sᴏᴍᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪғᴜʟ ᴀʀᴛᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ʙʏ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴛɪᴍᴇ. ɪ ʜᴀᴅ ғᴏʀɢᴏᴛᴛᴇɴ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ ʟᴀsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴠᴀʟᴇɴᴛɪɴᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛᴀᴋᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ sᴍᴀʟʟ sᴘʟɪɴᴛ ᴏғғ ᴏғ ᴢᴇᴜs's ᴡɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀʟʟ ʜᴇ ʜᴀs ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ɪs ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ɪᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ, ғʟʏɪɴɢ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ sᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ'ʟʟ sᴛʀᴇᴛᴄʜ ʜɪs ᴡɪɴɢ ᴍᴜsᴄʟᴇs.

ꕥ

ꕥ

Lippo, the examiner for the Third Phase, revealed himself to the remaining twenty-five applicants. He was a short man with indigo spiked hair and wore glasses, additionally dressed in dark, baggy clothes.

While they were greeted by the open air once again, Valentine blissfully closed her eyes and reminisced in the beautiful breeze, for it reminded her of home.

'Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations on overcoming the Trick Tower. Only the Fourth Phase and the Final Phase remain',He informed the remaining applicants,'The Fourth Phase will take place on Zevil Island. Let us proceed'

With a snap of his fingers, a box was brought over to him.

'I will need you to draw lots'

Knitting her eyebrows together in confusion, Valentine tilted her head and listened to the whispers of the other applicants around her.

'It's to decide who you hunt and who will hunt you',Lippo explained, a smirk tugging at his lips,'In here are twenty-five numbered cards. In other words, your ID number are on the cards. Now, I need each of you to draw a card in the order of exiting the tower. May the first person please come forward?'

ꕥ

Finally it was Valentine's turn and she slowly walked up to the box, reaching in as her fingers brushed against a smooth surface.

Grabbing the card, Valentine walked back towards her friends and reached her hand up, gently rubbing Zeus's head.

Watching as Leorio went next, the blonde looked down at the envelope in her hands and studied it, pursing her lips.

'Has everyone drawn? Very well. Now, if you would, please go ahead and remove the sticker'

Slowly peeling the sticker back, Valentine looked at the card and looked at the number written on the white card.

Number 198

'Those numbers are your target'

Immediately, almost everyone hid their tags away from view and some had already hid their tags someplace within their clothes, while most; like Valentine, hadn't bothered to hide theirs.

Lippo continued to explain that their objective was to capture their opponents tags. Any method could be used; including killing them and taking the tags from their dead bodies. Taking your opponents tag was worth three points, their own tag is worth three points and others who aren't your target are worth one point.

Overall, six points are required to advance to the Final Phase.

After that, the remaining candidates were brought onto a boat where the assistant called Khara, informed them that they would be arriving at Zevil Island in two hours.

The atmosphere on the boat was tense and serious, kind of depressing. Everyone was lost deep in thought, already thinking over how they would capture their target. The further they were into the Hunter Exam, the more hostile the atmosphere of it was.

The three younger ones had split up from the two older males and they sat on the other side of the boat; away from everyone else.

They sat in comfortable silence, until Killua broke the ice.

'Who did you draw?',Killua questioned, gazing at his two friends.

Looking towards Killua, Gon didn't directly answer his question and instead, used a question of his own.

'What about you guys?',Gon asked curiously, while Killua simply looked in the other direction.

'Secret'

The three soon broke into large grins, breaking the former tense atmosphere and Killua looked up at the two.

'Don't worry, I didn't draw either of you',Killua said with a grin.

Even if he did, he wouldn't touch them.

"I didn't draw either of you",Valentine reassured, smiling brightly.

'Well, I didn't draw you guys either',Gon said with an equally friendly grin.

Resting his chin in the palm of his hand, Killua looked between his two friends.

'Show our numbers at the same time?',He asked, icy blue eyes glancing between chocolate brown and eyes the color of the sun.

This was seen coming as they had all agreed and pulled out their cards.

'Ready and...!'

Gon had number forty-four; Hisoka. Killua had number one ninety nine; one of the Amori brothers and surprisingly, Valentine had number one ninety eight; another one of the Amori brothers.

Cerulean blue and golden yellow locked with one another as grins spread across their lips, turning towards Gon; the grins staying glued to their faces.

'Number 44... that's Hisoka',Killua pointed out.

Staring blankly at the card, Gon's usually brightened eyes of chocolate darkened and lost their light as he began to think.

That man was a true hunter; literally and figuratively.

And he was a pedophile.

'Really? A whole week on the island?',Gon mused, tilting his head.

ꕥ

Once they arrived at their destination, Khara told the applicants that they will approach the island in the order that they completed the Third Phase.

They would receive two minutes to enter the island, until the next one went in.

The three decided to split up, but Killua remained close to the boat, his hand stuffed in his pocket and his icy eyes gazed at the boat.

'Hm?',The woman hummed, glancing at the young boy,'Mister Killua, you may go now'

Staring at her stopwatch, the woman glanced back up at the boy and watched as he nodded, his expression remained unbothered.

'I know, I'm waiting for someone',Killua stated, shrugging.

Two minutes ticked by and blue eyes brightened when a small blonde walked off of the boat, surprise filling her eyes when she locked her eyes with his own.

Smiling brightly, Valentine quickly walked towards the snowy haired boy and looked up at him, her eyes glistening in the sunlight.

He was aware that she had more physical endurance than it seemed at first glance, but even then, he didn't want to scout the entire island and so, instead, he decided to take things slowly.

The two simply walked through the island, exploring it while Killua and Zeus kept an eye on everything around them.

Especially the man who was annoyingly tailing them.

With the blonde helping Zeus with his wing, Killua turned around and looked up into the vast amount of trees.

'You should come out now',Killua called out.

Hearing a spike in the beating of a heartbeat, Valentine's eyes narrowed and she glanced behind her, her gaze zeroing in on one tree.

"He's further ahead",Valentine spoke up, her eyes looking back towards her feathered companion and she gently stroked his wing, massaging his sore wing muscles to help them untighten from being in a splint for so long.

Looking towards her, a look of surprise coated his face and Killua blinked in shock, thinking that since she was distracted with Zeus, she wouldn't have noticed.

'I didn't think that you'd noticed',Killua stated, glancing at Zeus momentarily,'Being distracted by Zeus and all'

A light giggle passed through bubblegum pink lips and golden eyes shined brightly in the light beaming down upon them, glistening with emotion.

Rolling his eyes, the snowy-haired boy bit back a grin and shook his head.

'You're a weirdo',Killua stated, watching her from the corner of his eye,'You know that right?'

Watching as she laughed at his words, Killua couldn't stop the feeling that spread through his chest and his stomach as he watched her.

"I'll admit that I am a bit weird",Valentine bickered playfully, before a playful argument between the two broke out.

One that had a random beginning and a pointless end.

'You even admitted it!? I didn't expect—'

Before he could retort anything back, his senses spiked as he sensed something coming their way causing Killua to quickly grab Valentine's hand and pulled her down, narrowly dodging some kind of dagger.

'Watch where you're going',Killua said childishly, before helping the blonde to her feet and stared at the object that was lodged into a tree,'You could've gotten killed or something'

Walking towards the tree, Killua pulled out the dagger and examined the hole in the wood, running his finger over the puncture.

'It was probably thrown by someone that's fighting further away',The silverette explained, looking in the direction the dagger was thrown from.

Looking towards the direction the weapon was thrown from, a frown pulled at Valentine's lips.

Beady black eyes stared at the weapon, small feathery body being puffed up and the dark aura from around the object was felt within his entire being.

He could feel the amount of power the person had just from the embodiment of nen that coated the object.

But Zeus made a swear to himself that night.

No matter what happened, he would protect his savior and her friend.

ꕥ

Walking side by side, Killua and Valentine glanced around at their surroundings and Zeus kept glancing behind them, letting the two know that they were still being followed.

Turning towards Killua, Valentine pursed her lips and went to speak up, but decided against it and looked forward.

Silence invading the space around them as they continued on.

After a few minutes, she shook her head and let out a small sigh, feeling as her bird companion nipped at her skin, telling her to speak her mind.

"Hey Killua",She suddenly called out.

A low hum filled her ears and signaled for her to continue talking.

"I.. I wanted to say something.. thanks"

Sending the blonde a side glance, Killua was surprised by her abrupt words and was quite confused by them as well.

Why was she thanking him?

'What..?',He asked as he rested his hands behind his head nonchalantly and tried playing it off,'What're you thanking me for exactly?'

"For becoming my friend",Valentine stated and her golden eyes glistened brightly as she smiled.

A small chuckle left the white haired boy's lips and a confused hum left Valentine's lips as she tilted her head, her innocent eyes blinking in confusion.

'I didn't know we were friends',Killua said, causing the blonde to frown at his words.

A saddened look crossed Valentine's face and filled her eyes as she frowned, looking forward once more.

'But, I've never had real friend's before when I was living at home',He said, looking over at Valentine,'So.. I guess that.. you'd be my first real friend that wasn't someone that lived on the property'

Seeing that saddened look on her face, a look of despondency swept across his and he stopped in his tracks, reaching out for her.

He didn't want to be left alone again.

Gently grasping her wrist, Killua pulled her back and she stumbled towards him with a small yelp of surprise, falling into his chest as she heard his skateboard fall to the ground.

Blinking in surprise, Valentine glanced up and stared into his sapphire blue eyes that guiltily stared down into her golden hues.

Feeling bad, Valentine's lips parted and twitched slightly.

"Well then, I'm glad to be your first friend, Killua",Valentine stated and brightly smiled, a light giggle breaking past her lips as she tried to lighten the atmosphere once more.

Hearing her words, he only tightened his grip around her and showed no signs of letting go anytime soon.

ꕥ

'This guy is really starting to piss me off'

Groaning aloud, Killua looked up at the sky and hearing a small giggle, he glanced at Valentine from the corner of his eye, frowning.

Coming to a complete stop, the two stood side-by-side and looked behind them, looking towards the bush their pursuer was hiding within.

The alabaster haired boy sighed in exasperation and boredly yawned, stuffing his hand in his pocket as he shifted the weight of his skateboard.

'If you're not going to come out, I'll come to you',Killua called out as he began to approach the bush,'What a pain, you're probably only worth one lousy point to me'

Even from a distance, it was easy reading Imori's thoughts and it was clear that he lacked confidence.

Much to their luck, Imori's two brothers made a sudden appearance and Killua turned towards Valentine, giving her a small grin.

Two birds with one stone.

Simple.

The youngest brother tried to muster up his courage after an immense scolding from his elder brothers and marched up to Killua, blatantly telling him to hand over his badge.

A muffled giggle left the girl's lips as she lightly snorted and this caused Imori to glare at the young blonde.

'Idiot',Killua bluntly said, landing a sharp hit to the man's pride and he responded by kicking the young boy with all of his might, sending the smaller boy's frame flying a few feet away causing Valentine's eyes to narrow.

'Hah! Right in the gut. I warn—'

Feeling something cut through his shirt and cut his skin, a small hiss of pain broke through Imori's lips and he held his hand to his arm, seeing as blood slowly began to coat his fingers.

Turning back towards the two children, his eyes landed on the blonde and he saw the anger in her eyes, his gaze looking towards a silver dagger tightly held within her grasp, her knuckles turning white.

'You know, you're pretty weak for a teenager',Killua said and stood to his feet with no problem at all, his hands in his pockets as he looked towards the man with an annoyed look,'The force of Valentine's hits to the head are a lot stronger than what you did just now. To be compared to that, makes you pretty lame'

A look of offense covered Valentine's face and she looked towards the silverette, a small pout on her lips as she crossed her arms.

What was he trying to say exactly?

That she was weak?

'198 huh, so I was right',Killua said as he pulled the badge out of his pocket.

Examining the number, Killua tossed it over to his friend and looked between the other two brothers.

"That was quick, good guess, Killua",Valentine commented, smiling brightly and she studied the other two,"Hmm.. now, which one of you is 199?"

A low hum left her lips and she tilted her head, one of her golden eyes shinning brighter than the other as she observed them, before her smile grew as she pointed at the male wearing a red turtle neck.

Watching as he stood straighter, a giggle left Valentine's lips as she tapped the badge in her hand against her cheek.

Staring into the man's soul, the young girl's eyes narrowed and her pupil shrunk as she examined him.

Possibly she was wrong and it was the other one.

Silence filled the air for a moment, before one of the brothers turned towards the others.

'Get into formation. These aren't ordinary kids'

Watching as the three brothers got into a triangular formation, Valentine and Killua looked at each other, giving one another a nod; setting their plan in motion.

Not giving them a chance to attack, Killua was suddenly behind the second brother and forced him to his knees.

'Don't move, okay. My fingers here, are sharper than knives',He stated casually as he held his elongated nails towards Amori's neck, causing him to break out into a cold sweat.

Pulling out Amori's badge, a low groan left Killua's lips and it was soon followed by a low huff.

'Aw man, you're 197',Killua stated, glancing at Valentine as she grimaced and realized the mistake she made of realizing which brother her senses were pointing too,'So.. you were sure, huh?'

Looking towards the brother that Valentine was holding her dagger to, Killua held out his hand and signaled for him to hand his badge over.

'Give it',Killua ordered.

Feeling a harsh grip fall upon her wrist, a light gasp left Valentine's lips and she was flipped over the brother's shoulder as he took her dagger from her hand, holding her own weapon against her throat.

A low laugh left Umori's lips.

'What about your little girlfriend here? I doubt you'd want her getting hurt, so give us your badge, kid. Or she gets it',Umori boomed, holding the dagger closer to Valentine's neck.

Flinching back, Killua watched as a steady stream of blood trailed down Valentine's pale skin and a dark look glowered over his face, threateningly, as he took in the sight before him.

'Let her go and I won't kill you',Killua threatened, watching the scene in front of him with darkened eyes.

Looking up, Valentine blinked innocently and tilted her neck away from the dagger.

"Excuse me",The young blonde spoke up, causing Umori to glance down at her,"But, it's not nice to take things that aren't yours. And don't you dare hurt my bird"

Before the man could figure out what she meant, Valentine grabbed the wrist of the hand that held her dagger to her throat, she pulled his arm forward and flipped the man over her head.

A loud thump echoed through the air as a groan of pain left Umori's lips and he grabbed his shoulder.

Flicking her hair over her shoulder, Valentine pushed the man's arm away with her foot and leaned down, grabbing his badge from the ground.

Throwing it towards Killua, she watched as the ex-assassin caught it without a problem and stared down at the three badges he had in his hand.

Amori had ended up having another one that wasn't his own and he had probably grabbed it for extra points.

Looking down at the man, Valentine angrily kicked his arm and felt satisfied at the groan of pain that filled her ears, a small Hmph leaving her lips.

'Hmm, now for the one's that I don't need',Killua said, tossing two badges in opposite directions, switching one of them and it was unnoticed by their stalker as they went chasing after the wrong one.

Grabbing her discarded dagger from the ground, Killua threw it towards the girl and watched as she expertly caught it.

'I guess we're done now',Killua stated, turning away and walked the other way as he stretched his arms,'Come on, Val'

Staring down at the three brother's, Valentine smiled brightly and waved as she walked away, Zeus letting out a chirp as well; saying goodbye in his own way.

"Bye!"

The three brothers collapsed to the ground in shock and exhaustion.