"To be very basic, Trace essentially turns anything I mark into a homing missile," Rukei explained drawing a symbol, a dot with a ring around it, on the wall with her finger dipped in paint, "It locks onto whatever or whoever has this symbol painted onto it."

For a demonstration, she took a ball and drew something resembling an arrow across it, and after muttering the word it flew out of her hand and right into the center dot on the wall.

Gon let out an exclamation of 'wow!' and asked her when she started working on it. She started practicing while they were at Whale Island. She had always been a little annoyed that her paint guns didn't have too much effect but she decided to fortify the seemingly nearly useless weapon into something a lot more than that.

"However, Trace is a little difficult depending on what object you're sending over," the brunette cautioned, "Say for example, this ball," Rukei picked up the tennis ball and threw it up in the air once, "Is far easier to send over than a vehicle or something of that sort. You've seen this in Gido's technique, haven't you? Rather than focusing on one large thing to manipulate, he used a multiple of small tops."

"Alright!" Leorio announced optimistically, "This will make capturing the Troupe a lot easier!"

Yeah, if pawning a Hunter License was considered easy.

Gon was absolutely unbelievable, the boy actually handed over the card without much of a regret for information on the Phantom Troupe. Leorio was still in pretty high spirits about the whole money making jig, he declared if the captured one spider, they'd be able to ensnare everyone else with no problem and they'd have a total of 14 billion jenny.

"Gon, what's wrong?"

The boy had stopped to pick up a peculiarly shaped blade, one that she recognized. She had seen several different forms of it, in photos, in glass cases, and sometimes in the hands of someone who wanted to kill her.

"Oh, a Ben's Knife," Killua identified the blade, "A hundred years ago a mass murderer designed it. He was a famous blacksmith. This is one of his original works. It's a lesser known piece that a lot of rabid collectors are after."

Rukei was a little surprised; there were a multiple of models of all sorts scattered everywhere, "He created a new one for each victim. There's a total of 288 Ben's Knives around."

"I'm impressed you recognized it."

But the boy shook his head, "No, I didn't. It happened to catch my eye, so I got curious and I used Gyo. That's when I noticed a faint aura on it."

"Gyo?" Leorio repeated in confusion.

"A form of Nen. Basically, you look really hard at something," Killua clarified, before proceeding to do as Gon had done, and just as the boy had said, there was a little bit of aura surrounding it.

Leorio took the blade from the boy's hands wanting to give it a try. Unfortunately, though expectantly, the man couldn't see a thing.

But Killua was suddenly struck with an idea as their conversation dragged on, "That's it! There's another way!"

"Another way?"

The white-haired boy grinned, "Another way to make money. Remember how Four-eyes mentioned that really talented people use Nen without even realizing it themselves?"

Rukei reached over to smack him across the head for the nickname, but he had grown used to this by now and ducked without even a glance over his shoulder.

"If we search for items with aura on them, like this knife, it's likely some genius made them."

Gon's face brightened up at the prospect, "I get it! We can find hidden gems with no formal appraisal training. Then we can auction them at a higher price!"

The man handling the stall wasn't too nosy in their business but he mentioned that if they wanted the knife, then they'd have to name their price on the tag, and wait till the time expires for the item.

And so, the hunt in the market began.

They had one three and lost one in the end, but it didn't seem too bad. However, the auction house had turned them away to the trade market, due to the fact that they couldn't accept any more items after the catalog had been published.

"You found these in your cellar?"

"Yep! Our dad told us to sell them if the price was right!"

Our dad? Rukei passed the white-haired boy a skeptical glance. We don't even look remotely alike. But if that was her line of thought, Glass and Crimson didn't look like her in the slightest, and neither did Shichi.

But the man behind the counter hadn't suspected a thing, and complimented the items set in front of him, "These are wonderful pieces," he picked up the framed work first, "Only fifty copies were printed, and yours has a single-digit serial number. And an authentic autograph. I'd guess it's worth at least 150,000."

That was a good number. They waited anxiously for the next.

"This antique doll is also excellent. It's in great shape, and the pristine condition of both the box and the doll raises the value. I'm estimating 300,000," an even better number, but before they could celebrate they were interrupted by a "However, this one isn't worth much unfortunately."

He was referring to a wooden statue, with the reasons being that the box and statue being from different periods and there was no real theme, adding up to the sum of 1,500 jenny. But the man liked the wood apparently, and was willing to pay 80,000 for the statue as long as they sold the doll and painting for 420,000.

Rukei really didn't like the whole ordeal. 80,000 just for the wood? It seemed a little ridiculous. But the man gave them some time for them to think over the offer while he would try and check the age of the statue.

"Wait!"

At the doorway, a man stood carrying something in a cloth, most likely something he had just won from the market. He warned them not to let the man behind the counter trick them. The doll and the painting received a fair evaluation, but the statue on the other hand, was a completely different story.

"No collector would pay 80,000 for that wood," the newcomer declared, "You're after the contents of that statue!"

Contents?

"That's a wooden trove," the man pointed out, "Three hundred years ago, these were a popular way for the wealthy to hide their money. If it's real, there should be valuables inside. You planned to steal it's contents while pretending to check it's age!"

The man behind the counter began to stutter denials but was suddenly interrupted and backed up by someone else, the manager possibly. "Can you prove that's this is a genuine wooden trove?"

They began to argue, using all kind of different names for techniques that left them a little lost, like hoodwinking, dud and double-dipping, welding, and the similar. The man that appeared to be helping them, insisted that it was a trove, he swore it by the eyes of an appraiser.

The other finally backed off, realizing that it was no longer any good and he had lost. And to prove the loss, when the trove was opened, gold, jewels, and other valuables spilled out of the statue.

As it turned out, the man that had assisted them was Zepile, the one that had taken one of the four items they had targeted, as Gon called it, the 'weird pot'.

Zepile was a rather nice fellow, accepting lunch and answers to a series of questions over a 20% cut of something that he probably deserved. So, it wasn't too difficult to accept the man as their appraiser; she looked forward to working with him.

And just when she thought they were going to get to work, Gon declared that he wanted to learn more about the techniques from earlier.

"You-! Have you forgotten what you're here for?!"

"But they sound fun, like magic tricks."

"We're not here to have fun!"

But Zepile ended up teaching them a little more anyways, first about exposing and after that, side-stepping, where one removed a treasure from a different place and swapped out the treasure from there.

She thought it was pretty interesting, and perhaps a good thing to know since they'd be dealing with things like this for a little while. But their discussion was interrupted by Gon's phone going off, and Leorio alerting them of a sighting of a spider.

"It's impossible. We aren't strong enough to handle them."

Rukei glanced out the window sullenly to her targets. She had more or less known when she had seen them; this was the type of person that even Shichi would be careful to approach. But that didn't mean it was any less frustrating to hear aloud.

Leorio stood up indignantly at the boy's statement, "What was that?! We won't know until we try! And why are you saying this now?!"

Killua's tone turned stern, though nothing showed on his face or in his posture, "Quiet. They'll notice us. It can't be helped," he mumbled as Leorio took his seat, "I only knew it after I saw them. My dad once had a hit on a Troupe member."

All three of them was pretty surprised at this information. The white-haired boy hadn't told them a thing about this before.

"One of the few times I've ever heard him complain. Said the job wasn't worth the price," he added, pulling the straw away from his mouth that was slurring his words, "That's considered the greatest compliment a target can get. That was when he told us to stay away from the Troupe. It's been a few years, so I thought we might stand a chance..."

Leorio could finish the sentence in his mind, but the subject was still a little cloudy to him. "They're really that strong?"

"Would it help you to picture two Hisokas sitting there?"

"... That is definitely something that we can't handle."

Having gotten his point across, Killua went on to the next subject, "So, why do you think they're here?"

"Aren't they on a date?"

"Really?"

Rukei gave them a disapproving glance, pulling her eyes away from the targets and the heavy and tense atmosphere below, "Does that really look like a date to you?"

"They noticed the other couple behind them. They're paying close attention to their surroundings. At first, I thought it was just because the Mafia is after them. But in that case, they wouldn't be sitting in a public place. They aren't worried at all. They're waiting for someone to find them. Acting as bait, to draw out their prey."

"In the first place, if their strength is really as great as we estimated, then the Mafia can only rely on freelancers to stand a chance, like they've been doing. Without Nen, they aren't much of an opponent either-"

Suddenly, the air seemed to constrict and tie itself around her throat and hands as she held her breath and froze completely.

She silently applauded her friends bravery to even speak. "The atmosphere changed."

"I've got a really bad feeling," Gon agreed in a very quiet tone, though he didn't lift his head or even his eyes.

"Did they notice us?"

Rukei found a little voice left, and she hoped they could hear her, "The hostility is directed between the two at each other."

"They haven't noticed us."

Leorio was getting pretty antsy on the edge of grabbing everyone and running, "How do you guys know? Besides I can't use Zetsu to mask my presence like you guys."

Killua was suddenly up and acting normally again, not seeming nervous in the slightest, "If we used Zetsu, that would attract their attention. They aren't trying to sense Nen. They're trying to see if there's anyone in this area that looks or acts suspicious. So you better wipe those looks off your faces. Act normal-"

They replaced them with even more nervous looks, one that resembled a very, very strained and stressed out beckoning cat that was still trying to smile.

"Sorry, that was a bad idea."

The normalcy of the scene helped calmed her down a little and she had time and space in her mind to reevaluate the situation and scene.

She was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts as Killua spoke. "They're on the move. As I told you, we can't beat them in a fight."

"We'll find a way...," Leorio declared, quietly but determined nonetheless, his optimism from the morning still running well and perfectly, "We have to."

Gon was just as driven as the older man beside him was, resolve shining in his honest eyes. "Yeah. We can't leave empty-handed."

The white-haired boy seemed to completely expect this answer as he continued on without a sigh,"Okay. Then listen carefully. Rukei and I will tail them. We absolutely cannot let them spot us. We'll use Zetsu-"

Gon was confused with Killua's decision, "Wait, what about me?"

The boy gave him an 'isn't it obvious?' look as he continued on, "Think about it. Rukei should be more experienced in this field."

The brunette partly agreed with his statement but there was a small problem with the plan, "I do believe that one should never tail in numbers higher than the amount of people you are tailing. However," Rukei held up her new phone to emphasize her next words, "My phone is dead. You won't be able to contact me when needed to."

Leorio raised an eyebrow at her claim, "You didn't charge it last night? What, did you forget?"

"I don't forget things," Rukei huffed before directing everyone an annoyed stare, "There wasn't enough outlets and we played rock-paper-scissors to decided who got to charge, remember?"

"Oh yeah!"

"You should really try throwing something out other than scissors-ow!"

They had Gon make two promises, due to his rather impulsive nature. If their targets spotted either of the two, then both would give up and immediately escape. The second being if Killua made a judgement that any further pursuit is impossible, they give up and immediately pull back.

Leorio was to contact Zepile and handle the auction, while Rukei was to try and find more information on the Troupe.

"I'm guessing you've never tailed anyone before?" Killua questioned, turning to the spiky-haired boy beside them.

The boy hummed, not really quite sure how to respond, "Well, during the Hunter Exam, I trailed Hisoka."

"Really? Without his noticing?"

The boy nodded, and looked away to think, "Yeah. I was on his tail for a whole day."

"Unbelievable."

"Wow, not bad!"

Killua didn't seem as impressed as Leorio or Rukei as, or perhaps he was so impressed, that he felt obliged to whack Gon. At the boy's whining and questioned, Killua only defended himself with a "it just seemed appropriate".

The white-haired boy relented and quickly returned to the subject at hand, "Well, then you should have no problem. Be sure to stay out of their field of vision. Okay, let's go!"

But just before Gon and Killua could run off, Rukei quickly caught the by their shoulders and gave them a "be careful" and a quick pat on the back. They replied with a thumbs up and a grin.

And just as they faded from her field of vision, Rukei pulled out a sheet of white paper, the two creased lines crossing where she had folded it where she placed it in her front pocket earlier. She retrieved a small tube of paint and smeared a little on her finger before brushing it onto the blank paper.

"Stain."

The little splotch of amaranth color spread over the paper, rearranging itself to display the scene of what the little dot of paint she pressed onto the back of Killua's shirt could see.

Stain, or otherwise known as Sub Rosa Portrait, was a useful technique for gathering information and tracking, essentially working as a single-colored, soundless camera and tracer. If she couldn't be there with them, then she should at least know what was going on.

She couldn't see her targets, she could only see what was behind Killua, but she could tell that they were moving away from the crowded areas of the city. That was a little worrying since that-

What was that blur?

For a second as the scenery jumped ahead, meaning that Killua had moved forward, she saw something shift in the background, only lasting for a quarter of a moment.

A mistake in her ability? It was new after all. She hadn't completely ironed out Stain. It was entirely possible-

There it was again. For a second a shadow flickering across the back of the page along the rooftops. Not even for a second, flashing in and out of sight. Was it really there?

Her answer came when she could see the still figure of someone staring straight at her through the page, a panic shooting through her heart and lungs.

They were being followed.

Gon and Killua were in danger.

Rukei hardly paid heed to those who leaped out of her way to avoid something, or rather someone, who resembled a bullet driving through the crowds. She could still catch up. Their targets were moving at a walking speed so they couldn't have gotten far.

As she advanced into those cleared parts of the city she had seen on the piece of paper, she began taking cover in the buildings, jumping across the closely packed roofs; she was frightened for them of course, but that hadn't robbed her completely of her sense.

She looked down at her only guideline to their location left; it was growing worse by the second, to the point where the only things that could possibly be up ahead would be abandoned buildings and warehouses. Rukei had to proceed with even more caution and-

Click.

A familiar sound. The one of a gun ready to fire, close to the ears. To be exact, right behind her head and pressed against her skull.

She could only move her eyes down to look at the hand that was placed on her shoulder. The hand belonged to a woman and this was confirmed by her voice that spoke firmly afterwards.

"Who are you?"

What was Rukei supposed to do? Lying wouldn't get her anywhere. In fact, it would escalate the situation very quickly in a direction she did not want it to go. And so, very carefully, in a dull monotonous voice, she answered. "I am a Hunter."

"Oh? A Hunter," the woman repeated steadily, "And why are you tailing us?"

"Us" meant that this woman was a part of the Phantom Troupe. Then that man she saw for an instant was most likely a part of it too. They probably had followed their companions in silence, utilizing the idea of "to fool your enemies, you must first fool your friends". Rukei was about to answer, as she was forced to, but the woman made a very slight shift and quiet remark of surprise.

What was it? Had something happened? Was this Rukei's chance to escape?

But the questions continued.

"The mafia bounty?" Questions sprinted across her mind. They were already aware then? Or was it something else? "Are those boys ahead your friends?"

"Yes."

"How does that ability of yours work?"

Rukei did everything she could not to show any signs of nervousness or fear. But she was already beginning to break out in a cold sweat. The paper in between her fingers crinkled a little. "I can observe a scene from a dot of paint."

The next command was quick and expectant. "Deactivate it."

She tore the paper in two and tossed it away.

"Who taught you how to shadow and use Nen? Does he use chains?"

"Chains?" Rukei echoed aloud. Why chains? Was this the person they wanted to draw out? She was forced out of her evaluation as the woman told her to answer the question, "I was taught how to shadow by my sister. I learned Nen from a Shingen-ryu master. Neither uses chains."

There was a moment of silence. The lady was contemplating something or deciding what to do with the girl.

"Come with us."

Rukei had to do something.

That was the thought that stood most important in her mind as the entered the same deserted building that Gon had entered.

She had to do something, something to let Gon know that they were there, that they were coming, that Gon and Killua were in danger. If she screamed they would definitely know. Her Ren would let them know just as well but both could be detected by the lady who had this stupid gun propped up against her head.

The lady warned her not to do anything funny just as the hundreds of thoughts ran through her mind. It was as if this woman could read the girl's mind. That was nonsense, she couldn't-

Gon.

She wanted to apologize. As she stood there, watching him turn towards her with a panic stricken face turning to shock, then worry, she just wanted to apologize, to say something, to do something.

Rukei did not move as the woman tried stepped forward. The woman nudged her with the end of the gun but the brunette's feet were planted firmly to the ground.

"And what is the meaning of this?"

Rukei did not reply. The woman seemed like she was about to say something else when her phone vibrated. That was all Rukei and Gon needed.

She moved her head to the inside of the woman's arm and flung the pistol out from the woman's fingers, the metal sliding across the ground. Rukei grabbed onto the woman's arm and prepared to throw the woman over her shoulder but just as she clutched the fabric of the woman's clothes, her hands were suddenly forced together, like an invisible rope had wrapped around it and she couldn't move her feet either. A look up showed Gon in the same position.

An invisible rope?

Gyo gave her the view of countless threads strung about the two all originating to the pink-haired woman. Someone who could tangle her hands so quickly, so easily; the very idea unnerved her.

"Your friend has surrendered."

The reception was intimidating to say the least.

There were twelve of them sitting or standing about, all of different demeanors and sizes, but among them, she quickly recognized the jester. She caught the look he sent them, and she moved her eyes away scanning for something else. Rukei still needed answers from him, she remembered, what did he know about the Zakuya and why he knew about them. But that would-

"Ah!"

Rukei tensed, gripping her hand behind her back. You idiot.

Gon realized his mistake a second later and stood with a 'what should I do know' expression written all over his face. The man with long black hair caught on to this. "What? Do you recognize someone here?"

"Uh, no," Killua tried to cover up, looking about rapidly before pointing at a woman reading a book with glasses. The woman they arm wrestled, "Oh! It's that girl!"

The other man looked up with interest, "You know them, Shizuku?"

Shizuku set down her book to see the kids a little better, before shaking her head, "Nope, never seen them before."

This baffled the three, but the small man beside her recalled their faces. "Oh, I remember. It's the arm wrestling kid."

The woman looked to the other two in confusion, "Who was that?"

The largest member ahead of them explained to her, "Two days ago, you lost to that kid at arm wrestling."

"Lost? I lost?" Shizuku repeated in disbelief, "No way. Even I would never lose to a kid."

"Well, you were using your right hand...," he reasoned but was cut off by the woman.

"Why? I'm left handed."

The man beside her sighed and turned away, "Don't bother. Once Shizuku's forgotten something, she'll never remember."

And so, the other member gave up as well, "Never mind. I was mistaken."

"Thought so."

The long-haired man seemed pretty interested by this fact though, turning to Gon, "Oh? You actually beat Shizuku?"

"Yeah."

"Never would have imagined her to be a Troupe member though," Killua breathed, a little relieved to have escaped destroying their chances of leaving completely.

The man set down his katana in front of him and tied the long hair back, declaring a random and surprising statement. "Alright. I challenge you."

-

"One more time."

How many times had it been?

Rukei would say that she had forgotten but that would be a lie. She had not forgotten how many times Gon's bloody hand had slammed against the stone table and she had not forgotten how many times she had seen this familiar scene of Gon getting beat down repeatedly.

"One more time."

She had not forgotten how she felt like during all these times. Useless, helpless, and angry. Each emotion was growing stronger by the second.

The man suddenly started up a conversation while he held up his hand for the boy for the next round. "Hey, in arm wrestling, what rank am I in the Troupe?"

"Seventh or eighth?"

"You not weak, but you're not strong, either."

He nodded, before turning his eyes back on Gon, "And you know, the strongest guy was called Uvogin. But apparently, he was killed by the chain user."

Killua spoke here, and if he hadn't she was sure she would have. It was 'chain user' this and 'chain user' that. They had repeated it over and over that they had no idea who it may be. "We already said thar we don't know who it is-"

"Brat!" the man smashed his hand down against the table, with Gon's hand along with it, "If you speak one more time without permission, I'll kill you," he held up his hand again firmly, "One more time."

There was a soft patter of drops of red falling to the table as the next round began.

"He was an enhancer. Simple-minded and straightforward, he loved a good, all-out fight. But he was fussy about time. He'd get into fights with Franklin and me when we were late. He'd beat the crap out of me in an unarmed brawl. I've known him since before the Troupe was founded," he went on darkly, "I know him better than anyone. He would never... Uvo would never lose a fight!"

The man was crying over his comrade; something that didn't happen in the Zakuya. The person standing next to you in the assembly the day before was sometimes gone the next. That was it. There was no shame in dying. There was no glory in dying. A silent and collective acceptance.

"He must have been caught in some dirty trap! I will make his killer pay. I'll find him, no matter how many I have to kill. The chain user bears some strong grudge against us. The Mafia's Nostrade family hired him recently."

It wasn't that difficult to quickly put two and two together. The unanswered phone calls, recently hired, strong grudge, Rukei suddenly had a very good idea of who the chain user was.

"You might not have heard of him directly, but you may have heard stories of him! Think hard...," the man growled, "If you have any guesses, spill them!"

"I don't know anything," Gon replied strongly, tightening his grip, "But even if I did, I would never tell you!"

The boy was angry, not over his messed up hand or the fact that they were being kept here, but over something else.

"I thought you were just a bunch of heartless monsters," Gon admitted before turning his eyes upward to face them, "But you'll mourn the death of one of your one?"

She could feel the sudden growth in aura, Gon's Ren. His hand barely hovering over the side of the table was gradually pushing it's way to the other side.

"Why couldn't you spare, spare just a fraction of that grief for the people you've killed?!"

Nobunaga's hand slammed against the table with Gon's on top.

But victory did not even last for a split second, as the smaller man from before twisted Gon's arm up behind his back. "You're getting too cocky."

Rukei quickly kicked up the broken, rusty pipe near her foot and into the air, grabbing it only to have something feeling similar to steel wire pressed against her neck.

"Drop it."

It fell to the ground with a clang over the man's words. "Answer the question. Do you know who the chain user is?"

But Gon lost none of his fire, even if he was in the gravest situation out of all of them. "I already said I have nothing to tell you!"

The man made something between a scoff and a chortle, but was suddenly pulled away from it as the first man called his name. "Feitan. Stop."

"Stop what?"

"Stop what you're about to do," the man clarified gruffly, rubbing his hand.

Feitan continued on spitefully, "You know what I'm about to do?"

The first rolled his eyes, "You're going to break his arm right?"

Feitan corrected him, "I'd start with a finger... Peel off a nail."

"It doesn't matter where you start! Just stop!" He raised his voice, tired of having to repeat himself.

"Why are you giving me orders?" the other questioned in a tone equally hostile, "I have no reason to listen to you."

The rate of the scene escalating shot up as the man stomped against the table they wrestled on, with a challenging look upon his face. It seemed like things were about to get physical in a second when one of the other members spoke, "Hey, quit it, Nobunaga."

"Have you forgotten the rules?" The woman behind her questioned.

"Troupe members aren't allowed to start serious fights," Shizuku added from the back.

Nobunaga huffed and fished out a coin from his pocket with an annoyed 'I know!' before flipping it up in the air.

"Tails," Feitan claimed.

"Heads!"

Rukei silently prayed and hoped with everything she had left that the coin had landed on it's face. After what felt like an eternity, Nobunaga lifted his hand to reveal the spider. Heads.

Feitan reluctantly backed off and Gon sprung away from the man. Similarly, Hisoka and the woman behind her had released their holds on their captives and Rukei quickly joined the other two.

"So, what do with them? They don't know anything about the chain user."

"If they don't know anything, we can let them go," the largest man glanced over to the woman who had first found her, "Well, Pakunoda?"

'Let them go?' But wouldn't killing them be safer for the Troupe? Had Lady Luck finally pitied them for all that had happened up until the flipping of the coin?

"I checked on the trip here," Pakunoda replied cooly, "They really don't know anything."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. They have no memories of the chain user."

That was an odd way to state it, and with everything that had occurred, Rukei knew it was no coincidence. A Nen ability? One that could read minds by touching another?

Nobunaga turned to the pink-haired lady, "Looks like your instincts were off this time."

"That's weird," she hummed, a little bewildered, but shrugged it off, "Well, if Pakunoda says so, it must be true."

"Then there's no point in keeping them here," a blonde man besides Pakunoda spoke up but one of those who captured them was against the idea.

The man in training suit walked up to voice his concerns, "No, we can't be sure they're completely unrelated. It's possible they're being used. If the chain user typically conceals his chains, they wouldn't realize that he's the chain user. We shouldn't release them till they tell us who they're working for."

Again with the 'to fool your enemies, you must first fool your allies' logic. But Pakunoda and the other fellow saved them.

"That's unlikely," Pakunoda countered, "The brunette is an eidetic. Her memories would have shown at least something slightly off."

That confirmed Rukei's suspicions. Pakunoda could scan memories, which meant this woman was very dangerous against people like Rukei. She was just as the woman had said, or if not, something very close to it.

"And assuming that they're working for someone else, it wouldn't be the chain user. Because he operates alone. Rather than using a couple of kids, we can find information we need through the Nostrade Family," the man beside her reasoned, "Since we know the chain user's a member. Our target is the chain user. We should ignore everyone else."

"There you go," Feitan glanced at them, "You kids are lucky."

Gon blew a raspberry despite having just barely escape torture.

"No, not yet."

Rukei was getting really fed up with this. She had been thrown about from intense panic to intense relief too many times today and it was giving her mind quite the spin.

Nobunaga continued, "I won't let him leave. Kid. Join the spiders. Team up with me."

What a ridiculous proposal. Of course, the obvious reply came quickly. "No way. I'd rather die than join you guys!"

Nobunaga chuckled, leaning back, "He really hates us. You're an Enhancer, right?"

"What if I am?!"

"I knew it!" the man declared before chuckles bursted out into cackles where even the other troupe manners looked at each other and shrugged. "Hey! We're keeping them here until the boss gets back. I'm going to recommend we recruit them."

What- Why did Gon have to be so... So... Likable?!

"Are you serious?"

"The boss will never agree to that."

One of them gave up completely, "Well, you can do whatever you want but you have to watch them. Don't come crying if they escape."

-

"That should do for now," she finished, securing the knot of her handkerchief around the spiky-haired boy's hand.

He waved his hand around in the air a little and opened and closed it before turning to give her a quick smile, "Thanks, Rukei."

She nodded before turning the white-haired boy. She still had some cloth left, and the marks boy's ankles concerned her. "Killua, let me-"

"You're wrong!"

He jolted to a stand, and Rukei retracted her hand as his aura spiked to a frightening blue color she hadn't seen before. His eyes had dilated and a desperate, fearful expression was marked across his face. She had seen this look before and she had heard those word already.

But that couldn't be right. Illumi wasn't here or anywhere close to them. Then what was it?

Killua stepped forward steadily even after Nobunaga's threats, though it was obvious that his mind wasn't in the same state. Rukei stood to go after him but the boy suddenly stopped, turned around and headed back to the wall that he used as a punching bag, a hole left in it's place.

They spent more time in the silence for them to think of ways to escape. If Rukei just had a chance, if there was just a moment...

"Is Leorio okay?" Gon questioned and Rukei resisted sighing. They were trapped in the hideout of the world's most notorious band of thieves and he was worrying if the doctor had found the appraiser or not. But the worry was suddenly addressed to the white-haired boy who was trembling, "Killua, are you okay?"

"Yeah."

Yeah, right.

"Hey, Zeplie-san taught us welding, exposing...," the boy continued. Was the boy perhaps bored? "What else was there?"

"I forgot."

"Side-stomping, maybe?" Gon hummed.

Rukei didn't have the cube to play with so she had opted to untying and retying her shoelaces as she spoke, "Should we really be talking about this now?"

"Gon, Rukei. I'll act as a decoy. Use that chance to escape."

Gon's demeanor quickly flipped over at those words.

"What are you talking about?"

"Seriously," Nobunaga agreed having overhead them, "Forget it. You're smart enough to know how much stronger I am. There won't be any chances."

"Shut up!" the boy snapped, getting to his feet once more. His words fit in with the conversation, but the more she watched him, the more she felt that he was speaking with someone else, fighting with someone else, "I won't know until I try!"

Gon walked to his friend's side quickly, "Killua, what are you thinking?"

"I'll stop his shodachi, even if it kills me. Use that chance to run away!"

This... This stupid, little- How many times was he going to make her repeat herself? She wasn't going to run away.

Gon hit him across the head.

"Good work, Gon," Rukei praised.

It took a moment for Killua to react. He grabbed Gon's collar angrily demanding, "What was that for?!"

"Don't be so selfish!" He yelled back.

"Huh?!"

"Don't talk about dying like it's nothing!"

Killua grit his teeth, tightening his grip, "You did the same thing earlier!"

"I'm allowed to do it!" Gon shot back without a single pause, "But you aren't!"

Okay, that one got Rukei. It was random, selfish, and had no sense behind it. Even Nobunaga began laughing at his ridiculous words.

"We can't escape unless we're prepared to die, stupid!" Killua growled, pushing the boy away, "You have no idea what I was thinking... Who's the selfish one?!"

Gon didn't miss a beat after the boy's words, "Yeah, I have no idea! Because I'm stupid!"

Rukei pulled her hand over her face at the boy's argument. This was completely not what she had in mind when she was going to stop Killua. "I apologize. I may have hit you two too many times over these past few months."

Nobunaga's guffaws of laughter rang over the empty room, "You kids are hilarious! Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you or anything. Just behave yourselves. I know you're serious," he admitted, "Don't throw your lives away. Wait until the boss comes back and if he doesn't give you his approval, you can leave. But if you try to escape, I'll kill you."

There was the click of the metal as he held up the sword, the way an iaido practitioner would.

"Don't make me draw my katana. If I pull it out, you'll die."

The tense air was suddenly popped like a balloon as Gon whirled around to them excitedly, "I remember now! It was side-stepping!"

Surely, there must have been a kind of limit as to how random Gon could get...

The spiky-haired boy lifted a finger for each of the things he listed off, "Welding, exposing, and the last one was side-stepping!"

Of course! Why didn't we- she was such an idiot!

"Do you remember now?"

"Yeah, I sure do!" Killua's expression brightened with a realization as they began to have a short celebration, absolutely mystifying for the one watching outside of the three.

Gon grinned, as they turned to face Nobunaga, Ren in use, "Now, that we've figured that out..."

"Let's go!"

Nobunaga stood up, grip on sword and sheath, "Are you serious? You're going to die. I'm not skilled or merciful enough to control my strength."

The black-haired boy and the kid with slanted eyes darted forward and Nobunaga prepared to intercept them but both suddenly turned suddenly and smashed down the walls on either side. The brunette stood still in place so Nobunaga supposed that he would have to use her as a hostage or something. He doubted that they'd just leave their friend behind, especially that Enhancer kid.

But as he was about to dart forward, she pointed behind him and gave him a quiet, monotonous warning of "behind you".

Yeah, as if he would fall for that-

What in the world?!

He took a blow to the back suddenly and he turned around to see what or who had hit him, only to see a rusty pipe with some kind of arrow drawn across it, that had impaled through the door and fell to the ground with a clang. It was the same one that the brunette had picked up earlier when Feitan grabbed the black-haired boy.

Nobunaga whirled back around. The brunette had already escaped and he had no idea which route she took. He cursed. The kid with slanted eyes was closer to the stairs, so he'd chased after the black-haired boy.

He heard another smash and a look inside the room told him that the black-haired kid had tried going to the next room, but when he looked around, no one was in it. The walls were intact and the door was locked.

"Killua, Rukei, are you there?!"

"Yeah, we're here!"

The last hole was a decoy! He had broken it before hiding in the nearby room waiting for Nobunaga to pass, then stepped into the hallway. These kids were clever and getting on his nerves.

"We can beat him together!"

-

"Idiot."

"Man, I wanted to beat him up."

"That's impossible. He'd have fought you off and killed you."

They jumped over the chain linked fence as Gon continued to ask, "100% guaranteed?"

"100% guaranteed," Rukei affirmed as she dusted off her clothes after landing back on the ground.

Killua nodded, following up her statement, "We don't stand a chance against someone only knowing the basics of Nen."

Gon tilted his head before turning to brunette, "But Rukei knows more than the basics."

"Hardly," the girl huffed in defeat, taking in air for the run ahead of them and preparing her mind for the upcoming headache, "Everything is still in new and experimental stages. The distance with the Trace just now was probably more than I should have done."

Killua shoved his hands into his pockets, glancing at her, "Oh right. How'd you mark him anyways? He didn't give any openings and he should have noticed."

Rukei held up a finger smeared with dry paint, "I marked the door behind him when we entered. When he leaned back, the mark transferred onto the back of his shirt. Right now, I can only manage to have one target, and Trace will only respond to the newest one."

"Risky, but good work," Killua approved, but stopped to catch the happy stare of Gon, "What is it?"

"You finally sound like yourself again. It's my job to say crazy stuff," their friend grinned, "Your job is to stay cool and stop me."

Rukei stifled a laugh as Killua turned away with a 'hmph' and Gon took the moment to give him a slap on the back.

"I'm counting on you!" Gon cheered as he began to head off. The brunette was about to follow, but stopped for a moment to look at Killua.

"Right, I almost forgot," she mentioned, and the boy looked at her curiously. He growled when she flicked him on the forehead.

He held his hand there, glaring at her, "What did I do this time? Is this for back there?" Killua guessed in an irritated voice.

"You deserve a backhand."

。。。

THE NEW COVER.

BASK.

BASK IN IT.

Oh, also

Because Le Oreo doesn't have enough art and 3/3 is his b-day (I know it's kinda late guys ^^; ) But really, I know some people dislike Leorio but I really don't see why, he's hilarious. Actually, I think most to all Emitters are super under appreciated. Like Senritsu or Knuckle. And Franklin was pretty helpful to Gon and Killua if not partial. And I also liked Kurapika's master, Izunavi a lot too, even though we didn't see too much of him. Bloster (his name's sounds more like Brovuda to me really) was also pretty cool. The part between him and Reina was just so... So *cries*

Thanks for reading!!