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A brilliant light hugged the land as the sun began to stretch out with golden arms and ignited the sky with such brilliance and elegance.

The once night sky was lit up in a beautiful array of colors and the sun roused more colors from their languor, the sky beginning to turn a beautiful azure.

A soft fog settled around the area as birds chirped happily and horses grazed upon delectable blades of grass.

Just a few feet above the ground, the air began to ripple and form a strange, see through portal-like entrance, before four bodies appeared out of nowhere, falling to the ground.

A sound of panic echoed throughout the valley as the horses reared back and whinnied in trepidation, their nostrils flaring in fear.

Grains of sand burst apart and wisps of golden hair was stuck between rosy lips as eyes of thunder slowly looked up, small pants of complete and utter exhaustion leaving her body as she shook with that very same feeling.

It was almost like all of her energy had been zapped from her body and her arms shook as she placed them on the ground, trying to push herself up.

Her ability had never taken such a toll on her this greatly before, to the point she could barely move, and she figured that it was due to the fact that she had not only teleported herself far away from the situation, but three others as well.

Two hands gently wrapped around her own and looking up, eyes of thunder locked with eyes that reflected the ocean and told tales of a thousand kings, a look of uttermost worry crashing to the surface as her legs gave way underneath her.

A screech of concern left Zeus's beak and the hurried flaps of his wings filled the young girl's ears, before a light weight fell upon her shoulders, the hawk's cold beak gently rubbing against her cheek in worry.

Her knees barely had time to skim the surface of the ground, before those hands left her own and immediately caught her around her waist as Killua gently pulled her close, his worry very clear for her now.

Slowly, he placed his hand against her cheek and softly tilted her head up, having her tired eyes look into his.

Seeing his worry, Valentine gently placed her hand on top of his and a small smile spread across her lips as sweat slowly fell down her face as she nodded; reassuring him that she was alright.

The sounds of hooves approaching caused the two to turn around and catching sight of two NGL residents, caused Killua and Valentine to let out simultaneous sighs of relief.

Now that they were waiting for reinforcements, Valentine leaned back against the tree and a small exhausted exhale left her lips as her eyes slowly closed.

But as she did, she saw the crimson blood that splashed onto the ground and painted the grass as the canvas of a battlefield.

She was slowly beginning to regret leaving the man behind and began to wonder that even if she had stayed back, would she have gotten the both of them killed.

Her mind had pulled her into the darkness at such a crucial time that she could've gotten her friends killed and that thought pained her.

Maybe it was true what people used to say about her.

She was a monster.

If she hadn't snapped out of it when she heard Killua's voice, she could have killed him and she hated herself for it.

She hated that she was becoming the monster everyone thought she was, that her family wanted her to be.

If only the girl would have opened her eyes and forced herself out of her thoughts, she would've realized that Killua was now holding
her hand in his own; gently squeezing her hand as he looked at her in worry.

Even though her face was calm and blank, the silverette knew that she was having an internal battle with herself and was more than likely hating herself for what had happened but it was nothing more than a small cut.

Which had already stopped bleeding and was beginning to scab over.

"I'm sorry.."

It was so light and so soft of a whisper that if he hadn't paid attention, then he would've definitely missed it.

Eyes of azure turned her way and the silverette furrowed his eyebrows, a confused frown pulling at his lips as he stared at his girl.

'Why are you apologizing?',Killua questioned and his eyes trailed over her, not only
noticing the way she anxiously played with his fingers, but he also noticed that she wouldn't look him in the eyes,'There's nothing for you to be sorry for'

Water danced along the brim of eyes of thunder as she looked up towards him and the color seemed to intensify as if lightning had struck through her; her eyes burning with those unshed tears as they threatened to spill over the surface.

She swallowed and blinked a few times, holding back the dam that threatened to burst at any given moment as she slowly shook her head, her eyebrows furrowing as she took a shaky breath in.

"I could've killed you, Killua. When I lose control in that state, I don't control my actions anymore, a different part of me does",Valentine admitted and she watched as his eyes looked in between her teary one's,"And I can't decide who lives or who dies. It's like I'm locked away in a cage while something else is pulling my strings and I can't stop it"

No matter how hard she tried to keep it in, she couldn't stop the dam as it cracked and a lone tear fell from her eye as she blinked and it slowly rolled down her cheek, dripping from her chin as the tear left a wet streak, a small hiccup leaving her lips.

And just like that, all of her insecurities, as well as her fears began to spill out of her like a river and no matter what she did, she couldn't stop them.

"All I saw was a drop of blood and that's all it took for me to snap, Killua",Valentine recalled as a small sob left her lips and her watery eyes looked between his,"Who's to say it couldn't happen with something less next time? Like a simple cut or a bruise, or even a lock of hair falling. I don't want to hurt Gon... or you"

A gentle touch fell upon her skin as he held her face in his hands and his thumbs softly glided across her skin, wiping away the tears that stained her cheeks.

Eyes of the Atlantic deeply stared into eyes of thunder as Killua gently tilted her head up and firmly held her gaze as his hold on her face softly tightened, the feeling of his thumb tenderly gliding across her skin almost lulled her eyes closed but she strongly held his gaze.

'You'd never hurt Gon, Val... you'd never hurt me',The silverette told her firmly, watching as another tear slowly fell down her face and as she went to turn her head away from him, his hold tightened just enough to keep her looking at him,'I don't know why you'd ever think that, but Valentine, you need to trust yourself. You see yourself as this.. monster, but you are far from it. I'm where I am today because of you and if it weren't for you, I'd still be trapped with my family'

Even though he knew that all of their friends had come for him, he needed her to understand that she's the main reason he's found himself and begun to realize who he truly is.

Someone worthy of love and affection, someone worthy enough to have friends and want a normal life without having doubts that he wasn't good enough for it.

'Just because you have this.. dark side to you doesn't make you any different, in my eyes you're still that sweet and kind girl I met in the tunnel of the Hunter Exam. That same girl who continues to stick up for and defend her friends, even if she's faced with an opponent no one thinks she can beat'

Watching the way a small smile began to twitch at her lips despite the tears in her beautiful eyes, caused a warm and fuzzy feeling to blossom within Killua's chest and just seeing her smile, made a small smile spread across his face as his Atlantic eyes softened greatly; the look in his eyes would've let anyone else know that he was completely and utterly infatuated with the sunny eyed girl in front of him.

The softness of her thundering eyes as they stared up at him made shivers run down his spine and caused electricity to shoot throughout his body as his heart swelled with feelings that were well reciprocated.

A lump formed in the boy's throat the longer he stared at her and all that ran through his mind was how much he just wanted to pull her close and let her know just how much she meant to him.

'I want you to promise me something',Killua spoke up and looked in between her breathtakingly beautiful eyes, watching as she perked up slightly; listening intently to what he had to say,'No matter what happens in the future, I don't want you to ever doubt yourself. I want you to be confident in yourself and your decisions, no matter how unreasonable or stupid those decisions may sound to you, okay?'

Lips parting, eyes of thunder looked between those of the ocean and Valentine could almost swear that she'd seen a spark of something flare up within his eyes the longer he looked at her in determination.

His words had lit a spark so bright within her that her heart began to pound so loud in her chest that even the gods above could hear it and the way he held her face as his nose brushed against her own made blood rush to the surface of her cheeks as they burned with a crimson flame.

It felt as if all the air in her lungs had been stolen all at once and her body trembled as her breathing shook as his oceanic eyes gleamed with such resolve and confidence in her that it made the girl fall for him even more.

It was then that Valentine knew that this is what she had been searching for all this time; the connection between the two of them and the powerful waves of energy emitting from them could rival even the darkest of evils.

Never before had anyone made her feel this way and just knowing that he felt it too, made her all the more comfortable with these feelings that had brewed within her for a while now.

"Killua..",The young girl muttered under her breath and her wide, sparkling eyes looked in between his as he stared at her, before she slowly nodded her head,"..I promise"

The sound of an engine had stalled the heavenly moment between the two and turning their heads, as they watched a car drive towards them; dust heavily trailing behind the vehicle as it rapidly approached them.

A horrid screech filled the air as the vehicle came to a stop and a cloud of dust flurried around it, the rusted sound of the doors squeaking open filling the air as the crunching of rocks and dirt being crushed underneath shoes filled their ears.

Three figures emerged from the vehicle and began to walk towards them, one very familiar face stood out amongst the three.

Chairman Netero and he was accompanied by two men that the teens weren't very familiar with.

A look of confusion formed on the taller man's face as he took in their appearances and a small grin spread across his lips.

'What the hell is this? They're just kids',The man stated and it caused Valentine's eyes to darken; they had been underestimated so many times it made her aggravated,'You got burned real bad because you thought this was gonna be a game. Just hurry on home before it's too late'

Clearly feeling the anger radiating off of her body, Killua softly tightened his grip of her hand and continued to look at the man as Valentine looked towards him, her aura becoming calm.

'Stop it, Mr. Morel. That isn't very nice',The other said and pushed up his glasses; to be quite honest, he kind of reminded Valentine of Leorio,'As you said yourself, they are only children'

She took it back.

Looking away from the man, Killua decided to redirect his attention to the girl beside him and watched as she looked up at him, her gentle eyes soothing him as she gazed right back at him.

A soft chuckle left Netero's lips and he glanced towards the two men beside him, before looking back down at the teens on the ground.

'You certainly seem to be down in the dumps. So, was your adversary that formidable?'

A soft grunt left Killua's lips as he gritted his teeth and he felt as Valentine tensed up beside him as his hold on her hand tightened, watching out of the corner of his eye as worried eyes of gold glanced up at him.

Three pairs of eyes stared down at them and sweat gradually fell down the side of Killua's face as he tilted his head back up, eyes of the Atlantic glistening with remembrance.

'One of them could use Nen. Of all the aura I've encountered, this one was the worst. Worse than my brother's, worse than Hisoka's.. and even Akari's..'

Freezing up at the mention of her sister, Valentine gritted her teeth and narrowed eyes of thunder stared at the ground as if she meant to set the grass ablaze.

Looking up at the three older men, Killua's eyes looked over them and he watched their aura's as they formed around their bodies.

'Now that I've learned Nen myself, I can tell that you guys are unbelievably strong',The young silverette commented and then thought back to the monster they had encountered,'And still, I don't think even you could take him'

A scoff left the dark haired man's mouth and he judgingly stared down at the teens, a ray of light reflecting off of his glasses.

'People overrate things that they can't understand and that is a perfectly natural response',He explained and lifted his hand, pushing up his glasses,'Unfortunately, you're in a state of extreme panic right now. We'll take it from here. You just go to bed and get some rest'

A loud and boisterous laugh left the taller man's mouth and it caused Valentine's eyes to soften at the shadowed look over Killua's face.

It was clear to her that they were beginning to get to him and it didn't sit right with her.

'How was that just now different from what I said? Come on, Knov!'

Closing his eyes for a moment, Knov scoffed and looked down at the children, catching the young blonde's eye as she stared up at them.

Such a child shouldn't be thinking about running into dangers such as these.

'Look kids, the minute you start calculating the odds of winning in Nen combat, well, it just shows you're missing the whole point. In most cases, you don't know what your opponents abilities are and when you're in a fight like that, even the slightest hesitation could be a matter of life and death. All of a sudden, having more or less aura than the other guy isn't really much of an excuse. Plus, the battle could turn quickly and at any time'

A large grin spread across the man's face and a slightly chuckle left his lips as he adjusted his weapon over his shoulder.

'That's the essence of Nen combat',The man explained,'Still, no matter what, always fight like you know you're going to win. That's what it means to have the spirit of a Nen user. You were disqualified the second you got scared of your opponent's Nen and ran. You're worse than a loser'

'Morel, that's enough',The man with glasses ordered.

Turning his eyes towards the only sleeping member of the group, a small noise of confusion left the chairman's lips as he stared at the boy and then glanced towards the hawk that was settled beside him.

My, how big the young Zeus had grown from when he had seen him last.

'Is Gon.. sound asleep there?',He questioned.

Glancing towards the boy out of the corner of his eye, Killua slowly shook his head and then looked forward once more.

'No, he's not. He tried to attack, so I used force to stop him',Killua stated and then glanced towards Valentine, causing the chairman to do the same,'If Valentine hadn't calmed herself when she did, I may have had to do the same with her'

Looking between his eyes, Valentine slowly nodded and understood that he was right for thinking that's what may have had to be done.

Turning his eyes back towards Gon, Killua frowned and a small sigh left his lips as he turned away.

'I didn't have time to hold back, so I don't know when he'll wake up'

A loud laugh once again left Morel's mouth and his grin broadened as he stared at the teens.

'Sounds like the other kids have much more of a future ahead of them'

'Morel!',The man spoke up in a scolding tone.

'It's rather difficult to believe that the giant Chimera Ants have taken to eating humans, yet it seems to be true. And therefore, we must attempt to keep the casualties to a minimum',The chairman explained,'If we send in fighters who aren't strong enough, we're running the risk of assimilation. Do you understand?'

Slowly nodding his head, Killua agreed to the man's words and stood up, picking up Gon while the others led Valentine to the vehicle.

Each bump they went over caused their bodies to rock and yet, Valentine continued to stare out into the never-ending valley of sand, her golden eyes dimming as she got lost in thought.

The way that creatures eyes looked at them unsettled her greatly and she began to wonder, just how bad this would get.

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AHHHHHHH! WHY IS VALLUA SO CUTE, WTH AM I DOING!?

I know how you guys feel and I am beginning to despise how long I'm taking with them 😭

Just seeing how much they care for one another makes me feel single and lonely and I hate it lol.

Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and the lovely Vallua scene I had provided you with.

Now, like many people Valentine has insecurities and that side to her is one of them. She cares for her friends so much that she'd rather herself be hurt more than her friends and I honestly love how far she's come and how well her character has developed, I hope you guys do too!

Now, let's talk about Vallua.

Many of you are wondering when Killua and Val will get together and I promise you guys it will be soon. I have a specific episode in mind and I have a plan for these two lovebirds, so I really hope you guys like what's going to play out.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I'll see you all in the next one.

I love you all, my lovely little wolves! <3