Sorry if the end of the chapter seemed rushed!

But I hope you guys are prepared for the future... mwuahahahahaha!!

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The moon glowed with an iridescent crimson as it shined down on the group and aura surrounded Kite's body, before spreading out like a radar as he used En.

'They're still moving in a straight line',Kite observed and kept his eyes ahead,'And that can only mean that the nest is almost certainly up ahead'

A feeling of admiration filled Valentine's veins and a breath of awe left her lips as her eyes gleamed.

It was amazing just how far he could project his En to find these creatures.

And it was clear that Killua felt the same way.

'Man, that's amazing',The silverette spoke up, causing Valentine and Zeus to look towards him,'He tracked them this whole time and never lost them once'

Humming slightly, Gon turned towards Killua as well, looking between him and Valentine.

'He said that his En covers a radius of 45 meters',The green haired boy admitted.

Raising her eyebrows in surprise, Valentine's lips parted and she slightly tilted her head to the side.

"His En covers a lot more than Akari's does",Valentine admitted and this caused the two boys to look towards her,"Her's only covered a radius of 37 meters"

A look of shock covered Gon's face and he looked towards Valentine, raising his eyebrows slightly.

Glancing towards Valentine, Killua saw the soft look in her eyes when she mentioned her sister and a small smile twitched at the side of his lips.

The way her eyes glowed with reminiscence and were such an elegant gold that he would've gotten lost within her gaze if she were to look at him.

Blinking slightly, the silverette shook himself out of his trance and got back on track with what he was saying before.

'I've heard that the one's called Nen masters can handle around 50 meters; I'm guessing that he's nearly there',Killua explained and then turned forward, looking at the man,'Actually, he's kept it up for a whole night, so he's probably stronger'

Hearing that Kite was probably stronger than a Nen master, a look of shock and awe filled Valentine's face as she looked towards the silver-haired man.

'Stronger than a master, huh?',Gon questioned and looked towards Kite,'He must be the real deal, I guess'

'Yeah, he's the first pro we've met. Well, at least like this',Killua stated,'I mean, Tsezguerra was definitely a pro hunter, but we only ever knew him as another player in a game'

Remembering their blonde haired teacher, a small smile twitched up on Valentine's face and she looked towards the boys.

"And then, there was Bisky",Valentine spoke up and the two looked towards her,"She was an amazing teacher and to us—"

'She was our Nen master'

Nodding his head in agreement, Killua looked between his two, bright natured friends and smiled slightly.

'And then, there was the first person to teach us about Nen',The silverette explained.

'Mister Wing, our Nen master and savior!'

'And now that I think about it, we always meet people when we need them the most',Killua stated and then, turned towards the two with a smile,'It's them, all these people we've met, who have made us stronger'

Turning towards the two, Gon raised his eyebrows and thought back, thinking of all of the people who had helped them.

'I guess Razor counts too, huh?',Gon asked and looked between them.

Remembering what had happened back on Greed Island, a small drop of sweat fell down the side of the girl's face, a small chuckle leaning her lips.

Her foot seeming to flare up with a ghost-like pain at the reminder.

'Yeah',Killua agreed,'It's pretty obvious to me that Ging really did create Greed Island to train you. And then once you finished clearing the game, he led you to Kite'

A larger smile spread across Gon's lips, causing Valentine to smile brighter and gently nudged his arm, watching as he turned her way.

"I guess it's Ging's way of telling you that you're one step closer to finding him"

Even though she absolutely despised the man that had caused her friend so much pain, Valentine couldn't help but feel happy at the way her brother figures eyes sparkled and his smile glistened like diamonds.

Remembering how they had run into the tall man, eyes of the ocean stared at Kite and Killua seemed to space out for a moment as he thought back.

'I don't know if Ging could have predicted what was gonna happen when we met Kite, but still..',Killua trailed off,'Kite had already earned his respect, so he had to have known that you would like him, too. And he definitely knew you'd follow him, that much I'm sure of'

'If he wants us to travel with Kite, then that means he'll make us stronger',Gon figured out.

Facing forward, Killua tilted his head down a bit and closed his eyes, sighing slightly.

As they walked, Valentine couldn't help the anxiety that ate away at her chest and twisted her stomach into knots.

'You might be right, but this is a pretty brutal place for training'

'And that is exactly the reason why I keep asking you if your resolve is firm'

Seeing that he was eavesdropping on their conversation, the three teens gasped slightly in shock and looked up at the man.

'I agree that, like you mentioned..',Kite trailed off and turned towards them,'Ging probably did have certain expectations when he sent you here to meet with me. That being said, I have no intention of training the three of you during this journey'

Glancing towards Valentine, Zeus's face fell into a deadpanned expression and a low trill of annoyance left his beak, before eyes of coal turned back towards the man with a glare.

'We just don't have that kind of time; I only brought you along because I thought you might be useful. From here on, it all comes down to your resolve. If it's strong, you'll develop your Nen and improve through combat. If it's weak, the Ants will eat you and you will die'

Straightening her posture, Valentine kept a neutral look on her face and nodded softly, a small grunt of understanding leaving her lips.

'But that's not a luxury we can afford',Kite explained,'We're professional Hunters after all. And as you're aware, those who call themselves hunters must get their prey'

As a Contract Killer, Valentine knew better than anyone that it was of utmost importance to always get your prey and to always do it, no matter what you lose along the way.

Even if it's yourself.

Your humanity is what makes you human, otherwise, all you are is just a shell of what you used to be and the killer you now were is all you will ever be.

'For those of our profession, that's the first commandment. We stay on the hunt no matter what',The man told them sternly and began to walk away, with them following close behind,'A hunt involves both the hunter and the hunted; it's a battle of resolve. Emerging victorious from a battle of resolve is what makes a hunt successful. The loser must follow the winners rules and customs, and this often means the loser's death'

'Yeah, okay'

'If that result isn't desirable, then win',Kite stated,'Improving your Nen is important, sure, but to be a successful hunter, you must understand your enemy as well as yourself'

Thinking over what he was saying, Valentine stared ahead of them and seemed to become lost within her thoughts.

Perking up in understanding, eyes of chocolate widened slightly and Gon looked up at Kite.

'Wait, I get it. That must be why you hit me when I met you a long time ago, right?',Gon thought back and smiled brightly,'That was the rule of the forest. It was, wasn't it?'

Staying silent, Killua kept his head down and stuck close to Valentine's side, their arms brushing slightly as he glanced towards her every now and then.

Something was clearly wrong, she kept staring off into the distance and her eyes kept fogging over as if she was recalling something of the past.

'You were teaching me the rules in Ging's place',Gon realized.

Looking up at the sky, Kite seemed to be in deep thought as he stared at the twinkling stars and a gasp of realization left his lips, causing the four to look at him in confusion.

Taking something out of his pocket, Kite came to a stop and turned around, holding it out to Gon, causing the four to look down at it in curiosity.

It was a Hunter's License.

'It's a Hunter's License',Gon stated.

Well, they could see that.

Glancing towards Gon out of the corner of her eye, Valentine raised an eyebrow and a soft snort filled the air as she slowly shook her head, before she hastily slapped her hands over her nose and mouth, her eyes wide in embarrassment.

Hearing a soft snicker, eyes of thunder turned to her right and she saw that Killua was already looking right at her, gold and ice connecting as one, before a small smile twitched at his lips as he stared at her; a soft look in his eyes.

Wide eyes of thunder blinked slowly and the young girl slowly took her hands away from her nose, her knuckles just barely brushing against her chin as a small smile twitched up at her lips as well; her eyes softening as pink gently painted her cheeks in a blush.

'Just think back to my final test, do you remember what is was?'

Tuning back into the conversation, Valentine hesitantly tore her eyes away from Killua's and turned towards Kite, listening to what was going on.

Eyebrows furrowing in thought, a small hum left Gon's lips and finally remembering, he nodded.

'You told me you had to go find Ging',Gon said.

'Well, before the test even began Ging handed his license to me',Kite told them and held it out towards Gon,' He told me I was supposed to use it to find him someday'

Slowly reaching forward, Gon took the license from Kite's hand and brought it closer, looking down at the license with curiosity.

'I always planned to return it to him once I did',Kite stated.

'Wait, he wouldn't take it back?'

It was quite confusing that Ging wouldn't want his Hunters License back.

Shaking his head, Kite leaned forward and lifted a hand from the rock he was sitting on, gesturing towards himself.

'No, I'd actually forgotten that I had it',The man admitted.

Reeling back slightly in shock, Valentine looked towards the older man with wide eyes and her mouth gaped open like a fish out of water as her brain seemed to freeze, shock filling her entire body.

Drops of sweat equally trailed down the four's temples and Zeus slowly shook his head, disappointed chirps leaving his beak as he raised his wing, placing it on his beak in disgruntlement.

'Gon, you said that you were going to find Ging on your own, didn't you?',The silver-haired man questioned and looked towards Gon with a small smile on his face, watching as the young boy looked up at him, nodding with a determined look on his face,'Then you have to do what you said you would. And if you don't mind, do you think that you could return that to Ging for me? '

Glancing down at the license for a moment, Gon looked back up at Kite and nodded with a small smile on his face.

'Sure. But before I do that, I have to finish this job with you and get a lot stronger while we're at it',Gon exclaimed and tightened his hold on Ging's license,'Once I'm done, I'll find Ging and give this back to him. You have my word'

With a smile of gratitude forming on his face, Kite nodded back and his eyes softened a bit as he looked at the boy, causing Valentine to look between them with a small smile twitching at her lips.

'I'm counting on you',Kite told the boy and before long, the small moment was gone as the man stood up,'Well, time to get a move on. We don't want to lose the trail'

An ebony to obsidian gradient was the spectacle for a full moon; the night sky so clear anyone could almost see every crater of the large circle in the sky. The moon, a glowing yellowy white, loomed large and was surrounded by an exquisite glow.

The group hadn't walked very far when suddenly, Kite came to a stop and stared off into the distance, his eyes narrowing.

A tightening feeling began to claw at Valentine's chest and she quickly came to a stop, her ethereal eyes glowing so brightly that they rivaled the moon itself; almost like her eyes were made out of the sun.

'What is this? I don't believe it..'

Wondering what was bothering the man, the boys came to a stop and while Gon was looking at Kite, Killua turned his gaze right towards Valentine.

'What's wrong, Kite?'

Immediately, the silverette noticed the way Valentine's entire aura had changed to something dark and mistrusting, before taking note of just how tensed up her body was.

The way her nails were digging into the skin of her palms, the way her beautiful golden eyes had taken to the shade of rust and he saw the way her jaw tightly clenched up.

Something was wrong.

Something was very wrong.

'Gon, Killua, Valentine, run'

The two boys hummed in confusion, while Valentine only stared off into the distance and every cell within her body was telling her to fight.

To protect her friends.

Perking up, Zeus ruffled his feather and chirped nervously, wanting to fly away and hide, but he wouldn't leave Valentine's side.

He would keep her safe.

Turning towards them, Kite's eyes were narrowed and wide, while sweat hurriedly rushed down his face.

'I said, go! Get out of here, right now!',Kite exclaimed and looked at the four harshly, before jumping forward,'Get away!'

Blood sprayed through the air and a severed arm landed on the bloodied grass with a thump, a cat-like humanoid creature standing there with blood dripping from their claws.

Gasps of shock filled the air, eyes of chocolate and that of gold darkened until they almost seemed black.

Both for different reasons.

The gentle plops that filled the air as they dropped to the ground, coating the shamrock colored grass and staining the once innocent blades, garnet as eyes that were once bright with light, turned blank almost immediately.

Glancing back towards Kite's severed arm, Gon's breathing shook as his eyes clouded with rage and his aura spiked as he screamed loudly.

Once normal nails seemed to sharpen slightly as Valentine jumped forward and went to attack, a blood lust filling her body as whispers filled her ears.

Kill.

Kill.

Kill for me.

The sound of Gon's angered scream was cut off and before she could reach them, an arm wrapped around her waist as something pulled her back, dragging her struggling form back towards where she was.

Without even realizing it, her hands reached back and sliced at anything they could, her sharpened nails drawing blood as a hiss of pain filled her ears.

Whoever was holding her back had seemed to picked her up and was now running away from where they had been, but her struggling form was making it very difficult.

Trees blurred by as the silverette ran as fast as he could to get the girl he loved and his best friend away from that dangerous creature, small pants leaving his lips.

'Damnit Val, snap out of it, I need you right now!',A voice spoke up through the haze in her mind,'I can't defend the both of you if that thing tries to come after us and I don't want you getting hurt!'

The red blur in her vision began to decrease and Valentine shook her head, breathing out slightly as Killua came to a stop, letting her down.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Valentine harshly dug her nails into the palm of her hand and slowly opened her eyes, the darkness that was beginning to well up within her began to gradually slip away.

Knowing what she had to do to make sure both of her friends were safe, Valentine watched as Zeus landed on Killua's shoulder and she rushed forward, placing her arm around Killua and Gon, before placing her hand on Zeus's head.

A sharp and piercing ring filled the air as the wind began to shift around them, their bodies blurring before they all disappeared from sight, nausea tugging at the boy's bodies.

The only thing that proved that they were ever there was the footprints they had left behind and the blue feather that landed on the ground.