She's incomplete. She'll never make it. Her soul is split into thousands. She's insufficient. She's weak. She's helpless. This struggle is useless...

Though we all came together for the second time since our creation, though we all scoured every corner of every universe for as many of the dying pieces as possible, what we have done so far is still not enough.

The New Soul is dying. An egg fractured in the womb will not survive a premature birth. We can create as many mortal bodies for her as possible, but it's seeming futileby now—she is going to fade. There are too many pieces. Her spirit, fallen every which way, will cease. There is only so much we can do in interference.

It just cannot be so? It cannot be as impossible as we think it is? There must be something we can do to prolong her existence. If she's incomplete, then we must make her complete. But how?

A question that even puzzles them.

Chapter 1

"We're dying." She bluntly stated, though it was unnecessary. Her glimmering emerald eyes spoke the volumes of emotion that her voice didn't show.

Two girls sat in a forest. The sky was bright and beautifully clear this morning, but it was obscured almost completely by the dense treetops.They stared out into the woods at nothing in particular. Neither girl made a sound; the only sound was of the wind that flew rampant through the grove, howling sorrowfully around them and smothering them with whorls of leaves. They grasped each other's hand tightly, as if letting go would kill them both. Not one word was spoken for a while.

After all, communicating in words was unnecessary, as they were both two sides of the same person. They understood this and accepted it. It didn't at all upset them as it could, because they felt complete when they were together. There was a deep understanding there that was different from the understanding of a close friend… Not more or less than, but different.

It soon became noon. They were hungry, but they were feeling the fruitlessness of any attempts to prolong their suffering. They could feel the time approaching, the time they would cease to be. Heaven burdened them with the knowledge of everything about their own mind, body, and soul. So, they knew about their fractured soul, that beings so extraordinary were on their side, trying to save their... life. This was why they understood each other so well, why they found each other familiar, and why they could sense where each other was.

The girls also knew that unless the omnipotent beings and themselves figured out something to do to possibly save their mortal soul with all this omniscience in self, they would not last long. This train of thought made them sad and desperate. All they could do to comfort each other was hug each other tightly as they cried. They were only four years old, after all. Kids cry.

They cried and hugged as they felt the pain of their aura collapsing and draining into the atmosphere.

-

"Mama!"

A girl and her waterfall under a bright blue sky. A toddler wrapped in the arms of her loving parent, hoping to find comfort.

"You know you're not supposed to be moving around when you're sick! Let's get you back in bed... What's wrong, my ever-cute Luna-tot? Cheer up! ... Why are you crying?"

A beautiful voice that usually soothes the child, but... things are different now.

"M-ma-mama..."

A small voice embraced by a strong one.

"Luna... Luna, baby, what's wrong!? Luna! Luna!!"

A mother.

-

Hal Wickerson did not know what to do with his daughter. She was only six years old, and she had some strange disease. After spending tens of thousands of Jeni on hiring doctors and specialists who hopefully had a cure, they all failed. Feeling helpless and desperate, he could only think of one other possibility.

Hal, though not at all physically strong and never having been anything exceptional in academic smarts, did have a different kind of smart and strength about him. With his notable cunning, a large list of contacts, money, and with the nature of his employment as well, he ended up eventually learning about something called aura. That was something doctors didn't normally check. Hal had convinced himself that this was surely what was wrong. Her aura, her spirit, could be what's been in trouble. Though it was possibly another waste of money and time, it was something.

So daddy dearest here had put out a request for a hunter that could check his little girl's aura and cure her if possible. The gratification was a wealthy sum, and was negotiable. The response, predictably, became quite numerous. He had his doubts about the majority of these people, though. Perusing his contacts list, he called up a favour. The man he was calling a favour upon was dangerous to deal with, but Hal was sure that his efforts would pay off eventually.

After all, she was his only offspring, since his wife had died. His daughter... was the only precious person he had left. Though she had become very weak in recent years, she had a personality of which made him proud. She was kind, looked like her mother, but resembled him in the personality department. She walked the same wobbly line, metaphorically speaking.

In any case, this dangerous favour would help him pick the best candidate(s) for this type of job.

-

"Sir, your daughter's aura is fluctuating. The reason for her dizzy spells is that at those times she has expelled way too much aura, exhausting herself. Since she can't and doesn't know how to control her aura, this takes a toll on her body." The old hunter paused here, thinking about how to phrase this so he could understand.

Interpreting his ensuing silence as uncertainty, Mr. Wickerson responded in an insipid and sarcastic tone, "That's great. Now how do we fix it?"

The elderly man posing as their hunter today composed himself, and continued firmly. "An aura exudes from the person. Her aura isn't what is causing her problems. It is your daughter, herself—" At seeing Hal's scathing indignant look, the man continued hurriedly but managed to not sound alarmed, "Her soul, I suspect."

Mr. Wickerson managed to keep most of the skepticism out of his voice as he slowly reiterated the hunter's last four words. Then he asked the question the old man was well expecting.

"So how can my daughter be cured?"

"Here's the tricky part: I know how her life can be prolonged, but to cure her... You will need help from the Gods themselves. Luckily, however, I have an old friend that may be able to help."

-

That is when They had an idea. It was risky, but it might just work. First, They had to find the biggest soul piece in that universe, and send the chosen away for training. At a sufficient level, the rescue plan would commence. Then They would need to give Their Chosen a means to find the others, or else They'd have to pick through all the soul specks... Their meddling could only go so far, but after all...

One of Their Own did cause her state of being.

-

Boredom pushes many to do almost anything to possibly get rid of it. Nervousness leads many into insanity. Curiosity tempts many into spying, and testing dangerous waters. As an enthusiastic writer, and as an amateur composer of music, mixing the habits derived from practising these traits daily and the three aforementioned states can make... something that can be potentially deadly... for a young woman's sake, or someone else's.

"My mommy went pale on a December's day,
Her cheeks so soft, but face so cold.
Her song used to drive the Devils away
like she cut off their tails with the tales she told.

Her eyes, once so glittering like snow, went stark.
I frolicked no more, but froze in its parts.
Expression so bright all of a sudden went dark.
Twas then I learnt how a soul departs.

My daddy went red on a July's morn'.
His cheeks were rough but eyes so soft.
I never once learnt what had him sworn
to protect a daughter so distant and aloft.

His eyes, they once were determined and set,
they guarded me closely in the mask of a fox,
but left thence the haggard femme and I met.
And with dust in my eyes, and rain in my locks,
nothing would mend. All she said was

'The en—"

"'Ey! 'Ey you! Shut up, 'kay? We don' need no fragile lil' girls 'round here, so why don't you either be quiet or—look at me when I'm talking to you, girl!"

A harsh baritone voice sounded suddenly, emitting through clenched teeth from the back of his throat, standing—actually walking in a rather quick and pissed off manner toward her position near the wall—indicative of a tall man, a bit too irritable to not be nervous, maybe a rookie (if you take into consideration the course of action he chose), annoying…

I thought I was quiet, she thought. Boredom makes everyone lose a little control, I guess.

She opened her eyes tiredly, though her laziness might have pissed the man off more. In either case, she did not seem very affected by the tone he had. Breathing in slowly, as if she were about to pull off a very laborious task, she...

"Sorry."

... apologized. She had bothered the man evidently, after all. It was said in a manner that proclaimed clearly of indifference. Nonchalant. Apparently, he was taken aback for a second. Perhaps he was expecting indignation, anger, or fear, but what he got was a nothing in the form of a 'sorry'. She stared straight at him with unblinking green eyes as she had said it, too. That can put off a few people, sometimes. Really, she hoped he would just accept the damn apology and move on.

"Wha-?" He quickly gathered his composure, and his new stance screamed a superior air. "What are you doing here? This place isn't for little girls!"

She exhaled slowly, seemingly still tired but starting to look a little irritated. She wouldn't mind smashing his head into a wall, but she wouldn't, for numerous reasons. One, she wanted to conserve energy. They would most likely test endurance again, something she wasn't good at, so she needed to conserve energy. Two, she didn't want to gather the wrong kind of attention, being people stronger and creepier than her. Three... She couldn't think of a third. Anyway, the point is, this little confrontation was starting to gather a crowd, and she hated being the center of attention—oh yeah, that was the third reason.

This place isn't for little girls!

Not exactly thinking straight, she shot back, maybe a little too loudly, "You're right! Absolutely. Maybe you should leave." She tiredly rubbed her eyes, and proceeded to ignore him.

She only realized just how audible she was after people started chuckling. She inwardly groaned. There goes her subtle presence! Now just about everyone has noticed her. (In her perspective, she would say that because of nervousness, even though it's not true.)

"What did you say?" He growled, and she suddenly found him in her face. His hands moved to slam her shoulders into the wall she had been leaning against. Someone yelled in pain, but he found it to be his own voice. "Argh! Damn it, that hurt! What the hell—where'd she go?"

As the man rubbed his hands sorely in anger, the little girl was hidden behind the crowd safely out of view... Whew.

"What happened to watching how much energy I expend?" She whispered to herself in frustration, as she dusted the dirt off her navy-blue knee-length dress. This place would be filthy, considering how far down it is.

Looking around where she now stood carefully, someone uncommon caught her eye... She didn't normally see any boys her age in here. She got the notion that he wasn't simply above average, either. He was standing a friendly distance next to an older blond and an even taller brown-haired male in a suit... Ah, then she spotted another young person somewhere in the crowd.

Suddenly, she froze. Her eyes stared across the room directly into a strange white-haired boy's dark eyes. Woops, maybe he saw me move. A creepy tingle went down her spine as they both held the gaze. It was broken as another exam participant walked between them. She made sure to shift her position to hide herself in the mass of people. There always was a large amount of people. But there would be no worries. Having taken the test a few times before, she knew that a lot of them would end up dropping out or dying.

A sharp ringing sound cut through all the noise cleanly. The first test would begin.

-

He had seen another kid like Gon, here. The kid was actually a girl, yet somewhat piqued his curiosity at least. At first he subtly looked for her while they ran, but as soon as he caught glimpses of her strange black and bright green(only at the tips) locks, or her narrowed emerald eyes, she weaved through the crowd further up ahead and away from him.

"Ne, Killua! Who are you looking for?"

Ah, so Gon noticed. Well, after a while his subtle approach should have been found out, if Gon was as attentive as he thought he'd be. Oh well.

"A weird girl our age. Black and green chin-length hair, green eyes, dark blue dress? She keeps going somewhere out of sight."

Gon looked interested, too. "Another person our age? I think I noticed her, too. She's probably moving to be at the front."

Killua nodded. "Yeah. I thought so, too."

Both nodding in agreement, they sped up. Gradually, but fairly quickly, they'd make their way to the front. They were climbing stairs now. The crowd was beginning to thin more, so it'd be easier to spot her. Soon she'd have nowhere to hide unless she wanted to quit.

She realized this, too, but she couldn't help but avoid them. Who knew what their motives were? See, this was the exact kind of thing she was trying to avoid! She didn't want to attract attention. It caused a lot of problems. Staying out of the majority of people's minds gives her the advantage she needs—anonymity. With that, she'd be able to keep any of her fighting moves/traits from being expected. Sure, she was fast, but the price was paid in strength. Plus, with her... disease of sorts, it somewhat limited her as well. Grasping at straws, here! Though, she wasn't doing too bad right then, mostly because she previously had some help from her special shoes... She was sweating a bit, but she'd prepared for this exam with years of training... As long as her emotions stayed relativelycalm...

"Konnichiwa!"

Her eyes uncharacteristically widened all the way while her mouth froze in an 'O' shape. (A/N: OoO basically, ha.) Her foot missed the step she was going for, but she caught up to where she was again easily without falling behind too much. The boys she had spotted before the exam's start... were... on either side of her! So they had met? When did they get there!? Damn that's shocking! I slipped up! I should have sensed them coming! She thought, irritable from being surprised. Fuck. Don't dothat! But she wasn't a mean person (usually), and she didn't want enemies...

She shook her head, and held a hand over her heart as she replied slowly, "Hello." Not very expressive. Still shocked, as her heartbeat confirmed.

Okay, so what did these two boys want? Well, they weren't really sure. Their curiosity had led them here to investigate her, but... Well, how would they start a conversation? Gon decided to start by introducing themselves.

"Sorry for surprising you. I'm Gon!" And the said boy raised his hand in greeting, along with a polite smile.

She nodded to him and then stared at Killua, and he easily said, "Killua."

Her expressionless gaze lingered on him for another miniscule moment, but quickly then gave way to a sheepish smile in return. "Litia—friends call me Wicky." Her tone implied she preferred the latter name. "Nice to meet you two."

The girl we now know as Wicky decided to say something more. If they would know each other, might as well delve... "You made it to the front pretty fast." She stated airily, as if her attention was consumed with something else. And despite her lacking endurance, the running wasn't distracting, rather this was the way she talked habitually. (So to be blunt, she acts like an airhead at times.)

"The pace isn't very fast." Killua explained. "In fact, not moving the fastest way is more tiring."

Wicky hummed, inventively musical,in thought. "Perhaps? I never really thought of it that way." She took a deep breath and exhaled, clearing her mind a bit for focus.

Gon stared inquisitively at Killua, thinking that his new white-haired friend must be strong to not have broken out into a sweat like everyone else. Even he himself was sweating a bit, though that wasn't indicative that he was going to retire anytime today, he still was sweating.

"The Hunter's exam seems boring so far." He said, a tinge of mock disappointment in his voice. "Not very fun."

Wicky almost stumbled, but caught herself in time.Fun? Why would he expect it to be fun?

Gon asked him, "Why do you want to be a hunter, Killua?"

"I don't really want to be a hunter. I heard it was difficult, and thought it sounded interesting. I'm disappointed. How about you, Gon?"

"My father is a hunter, so my goal's to be a hunter just like him!"

"Your father... What kind of hunter is he?" Killua enquired.

"I don't know."

Wicky and Killua simply stared at him for a moment in shock. Wouldn't you be? Gon explained more about what he knew about his father, and a man by the name of Kaito. Before they knew it, the exit was spotted and everyone sprinted the last few meters. It was a convenient escape to answering the question that would possibly be asked to Wicky. Hmm... Sort of suspicious, eh? But if the two boys realized this, they didn't say anything. The instructor of this section of the exam was speaking, anyway.

-

They had gotten separated during another marathon through a dangerous marshland, but met up again for the next test. Killua made it there first. Wicky trickled in near the end of the group, looking obviously tired—well, more than usual. After working her legs slowly to loosen the muscles, she walked up to greet Killua, wiping the sweat off her forehead and neck with a handkerchief. She had given up trying to avoid them after they all had introduced themselves. She wasn't that stubborn at all, really.

"Hey, Killua." She uttered, sighing in relief.

"Hey." He acknowledged her with a glance, and commented, "You look tired already." Not avoiding us anymore, are you?

"Yeah, my endurance isn't good. It was annoying, avoiding all the man-eating monsters." She quickly changed topic by asking, "Wasn't Gon with you?" By now she looked fine, so she put away the handkerchief.

He exhaled noisily, putting his hands in his pockets, seemingly apathetic. "I don't know! He went back to help Leorio. I kept going."

Who is Leorio? She thought, but didn't ask and simply said, "I see."

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly over her normal lazy eyes, which admitted a bit of worry and doubt. "It'll take something special to make it here without a guide."

Killua didn't show outward concern, but he did reply, "Yeah. Hope he has something up his sleeve." Though, it was still said without a sign of real concern. She nodded in agreement, anyway.

They both searched the crowd around them with their eyes, but both already knew Gon wasn't there, so they lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. Well, it wasn't that much of an awkward silence until Gon came barging into the area alongside the blond man from before the test. Surprise, surprise! She thought gaily, before remembering to tune it down. Can't afford to get too emotional now, can't I? Wicky trailed behind Killua as they made their way to Gon past the crowd. I'd like to get to know them more before we split ways (after the exam). They're interesting... Gon and the older blond were leaning over and talking to the brown haired man she had seen earlier wearing a suit.

"Why is everyone waiting outside the hangar?" Gon questioned.

Killua made his presence known, answering, "Because we can't get in yet!"

"Killua! Wicky!"

Leorio and Kurapika both asked confusedly at the same time, "Wicky?"

Glancing curiously at the two strangers briefly, Wicky stepped forward and raised her hand in greeting to Gon. "Hey, Gon! Almost worried that you wouldn't make it here!"

"You use some kind of special attack, or what? We thought we'd never see you again!" Killua said in a slight teasing manner, though obviously pleased that Gon had arrived alive.

Gon proceeded to explain how he got into trouble and found his way back because of following the scent...

"Of his aftershave?" Killua reiterated in disbelief.

Wicky had a hand clasped over her mouth to stifle the trickle of laughter at the aftershave fact, and when she uncovered it she complimented Gon, "I've never heard of that before. Amazing!" She smiled contently.

Killua noted a difference in the smile she gave now compared to the polite one when they met. Not too much, actually. Seems more relaxed.

"Yeah Gon, you're not an ordinary guy!"

"Ah, you think so?" His wide eyes projected thoughtfulness as he said this.

At Wicky's prompting, Gon belatedly introduced Wicky to Kurapika and Leorio. The polite smile came back, leaving Killua something to think about in his spare time.

Something's... off... about her. Suspicious...

-

The first phase of the second trial of the exam was easy. Roast pork for Buhara. It was the second part that was difficult. The second part, the instructor Menchi asked for Sushi. Mostly everyone was stunned. After thinking hard, Wicky could remember vaguely what Sushi was. Her father, due to his profession, made a lot of business trips. Sometimes he took her along. He once introduced her to Sushi... It was small and cylindrical, if she could remember correctly. She knew it had fish in it, because that ninja guy said so. So, she knew it was cylindrical, small, had fish, and had rice. If she could get all those ingredients, she may be able to scrounge a tolerant Sushi to pass.

Unfortunately, even though Wicky got the shape right, the taste was not exactly... it was honestly horrible, according to Menchi. She didn't argue. The fact was Wicky didn't cook. That, and she had waited a bit too long to hand over her Sushi, when everyone had ended up somehow insulting Menchi's culinary skills. Wicky should have known better, if she wanted to be a hunter. At least, that's what she told herself to soothe her wounded pride.

Then, the situation became worse. Menchi became full. Her verdict was: 0 passed.

Then, things became strange. As the participants stood stubbornly unmoving outside, an old man fell from an airship in the sky. Wicky was probably one of the few present who knew how it was humanly possible for the senior to do that.

-

"I'm so glad we're not going to fail..." Wicky sighed in relief after the elderly president of the committee dismissed them until their destination. "I've never been failed so early..."

"You've taken this exam before, Wicky?" Gon enquired curiously.

The girl's strangely-coloured hair fell into her face as she nodded once sharply, effectively ruining the serious look she was going for. She blew the black-green locks out of her face irritably, and said, "I've taken this exam twice before. Last year, and three years ago."

"How old are you now?" Killua asked.

"13. And you?"

"I'm 13, too."

"Gon?"

"Almost 13."

All of a sudden Gon started, which startled the other two, as he remembered something. "Wicky! You never told us why you want to become a hunter!"

Wicky froze for the smallest of moments, but was soon smiling sheepishly and waving a hand dismissively at him. "My reason's not that interesting... It's boring, trust me."

"Aw, c'mon! Wicky-chan!"

Killua pointed at himself and then at Gon, looking at her with an expression of amusement that challenged her. "We told you our reasons! It's only fair, don't you think?"

"Well, you see," She cleared her throat. "It's sort of... complicated." Wicky gave a short embarrassed laugh.

There was silence, and the two boys simply waited for her to continue. Sweat dropping, she drudged on, not wanting to be rude. She took a deep breath, and said in an offhand manner...

"I'm—eh—dying. Hunters are given access to all sorts of privileged information, as well as other stuff... I'm going to use it to find the people connected to what's killing me." Then suddenly added cheerfully, "Plus, dad said being a hunter would've been his second choice for a job! I want to make him proud!"

There was a stunned silence after she finished, which was broken after they regained their wits, by Gon saying in a concerned voice, "You're going to die?"

Wicky looked straight at them both, looking neither worried nor embarrassed anymore, and she nodded in affirmation. "As long as I am aware of how I am feeling, I won't rush my death any more than it is."

My sixth sense tells me that the sentence implies some other meaning as well. Killua narrowed his eyes slightly in thought as he looked her over. "You don't look like you're dying... Unlike most of the other people you made it all the way through the endurance test—" He stopped. "How'd you do that?"

One of Wicky's eyebrows rose as she saw that Killua was beginning to piece things together. He's suspicious, too. Better be careful around that one. "My shoes double as roller skates."

Looking downwards to her grey shoes, Wicky brought her right shoe's heel down in front of her left shoe, and tapped them together like that. Her height boosted a few centimetres (about an inch) as the wheels swiftly popped out at the bottom of both her shoes.

She explained. "At the beginning, I used this to conserve energy, until we got to climbing stairs."

Gon, who was looking lost between the two, spoke up, "If you're dying, why are you..."

"... becoming a hunter if I'm dying?" Wicky looked offended, but her content smile afterwards showed she didn't blame him for the thought, "This isn't the kind of ailment you can relieve the symptoms of by resting up and taking it easy. It's more mental than anything." Not exactly the whole truth, but from the looks of things, they don't know anything about Aura.

They would've asked more about what she meant, but they were interrupted. They had arrived. Short trip, after all.

-

"And finally, you have to boil the egg!" Menchi concluded, smiling.

"Ah, cool!" Killua said, smiling.

"I was waiting for something like this!" Gon yelled enthusiastically.

"That's more like it! It's easier to take action than to do some traditional cooking!" Leorio yelled.

"Yeah, I stink at cooking." Wicky lamely added, but was the only first female to jump with the first four males into a dangerously deep ravine.

"Let's go!"

This test went pretty easily, despite the danger. Get the Tarantula eagle's egg, climb out, and boil it. Because of Buhara, mostly everyone who had gotten an egg got a clue to when to pull out their egg. Tasting their eggs, they found it was the most tastiest egg they'd ever tasted. It put everyone who caught an egg in a very good mood, considering they tasted the most delicious egg they'd ever consumed and they passed the trial as well. Menchi's verdict: 42 passed.

-

"We should arrive tomorrow at around eight at the next trial's destination. We are waiting for them to contact us. You are free to do whatever you want until we arrive."

"Anything we want? Huzzah." Wicky cheered in her deceptively lazy way: as she leaned against something with her eyes not quite fully open.

Leorio, Kurapika, Wicky, Gon, and Killua were all a friendly distance from each other, still in good moods since the end of the latest trial. They had time to kill. Energy to burn. Things to see... Speaking of which,

"Hey Gon, how about a tour of the vessel?!" Killua asked Gon enthusiastically.

"Yeah!!" Gon yelled as he prepared to walk off, but then paused, remembering something, and added with just a little less volume, "Do you want to come along, Wicky?"

Killua turned curiously, waiting for her answer. He didn't seem to mind, but Wicky found herself feeling nervous for some reason. Killua, meanwhile, wondered why she seemed uncomfortable interacting with them.

Wicky smiled apologetically. "I'd like to, but I'm actually pretty hungry and thirsty. I wonder if they have someplace with food?" She inwardly cursed her cowardice.

Gon looked somewhat put out—not enough to completely rid him of his good mood, but he looked disappointed nonetheless.

Killua walked up to her, putting an arm around her shoulder and smoothly steering her in the direction that he as well as Gon had started walking in. "We'll find a place. Let's go!"

"Alright. I'm in." Her lazy eyes looked more awake when they shone in amusement, and admittedly enthusiasm as well for being included. The kids bounded off in some direction, leaving Kurapika and Leorio to their own devices, which did not include burning off energy or seeing various rooms in the aircraft.

"Me, I think I'm going to take a good, long nap." Leorio muttered tiredly.

Kurapika agreed. "Me too. Today has been rather long."

After a while of exploring with the three kids... Killua, Gon, and Wicky had found a place with food—a kitchen, more or less. Showing an ability to negotiate, she had swindled the boys and herself some fruit and glasses of juice (because it's healthy, instead of soda) for free. Actually, Wicky had stolen some kind of fruit-flavoured wine for herself. God only knows how! (A/N: Cough. Cough.) No one—that would snitch—seemed to notice, so it was all good. They were now sitting at a bench in a hallway, staring out of the window absently. They had long ago finished their juice and fruit, dishes out of sight.

Wicky reflected on the conversation they had after getting them all food and drinks.

Gon had leaned over and sniffed her cup. "There's something wrong with your juice, Wicky!" Gon had told her.

Killua had drunk a portion of his juice. "Mine's fine. Gon?"

Right then, Wicky had giggled—not looking innocent in the least—and had taken a sip of her cup. "It's fine." She had licked her lips, seeming pleased. "Don't worry. Your glasses should be fine. Do you like your juice?"

"But what if it's poisoned or something?" Gon had ignored her question, sensing something was going on.

Killua, having his suspicions, had snatched the glass neatly out of her hands. Ignoring her protest, he had proceeded to take a sip from her cup. His eyes had widened comically as he recognized the taste. He had been tempted to spit back into the glass, but Wicky had snatched back her glass. He had been forced to gulp it down.

"Hey! Wicky, you—"

She had leaned toward them and whispered roughly, "I've been drinking for years! I can handle just a glass!"

Gon had gasped then, realizing what had conspired. "Wicky! You're underage!" He had whispered back.

"What? If I can handle it, and no one tells, who cares?"

"But we're in the middle of an exam! Won't it be bad if you get drunk?" Killua had asked, reasoning with her.

"Itwould be bad if I became drunk." She had agreed quickly, and had paused dramatically before adding, "But I've built up a resistance, so—!" She had stuck out her tongue at them playfully, before continuing to drink her glass. It hadn't been really big, so she had ended up taking the rest in one shot. A pleased sound had ensued.

They had just stared, stunned. When she had started giving them a deceptively innocent smile, they had decided to just drink their damn juice and be happy.

Wicky was interrupted from her memory by Gon commenting, "Great!" A raised eyebrow from Wicky. He continued, still looking out the window, "It looks like a diamond!"

She glanced out at the city, humming positively in agreement. "Pretty." There was more silence.

"Killua...?"

The white-haired boy in question looked toward Gon. "Yes?"

"Have you got parents?"

"Huh? Yeah! Of course."

"What do they do?" Gon enquired.

"Assassins." He replied shortly.

Wicky didn't look too surprised, and not disturbed at all. I was expecting something like that. I suspected that he must have had some unique past for him to want to come here. She looked at Killua curiously, but didn't say anything. Gon looked to want to say something, though.

Completely unperturbed and undisturbed, Gon questioned, "Both of them?"

All eyes stared at Gon. He can't be serious? That was the thought on Killua's mind as he burst out laughing, while the only girl among them smirked in amusement.

"That's the first time someone's listened to me seriously and asked me that afterwards!"

"But it's true, isn't it?" Wicky asked, feeling left out.

"What makes you say that?"

"Gon's thinking it. But if I were to say... it's because I could feel you were serious." Her finger tapped her lips thoughtfully. Nod. Nod.

Killua and Gon were a little bit disturbed by her perception of their emotions. "Female intuition." She stated, as if it explained everything. Lie. "It's hard to tell for Gon, but for a second he looked like he was going to ask that. So I did." She shrugged. "I'm right, aren't I?"

Iwas going to ask that. Gon turned curiously to Killua, and confirmed this.

Killua paused, thinking about this. "You're both really strange. But you especially, Gon. One can never tell if you're serious or if you're joking. That's what gives you your charm!"

Wicky voiced her agreement at that, and was tempted to say And I'm just strange, but she beat the temptation to an inch of its life. She was thinking that she should be offended, but would not take it to heart. Killua was being serious, damn it!

Killua didn't say anything, at first. Then he started talking. "At my place, assassination is a common interest." He rested his chin on his palm, finding a comfortable position. "And I won't say how much pressure my family puts on me, but I don't like others deciding what I will do in life."

Killua...

You're very brave to defy family. I envy you. Wicky thought.

Gon... it's hard to say what's in that boy's mind right now.

Perhaps it was because he didn't want them to pity him, or because things were getting too serious for his liking, but he finished his 'confession' of sorts in a comical way. "When I told them, 'I will decide what my future will be, by myself!' They got all mad... My mother started crying, saying I had a gift in assassination." He mumbled something about only being able to be considered evil under his breath. He summed his story up, somewhat shouting, "Anyway, long story short, I beat up my mom and dad, and ran away:D They probably haven't even healed yet!" He looked as happy as a cat who just caught a mouse. "When I become a hunter, the first thing I'll do is arrest my whole family! I'm certain to get a good reward!"

Gon was grinning, and his sweat dropping, at Killua's comically dramatic way of saying this.

"That sounds like a good plan!" Gon said.

Hmm... Wicky thought. I feel someone approaching.

"I agree. Go for—"

All of a sudden, they all jumped out of their seats as they felt someone rapidly approaching. As they stared, though, the president of the Hunter's committee Netero walked up behind them, from the opposite direction of the hall. When he enquired on what was going on, they confusedly turned. Gon asked Mr. Netero if he had sensed something coming from the other side of the hall. At the old man's negative reply, Killua hazarded his suspicion...

"You're really fast for your age..."

"Really? I was just walking without haste."

This ticked off Killua, not liking to be made a fool, and especially not for the amusement of an old man. He asked coldly, "What do you want? Got nothing to do until the finals?" Of course, this coldness really confused everyone else except the president.

"No need for such coldness! I'm just looking for someone to play with. It's your first time participating in the Hunter's exam, right? Oh, except you, Litia. Well, how do you all like it?"

"Yeah! It's fun!"

Wicky shrugged. "It's okay. The exam last year was harder."

"Ah, yes, I remember you got injured in the last trial that time, didn't you?" Wicky visibly tensed, which seemed quite disturbing for someone so freaking lazy who drank wine not so long ago. "How are you healing?"

"It's fine." She said carefully, clearly uncomfortable with talking about it. Why would you even ask that, Netero-san? Why...

He didn't say anything else to her about that, thankfully.

While this new development about their female companion was quite interesting, this didn't make Killua like the old man any more. On the contrary, it made him more irritable.

"In my opinion, I'm disappointed. The trials were not very challenging." He stared intensely at the old man. "Will we finally start having fun in the following trials?"

"Well... You'll see..."

Killua wrapped an arm around each new companion and steered them away. "Come on, let's go... we're wasting time." He muttered. He noticed Wicky hadn't really relaxed. It was like she was back to being the dodgy female they had first seen.

"Wait!" They stopped. "Don't you want to play with me?"

Huh?Man, if that didn't sound tremendously creepy coming from an old as hell man, then I don't know what the fuck does. Oh right... Hisoka...

"I... have something to do before we arrive... You guys go if you're interested." Wicky's eyes avoided their questioning stares, as she activated the wheels hidden in her shoes and sped away smoothly in the direction they had been going in.

"Hmm? I wonder if it's something I said? Anyway, are you interested? Then follow me!"

Unsure, but still curious, they decided to follow old man Netero to see what he meant.

-

(This next part you should all know. Get the basketball away from the powerfully disturbed geezer.)

"Wow. I'm kind of glad Wicky isn't here to see this." Gon mumbled under his breath.

He didn't mean for it to be audible at all, but Killua managed to hear it. He couldn't help but agree. But of course, in front of Mr. Netero, he wouldn't say anything. If he had anything, it was his dignity and pride.

(Seriously, that old man scares me almost as much as Hisoka
Aiiieee... ee;;
"Don't you want to play with me?")

-

As the heads and body parts dropped to the floor, Killua thought to himself, I wanted the ball so badly, I probably would've ended up killing the geezer And then he moodily rounded the corner to the place he was going for, where Kurapika and Leorio should be right now, as well as that dastardly Tompa.

They're asleep. Obviously, by the blankets wrapped around their slumbering bodies, they had decided to rest up before they arrived. Probably in preparation for the next trial. He glanced at Tompa briefly.

That wasn't the only person asleep, here. Curled up on the floor like a cat next to Kurapika was Wicky. She probably hadn't wanted to sleep next to the snoring Leorio. Her head was resting on a bag—that Killua wondered briefly where she had kept all this time—and her arms were wrapped loosely around her knees. She seemed kind of disturbed for a sleeping person. Her face held an expression that indicated she was indeed having a nightmare. Perhaps it's because she's cold. Thinking back, he had heard that cold can cause nightmares. I could wake her up. He considered this. I could find her a blanket nearby... Leorio wouldn't notice a missing blanket, right? Or I could just leave her as is. A nightmare wouldn't kill her. He was still angry, anyways. It was wise that he stay away from anyone he doesn't mind the company of.

"Zzz... Don' go, don'..." She muttered, before her words slurred into incomprehensibility. She was sleep-talking.

"But then again, she'll get annoying if she keeps doing that." He mumbled to himself.

Killua sighed, walking up to Wicky, and bent down to rouse her from slumber. He whispered as to not wake Kurapika. "Wicky. Wicky. Hey, Wiiickyyy." She sleeps like the dead! That's it! His hand stalled right over her shoulder for a few seconds as he heard her mumble something quietly, then continued to shake her shoulder as he realized it as just more sleep-talk.

Her eyes blearily opened. Now that looks more natural on her. She blinked, seeing Killua leaning somewhat over her. Killua stared at her, and realizing she was awake, backed off.

"Killua...?" She questioned sleepily.

Interestingly enough, she didn't sound angry, disturbed, or... anything, really. She must have been really tired.

"Yes?"

She didn't say anything for a minute, as her brain started functioning more normally again. She sat up and stretched her arms and back before relaxing and leaning against the wall beside Kurapika. Her eyes were lazily half-lidded, but she was always doing that, so he figured she was definitely fine and awake.

"Thank you." She told Killua suddenly, hazarding a guess that he woke her up.

"No problem." He murmured. Remembering that he was previously angry, he slumped against the wall beside her, staring moodily at the opposite wall.

Killua...

You're very brave to defy family. I envy you.