Leorio groaned then sat back. "Well, guess I have to apologize for being rude to the rich kid."

"I'm hardly wealthy, but your apology is accepted," Kurapika replied. "I apologize for being rude as well."

The Captain laughed as he passed. "We'll be getting to Dolle soon, and congratulations for passing the test."

"Really?!" Leorio demanded in excitement and got up to talk to the Captain while I tugged on Kurapika and Pairo's sleeves.

"We have a problem," I admitted quietly once I had their attention. "Our accents. If we're found out by anyone, they could easily pass word on us and our accents will give away where we've been hiding."

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Sorry this update took so long. I'm in my Senior year of college and most of my focus has been on exams and homework recently. I'll try to keep updates coming regularly though.

Chapter 16: Chapter 16

Chapter Text

To those wondering where I've been for the last month: I'm finishing up my Senior Year for a double Microbiology and Chemistry major. To those wondering what that's like, imagine exams being held on a weekly basis in subjects such as Virology, Genetics, Molecular Microbiology, and Immunology. It's not a pretty picture and almost all of my time is dedicated to studying. This fic is a treat for me to unwind with, but I don't get to work on it too much, so I ask your patience!

zzzzzzzzzz

The ship only took another day and a half to reach Dolle, during which the Captain had advised our small group to not tell the other applicants that they had already failed the exam. He didn't bother to explain why.

The answer was simple: crowds and the traps set by the Hunter Association. They wanted to see who would try to follow the easy routes and follow the crowd, never realizing that that was a trap. When we left the boat, we'd be pointed in the right direction, away from the initial traps, and that would be a further test: a strange direction or the phantom of safety and assuredness of a crowd.

Gon's fish was cooked the day after the storm, and then the next morning, the ship arrived in Dolle at midmorning.

"Man, where did all of these guys come from?" Leorio asked as he scanned the docks, the other people on the ship having been kicked off ahead of us.

"Probably coming from all over for the Hunter Exam," Kurapika pointed out as he grasped my hand when a small group of thuggish-looking individuals passed too close for his liking. Pairo seemed less than thrilled as well. Despite not being able to see, I could feel at least one leer.

Leorio shrugged. "Yeah, likely from all over the world. Now where's the bus to Zaban city?"

"Hold on a minute," Pairo argued as he glanced back, and we all turned to where Gon was talking to the Captain.

"I had a great time!" the boy declared excitedly.

"You're a good kid, Gon!" the Captain replied with a laugh, and I felt a small smile pull at Pairo's lips as well as Kurapika's. "But remember, you've only reached Dolle Harbor. You've still got a long way to go and it's not going to be easy."

"Right."

"We didn't sign up for this thinking it would be easy," Pairo called out. "But it'll be a better trip if we all go together."

"Definitely more fun with friends!" Gon agreed.

Leorio seemed to be in a good mood and walked towards where Gon stood with the Captain. "I think we all know that we have a long way to go, and I for one have heard enough lectures on the boat."

"Then how about some advice?" the Captain offered. "You can call it a special favor."

Kurapika stood up straighter and leaned forward a bit as did Pairo.

The Captain's hand came up, his finger pointing. The tree was too far away for me to even hope to make out. "See that? Head for the lone cedar at the top of the mountain over there, and you'll find a shortcut to the exam site. And if I were you, I'd get going. As you know, the exam has already started."

"Thank you!" Pairo called after the Captain as the man walked away.

"Take care!" Gon added.

"Best of luck," the captain called back as the crew waved goodbye to us. Kurapika offered a shallow bow before turning away while the rest of us offered short waves.

As we walked away from the docks, a smile crossed my face as I noticed someone. Ging was standing right at the edge of my En, making a shushing sign. So, it seemed he did care at least some what if he was checking on Gon during the part of the exam when he could do it without suspicion in person.

He still seemed like a shy bastard since he was unwilling to speak to Gon.

I also became aware of a man following us, the one who would trick Gon into carrying him and try to answer the trick question first.

So engrossed in the man and Ging, I didn't quite notice when Pairo, who was right ahead of me, stopped and I lightly bumped into him.

"Haven't done that in a while," Pairo noted as Kurapika glanced at me as well.

"Aren't we just going to head in the direction the Captain indicated?" I asked.

Kurapika turned his head back to what I now realized was a map. "It's strange he is sending us in that direction."

"Yeah," Leorio agreed. "The exam is in Zaban City and that cedar is in the opposite direction."

"There's likely a good reason," I pointed out, only for the slimy man to step up behind Leorio.

"If you're going to Zaban city, there's an express bus that'll take you all the way. The bus stop is right over there," the man nodded towards where a crowd was beginning to form.

"And who are you?" Leorio demanded.

"My name's Matthew, I'm a rookie Hunter applicant, just like you guys."

Beside me, I felt Pairo relax slightly before Kurapika joined us.

"What do you think?" he murmured quietly enough for no one else to hear in the Kurutan tongue.

"That the Captain can be trusted," Pairo replied and I nodded.

"Part of being a Hunter is being willing to go in odd directions and not just go with the flow, trailblazers," I added, the last word being spoken in Common since the Kuruta language didn't have an equivalent word.

"Then we're agreed," Kurapika finished as we turned our attention back to Leorio and Gon only to discover that Gon was already beginning to head towards the mountain.

"You can't trust everyone, but you'll have to learn that the hard way," Leorio called after Gon. "What about you three?"

"We're going in the same direction," Pairo responded easily.

"Come on! You have a blind little girl with you! Don't think I haven't noticed that, she'd do better on a bus."

"I'll do better not falling into an obvious crowd-trap," I responded as I turned and trotted after Gon, Pairo and Kurapika keeping up easily. I wasn't disappointed with Leorio taking a moment to think over my words before he was running after us.

"What do you mean 'crowd trap?'" he demanded as we walked through the town, him craning his head to look back at the bus stop.

"Why did the Captain tell us not to tell anyone else on the boat that they failed?" I posed the question.

"To avoid a riot?"

"True, but there's also another test for those that pass: see if they take the easy route. They can't weed out more people or evaluate us if we can take a bus or follow a crowd," Kurapika explained. "This'll also test our stamina, to see if we can make it through whatever course they are sending us through within a time limit."

"We're being timed already?!" Leorio demanded, and ahead of us, Matthew visibly tensed and Gon picked up the pace.

"They can't give us an endless amount of time, and it'll also test our abilities to recognize and avoid danger or injury, things that would slow us down," I pointed out, determined to nip any intent that Matthew had to fake injury and use Gon as a means of reserving his strength.

"Then why're we going so slow?!" Leorio practically screamed before he charged ahead, causing the rest of us to pick up our pace as well to keep up.

Leorio managed to keep his pace until the edge of Dolle and then began to slow down as the paved roads gave way to dirt trails heading into the forested area. Gon easily overtook him then slowed down. Matthew had been going the slowest and was breathing the hardest at this point. Gon noticed.

"Hey, let's slow down for a bit! I think we're already making great time."

"Yeah…huff… fine by me," Leorio agreed as he happily slowed to a walk.

Mentally, I began to consider the math of the time we were making. In the anime, Leorio had taken the bus and probably had been on it for several hours for it to be going in circles and him to get impatient and demand to know when they'd get there, so two hours for that. He then managed to catch up to Kurapika and Gon, who had been carrying Matthew, and make it up to the town before dark.

Based on when we arrived and assuming it was late afternoon when they reached the riddle town in the anime, then that could indicate almost a six-hour trip on foot. Without Matthew's shenanigans to slow us down, then we might make it in just four to five hours.

The first hour was fine, and during the second hour the trail took a definite uphill turn. Leorio dropped from being at the front of the group with Gon to near the back, still ahead of Matthew who I was beginning to understand why he'd tricked Gon in the anime. The man lacked almost completely in stamina! He was sweating profusely by now and had already begun to drop some of his gear that he viewed as either not as important, or just too heavy. He was also glancing to the sides of the trail nervously, jumping at shadows.

"I swear, I just saw someone!" he declared halfway through the second hour.

"Probably an examiner, making sure they don't have to pull someone out due to injury," I called back,

Pairo must have picked up on my passive aggressive attitude towards Matthew and chose to whisper, "Was there anyone?"

"There've been several people around us," I admitted in response, causing both Kurapika and Leorio to perk up. "But none for the past five minutes. He just saw a-"

"Hey! I'm going to take a quick bathroom break!" Matthew called out, causing Gon to pause ahead of us.

Gon nodded. "Good idea! I think we should all take a moment."

Matthew trudged into the forest immediately, while Leorio shrugged and moved to the area near where Gon had disappeared. Pairo glanced at Kurapika and me.

"I'm going to take a quick one," he admitted after a moment. "What about you two?"

"I'm fine," Kurapika replied.

"Same."

"Alright, I'm going to leave my stuff with you guys," Pairo stated as he offered his bag to Kurapika. "See you in a few!"

Kurapika and I stood silent for a moment before I spoke. "Matthew is going to be trying to acquire supplies."

"Think he'll attack one of us?"

"Not immediately," I admitted as I tracked our group with En, being particularly mindful of Matthew as he tried to check for Pairo's supplies.

"He'll betray us soon."

"And we can probably use his betrayal to avoid a trap."

Kurapika nodded as Pairo rejoined us and returned his bag, and I could sense that Leorio was on his way back. Gon on the other hand… Was making friends with a large animal. Possibly that rhino that Leorio hit in the anime?

Matthew was creeping towards him, obviously hoping to convince him to give up some water or something. The shriek he unleashed upon bumping into the animal as it departed reached the three of us, and we took off automatically. Leorio on the other hand was well ahead of us and managed to reach where Matthew was having his freak out first, and in classic Leorio style, slammed his briefcase down on the rhino's head.

"He might have potential to be a good person," Pairo observed as Leorio took off, unknowingly leading the rhino away from Matthew.

"LEORIO! CLIMB A TREE!" Gon shouted as he took off after the sprinting man.

Matthew managed to regain his feet at that moment, his gaze fixed on Gon's back for a moment.

"I say we keep pushing on," he declared, right before Kurapika and I charged after Gon, Pairo hot on our heels.

It took almost thirty minutes for Gon to call off the rhino, Leorio to get out of the tree, and to get back to the trail.

"That was a major waste of time!" Matthew complained loudly from the back of our group. The ground was leveling out a bit and he could have easily caught up with the rest of us, but it seemed that he was intent to use us as shields as much as possible.

"I you want to conserve time, then we should run," Kurapika called back.

"We need to conserve energy also! We can't afford detours!" Matthew called back.

"Hey! It was almost your ass that got stuck in a tree!" Leorio argued. "You wouldn't have thought it a waste of time if we had helped you out!"

We had been walking for an additional hour before Gon announced, "Hey guys! There's a town up ahead!"

Mentally I grinned. Matthew had been getting on my nerves in more ways than his complaining. He had also tried to snatch my water bottle on several occasions and was fast coming to the conclusion that I wasn't an easy target. Knowing that we were about to part ways was great.

The town was small but the buildings were oddly tall. The wind blew through clothes on the lines overhead, creating a rustling noise that almost covered up the sound of moving feet.

"Man, what a creepy town. It's completely deserted," Leorio observed.

"No, it's not," Kurapika responded and Gon agreed immediately.

"There are definitely people here!"

The sound of wooden doors sliding open was not surprising since I had sensed people there, but the noise of make-shift instruments was, as was the stage that slid in front of us. This didn't seem like something I remembered.

"Exciting," the elderly woman in the center of the stage croaked, and I suspected that she had smoked heavily in her younger days.

"Exciting?" Leorio echoed.

"Exciting…"

"Exc- Ow!" Leorio declared as Kurapika gave him a light kick to signal for him to be quiet.

"TIME FOR THE EXCITING MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUIZ!" The ruckus of the instruments was terrible as cymbals clanged and a horn honked. Mixed into the noise was a drum and the sound of a startled bird.

Thirty minutes later, I was still grinning since the tunnel was dark enough that no one noticed. Just as anticipated, Matthew had gone first and answered his question incorrectly. His betrayal surprised no one except Gon, which further cemented his place as someone to take care of for most of us.

Leorio had reacted extremely poorly to our question, going so far as to grab a plank of wood with the intent of hitting the old examiner. Pairo and I had moved to stop him and Kurapika had disarmed the man, but I was still surprised by Leorio's sheer strength. Despite all of our training, Leorio could have overpowered Kurapika, Pairo, and me if he didn't mind hurting us!

Now as we trouped through the tunnel, I finally found myself thinking of something I had avoided thinking of as much as possible: nen. The display in the town had convinced me that Leorio was an Enhancer. Gon was an Enhancer as well in the anime and Kurapika was a Conjurer, two things I doubted had changed. Pairo and I were the only real unknowns here, and I was willing to bet that we were either Manipulators or Conjurers. That led to the question of what I should focus on as a Hatsu later on.

No matter which it was, I wanted something versatile that could be used for attacking and healing, and hopefully not attention drawing. Possibly something that could remove the abilities of the Spiders altogether since Kurapika's chains could be removed but Chrollo's stealing ability seemed permanent.

I was shocked out of my thoughts a moment later as my En swept out suddenly and shifted into an attack stance, something Kurapika and Pairo echoed.

"What is it?" Kurapika demanded as Gon and Leorio looked on in shock.

"It's…" I could feel one of the magical beasts we were going to encounter at the cabin at the edge of my range, and it moved back quickly. "It's… Gone."

"What was that?" Leorio demanded as the three of us straightened up and began walking again before turning to Gon. "Did you sense something?"

"Nothing particularly nearby," Gon admitted.

"Takara is usually our lookout," Pairo informed the pair. "Hardly anything gets past her! Doesn't mean she always warns us though." He gave me a playful poke after the admission.

Leorio was beyond incredulous. "A blind girl?"

The rest of the walk consisted of Leorio making a complaint every so often that Pairo would turn around on him, sometimes drawing laughter from the rest of us, Leorio included. Pairo was oddly gifted at making friends, though it was different from Gon's odd ability.

It was as Leorio was starting to complain about being hungry that Kurapika spied the cabin ahead of us. I had decided to conserve energy some hours ago and brought my En to just a 30-meter range, now I prepared to spread it as far as I could.

For the final few minutes of our walk, we were led by an excited Leorio who practically skipped up the steps to the porch of the house. As the doors were opened, my En rocketed out to cover the area as soon as Leorio gasped and tensed.

"Magical beast!" Leorio yelled as he readied himself. Gon's fishing rod was immediately at the ready while Kurapika and Pairo drew their twin blades. I had my kun at the ready.

"It's a Kiriko! They're highly intelligent and can take on human form!" Kurapika called out.

"It has that woman!" Gon declared, right before the beast jumped through a window.

"I'll take care of the man!" Leorio shouted as he rushed forward.

The 'man' sprawled on the floor still tried to reach for the shattered window. "Please, save my wife!"

"Lana! Cover Leorio!" Kurapika called out as he set his equipment down and jumped through the window after Gon, Pairo hot on his heels.

"Got it!" I called after them, as I pushed out my En to my maximum, surprising the man on the ground and the three other Kiriko in the area, all easily within my range. "There's a second one!"

"What?!" Leorio demanded as he glanced up at me. "Go on, then. I have him!"

"You can't defend yourself while treating him," I shot back. "I'm staying right here until you've finished and can defend yourself!"

zzzzzzzzzz

Two hours later, Gon and I were both being carried by the Father Kiriko while the Mother carried Leorio carried Leorio and the two kids carried Kurapika and Pairo.

The Kiriko fiasco had ended for me with Leorio finishing his treatment of the 'husband' and running after our comrades in order to warn them about the second Kiriko. As soon as he was out of earshot, I had turned on the 'man' and demanded an explanation of what was happening and why the second Kiriko had not attempted to attack or interfere.

The response I had received was him standing and shifting into his true form before attacking. It had been a short but fierce fight, before the Kiriko managed to knock my kun out of my hands, hoisted my small form over his shoulder, then giving a brief explanation and requesting I play along.

Kurapika had saved the 'wife' and figured out her part due to the tattoos while Gon faced the other two Kiriko. Pairo managed to recognize the marks indicating medical treatment that Leorio had made rendering aid on my 'captor,' and after returning to the cabin to gather our stuff, we were off to the exam site.

"I hate air travel," I groaned, even as my En finally shutdown. Like it or not, I needed to conserve energy. And I seriously HATED being blind and in the air, unable to discern the ground or any obstacles.

"Might as well get a few hours of sleep," the Kiriko called to us. "Don't know when you'll get your next opportunity."

I couldn't disagree and after so many months of traveling and survival training, it was surprising how quickly I managed to fall asleep.

"Hey, we're almost there!" someone called as a hand poked me, forcing me awake. Distantly I could feel the sun beginning to rise, the heat just reaching my skin. It was Gon.

"I can see Zaban!"

We were almost there. I could feel the magical beasts beginning to descend, which was unsurprising. Most people were terrified of magical beasts so it was natural that our guides would want to be in disguise before entering the city.

"Why did Kurapika call you 'Lana'?" Gon suddenly asked.

"You heard that?!" I demanded on reflex.

"He wasn't trying to be quiet."

I heard Kurapika gag slightly.

"It's another name I go by, but don't tell anyone!"

"It's a secret?"

"Yes! There are people that would hurt the three of us if they knew where we are, so we use false names sometimes."

"Hmm…" Gon replied while Leorio made a noise.

"Probably some opponents of their rich parents," the doctor-to-be stated.

"We aren't rich, and we're orphans," Kurapika corrected sharply as our feet finally met the ground. "Some years ago, the Kuruta was massacred by people wanting to harvest our eyes. We're the survivors. I wasn't in the village when they attacked, but Pairo and Takara were. It's because of them that…"

I felt Kurapika's eyes zero in on where my eyes should have been behind the bandages that covered my empty eye sockets before he turned away angrily.

"O-oh," Leorio stated, his tone shocked, and as I activated my En, I realized he was studying me before glancing at Pairo who looked quite uncomfortable, and Kurapika. "I'm… I'm sorry. Didn't realize."

Pairo heaved a heavy sigh. "We're going to be working together, so probably it's best to understand each other."

"Always best to do that," the younger male of the Kiriko declared. "Now if you'll please follow me, I'll lead you to the site!"

Despite it still being relatively early in the morning, the bazaar area on the edge of town was bustling with activity, people calling out their wares. Pairo and Kurapika were glancing around brightly, Gon on the other hand was jumping from stall to stall.

"You know, Zaban must be a pretty shady place," Leorio noted.

"Any place that is prosperous will attract it's share of shady characters," Kurapika responded as Pairo settled his hand on my shoulder, glaring at a man who came too close in his opinion. I could smell grease and something unpleasant. All of our group decided it was best to keep moving.

"Hey Gon, let's go," Leorio called, even as he gave the man who was still far too close a nasty look.

"Alright!" Gon called brightly.

It seemed like there were fewer people outside of the bazaar, or at least fewer packed together on a narrow street. Our guide knew the streets and a number of the people as well, they greeted him as he passed. One even tossed him an egg, thanking him for helping one of his suppliers as he did.

There were more people as we neared the center of the city, and finally our guide paused in a large, airy square.

"The site of the exam should be… Right here!"

Our groups stopped to study the building and once again I was surprised, I also noticed that after our guide pointed out the building, that a small rush occurred as people I had been dimly aware of as following us since arriving in town or had started following after mention of the exam, headed through the door.

"Right here," our guide stated, turning us to face a restaurant as soon as the hangers-on had passed us and rushed into the building, where I noted they were being apprehended.

"This looks like a regular restaurant! Are you telling me Hunter applicants from all over the world come here to take the exam?!" Leorio demanded.

"That's right!" our guide replied brightly. "The Hunter exam attracts millions of applicants every year, and no one would expect the exam to be held here!"

"Good point," Leorio conceded as we headed into the restaurant.

The smell of cooking meat after a day of cold meals was particularly delicious, but we wouldn't have time to eat.

"Hey, is the backroom available?" our guide called to the cook.

"What're you having?"

"The steak combo please, one that'll make us see the light? Make it for five."

The chef stiffened. "Combo for five? How do you want them cooked?"

"Real slowly over a flame until done, please."

"Got it," the chef called, his attention turning away. "See yourselves to the back room."

"Alright." The restaurant wasn't long and it didn't even take a minute for us to reach the back room, our guide opening the door and gesturing us in. "Okay, wait here."

"Where're all the other applicants?" Leorio asked while Gon practically skipped to the table in the room.

"I can't wait for that steak combo!"

"That was a code," Pairo explained to Gon then offered him a granola bar.

"One in ten-thousand," our Kiriko guide suddenly stated, drawing our attention. "That's how many make it this far. You did great for first-timers."

Gon automatically offered his hand, the one holding the granola bar Pairo had given him. When he realized that, he quickly switched hands. "Thanks for your help!"

Our guide almost laughed as he accepted Gon's hand. "I hope I can help you guys next year."

The door was shut and a moment later, the room began to descend.

"An elevator?" Pairo asked as he glanced around. "This is rather extravagant."

The room only had three chairs, and Leorio surprised me by setting my hand on one of them, then leaning against the table. "That guide thinks we're not going to pass," he griped as I settled into the seat.

"Rookies only pass once every 3 years," Kurapika explained. "The exam is mentally and physically taxing. Not to mention there are rumors that some veterans try to break rookies so badly, they never retake the test." Ging had told us a number of those facts.

"He was giving us a vote of confidence though," I pointed out. "He believes that even if we don't pass, that we will be capable of trying again next year."

Gon groaned. "But I don't want to fail!"

"Got that right! I don't want to wait a year," Leorio threw in. "Being a Hunter means making more money than anyone in the world!"

"Legally," I tossed in. "If money is all you care about, then you should join the mafia or become a thief."

"People become Hunters to join the world's most noble profession!" Kurapika shouted as he stood.

"Shut up you goody-goody!" Leorio called back, and I groaned. So much for those two finally putting this fight to rest. Pairo was attempting to defuse the situation. Then Leorio's eyes turned to Gon.

"Hey, Gon, every year there's a list of the 100 richest people every year, and over 50 of them are Hunters!"

I began to slide down in my chair. I'd become aware of that list this past year, and that Juo just happened to be number 82, co-listed with his father since they shared control of Duazel Inc. That was an extremely embarrassing moment for me, made worse since the article declared him a bachelor. The good news was that Kurapika had relaxed over the idea of how much our guardians were likely spending to hide, educate, clothe, and feed the surviving Kuruta.

"True Hunters work tirelessly to maintain order, both in society and nature," Kurapika was arguing as I turned my attention back to the fight.

"Screw that!" Leorio declared. "Once you're a Hunter, it's free to enter most country's facilities, no charge! How's that?"

"You can already do that provided you are talented!" Kurapika shot back.

"Guys! There's no need to argue like this!" Pairo attempted to intercede, and I quickly pulled him back.

"Let them argue this out, they'll find a medium eventually," I pointed out, right as the elevator bell rang.

"We'll finish this later," Leorio stated blandly, though I didn't miss how he waited until I stood before attempting to leave the elevator.

Kurapika firmly inserted himself between Leorio and the rest of us, his message clear in that he didn't want us to interact with the older man.

The tunnel we entered as we exited the elevator was thoroughly disorienting for me due to the reverberations of our own feet. Everything seemed to echo from the sound of our breathing to the scrape of our shoes. That was how I sensed the other applicants first rather than with En: by the noise they made even while holding still.

"Wow, these guys are very different from the other applicants we've seen," Pairo whispered as we approached the crowd. I could sense it as well, the presence of the other applicants even as I brought in my En so it only reached out 5 meters. The last thing I needed was to be targeted by Illumi or Hisoka. Especially Hisoka. I had already had my fill of insane sociopaths with Tserriednich!

"Welcome!" a bubbly voice chimed as a small man approached our group. He was shorter than Gon, but taller than me. "Please take your number badge. Thank you!"

Leorio accepted his badge quietly, then Kurapika accepted his own.

"Thanks," Pairo stated with a small smile before I accepted the one offered to me with a small nod. A brief focus with nen, and I saw that I was number 406. That would mean that Pairo was 405, Kurapika 404, Leorio had 403, and Gon was about to receive 407.

"Be sure to wear this on your chest at all times, please. And be sure not to lose it, ok?"

"Ok," Gon echoed as he studied his badge.

"Don't think I've seen you guys before!" a voice called out, drawing the attention of all of us to a man sitting on a ledge overlooking the group as the badge bearing man departed.

"You can tell it's our first time?" Gon asked, and I realized immediately that we were meeting the Rookie Crusher, Tonpa.

"More or less. It's getting easy since this is my 35th time taking the exam!"

"35 times?!" Gon and Leorio echoed loudly while Kurapika nudged me.

"We've got someone else coming this way," he murmured.

My senses pushed out, terrified that we had already attracted Hisoka's attention, but the person heading towards us was nowhere near tall enough to be Hisoka. Not to mention they felt… Smug rather than terrifying.

"I don't think we need to worry," I stated quietly.

"I'm Gon! This is Kurapika, Pairo, Takara, and Leorio! You've taken the exam a lot! Are you the only one whose tried a bunch of times?"

"I might hold the record, but there are others," Tonpa replied. "For instance, 255 over there, Toto the Wrestler. He's likely the strongest guy here," I mentally rolled my nonexistent eyes. "And he's smarter than he looks. Then there's 103, Bourbon the snake charmer."

I tuned out Tonpa as I noticed a presence and tried to track it. It moved around the group of applicants, not really being noticed by anyone. Pushing my En out a bit, I attempted to track the presence before stopping fast and dropping my En when two extra presences entered my awareness, both rearing and attempting to track me.

"-are more, but those guys are the ones who've taken it the most," Tonpa finished off his explanation before his attention was drawn to the guy approaching us, the one whose smug almost made me feel dirty when I reactivated my En.

A shriek grabbed our attention and all of us turned our attention to where a man's arms appeared to be disintegrating into flowers. Because I was observing with En, I was able to see that the 'trick' was actually that the man's arms were already gone: what was 'dissolving' was some sort of construct of nen.

"My, how peculiar. It seems this man's arms have turned into flower petals! Now you see them, now you don't! You should be more careful, and do apologize if you bump into someone."

I retracted my En as the atmosphere turned rather dark, Pairo's hand finding my shoulder.

"Don't even think about it," I murmured quietly, knowing he was going to try to shield me. "We knew there would be characters like this, do not make me look weak or dependent."

"Sorry," Pairo replied as he retracted his hand.

"Number 44, Hisoka the Magician." Tonpa's voice wasn't welcome, but it did draw Pairo's attention for a moment. "He was the number one pick to pass last year's exam, until he almost killed an examiner he didn't approve of!"

"Then why the heck is he doing here?! They are honestly going to let a maniac retake the exam?!" Leorio demanded, and I noted that the smug person was tapping away at something.

"Of course they are! The change the content and examiners each year, and examiners choose the new material. The devil himself could pass the exam if the examiners say it's ok."

Unfortunately, Tonpa had a point. Then again, I placed Hisoka as a lesser evil than Tserriednich, so there might be a limit. Luckily, Kakin laws forbade Tserriednich from taking the Hunter Exam, otherwise Benjamin would have tried without a doubt. And with nen in his corner, Benjamin would probably have passed.

"Oh yeah, let's have a toast to friendship!" Tonpa suddenly declared, and I went rigid. What the heck?! When did Tonpa offer anything other than hardship?

Mentally I went through the events that I remembered but drew a solid blank. In the anime I remembered, Tonpa spoke for a while, offered advice and warnings, then tricked Leorio into going down the wrong tunnel. I had no intent of stopping that since it was what allowed Kurapika to see his true colors and allowed them to become friends, but after he didn't do much until Trick Tower!

A room temperature can was pressed into my hand and I stalled for a long moment, not opening the thing, wondering what had caused this drastic change before a sputtering came from Gon. I took the opportunity to shove the can into my bag.

"I think this juice might have gone bad, Mr. Tonpa. It tastes funny." Gon's innocence was endearing and caused Leorio to spit out his mouthful of juice quickly.

"Seriously?! That was a close call!"

Kurapika and Pairo both dumped out their cans then glanced at me, but I waved my empty hands to show I hadn't drank any. Meanwhile, Tonpa's sheepish tone and apology grabbed Kurapika's attention and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Good, I wouldn't feel too terrible for making my dislike of Tonpa obvious.

"I'll see you guys around!" Tonpa finally called as he left our group.

Most of us pulled out water bottles or canteens after Tonpa left, rinsing our mouths or taking an actual drink as in Leorio's case. We were putting away our supplies when the smug presence finally approached.

"I thought so! Kurapika Keeno and Lana Pidel!" declared a voice I didn't recognize at all. "It's good to see the exam this year did manage to attract two fellow, if lesser, geniuses."

The smug presence now made me extremely uncomfortable, but the notion of me being called 'lesser' agitated me.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken, my name is Takara," I responded when the smug individual stopped in front of me.

An amused sniff was made. "I don't think so, in fact I'm quite certain that you are Lana Pidel. I've downloaded the list of applicants this year and there is no 'Takara' mentioned. My name is Nicolas, I am a genius as well, excelling in computers especially rather than petty subjects such as biology or history."

"How petty is Anthrax?" I challenged sharply, severely disliking this person already while Leorio shifted.

"Hey! Anthrax causes a very serious condition that can-"

"No need for someone like you to get involved," Nicolas informed Leorio. "I merely wished to see if it was possible to strike up a friendship with those who are most likely to pass the exam with me. I can see my mistake in believing that great minds should cooperate."

"Hey! I'm more than a match for you nerd!" Leorio shouted after the boy as he left.

"Hey, calm down!" Pairo instructed Leorio. "That guy has a nasty attitude and did you see how he's dressed? He's not even carrying a weapon! He'll likely drop out fast."

"He looked well put together," Leorio replied as he glanced after the boy.

"His shoes," I pointed out quietly. "If we have to run anywhere, he'll get blisters pretty quick."

"Oh." Leorio then glanced down at his own shoes. "Guess I should be glad I decided on dressy looking hiking boots. It was a pain to shine them though."

An alarm finally sounded almost thirty minutes later and the presence I had been sensing settled behind a wall, right before the wall began to rise, revealing a large tunnel behind it. More than a few people gasped in surprise.

"I apologize for the delay, thank you for waiting." Satotz sounded every bit as formal as his manner of dress indicated he would be. "The entry period for Hunter applicants is officially closed. So without further ado, the Hunter Exam will now begin."

Chapter 17: Chapter 17

Chapter Text

A lot of the training that Kurapika, Pairo, and I had done for the last year had been stamina building marathons. For most of them, I hadn't resorted to using my limited nen to boost my performance. I was glad of that now since I refused to allow anyone to guide me if I had had to redirect my nen from En to my legs.

Running through the tunnels without sight was more than a little disorienting as the noise of pounding feet bounced off of the walls and reverberated through the bodies. It was made worse by the fact that I had shut down my En almost completely now, only allowing myself a two-meter range after Illumi and Hisoka had passed within a five-meter range.

I knew it was them due to the horrifically creepy auras both had. Hisoka's felt exactly like what you would expect his Bungee Gum to feel like: a creepy, moist sensation that tried to stick to anything it came in contact with. Illumi's aura was creepy in another way completely, it was like someone turned off all noise around him, all expression covered in a stifling white-wash.

Two hours into the run and I was starting to get worried: the anime had indicated that during this run there had been several branching tunnels, and that a sweet scent had come from them. There was no scent here, and the branching tunnels were too small for people to run down, much less fit a large man helping two people along.

Did that trap happen farther ahead or not at all? If not at all, then how were Leorio and Kurapika going to resolve their differences?

Temporarily, I shut down my En again as Hisoka's presence appeared yet again and wondered if I should get to the front of the pack, near Satotz. Hisoka was aiming to pass this exam and wouldn't be willing to attack an examiner this time, but what kept me from trying was that I knew that such a drastic change would be indicating that I knew something was off and that he was searching for something. Plus, I didn't doubt his aim was more than good enough to hit me even if I stood behind two large men with only a slim gap that he could attack through. What would stop him now was realizing that I couldn't fight him. Not yet at least. And ignorance of nen was a good shield in his case, even if it was a false one.

"Hey! There's another kid!" Pairo suddenly called over the din of foot falls. "He looks to be the same age as you and Gon, Takara."

I had heard the rolling wheels of a skateboard for a while but had pretty much ignored them up until that point. Now Killua rolled past the lot, causing a grumbling Leorio to finally yell his frustrations, accusing the boy of cheating.

"He's not cheating! Mr. Satotz just said we needed to follow him," Gon pointed out, derailing Leorio's argument against the skateboard.

"Jealous you didn't bring a bike?" I asked with a grin before the grown man could yell anything else.

"Hey! Whose side are you on anyway?" the tall man demanded sharply at both Gon and me.

"Umm…" was Gon's response.

"My own," I called out easily, earning a snort from Kurapika. "But on subjects that are for amusement, I'll sometimes play devil's advocate!"

"Sometimes?" Kurapika asked with a hint of amusement.

Gon was confused. "What's a devil's advocate?"

"Someone who in a debate or argument, will argue for an unfavored side, even if they don't support it themselves," Kurapika answered.

"Takara is rather notorious of it," Pairo pointed out, and I knew he was referring to the times I had been arguing with Benjamin only to change sides completely when Tserriednich approached. Not that I took Benjamin's side, I just found a side that wasn't aligned with Tserriednich's arguments.

"Why would someone do that?" Gon asked, authentically confused.

"Because it's fun!"

This time it was Killua who snorted. "Admit it, you do it specifically to piss certain people off."

"I don't deny it!"

Killua turned his head to Gon then. "Hi, I'm Killua. How old are you?"

"My names Gon and I'm 12! That's Pairo, Takara, Kurapika, and Leorio." Gon nodded to each of us in turn during the introduction.

"Same age as me. Don't think I need to ask you," this statement was aimed at me. "Minimum age to take the exam is 12, and you can't be any older than that."

"Yep, the three of us are 12. Remind me to make cookies later."

It was a slightly sarcastic remark, but Killua authentically cheered as he jumped from his skateboard, flipping the device up and catching it deftly. "I think I'll run for a while!"

He definitely intended to hold me to the cookies. Proof of that came several minutes later when Killua spun on his heel and started running backwards. "So, what's your favorite type of cookie? Mine's chocolate chocolate chip!" He announced brightly.

Gon hadn't had very many sweets in his life and didn't have the sweet tooth that Killua did, and despite having a massive sweet tooth in my previous life, I wasn't as drawn to sweets anymore either. I still liked salted chocolate chip cookies, ones with dark chocolate and weren't too sweet. Gon liked simple peanut butter and of all things, the three of us started arguing over which cookies were the best.

Time flew by as we traded points, the conversation moving through food rapidly. Killua admitted to not being a fan of red meat, Gon would try anything but had a definite dislike of okra.

"I'll eat it when Aunt Mito makes it," Gon stated, though he didn't sound too happy. "She doesn't like it when people waste food. What about you, Takara?"

"Cheese," I stated flatly. "I utterly despise cheese. It smells horrible!"

"Cheese?" Killua laughed. "So no pizza?"

"I'll eat pizza, just not when it has a lot of cheese!" I shot back, then paused when I felt someone right in front of me. They were losing ground fast, gasping loudly for air. Unfortunately, Kurapika and Leorio were on my one side and Gon and Killua on my other, so I couldn't shift aside without running into one of the parties.

It was Nicolas, I could tell. He was about to drop out.

Taking a deep breath, I took a quick bound, planted my foot on his back, and flipped over him without breaking pace. Then my attention turned to Leorio. Nicolas was carrying a computer, which meant he was the other party that Tonpa would drag into the trap tunnel, so Leorio was almost about to give out.

I wasn't wrong, Leorio's strength was definitely flagging and he was falling behind. Gon noticed as well, right as Leorio's briefcase dropped.

Gon stopped and I stopped along with him. Pairo and Kurapika stopped, and finally Killua stopped, all of us looking back at Leorio. Leorio's gaze fixed on us, and I could smell his sweat and annoyance. His breath came hard and fast.

I turned my attention, scanning for Tonpa's approach-

"Screw this… I'M BECOMING A HUNTER NO MATTER WHAT!" Leorio roared before straightening up and taking off at top speed, quickly sprinting past our group.

"You might want to take a few layers off so you can cool down!" Pairo shouted as he raced after Leorio, Kurapika hot on his heels.

"DAMN IT ALL!" Leorio shouted as he tore up the tunnel.

"LANGUAGE!" Kurapika called after him, his voice reverberating on the walls.

Gon gave a small laugh before his fishing rod whipped through the air, the line snagging the briefcase and bringing it to him. I grinned as I turned to start running again.

"That was awesome!" Killua declared.

"You two are going to get left behind, and if you want awesome, you should have seen how Gon managed to board the ship!" I called back, causing both boys to start running again.

"How'd you board the ship?" Killua demanded as we charged through the tunnel, easily catching up to the main group again.

"Used my rod to catch the mast and swung from a cliff with Leorio. That's how all of us met, Pairo and his siblings caught us!"

"We're not siblings!" Kurapika called out, but Pairo cleared his throat.

"Technically, we are. We have the same guardians who treated us as though we were their kids," Pairo pointed out.

"You gotta let me try out that rod!" Killua declared, ignoring Kurapika's statement of denial.

"Only if you let me try out your skateboard!" Gon answered.

The shuffling of clothing occurred in front of us and in that moment I knew for certain: Leorio was stripping to try to give himself the necessary boost to keep going.

A seed of worry was planted in my mind at that moment, how was Kurapika going to realize Leorio's true intentions now? We had definitely missed the trap tunnel and-

"Hey! I have an idea! Let's race to the finish and see who's fastest!"

"Sure!" Gon declared before glancing at Kurapika. "Hey, you mind if Takara races with us?"

"Not at all!" Kurapika declared, his tone indicating that he was eager for me to move a bit further ahead and away from Leorio. This REALLY wasn't good. If he didn't feel friendlier to Leorio in the next portion of the exam, would he even attempt to help him against the psycho-clown Hisoka?

"Let's go!" Killua called. "I'm not losing to a girl!"

Few things can get me to take things as seriously as I did academics or survival, one of them was an implication that someone would take insult to losing to me because I was female.

"You will this time!" I shouted after Killua as I charged full-steam after him.

"Loser buys dinner!" Gon added.

The stairs were an honest surprise for me and I almost lost my footing, losing precious seconds had a random hand not caught mine.

"Careful!" a female voice called.

"Thanks!" was my short reply before I was plowing up the stairs.

It felt like the stairs continued for a fair distance, roughly 30 floors in a building if I were to guess and I finally caved and began adding nen to my legs to catch up to Killua and Gon. We passed within arm distance of Hisoka and Illumi, both once more reacting to my En, but I didn't dare to shut it down now: if I wiped out now then it was over!

zzzzzzzzzz

Kurapika and Pairo smiled at the sight of Takara/Lana running ahead with kids her own age. It was refreshing, seeing someone they both viewed as a sibling/family finally act her age. For Kurapika, it also meant that he had an opportunity to speak frankly with Leorio.

He glanced at the now half-naked man and sighed. "Leorio, how're you holding up?"

"Fine! It's easier to keep going if I don't dwell on how stupid I look!" As if to prove it, the older man upped his pace, causing both the of the Kuruta to increase their own pace.

"Tell me, what is your real reason for wanting to become a Hunter?" Kurapika pressed while beside him, Pairo tugged off his top. "You're not shallow, so is money what you're really after?"

"Is the first phase too easy for you so you're trying to make it harder?" Leorio snarled as he tried to keep his breathing even.

"We've met a large number of people who only cared about money," Pairo cut in. Kurapika agreed as he thought about their former classmates, many of whom had looked down on him and Pairo for being wards and not heirs. The Kakin royal court had been full of such people as well so both believed they could recognize such people. "You're not like them!"

Leorio was silent, and Kurapika felt that the man was in fact chasing different goals. Someone who just wanted money wouldn't be going through all of this to become a Hunter, which would be an equally difficult career path.

"The Scarlet eyes," he finally stated, drawing Leorio's attention and a look of surprise from Pairo. "That's why the Kuruta clan, our clan, was targeted."

Kurapika could sense he had Leorio's full attention.

"Scarlet eyes are a special trait possessed only by the Kuruta. When our emotions are heightened, our eyes will change, taking on a shade of scarlet. In that state, the color of our eyes is considered to be one of the seven most beautiful colors in the world. They command a hefty price on the black market."

"The black market… So that's why the Phantom Troupe attacked you?" Leorio asked, his voice quiet, and both Pairo and Kurapika noticed that he was focused on Takara, far ahead of them now. "And they… did that?"

"They plucked the eyes from our brethren's corpses," Pairo confirmed. "Takara and I were in the village and managed to survive, but she lost her eyes because of them! I couldn't do anything, not even after she defended me!"

"We all swore that we would capture the Phantom Troupe and bring them to justice-"

Kurapika found himself by Leorio roaring, "THOSE FRICKING BASTARDS!" The shout echoed loudly in the cavernous tunnel and more than a few Hunter applicants tripped in sheer surprise at Leorio's yelling.

Leorio's anger was palpable and seemed to urge him forward even harder. "Sorry, but I don't have any great noble cause. The only thing I'm after is money."

"That's not true!" Kurapika argued, now convinced from Leorio's reaction to their cause.

"Of course it is!"

"Be honest!" Pairo urged.

"For the right price, you can buy treasures, dreams, and even people's lives!"

"Take that back Leorio!" Kurapika demanded before feeling Pairo's hand grip his arm.

"It is true," Pairo pointed out.

"You can't be siding with him!"

"How much do you think was spent to save us?" And not just them, but the other survivors of the clan as well.

"See? He understands!" Leorio shouted as he regained his breath. "If I had money, my friend would still be alive!"

Kurapika felt his breath catch and beside him, Pairo gently squeezed his arm before finally releasing him. They both gazed at Leorio, understanding in their eyes.

"Was he ill?" Kurapika asked, his eyes glancing to Pairo, his original reason for leaving his village. Money had saved Pairo and fixed his broken body. Money from individuals who cared for a stranger and had taken them in and were the reason they were able to take the exam now.

"It was a curable disease, but the operation cost a fortune! I was naïve, thought that I could become a doctor. I could cure kids with the same disease and tell their parents that they owed me nothing! It was free of charge! That was my dream!"

Kurapika closed his eyes, understanding everything Leorio felt. He knew now, unlike back when he was a child, that even if he had found a doctor, it was unlikely that he could have afforded the cost to get Pairo treated. He had wondered at one point how much he owed Kinze for paying their medical bills and had managed to sneak into the man's office to check. It had been staggering, something that he knew that the entire clan would have struggled to pay for considering how little they had, most of their limited funds getting spent on commodities such as toilet paper. Honestly, he wondered some days how the elder had even had a phone.

"Pretty good joke, huh? As it turns out, to become a doctor, you already need to have an obscene amount of money! Get it now? The whole world runs on money! So, I'm going to get as much as I can!"

Kurapika felt a small smile pull at his lips and a moment later he joined Pairo and Leorio in the topless club.

At that moment, Killua turned around mid-step again, and called out, "We'll see you guys at the finish! That is if you can even make it old man!"

"Hey! I'm not old! Can't you guys tell that I'm a teenager just like you guys?!"

Shock emanated like electricity through everyone, even those that were not a part of the group. Then Takara turned her head and yelled, "No matter what you think, twenty and older isn't a teenager!"

zzzzzzzzzz

"The light!"

"Finally, we're going to get out of this tunnel!"

The voices echoed about us as Killua and Gon ended their explanations on why they wanted to be Hunters. The aura of the boys shifted in that moment, and I felt my own competitive streak rear as my own legs began to pump harder.

More than a few people made shocked exclamations as a trio of kids tore past them, by far the loudest was Hanzo who tried to up his own pace as well. The race likely would have ended in a three-way tie if Satotz hadn't stopped in the middle of the tunnel exit.

Unable to see him and with my En drawn in so close, I didn't realize I was about to collide until Gon yelped and jumped to push me out of the way, straight into Killua. The three of us went down just outside of the tunnel in a heap, missing Satotz by mere centimeters.

"I win!" Killua announced, despite being at the bottom of the pile.

"No! I won and then we all went down when I pushed Takara so she wouldn't run into Satotz!"

"I won so you guys are buying me dinner!" Killua insisted.

"No, it was me, so you're buying me dinner!"

"I'll buy you both dinner if you'll let me up!" I declared loudly, officially fed up with having the boys yelling at each other around me. Gon hadn't even gotten off our little dogpile yet!

"Fine by me!" Gon replied as he jumped up then gave me a hand up. Killua stood on his own, absently brushing himself off if the sound of shifting fabric was anything to go by.

Hanzo burst out of the tunnel next, breathing hard. "I won't lose to kids!" he declared hotly.

"We might want to move a bit," I stated as the sound of feet approached the mouth of the tunnel.

"Hey, Mr. Satotz, is this where the second phase begins?" Gon asked as we moved away from the exit.

"No, we still have quite a way to go," Satotz replied matter-of-factly.

The air was moist here, the smell of vegetation thick in the air. The temperature was rising around us as more people exited the tunnel, their bodies standing too close. I was very tempted to shut down my en again when Hisoka passed way too close for comfort but decided the time for that had passed.

Leorio seemed to be on his last legs when he finally made it out of the tunnel, obviously having kept too fast of a pace, but he was still standing. Barely. Kurapika and Pairo came up behind him, each catching one of Leorio's arms and easily dragging him fully out of the tunnel.

"You're not done yet!" Pairo informed the man brightly.

The trio walked to where Killua, Gon, and I were sitting and Leorio collapsed in relief.

"Hey, is this our destination?" Kurapika asked as he settled down for a quick rest as well.

"Nope," Gon stated, and Leorio groaned as he fell backwards so he was lying on the ground.

"I see, looks like the fog is lifting," Kurapika observed.

I didn't dare to push my en out any farther than 5 meters, so I asked, "What is it?" Pairo pressed an energy bar into my hand a moment later as Kurapika offered one to Gon and Killua. Both boys accepted the food. Leorio was guzzling from Pairo's water bottle, cramming in bites of the energy bar between gulps of water.

"Watch out or you're going to give yourself cramps!" I exclaimed.

"I'm aware, but I'm going to get cramps if I don't hydrate!" Then Leorio's eyes focused on the forest. "You gotta be kidding me!"

"The Numere Wetlands," Satotz announced. "Also known as Swindler's swamp. We must cross it to reach phase 2 of the exam. This place is home to a variety of truly bizarre animals, many of which are crafty, voracious creatures."

I tuned Satotz out for a long moment as I focused on my energy bar, quickly finishing the thing since we would be moving again soon and stood up, brushing myself off. Leorio was just regaining his feet when a shout came from the side of the crowd.

"Don't fall for it!"

"Didn't I just say that we won't?" Leorio asked as all heads turned in the direction of the voice.

"Don't let him fool you, he's lying. That man is lying to you! He's an impostor, a total fraud! I'm the real examiner, you got it?"

"Imposter? What's going on here?" Leorio demanded as his eyes shifted from the accuser to Satotz.

"A trap already," Kurapika explained.

"I'll prove it, look at this!" The accuser dragged what sounded like a body from behind the wall behind him.

"Takara?" Pairo asked.

"That thing is still alive," I replied quietly.

"What? But it looks just like Mr. Satotz!"

"Swindler's swamp," Kurapika reminded. "See what I mean about Takara being hard to fool?"

"Not at all!" Leorio declared as the sound of something sharp whistled through the air followed closely by the sound of flesh being pierced.

Hisoka's giggling now filled the air, causing gooseflesh on my arms to rise as the sound of shuffling cards joined.

"I see, I see. That settles it then. So, you are the real one." Hisoka's tone was nonchalant and not aimed at anyone other than Satotz, but I still longed for the relative safety of about a 100-meter separation. Minimum.

The man-faced ape seemed to finally notice that his comrade had been taken out and chose to make a run for it, jabbering nonsensically.

"See now?" Kurapika asked Leorio.

Ten minutes later and I was very nervous. I had the distinct possibility of dodging Hisoka's attack since I was fast enough to stay close to Satotz, but Leorio wasn't and I could tell that something in the tunnel had happened after I'd separated from Pairo and Kurapika. They wouldn't leave him potentially at Hisoka's mercy. Just them and Gon should be fine, but I'd feel like an opportunistic brat if I moved on without them.

"The fog is getting even thicker as we go," I heard Kurapika observe, though it made little difference to me. "If we lose sight of Satotz, would you be able to lead us, Takara?"

"I should," I admitted, though I loathed the idea of unleashing my en to full capacity. I could tell Hisoka was between us and Satotz while Illumi was much farther ahead, right behind Hanzo in fact. "Tell me if you need me to do so."

Killua must have been more attuned to Hisoka's shifts, because he suddenly tensed. "Hey, let's try to move up to the front."

"Ok, we really should try not to lose sight of the examiner right now," Gon replied.

"No, I want to put a get past Hisoka and keep some distance between him and us."

"Is something wrong?" Pairo asked.

Killua hesitated for a moment before replying. "Staying close to him is dangerous. I can smell it."

"Ok, you three go ahead and we'll meet you there," Pairo ordered as he glanced at the still half-naked Leorio.

"I think we should all move up now," I interjected.

"If I could, I'd already be there!" Leorio snapped, obviously tired and getting crabby.

I paused for a moment before sighing. "I'll be observing, so if you get in trouble I'll come back," I promised as I picked up my pace along with Killua. Finally having enough, I pushed out my en to a 50-meter radius, catching the attention of Satotz as well as two individuals that I knew for a fact were less than friendly.

Needless to say, I noticed when the three began to get off-track, it was just a few degrees at first, and I was able to get them back on course with a simple shout, right in time to avoid what felt like a group of giant man-eating tortoises. They were being chased by the monsters though, managing to avoid the jaws filled with sharp teeth.

Finally, I pushed my en to my limit of 330 meters, determined to figure out what was going on. This didn't feel at all like what the anime had shown!

It gave me the forewarning I needed to stop before I would have run onto a trap set by a HUMONGOUS frog. Unfortunately, my shout to warn Killua and Gon was too late as they were swallowed rather promptly by the amphibian.

"Hey!" I shouted, angry about the weird turn this exam had suddenly taken. "Spit them out you slime-crawling invertebrate!" My kun was out and I smashed it hard into the frog's side, forcing it to spit both boys onto the ground. "Get out of here!"

That frog seemed to consider my weapon then huffed, and I swore it seemed to say "They tasted nasty anyway," before it crawled off into the swamp.

"Guess we didn't taste all that great," Gon observed.

"Someone hit it," Killua countered as he stared at me. "I could have gotten out of that on my own. Anyway, let's get going."

"I'm worried about Kurapika, Pairo, and Leorio," Gon countered.

"I've been keeping track of them, they're fine for right now," I informed the boy, pleased to find that the trio had managed to slip away from the tortoises. They were even headed in what was relatively the right direction! Then my attention fixated on someone who was far too close to them for my comfort.

"Hisoka!" I gasped loudly, causing Gon to freeze.

"Where?!" Killua demanded.

"He's near Kurapika, Leorio, and Pairo!" I shouted as I turned and tore off in the direction of the trio. Gon didn't ask any questions, just falling in step behind me.

Kurapika and Pairo were unwilling to abandon each other and attempted to trick Leorio into running as they pulled their while circling back, intent to cover each other. As it ended up, Leorio saw through their trick and managed to grab a thick branch before attacking Hisoka. The third guy wasn't present, but at least we were on familiar ground.

I drew my kun, intent to do what had been indicated to be the second most dangerous thing in the Hunter x Hunter universe: fight Hisoka.

Behind me, Gon's fishing rod made a sharp sound before the bob on the line was sent sailing into Hisoka's cheek. I stopped several meters from Hisoka, roughly halfway between him and Gon, ready to move forward to help Leorio if needed or fall back to Gon.

Hisoka's sickening aura washed over me, focusing on Gon. "Not bad, little boy." God, even Hisoka's word choice mixed with his tone just dripped of perversion. "Is that a fishing pole? That's original."

My senses sharpened as I shifted from my ready stance to an attack one when Hisoka took a step towards Gon. Mentally I screamed at myself to attack, but I couldn't make myself do it! To make matters worse, attacks with a kun required space, and with every step Hisoka took, even if his focus was Gon, was that much less space I had.

"I'd like to see it, do you mind?"

"Of course he does!" I barked, finally committing to a hard forward thrust with my kun, a move that I barely had the space to perform, and Hisoka easily blocked my strike, redirecting it with one hand. His other hand came up as though to strike at me, but Leorio chose that moment to regain his feet.

"Leave her alone!" he ordered. "Your fights with me!"

I barely registered Hisoka's movement, could barely follow it as his hand shifted, redirecting the blow he intended for me to Leorio, knocking the brave idiot square in the jaw.

Gon leaped forward then, swinging his fishing pole almost like a full strike with a kun (or as Fie called it, a Fool strike since it left one wide open to attack). The pole cut through 'Hisoka,' revealing him to just be mist, and I mentally noted that he had to be using his Texture Surprise technique, and it wasn't limited to being performed with cloth.

"Did you come here to help your friends?" Hisoka asked as he seemed to appear right behind Gon.

"Gon, get back!" I yelled, swinging my kun into another thrust strike, and this 'Hisoka' also dissipated into mist as Gon jumped back.

"Such a good boy!" Hisoka cooed.

Pairo was there in that moment, shoving Gon back with one hand as the other swung one of his swords.

"So many here with such fierce looks! I adore those looks!"

This time, Gon wound up with his fishing rod again, aiming strike after strike at Hisoka who dodged with minimal effort while still walking towards Gon.

"Well done! Wonderful! I'm beginning to get excited!"

I was beginning to freak out. For Hisoka, 'excited' meant his nen gathered around his groin and I was too aware of it at that moment. For me, it was a bright orb that gave the feel of his sticky aura and I was simultaneously nauseated and terrified.

Gon sent the bob for his line into the dirt a moment later, distracting Hisoka as he attempted to circle behind the man, but he was caught by Hisoka around the neck.

"Gon!" I shouted as Pairo raced forward, swords in both hands this time, intent to help the boy, but he was knocked over easily when he hesitated in his strike due to Gon's proximity. Hisoka missed Kurapika's approach and received a cut on the arm that grasped Gon's neck much to his surprise, causing him to release the boy.

Hisoka chuckled as he stared at his arm. "I love those looks," he stated yet again, staring at Kurapika who had positioned himself in front of Gon before shifting his gaze towards Pairo and me. "Don't worry about your friend, he's alive because he passed. You all passed!" Hisoka was cooing this as though it were an honor and, in a way, I guess it was. We were being allowed to live for now.

Ringing caused the man to pull out a device and a warped voice told Hisoka to hurry up, they were almost at the site of the second phase.

"Alright, be right there," Hisoka replied before hanging up the device. "It's good to have friends, isn't it?" he queried as he moved towards Leorio.

"Hey! Wait!" Pairo shouted, taking a step toward the madman.

"Don't worry, I'll leave a trail! Be good and follow it!" Hisoka called as he began to move away from us, carrying Leorio over his shoulder.

For a long moment, the four of us breathed, and then Gon yelled, "He's got Leorio!" and raced after the clown, the rest of us following.

"Anyone hurt?" Kurapika asked.

"Just some bruises, nothing to worry about," Pairo called as he vaulted over a fallen tree.

"I'm fine," I called out.

Hisoka did leave a trail, but unlike in the anime, it wasn't a trail of dead animals and branches but rather scuffs in the dirt. Pairo noticed them while Gon surprisingly could smell Leorio's cologne. Between the two of them, we easily found the right path and ran as fast as we could to the exam site. Thankfully, the swamp quickly gave way to dirt paths and our pace went up quite a bit.

"Just a bit farther. Looks like we made it in time," Kurapika observed.

The four of us were breathing a bit harder but we weren't gasping like many of the people that surrounded us. I didn't bother trying to cover my en at this point, though I did bring it back down to just 20 meters. We wouldn't really be running again anyway and that distance was fine for walking.

It took a minute for Gon to spy Leorio, and then most of the tension finally left our group seeing as how he was fine. Killua found us a moment later.

'Second phase of the exam, roast pig and sushi,' I thought as I shifted my kun on my back. Best part was that Pairo and Kurapika definitely knew what sushi was, so we might stand a decent chance of passing without resorting to Menchi's secondary… OH HELL!

The implications of Pairo, Kurapika, and me as well as Hanzo all knowing what sushi was hit me at that moment. If ANY of us passed, then Menchi might not have to give the secondary boiled egg exam and Gon and Leorio would automatically fail the exam!

Then again, just because we knew what sushi was didn't mean that we'd make it well enough to pass Menchi's exam. Hanzo sure hadn't, and he had probably made sushi several times before. I had definitely never made it, but neither had Pairo or Kurapika.

"You tracked his scent?!" Killua's surprised exclamation shook me out of my thoughts. "Man Gon, you really are weird, aren't you?"

"If he wasn't, he'd be just another face in the crowd and that would be boring," I pointed out.

Killua seemed ready to respond when Satotz called for attention.

"Excellent work, everyone! The Second Phase will take place here in the Vista Forest Park, so I shall now take my leave! I wish you all the best of luck."

Satotz began his rather weird and exaggerated walk back into the forest, though I knew he would not go far. I might even be able to track him if I spread out my en. The sound of doors rolling open caused everyone to focus on the wall before us.

"Would all the applicants who passed the first phase please enter!" A female voice called out.

There was a bit of shuffling as everyone glanced around for a moment and then everyone moved forward steadily. I noted the Pairo stayed very close to me and Gon, as did Kurapika. Both sent glances towards Hisoka every few minutes.

I found my attention drawn to the work stations that lined the lawn we were crossing. Something once again wasn't right…

"Welcome all. I'm Menchi, your examiner for the second phase."

"And likewise. I'm Buhara!" Buhara sounded very friendly and not as dumb as I thought he would.

A loud grumble erupted a second later, and I found myself biting back a laugh. That I had expected and Buhara's stomach grumble was intense enough that more than a few people were checking the sky.

Menchi was amused. "Sounds to me like you're getting hungry!" she stated brightly to Buhara.

"Not just hungry, I'm famished!" the giant declared, definitely sounding like he was convinced it was true.

"Well there you have it. The second phase… Will be cooking!"

More than a few people were shocked and began to mutter.

"Cooking?" Pairo asked as he shifted so he was slightly facing the rest of us.

"There are Gourmet Hunters," Kurapika reminded. "That must be her specialty, so it's natural that that would be the direction her exam would go."

"The second phase of the exam will be preparing a meal, one that'll satisfy our pallets."

"Why do we have to cook?" someone demanded.

"Simple, because Buhara and I are Gourmet Hunters!"

Throughout the crowd, there was some murmuring and then the wrestler guy near the front began to laugh rudely. He was joined by several people who had not seemed particularly polite thus far, but I noted that those that didn't laugh were the ones who I remembered making it the farthest in the exam.

Menchi's aura took a dark turn in annoyance.

"So, you're both Gourmet Hunters. And what exactly is it that you want us to make?" the wrestler guy asked, his tone gruff and condescending.

Menchi was definitely angry now. "Buhara."

The giant rose quickly for a man his size. "Today's required ingredient is pork! Feel free to use meat from any species of pig in this forest. As you see, you'll use these cooking facilities to prep your pork dishes. To pass, you must create a dish to satisfy our discriminating palates!"

If I had eyes, I would have rolled them at the suggestion that Buhara had a discriminating palate. He only had a palate!

"But we won't be judging by taste alone, so take this seriously. Is that clear? When we've both eaten our fill, this portion of the exam will be over."

Wait a minute, both? As in Menchi wasn't going to demand sushi?! Suddenly, an honest fail at this portion of the exam seemed like it would be much more difficult.

zzzzzzzzzz

Thank you for reading! It was actually Spring Break for me and I managed to finish a good portion of my homework, so I typed this up!

Now, like most people, if you enjoyed my work, I enjoy hearing about it! So a review would be appreciated! Ja ne!

Chapter 18: Chapter 18

Chapter Text

I hated flying. There was no two-ways about it. But there was no escaping the fact that the Hunter Examiners wanted everyone who passed the second exam to board the airship so we could get to the location of phase three for the exam in a timely manner.

In total, Menchi's exam wasn't fun, nor was it as easy as I thought it would be.

Killing one of the giant pigs hadn't been all that difficult, but a new problem became apparent once I got it back to a cooking station only to find that many others had beaten me back. Most of them were roasting their pigs whole, so I decided to go another path: butchery.

Easier said than done. I really didn't know what the various cuts of meat were and ended up choosing something at random. That was followed by cooking it in a provided wok with some vegetables and tossing it on a plate. I should have known something was wrong when rather than stir fry, the plate smelled like bacon.

By that time, many of the candidates were hauling their cooking to the front for tasting and I could smell that some were half raw or burnt, sometimes both. Many hadn't even attempted to clean, dress, or even season the meat.

My turn came and as I moved to set the dish on the judging table, I barely avoided being tripped by the Todo the wrestler guy.

Buhara stared at the portion before grabbing a fork and shouting "Pass!" like he had for every applicant.

"Fail!" Menchi called, shocking me.

"What's wrong with it?"

"You did something different, points for that. But you used pork belly for a stir fry! It's way too fatty for that. Not to mention that the presentation isn't at all pleasing, you just dumped it onto the plate."

"One: I'm not a chef. Two: I'm not a butcher. Three: exactly what is being tested here?! If it's making something aesthetically pleasing, then there's always going to be a conflict!"

"Are you talking down about Gourmets?" Menchi asked dangerously.

"No, but most people aren't as capable in that area. I think you might be forgetting that." My reply was honest because I was honestly stumped.

"Move!" Tonpa yelled as he used his foot to kick me out of his way. I took pleasure in the fact that he was carrying a typical roast pig, and he hadn't turned it well on the spit. The back was well cooked but the belly was raw.

Just as in the anime, no one passed. Not even Pairo or Kurapika who had taken pages out of my book were able to earn a pass despite both of them doing much better at their plating. According to Menchi, their flavor suffered.

Chairman Netero's arrival probably prevented an all-out revolt, even after Buhara knocked the wrestler guy back with a blow so hard that he had flown back to the entry gate.

An hour later, the lot of us were on Split Mountain to get the Spider-Eagle eggs we would need for boiled eggs. Gon's timing was more then impeccable, it proved to be perfect and those who waited for his cue were mostly able to successfully grab an egg.

Todo the Wrestler hadn't jumped into the ravine, but he did attempt to attack me to try to take the egg I collected. Apparently, he believed a blind girl couldn't be a Hunter and how he got an egg would be irrelevant as long as he got one. I didn't agree, and neither did Buhara. I had guarded my egg jealously and kicked him hard in the groin, earning groans from most of the surrounding men before Buhara knocked the Wrestler away.

"Part of the exam was collecting the egg," Menchi had lectured as a pot of water was set up to boil the eggs. "Just having one to throw in the pot doesn't show you to possess either the bravery or patience necessary to collect one!"

Kurapika, Pairo, and I had all had Spider-eagle eggs before, we'd received a crate of them as a Christmas gift several years before from the Hunter Association for the entire estate. Jiemo had used the eggs in a number of recipes and had been eager to find a source for them. Perhaps once the exam was finished, I could collect a few to send to her… Wait, when was the last time I'd called Juo and Kinze? What time was it in Kakin?!

"Pairo, what time is it?" I asked as I shot up, already rooting for my phone.

"Almost 9pm," was the grumbled response. "Can't believe this day…"

I was a bit tired as well, but I needed to call my dads, let them know we were all okay and still in the exam. Unfortunately, it would currently be 4am in the area of Kakin they lived in, so I needed to wait two more hours.

"We're going to explore the airship!" Gon called as he and Killua rushed out of the room.

"Eat something in the cafeteria," Pairo ordered as the two passed the door.

"We will!"

"We should probably eat as well," Kurapika admitted as he turned toward the door. "Then get some rest. I wonder how many more rounds of this exam there are."

Tonpa had been creeping towards us. "In my experience, five or six."

"With you getting through how many rounds?" I asked in irritation before my hand found the can of juice that Tonpa had given me. I wondered for a long moment if I could perhaps slip it to the fat man but pushed the thought aside. There were six of us heading to Trick Tower, so Tonpa wasn't going to be an issue there. On the ship, he'd be forced to work with us to survive.

I still didn't know what was in the juice, but Gon had definitely tasted something and I doubted it was supplemental vitamins or fish oil.

Pairo sensed my hostility and grabbed my shoulder as my fingers found my phone. "We should get some rest while we can."

Tonpa brushed off my hostility easily. "Be careful. The secretary might have said that we would arrive at our destination at 8am tomorrow, but he didn't say that was when the exam would begin."

"He said we were free to do as we pleased until they contact us," I pointed out, aggravated that he was still trying to sabotage us.

"And that could happen at any time! You might wake up and find out the exam already took place, so you can't let your guard down."

"We'll sleep in shifts, just like with our training exercises," Kurapika cut-in as he pushed Leorio out the door.

Tonpa's mood turned dark as we departed, disappointment thick on his attitude. I reveled in that for a long moment before my senses picked up on something else, something far more dangerous. Hisoka was sitting in the corner of the room building a card castle, and little by little, I felt his bloodlust building with each level of the castle.

Even as Pairo tugged me from the room, my attention remained on Hisoka, and his shifted towards me, following our small group as we moved through the hall. Hyperawareness hit as we began to leave his range of En, and gooseflesh ran up my arms as I felt his snake-like tongue lick his lips before shifting his attention back to his card castle.

Confusion hit as he didn't react any further to my observation. I could definitely sense his En, so why didn't he sense mine?

"Hey, we're going to settle in here," Kurapika called, pulling my attention back to the present. He had stopped in front of a door that Leorio was half-way through.

"Go ahead, I need to call someone," I replied, knowing that Kurapika and Pairo would know who.

Kurapika nodded, and I felt a small smile cross his face. "Tell them we say 'hello' also and will call soon."

"Don't stay up too late and stay as far from the clown as you can," Pairo instructed, earning a sputter from Leorio.

"You're going to let her wander the ship?! Alone?!"

"I'll join up with Gon and Killua," I assured him as I turned and headed off.

"Forget sleeping for now! I need to make sure we won't have phase 3 until tomorrow!" Leorio yelled, and he charged past Kurapika and Pairo, heading towards me and passed me rapidly. "I'm going to ask Menchi!"

"He's going to walk in on her fresh out of the shower," I stated with a grin as Pairo abandoned the idea of sleep to chase after Leorio.

"If you're staying up, get some dinner," Kurapika ordered as he strode after the pair.

I was in fact hungry and spread out my En a bit more, finding the kitchen and the cafeteria, where Gon and Killua were currently looking over the various choices. They headed towards the kitchen after a moment and I began to head in their direction before an idea struck. Hisoka hadn't been able to sense my En after I exited his range, but did that apply to every nen user?

Taking a deep breath, I pushed out my En to over a hundred meters, completely encompassing the airship and studied the reactions of known nen users. Hisoka and Illumi didn't react at all, but Buhara and chairman Netero both turned their attention towards my direction, as did Satotz after a long moment when he came close enough that I was within range of his En. It was towards him that I headed, even as I felt for the En that belonged to the chairman and Buhara. I couldn't feel the limit of Netero's En, but Buhara's seemed to be at around 30 meters from him.

"Determining the layout of the ship?" Satotz asked as he approached.

"Running an experiment," I admitted.

Satotz seemed slightly surprised. "Maybe I can help if you'll tell me what the experiment is?"

"Hisoka was aware of my En until I left his range, so I was trying to determine if that was regular."

"Ah! I see. You haven't had much training then," Satotz determined as he turned. "En is an ability that is very useful for determining threats in an environment. Most people don't develop En that go beyond 15 meters, with some of the more talented individuals extending the technique up to 50 meters. What makes En a truly insidious ability is that unless an individual is hyperaware or possesses an En that another user of En is within range of, it is can be very difficult to sense. Would you care to join me for some tea while I explain this to you?"

"Alright," I responded, eager to get some information.

zzzzzzzzzz

Luzurus knew he wasn't the most intelligent of his siblings, not by a long shot. In terms of book-smarts, he'd lose to just about every one of his siblings. It was quite likely that Tubeppa won that category. Halkenburg probably came next with Fugetsu being right behind him. Kacho loved them all as well, and she was dedicated to her studies. Momoze was no slouch in her studies either but all lacked one thing that put them at a disadvantage against not just Tserriednich, but Cammy and Benjamin as he was coming to realize.

The siblings that he cared for were good people: all lacked the capacity to kill. If push came to shove, he was certain that Kacho or Tubeppa might find it in themselves to do the act, but it would destroy them. Even giving the order would cause them unbelievable damage.

Unfortunately, that was exactly what Benjamin and Tserriednich were attempting to force the determination of succession to become: a murder game.

Luzurus had found out through a Cha-R spy who managed to overhear the two discussing their suggestion.

Going to his mother had thrown him for a loop: she had known there was the distinct possibility of such a thing occurring. It was how his father had gained the throne despite having 17 siblings, and why he had no living relatives on his father's side of the family that were legitimate.

"How could you have agreed to marry father?!" Luzurus demanded angrily, his eyes locked on his mother's sad face. "Knowing you'd be consigning your children to this… This…"

Luzurus didn't know how to describe the situation and found his head dropping.

"This was before the change," his mother's quiet voice stated. "30 years ago, your father might have been instrumental in changing the government into a Constitutional Monarchy, but he also still had absolute power for several more years. I was… I was young and believed he would change things further. I was in love. More importantly, my father presented me when the King asked for my hand."

Luzurus was upset to the point where, despite it only being a few days after the New Year, he had run off to the estate of his cousins. Juo had seen the state he was in and had asked no questions, quickly installing him into Kurapika's room since he wasn't here.

The notion of a murder game scared the living daylights out of Luzurus, especially since he didn't know the details of what would occur. Benjamin might try to stage an all-out tournament, but since Tserriednich was involved, that was very unlikely which was good for all of them. Benjamin would dominate in a regular battle, easily, but removed from an open field and having to use other tactics leveled the field at least a little bit.

Tserriednich would try to twist the rules into something to favor him, and Luzurus knew his brother was in fact very smart and had a decent mind for tactics. Thus far, the only person he could think of to escape him had been-

"LANA!" Kinze's voice called out joyously, startling the prince from his thoughts, and he was surprised to see weak morning light beginning to pour through the large window of the room. Had he been up all night?!

"No, everything is alright. Fie and Hayahito just arrived back the other day. How are you three? How's the exam?"

Exam? What exam? And why was Lana alone with Kurapika and Pairo?

"Really? The third phase? And Chairman Netero is there?"

Netero?! Isaac Netero?! The Chairman of the Hunter Association? So, Lana was taking the Hunter Exam with Kurapika and Pairo? And they were in the third phase of the exam? That was impressive, most of the people that Luzurus knew to attempt the exam hadn't even made it to the test site.

"It sounds like the three of you are making friends… Yes, I'll tell the rest that Kurapika will be calling later."

Hunters. Luzurus had heard the three talking about trying to become Hunters in order to exact justice on the people who had orphaned all the kids in this manor, but he hadn't given the notion much thought. Now as he considered it, the better it seemed. Hunters were a number of things, and one of them was capable fighters.

If all three became Hunters, he could tell them what was happening and then… Luzurus grit his teeth at the thought. No, he couldn't. Kurapika maybe, and he didn't doubt that Pairo would do all he could, but Lana was still a little girl, barely 12.

Later today, he'd make sure he was around when Kurapika called, and he'd tell him everything. Maybe the blond could help him through this disaster.

zzzzzzzzzz

I hung up the phone before turning my attention back to the very patient Satotz. He had been explaining the theories of En to me for the last hour and a half, questioning me on how I was able to 'see' with En. He was easily just as fascinated with what I was capable of as I was interested in hearing theoretical knowledge.

Thus far, though surprising, I hadn't shattered any rules in particular. In fact, I had admitted far more weaknesses it seemed. I was extremely embarrassed to admit that while I could read books and signs, my technique didn't allow me to read computer screens or monitors. I either needed special programs to read them for me or another person to do it. My own computer had driven me crazy when I was writing papers for various classes.

"This has been quite fascinating, I will admit I didn't even realize you were fully blind," Satotz admitted after I had put my phone away. "That Ging could teach you such skill within a few months is amazing."

"Ging taught the basics as well as gave me direction, but I'd never suggest it to anyone. I'm more surprised that I never broke anything with as many times as he shoved me down the stairs."

"I see. One final question: how far is your range?"

I set my teacup down next to my empty dinner plate and leveled my head in Satotz's direction, giving as close to a facsimile to a flat stare as I could.

Satotz gave a small laugh. "I suppose that would be sensitive information given our circumstances, so I don't mind you not answering. I will also promise that my lips are sealed on this matter for future phases of the exam, to make sure that you aren't deliberately put at a disadvantage. Would you mind if I felt you using your En at maximum range then? I can't help but wonder whether using such power will make it highly noticeable."

It seemed a fair question and was something I wondered about now that I was thinking of it.

"The next examiner isn't on the ship, are they?" I confirmed and Satotz waved away the question.

"No, they are waiting for us at our destination."

"Very well." I took a deep breath as I focused on my limited pool of nen and around us, it seemed a ripple went out before the tide struck and my En blasted out over 300 meters.

The teacup Satotz held smashed to the table and around the ship, I felt the surprise of various people. Hisoka's hand slipped on a card as he shot to his feet and seemed to scan around. Menchi was in the midst of slapping Leorio and didn't seem to notice anything while Buhara was close by and focused on me. Netero stumbled in the hall and then seemed to give a laugh that I could feel but not hear.

"Thank you," Satotz stated as I reeled my En back to a 10-meter diameter. "That was… Intensely surprising. And very noticeable."

"I realize," I replied as I sat back. I had been hoping that Hisoka wouldn't notice, that I could keep watch on him from FAR away, but that wasn't the case. It was likely going to be the same story with the Spiders.

"I'd suggest working on that later, you might find a medium that will give you both range and be discrete. Well then, have a nice night. I would suggest you get some sleep."

Satotz stood from the table then and offered a gentlemanly bow before departing. I could follow him well enough to know that he was headed for Buhara.

So, of the nen users on board, Buhara and Netero had the widest En ranges aside from me. Satotz was capable of En, but not talented, and Menchi seemed to lack it almost completely. Hisoka's range was better than average and his awareness decent, but I could probably follow him from 100 meters away. Illumi… Where was Illumi?! I hadn't felt him react at all to my En, so where…

The creeping sensation ran up my back as my En found Illumi, just a mere 9 meters away. He had experienced the full blast of my En and had gone rigid, probably also heard my conversation with Satotz. Though we had been in a secluded corner, I didn't doubt that Illumi's nen would allow him to hear at least part of what had been discussed.

Space was my best friend right then, and probably Chairman Netero. So, before the assassin could move or do something to possibly eliminate me, I stood and departed, heading for the deck where Gon and Killua were, and Netero was approaching.

Darting through the halls, I became aware that I was being followed rather rapidly, but didn't change my pace as I raced up a flight of stairs and into the hall that Gon and Killua were in. The windows that lined one wall felt cool, and I knew that the pair were probably staring at some sort of beautiful view.

Illumi dropped back a bit when I approached the boys at the same time that I felt Netero coming down an adjacent hall.

"Hey! Thought I'd find you two here!" I called as I approached the pair.

"Oi, Takara!" Gon called far too loudly. "Me and Killua were just talking! He says he comes from a family of assassins!"

"That's not surprising," I replied as I let out a breath as Illumi finally moved in another direction.

"You believe that too?!" Killua demanded.

"I think I met your grandfather once, Zeno, right?"

The flat look Killua had to be giving me was quite notable. "How'd you meet him?"

"My grandfather tried to hire him to kill the people who killed the rest of our clan. It was just him and me for a while plus Kurapika, Pairo, and Hayahito." It was a partial truth since the five of us had been on our own for over six months.

Gon shifted for a moment as he glanced at Killua. "Are you really blind?"

"I don't wear these bandages to impress people."

"WOW!" Gon's yell almost shattered my eardrums. "You can actually get around without eyes!"

My attention shifted to Killua. "Did you tell him?"

"It was the old man. But how can you-"

Killua's question was cut off a moment later as all three of us sensed Netero's intent and turned towards the hall. Confusion hit me as I realized one thing: I distinctly remember there being a girl who had snuck on board the ship and intended to harm Killua. Where was she?

We all turned our attention to the hall that Illumi had been following me down as the clack of geta reached our ears. Netero's presence was bizarre: whereas Hisoka's was sticky and Illumi's stifling, Netero's almost felt like a dagger covered in silly string, a mix of humor on the surface and deadly capability.

"Mr. Netero, did you see anyone coming from that direction?" Gon asked as he pointed towards the corridor that the chairman had initially been in.

"No, I didn't," was the lighthearted response, drawing a dark look from Killua.

"One typically can't see themselves, Gon," I pointed out.

Killua's look shifted towards me. "Yep, the old timer is pretty fast."

"I barely moved! That's all! It is a fun little trick at times." Netero definitely sounded like a fun old man then, his aura feeling far more like the silly string element than the dagger part. That would probably hold true so long as we weren't opponents that needed to be dealt with.

Killua's aura took on a challenging tint then, something Netero reciprocated with… I wasn't sure how to describe it. The aura I sensed now still wasn't dangerous, but it was serious while still being whimsical.

"What do you want? It's not like you have anything to do until the last p-!"

Feeling an insult coming on, I decided to take action by grabbing the first snack I could out of my pack, a cookie from the cafeteria, and shoving it into Killua's mouth before he said something we might regret.

"Now now! No need for that, I was just a little bored so I decided to find some company."

"And show off some tricks?" I asked as Killua bit through the cookie, his aura going from hostile to jubilant rather rapidly before he focused on Netero again.

Netero chuckled in response, not denying that that was exactly one of his little indulgences. "I'll admit you've caught me on that one. So, how are you three enjoying your first attempt at the Hunter exam?"

"It's been a lot of fun! There've been no written tests yet and I was kind of worried about that," Gon declared brightly, and I wondered for a long moment if he had completely forgotten about Hisoka.

Killua's mood had already taken a dive again. "Disappointed, I expected this to be a lot more challenging."

"So, you haven't been having fun?" I asked. "Not even the dogpile after the tunnel? Or being swallowed by that toad?"

"I'm waiting for the cookies you promised," Killua replied, a devilish tint coming into his voice. "You know, they have a kitchen on this ship. I'd like to see you make something. Come on!"

"Wait," Netero spoke again as Killua turned away. "I was wondering if the three of you would like to play a little game with me? If you beat me, I'll make you Hunters on the spot."

We didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell, but necessity caused me to follow Netero and an excited Gon to a gym, Killua moping slightly but followed due to Gon's exuberance. En confirmed that Illumi followed us.

"All you have to do is take the ball away from me, if you can do that then you win! We're scheduled for an 8am arrival, so you three have nine hours. Feel free to use any tactics you want."

Illumi was on this floor as well. Like it or not, I was stuck in this gym, staying in close proximity of Netero until the airship arrived. After that… I wasn't sure what I was going to do other than hope that Illumi lost interest.

A pounding echo entered my head and drew me from my thoughts. The disorienting noise caused me to sway, the floor feeling like a trampoline. Even my En was being disrupted, but I was able to find the source: Killua. He was doing something with his feet, and the noise was causing more than just a general upset to my senses!

Netero didn't seem affected at all, I could tell that at least through the haze as my hands finally found my ears and attempted to block out the noise. Immediately, the world righted itself, Killua's feet only causing a minor disruption now, confusing me as I considered this. Killua didn't know nen yet, but was he an unconscious user of it, like Fie was and I had kind of been? It would explain his crazy stamina and strength.

"Wow!" Gon declared as Killua began his assault for real, and the entire cacophony finally died down.

Turning my attention fully to Killua and the chairman, I found myself snickering as Netero dodged Killua's assault, flipping and handspringing over Killua's punches, ducking below the kicks. The ball he held was bounced around his body, getting caught and bounced on his head, knee, hand, even his butt!

"Well, you know what they say about teamwork!" I declared to Gon as I raced in to join Killua. Behind me, Gon laughed and rushed after me.

Killua seemed a bit surprised when Gon and I joined him but didn't seem put out by it as he joined us. Gon aimed a punch at Netero's chest as Killua and I moved to flank the chairman, Killua kicking at his shins while I swung my kun at the chairman's shoulder.

The old man caught his ball with one hand and dodged all three of our assaults by twisting in midair. All three of us caught only air as the chairman twisted in the space between Gon's arm and Killua's foot. Killua and I both went for the ball in that moment, attempting to snatch at Netero's hand only for him to disappear. Instead, Killua and I smashed into each other.

"Ow!" I yelped as Killua bounced up and charged Netero, and this time the man didn't budge as Killua's foot lashed out and connected with his shin. For a long moment, based solely on the sound that Killua's foot made, I expected the man to stumble at the very least. Instead, Killua began hopping on one foot, clutching the one he had kicked Netero with.

"Here I go!" Gon shouted as he charged straight at Netero, his speed impressive. For a moment, he seemed to be headed straight at Netero, then leaped… Way too high. The sound of Gon's head banging on the ceiling caused everyone to pause, and I realized too late that Netero had been just as surprised as Killua and me.

"Idiot! You missed your shot! He dropped his guard for a second!" Killua shouted at Gon.

"We missed the opportunity too!" I pointed out, and Killua pulled a sour face.

I turned my attention back to Netero then. The Phantom Troupe members were probably not at Netero's level, with the possible exceptions of Uvogin in regards to strength and Chrollo for tactical ability. Chairman Netero was likely the most powerful nen user on the planet, and for the life of me I couldn't even begin to guess his nen type! Not only was he not using nen currently, but he seemed to lack the telling personality traits! Granted I only really knew two of them, Enhancer and Transmutater, but I could guess the personality type of Conjurer from the anime.

Netero definitely had whimsy, but he wasn't a liar. He was straight forward but not simple minded. Thoughtful but not serious… Well, I guess there are exceptions to every rule or guideline. Heaven knows, Machi was supposedly a Transmutater but she seemed neither whimsical nor a liar.

Hours passed rapidly as the three of us attempted to catch Netero and take the ball, but the old man seemed to be made of liquid due to how nimble he was. Not to mention that he had excellent reflexes and complete control of the situation. On more than one occasion he used one of us as a spring board, bounced the ball off another, and gave whoever was left a noogie. All at the same time.

Illumi stayed outside of the gym for almost an hour before moving away, hopefully no longer interested in me.

The door to the gym slammed open right at 2am, and a rather irritated Pairo and Kurapika marched in.

Netero chuckled while I knew I had a look of guilt as my surrogate brothers said nothing, just marched over and scooped me up, Pairo grabbing my legs and Kurapika my arms.

"Guess I have to go to bed now," I informed the other three occupants of the room as I was carried out. "This was fun though, we should do it again!"

"Gon, you and Killua be sure to get some sleep too!" Pairo called back.

The boys were both silent as they hauled me through the halls and down a flight of stairs to a room where several other applicants, Leorio included, were sleeping. As soon as my limbs were released, I found myself wedged between Kurapika and Pairo as a blanket was spread over us.

"In my defense, he said if we could get the ball from him then he would make us Hunters on the spot," I stated as my 'guards' settled on either side of me.

"Just go to sleep," Kurapika replied tiredly.

Sleep came easily all things considered and the lot of us woke when an announcement came at 8am that morning, informing us that the ship was thirty minutes from our destination. Kurapika was quick to get us up, Leorio surprising us with how quickly he regained his feet after the long day we'd had yesterday.

Breakfast was a fast affair from the cafeteria, and then we had a few minutes to brush our teeth in a communal bathroom. Leorio watched as I brushed my hair out then began to weave it into a French braid.

"Can't believe you can do that without being able to see," he finally stated as I tied off the braid. Last thing I needed in Trick tower was loose hair.

"Normal people do this everyday and they can't see the back of their heads," I pointed out, drawing a slight laugh from Leorio.

"That's true."

Finally, the airship landed, and I was more than happy to exit the fire hazard/airship and breathe in the cool morning air. Gon and Killua joined us as we congregated on the top of the tower, Gon was his normal bright eyes and bushy-tailed self while Killua seemed a bit put out.

"Is this the exam site?" Leorio asked as he gazed around the top of the tower, and I could admit that it was impressive. The tower had to be 300 meters across! My En at full capacity could cover it, but I'd have Hisoka and Illumi on my hide faster than…

I turned my attention to Illumi in that moment, he was standing a mere four meters away. He definitely didn't possess En or he'd know that I was there. Thankfully, Hisoka was further away but he was definitely on high alert despite his relaxed appearance.

"Ahem! Everyone, this is the site of the Hunter exam's third phase," Beans announced. "You'll be competing here at the top of Trick Tower."

"Trick tower?" someone asked, but the question was ignored.

"In order to pass this phase, you need to reach the base of the tower alive. The time limit is 72 hours. And now, the exam's third phase will now begin!" Beans bowed before heading back to the airship.

"So, are we supposed to climb down?" Gon asked as he headed to the edge of the tower and peaked down. "Wow, it's so high!"

Mentally, I was thinking about the path of Majority Rules. It was quite likely I'd wind up on it along with four of the rest of our group and that someone would be taking another path. I grinned at the thought of Tonpa not having his way before a hand suddenly slapped over my mouth and an arm snaked around my chest, pinning my arms.

"MAU?!" my shout was muffled due to the hand and I felt several others near as I was dragged away from the rest of my group, Pairo having also been snagged. He was trying to fight but was similarly trapped and everyone else was watching that idiot climber get attacked by the monsters!

"Over here, quick!" Tonpa's voice called out. "Just toss him in!"

The sound of a slab flipping filled the air and Pairo's outraged yell was drowned out by the wind.

"Let's put girly in this one!" Tonpa ordered as another slab was lifted. "See how long you pretend with those bandages without someone to guide you!"

My own shout was short as I was dropped into the trapdoor and felt the coolness of darkness immediately on me, the slab coming down fast and the trapdoor locking. I was alone on an unknown path in Trick Tower!

Chapter 19: Chapter 19

Chapter Text

The moment Pairo's feet hit the floor of the room he'd been dropped into, he immediately started yelling, but quit after a minute. He had fallen at least 3-4 meters, and there was the slab of stone that had fallen into place. His yells would be muffled at best on the roof.

After a long moment, his hand found his phone and he brought it out right as the screen lit up, and his eyes lit up when he saw Kurapika's number on the screen.

"Pairo! Where are you?" Kurapika demanded the moment he answered the device. "We turned around and both you and Takara were gone!"

"We got grabbed by those three brothers," Pairo replied, still remembering the trio and how the one he assumed to be the middle had grabbed Takara while the other two had restrained him. "The way you enter the tower is through trapdoors under stone panels! They dumped us through!"

"So Takara is with you?"

"No, she got tossed in somewhere else. We need to get to the bottom fast. Find a path quick and we'll meet you!"

"Alright, we'll meet up at the bottom! I'll call Takara before she gets too far ahead."

zzzzzzzzzz

I hit the floor feet first thankfully, the stone sounding thick and hard under my feet. My En filled the room instantly, it was little more than four meters long by three across and seemed bare aside from a door at the end of the cell.

Seeing no reason to delay this, I stepped toward the door and grabbed the handle, giving it a twist and frowning at finding it locked.

The squeak of an intercom sounded as I stepped back from the door.

"Applicant, you have found your way to a path where you will have one simple choice to be made before leaving this room. It will determine the challenges you will face as you make your way down Trick Tower, so listen well.

Your choices are the Path of Black, the Path of Moon, and the Path of Sun."

Oh joy… This sounded wonderful. The moment I get out of here, I'm going to give Tonpa-

"In Black, all lights shall be shut off as will the traps. You will need to make your way through the mazes on each floor, being mindful that even if all traps are off, ledges with fatal falls and prisoners will still be present. All sources of light are forbidden, including any you have with you. The use of those on this path will result in disqualification.

The path of Moon allows you to carry a single source of light, either a flashlight or its equivalent if you've brought one. No replacements or batteries will be provided at any time, you may only replace one source of light with another you have with you. In return for the use of this light, half of the traps will be turned on. Using more than one light source at any time will result in disqualification.

The path of Sun has all lights on, and all traps will be turned on as well.

What is your choice applicant? Light or dark? State either Black, Moon, or Sun."

-a plate of cookies! ULTRA SCORE!

"Black," I declared immediately to the room.

"Standby," the voice called as my phone began to ring. "The door will open in five minutes, with all traps off."

I couldn't see who was calling, but I also couldn't risk the phone producing a light and rejected the call.

Taking a deep breath as I organized my things, ensuring the phone was at the bottom of my bag. Otherwise, I didn't have anything that produced light aside from waterproof matches.

It occurred to me in that moment what Tonpa had said when they had dumped me onto this path. He obviously knew the layout of the Tower well enough to know of a number of the paths and had deliberately chosen this one, believing me to only be pretending to be blind. It was why he knew of the Path of Majority Rules and that it was a relatively safe one to fail the exam on.

So, that would mean this path was likely survivable based on his pranks thus far, or he believed I would try to keep up the façade and then get disqualified when I gave in and tried to turn on a light.

Pairo was probably on a path that could be survived as well, especially since I knew he was a better fighter than the three brothers and they had gotten to the bottom of Trick Tower in the anime. They had only managed to take us because I was surprised by them.

That lapse in attention would need to be rectified soon.

The click of a lock reached my ears a moment later and I headed for the door, releasing a breath I hadn't known I had been holding as the knob turned easily in my hand.

There was no wind up, the danger started immediately in the form of an open stair case. It was maybe half a meter wide and descended in open air for three steps before turning sharply. Expanding my En, my breath caught as spikes entered my awareness, if you slipped and fell off the stairs, then those spikes broke the ten-meter fall!

The stairs were treacherous: they remained narrow and shifted directions every few steps, being broken by an odd landing. The stairs went up and down, the sound of water dripping was near constant. It occurred to me within minutes that water likely was one of the traps in this area, it would make the stairs very slick. It took almost two hours to get to the end of the stairs portion, during which time my phone rang at least eight times. It was a difficult reflex to fight, the one that demanded I reach for my phone and the first time it rang, I jerked and fell back on the stairs before stopping my hand as it grasped at my phone.

The next area was a floor, the entire thing in the form of a rubble strewn maze. I ran into two dead ends before blasting my En to the maximum. Hisoka was twelve floors below me and went rigid once again. He was facing the Hunter he had injured the year before and quickly turned his attention back to the man's curved knives. The control room must have been much further down because my En barely scraped it. Surprisingly, the roof was only three stories above me and there were still people up there even though the exam had started four hours previous.

Kurapika, Gon, Leorio, and Killua were definitely on the path of Majority Rules along with Tonpa, and Kurapika was giving him a rather notable stink-eye.

Pairo was two floors below me, fighting what looked to be a prisoner. Worry was thick on his aura.

My En definitely came in handy at that moment as the maze instantly became clear. I could feel the various turns that led to the stairs as well as the pitfalls I'd need to avoid. The designer of this exam had made this particular floor rather nasty, right after climbing over one pillar, you had to jump to avoid a pit or flatten against a wall.

The stairs were behind a rather easily missed thin crevice, I fit through easily but it would have been a squeeze for a full-grown man.

Another treacherous flight of stairs later, and the exam was seven hours in. I had brought my En back to a ten-meter radius once I'd found the stairs, but as my feet hit another floor, I flared it briefly. This floor had five prisoners on it, each obviously hiding with the intent of slowing down any applicant since they were armed with nets and clubs. Luckily, they also seemed to be in the dark and didn't have my capabilities. Two were near where the stairs ended, huddled against a wall.

"Man, I thought for certain that whoever this was would choose the path of Sun and show up half dead and we'd have an easy time!" a male voice complained as I tiptoed past them.

"Doesn't matter, on this path if they die or are delayed for any reason on this floor, that's time off our sentence. We just need to sit tight for a few more hours and I guarantee we'll hear them coming." This voice was female and sounded a bit older. "I have 70 years left on my sentence and I don't mind using this as a way to shave more time off. If we do as well as we did last year, then I'll be free in another year or two."

The other three prisoners had spread out from one another and unlike the first two, were easily avoided though I was intensely aware of every scrape of my foot, attempting to time it with the regular drips of water that sounded throughout the floor.

One of the prisoners did have a bit of ingenuity and set a trap. Right as I was easing my way over a beam of wood, my foot came down on top of a small pile of thin sticks. The snaps sounded like explosions to my hypersensitive hearing.

"Gotcha!" a voice exploded as feet raced towards me, En confirming this man had both a net and a thick plank of wood.

Taking another step only caused more racket and my feet encountered more thin wood scraps in every direction.

"I spent the last six months preparing for this, you won't get away!" the man yelled as his feet created a far greater ruckus on the debris.

Drawing my kun, I froze in position and waited a second for the man to stop, listening in an attempt to determine my location.

"I know you're here," he stated lowly. "You'll move soon enough and when you do… I'll get to feel blood under my nails again."

Crap… It was a Tserriednich-wannabe. He was just out of reach of my kun, but if he swung his plank at maximum reach, he could hit me.

"I trained for this you know, just in case someone did choose the Black path. Walked around for days at a time with my eyes closed to get used to navigating by sound. I got so good that if someone's heart was beating hard, I could hear it. Your heart is surprisingly quiet."

Maybe because although surprised by the sticks, I wasn't surprised by him.

"I have a 213-year sentence, imposed for killing thirty-six people. No one realized it was me you see, no one ever suspects the doctor, much less the surgeon. The feel of blood, the sight of it… Even the smell… I had to control myself and only kill those that had a fifty percent chance of survival or less but each time I cut someone open…"

Irritation rose in my chest, this foul man wasn't as bad as Tserriednich, but I could definitely let some rage out for right now.

My hands gripped my kun, and I lunged forward, the tip of my kun ramming into the stomach of the despicable man, right as he attempted to swing his club. His arm passed over my head by a fair margin and I kicked upwards, snapping his elbow as his other arm followed up with the net.

The club had missed because he hadn't accurately guessed my size, the net on the other hand was a sweeping sort of attack and tangled over me. My arms were still free with my kun and unlike this man, I had plenty of experience in fighting in the dark.

As his one hand attempted to tighten on the net, I swept my kun down and smashed the tip into the spot right above his kneecap, pressing down and into the joint. The howl that was unleashed bounced around the hall and I heard scurrying footsteps and dropped as another prisoner rounded the corner, their feet causing a cacophony of snaps and crunches on the debris.

Rolling, I found myself free of the net due to my assailant not having the opportunity to drop or wrap the thing around me. I was on my feet a second later and rushing down the hall as the sound as fighting and tearing flesh filled the air. The stairs were the next hall over and I dodged yet another prisoner who was attempting to get to the fight before ducking into the stairway.

The whoosh of a gate slamming shut behind me and then the intercom crackled.

"Attention, stop the fight immediately! The applicant slipped by you and was delayed a grand total of two minutes! They have already left the floor. You have failed to earn any reductions to your sentences, now return to your cells!"

The curses that rang from the floor were colorful to say the least, and then the shuffling of feet racing to the door caused me to step forward onto the stairs, an arm sweeping over my head before I was out of reach.

"Damn you! Slip and fall you bastard!" the prisoner screamed.

"Not likely!" I called back as I took another step forward, then barely ducked in time as a club was thrown. A net followed and this time, the thing wrapped around my legs and I tripped. Terror rocked me to my core as I slid down the stairs, the ledge approaching fast. The moment my legs went over the side was dizzying, and then my kun caught on the rock as the rest of my body slid on the slick stones.

"Penalty! Penalty! The prisoners are not to attack the applicant after they have left the floor!" the voice lectured over the intercom. "Guyard will have 10 years added to his sentence for illegally attacking an applicant, another 50 will be added if they die because of the act."

"Damn you!" I gritted before turning my focus to my kun. My hands felt sweaty as I gripped the weapon and attempted to pull myself back up, thanking every deity I could think of in this life and the last for the strong, solid weapon. Fie had put an immense amount of effort into it and I imagined him as I pulled myself back up to the stairs.

My fingers caught the opposite edge of the stairs and I managed to pull my trapped legs back onto the treacherous path. It took almost three minutes to untangle the net from my legs, and then I kicked the thrice damned thing off the side of the stairs. It hit the ground less then a second later and I turned my attention down, and almost growled.

The ground was only four meters below me and free of spikes! More importantly, the stairs led down to it! The announcer had made that announcement deliberately to scare me!

"Bravo," I stated sarcastically as I made my way down the stairs, feet hitting the next floor quickly.

This particular floor had few walls and for good reason: the stairs were in the middle of the open floor. Staying near the wall as most would do in the dark would cause you to miss it.

Roughly ten hours had passed since the exam began and I was beginning to tire, but there was nowhere to rest. The stairs were too narrow and the maze floors were too cluttered. This was likely deliberate: you either had to press forward while tired towards the end or go out of your way to find a place to rest.

It seemed like I was right about having to press forward while tired, the fourth flight of stairs were by far the most treacherous, one minute they would be in a steep spiral down the center, then they would span out to the wall, dodging tunnels and walkways. Roughly two hours in, the stairs changed to metal, widened to two meters, and for the first time, walls surrounded the stairs before I found myself in a tunnel facing a door.

My En didn't sense anything immediately, but something nagged at the back of my mind about this being wrong. Either way, I didn't get the opportunity to delay as the door slid open as I approached.

"Takara, applicant 406 is the third to pass. Time elapsed: 12 hours, 2 minutes."

I knew what was wrong instantly. Why I should have loitered on those stairs for another couple of hours or better yet, have flashed En so I would have known to loiter for a few hours: Hisoka and Illumi, both looking a bit surprised, were already in the room, Illumi having walked in mere seconds before me.

Attempting to turn heel and return to the tunnel did no good, the door was already shut and-

"Hanzou, applicant 94 is the fourth to pass. Time elapsed: 12 hours, 3 minutes."

Hallelujah! Hanzou might not be able to do anything against Illumi or Hisoka, but at least I wasn't alone with them!

"I LOST TO A KID, A WEIRDO, AND A CLOWN?!"

Yep, if they killed anyone, it was going to be Hanzou.

Moving to a space between doors on the wall, I settled down, wincing after a moment as I finally felt some scrapes on my back, likely from when I had almost fallen off of the stairs.

"Hey, you ok?" Hanzou asked as I set my pack in front of me, seeking for ointment.

"Yeah," I replied as my fingers found the tube quickly. Twisting the cap off, I squeezed a bit onto my fingers and then twisted my arm behind my back to press my fingers against the area. I offered the tube to Hanzou. "Need any?"

"I'm not hurt."

"Okay then. So, you're taking the exam alone?"

"Yep! We ninja are used to working alone and in teams when necessary. Also," now Hanzou's voice lowered to a whisper, "I was sent on a mission to recover some scrolls that would be sacred to my people. I believe becoming a Hunter will assist me on my mission."

"… I like books," I replied after a long moment. "I want to hunt for books and rare texts."

"Your brothers as well?"

"They have their own plans." I didn't deny Kurapika and Pairo right then. "But I believe we're going to work together."

Things quieted down after that, and I was pleased that neither Hisoka nor Illumi even looked at either of us.

Almost thirty minutes passed slowly, then another door finally opened.

"Geretta, applicant 384 is the fifth to pass. Time elapsed: 12 hours, 27 minutes."

Geretta seemed surprised to see so many people already down but remained quiet and simply found a spot to rest.

Hanzou moved away to take a spot for himself shortly after, and I began to doze.

zzzzzzzzzz

Kurapika glared darkly at his phone, demanding the device to work, to finally connect to Takara. He had tried to call her for the two hours that he had been trapped in the top room of their path through Trick Tower, but it had never been answered. Now it went straight to voicemail, meaning it wasn't connecting. Pairo's phone was doing something similar.

His frustration had built until they had entered the ring area, where their group needed to fight and win a majority of five matches. Tonpa had surrendered his fight without throwing a single punch and then Gon had shown a surprising amount of ingenuity when he had won his match by blowing out his opponent's candle.

Kurapika had gone next and frustration had won out the moment that the blue behemoth had shown off a spider tattoo. He needed to get down to find out what had happened to his friends that he'd been separated from, and the idiot trying to stand in his way was flaunting a fake tattoo.

The beating Kurapika gave the man would require surgery to fix many of the shattered bones. The only positive point was that the man had shouted his surrender before passing out. Unfortunately, he couldn't be removed from the ring by another party unless he was dead.

Leorio had removed the man at the cost of a large portion of their time, then lost them a total of fifty hours over perversion. The final blow had been him losing at rock paper scissors.

Killua had been efficient in his match, and Kurapika refused to say anything else of it.

Now the five of them were locked in a single, windowless room for the next 50 hours. The only good point was that he did have a small signal on his phone.

Kurapika stared at it now, wondering if he should try calling either Pairo or Takara again when the screen lit up. He answered automatically.

"Hello?"

"Kurapika! Lana said you were going to call today!" Luzurus's voice rang out, and Kurapika felt himself flush. He had told Takara last night to tell their guardians that he would.

"Sorry, I've been trying to catch up with Pairo and Lana. We got separated."

"Then they can't hear you?" The Prince sounded like he had something urgent he needed to discuss.

"No, but I'm not exactly somewhere private-"

"I don't care! Are you really taking the Hunter Exam?" Leorio and Tonpa were beginning to pay attention since Luzurus's voice was rather loud, but he doubted they could understand.

"Yes."

"Then listen, I don't care what you do, but you HAVE to pass!"

"That might not be possible-"

"MAKE IT! We have a very serious situation evolving here!"

"Evolving?" Kurapika couldn't remember the last time the normally laid-back Prince had used a word that could be described as scientific. Or sounded truly worried. "What's happening? The bandits?" His heart seized at even the possibility of his family being discovered by the Phantom Troupe, of having to take Lana and Pairo and disappear without support, especially if they couldn't make it through the exam.

"No, it's Tserriednich and Benjamin."

Kurapika momentarily relaxed. If the First Prince was involved, then it was unlikely that whatever this was about involved the estate.

"They've made a suggestion to determine succession of the throne, a murder game!"

Kurapika's breath froze.

"I don't know how they'd make such a thing possible since they'd need to ensure that the lot of us were unable to escape and without drawing suspicion, but Mother confirmed that was how the previous kings of Kakin were chosen, and why only one legitimate child of every king survived."

"Then that means it'll be approved in some way, and participation will be compulsory," Kurapika admitted.

"How?! Hal is a pacifist, Momoze is twelve, Marayam is three, and Queen Oito's child isn't even born yet! How can they expect the kids to fight for their lives against the likes of Benjamin, Tserriednich, and Cammy?"

"They don't," Kurapika admitted as he shut his eyes tightly. "Do you know when this is going to occur?"

"No," Luzurus admitted.

"Then let's assume we have a year," Kurapika decided. "They have to make extensive preparations to make this something that won't draw suspicion, and sufficiently isolate the lot of you. You'll be made aware months in advance, as will your other siblings. So start making plans and alliances with them-"

"I can't."

"Luzurus! This is about the lives of you and your siblings!" Leorio looked shocked and even Gon and Killua were staring at him now.

"I know, and I know they won't be able to deal with a murder game! More importantly, deeper association with me may be detrimental to them."

"Why?"

"I- I decided to back a Mafia family to get Tserriednich and Zhang Lei to focus on me rather than them."

"You idiot…" Kurapika both meant it and didn't since he understood where the Prince was coming from.

"I know this is going to sound strange, but I want you to help me protect my siblings when this happens."

It was a situation that Kurapika understood, with the forewarning and possibility of preparing he wished his own clan had had. He had a year to prepare, and it would help him build experience as a Hunter. Plus, Luzurus's mafia connections could help with his search.

"I'll help," he promised after a long moment.

zzzzzzzzzz

Pairo tumbled into the gathering chamber at 30 hours, 19 minutes. He had several scrapes and a wild feel to his aura which calmed considerably when he saw me. The next moment I was charged by my surrogate brother.

"Takara! You didn't answer your phone at all! Are you hurt? What was your path like?" Questions poured out like water from a fire hose as Pairo grabbed my arms and checked them, fingering the few scratches I had.

It took a few minutes to calm Pairo down, then I was finally able to start answering. "I was on a path without light, and if I turned any on, then I'd be disqualified. Cellphones make light. I slipped at one point and got a few scratches, mostly on my back-"

Pairo's response was to turn me around sharply and yank my shirt up. He sighed in relief at the sight of the very unserious wounds.

"Do you still have ointment?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I put some on already."

"I can make sure that these are covered. Plus, I need some."

"It's in my pack," I informed Pairo who nodded and squatted to rifle through my bag. As he did that, I felt Hisoka's eyes watching every movement we made and felt the burning need to lower my shirt, even though I was wearing a camisole. Pairo stood back up then, blocking the view of my back and spread the ointment quickly over the scratches.

Lowering my shirt, I settled back on the floor once again and turned my attention to the small book I had traded an energy bar to a fencer named Agon for. It was surprising, but a number of the applicants had already either run low on or were out of food. They apparently expected meals to be provided more regularly.

The book was a fictional story about a young woman named Kuroko who was conscripted by a godling named Koenma to fight demons. If I had an eye, it would have been twitching at the irony.

Pairo finished with treating his wounds then leaned back on the wall next to me. "How much longer do Kurapika and the others have to get here?" he asked after a long moment.

"About 41 hours," I replied as I turned the page in the book.

"Mind if I sleep?"

"Go ahead."

Pairo must have gotten very limited rest for the past day because he dropped off quickly, not even stirring when the Amori brothers reached the chamber and yelped at seeing us already here.

A meal came soon after and Pairo stirred in order to eat the tasteless food before dropping off again and I returned to the book. It seemed that the examiner here saw no reason to feed us anything different than what his prisoners ate.

Returning to my book, unfortunately I finished it rather rapidly. Pairo woke and had me stretch out with him, keeping ourselves nimble, and then he began checking his twin blades, treating the blades with a whetstone. Agon ambled over to watch and then began talking with Pairo about swords and fighting styles.

I must have dozed off at some point, because a moment later, I woke to the sound of the intercom announcing that there was one hour left for this phase of the exam.

"Think they'll make it?" Pairo asked when I straightened up.

"Yes."

Pairo sighed as he settled back against the wall. "Are they close?"

My nen had definitely recovered in the hours that we had spent here and I decided that I wasn't risking anything by using En anymore. In response, I expanded my En rapidly and almost grinned. Our friends were still almost 200 meters above us, and they had just opened a hole in the wall big enough to push people through. Kurapika had forced Killua and Gon through and was in the midst of shoving Tonpa's tubby butt through the hole. He seemed a little crazed.

"I think they'll be here in 5-10 minutes," I informed Pairo, a bit more than moderately surprised. "And we might need to prepare ourselves for a lecture from Kurapika."

"YOU need to prepare yourself. I was answering my phone."

"You'll honestly abandon me to face Kurapika's rage?"

"In a heartbeat!" Pairo declared with a laugh as I turned my attention back to the other group. Kurapika was through the hole and yanking Leorio through as Tonpa tried to rush ahead. Gon and Killua were shoved ahead hard as Kurapika plowed down the hall, quickly overtaking Tonpa with Leorio easily catching up.

My En collapsed back down to just a 10-meter radius and I sat back, readying myself for the worst. And sure enough, several minutes later a door opened and Kurapika came barreling through, Gon and Killua on his heels.

"TAKARA!" Kurapika all but roared, and I tried ineffectively to use Pairo as a meat shield. Kurapika easily pushed Pairo to the side and grabbed my shoulders. "I'm sure you had your reasons for not answering the phone, and we'll be discussing them thoroughly."

"Can't it happen outside of here? Away from other people?" I suggested, and Kurapika took that moment to glance around, noting the number of applicants who were grinning or shaking their heads at our little display.

The 17-year old took a deep breath, his aura finally calming. "In ten words or less, why did you not answer your phone?" he finally gritted out.

"It would have disqualified me."

"I grilled her on it already: she was on a path that didn't allow any light," Pairo offered and Kurapika's hands finally fell away.

"You won't always be there to help me, especially if we pass," I pointed out, and Kurapika went rigid. "What happened?"

My demand earned me no response as Kurapika sat down hard. He seemed to just exude exhaustion.

I almost turned to question Gon but stopped myself. Ask him now, and Kurapika would probably shut him down. I'd ask the innocent kid and Killua in a few hours, hopefully with cookies to offer as a disarming gift.

The final hour of the exam was a quiet one, one where I began making a physical list of every applicant and their number. The list and a copy of it would be given to Kurapika and Pairo. One of them was bound to team up with Leorio, covering him. Killua probably already knew the various numbers and faces associated with them. That left Gon, and I was certain I would be able to tell him who he was pursuing if something changed and he wasn't meant to pursue Hisoka.

At long last, the door slid open and air from the outside flowed into the chamber. My ointment had been passed around and shared with Gon, Killua, Leorio, and Kurapika to treat their hands.

"Man! It's good to be out!" Leorio groaned as Gon practically skipped ahead into the warm sunlight.

"We missed dinner last night," Killua observed before glancing at me. "So, when are you going to buy the dinner you promised in phase 1?"

"Have you seen a restaurant recently?" I asked in return. "How about we schedule that for after the exam? The lot of us just go out for dinner?"

"Sounds good to me!" Leorio called his input.

"Same! So what are we going to have?" Gon asked.

Tonpa was standing too close to our group for my preferences. "I know of a great Ochimese restaurant! It's in Swaldani City, which is likely where the final phase will occur."

"I was thinking of Zaban City and having that steak bowl that our guide spoke of," I countered as I edged away from Tonpa, making it clear I didn't want him near me.

"Oh! That sounds great! It smelled really good there too!" Gon gushed.

"Attention everyone!" called a voice that I recognized from the announcements that were made in the tower. "Congratulations on passing the third phase. I'm Lippo, a Blacklist Hunter and also your examiner. Your ride to the next phase is here!"

The thrum of idling engines for the airship had been covered up by the wind, but the noise quickly increased as the ship rose over the side of the cliff.

"Good luck to all of you."

The airship didn't land, instead it idled in the air and a ramp was lowered. Once again, I mentally evaluated the likelihood of the general insanity of people of this world as I joined the other applicants boarding the ship. Then again, I was likely fairly insane now as well: I wasn't vocally objecting to half of the things I would have once.

Kurapika's mood continued to worry me as the ship set off, with him refusing to say a word about what had him so disturbed. Leorio wasn't talking either, and I refused to ask Tonpa out of principle. That was how I found my way to the outside deck where Gon and Killua were standing.

"Hey Takara!" Gon called when I appeared. "Wasn't Trick tower fun?"

"I think we had a slightly different experience," I replied, though I did lose a smile over Gon's enthusiasm. "What was your path like?"

"Majority Rules was a lot of voting over which path we'd take or whether to open a door or not. There was this one area where we had to fight some of the prisoners though," Gon explained. "Killua's fight was the fastest, but Leorio's got everyone else a little mad. He bet that this one woman was a man and then was going to check. I didn't see what happened because Tonpa covered my eyes."

"Pairo does the same with my ears when he thinks someone is about to say something bad."

"So Leorio did something bad? Why did he look so happy?"

My mouth slipped a little bit as it occurred to me that Gon had never really gone to school and was intensely innocent.

"Gon, how are babies made?" I finally asked, determined to figure out how bad this situation was.

"Aren't they given to parents by phoenix beasts?" Gon asked inquisitively.

Killua and I exchanged 'glances' before changing topics very rapidly.

"So, you're going to make chocolate chocolate chip cookies, right?" Killua demanded.

"What? But peanut butter are better!" Gon argued.

The argument lasted all the way to our destination, which was surprisingly close: all of 10 minutes away. Attempts to mediate were pushed aside and it seemed the boys liked to argue just to argue. They were still back to being friends when the ship landed.

"There are a lot of wreckages down there," Gon stated suddenly, deviating from his argument with Killua, and we were close enough to the water that I didn't have to expand En too much to confirm it. "So, what do you think the test will be?"

Killua stared at the wrecks as well. "Don't know, but why are there so many wrecks? Why haven't they been cleaned up?"

"Might be our next test," I pointed out, knowing better. Finally, something that was familiar.

Leorio was well on his way to being motion sick as we disembarked from the airship, gagging loudly.

"If you're going to be motion sick, then don't do it here," Killua stated plainly to the aspiring doctor.

Kurapika attempted to give Killua a light swat, but the assassin easily ducked under the swing, a small smile on his face, as Pairo took Leorio's briefcase so he could focus on keeping himself upright.

"Hello applicants! We are your hosts, welcome to our hotel!" the voice that spoke was that of an elderly woman and everyone turned their attention towards the hotel owner and her husband.

"Think they're the next examiners?" Leorio asked.

"Not unless our task is hotel related," I replied.

Hanzo stepped towards the elderly pair first. "Did I hear you say this was a hotel?"

"That's right! Part of this ship has been converted into a first-class hotel with all the amentities. We've hosted guests such as the King of Nebra and a large number of celebrities."

"I didn't ask for a sales pitch, so let's get to the point: are you the examiners or not?" Hanzo pressed.

"Are we?" the man asked his wife, who perked up.

"Ah yes, the exam committee has given me a message to pass along to all of you: if you've made it this far, congratulations on a job well done. The fourth phase will begin three days from now. Until then, please take a break and enjoy all this island has to offer."

Murmurs of relief and joy rang through the crowd of applicants.

"I'm going to take the longest, hottest shower-" Leorio began before the elderly woman called for attention again.

"Just a minute please, here you have to pay in advance. 10,000,000 jenny per person."

"10… million?!" Gon sounded like he couldn't understand the figure or wrap his brain around it. Killua barely reacted.

Even I was frozen at the number, despite knowing it would be in the ballpark of such an astronomical figure.

"Lana, do you think…" Pairo started but trailed off immediately when Kurapika and I both elbowed him. I was not going to surprise Juo and Kinze with what would at the minimum be a 60,000,000 jenny charge on my account.

"For that price, I could stay at the most deluxe hotel in York New City for six months!" Tonpa exclaimed.

"Who do you think we are, royalty?!" Leorio demanded. "Hardly anyone in the world has cash like that to spend!"

"If you can't pay, then we can't let you stay."

"Fine! I'd rather sleep outside on the island than in one of your ridiculously over-priced rooms! I'm sure at least a few of us have camping and wilderness experience!"

"Not for this sort of place," Kurapika pointed out. "We saw this island from the air and I can say this: water will be difficult to come by. The best you could do is hope for rain., otherwise you'd be completely dehydrated within two days."

The husband of the hotel managers chose then to speak. "For people in your situation, we suggest an alternative form of payment. It's a very simple and straight forward thing: what do you have to trade?"

"Trade?" Gon asked as most of the applicants came to the same conclusion and many turned their heads toward the collection of wrecks that surrounded the hotel ship.

Chapter 20: Chapter 20

Chapter Text

Gon seemed to have already gotten an idea on how my 'sight' worked and was quick to drag me off along with Killua to do some treasure hunting. Leorio, Kurapika, and Pairo were quick to follow.

"Those jerks! I bet they're making a killing by having poor applicants like us- uh, nice- collect this stuff for them year after year!" Leorio loudly yelled as he dug through a pile of junk.

"Quit complaining," Kurapika called lackadaisically as he moved around the ship we were currently searching.

Pairo had been designated as the one who would guard our finds and he caught the few items that Leorio and Kurapika tossed to him. Gon, Killua, and I were in the water, searching the sea floor for items I had 'seen.'

"Some vacation this turned out to be! We have to work so hard, that we might as well still be taking the… exam…" Leorio's voice faded as he finally came to an epiphany.

"Now you get it," was Kurapika's response.

"But… How is treasure hunting…?"

"Identification of items that could be important historical items, recognition between trash and treasure," I pointed out. "Hunters are known for those skills." But I could admit that I wished that I had brought some of the 'gifts' Tserriednich had given me over the years. That set of ruby earrings and necklace as well as the gold encrusted crystal dolphin would have probably put a remarkable dent in paying for our rooms. And I could finally get rid of the damnable things!

Hanzou surfaced then, excitement oozing from his form as he shouted, "I found something!"

Kurapika launched into an explanation about the crown that Hanzou began balancing on his nose like a seal as I turned my attention, and En, to the floor of the ocean. Gon was on his way up to the surface, Killua heading towards a piece of treasure I had found seconds before, and I was about to dive when the back of my camisole was caught by Tonpa.

"Hey, there's a whole bunch of treasure over there," the tubby man tried to indicate a direction he had obviously chosen at random.

"But I just found a bunch of chests right over there!" I argued, pointing in the direction of the ship.

"Don't worry, I'll get them!" Tonpa declared as he leaped over me, heading straight for the submerged chests I had indicated, never noticing the grin I was fighting to keep off of my face. Leorio wouldn't be the one to present a chest full of cannonballs this time. More importantly, Tonpa would be far more likely to fully investigate the sight and…

"I can't believe you told him about a bunch of treasure!" Leorio yelled as he tore past me, attempting to beat Tonpa to the weaponry.

Well, looks like Leorio and Tonpa were both going to have interesting offerings.

Kurapika was shaking his head, a small smile on his face, apparently well aware of what I had done and Leorio had unwittingly fallen for despite not being my target.

Killua surfaced a moment later, a golden goblet in one hand and a what looked like a porcelain wedding cake in the other. His eyes sought out where Gon was handing up the scepter to Pairo and he smiled before glancing at me. "Not lagging a bit, are you?" he asked.

"No, just guiding an old man to a different location," I replied, tipping my head in the direction where Tonpa was attempting to dive for a chest of cannonballs.

Killua blinked before glancing at me and I offered a knowing smirk. "Wonder how far some steel balls will get him in regards to paying for his room."

The snort I received in response was full of humor. "Making sure he pays you back for almost poisoning you before the first phase?"

I stopped a long moment, wondering when that had occurred before remembering the juice I still had in my bag. "Do you know what was in that juice?"

"A potent laxative," Killua replied nonchalantly. "If you had drank it, you'd have had the runs for three days or so."

"I see…" I murmured. "I think I'll make some chocolate chip cookies later for dessert."

I dove right as Killua gave a cheer, heading for the ocean floor quickly. The bandages over my eyelids were waterproof but I still felt the pressure build and knew I'd have to clean the area carefully later.

En directed me towards several items that felt like dishware, and I grabbed several that I could carry back to the surface. My foot caught on a small chain as I kicked off the ocean floor, and I curled my toes in order to catch the chain, dragging whatever it was attached to back to the surface along with me. The item that was attached to the chain was rather heavy and took an extra bit of effort to keep a grasp on as I made my way to the ship.

Killua was onboard the ship we were using as a gathering point and helped to haul my small offering over the side of the ship.

"These are rather plain," he stated as I handed the last of what I'd found up. "But seems like they'd have decent value."

"What are they?" I asked as my hands went down to the chain I had caught on my foot.

"Looks like a portion of a set of dishware, mostly the plates," Pairo informed me. "Old porcelain… And they have the old seal of Kakin on the back! Find the full set and we'll probably be done."

"Should be able to do that," I stated as my hands finally wrapped around the item on the chain. It felt like an egg-shaped orb and my hands felt the grime that caked the thing, fingers digging into the muck that encrusted it, breaking it up and washing the item in the salt water. "Guys, isn't it a little strange that all these treasures seem to be clean?" I asked after a moment, as it occurred to me that thus far, we hadn't really had to clean anything.

Killua glanced at me then the pile of treasures we'd accumulated. "Now that you mention it…"

"Probably all planted by the Association," Pairo supplied.

"PAIRO! TAKARA! Get over here!" Kurapika's voice shouted, and both of us surged towards the direction that Kurapika's voice came from.

"I'll watch the loot!" Killua called after us.

Kurapika had made his way to a ship that had gotten stuck on a large outcropping of rocks and Pairo gave me a hand out of the water before we climbed up to the deck. Kurapika stood on the deck, clutching something in his hand.

"It's Kurutan, I know it," Kurapika told us. "This entire ship… It's all Kurutan." He sounded haunted yet at the same time, disbelieving that he had found a touch of home and his culture by birth so far removed from the rest of the world.

Pairo glanced at the amulet then around the ship. "Think there's more?"

"You can't possibly be thinking of using these to trade!" Kurapika argued hotly, but Pairo raised his hands immediately, showing he meant no offense.

"Actually, I was thinking that we could take them back with us, so the kids can have something other than stories about the Kuruta."

Kurapika clutched the amulet he held tighter for a long moment then nodded. "We can burn the ship later, give these people a proper funeral."

"After we make sure that we have a place to stay," I pointed out as I shifted the egg-shape under my arm, attracting Kurapika's attention. "I'm still not familiar with Kurutan culture, so I'll let you both take care of this and I'll ensure we have rooms for tonight. If what we have currently isn't enough, I'm certain I could pay for the rest and that Juo would understand."

Kurapika nodded after a long moment. "I think you should still witness the burning. You might not have been raised a Kuruta, but you have been accepted as one. What do you have there?"

I had wiped away a bit more of the sludge and slime from the ocean from the egg-like shape and moved it fully into Kurapika's view. "Found it on the ocean floor and was cleaning it up-"

"THAT'S ONE OF THE LOST FABERGE EGGS!"

Needless to say, for the next hour I remained with Kurapika and Pairo on the ship as they scoured for any other Kurutan artifacts and we were pleased to walk away with six amulets as well as several pairs of earrings and other trinkets. There was enough for every remaining Kuruta to get some small treasure to remind them of their lost culture, one they hoped to one day rebuild.

Kurapika kept the amulet he had found while Pairo chose a small carved piece of jade. I selected a ring carved from jade for myself.

Killua and Gon greeted us enthusiastically when we returned to the ship, both ready to present our findings to the elderly couple and Leorio had still not returned. Pairo and Kurapika helped them carry the pile of items while I was trusted to hold onto the egg and the Kurutan treasures.

As it turned out, the couple only wanted us to present a single item from our hunting to be appraised and we each had to choose what we believed to be most valuable.

Ahead of us, Pokkle was presenting a collection of plates he found to the collectors.

"If you'd found all twelve, then it would have been valuable," the old man determined, and I glanced back at our discarded items. I had probably hauled up the other six plates in that collection.

Pokkle accepted the key to his second-class cabin then Gon and Killua stepped up. They had opted for a chest full of gems they had found.

Turning my attention to Pairo, I found that he had grabbed the scepter that Gon had found and Kurapika was holding… Nothing. Just his amulet.

"A second-class cabin to you as well," the matronly woman stated after her husband finished assessing the gems that Killua and Gon had presented.

Pairo was next and he handed over the scepter quickly.

"Fancy bedpost!" the manager of the hotel declared with a laugh. "Second-class cabin for you as well."

Kurapika stepped up then, presenting the amulet he had chosen. "This is the legendary golden pendant of the Kuruta clan, which offers protection to whoever wears it."

The manager studied the thing for a moment before nodding. "It's genuine. But I'm afraid it's not worth a lot of money."

"I have no intention of selling this for money or trading it for a room either. I want to know if you know how it might have ended up on the shores of this island. Tell me anything! How long has that ship been there?"

"That shipwreck was already here when we first arrived," the manager answered after a long moment. "And you probably know more about the Kuruta clan than I do."

"I see," Kurapika replied as he accepted the pendant back, only for the manager to also hand him a room key.

It was my turn then, and I felt it when the manager's jaw dropped upon seeing what I had to offer.

"ALRIGHT! With this I don't even have to become a Hunter! I can go straight to med school and spend the rest of my life rolling around in riches!" Leorio shouted before the manager could make his determination.

"Wow! Looks like you found a lot!" Gon exclaimed as Leorio set down a heavy trunk.

"You bet I did!" Leorio declared as he yanked open the lid of the trunk and promptly fell over.

"Cannonballs," Killua stated flatly.

Gon glanced into the box as well. "Are these worth a lot?"

My attention turned towards a seething Tonpa who was holding a small box of salvaged stuff, likely filled from the cast offs of other people. Looks like he was smart enough to check the chests before dragging one up.

Ten minutes later, I set down my stuff in the Second-class cabin I'd been assigned due to the manager finding dents and imperfections in the egg I had presented. Kurapika had attempted to oppose, yelling the egg was worth hundreds of million at least, but I had accepted the room simply because I didn't want any further attention.

The door opening caught my attention and I froze upon recognizing the aura of the person who walked in.

"Sorry WRONG ROOM!" I yelled as I grabbed my bag and tore out of the room through the window, determined to get away from Hisoka at all costs. My room key was in hand and as I vaulted to the deck, I decided it was time to get a change in rooms.

"You saw all the stuff I brought! It should have been able to buy this entire ship! So why am I sharing with Kurapika who just brought in one cheap trinket!"

It was Hanzo! THANK GOD!

Before I could offer to trade rooms with him, Leorio managed to grab the ninja. "Hey! I'll trade rooms! I got a single with lots of light and plenty of room."

"Thanks!" Hanzo replied as he swapped keys.

"I need to change rooms!" I informed the old man right as another person rushed up.

"Good! I can't share a room with that person!" shouted a girl and a moment later our keys had been switched and I rushed to my new room.

The person who was my new roommate smelled of gunpowder and I recognized her as the sniper. She would die in a few days because she would be going after Illumi.

"Not a freak with insects under your hat, are you?" she asked as I set my stuff on the extra bed.

"Considering I don't have a hat, I'll answer that as 'no,'" I replied.

The woman snorted as she went back to examining her gun. "Don't got a problem with guns like that other girl I suppose?"

I shook my head automatically.

"Alright, guess we won't see each other much outside of sleeping hours, so we should be able to stay civil."

I exited the room a minute later right as the girl I had switched with rushed past me again on her way to speak to the female manager.

"I have to change rooms!" she declared.

The elderly woman blinked for a moment. "Your room, what's wrong with it?"

"If I stay there any longer, I'll suffocate!" the girl replied, obviously distraught over having Hisoka as a roommate.

"I'll trade with you!" Tonpa declared. "Hope you don't mind that your roommate won't be a girl."

"Thanks! You're a lifesaver!" Ponzu gushed as she rushed away, and I waited for a long moment, loving that moment of poetic justice. Tonpa would be sharing a room with Hisoka!

"Where's the kitchen?" I asked the woman as soon as Tonpa had moved away.

"On the second level, dear. If you're hungry, I could make you something."

"No thank you!" Turning, I headed to the stairs and descended to the second level with a bounce in my step.

Reaching the kitchen, I checked around for ingredients and was pleased to find everything I needed, though I'd need to break up a chocolate bar to make chips/chunks since the hotel didn't have chocolate chips.

More than a few heads poked through the door of the kitchen as the aroma of cookies began to permeate throughout the ship, two of them being Gon and Killua.

"Wow! You really can cook!" Gon declared as I removed one of the sheets of cookies from the oven. I didn't even attempt to stop Killua's hand as he snatched two of the fresh-from-the-oven cookies

"Some of these are for after dinner!" I informed Killua as the old man of the hotel manager couple hobbled in, his eyes on the cookies as well.

"Speaking of which, I was thinking of catching some fish for dinner!" Gon stated as his hand also reached hesitantly for a cookie but stopped short. "Can I…?"

"They're hot so give them a minute," I replied as I set the sheet on the counter.

Gon nodded before the hotel manager cleared his throat. "If the three of you are looking for dinner, then perhaps you wouldn't mind assisting me? We have more people onboard than we anticipated and I was about to try to catch some fish as well. I have a small boat and wouldn't mind some company, and I know there are some tuna near here."

After a quick check-in with Kurapika and Pairo so they could guard the cookies, I found myself on a small fishing boat as the hotel manager cast off from the ship while Gon gave Killua a crash course on how to use a fishing rod.

"You take one of these worms and you set it on the hook," Gon explained matter-of-factly as he pulled a worm from a can of dirt and held it up to Killua.

I felt it as chills ran down Killua's body and he backed away rapidly from the worm. He seemed to honestly be disgusted by the creature! "Get that thing away from me!"

The old man was chuckling as he guided the boat away from the island. "We won't be using worms to fish for tuna!" he explained good-naturedly and with much amusement.

"Oh? What are we going to use?" Gon asked excitedly while Killua relaxed as the worm disappeared back into the bait can.

"Check in that bucket."

Both boys glanced into the bucket expectantly.

"Fish?" Gon asked. "These are big enough to eat, why use them to catch other fish?"

"Because tuna taste far better!" the man replied brightly as he stopped the boat and pulled out thick fishing poles which he expertly set into stands on the sides of the boat and baited the hooks with little fish. I winced as my En gave me a far too intimate feel of the hooks that slid between the scales and through the flesh of the bait fish. "We'll use these at first and switch over to a drag lure if the school moves. Remember, we've got over thirty hungry mouths to feed tonight!"

"Yes sir!" Killua, Gon, and I all called as we began monitoring the poles.

The old man, Genner, moved between us with a spring in his step, telling little stories about the hotel and his life before coming to the island. He and Banner, his wife, had never had children, but that wasn't for lack of trying. When they realized that offspring were in their stars, they had done a number of different things, including sailing around the continents and even working as koala farmers for a while.

"Let me be the first to tell you, koalas are vicious!" he declared. "They look cute but they could tear the face off of a grown man!"

"Kind of like Killua?" I joked.

"Hey! I might tear out a heart but I'd never tear off a person's face!"

Genner went still with shock before Gon started laughing. "He's joking! Like he'll steal your heart kind of joke!" Gon explained quickly.

Genner seemed to buy the explanation after a minute and returned to his stories. Unfortunately, we didn't get a single bite for that entire first half hour and Genner finally pulled in the lines and switched the fish with lures.

"Keep an eye on those!" he ordered as he returned to the helm and began to slowly guide the ship.

Killua noticed the pole that hooked something first, noting the way the line began going out and uncertain of what else to do, grabbed the pole.

"Hey! I think we caught something!" Killua shouted at Genner, who didn't seem to hear over the loud cough of the engine.

"Reel it in!" Gon called to Killua.

"How?!"

Gon jumped over to help Killua right as the line of the fishing pole went extremely taut and the pole almost bent in half! Both boys were clutching the pole, neither willing to just let the other do something as Gon tried to demonstrate what to do and Killua tried to push the other boy away.

"Guys, I think you need to stop fighting and start reeling!" I pointed out as I stepped closer as the two moved closer to the side of the boat. "Guys!"

It happened so fast, one moment Gon and Killua were pushing at each other as they tried to take or keep control of the rod, and the next the rod gave a mighty jerk right as I reached out to try to give them a hand, and the three of us were all yanked overboard by the fish that had been hooked.

Gon was yelling and choking in the seawater while Killua was silent, surprise emanating from his form. I was choking for a long moment as seawater went up my nose and into my mouth, but my grip remained on the pole, as did Gon's and Killua's.

The three of us struggled in the water, all kicking to keep ourselves at the surface while refusing to release the rod. Whatever was pulling on the rod was a powerful swimmer because it was able to drag the three of us through the water for a fair distance, the boat that Genner manned followed us rapidly but we were still dragged over 100 meters away before he was able to turn the boat around.

"Guh! Killua! Takara! Let go!" Gon yelled over the spray of water.

"Stay on it!" I objected. "Don't get separated!"

"Stop kicking me!" Killua roared over all of us.

It took Genner almost five minutes to catch up to us when the fish finally seemed to tire and slowed enough for him to catch up and grab us. We still had the fishing pole between the three of us, but we were all more than happy to relinquish it to the old man at this point.

"Oh! This is a big one!" Genner exclaimed as he managed to set the pole into its stand as Gon watched in excitement while Killua and I dripped seawater.

The boat rocked a fair amount as Genner reeled in the fish, Gon helping him. The fish put up a massive fight, causing both of the fishers to laugh in delight as they hauled in the fish.

The 'fish', if that's what it could be called, was three meters long and had three large lobe fins. I was honestly disappointed with its appearance.

Killua was unimpressed as well. "If anyone asks, it had two tails and there were three of them. Two got away," he muttered.

"Can't we claim that it was a shark and we managed to hook that one while in the water?" I shot back. "Or better yet: we tell no one. This never leaves the boat." Killua and I shook hands at that moment.

Gon spilled the beans the moment we returned to the ship.

"Hey! Leorio!" He called at the sight of the future-doctor. "We caught a big fish for dinner tonight! It managed to drag Takara, Killua, and me out of the boat!"

Several of the Hunter applicants heard Gon's explanation to Leorio and snickered as they moved past us to assist in dragging the fish onto the hotel boat.

I chose not to shower immediately, instead joining Pairo and Kurapika in traveling out to the Kuruta ship where we cleaned up the corpses and spread a lacquer that Kurapika found in the hold to help spread the fire. Leorio, Gon, and Killua watched from a distance as Pairo crafted a torch to set the fire, then stood with us as the ship caught fire, the old wood taking a while to catch fire due to the moisture from the seawater.

The six of us observed the burning ship for almost ten minutes before heading back to the hotel, three of us needing showers.

zzzzzzzzzz

Leorio had grabbed both Gon and Killua before they could part from them to take their shower and managed to drag Kurapika to their cabin. Pairo headed towards his room on the other side of the ship. He was sharing with Agon.

"Alright, so something I think we need to make clear to you two," Leorio stated as he set the two boys down as Kurapika shut and locked the door. "Takara is completely blind. If you run around with her, then you have to help look out for her."

"Old man, we already know she's blind," Killua stated nonchalantly as Leorio seethed over being called 'old.'

"She seems pretty capable to me," Gon added.

"Her eyes got taken by the Phantom Troupe!" Leorio argued, not noticing the momentary confusion on Kurapika's face. "Those bastards attacked and almost killed someone who was only 7 years old for her eyes! If you hang out with her, you need to make sure she doesn't get targeted again! The Troupe isn't known for leaving survivors!"

Killua stared at Leorio, dumbstruck, while Gon emphatically nodded his head.

"Good, now go ahead and take your showers before dinner," Leorio ended his talk and Gon jumped up to head for the door.

Killua on the other hand crossed his arms and turned his bright, sharp eyes towards Kurapika. "Why have you referred to Takara as Lana twice? And who were you speaking with in the room in Trick Tower?"

"Those are both personal subjects-" Kurapika began.

Killua's eyes narrowed. "If we're going to be around Takara, we should know what dangers to anticipate."

"Who I was speaking with has nothing to do with Takara!"

"But if she knew, Lana would try to get involved, wouldn't she?"

"Of course she would! She loves Luzurus and Halken-" Kurapika bit his tongue as he realized what he had just revealed.

"So, Lana is Takara's real name and someone named Luzurus and his siblings are in danger," Killua summed up the situation as best as he could. "You intend to help and Takara and Pairo would likely want to as well, but it's too dangerous for some reason or another. You have a year to plan at best."

"Why would you want to keep this from Pairo and Lana?" Gon asked.

"Call her Takara," Kurapika ordered immediately. "I'll tell Pairo later, but Takara can't go home, it's far too dangerous. If what seems to be going to happen comes to pass, then…"

Kurapika froze as he realized something very important, namely that Tserriednich, the root of Lana's problems and why she couldn't go home, would soon be VERY exposed. It might be difficult, but if he could feed the right information to the right people, then he might be able to get Prince Benjamin to kill the murderous man.

"What do we need to protect her from?" Gon's voice suddenly cut through Kurapika's musings, and the blonde sighed.

"Some cousins she cares for are going to be forced into a murder game by a man that has been trying to corner and kill Lana since she was five years old," Kurapika explained quietly. "Unfortunately, he has a lot of power and the only way for her to get beyond his reach is as a Hunter. If she doesn't pass the exam, she can't go home. Thereby, she can't know. If she finds out and doesn't pass this exam, she'll still try to help her cousins, and place herself in mortal danger."

"What about when she passes?" Gon pressed. "Can she go home then?"

"No, not for a few years most likely," Kurapika admitted, turning his eyes from Gon's inquisitive ones.

zzzzzzzzzz

I stood by Kurapika's door, my jaw slack. Inside the room, Killua shifted his stance slightly, definitely knowing I was there, which was why he had pressed for the information I had just heard.

Swallowing the knot in my throat, I raised my fist and knocked on the door, causing the rest of the occupants of the room to turn before Kurapika came and unlocked the door.

"Takara? Something wrong?" he asked immediately, and I held up the Kuruta treasures we had recovered earlier.

"I think these will be safer with you," I explained. "We know Leorio and I doubt he'll try to steal any of them."

"Oh, yes," Kurapika replied as he accepted the treasures. "Is your roommate…?"

"I doubt she'd take anything, but better the devil you know, right?" I asked. "Anyway, I need a shower still, and dinner is probably going to be soon, so I'll see you!"

Turning to walk away, I fought to keep an even pace while in my chest, my heart was practically leaping from my chest. Tserriednich was going to force Luzurus, Halkenburg, Momoze, Kacho, Fugetsu, and Tubeppa into a murder game?!

My breath caught at just the thought of something so horrible, and I didn't even know the details! Why would he do something like that? The public would never allow it… So, it had to be happening in private. Staged so it could look like a series of accidents. But why? Why eliminate all of his siblings? Most weren't as successful as him, his only competition in that area was Benjamin and Zhang Lei, so why get rid of the other Princes? It wasn't like succession had been decided-

I froze as understanding struck in that moment. Succession of the throne. Kakin didn't recognize a Crown Prince and the details on determining succession were hazy in all the textbooks. I hadn't been bothered by it previously, but now the thought beat against the sides of my skull. Tserriednich was trying to ensure he would take the throne as the next King of Kakin by eliminating the competition!

My roommate looked up but didn't speak when I entered our room and headed straight for the bathroom. My bag was over my shoulder and contained my small travel toiletries and spare clothes, so I simply stripped down and turned on the shower.

The cold water that slapped against my skin seemed a perfect for how I currently felt inside: cold.

Dinner was grilled fish that night with Killua having a minor freak out when Gon managed to grab the fish head and displayed it with a grin.

"Just so you know, I move a lot in my sleep," Gon told Killua as we ate our dinner.

"No worries, I do too!" Killua replied with a laugh, and I managed to offer a smile and a laugh.

"They're a perfect pair!" I declared.

"So says Ms. Talks-in-her-sleep," Pairo teased, surprising me.

"I talk in my sleep?"

"What is the language you speak so often? I can't find it in any books," Kurapika asked. "If it's your native language then…"

"Can you… demonstrate it?" I asked after a long moment.

Kurapika and Pairo glanced at each other before Pairo cleared his throat. "Bewire zhe teef," he recited in heavily accented English.

It had been so long that I barely recognized the language as it passed from Pairo's lips and it took a long minute for me to realize that he was saying 'beware the thief.'

"What does it mean?" Pairo asked.

Beware the thief, beware the thief… The main thieves I knew of were the Phantom Troupe, and considering what had happened five years ago, this was understandable.

"Beware the thief," I finally replied, as my fork scraped on my plate.

Dinner concluded quickly and I got pulled along by Gon and Killua as they explored the ship. We ran through old hallways, found the control room and the generator that powered the hotel portion of the ship. Gon was amazed by the underwater suit. Killua was angry when we couldn't find the engine room, then concluded that that had to be in the portion of the ship that was sealed off.

"We should get up early and explore the ship more tomorrow!" Gon declared as we parted ways that night.

"Sounds great! You going to join us, Takara?" Killua asked.

"Yeah," I replied as we parted, me heading down a separate hall than Gon and Killua, then up a flight of stairs to where my shared room was. Along the way to my room, passed Kurapika and Leorio's room in time to hear a yelp come from my foster brother's throat and grinned widely. Leorio had just walked out of his shower in the buff, deeply surprising Kurapika.

My roommate and I didn't speak to each other, each of us simply slipping into bed. Sleep didn't come easily. Images of Tubeppa, Luzurus, Halkenburg, and Momoze danced through my head. The images were almost five years old, but their voices were what they were the last time I had spoken to them. At some point I must have dozed, but the dream that came was worse.

I was home again, a mere year old once more. My mother and the strawberry blonde woman had stepped out and left me with one of my uncles. This uncle had deigned to take me outside when he saw me trying to practice walking since it was the evening and the cooling sand would be easier on my feet and skin than the rough concrete floor of our house.

Using the side of a small box that he had set down near me, I was able to haul myself into a standing position and he was holding his arms out to me, trying to entice me to walk to him.

"Come on, come to uncle Naga, Kara!" When I stared at him, he chose to make a funny face, drawing a laugh from me.

"She's way too little! 'Sides, she walks to anyone first, it'll be me!" Uncle Phi declared as he sauntered towards the house, set down a bag, and pulled out a small stuffed dog. Aunt Fei rolled his eyes as he walked past them to the house.

I stared at the little dog with a smile as both men began trying to entice me to take a step towards them before my eyes trained on a figure behind them. I let go of the box and took a shaky step, struggling to keep my balance on weak legs that I had just begun to crawl with.

Uncle Naga cheered as I managed to take a second step, my arms stretched out in front of me. "Come on, Kara! Come to your favorite!"

Uncle Naga's face fell when he realized I wasn't walking towards him as I managed a third step, then a fourth, and finally fell into the arms of my father, who greeted me with a smile and a laugh.

"Daddy's girl."

The comment was made without heat as I turned my gaze towards my father's face, but found the arms holding me weren't his. Instead, I was being lifted by an unseen force, pulling me away from him as he tried to reach for me, fingers barely brushing mine before the doors of a truck slammed between us. But before I lost sight of my father and two uncles, I saw Halkenburg standing beside my father, his face contorted in horror just like my father's.

I snapped awake and sat up immediately, the nightmare drawing the shakes from me and I knew why. I had lost my first family, and now I feared losing some of the new family I had made.

Climbing from bed, I toed on my shoes before leaving the room, deciding I needed some fresh air.

As I moved through the silent boat, the sounds of near silent and even breathing seemed to echo through the halls. A brief check of a clock through En indicated it was almost midnight.

One of the rooms I passed was silent and after a moment, I decided to enter it and through En, I found that I was in the office of the hotel, the pile of treasures stacked on a table. On one side, slightly separated from the other items on the table was the egg I had found.

A Faberge egg. Kurapika had explained it to me while he and Pairo had been investigating the Kuruta ship. There were eight missing eggs, their whereabouts unknown and only drawings or paintings of the eggs existed. The one I had found was known as the Blue Empress egg, a gift ordered by King Navim Hui Guo Rou for his second bride.

I couldn't appreciate the beauty of the egg, but I could feel the craftsmanship as my fingers ran over the now clean egg. It was a treasure that held significant value, both historically and financially. It belonged to Kakin. It could be useful.

As though fate was agreeing with me, at that moment, as my hands closed around the egg, the roar of the airship engines ripped through the still sea air. I waited a minute then headed back to my cabin with the egg, quickly stuffing it into my bag.

My theft was not witnessed due to everyone being on the deck, watching the departing airship with the managers onboard.

Chapter 21: Chapter 21

Chapter Text

Morning came quickly and most of the people in the hotel were restless. Kurapika insisted that we all get a few more hours of sleep and was quick to sequester Gon, Killua, and me in his cabin. I found out quickly that Gon could sleep like a log, Killua kicked, and the only safe place to sleep was at the head of the bed, the pillows forming a wall between me and the two boys. We were still up before the sun and when we reached the deck, we found most of the Hunter applicants were sitting on the deck.

"Face it, they took our treasure and skipped out on us!" Tonpa declared as we wandered onto the deck. "If that's not stealing then I don't know what is!"

Leorio's response was rueful. "Got that right. Hey Tonpa, we actually agree on something for a change!"

Pairo walked over to us as Hanzo returned to the deck. "So, you're talking about the treasure?" the ninja asked. "I was just in the manager's office a minute ago. They left it all behind."

"Think they forgot it here?" Gon asked and Killua scoffed.

"Of course not. Why would they do that?"

"Possibly part of the exam was finding the treasure, identifying trash versus treasure. Once that was completed, it had no further use," I explained. "Meaning that I was right when I thought the stuff looked too clean, like it was planted."

"So they use it like equipment, year after year," Killua concluded as he thought it over.

I nodded in response before my thoughts turned back to the egg I had hidden in my bag. It had not been planted, the manager was authentically surprised to see it. In turn there was the Kuruta ship. The anime hadn't indicated if Kurapika found anything other than his pendant then, but it was possible that it had been planted for him then as well. "Equipment owned by the Hunter Association, replications and forgeries made to look like authentic lost treasures, some better made than others."

"So, another part of the exam," Hanzo concluded, summing up what we had said in just six words.

"We don't have enough information as of yet," Kurapika pointed out, obviously thinking very deeply.

Things were silent for a long moment and then…

"Hey bro, if they're gone then who's going to cook for us?" one of the Amori brothers asked.

The brother standing to his left shrugged before focusing on me. "Saw that kid in the kitchen and the cooking exam, she seems-"

"You are neither invalids nor infants. Cook for yourselves," I called back.

"If we get hungry, we can catch some fish or something. We need to figure out what to do next," Hanzo stated right as Ponzu came running out of the hall to the deck.

"Hey! Come here a minute!" she called.

Standing, I made to look like I would be following the group as Kurapika, Pairo, Leorio, and Hanzo moved toward the hall towards the radio room, Gon and Killua already following Ponzu, but deliberately let myself fall behind. After this, everyone would be searching the ship for clues on what we were supposed to do. The main clues items to consider for this part would be the map, the measuring tools, and the compasses.

The map would be easier to deal with, either destroy or hide it. However, there might be more copies or clues that hadn't been brought up by other applicants hoping to get a leg up on the competition. Heaven knows it was easy to leave multiple clues around like that, and then there were also the applicants that attempted to leave on their own. So more than likely, there was more than one map and I couldn't hide them all. Not to mention the possible suspicion that people might feel if the compasses were brought out and I got caught with one or more of the maps. The same could be said of the measuring tools.

That left the compasses, easily thrown overboard and if there was more than one map, then people would listen to Kurapika explain the need to wait and plot a course to Zevil Island using the stars. They'd see the storm.

Taking a deep breath, I pooled my nen before unleashing the tidal wave that was my En, encapsulating the boat/hotel. Awareness hit me, of Hisoka with his ridiculous card castles glancing up and his tongue sliding in a snake-like fashion over his lips, and of Illumi who was a mere two halls away, heading towards Hisoka's position. Once again, he stiffened in response to my En, but thankfully chose to ignore me in favor of joining Hisoka.

The twitching of the compass needles led me straight to the box that held them. Thirty-eight compasses, one for every applicant onboard. Lifting the box, I headed straight to a window and opened it. The box was too large to fit, but the compasses slid out easily, straight into the water below.

Setting the box down, I headed towards the radio room. I knew the consequences of my actions well enough in that moment. Without the compasses, people might work on their own ships today, but they wouldn't try to leave, not until they had a definite course and that could only be achieved at night with the stars, something they wouldn't be able to do because of the storm. If all thirty-eight applicants survived here, then all thirty-eight of us would go to Zevil Island next. That meant that it should be far easier to get the necessary points to pass without confronting someone that I'd rather not fight. Gon might even avoid drawing Hisoka's number.

It was selfish, and I should have felt bad in some way for the fact that my aim was not saving a number of people, but to set the odds in favor of myself and those I cared for, but I didn't.

zzzzzzzzzz

Watching the kids play was incredibly relaxing Luzurus decided as he stared out of the window. He had taken up residence in Kinze's office recently, determined try to continue with his work without returning to the palace.

Watching the kids play in the snow was far more relaxing than meeting Halkenburg's eyes.

"Ten more people at the Senaco Hospital in Hun Province have contracted that necrotic disease," his brother informed him, looking extremely worn. "At first I couldn't figure out how, then I found that Tserriednich sent one of his little packages there."

Luzurus felt his nails bite into the palms of his hands. 'Little package' was their code word for when Tserriednich infected someone and sent them home, unknowing that they were sick. They'd usually unintentionally infect their friends and family.

"Tserriednich has already had the group quarantined and brought to the hospital in Port City. He even has announced plans to go see them."

Luzurus was shaking, the sight of the children blurring as he felt tears begin to form.

"Hunter Norton is proving herself worth more than her weight in gold and has managed to cure most of the previous patients, these people were found early enough that they should be fine. Tubeppa has 'donated' several autoclaves to other hospitals in areas that we think he might target."

"We need to find a way to quarantine everyone who leaves his service," Halkenburg continued. "I hate even the thought, but I tried talking to father and he won't hear of it!"

Luzurus wasn't surprised. After finding out the truth about succession, he now wondered if Tserriednich was most like their father. How many of his own siblings had the man killed?

The man that so many viewed as a fool clenched his jaw so Halkenburg wouldn't hear his teeth begin to chatter. Tserriednich had already turned against him in most areas of business, only maintaining a neutral show in public while hostilities ran deep in private. Thankfully, Zhang Lei had accepted his truce of neutrality and so long as the business activities of the associated mafias didn't cross, was willing to act neutral towards him both in public and private.

"Tubeppa is insisting that we try to call Lana, see if a brief encounter will cool Tserriednich's head even a bit."

"Do you think it would?"

"Yes," Halkenburg admitted, causing Luzurus to snap his head towards him so fast that his neck ached. "But it doesn't mean I would allow it."

A sigh of relief passed Luzurus's lips. He could admit that one thing was true: when Lana was around and Tserriednich had been able to debate with her, the madman had been calmer. His schemes hadn't had the same malevolent flair and more importantly, he acted like he wanted Lana to figure out what he was up to. He tormented her, but with Lana there the death tolls had been less than half of what they were now.

What would happen if Tserriednich became King? Even if Lana was a Hunter by then, Luzurus hoped she wouldn't abandon Kakin completely. Heck, if the rest of them were gone, Lana might well be the only one who could protect the citizens from Tserriednich.

"You've changed," Halkenburg stated suddenly. "You're more thoughtful now, but also sullen. I kind of need my joker of a brother, and Momoze needs him as well."

The momentary happiness that rushed through the 7th Prince's form was dampened as he looked up into Halkenburg's eyes. The sincere concern and exhaustion he saw there was devastating.

"I'm okay, I just needed some time. Away from the palace that is."

Hal's lips turned up slightly. "I know the feeling. Cammy is still pitching a fit over not receiving a particular set of jewelry from Tserriednich for Christmas. Even when it is explained to her that the set was passed down to him by his maternal grandmother, she screams that it'll belong to her anyway when she becomes King."

Whereas once Luzurus would have laughed, he now found himself stricken with a thought that was almost as horrifying as Tserriednich as the King: Camilla as the King. She'd have no problem killing the rest of them, including Momoze and Marayam to get what she wanted.

"Hal, you know I love you guys, right?" Luzurus suddenly found himself asking as he gazed deeply into his brother's eyes. "I love you, Kacho, Fugetsu, Momoze, and Tubeppa."

"What is this about?" Halkenburg demanded immediately.

"I just wanted you to know that. You're a great brother, and I'm sure you'll make a good King."

Halkenburg stared long and hard at him before scoffing. "With all the reforms you have helped to bring about, I believe you'll make an even better King."

zzzzzzzzzz

My predictions were correct on several points: without the compasses, most of the applicants agreed it was better to wait to plot their course at night so they could use the stars for guidance. They also immediately went to find the best of the wrecked boats that they could fix up for use once they had their course plotted.

I was also right in that there was definitely more than one map. At least two of the teams that had formed to fix up boats to get to Zevil Island had such maps, at least one per team and possibly more to try to reduce the competition.

Geretta unfortunately had a compass in his gear but had not gotten one of the maps and instead traced the one held by Kurapika. He was approached more than once by other applicants looking to 'team up', delaying him significantly as they grabbed tools and supplies to try to prevent him from leaving first when he refused. One even put a foot through the side of the dinghy he had claimed.

The water tank was low and despite knowing that a storm would be coming, I grabbed Gon and Killua after they had done some exploring to help me set up some water distillers.

"How does this work again?" Gon asked as Killua poured seawater into the basin under a structure we had cobbled together and pulled plastic over.

"The sun evaporates the water and the vapor is caught on the plastic where it condenses. When the droplets get big enough, they slide down the plastic and along the slope to the collection bucket," I explained for the third time.

"Won't it still be salty?"

"No, that gets left behind in the basin."

Gon glanced around at the five distillers we had set up. "I don't think this will be enough for everyone."

"Believe me, it'll make an enormous difference if we ration it carefully," I assured. "We'll need to keep adding water during the day and possibly clean out the basins, but the sun will do the rest of the work for us."

Gon stood up and glanced out towards the ocean as Killua moved to check the first of the water distillers we had set up. "Wow! It's already working!" he called, drawing our attention to the droplets of water that were already forming on the clear plastic.

"Well the sun in pretty intense," I pointed out before a slight pinch in the air touched my ears.

"Hey, do you guys hear that?" Gon asked as the feeling continued.

"Hear what?" Killua asked.

"Something in the air," I replied automatically, slightly nauseated by the noise. Without sight, my other senses were fairly sensitive, it was necessary even with the help of En.

"You hear it?"

"Not really, I feel it. Almost like a spinning hum, and the air pressure is beginning to drop."

"What does it mean?" Gon asked.

"A storm."

Gon's attention turned toward the calm sea once again while Killua's gaze turned to the sky.

"We should tell the others," Gon finally decided before heading towards the stairs to enter the boat, Killua and me falling in behind him quickly.

Kurapika, Pairo, Hanzo, and Leorio were in the wheelhouse discussing their current issue: getting other applicants to work with them.

"My ninja instincts are telling me that you're right," Hanzo stated to Kurapika as the three of us entered. "But that isn't going to be good enough for the rest of these knuckle-heads. They're getting boats ready and are fighting over the plotting tools, some planning to leave as soon as the sun begins to set."

"Guys! There's going to be a storm!" Gon announced without preamble.

"Did the birds tell you that?" Leorio asked, his voice completely serious.

"No, there's this noise I keep hearing and Takara said that the pressure is going down. But now that you mention it, the birds left quite a while ago. If they're not here, then something very bad is coming."

"If it rains, then we might get enough water to last," Leorio observed.

Pairo shook his head immediately. "That's not the point here, plus if the sea gets rough enough, then trying to funnel the rain into the water tank will only cause contamination with salt!"

"We set up some distillers to help with the water problem," I tossed out. "As for those who intend to leave, a storm might cause them to reconsider."

Kurapika considered that for a long moment. "Or cause them to try to leave faster."

"Not with leaky boats. They're trying to sabotage each other, most aren't anywhere near halfway finished with making their wrecks seaworthy." Hanzo thought on that for a long moment. "If we try to capitalize on that, we'd likely only hurt our own case when we try to get them to work with us."

"We need more information," Kurapika finally decided. "We should all spread out, check the ship once more, look for anything that seems out of place and read through any books or journals we find."

"Agreed," several voices called out before I cleared my throat.

"Speaking of out of place, how did barnacles get so high on the rock that the ship is wedged into?"

Leorio waved my question away. "Tides come and go, they probably formed during a high tide."

"A tide that went to nearly the top of the rock?" I asked, feigning an incredulous tone that was so serious, it caused Hanzo to turn and leave the wheelhouse rapidly.

"Are you serious?!" Leorio demanded loudly, his hands grabbing my shoulders. "Barnacles near the top of that rock?!"

"Quite."

Hanzo ran back into the room as the room descended into silence. "She's right. There are barnacles really high on that rock. They're sun bleached but there."

Leorio spoke again. "I know what we need to do first in regards to working as a group: choose a leader." He nodded his head then, and a number of the other applicants entered the room then, all looking slightly shocked but determined.

Choosing a leader turned out to be a simple process, most of the people in the room had already known who they would be voting for as before coming to the wheelhouse. It was a matter of a simple vote, but there were four extra voters this time around. This wasn't enough to change the outcome. Most of those that were currently willing to work with us preferred Hanzo because of his age and experience.

"Now, I know a number of you have explored the ship, but is there any place you haven't been?" Hanzo asked, his focus mainly on Gon, Killua, and me.

"The old Captain's quarters," I replied immediately. "I'm pretty sure that's the tower structure at the top of the ship."

"Then head up there and see if there's anything we missed," Hanzo ordered, earning a gleeful cheer from Gon. "Report back here whether or not you find anything, bringing anything you think is important. The rest of you, I want a full analysis of what we have available to us, everything from food and water to radios to ammunition. It might give us a clue on what we're supposed to do. And don't disturb the distillers, water will become precious very fast."

Gon and Killua were out the door almost before Hanzo finished speaking. I moved to follow only to be stopped by Hanzo.

"I want you to guard those distillers, make sure the water gets to our tank and not into the canteens of the idiots intent to leave."

"Wouldn't it be better to let them drink it rather than let them near the tank?"

"Only let them have a cup of the water," Hanzo amended after a moment of thought. "I'm going to set a guard at the tank as well, keep loss at a minimum."

I gave acknowledge with a quick "Ok," before heading the to where the distillers had been set up, and right in time too. The monkey trainer and his primate had taken hold of one of the buckets of seawater that Killua had set as reserve for the distillers and I witnessed the man take a sip and start coughing.

"I wouldn't suggest doing that again," I called as I began to check the pans, noting which could have a bit more water added and which buckets had the most water. It became obvious fast that during that time that the distillers had been unattended, the clean water had been taken.

"Then where am I going to get a drink?!" Sommy demanded angrily as I took a bucket and added more water to several of the pans, careful to not add too much lest it slow down the evaporation by the sun.

"Find a sandy area about six meters from the water and dig a hole or you can wait for more water to be distilled. Hanzo has ordered that anyone can have a cup from this."

"You're going to take orders from him?"

"I'd take orders from a ninja FAR sooner than I'd take them from you," I responded, hand going to my kun the moment that it seemed that Sommy might make an aggressive move. "He's actually attempting to figure things out and not jump the gun. Using his head and not proving he has balls."

Sommy looked shocked by my coarse choice of words before seeming to think.

"You know, Geretta is likely to get the engine he's found working by the end of the day. With Hanzo putting water on a lockdown, he might be willing to make an alliance if we were to bring some water with us."

"Find some water and try it, but I doubt Geretta will concede. He likely has iodide drops to clean water in his hunting gear."

The monkey trainer moved away then, determined to get some water and join a team that he viewed as 'actually doing something' rather than sitting around. Gon and Killua joined me several minutes later, as another applicant began to circle the distillers.

"We found the ship's log," Killua informed me as Gon stared at the mostly empty buckets. "It mentions Zevil Island and Hanzo said we should start looking around at the boats, find something that floats. Kurapika is still reading the log."

"Aren't these supposed to produce water?" Gon demanded as he stared into yet another empty bucket.

"They do, but people have been coming by and taking it when we weren't watching," I informed Gon as Killua glared at our current vulture. I heard his hand shift into a claw and the man squeaked before moving away. "As for the log, if there's something else to this phase and it's in there, Kurapika will find it."

Hanzo, Agon, and three of the others who had decided to work together were investigating several of the wrecks, looking for a promising boat as the sun grew hot.

Gon got to witness the buckets slowly fill though we did have to clean the pans out as salt and other solutes from the water were left behind.

"I can't believe this really works," he stated as he dipped a cup in to taste the water, nodding slightly at finding that it was not salty.

"We explained it to you several times," Killua declared in exasperation. "I'll take this and dump it into the water tank, you guys watch the distillers."

"Ok!" Gon called after Killua before kicking back on the deck, staring at the sky. "Clouds are beginning to really get thick. Will those water things continue to work?"

"Some UV light can make it through the clouds, so they should."

"UV?"

"A type of light that is believed to be harmful in large doses. One of the leading causes of skin cancer."

Gon hummed in acknowledgement. "You must study a lot. Aunt Mito would probably love that, she's always saying that I should study more and be more serious about it."

"That's only good if you're the type that can study," I replied. "There are plenty of people in this world who aren't academically inclined or whose talents are in just a particular area. A cookie cutter approach doesn't do any good for these people and many think that when they don't do well, that they aren't studying enough."

"Maybe I should bring you home to talk to Aunt Mito!" Gon declared with a laugh. "Explain that I'm just not good at studying because I should be doing other things!"

"But it's not an excuse for ignorance!" I sang back with a grin.

Gon thought about that for a moment. "Maybe going to a real school is better. You can meet other people and have friends while studying. I didn't get to do that since I've always been home-schooled, and Killua said that he was training and didn't get to go to school either. What about you?"

"I went to school," I admitted quickly. "But I wasn't in regular classes."

"You still had friends in them, right?"

I was about to say 'no' when I remembered the classes that had been set up at the manor after the Kuruta had been brought to live with us. There had been twelve kids in the class, including Kurapika, Pairo, and me. The tutors helped those too young for school learn Common and start reading, but that had mostly been it. Unlike at the Royal Academy, in that class I hadn't been the weirdo with gay parents, I was just one of them with the exception that I'd been badly hurt in the raid that killed most of their families while saving Pairo and Fie. Several of the girls even looked up to me for competing with Kurapika the way I did.

"Yes, I guess I did."

"So what grade are you in?"

That stopped me cold as uncertainty hit. What do you tell someone when you've technically jumped so far ahead that you've completed a college degree before you are perceived as twelve?

Killua was running towards us then, waving his arm. "Guys! Kurapika just read through the logbook! He wants us to get Hanzo!"

Kurapika had finally realized that the storm was coming and announced it to us right as Ponzu made the announcement of the changing atmospheric pressure. Hanzo, who had told the rest of his team to continue scouting for a ship, was quick to take off again, yelling the entire way for everyone to get to the hotel ship. His team listened and complied quickly. Other teams weren't so quick, and this time Hanzo began using force quite readily.

"He just threw a bomb!" Killua announced in amazement. "That guy looks MAD! And that monkey is biting that guy's hand."

Several random people tried to attack Hanzo to force his assault to stop, but they were easily downed by the raging ninja and ordered to get to the hotel ship. The one exception was Geretta, who managed to make his little boat buoyant enough to start out. With the engine on his boat, he easily moved beyond Hanzo's reach.

"The sky!" someone yelled suddenly, drawing the attention of everyone and heads snapped in the direction that that one person was pointing, towards the setting sun.

We should have had several hours more of sunlight, but the atmosphere cooled drastically in that moment.

"The distillers!" I shouted, grabbing Pairo to help me grab the devices. I needn't have bothered. Applicants returning to the ship were grabbing the distillers, pans, and buckets of water in their rush to get inside, as well as chairs and just about anything else.

The Amori brothers hadn't gotten the alert and, in that moment, yells erupted as the trio attempted to take off in their balloon. Shouts calling warnings rang from all around as the brothers ignored even Tonpa's yells about a storm.

Light had been just a memory for years now, I sensed when the sun was out due to heat now. We should have had some more time, at least another hour of sunlight, but the clouds overhead became thick to the point where even my sun sensitive skin couldn't feel it anymore. The people around us became far too quiet for my tastes and I quickly tugged on Pairo's hand.

"We need to get inside!" I ordered as Hanzo finally returned to the ship, the last wave of applicants hot on his heels.

"Got that right!" the ninja yelled as he planted a hand on both of our shoulders and pushed us hard towards the boat. His voice was drowned out by the return of the whirling hum from earlier.

"It looks like a water spout formed in the middle of the storm!" Tonpa's voice shouted over the cacophony of the storm.

"Our boat!" one of the men that Hanzo had chased back to the hotel shouted, but the boat was too far for my En to pick up on. "We would have died!"

"Geretta's still out there!" Gon yelled.

Pairo jumped away to try to grab Gon as Kurapika tried to catch the boy as well, both were stopped by Hanzo after Gon jumped the railing.

"The lifeboat!" Kurapika shouted.

"Got it!" Hanzo called, and I fell in step after him along with Killua. "Takara, stay here!"

"I don't need eyes to find things! If they go into the water, I might be the only one who could find them!"

"If they go into the water, it's unlikely that they can be recovered!" Hanzo shot back before Kurapika's hands grabbed my shoulders.

"We'll be how they get back!" Kurapika yelled over the roaring wind as Hanzo, Killua, Bodoro, and Goz jumped into the lifeboat. Above us, the balloon of the Amori brothers was spinning in the wind and by sheer luck, the brothers managed to jump clear.

It took precious minutes as the lifeboat headed to Geretta's small boat, and then everyone on board except the Amoris and Hisoka grabbed the rope to haul the boats back to the hotel. Even Illumi was part of the line of humanity, fiercely pulling on the rope to bring his brother back to the ship.

Pairo and Kurapika along with Leorio were quick to bundle Gon, Killua, and me up and march us to Leorio and Kurapika's shared room once again.

"Man that's a storm," Killua noted as the three of us sat on the beds of the room.

"And you went out in it to help Gon," I pointed out with a grin. "That's the sign of a good friend."

Killua blinked for a moment while Gon laughed.

"Everyone came out in it, so everyone has the possibility of being our friends."

I don't know who was more disappointed at Gon's comment, Killua or me. I'd been hoping to get Gon to call Killua his friend before the final round of the exam, but I guess for someone like Gon, such things didn't need to be said.

"Oh, Killua! Takara has been to school," Gon suddenly stated, changing the topic completely. "She said that she did liked it."

Killua gave a small laugh. "Guess that's what you'll be going back to after…" The assassin froze before rephrasing his statement into a question. "What will you be doing after the exam?"

"If I pass, training and working as a Hunter. If not, training for next year. What about you?"

Gon made the face of swallowing a lemon. "I have to pass! There's no question about that. Then I'll be trying to find my dad."

"Don't know," Killua stated with a shrug.

"We could travel together if one of us passes," I pointed out quickly. "I know that we all have a lot to learn, and Kurapika and Pairo will probably enjoy having you guys with us. But be warned, Pairo is probably going to be made to go to college."

Killua's brow furrowed while Gon nodded. "Yeah, and Leorio wants to go to Med school."

"Who would make Pairo go to college but not make you go to school?... Nevermind. Kurapika, right?"

"Kurapika in part," I admitted, thankful I hadn't mention Kinze or Juo.

"And he's likely doing the equivalent of home schooling you."

"Nope."

I lay down with a grin as Killua blinked. "There's no way that Kurapika would let you run around without an education if he's making Pairo finish a degree!"

"You're right." I could practically smell the smoke rising from Gon's ears at my cryptic words. "Night guys!"

zzzzzzzzzz

Leorio came to fetch us the next morning and briefed us on what they now knew about the weather here. The storm would be back right around dusk, and then the entire island would be underwater. Luckily, due to Hanzo's quick actions and Gon's boneheaded jump to save Geretta, we hadn't lost anyone.

There was an argument already happening on deck as a number of applicants demanded what they were supposed to do. None of the remaining ships were in any condition to be of immediate use and a number of the men were all for making rafts and getting as far as we could before the storm struck.

"That won't work!" Kurapika explained, his tone indicating that he'd had to explain this many times before. "The storm will be too widespread for us to outrun it in a small boat without a motor! We need something that can break through the waves!"

"What about this ship?" Gon called, his bright attitude in the grim situation attracting more attention than his suggestion. Thankfully, Pokkle spoke up in support.

"The engine works, and this ship is the only one heavy enough to handle the job."

Kurapika nodded. "The ship is grounded, so we'll need to make it buoyant enough."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Ponzu called.

"So rather than abandoning ship, we take it with us," Hanzo observed.

"You honestly think that'll work?!" one of the men that the ninja had saved demanded loudly. "This tub-"

"Is your best chance," I called out. "Think about it, the managers left the treasures here. We got a map, but the route to Zevil Island was found in the ship log. To me, it seems they were signaling that this ship has value and not to disregard it. This ship is also the only one with provisions. We could spend another day trying to fix up other boats, but they won't survive the storm."

Hanzo took over. "If we all focus on this one ship, we should be able to survive and get this one heavy ship going, without squabbling over supplies any further. We've wasted enough with what was lost yesterday."

"We need to assess the condition of the ship. Lets all spread out and check it, then report back here in one hour," Kurapika ordered.

Hanzo caught my shoulder before I could follow. "Set up those distillers again before you go," he instructed. "We can't have you on full-time duty for those today, but we can't afford to not have them either."

The distillers had pretty much been thrown in two corners by people retreating to the ship yesterday, but the frames were in good shape and the plastic just needed to be smoothed out. No one bothered me as I set the distillers up once more and set up the pans and buckets before heading into the ship. Focusing, my En washed out to over 100 meters, encompassing the ship and I looked for any abnormalities, any breaches in the hull. It caused me to smile when I found that aside from small tears that we could easily fix, any major damage had been repaired already. By professionals at that if I judged right.

"The hull of the ship is mostly fine," I informed Kurapika as I entered the wheelhouse of the ship, where he and Hanzo had just found the blueprints. "Any major tears were fixed some time ago."

"Then we just need to focus on getting the ship free," Kurapika observed.

"We'll need to blow the supports," Hanzo stated.

"So explosives? Good news in that I happen to be a demolition expert," a man called, his voice indicating that he'd had his nose broken and not set properly.

"The main problem is the bow of the ship, it's planted so firmly into the rock that it would take a lot of ammunition to free it. The only thing with the power to do the job are the forward turrets."

"Those rusty cannons?" Killua asked.

"The ship is patched to the point that a bunch of amateurs without much equipment can make it float," I pointed out. "If the Hunter Association is intending us to take this ship, then those likely are in either working condition, or a condition that we can fix."

"Quite likely since there's plenty of ammo," Tonpa added. "I found it yesterday and got a pretty good idea of what was there."

"I saw it too." Leorio rubbed his head in embarrassment. "Who'd have thought that what we found could prove so valuable?"

Pokkle and Ponzu volunteered to get the engine running and Gon called that he and Killua would clean the propellers.

"Takara, would you find the best route to get Pokkle and Ponzu to the engine room?" Kurapika asked.

"Sure," I replied before heading out with the pair. Pokkle seemed more than a bit put out, but Ponzu shrugged off the thought of possibly having to follow a little girl. I hadn't retracted my En yet, and thus it was easy to find the engine room. I was even able to find a fast, clear route to it.

"Hey! This isn't where I was thinking of entering!" Pokkle called after me as I used my kun to force off the cover of an air duct that would provide a mostly clear route to the engine room.

"The Association knows where you'd enter, this path is clear," I shot back as I entered the hole.

"I'll follow her, you can try to find another route. We'll call if this is faster," Ponzu told Pokkle.

"Be careful," he ordered before parting, then Ponzu entered the tunnel.

Neither of us spoke as I took the lead, the darkness of the ship not affecting my ability to navigate.

"Hey, wait up!" Ponzu called. "I have a flashlight! Do you need one?"

"No," I replied, and felt Ponzu's suspicions rise. She chose to say nothing as we moved quickly through the airduct, quickly resorting to crawling on our hands and knees through the twisting shaft. My course was sure, and three minutes later we dropped into the engine room. Ponzu gaped after setting up a lantern so she could see before she grabbed her phone.

"Pokkle, she was right! We're in the engine room!" I heard Pokkle's voice as he muttered something then asked for directions. "It wasn't a straight shot, I don't know if I could guide you."

"Stay here, I'll go get him," I ordered, climbing back to the hole.

"She's going back for you, so get the airduct! I'll start setting up!" Ponze called the last part to both me and Pokkle.

Pokkle had already entered to tunnel and was waiting with his flashlight when I arrived, surprising him.

"Geez! A pale face in the dark, I thought I was being approached by a ghost!" he practically yelled as I turned to guide him through the tunnels.

"So a ghost would crawl through a tunnel?" I asked good-naturedly.

"Of course it would! It has to be as creepy as possible!"

This trip was faster since Pokkle already had his flashlight out and didn't keep attempting to offer one to me. Ponzu had already set up some lights by the time we arrived, despite it having only been five minutes.

"Wow, great work," Pokkle admitted as he dropped into the room.

I pulled my En back to 10 meters as the pair got to work, only to have a manual passed to me.

"Check what the procedures for starting the engines are in that and mark the right pages," Ponzu ordered as Pokkle moved about, connecting a series of cables, rewiring some of the machinery, and replacing burnt out circuits.

Flipping open the manual, I began to read as quickly as I could, nen illuminating the words for me. I marked the pages that covered the power settings and limitations of the engines before moving on the cover the procedures. During that time, I passed tools to the working duo when asked. It would only take two people to start the engines thankfully, and as my attention turned back to Pokkle and Ponzu, I wondered for a long moment if I shouldn't have pursued engineering so I could have been more help. Of course, that thought was ridiculous, I was about as mechanically inclined as a gorilla.

"Do you have tho- How are you reading with bandages over your eyes?!" Pokkle demanded as he took the manual from me and studied it. "But you got the info right. That saves us some time."

"Need me to stick around? I'm not really good at these sorts of things."

"No, but here." Pokkle shoved what felt like several chemical beacons into my hands. "Use these to mark the passage out as you go."

"Will do!"

Returning to deck was far faster on my own, I was much smaller and didn't have to wait for someone dragging a flashlight.

Several of the applicants had been checking the distillers during the time I was below deck, collecting the water and refilling the evaporation pans. Overfilling them. I dumped almost half of the seawater from most of the pans to increase the evaporation rate.

Charges were being set on the supports, Leorio was collecting the ammunition, and Hanzo was quick to have me join the crew that was sealing small holes in the body of the ship. The clouds were forming already.

"Come on! We need to get in!" someone shouted near me several hours later, my attention having been riveted on the task at hand. Pairo was there, grabbing my hand and yanking me up as Killua and Hanzo ran past. It was in that moment that it occurred to me just how fast the winds were. "The waterspout has already formed!"

Siper would be in charge of the cannons, and for some reason, Hanzo had ordered that I was to be by her, observing the rock for any weak points. Extra explosives had already been planted in the rocks and it was hoped that I would feel the changing structure after they were detonated.

"All hands, make your final preparations!" Kurapika's voice rang out over the loudspeaker for the ship as I took off towards the turret control room, Pairo heading to the loading bay.

"Thought you wouldn't make it," Siper called as I skidded into the room and slid into the support station behind her. Normally this station monitored the condition of the cannons, but we wouldn't have that need today. If they failed, then so did we.

My En blasted out to 100 meters then, all of my attention on the rock. "Those explosives are mostly well placed," I observed after a moment before a thought occurred to me. I was observing fissures in the stone that indicated where to attack, but what if Hisoka threw a few cards to further weaken the rock?

For a long moment I almost jumped from my seat before using En to determine his location. Hisoka had planted himself at the top of the ship, perched precariously on a tall pole. There was no way I'd be able to reach him, and I doubted he'd do anything just because I asked.

Hisoka turned his head rather suddenly in my direction at that moment, waving in a jaunty manner and I was instantly on edge. My unease increased exponentially when he waved a card.

"Look out!" I screamed as Hisoka let the card fly, and I jumped up, unsure of what I was attempting to do until I realize the card had cut a beam above the cannon control room. Siper would be fine, but the control in the back would be crushed unless-!

Wedging myself by the controls, kun out, I managed to redirect the falling beam, keeping the controls intact even as pain erupted in my head.

zzzzzzzzzz

Leorio was hovering over me when I came to some time later, Pairo next to him. Despite my En being down, I could feel the presence of both.

"What-?" I managed but Leorio kept me from trying to sit up.

"Are you feeling dizzy? Nauseous?" the aspiring doctor asked.

"No, just a headache."

"Not surprising. You got clocked by a piece of falling debris after keeping some of the cannon controls from being destroyed. Siper said that if you hadn't been there, we'd have lost Cannon 1!"

If I hadn't been there, Hisoka wouldn't have attacked. I didn't say this.

"Judging from the fact that we're talking, I guess we made it?"

Pairo laughed in response. "Yep, everyone made it."

"Good…" I managed to utter. Thirty-eight applicants. Assuming Hisoka, Illumi, and Hanzo all pursued three targets, actually four in the case of Hisoka, that would equal ten numbers. That gave a buffer of twenty-five numbers, plenty of opportunity for Gon, Leorio, Killua, Kurapika, Pairo, and me. Provided none of us became the targets of any of the first three.

"Hey! It's the Hunter Association blimp!" Leorio called, his grin apparent.

The sound of the airhorn filled the air as I shrugged off Leorio's hands and stood. It took a moment for En to reactivate, but it was relieving to have to world return to my senses.

"Attention, all applicants will gather at the stern of the ship," a voice called over a loudspeaker as the airship made its descent to the ship.

"Gon! The stern is the BACK of the ship!" Killua yelled as the fishing-pole-wielder attempted to race ahead. Gon did the fastest about-face I had ever witnessed and rushed in the correct direction.

"We never ate those cookies you made," Pairo suddenly said as he watched the boys run off then fished a plastic bag from his satchel. "You should take them, Takara. Share them with Gon and Killua."

"Thanks," I replied as I accepted the cookies then settled them into my own bag.

"Congratulations everyone," Lippo called as the applicants formed a loose group in front of him. "We shall now be moving on to the fourth phase of the exam, which shall be the last phase before the final. In this box are as many slips of paper as there are number of applicants still remaining."

I had already removed my number at this point and was wondering where to hide the awkward sized badge.

"You will each choose one in the order which you escaped Trick Tower. Hisoka goes first."

The sea of applicants parted for Hisoka, no one wanting to be near him even as several of the applicants muttered about how he hadn't helped with freeing the ship. I shook as he reached into the box and took a number. This was the one area of the exam where my actions thus far could have disastrous consequences, and there was very little I could do about it.

Our names were called one after another from that point on, with Leorio choking VERY loudly and Hanzo groaning when I was called third.

My hand was caught by Lippo before I could reach into the box. "No tricks," he warned, and I shut off my En which resulted in him letting go of my hand.

#80 was my target, and I almost swallowed my spit upon realizing I had drawn Siper. She was supposed to be killed by Illumi and her badge passed on to Hisoka!

Taking a deep breath, I attempted to make a plan, and the best I could come up with was to grab her badge either on day one or two. Any time after that might mean possibly running into Illumi or losing the badge to Hisoka. At which point, my best bet was to find three other people. But if I got Siper's badge, what would happen to Gon if he still drew Hisoka and the clown was a single point from passing when Gon captured his badge?

Around me, the other applicants were already stowing their badges and I chose then to pin mine to the back of my undershirt, hidden by my shirt.

"So… What number did you draw?" Killua asked Gon as I approached the pair.

"What about you?"

"It's a secret."

"You didn't draw each other or you wouldn't be talking, you'd be finding an alternative." Both boys looked up at me as I approached. "How about we show each other our cards."

"Okay," Gon brightened up.

"1, 2, 3!" We each showed our cards, though I hadn't needed them to reveal them to me.

"Hisoka! What rotten luck," Killua stated once he caught sight of Gon's number. "So who's #197?"

"One of the Amori brothers," I explained. "Mine is Siper."

Things relaxed as we settled in for the remainder of the trip.

"So Gon, do you want some help?" I asked after a few minutes, uncertain how I could help him. Hisoka scared and creeped the living daylights out of me!

Gon seemed to think for a few minutes before shaking his head. "Nah, I think it'll be better if I figure this out myself. Besides, you have your own target and I doubt she'll be easy to catch!"

He had me there: my En might be far reaching but Siper was a sniper. A VERY good one at that. She might see me coming before I had her in range, though I doubted she would pick up on me being after her.

"Make sure you hide your badge well," I ordered Gon. "And not somewhere obvious like your backpack."

Gon's shuffling after made it obvious that he was moving his badge.

Finally, the boat arrived at Zevil Island and everyone boarded a small boat to go ashore.

"You'll have one week to collect your badges then to meet us back on this beach once the week is over," an attendant explained as a ramp was lowered. "You will be disembarking in the same order in which you reached the bottom of Trick Tower. To keep things orderly, you will be going ashore one-at-a-time at two-minute intervals."

Everyone shifted nervously as Hisoka walked down the ramp to the beach, Leorio and Kurapika murmuring about his advantage at going first.

"Takara, do you have a plan?" Pairo asked quietly. "Because I want you to go into the jungle then hide and wait for Kurapika or me to find you."

"I was working on a plan," I replied quietly.

"Just make sure you find one of us, this is an area where you are in the most danger. Even if you manage to capture your badge, you might not be able to find your way back to the beach without someone you trust."

"We have a week," I whispered back.

"But we won't have our phones much longer. We haven't been able to charge them!"

I groaned at having that pointed out. Kinze was going to be on a war path.

Illumi walked down the ramp and I began to breathe a bit easier as the most serious threats moved away. The attendant was already signaling for me to get ready to disembark.

It would be a good thirty minutes before Pairo would disembark, and Siper would be off before him. Maybe I'd be able to get the drop on her and avoid a situation with Hisoka.

"Time!" the attendant announced, my signal to go.

Taking a deep breath, I began the trek down the ramp as my En began to push out, but something wasn't right. The trees up ahead were… Wrong. I could feel it, a creeping sensation like I was being watched.

Goosebumps ran up my arms as I couldn't find what was creeping me out, but I wasn't going to doubt my instincts.

The sand under my feet sank a bit as I took off running, determined to try to get around the creepy sensation, determined to dodge whichever one was after me, Hisoka or Illumi. The shade of the trees was welcome though I knew it offered me no shelter and my pace increased as my feet hit solid ground.

I barely ducked in time to avoid the projectile thrown at me, a card from the sound of it, and knew immediately just how screwed I was. Hisoka must have drawn my number! But where was he?! Why wasn't I picking him up with En?!

Another breath as I continued to run, then my nen washed out to my maximum range of En, determined find Hisoka's location, but once again I found nothing. I did change directions though due to Illumi being straight ahead of me. Unfortunately, my change in trajectory was anticipated and I never made a faster stop in my life.

" Hello !" Hisoka declared brightly as I skidded to a stop less than a meter in front of him. " Would you mind if we had a little chat, Takara ?"

zzzzzzzzzz

The scream that erupted from the forest caused half of the ship to jump, even Hanzo froze despite only having another minute until he could disembark.

Tonpa recovered first. "Good news for us, seems that THAT guy already got his target."

Pairo and Kurapika were both being held back by other examinees, their eyes wild. "Stop it! He could be killing her! Let me go!" Both yelled similar phrases as they stared at the forest.

"You two trying to save her right now will only get you disqualified!" Hanzo argued. "If Hisoka targeted her, she's already dead. He wouldn't play around with her. I'll check around once I go, see if I can find anything."

"Don't hurt her."

"On my honor as a ninja," Hanzo replied as he received the signal to go.

"Kinze is going to skin us alive," Kurapika muttered.

Chapter 22: Chapter 22