I OWN NOTHING OF HUNTER X HUNTER EXCEPT ZAKARA AND HER STORYLINE/ABILITIES.

ABitTooLogical: Lol, I actually forgot about that. Considering the bombs and the knives…. Let's just stay that he hid it inside his body, since that is possible by surgery. (Then again they could have metal detectors…) Since his specialty included more devious tricks, including being able to hide from Full-fledged Hunters for quite a long amount of time, so I'd say he'd at least have some skill enough to hide the weapons on his person. Thanks for pointing that out, I had no idea.

For your second question, before the whole hunter exam started, when Killua and Zakara traveled together for around two weeks, he introduced her to most of the more modern things there. Like for instance, he showed her how to gamble (mentioned in chapter 4), fairy tale characters, and many other things.

Justa Random Fan: Thank you so much! I try to integrate them into the story as naturally as possible, where the story focuses on its plot and not just the life of the OC (Some fanfics revolve everything around the OC sometimes). Yeah I actually watch the episodes as I go along, so everything is accurate and I don't miss anything important. I'm glad you like Zakara's personality! I try to keep her in character, though her mood can change from serious to playful instantly.

Baka-Beka: I love emotional connections, which is funny seeing as I'm don't have such a close relationship like Zakara and Killua (maybe that's just my longing for a relationship like it), but thanks!

MidoriEmerald13: Yep! They will probably not leave each other any time soon!

Ileinko: Yep, I finally updated. Sorry it was so late- motivation and I are arch nemeses, but I managed to pull enough so that I could update for you all!

SoulXHunter: KYYYYAAAA! Right back at ya for your lovely comment. Creve is annoying, I agree, but he is worried that Killua will hurt Zakara again. I hope I put in enough fluff in this chapter, tell me what you think!

Anony: I'm glad it didn't disappoint, sometimes I worry that I messed up or something. I agree how Creve was having a tantrum – some boys never mature really, but he's just a mother hen or worrywart. Don't worry, I'm bringing in the fluff!

Yinyang555: Oh, gosh. You make me blush. I'm glad the Hunter x Hunter plot has grown in its awesomeness rather than make it just seem like a temporary plot – the other Yorunohi will make appearances in other chapters eventually, they're not just there for that one plotline. Killua is sometimes a hard character to write, but after watching the entire anime, I've seen him blame himself for Gon's injuries and it fits how Killua acted last chapter.

Cyannel: No worries! This will NEVER be dropped. I really love it too, it lets me get my own dose of fluff. I hope you continue to support me or read my fanfic!

ALL Other fans: Thank you so much, you have no idea how much I love reading all of your comments!

Okay, I think I've made it obvious through all of my stories that I'm horrible at updating. I'm VERVER going to abandon any of them – just have long waits. I had motivation to update this and I've started on a few of my others, but you got to bear with me here.

Anyways, this is extra-extra-long like the previous, around 20 pages (last chapter was 13 pages), though this includes the page-long response to comments.

I hope you enjoy!

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The room was silent other than Zakara's light breathing and her heartbeat sounding clear in his ear from where it rested against her collarbone, his head tucked under her chin and resting half his body over hers to clutch securely at her waist protectively.

Killua's mind was in a sort of hazy bliss, as he felt their Keshiu thrum gently but stronger than before, and the glow of Zakara's Haryuiq – her soul flame. Nuzzling her shoulder fondly, Killua ignored his self-resentment for the moment unwillingly, as Zakara's presence seemed to keep him in a peaceful stupor despite his personal need to punish himself.

He didn't want to leave her. He couldn't. It felt physically impossible unless he was just going to adjust his position or curl closer – for two main reasons, other than he really didn't want to. One, Zakara was warm, serene, forgiving, and alive, he adored her. Two, their bond needed time to reconnect after the… parting and separation as Nasasham had told him. Perhaps whatever flameless Haryuiq he had, if humans did have them, was desperately trying to fill the lost warmth he had become accustomed to around her.

A sudden flash of emotional pain made his grip tighten and hide his face against Zakara's neck as an involuntary mumble of distress escaped him. Nasasham had only made his self-resentment and guilt grow from her words, despite the fact that Illumi had been controlling him then. Killua should have fought against it, shouldn't have been so cowed by his brother and leave one of the only people he cared about in danger.

Killua could have killed her – no, it was worse. Because of his absence, she was weakened enough to get kidnapped and nearly murdered by that maniac by forcibly absorbing her flames by their fatal weakness, Salviek water. The disconnection for those few days of separation from her and her flames made him feel empty and ever so cold; how would she, whose flames were her very essence, feel to have them stripped away?

The agonizing trail of thought he was on was interrupted when Zakara moved intuitively, her hand resting on the back of his head and slowly, combing his hair. The pain drained away like unimportant whispers and he closed his eyes, basking in the tender movements. With Zakara, it was natural and the gentlest thing in the world. His own blood relatives, on the other hand, rarely would even consider the thought of doing such actions. Killua absorbed the attention – whether she was asleep or not – greedily, glad that the others in their group had their own rooms.

Clasping her closer again, she shifted under him and curled her other arm over his back. He wasn't afraid of crushing her because she was strong. His hold could have broken another human's bones, but Zakara seemed content to melt closer and sigh warmly on him – her skin and hair smelling like peppermint, burning embers, and cherries.

Zakara was his candlelight. Bright to show him through the darkness, strong and constant beside him, always letting him borrow her strength and warmth when he need it or just wanted to recline in it. Gon too, was his light. Shining so bright that Killua had to look away, but would always stay by his side, should Gon allow it. These two, his fire and light in a world so dark and cold.

OoO

"Alright, so I'll depart. We've managed to get Killua and Zakara, so I'm finished here. I'll need money to participate in the auction. So I shall search for a patron to employ me as a Hunter." Kurapika informed them, as calm as ever, when they reached the end of their journey together – for now – standing together in the airship port.

"I see. I guess I should go home, then." Leorio grinned.

"You, too?" Gon inquired.

"I haven't given up my dream of becoming a doctor. If I'm accepted to medical school, I can use this to pay the ridiculous fee." Leorio said, pulling out his hard-earned Hunter card. "I'll have to go back and start cramming." The three were oblivious to Zakara wide eyes, but Killua gripped her hand comfortingly.

"Uh-huh, good luck!" Gon told him.

"Nuuuuuuu!" Zakara protested, diving at Leorio and pulling him towards Kurapika so she could trap both of their legs together so they wouldn't leave, forcing them to stand closely to accommodate for her. Gon scratched the back of his head, laughing at the two older teen's expense.

Killua stood close behind her with one hand in his pocket and the over atop the white-flamed Yorunohi's head, looking bored with the world because he expected Zakara to do something like this. It had only been a full day together at the Yorunohi village and Kurapika and Leorio already wanted to leave. Not just from the village, but to separate from the group. Zakara, of course, resembled a kicked puppy.

"It's not forever, Zakara. We've planned to meet in Yorknew City on September 1st."

"But that's over half a year!" She pouted, crocodile tears forming. All three boys panicked, hurriedly trying to stop the only girl of the group from crying – something that boys were never good at.

"You will still be with Gon and Killua, only Leorio and I will be training separately." That only seemed to make it worse, cause the boys to glare at Kurapika. Kurapika sweat dropped and gestured for them to do something if they had a better plan.

"You can show them all the cool moves you will learn, earn money to buy cool things at the auction, and beat Leorio up!" Gon input, the group freezing when Zakara paused and looked up at Gon. Leorio looked affronted and Kurapika patted his back sympathetically.

"Really?" Adorable, they all mentally cooed. They all were wrapped around her pinky. Killua was certain he could see the mischievous cat ears and tail wagging on Zakara, lifting a hand up to cover his wide smile.

"Yeah, we'll get super strong. Besides, this is Kurapika and Leorio's starting steps to their goals. You don't want to stop them, tight?" Gon asked.

"No . . ." Zakara sniffed and the crocodile tears vanished as she cling to Killua's side closely. "Okay." The boys all looked to Gon like he was their saving grace, sighing in relief. Killua hooked his arm around her neck, tugging at the girl's hair.

"Devious brat." Killua muttered teasingly because of her prank. Zakara well knew that Kurapika and Leorio had their own ambitions to work towards, though she was sad at the temporary parting, so she decided to make one more memory with them.

"Adorable kitty." She teased back affectionately, both smiling. Killua huffed at being called adorable, but settled for pinching her ear as punishment. She squeaked like a mouse and pouted.

"Until we meet again." Leorio said.

"Yes, that will be . . ." Kurapika started and they all joined in, "September 1st, in Yorknew City."

"See ya!" The two started to walk away towards their gate for their next airship transport.

"Remember Leorio~ don't dis nature!" Zakara yelled after him, seeing him spazz out.

"Stop saying that!" Leorio yelled back, Kurapika shushing him and apologizing to the confused people around them. Gon and Killua sweet dropped, starting at Zakara questionably.

"What? Bad things happen when you dis nature." They laughed and hurried to run outside to get a good view of the airship leaving.

"Bye-bye!" Gon said one last time with a wave. "It's just the three of us now. Hey, what do you want to do?" The two both turned to Killua, as Zakara knew near nothing about the world, much less its geography and Gon had never set foot off his home island before the Hunter Exam.

"You have to ask? We train, obviously." Killua deadpanned.

"Huh? Train for what?" Zakara facepalmed at Gon's question. "Shouldn't we have some fun?" Zakara cooed, Gon was so adorable with his innocently oblivious expression. Killua slid up close to Gon's face with a smile, though his annoyance was just as obvious as their need to train.

"Do you remember what you just said? Think you can punch Hisoka in the face without training?" Killua asked and Gon's face fell, expression closely resembling Zakara's kicked puppy face she had on just minutes ago. "You couldn't land a punch in ten years, let alone six months!" Killua roared, bristling like an angry cat.

"Okay." Gon said sullenly, as Zakara ignored them and sheepishly smiled at the staring passerby.

Killua crouched down, feeling the weight of Zakara as she draped herself over his back once she had moved his backpack. "Here, I'll make it easy to understand." Killua began sketching pictures into the ground, "This is Hisoka. This is Hanzo. If this is the gap between Hisoka and Hanzo, in terms of strength, the gap between Hisoka and you . . ." Killua paused, making a line with the twig as he walked with Zakara lazily balanced on his back with ease. Killua stopped the line at the other side of the yard, having to yell so Gon could hear, "is this far! And I'm being generous."

Zakara howled with laughter, eyes and clothes lighting on fire in time with her gasps for breath as she beat her fist against Killua's side lightly. Gon looked peeved, which only seemed to make Zakara end up crying with laughter and clutching her stomach. Gon pointed at Killua, "Then where are you two?"

"Us?" Killua glanced back at the snorting girl. She always snorted when she tried to control her laughter nowadays. It was that one time she saw someone else do it, now it stuck with her, though it was quite cute. Killua hummed and looked back to his drawings and lines.

"Well, probably around here." Zakara snorted once more, eyes still leaking happy tears as she wacked Killua upside the head, knowing full well that he was thinking he was being 'humble'. "For Zakara, she's around here." Killua pointed around two feet away. "Her flames are crazy destructive when she wants them to be, but her physical strength isn't on par with mine. And she's really lazy, like a cat." He added the last part as a playful jibe. Zakara agreed with the physical strength point, since she didn't have training exactly like Killua's did with having a door that literally weighed tons.

Zakara flicked his ear, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs over his hips. "You're the kitty, Killua. Don't try to deny it, you always purr when I pet your hair." She tugged at said hair, mouthing "fluffy" as she combed her fingers through it and Killua melted against her.

"Oh, Hanzo is stronger?" Gon wondered aloud.

To Zakara, Hanzo didn't seem that strong. Of course, this was in terms of raw strength, not any strategies, sneak attacks, special abilities, intelligence, etc. but Hisoka was a load ton stronger than Hanzo. While Hanzo is very powerful and fast, with great experience in martial arts, Zakara knew Hisoka had many tricks up his sleeve.

For Zakara, raw strength and physical attacks were hopeless in a fight, who could simply let them pass through her. Of course, if she was trying to hide what she was, she would keep her body solid, but the attacks would feel like bug bites.

Only poison, elemental attacks (though water was mostly useless except for Salviek water that was lethal), Ki and certain metals would hurt a Yorunohi. Or if you managed to separate their partner a long distance or sabotage it like Illumi did. Salviek water is most effective though and could be found deep in the sea or in fossils and be forged into weapons. Of course, doing so is hard and few people even know about the Yorunohi's much less their weakness. Zakara's devil luck in casino games didn't turn into luck in her everyday life, considering Elgin had found her.

Killua straightened at Gon's words, raising an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"You really are amazing!"

Then . . . Killua gave the most adorable blush in history, closing his eyes and attempting to look nonchalant. It didn't hide his blush at all, much to Zakara's delight as she squealed and rubbed her cheek against Killua's blushing one.

"I don't know how to tell the difference in strength between my opponent and myself." Gon admitted.

"Stupid. It doesn't matter. I'm only estimating." Killua drawled, blush gone as he started to walk away. "You probably have a general idea."

"And it was only in terms of strength Gon. Many other factors are in a battle like; even surprise, instinct, and luck. However, relying on luck would be foolish." Zakara joined in. In a battle where luck is important, it is best to not even stay, but run away because the gap in strength would be apparent if luck is needed.

Killua nodded and added more, "Once you have enough experience, your guess will become more accurate. So you shouldn't rely on this method."

"Oh."

"Well, in any case, Hisoka is strong." Killua said, looking over his shoulder to Gon once they stopped at the doors of the building. "You won't land a blow on him in six months through normal means."

"Surprise attacks! Instinct! Traps! Manipulation!" Zakara listed for example, Killua humming in agreement. Gon nodded with a determined smile, though seemed slightly amused by Zakara's more devious examples.

"Gon, do you have any money?" Killua asked.

"Actually, I'm running out." Gon said sheepishly.

"I don't have much, either." Killua didn't bother asking Zakara, as they both shared any money they had. "But there's somewhere we can train and earn money at the same time." Killua leaned forward.

"Train and earn money?"

"The Heavens Arena." At Gon's repeat, "Yeah, I'll explain later. We should get moving." The two ran into the building through the automatic doors.

"Oh, there's a casino there too, Zakara."

"Yay! Easy money!"

OoO

Gon, Killua, and Zakara watched from the airship out the window to the city of the Tower. Gon sat across from Killua and Zakara, who were basically huddled together. Zakara sat on Killua's lap with her legs curled up and heavily leaning on Killua with her head on his shoulder as they took in the view. Killua supported her with ease, one arm around her waist and the other laid out over her stomach.

"Look, it's huge!" Gon exclaimed.

"Yep. That's Heavens Arena." Killua told us. The Heavens Arena towered over all the other buildings, having a more complex structure with few windows and was at least seven times higher than all of the other buildings. Zakara gaped in awe, wondering mentally how humans had progressed so fast in the years she had missed/skipped through.

"I used up all my money on the trip fare." Killua told us once the airship had landed and the other passengers walked through the isles to leave. "We'll have to make more here. Not that it'll be hard with Zakara, she has the devil's luck with casino games."

"Okay, got it." Gon nodded. Zakara stretched, running alongside them as they left for the Heavens Arena.

Gon and Zakara stopped to stare up into the sky where the Heavens Arena building vanished. Zakara was pulled forward by her grip on Killua's hand and Gon snapped out of it when Killua called him. Heavens Arena was popular, considering huge line of people in front of them leading to the entrance.

"There's a really long line. Is everyone's going to Heavens Arena?" Gon asked, looking at the diverse amount and different types of people.

"There aren't any conditions here like there were for the Hunter Exam. You just have to defeat your opponent. The higher you go, the more prize money you earn. This is as good as it gets for those looking to make a living with their fists." Killua explained. Meaning there could be hundreds of people, weakest to strongest depending on the floor level.

After a fairly short time, surprising seeing the amount of people, the trio reached the receptionist inside the building. "Welcome to Heavens Arena. Please fill out this form." She handed one to each of us. Killua filled most of Zakara's out for her, considering some of the questions confused her. The kind woman entered us into the ranks, "Killua Zoldyck-sama, you are #2054. Gon Freecss-sama, you are #2055. Zakara Yorunohi, you are #2056. They'll call your number on the first floor of the arena, so make sure you remember it. Then please go ahead."

"Thank you." Zakara bowed politely and followed closely behind Killua and Gon. They headed into the bright door for the first floor arena, where the room expanded into a huge colosseum-like form with several matches were taking place and cheers were loud all around.

"It's been a while," Killua told us as we found a seat, "but the place hasn't changed."

"Huh? You've been here before?" Gon spoke Zakara's thoughts.

"Yeah, when I was six. My dad left me here without a penny." Killua said, both of them looking to Zakara who had chuckled.

"A mini-Killua surrounded by a bunch of brutes. So cute." She gushed, smile widening at Killua's growing blush.

"Shut up, I'm not cute." Killua's scowled fell at her tender smile and he flushed red. "Anyways, he said I should reach floor 200 before coming home. It took two years." Zakara whistled, the higher floors must get really hard. "If you want to fight people of Hisoka's level, you'll need to go higher. Let's hurry."

The announcer's voice echoed out the numbers of applicants, "#1973. #2055. Please enter ring E."

"Oh, that's you Gon." Zakara said just as Gon stood in surprise, "#2055! That's me!"

"I'm getting nervous now." Gon fret, taking off his backpack and fishing pole.

"Gon, you got through the Testing Gate, right?" Killua asked, "In that case . . ."

"It'll be easy." Zakara finished for him. Zakara and Killua watched him leave from the bleachers and turn up in the ring a minute later with his opponent in front of him. The huge man stared down at Gon like he wasn't worth his time, though Zakara had a hard time seeing from so far away.

Zakara fumed at the degrading, underestimating insults that were flung out at Gon. Subtly, she lit the guy beside her on fire. The tiny white flame easily eating through his clothes slowly on purpose. Killua snickered as the guy freaked out and patted his shirt down frantically. Of course, a Yorunohi flame couldn't be extinguished from anything other than Salviek water so his efforts were futile. Not that he or anyone else knew that, but she let the flame fade when she was satisfied.

Gon simply stared at his opponent and easily dodged the first punch, pushing on the large man's chest. The man was easily pushed back into the wall, the wall crumbling into the shape of his opponent. Zakara proudly cheered through the stunned silence that soon turned into applause.

Soon it was Killua's turn, whose opponent was finished just as quickly. Zakara, Killua, and Gon were surprised to see another kid, one even younger than them, just beside Killua's ring take down his opponent just a few seconds after Killua. He was at least a head shorter with bushy eyebrows and big ears.

Zakara's name was called and she walked toward her assigned ring to stare at the fairly average-looking opponent. He looked fairly hesitant after seeing the other three kids seemingly beat their opponents. "Sorry." Zakara said politely before stepping forward quickly and side-kicking him across one other ring into the wall. "Hm. Still need to recover some. That weak kick would have sent him into the crowd before."

Though the two-week rest had helped after the kidnapping, her flames were still recovering along with her body. Her body was almost finished healing thanks to Nasasham's healing and her own enhanced healing rate, with about a week to go before complete, but her flames had two weeks or so. Using the flames wouldn't hurt it at all, but she would prefer to be in top condition against the stronger opponents. The stress from the Salviek water had expanded her resistance and control, but they were about 70% as effective as usual until she finished healing completely and her bond with Killua stabilized again.

"Good job, seems like we have a good generation of children." The proctor congratulated. "You'll be raised to the 80th floor-"

"The 50th is fine. The other kids are my friends, so I want to stay with them." Zakara informed him, taking the ticket from him and leaving with a bow as thanks.

When she reached the duo, Killua hooked his arm around her neck loosely and she wrapped hers around his waist and leaned into him. While she liked sparing usually, the match was entirely unsatisfying. The momentary separation from Killua grated on her nerves and fire, which wanted to latch on to her Keshiuki.

"The first 200 floors of Heavens Arena are divided into classes, each comprised of ten floors. So after someone defeats an opponent in the 50s, they advance to the 60s. I they lose, then they'd drop back to the 40s." The elevator employee explained to us.

"Oh, so that's how it works." Gon smiled understandingly.

"I've heard that after you pass the 100th floor, you get your own room!" The younger kid behind us spoke, dressed in a white martial artist gi or uniform. Zakara frowned at the news and wondered if it was compulsory to have your own room but then decided she could just turn into her flame form and fly into Killua's room. Screw revealing who she is, she's staying with Killua or Gon. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. Osu! My name is Zushi!" The kid said so determinedly that Zakara chuckled, issue forgotten, at his cuteness. "What about you guys?"

"I'm Killua, this is Zakara." Zakara waved from beside Killua.

"I'm Gon! Nice to meet you." The light above the elevator blinked to a stop at the number 50.

"We've arrived at the 50th floor." The nice elevator woman announced and we all got off.

"I saw your fight earlier. That was really amazing, yo!" Zushi admired.

"What are you talking about? You made it up here with one match, too." Killua said.

"That's right." Gon agreed.

"And you're younger than us too. You should be proud." Zakara praised.

"No. . . I still have long way to go." Zushi said modestly and Zakara mentally cooed. Killua grabbed some of her hair and tugged to get her out of her thoughts. "By the way, which martial arts discipline do you practice?" He asked so seriously. "I study the Shingen-ryu fighting style."

"School? We don't have one, right?" Killua asked Gon, who agreed.

Just as the kid stopped in surprise, Zakara intoned, "I'm an expert in Yorunohi military combat, still on my way towards mastery. Though I have watched and copied moves from the thing Killua calls a TV, sometimes they can be effective." All three boys stopped and stared. Zakara tilted her head in confusion, "What?"

"Why am I surprised?" Killua said after a moment, remembering that she was a war-orphan. It was forgettable when Zakara is so jovial and affectionate.

"Wow Zakara that's awesome!" Gon hugged her, the two grinning like idiots.

"You two are that strong with no training?" Zushi asked Gon and Killua. "I'm kind of shocked . . . I still have so far to go!" Zushi said, switching modes 180 degrees.

"Hm. Having a style doesn't always make you better than someone without. They have the advantage of predictableness if they train their body well, since more well-known martial arts are sometimes studied for their weaknesses. My discipline is family only so few know anything about it." Zakara assured the younger martial artist.

Clapping sounded close behind them as a voice called, "Zushi. You did well." Zushi's master had fairly average looks, with large glasses and short black hair. Though he looked messy with half of his shirt untucked. Zushi mentioned it though and his master seemed embarrassed, thus how it showed to be a common mistake.

"Who are they?" Zushi's master asked with his continual pleasant smile.

"Oh, this is Killua-san, Zakara-san, and Gon-san."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Wing."

Killua and Gon copied Zushi's "Osu!" to Wing. Wing didn't even pause in surprise, "I didn't expect to meet other children. Why are you here?"

"Uh . . . Well, we want to become stronger." Killua said, "But we're also broke, so we're making money simultaneously. This way the casino won't kick us out when Zakara wins to many times." Zakara smiled innocently when Wing and Zushi stared at her in surprise.

"Killua's a veteran here." Gon decided add, causing Zakara to pause. It was their choice to give out information, but Zakara preferred not to talk to complete strangers, even if Wing is the master of Zushi.

"Oh? If you're up here, you must be fairly skilled, but you should pay strict attention to your opponent's body, as well as your own." Wing advised. Gon and Killua both "Osu!" again, making Zakara chuckle in amusement. She would have, but Wing wasn't her teacher nor someone she trusted yet.

"Killua-sama, Gon-sama, Zakara-sama, and Zushi-sama? Please hand me your tickets." We handed the tickets we won from our battles and she tipped something up on the magical box Killua calls a computer. "Here's your prize money."

Opening the envelope she handed us, one for each, Zakara counted one hundred, fifty-two jenny. Killua lead them to a drink machine to spend his and Zakara squealed out, "TEA!" Like it was her lifeline and impatiently handed the money to Killua so he could help her get the tea she wanted out of the evil machine that tried to hide it from her.

"Yes, yes." Killua calmed, handing her the tea and calmingly petting the top of her head indulgently. Turning to the two other boys, "On the 1st floor, win or lose, your reward covers a canned drink. But beyond that, a loss gets you nothing. A win over an opponent in the 50s nets you fifty thousand."

"So many tea possibilities." Zakara cried with joy, sipping her hot cup of tea.

"In the 100s, I think wins are worth a million." Killua said after he took a long sip of his own drink.

"What?" Zushi and Gon shared a look.

"Tea and whipped cream!" Zakara cooed.

"You don't need that much tea or whipped cream, Zakara." Killua rolled his eyes, brushing her messy hair out of her eyes.

"You'd do the same for chocolate." She teased, seeing his metaphorical cat ears perk up at the sound of his favorite thing. "We can buy all the chocolate, tea, chocolate milk, and whipped cream we want."

Killua blushed and gave an embarrassed cough once he got out of the dreamy daze about chocolate, "Once you're past the 150th floor, you get ten million a fight."

"Didn't you make it to floor 200 when you were here before?" Gon asked, startling Zushi even further. "How much do you get for winning on the 200th floor?"

"Well . . . I don't really know, because I quit once I reached 200. But when I was winning in the 190s, I had around two hundred million, total." Zakara joined the ranks of the frozen statues that were once Gon and Zushi.

"Where's that money now?" Gon asked.

"That was four years ago. Of course it's gone now." Silly Killua didn't realize that a whole family of five could live off that for their entire lifespans. "Spent it all on snacks!"

"Two hundred million on snacks, in four years?" Gon asked, both he and Zushi dumbfounded.

"What kind of snacks were they?" Zushi said, almost not wanting to know.

"I knew it!" Zakara announced, laughing at Killua. "And you said I didn't need a million for tea or whipped cream you hypocrite."

"Do you even know what hypocrite means?"

"Shut up. The people inside the TV said it during a situation like this."

"Zakara, I've told you before. The people you see on TV are not really in our TV, it's recorded."

OoO

Killua tossed our drinks into the recycling box and pointed up at the ceiling. "Hey, let's head to the waiting room. We didn't take any damage in the last fight, so they'll probably assign us another match today." We followed him into the waiting room where the other people waited along with us, most watching us come in with condescending undertones to their auras. "Well, these opponents should be a cinch. Just take it easy." We sat on a bench.

Killua crossed his legs and Zakara crossed hers after laying them in his lap, leaning back against Gon's side as we waited. Zushi nervously whispered to Killua, "Killua-san. You're too loud . . ." He went silent at the questioning grunt from the large, older man sitting beside him.

"#2054, Killua-sama. And #1963, Zushi-sama." The announcer called. Zushi gasped in surprise. "Please head to arena A, on the 57th floor."

"Wow, this is like those fanfics I read on the magic box."

"Zakara you shouldn't read those." Killua scolded lightly, "And the magic box is called a computer. It's not magical at all."

Zushi looked at the two in confusion before deciding to ignore their banter. "Osu! I shall give it my best."

"Sure. Well, you can't win them all." Killua stood, "Better luck next time." Zakara let him go and hugged Gon instead, leaning her head on his shoulder with a pout as Gon wished them luck. "I'll wait for you above. He really didn't have to be so blunt. . ."

"That's Killua for you." Zakara smiled. "Poor kid."

OoO

Zakara's opponent was a dark-skinned boxer, twice her puny height. His attacks were slow and too repetitive and he never used his legs for attacks, which was a hindrance to him since it would give him the advantage seeing how she was a shorter opponent and kicks would kept him out of her attack range. Too bad it was such an easy match; Gon agreed with her about the slight disappointment from the lack of a real challenge.

She waited with Gon for a surprising amount of time before Killua stepped out of the elevator. Zakara shook slightly when she clutched Killua's arm, having ignored her Haryuiq's desire to be with her Keshiuki for too long. Killua felt her relax against his side and grabbed her hand.

"It took you a while to get here." Gon stated.

"Yeah, I ran into a little trouble."

"Then Zushi was pretty strong."

"No, not at all." Killua told him as they walked away, "He has potential. One day, he'll be strong. But right now, he's just target practice for me. His punches were weak, I was completely able to knock him around." Killua stopped and gripped Zakara's hand from where it was hidden in his pocket. "But I couldn't defeat him. I received the TKO from points, but I couldn't knock him out. Further . . . when he changed his stance, his aura reminded me of my brother's."

Zakara shuddered. Not because of the aura, for she felt it before and it didn't really bother her much, but because Illumi was the one to take Killua from her. It felt selfish, sometimes, to cling to Killua, but Zakara adored Killua more than anyone and would stay by his side.

"I don't know what it was, but it felt dangerous. It must be some kind of technique." Killua looked over his shoulder at Gon, "His master called it 'Ren'." Killua explained what he managed to overhear in the conversation between Zushi and Wing.

"So he isn't supposed to use Ren until he reaches the top floor? The strongest fighters are at the top, right?" Gon asked.

"I knew Wing was suspicious! Many bad guys in anime always smile all the time, just like him!"

"Really?" Gon queried and Zakara nodded fervently, speaking in a comically experienced voice when she gave multiple character examples from anime. "Oh wow, that does sound like Wing-san."

"Zakara, don't give him ideas yet. We need proof first." Killua said, then quietly muttered to himself, "I knew I shouldn't have let her watch anime."

"Alright." Zakara agreed easily, tilting her head at Killua's thoughtful expression.

"Gon, Zakara, change in plans. I'm aiming to reach the top floor!" Killua voiced. Zakara smiled, knowing that he wanted to know that the technique was and how to defeat or at least weaken its effect. Her Haryuiq thrummed contentedly, slowly restoring damage Elgin had caused, and she felt her bonded connection to Killua and Gon through her abilities.

Zakara, Gon, and Killua shared a room thankfully, since the Heavens Arena employee just couldn't separate or resist Zakara's puppy eyes. She nestling up against Killua who purred and curled around her like a cat, where Gon then stretched out behind Killua and snored softly. Gon had laughed when he dragged them out of bed, handing Zakara her morning cup of tea and Killua his chocolate milk.

OoO

The next few days past with the three easily beating their opponents and raising through the floors, each only using one move. Gon's push, Killua's chop, and Zakara's side kick. Their last battle raised them to floor 100, allowing them each to have their own private room.

Zakara, of course, had stared soulfully at the poor employee and walked away with Killua, not even taking the key to the room they assigned her too. The employee had sighed before giving a beaming smile, whipping out a camera to steal their souls – "No Zakara, camera's don't steal your soul" – and took a picture of the adorable trio.

Killua and Zakara followed Gon to his room first, where he ran in and jumped onto the bed ecstatically. "We won't have to worry about money and lodging anymore. Or getting kicked out of casinos."

"I'm wounded." Zakara gasped, hand to her chest in fake hurt.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Killua drawled, sitting in the only chair by Gon's bed and wrapping his arms around Zakara's waist as she sat on his lap. "If you drop below the 100s, you have to check out of this room. A world of difference separates making it to the 100s and staying in the 100s. The 100th floor is like a ceiling. Once you pass it, you get special treatment. For example, how they were informed about Zakara's leach-like attachment onto us and let us share a room."

Killua snickered when Zakara wacked him in the arm, white fire springing over his skin harmlessly. "That means everyone will focus on keeping their spot in the 100th floor," Zakara continued for Killua, "They will be willing to do anything possible to stay here."

"Be careful Gon." Killua finished. Gon nodded seriously and they paused.

"I can read Killua's mind, Gon. After practice, you will be able to two and then we can freak Leorio out by finishing each other's sentences." Zakara said, eyes wide in innocent excitement.

"Really?"

"Gon don't listen to her, she's just messing with you."

"Oh." Zakara laughed at Gon's confused, disappointed pout. "Why did you –Ah! Zakara! Don't fall asleep so conveniently!"

OoO

The next few battles were essentially the same, one hit knock outs for all three of them no matter the size or gender of the opponent. The crowds loved it though, right along with the announcers who would raise loud applauses for the skilled kids.

"Your prize money has been deposited into the specified account." The Heavens Arena employee informed us after their wins.

"You were right . . . I've never seen so many zeros before . . ." Gon said in awe, counting the zeros on his own receipt. "And just a week ago, we were depending on Zakara's luck and trying to find casinos that hadn't banned us yet." After their first casino, the others had heard the word about their insane luck and usually would find and kick them out in an hour.

"I'm a little annoyed. My first time here, it took me two months to reach floor 150. Meanwhile, you two are breezing through." Killua said with his arms crossed behind his head, Zakara clutching onto him koala-style.

"But you were only sit back then." Gon reassured him.

"Well, that's true . . ."

"You were shorter too, must've been hard to reach the opponents." Zakara said, not noticing Killua's anger mark.

"You mean, short like you?" Zakara paused in surprise, turning and noticing Killua's irritation before bursting out laughing. "Stop laughing at me." She obliged him, though her smile stayed wide, and patted his back, nuzzling his jawline fondly before letting her head fall back onto his shoulder. Killua's irritation faded and he pet the top of her head.

"Oh, that's right." Gon remembered, "I saw Zushi on TV earlier." Gon joined in, reaching over to pet Zakara to and smiling when she dragged him closer to hug them both, making it hard to walk but warm all the same.

"So did us. He's still in the 50s." The two stopped.

"I wonder what that Ren you sensed could have been." Gon pondered.

"Maybe some sort of killing intent, which must be a different kind sense Killua was raised by assassins who leak killing intent all the time. Something else that manipulates the foe into feeling fear or something. Your brother did try the same for me when I left to steal tea in Trick Tower during out exam, but it didn't really bother me much until he condensed it around me." Zakara speculated with them.

"What?!" The two yelled, "Why didn't you tell me?" Killua added, agitated and angry that his brother did something and Zakara had not told him.

"It didn't feel that different, so I thought maybe it was his weirdness showing through. He has really weird eyes, you know."

"I don't think the shape of his eyes has anything to do with it." Gon voiced his opinion to her, who merely shrugged.

"Tell me if you sense anyone else using it around us." Killua said seriously, thinking about this mysterious ability that was springing up suspiciously after they finished their Hunter Exam – well, Gon and Zakara, seeing how Killua was disqualified.

"Old man Netero did it to scare us on the airship, I didn't realize it was the same thing until Illumi did it." Gon and Killua face-palmed in unison.

"If you find anything suspicious, different than how it should be, tell us." Killua enforced. "Maybe if we fight opponents higher up we might figure-" He started, but Gon interrupted.

"Wouldn't it be faster to just ask Zushi?" Gon smiled. Zakara's mouth formed an O and Killua laughed awkwardly, grabbing Gon's raised hand and pretending nothing happened.

OoO

"Ren is one of the four major principles." Zushi explained, casually handing out information that the trio had never heard about before. "The four major principles for disciplining your mind and body. Fundamental to every martial art!" He said like it was obvious, inciting the two boys to look at Zakara like she should have known.

Her expression back to them read plainly, "Hey, I lived on an island completely isolate. I'm a Yorunohi, a different branch of Homo-sapiens, I don't even know if I can learn it."

"You must know Ten, learn Zetsu, achieve Ren, and reach Hatsu!" As Zushi continued, Gon's head smoked in confusion and Killua and Zakara sweet-dropped. Everything he was saying had absolutely no meaning to them. "This is all apart of Nen training! That covers everything!"

Nen.

Zakara froze as Killua yelled at Zushi for making no sense. Memories of Elgin and his words pulled her into a daze, "It's not that your people have natural immense power, it's because you are dependent on others." He sneered, like the concept disgusted him. "Your people always have partners, according to the few scrolls and tomes we could translate. You also have traces of nen in your flames, but my studies of the effect of nen will have to be a separate experiment for later. I wouldn't want you getting any ideas, heh?"

Elgin was going to study the effect of Nen on my flames. Zakara shuddered and buried her face back into Killua's shoulder, her arms and legs tightening around him as their conversation continued. She came into focus when she sense Zushi's master approach and speak to them.

"Gon-kun, Killua-kun, Zakara-chan . . ." Zakara frowned, not looking up from Killua's shoulder, since the man knew she wasn't asleep anyways, "There's an old saying that if you learn something piecemeal, you'll end up knowing less than when you started." That was true, at least, Zushi had made no sense and only caused more questions to form.

"So a little knowledge is a dangerous thing?" Killua said, more careful now, one arm under Zakara to comfort whatever had upset her. "But I want to know right now. Because it's related to the secret behind my brother's power."

Zakara's Haryuiq trembled in agitation once Wing spoke, "Then, your bother is able to use Nen?" It disturbed Zakara as much as it annoyed Killua, they wanted to know what Nen is. What power it gives and why they had never heard about it before.

"I need to know what Nen and Ren even mean!" Killua's voice raised with his desire to know, "I'll agree to the full learning process rather than a quick explanation! And if you're willing to teach me, I won't try to figure it out myself."

"I understand." Wing said and paused. "Come with me to my residence."

Zakara forced herself not to say how creepy he sounded.

OoO

"Do I have your attention?" Wing said calmly, staring at the three – now that Zakara detached herself from Killua for the most part, since she was now holding his hand and standing close. They all stood in Wing's room, where he had a large white board that he used for his examples. "Nen means to burn your soul."

Check that off the list. Zakara's soul was her Haryuiq, a Yorunohi soul of flames. So she was already burning it, thank you very much.

"In other words, it tests your strength of will. And the four major principles are part of a training curriculum for strengthening your will. Ten means to focus your soul to a single point, to increase awareness of your ego and goals. Zetsu means to express yourself in words. Ren means to temper that will. And Hatsu means to act upon that will." Wing explained, having written each down on the board and pointed to them as Gon repeated.

"Killua-kun, Zushi tempered his 'refusal to lose' during his fight with you." Killua's eyes widened as he remembered his fight with Zushi, the pressure of Zushi's will. "So, allow me to demonstrate. Killua-kun, I think I'm going to kill you now."

"Yeah, sure. It's not happening."

"Then I'll take this step-by-step. First comes Ten." Wing started, getting into a horse stance and crossing his fists together. "I focus my soul into a single point. Zetsu, you can express yourself mentally or verbally." He paused. "I will kill you."

Slowly, Zakara felt the energy built and a faint purple aura lined Wing. The moment Wing's eyes opened, the room filled with the energy of the killing intent, though it was more irritating like a bug than anything else to Zakara. Killua and Gon, however, did not seem to share the same immunity. At Killua's gasp and knuckles going white as he gripped her hand, he pulled her behind him as he jumped to the ceiling corner away from Wing.

"That was Ren. If I temper my will enough, then I can act. Hatsu. If your will is strong enough, you can make your opponent back down, without moving a muscle." He explained, pushing up his glasses as the three turned to stare up at Killua and Zakara. "The concept of bluffing derives from this."

Killua and Zakara dropped lightly, Zakara shifting in rage. Wing had frightened Killua, who would definitely deny it, and that infuriated her the most. Killua certainly wasn't happy about his reaction, but he tugged lightly on their Keshiu bond to sooth her temper.

"Ren hardens that which is soft and you lose the ability to correct an incorrect idea. Therefore, you should avoid using Ren until your soul has fully matured. Right now, you three and Zushi should be training your souls." Wing advised.

"Let's go, Gon." Killua said after a moment, unsatisfied. Shoving his hands, and one of Zakara's, in his pockets, he started to leave the room when Wing called out.

"If you wish to learn about Nen, you should focus on mastering Ten. If you master Ten, you will no longer feel the pressure of an opponents will."

Zakara wanted to ask why it did not bother her, but Wing didn't know what she was and very few humans really knew the Yorunohi existed in the first place. Walking in sync with Killua calmed whatever leftover irritation she held, thankfully, so she happily grabbed Gon's hand as he caught up with them.

"He was lying." Killua stated as we walked, "The explanation made perfect sense and Wing is clearly very strong, but his story had holes."

"Huh?"

"Zushi's toughness. He kept getting up after I knocked him down. I was getting irritated, so I used all of my strength during my last attack." Killua explained, "I can understand why Zakara gets back up without a scratch, but that was not normal. Willpower didn't keep him standing. He's hiding some other secret."

And they will figure it out eventually. It was only a matter of time.

OoO

The next day we all had a match at the same time for opponents on the 190th floor. Zakara blinked at her overconfident opponent, who was trying to anger her by taunting how she was always clinging onto Killua, that she was the weaker sex, too frail, etc. It was getting funnier with every comment.

So this is the stereotypical beliefs that only an idiot would take to heart.

"You're kick won't work against me girly, no matter how much you cheat your way in. I know every inch of these rings and I have already calculated every possible way you could try to fight back. This is fate, it will only hurt you if you try to fight it." The lean muscled, afro-sporting male prattled on, praising himself to the point of narcissism.

The proctor started the fight and her opponent smirked confidently, waiting for Zakara to make the first move. Tilting her head, she wondered if she should make this as embarrassing as possible or not. Zakara walked forward calmly, smiling at the announcers surprised comments and stopped in front of her opponent.

She fainted a slow front-kick, letting his arm brush near her face before grabbing it and pulling herself into the air to round-house kick him out of the ring. Landing silently, she turned to the proctor. "Critical hit and knockdown . . . three points. Knockout! The winner is Zakara!"

OoO

The employee bowed to us as we entered the elevator to the 200th floor and the doors closed. Zakara stretched and yawned, feeling sleepy because she had forgotten to drink her morning tea - the agony!

"Wonder what the 200th floor is like." Gon said merrily.

"Beats me." Killua replied casually. "I've never been up here before." The elevator doors opened and the fancy hallway greeted them.

"Wow! The 200th floor is so fancy!" Gon spoke Zakara's thoughts.

"Where's the receptionist?" Killua asked, reading the sign above them. "This way?"

Joining arms with them as they walked, Zakara smiled with Gon as he marveled, "We finally made it."

"Yeah." Killua agreed just before they halted at the path leading to the side hallway. Down the hall a malicious aura hung like a diseased purple fog. Zakara fretted as the two started to sweat, nervously looking down into the darkened hallway. "Let's go. We can do this!" Killua said determinedly, mentally preparing himself.

Zakara stopped then they stopped, feeling the air change as the aura grew closer to them. The maliciousness ran over her like water over a rock, leaving her unaffected but aware of the murderous intent. Her jaw clenched as the two most precious people to her trembled beside her and she was powerless to help them. Igniting her flames, she let them roll over Gon and Killua in hope to block the aura from hurting them.

To her relief, her flame worked well enough to where they relaxed minutely, but still looked fearful to move forward. "This murderous intent is aimed at us." Gon realized, and Killua growled.

"Hey! Who's there! Show yourself!" Killua demanded. A sickly looking Heavens Arena employee stepped out from the hallways corner.

"Killua-sama, Zakara-sama, and Gon-sama, correct?" She asked, smiling creepily. She gestured down the hallway, "The receptionist's desk is over here, so please register for a 200s match today. You won't be able to register after midnight, so please be careful."

"Was she the source of all that?" Gon whispered, the three of them still tense.

"I can't tell." Killua replied just as quietly.

"By the way, there are currently one hundred, seventy-three contestants in the 200s class. And starting from the 200s, all weapons are allowed in matches. So please use whatever you have. Also, you will no longer receive prize money in the 200s class. You will fight only for glory, so please understand that if you're going to participate." She said, the air still creepy and gloomy.

A light formed beside her head, startling the three, as it turned into a floating card that pun midair and implanted itself into the floor in front of them. Looking back to the woman revealed Hisoka, standing close behind her creepily with his back turned. The gloomy employee gave a startled cry and quickly moved out of his way.

Zakara straightened as Hisoka slowly turned, eyeing Gon from the corner of her eye as she trembled in instinctual fear. Killua was in a similar state and Zakara felt frightened because Hisoka was clearly stronger and could hurt them in the blink of her eye.

"Hisoka . . . Why are you here?" Killua managed to ask.

"It's hardly that strange." Hisoka intoned, posing with his hand on his hair. "I love to fight, and this is a temple to fighting. And why are you here? Just kidding . . ." Hisoka constant smile made Zakara's skin crawl. Zakara wasn't frightened of the clown himself, honestly, just the threat he posed to Gon and Killua. The other times she was with Hisoka – like when she stole tea from the Trick Tower – she didn't have to worry about Gon and Killua since they were safe from him and she would be able to escape if fighting wasn't possible.

"This was no coincidence. I've been waiting for you. Remember how you ordered airship tickets over the cybernet? With a little effort, it's possible to determine where and when someone will arrive." He said all stalkerish. "Well, I knew you would come here eventually."

"Hisoka, that sounds very stalker-like. It's creepy." Zakara couldn't help but say, pouring more flames around the two beside her to burn through any attack that might come if he is offended.

"Thank you, darling." Zakara raised an eyebrow, "It's lovely to see you well again. I'd hate for something as rare as yourself to be taken before I can fight you." Oh, Zakara remembered and relaxed a bit. While Hisoka may harm them, he wouldn't kill them because he wants them to grow as strong as possible before fighting him. "As a veteran, I have a warning for you." Hisoka continued from where he left off, "It's still too early for you three to step on this floor."

Lifting his hand, a burst of wind pushed back Gon and Killua, whipping Zakara and the employee's hair back as the employee looked utterly confused. "Leave for now. It's too early right now." Hisoka ordered, walking back and siting against the back wall of the hallway.

"That's stupid! We just got here . . ." Killua stopped as Hisoka's malicious intent flooded the hallway again.

"I won't let you pass. Not that you could, anyway." The pressure increased, pushing the boys back. Zakara snarled, pushing more flames into them, trying to shield them as they pushed forward. "Uh-uh, little Yorunohi. That's cheating. You can't pass either, despite this not affecting you. You're not ready yet either."

"Don't be reckless!" Wing's voice cut through, making Hisoka stop the pressure to look behind the trio where the voice came from. Wing stepped out, his smile gone for once. "You have no defense against his Nen. For whatever reason Zakara-san has immunity, she can't go past either, since Hisoka-san will stop her." He acknowledged Hisoka, "Right now, you are like someone standing naked in a blizzard, wondering why it is cold. If you continue to strain your body, you may die."

"This is Nen?!" Killua demanded, "He can stop us from moving forward through willpower? Don't lie!"

"Yes, I was lying." The pleasant smile returned as he closed his eyes. "Though technically, I wasn't lying completely. I will teach you the truth about Nen."

"Hey, receptionist lady." Gon turned to the woman, "What happens if we don't register for a fight today?"

"Gon-sama and Zakara-sama, you would have to start again, from the first floor. However, Killua-sama refused to register once before. So if he fails to register again, his commitment will be questioned, and he will be banned from participating." She clarified.

Gon looked horrified, but Killua merely looked away, then towards Wing. "Hey, Wing-san. If we back down now, will we be able to return here by midnight?"

"That depends on you." Wing answered. Zakara got from that simple sentence that Nen might be able to be taught to anyone, but talent is another thing all together. If they had natural talent for it, they might make it. Of course, to have talent in Nen will probably have low odds.

0000000000000000000000000

And in enters NEN!

This chapter was a lot longer than I was originally planning to make it, but I wanted them to get started in training with their Nen . . . so you guys got lucky. XD

I've realized that I'm am fascinated with Killua's hair – or that it's Killua and Zakara's thing. If I was her, I'd be messing with it all the time, and it will probably come up commonly more now. I really like my couple – snuggling is my hearts weakness.

I wonder if I was a bit cheesy in this chapter, but I love it anyways. Zakara was a bit teasing too – the cheeky little kid. Zakara can switch between being serious (as shown last chapter), to acting more her age. In a way, Zakara and Killua have grown closer, which is why you see so much more banter and playful remarks in this chapter – and it's really cute to imagine. And yes, Killua can see Zakara's Haryuiq, as her Keshiuki, but he cannot see other Yorunohi's Haryuiq.

Like I probably mentioned before, Yorunohi clan members are strong, but their bond with their Keshiuki makes them even stronger. Having smaller bonds with other friends makes them stronger, though on a much smaller degree. Since the Keshiuki bond is really a soul bond formed between two people who have the high compatibility rate and have a close relationship, they are strongest together. For instance, her Keshiuki bond with Killua didn't instantly form when they met, but she felt the strong compatibility and Killua did too. It's like that moment when you meet someone and can tell you'll be best friends or something.

Hope this was just as good as the other chapters!

Comments are a pleasure! Tell me what you think!