Drawing by: KilluaLover54
Outline/original drawing by: Nichiyukichan

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༺♥༻

Having slowly and quietly snuck back into the room, Leorio, Killua and Valentine were all hiding behind the couch where Kurapika was sitting as they listened in to what was happening.

'The answer to your question is yes, it's possible'

The metallic rustle of the chain appearing filled the room and Valentine was tempted to peek over the couch and look, but she remained where she was for the time being.

'Each of my five chains has a separate and unique function',Kurapika explained,'And two of them are to be used solely against the Spiders. This one is chain Jail; it restrains the target and forces them into a state of Zetsu'

Nodding slightly, Valentine was quite impressed and thought that it was a pretty cool ability.

'This is for capturing Spiders'

A slightly rustle filled her ears and she figured that Kurapika had picked up a certain chain, showing it to Gon.

'This one is called Judgement Chain',Kurapika stated,'I stab the target's heart with this dagger and declare a binding rule'

Hearing the word dagger, Valentine perked up and was about to peek over the couch when a hand grasped her arm, pulling her back down.

'Break that rule and you die',Kurapika declared,'As you're aware, there's a Nen dagger residing in my own heart, as well'

Feeling her eye twitch slightly in irritation, Valentine tried her best to keep in her sigh as she listened to his words and instead, shook her head.

Kurapika was usually the smart and level-headed one of the group and so hearing this, caused Valentine to want to smack him upside the head for his stupidity.

'At first, I planned to use it on myself on the condition that I would die if I ever used my chains on anyone outside the Troupe'

Furrowing her eyebrows together, the blonde girl placed her hand on her chin and looked towards the ground.

But if they could only be used on the Troupe, if he were in danger in the future against someone who uses Nen, how would Kurapika defend himself?

'But then I realized something, what if attacking myself meant breaking the very rule I had set?',Kurapika said and thunder loudly crashed outside, lightning filling the room with a ominous flash of light,'It was possible I would be an exception, but there was no way for me to know for sure. So, I adjusted the rule further. I will only use my Chain Jail against the Phantom Troupe'

Picking up the Judgement Chain, Kurapika gazed down at the item in his hands and slowly trailed his finger across the cold metal.

'That means, that I can use Judgement Chain on anyone I choose',The blonde explained,'But, that chain has a condition too'

'But what kind of condition?',Gon asked.

Thunder crashed and rumbled in the distance as a shade of vermilion filled Kurapika's eyes and gently shone through the grey contacts that resided in his eyes.

'This chain can only be used when my eyes are scarlet',Kurapika explained.

Seeing this, Gon's eyes widened slightly and his lips parted in shock.

'Hey, wait!',Gon exclaimed,'You can change them yourself?'

Hearing this, Valentine's eyebrows rose in shock and she looked towards the two, seeing that they had the same expression on their faces.

'It took practice',Kurapika explained to the boy,'It was a while before I could turn them scarlet at will. I mastered the power in my middle finger by vowing never to release the chain and to always risk death. The one in my little finger was resolved by my unique nature. When my eyes turn scarlet is when I become a Specialist and I gain the ability to use any power I've learned at full strength'

'I'm not sure what all that means, but what about your Nen dagger?',Gon questioned,'You can use it on me, can't you?'

'Yes.'

'Go ahead. Set whatever rule you want'

'You're dedicated, I appreciate that'

After those words had come out of Kurapika's mouth was when the three; well, four, had decided to make their presences known and Valentine leaned over Kurapika's shoulder, gazing at the chains on his hand.

'Just curious, can you make three of those daggers?',Killua questioned.

Jumping in shock, Kurapika turned towards them and glanced at Valentine, who was leaning over his shoulder with her face in the palm of her hand.

She was quite fascinated in the chains.

A small, but quite harsh, high-pitched ring filled the air and Valentine had appeared next to the Kurta, causing him to jump in shock as he snapped his gaze in her direction.

It's been a while since he's seen her do that.

'You can just cancel it, right?',Leorio asked,'Erase the rule as soon as the missions over?'

'Killua! Valentine! Leorio!'

Staring at the chains on Kurapika's hand in fascination, Valentine picked up the one closest to her and held his hand in both of hers as she examined them.

Blinking in shock, Kurapika watched as the young blonde girl examined the chains on his hand with a look of fascination on her face and so, he let her do that as he looked towards the two behind him.

'Valentine, Killua and I had a little talk',Leorio explained,'And since we're working together—'

'We should risk together',Killua input.

Looking up at the blonde boy, a bright smile formed on Valentine's face and she closed her eyes as she brightly gleamed up at the Kurta.

"What do you say?"

Staring off for a moment, eyes of scarlet slowly closed and Kurapika tilted his head down.

'The answer to both, is yes',Kurapika answered and as soon as he had opened his eyes, the familiar grey was present once more,'But all four of you are making a big mistake. I want you to know I never had any intention of using my dagger on you guys'

With his right hand hovering over his left, Kurapika's Nen spiked up for just a moment and then, the chains disappeared before their very eyes.

'Well, then why did you put yourself in danger by telling us your secret?',Gon questioned.

'I wanted to thank you, Gon',Kurapika explained,'No, I wanted to thank all of you for your resolve'

Suddenly, a smile formed on Kurapika's face and his eyes brightly gleamed as he looked up at the five.

'And if one of you ends up revealing my secret, which I doubt, I still won't regret a thing',Kurapika stated strongly,'I have been blessed with good friends'

Feeling a bright smile spread across her features, Valentine wrapped her arms around the blonde boy's shoulder and Kurapika's eyes widened in shock for a moment.

Slowly, a small chuckle left the Kurta's lips and he steadily rose a hand, placing it on the girl's back as he hugged her close; he was glad to have such a compassionate friend as her.

'That's not fair, Kurapika',Gon began,'Because the thought of risking my life isn't nearly as bad as letting down a friend'

'That was my goal from the beginning',Kurapika stated casually.

Letting out an hum of understanding, Gon smiled brightly and laughed out loud, his eyes closing.

'Oh, okay! I get it now!'

Laughing along as well, Kurapika closed his eyes and smiled slightly, but an irritated look was sent the boy's way by Killua.

As soon as Kurapika's gaze turned his way, a blush of embarrassment coated Killua's face and he quickly turned his head away, closing his eyes.

Glancing towards the clock, Valentine gasped slightly and perked up, quickly unwrapping her arms from Kurapika, heading towards the door.

"Oh! I should get going now",Valentine said,"Can't waste a second of time. Or else I'll lose them"

She was heading out to the Spiders base.

'Be careful out there, Valentine!',Gon shouted.

As soon as she had made it to the door and opened it, Valentine turned to face her friends, a soft smile on her face as her opalescent eyes gleamed brightly under the fluorescent light.

"Always."

Walking out the door, Valentine gently shut it behind her and had only made it not even halfway down the hall, before she heard the door open again paired with footsteps following after her.

'Hey Val, hang on a minute!'

Humming slightly in curiosity, Valentine came to a stop and turned around, her golden eyes connecting with that of the beauty of the sky.

As Killua walked up to her; his hands stuffed in his pockets, the young Nitsune couldn't help but wonder what was wrong and tilted her head as her eyes blinked slowly.

"Killua? Is everything—"

Her question was quickly brought to an end as arms wrapped around her shoulders and brought her towards him in a warm embrace, her chin resting on top of his shoulder as her eyes were wide with shock, color painting her skin with a blush; standing on the top of her toes as he held her against him.

She could feel the strength in his arms as he wrapped them around her body tightly, as if to trap her against him and never wanting to let her go.

She could feel the way her heart harshly pumped against her rib cage and she could feel the warm breath coming off of his lips as it tickled her shoulder.

Being trapped in his tight embrace, Valentine felt as though time had stopped and the soft crackle of thunder that struck in the distance hadn't reached her ears as all she heard was silence.

As he pulled away, the young blonde couldn't help the color that filled her cheeks as she stared up at him in surprise and her lips parted as her wide eyed gaze stared up at him.

"Killua... what was—"

Looking away from her glistening eyes with red gently painting his skin, Killua cleared his throat and placed his hands back in his pockets.

'..Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?',The silverette questioned,'I know that you can do it alone, but, you'll need someone to watch your back in case something goes wrong..'

Even though she knew it was just an excuse, Valentine appreciated his concern and chuckled lightly as she glanced towards the ground for a moment.

Slowly, she looked up at the silverette and shook her head for a moment, a gentle smile on her face as her eyes glistened with appreciation.

"Fine, I guess you can tag along",Valentine stated.

Watching as his eyes brightened, an amused look formed on her face and she rose an eyebrow, before tilting her head to the side.

"But, only if you can convince Kurapika to let you tag along",Valentine teased.

Watching as the silverette quickly turned around and made his way to the door; trying to make it look as if he wasn't rushing, an amused laugh left Valentine's lips.

༺♥༻

A tinkling sound came to our ears as the first pearls of rain dropped onto the buildings and the street below.

The sky is dark and vengeful.

Shrouds of clouds coil and writhe and then, an unearthly caterwauling sound fills the air.

The clouds race across the sky, thrumming with the charged energy as drop after drop pelt down from the sky and thump along each surface it hits.

Having bought darker clothes then what they were wearing before, Valentine and Killua intensely stared through the dark fog that covered the city.

The problem wasn't their vision, but instead, it was the junkyard where the Phantom Troupes hideout once resided and unlike last time, many buildings aligned the area.

Thunder harshly crashed above their heads and Valentine's left eye shone brightly, the shade a much different color than her right, as she swept her gaze across the multitude of buildings.

Pulling her phone out of her pocket, Valentine quickly dialed Kurapika's number and before it could even ring for a second time, he had immediately picked up causing her to explain the situation.

'We have to assume that this is the work of a Conjurer',Kurapika commented and stared at the phone in his hand as he spoke.

"You're right, these other buildings weren't here yesterday. It's got to be Nen"

No longer on the roof of a building, Killua and Valentine had reached a fence in front of the multiple buildings, their gazes scanning the buildings.

'Oh man, these guys are out of their minds',Leorio commented through the phone in the background as he drove,'They have someone who can conjure up entire buildings'

Sitting in the back, Gon glanced down at Zeus who was on his lap at the moment and he was staring up at the boy with beady, obsidian eyes.

'We should be prepared for any traps they've set'

"It proves that they're somewhere around the area"

Jumping over the fence, Valentine gazed up at the buildings and hummed slightly, listening to the rustling of the gate behind her, before hearing as Killua landed beside her.

'The problem is these buildings create way too many blind spots. I can only see 20 percent of the area at one time'

Leaning his back against the fence, Killua looked towards Valentine as she leaned close to him so that he could listen to the conversation and he slightly leaned closer, his ear by the phone.

'But if you guys move around too much, there's a chance you guys might run into one of them'

Glancing towards Valentine out of the corner of his eye, a small frown pulled at Killua's lips and a small sigh left his lips.

'I'd like to avoid that..',The silverette stated,'The thing is, I have no idea what I'd do if I heard their voices behind us. My heart is already pounding'

'Voices, huh?'

Confused as to what he had muttered, Valentine and Killua furrowed their eyebrows together as they questioned him about it.

'Nothing, never mind. Just go back to your posts for the time being, I'll call you back in five minutes'

As soon as Kurapika had hung up, the two had taken off and arrived a top of the roof of a building once more.

It was a bit flatter than the last one and was located exactly in the center, which allowed the two to scan their surroundings.

As they hid their presences, his phone rang in his pocket and picking it up, Killua realized that it was an anonymous caller.

'Is this Killua?',The soft voice of a woman echoed throughout the phone.

Furrowing his eyebrows, a skeptical tone filled Killua's voice as he spoke up and he glanced towards Valentine, watching as she tilted her head in confusion.

'Yeah, who are you?'

'One of Kurapika's colleagues. Could you and your friend look to your left?'

Slowly turning his head to the left, Killua's eyes widened in shock and he gently nudged the girl beside him, causing Valentine to look at him, confused.

Nodding in the direction he was looking, Valentine turned around and seeing the shape of a woman standing on a roof two buildings beside them, her eyes widened in shock.

'Hang up and whisper a command to me. Anything at all'

Hanging up, the silverette placed his phone in his pocket and staring at the woman, he spoke up.

'Raise your right hand'

Watching as Melody did exactly what he had asked, eyes of ice widened in shock and he glanced down at Valentine, who quickly looked up at him as well, her eyes wide with shock.

They were both impressed with her hearing and if it were paired with Valentine's instinct, they knew that it would definitely come in handy.

As the three had met up on a rooftop, Melody had managed to pick up and track the Troupe's movement along the pouring rain.

Making their way towards the road, the three stalked the group and followed them towards the main road.

'For Kurapika to ask me for his help, I'm guessing he must be getting desperate',Melody stated as the three ran, with the rain harshly pouring down around them,'He wants to do everything by himself, doesn't he?'

Thinking about the blonde boy's nature, a deadpanned look fell onto the silverette's lips and he looked up at the sky with an annoyed look in his eyes.

'You're right, he sure does'

Softly nudging the boy, Valentine rolled her eyes with a small smile and slowly shook her head.

Staring at the two, Melody realized that their footsteps were rather silent and she looked between them.

'Would you two happen to be assassins?'

With his eyes widening in shock, Killua stared at the woman and slowly nodded his head.

'Well, I used to be, but Valentine's.. a bit different. How did you know?'

Confused as to what he meant, Melody turned her gaze towards the blonde girl, watching as those majestic and rather beautiful, golden eyes turned her way.

"I used to be a contract killer. It's kind of like an assassin, I guess, but a bit different"

Humming in understanding, Melody slowly nodded her head and looked forward.

'Ahh, I see',She hummed,'Your footsteps. You two are right beside me, but they're estinto'

'Esti-what?',Killua questioned.

With her eyes glistening in confusion, Valentine turned towards the woman and furrowed her eyebrows, watching as Melody looked between them.

'Estinto',Melody explained,'It's a musical term that means they're just barely audible'

'Oh.. I guess I'm in the habit not moving silently',Killua explained.

Humming in agreement, Valentine kept her eyes forward and watched as Melody looked towards her out of the corner of her eye.

'You both have the quietest I've ever heard, your techniques are very impressive',Melody stated,'Even though they seem similar, they are very different for many reasons, am I right?'

Impressed by this woman's guesses, Valentine turned her head her way and smiled slightly.

It was true, even though their techniques seemed similar, the ones of assassins and contract killers were very different indeed.

'It's easy to see why Kurapika would rely on the two of you',Melody explained, a small smile on her face.

Blinking in shock, Killua looked forward and shrugged for a moment.

'Maybe, but I'm not too thrilled about this'

'Oh, is that so?'

Suddenly, a strange sensation filled Valentine's body and her eye glowed brightly as a small gasp left her lips.

Sliding to a stop, Valentine held out her arms and stopped them both from going any further, her eye glistening a bright gold.

"Wait"

Listening closely, Melody looked up at the girl in shock and was surprised that she had realized it before she did as the sound of footsteps echoed through her ears.

'They're 100 meters away, just around the corner',Melody explained,'Thankfully, Valentine had realized it before I did'

Glancing up at Valentine with a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips, Killua looked back towards Melody.

'You can pick out their footsteps?',He asked.

'Each person's has their own unique sound',Melody explained.

As soon as Melody went to look towards the boy, she had realized that he was gone and as she looked up, she saw him climbing a tower a few feet above her.

It was surprising just how quickly he had gotten there.

'Oh, I'll check it out. Val, stay here with her'

Furrowing her eyebrows, Valentine frowned and slowly shook her head at the statement.

She was the one that had let him tag along, not the other way around, but she ignored it for now.

Getting to the top, he spotted five people walking towards an alleyway with their backs turned towards him and as Killua studied them, he spotted their target.

Taking out his phone, Killua immediately called Kurapika and explained what was going on.

'She's with her buddies. There are six of them. The guy with the topknot's here, too'

Taking out his binoculars, Killua looked closer and saw that there was another person, one they hadn't seen before.

'But there's one more person, one we didn't see yesterday. I'm willing to bet he's the leader'

'What's he look like?'

'He's wearing a black coat with an inverted cross on the back. He has black slicked-back hair, I can't see his face. They're really on alert, I'm too scared to circle around front'

Quickly taking the phone from the green-haired boy, Kurapika held it against his ear and spoke firmly.

'Where are you now?'

'In front of the Motoba Building. They're heading west on Continental'

'There's a station nearby. Can you guys board their train?'

Huffing slightly, Killua gazed down towards Valentine as she stood with Melody and he nodded, even though Kurapika couldn't see him.

'Depends. If it's crowded, Valentine and I can manage'

Hanging up, Killua met up with the other two and explained where they had to go.

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Having followed after the Troupe members, Valentine and Killua were in the last car of the train, while Melody was in the same car as the Troupe.

'Melody's in the same car as them. We're headed toward Castor',Killua explained,'Valentine and I are in the last car on the train'

'Heading to Castor?'

'The action house is in that direction'

'For that matter, so is our hotel'

As the train had stopped, a vibration traveled through Valentine and Killua's pockets, letting them know that they had gotten off the train, causing the two to follow after them from a distance.

'They got off at Liber Station, and they're heading for the Saloma Mall exit'

'Not good, the Hotel is that way'

'Melody, Valentine and I are still at the station entrance. But they just ran off to the northwest'

'Right, in pursuit!'

With his eyes widening, Killua couldn't understand why Kurapika had suddenly ran after them and was worried that the plan would fail.

'Wait, you're chasing them? That's dangerous! They're going to notice you!'

Hearing this, Valentine's eyes snapped up towards the boy and her eyes widened.

'You there! Damn! He hung up. What the hell?',Killua sighed in frustration and suddenly, he looked towards Valentine, thinking it over.

Deciding that there was no time to be overprotective, Killua gritted his teeth and realized that she'd be the only one who could get there in time with her abilities.

'Valentine, Kurapika abandoned the plan and is in pursuit of the Troupe. I don't feel right about this but.. you're the only one who could get there in time to stop him from doing something stupid, do you think you could do that?'

With her eyes widening at this information, Valentine immediately nodded her head and hummed in agreement.

He could count on her.

Nodding slightly, Killua watched as determination glistened within her eyes and before he could say anything else, a high pitched ring filled the air.

As the ring echoed, Melody winced slightly and watched as the girl disappeared in a blurred apparition before her very eyes, leaving no trace of her presence ever being there.

༺♥༻

Watching as the Troupe was about to turn around, Kurapika was suddenly pushed into an alleyway beside him and he looked down in shock, about to push the person away, when he saw familiar golden eyes staring up at him.

'Valentine?',The blonde whispered and his eyes widened in shock.

How had she gotten there so fast?

He didn't even hear her approaching.

Raising her finger to her lips, Valentine gestured for the older boy to be quiet and he nodded slowly, the two of them glancing at Gon; who was hiding behind a trash can.

Seeing that the girl was holding her finger up to her lips; gesturing for him to remain silent, Gon nodded and stayed against the bin.

Watching as Kurapika rose his hand; Nen surrounding the chains around his hands, Valentine's eyes widened and she quickly shook her head.

"Kurapika, stop it!",She whispered out in a hiss,"We can't fight the three of them and win if they find out we're here!"

Watching as Gon looked between them, bringing his bottom lip between his teeth, a small sigh echoed throughout her ears and he came out of hiding, letting the Troupe see him.

'I'm sorry, okay? I'll stop following you. Just forget it!'

Hearing their footsteps approaching as they walked towards Gon, Valentine brought her lip in between her teeth and slowly, a small sigh left her lips.

Suddenly sensing a presence beside her, Valentine quickly turned her head and seeing Killua standing there, her eyes widened.

'Him again?'

'The one you mentioned? This is him?'

'The other two are here as well',Machi stated and looked towards the alleyway,'Come on out'

Looking towards one another, the two nodded and slowly, Valentine and Killua revealed themselves to the Troupe.

Before they had revealed themselves though, Kurapika had tried to stop them but they only continued on.

'Well, the mafia reward has been cancelled so what do you want with us?',She questioned.

Pretending to be shocked, Valentine's eyes widened and she looked between the group, tilting her head in confusion.

"It has!?",Valentine played out and prayed that they bought her little act,"We had no idea"

'What do we do, boss?'

Dark eyes stared down at the three and as soon as he had looked at the girl with the golden eyes, lightning flashed over head and seeing the look in her eyes, a low hum left the man's lips as he hummed to himself.

So this was the girl Shalnark had mentioned.

She looked exactly how he had described her.

'Seize them'

Turning around, the man had made a phone call and as her arms were tied behind her back, Valentine's left eye glowed menacingly as she stared at the woman.

'Shouldn't we get rid of them here?',Machi questioned.

'No, I have faith in your instincts. If they're connected to the chain user somehow, we should keep them alive'

Deciding to speak up and interrupt them, Gon watched as the Troupe turned his way.

'Hey, can I ask you something? How can you kill people who have nothing to do with you?'

Glaring at the leader with a fiery glare, Gon watched as the leader gazed at him with questioning.

'You sure have a lot of hostility, for someone who has just surrendered. Perhaps, because they have nothing to do with us. No. On second thought, it's not that simple. My motives are unimportant now',The man stated as he stared up at the sky and lightning flashed, illuminating his face,'I don't like speaking of them. But surprisingly enough, or, as I expected.. the reason's the key to understanding myself'

Confused as to what he was talking about, Valentine furrowed her eyebrows and stared at the man with a look of perplexity.

'Head back to the hotel and wait for Phinks and the others',He commanded,'If they try to escape kill them'

'Understood'