Y/N POV

Shit. 

KILLUA POV

We walk into the base. The first person I see is Hisoka. He looks away, pretending that he doesn't know me. 

Gon sees Hisoka. "Huh?" is all he manages. 

The Nobunaga fellow comes up to us. "Do you know someone here?"

I point to the raven-haired girl, diverting the attention away from Gon. "It's you!" 

"Shizuku, do you know him?" 

"Never seen him." She continues to read. 

"Oh wait," a pale boy says. He was the one who had been flirting with Y/N. "I remember you. The green haired one arm-wrestled with her, and the white haired wanted to talk to Y/N." 

I clench my arms. 

That's when a part of the wall shatters all over the room. We duck, and when the smoke clears, its . . . Y/N? And a boy in lavender? 

They're laughing and high-fiving, mopeds next to them. Then they turn around and freeze.

"Shit," I hear Y/N say. 

The Feitan dude smirks and pats the seat next to him. She goes and sits down next to him. He whispers something in her ear. She whispers back, and she smiles. 

The lavender dude sits down to Shizuku. 

"I don't remember him," Shizuku repeats.

"Two days ago, you lost to him in arm-wrestling," Franklin attempts to explain to her.

"I'm pretty sure you're stronger than me," Y/N utters to the girl with glasses. "How'd you lose to them again?" 

"I didn't lose. I would never lose to a kid."

"Well, you used your right hand," Franklin reminds her soothingly.

"But I'm left-handed!" 

Feitan sighs. "Don't bother. Once Shizuku's forgotten something, she won't ever remember." 

"It appears I was mistaken," Franklin finally says, silently agreeing to not bring it up. 

"Thought so!" She disappears behind the magazine again. 

Nobunaga turns to the boys, putting his hair up. I pay no attention to him. My gaze is stuck unwaveringly to Y/N's. "You beat Shizuku? Well then. I challenge you." 

Y/N POV

Nobunaga had been beating Gon for a while now. This was going to be his tenth time. 

"Again," Nobunaga says monotonously. "Again." 

Gon puts his aching hand up to Nobunaga's and the struggle begins again. He beats Gon. 

"Say, what's my rank in strength out of all the Spiders?"

"You're not the strongest or weakest," Machi responds, laying the truth right there and then. 

"Of course. This guy named Uvogin was the strongest. But he was killed by the chain user." 

"We already told you that we don't know who the chain user is," Killua cries out. 

Nobunaga looks at him in one crisp head motion. "Kid. If you ever speak without permission again, I'll kill you." 

I roll my eyes and clap my hands. "That's enough, Nobunaga. No need to keep torturing the both of them." 

Nobunaga turns his gaze to me, but I'm not fazed. "Are you challenging me?" He asks softly but not unharsh. 

"Do you want me to?" 

He lets go of Gon's hand and walks right up to me. I stand my ground and look him in the eyes. We stand there for a few seconds.

"Tsk." Nobunaga walks back to Gon. "Again."

Feitan nudges me. "Nobunaga's gonna tell Boss." 

"Why should I care?" 

Gon and Nobunaga grasp hands. They struggle against each other again. 

"I know Uvo better than anyone! He must've got tricked through a dirty trap!" Nobunaga exclaims passionately. 

"I thought you were heartless monsters. But you care for one another! Why don't you care for the people you mercilessly kill?" Gon yells. 

And for the first time ever, Gon beats Nobunaga. 

Before he could celebrate his victory, Feitan's up in a flash, pinning Gon's arm behind his back. "You're getting too cocky there," he whispers. The whole room hears it though. 

I roll my eyes . He catches my eye and scowls.

"Gon!" Killua screams. He races forward, but is stopped with Hisoka's and my card at his neck. 

"Back off, buddy," I snarl to Hisoka under my breath, making sure only he and Killua can hear it. 

Hisoka shrugs and falls back into the shadows. 

Killua looks back at me, and I nod, showing that he can trust me. Slowly, I show him my deck of cards. He points to his pocket, indicating he still has the card. I let go of him and go back to the rock I was sitting at earlier.

"Answer the question," Feitan demands in that soft and cool voice of his. "Do you know who the chain user is?" 

"I already told you I have nothing to say," Gon erupts. 

Feitan laughs that laugh of his. I know what he's going to do. 

"Feitan!" He glances at me. "Stop." 

"Who are you to tell me?" 

"Stop." This time it comes from Nobunaga. He nods at me and I nod back. 

"Stop what?" Of course, he would listen to Nobunaga but not me. 

"I know what you're going to do. Stop." 

"Oh? And what was that?" 

"Break his arm." Nobunaga rolls his wrist, and then deeming that it was good, puts it down. 

"I would start with a finger. Peel off a nail." 

"Don't." 

"Why should I listen to you?" 

Nobunaga silences the room as he slams a foot on the table. 

"Nobunaga, stop," Franklin says. "Flip a coin." 

He does and waits for Feitan. 

"Tails." 

"Heads, then." He uncovers the coin. "Heads. Let go of him." 

Feitan does, standing against the rock I was sitting on, and Gon leaps over to where Killua was. 

"So what do we do with him?" 

"Let them go. They don't know who the chain user is." 

A conversation starts up, me and Feitan electing to stay quiet for the time being. 

"No, we don't need them here." Shalnark shrugs and comes to sit next to me. Feitan snarls, but Shalnark laughs it off. "They know nothing of the chain user." 

"No, we can't be sure." Phinks steps out of the shadows. "It's possible that they are working for him, and that he doesn't wear his chains all the time. Let's keep them for the time being." 

They talk a little more. Then Shalnark says that we really should let them go. "Our one and only priority is to find the chain user." 

Feitan scoffs at Gon and Killua. "You kids are lucky. If I had my way with you . . ."

Gon blows Feitan a raspberry. I smack my head, annoyed, but wrap my hand around his wrist. "Don't bother them. After all, they are nothing." 

"Aren't they your friends?" 

"Were my friends. They were my friends," I repeat. I look at them, and their hurt expressions stay on their face but their eyes show me that they realise. 

"Wait!" Nobunaga calls out. "I won't let them leave. Kid, join the spiders." 

"No way," Gon scoffs. "I would rather die than join you." 

"Then die." He draws out his sword and is about to cut off his head, when  I grab my two cinqueda and intercept. 

Nobunaga looks at me weirdly. "I thought they weren't your friends?" 

"They aren't. But we already said we're letting them go." 

"Ay! No big fights. Flip the coin, Nobunaga," Shalnark says. 

He does, and I claim Heads. It is Heads. Nobunaga scoffs in annoyance. "Fine. We're keeping them here until Boss gets back." 

"Are you serious?"  Phinks asks. "The boss would never recruit them." 

"Well," Machi sighs. "It's your call. But you have to watch over them, Nobunaga." 

"Deal." 

I walk Killua over to the room while Nobunaga leads Gon. 

"What are you doing here, Y/N?" Killua says when the other two are out of range.

"This is all for Kurapika, not for you guys. Be glad I protected you back there." 

"Fine. Thanks," he mutters. I toss Killua inside the room and then I hear Nobunaga sit in front of it. 

When I get back to the main part of our hideout, I see Shalnark handing out papers. I grab one and look through it as Shalnark explains what it is.  

"Move around in pairs," Shalnark instructs. "Search for people on that list. We'll meet back here at ten pm. That's all." 

We walk away when Machi cries out, "Wait! Nobunaga's staying here. Who do I go with?" 

"Whoever's left." 

Machi turns around and grumbles. "Hisoka." 

"You can have Feitan's touchy ass." I push Machi over to him. "I'll go with Hisoka." 

"Hisoka's more touchier than Feitan," Machi points out. 

"Yeah, but he's learned not to touch me." 

"Tch. No." Feitan looks at me. "You're staying with me." 

"You're staying with him," Machi agrees. "Have fun!" 

I spit out curses while Feitan cackles.