Formalities aside

This place sure was nostalgic to come back to. And yet every time I stepped my foot inside this place I wanted to tear everything down and watch it burn.
I grinned.

Sadly that part only lived vividly enough in my head, for now.

Nothing had changed since I was released.

Still the same old, same old - people crying and screaming in the distance. The stench of blood and chemicals lingered in the air the deeper you went.
Machines were heard all over with a throbbing core which purified the entire area of it's pollution.

As I passed the first hall I could feel eyes on me.
It was clearly hostility and jealousy that I felt - jealousy that I was one of the few let out to roam and left to do as I pleased.
These things longed to take my position. If they could, they'd probably rip off my head and tear out my heart to prove a point.

I smirked as I passed them, agitating them even further. I felt how much they resented me and I couldn't of been happier. ''Maybe one day you'll be lucky enough to loose that collar. But not right now, maggots.'' I flaunted my aura around me before I stepped through the door, hearing them grit their teeth and their fury rising as I disappeared beyond the line that they weren't allowed to cross.

It was the room that everyone hated, yet wanted to be a part of.
It was the place where we all came from, but never returned to unless you were one of the selected few.

It was a room for conducting experiments. There were several halls that lead to different areas that dealt with specific operations.

'' Hoohooo~ Yoo, brat! When did you get back, hmm?''
''That annoying voice.. I had almost forgotten about her. So she managed to get here, eh.'' I clicked my tongue as I looked at her with disgust.

'' The hell are you doing here. Did they finally run out of potential guinea pigs so they took up the trash?'' I watched her lazily as I felt her aura react to my comment and she lost her cocky smirk.

'' Watch it.. brat. I'm in a good mood today, so I'd advise you not to test my patience.'' She glared at me before she directed her eyes at a glass tub which held someone in it.

'' As if your lousy powers can do anything against me. You're not called second rate for nothing.'' I provoked her more as I grinned when I saw her face grimace even further.
I guess she was in a good mood if she hadn't lashed out to try and bite my head off, yet.

I laughed to myself as I took a seat on a container that was further away.
'' So who's the fish boy over there? He asleep or something?'' I asked in a bored manner as I rested my arms behind my head.

She ignored me before she decided to answer, '' He hasn't woken up yet.''

'' Hoo~? Why? Did you guys fuck up or something?'' I asked in a mocking tone, knowing exactly how many times they had wasted a perfectly healthy body by messing up the order of the experiment.

She finally snapped, '' Fuck off, will you!? You're just as shit, you fake human! Go crawl back into your hole and shut up!''

'' Whoaaa, I'm real scared now! Fhuhhu! You need to do better than that. Otherwise you're actually gonna stay as a second rate pawn for good. But considering you can't even use your powers properly, it doesn't even amaze me that you've been messing up so terribly! How many days has it been again? Fifteen!? Whooh! You better get cracking, bitch! Daddies gonna be back and he aint gonna be happy!'' I declared loudly as I watched her aura fume, seeing her wanting to shred me into little pieces as I grinned.

'' I'll feed you to the dogs one day you abomination!'' She screeched loudly as she was about to release her nen, but was stopped as one of the doctors pulled her back.

'' Lyia, I understand it's hard to contain, but calm down. You shouldn't waste your energy on him. Plus you know very well what happened last time .. don't.'' The doctor firmly said as he held his hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

Her eyes shook with fury as she stared at me with that insane look in her eyes.

I only arched a brow and mockingly smirked at her, knowing very well that they wouldn't let her do as she pleased.

'' Hmph, be a good pawn now and do your work, it's not going to move on it's own~'' I teased some more.
If it was one thing that I loved while coming here, it was to mess with these weak useless creatures.
They all just happen to hate me because I have years beyond their imagination in this field.
I can top anyone here when it comes to fighting. Not to mention my current body is much more mobile and it keeps evolving every day.
In my previous form I only had so much freedom with that lousy form of mine.
I grinned to myself, ''I won't let this chance slip. This place is perfect to do as I please!''

The only issue I had were all of these raw emotions that I found contradicting at times, and I honestly wished that I didn't have them.
But I couldn't complain really.
The more I got used to certain things the more I realized how much potential they have when it comes down to my fighting ability.

As much as I hated this thing called fear, it has saved me a bunch of times.
I kept having to remind myself that I can't throw my life out there as I used to.
I wanted to make sure I got everything this time.

But the only thing that still bothered me was my face and hair.

I wasn't sure how in the world it was even possible for this kid to be born with the kind of face that I've always hated to look at.. And this hair and eyes..
I mentally gritted my teeth to stop thinking about it.

Well, thankfully in this world it was easy enough to change all that. Plus it wasn't that I couldn't do it myself, but it simply took too much energy out of me and it wasn't always permanent.

At least it still gave me a reason to resent the world. ''I guess I have to thank you, old man, you still give me reason to hate this god damn thing called life - but I'll be damned before I accept this no matter how many times I'm reborn. So for now I give you my thanks. I'll put this face into proper use when I watch the world burn and fall into torment.''

'' Endwa.. contain yourself,'' a doctor commented loudly from the other end.
I hadn't really noticed, but as I was enjoying my trail of thought, I had slowly started releasing my hatsu and bloodlust towards the people around me.

I chuckled and soon laughed out loud. '' Don't worry man, I'm just joking around. Don't get your underwear in a twist.'' I waved my hand as I wasn't going to do anything and scanned around the room.
I noticed that that useless worm was freaked out as her hair was basically standing on her head, and rest of the doctors were simply on guard.

Man, it sure was easy to mess around with these people.
But I understood what they felt, which was a weird thing coming from me.
But my first encounter with these people happened to be that I was woken up to the presence of bloodlust.

I was so freaked out that I almost attacked everyone in the room, and would of succeeded if it wasn't for these damn emotions of mine.
But I guess in a way, that is still why I'm alive right now.

'' Ahhh! I had hoped to see something cool, but I guess there's nothing. I'll go read up on the mission. Catch ya later, hyena.'' I jumped off the box and started walking away before I heard her growl and the doctor still had to hold her back before I left to another area.

''I can't wait to see what else I can track down.''

My mind still wandered on all the things that I've been through, and how I can make better use of this magnificent power called Nen.

'' Mm..'' I frowned through my sleep.

My body felt so uncomfortable that I didn't even want to move at this point.

I still felt fairly sick, and I kept getting heat waves yet I felt cold and clammy at the same time.

I shivered a little when I decided to move my hands so I'd wake up and see what was going on.
My head was still so dizzy and I tried my best to push myself to sit up a little bit. The air was freezing so I kept the blanket close to my chest while I tried to rub my eyes.
'' Mh, what happened..'' I said to myself sleepily before looking around in my room. '' Oh..'' I recalled that I had gone to eat, and the next moment I woke up on the ground vomiting and seeing that horrendous sight..

My entire body went cold as I felt my stomach getting weak at that idea.
I scanned my eyes around, and found that there was water on my night stand. I immediately grabbed the glass with my weak hands and finished the entire thing.

I let the water go down my system and I finally felt my body warm up as I had started moving it a little bit.

My head was still stuffy as I couldn't recall what had plunged me into that state. ''Was I attacked? .. No, I saw no one there. What happened..'' I tried to go over what went down, but the last thing I remembered was me sitting at the table before I lost consciousness and fainted.

I scanned my room and saw a pair of glowing eyes shine from under my closet.
I panicked a little as I didn't know what it was, until I remembered how Alluka had found a random cat outside.

'' Here kitty, kitty.. I won't bite. Come here,'' I tried beckoning the cat to come over, but it only seemed to be more spooked as I seemed to be awake and moving. '' What's wrong, you were so friendly and active before..''

I thought that maybe it was simply the fact that I decided to bring it here into an unfamiliar room and it was simply a little scared.
Maybe me being away made it more wary as it didn't trust random people. But again, it seemed friendly before, so I wasn't sure what was going on now.

I sighed as I didn't seem to win over the cat's curiosity enough for it come out of hiding.
'' I guess it can't be helped. I won't force you to come out.. But I should get some food for you.''

But before I did anything, I scanned over my room and noticed that my phone was still where I left it, on the ground next to the door. '' I wonder if Illumi has tried to contact me, since I don't think he' s been here.. I think.''
My body felt fairly weak right now, and all of my muscles were protesting since all that exercising I did before finally started coming back to me.
I held my breath as I tried to make it out of my bed the best I could, and made it over to the door to pick up my phone.

There was an email icon on my screen, and I figured since it had been sent quite some hours ago, it was probably the schedule and program that Illumi had sent me during the day.

My heart sank as I had to recall his name in my head, and I instantly felt my heart prickle when I remembered the conversation we had in the forest.
I closed my eyes and walked over to my bed to leave my phone on the nightstand, not really having the energy or the will to put up with his shit right now. ''I just hope that I don't see him any time soon..''

I didn't particularly feel anything towards his shenanigans anymore, and for a moment I thought that it might be a good thing as I'd be less effected with what he might do or say to me. But I didn't know what this would do to my moral standards as a person.
And yet again, what harm would come of it if I stopped caring? My life wouldn't change because of it. Since it had already been set in stone, and right now I certainly had no say in how I managed anything. I just had to accept the fact that I was a nobody and I had no free will.

I wasn't depressed enough to get myself killed, or off myself just because of this unfair setup I was placed in. It sucked, sure, and I might of hated everything along the way, but that didn't give me the right to not try, and give up.

Sure, the people I was surrounded with seemed unbearable at most times, but that wasn't something I couldn't work with or adapt to - at least that was something I hoped that I'll be able to do eventually. Because otherwise I really might just go at someone if they do agitate me long enough.

I least I didn't need to worry about hurting anyone in this house. I wouldn't need to feel guilty if something were to happen.

My body shivered as I felt cold, and closed my eyes shut when I had to let out the longest yawn ever.
I lazily went to the bathroom, water glass in hand and filled it up a couple of times to get something going through my system, even if it was only water.
And really, I couldn't imagine having anything else right now. Food was strictly off limits, because the thought of consuming something just made me feel sick.

'' Just what happened back there..'' I left the glass next to the sink and approached the mirror, looking over my face and hair and thinking that it was probably best if I took a shower all together.
My complexion hadn't changed much, but I could tell that, aside from looking like crap right now, my skin did have more plumpness in it than before. And unlike a few weeks ago, it didn't look like I was an old dried up prune, but it actually seemed firm and had a healthy glow to it.

I knew my diet was still horrible, and I did need to force myself to eat more than I could, but I still needed to give it more time.
This needed time, and I didn't want to push it on myself too fast. As seen from before when I had passed out, I had thrown up, and I wasn't sure if that was because I ate too much, or there was something else that triggered it.

But currently, I simply looked like a crack whore who hadn't bathed herself for weeks, so getting clean was top priority.

I had probably been sweating after what ever had happened to me, and I don't really recall when I last had that bath.
And let us not forget that it was Illumi who had found me pleasantly napping in my own tub.. ''How humiliating can someone's life get..'' I thought to myself as I rubbed my temples.

I removed my casual clothes as they seemed to carry some sort of unpleasant smell and placed them on the ground for now. I also noticed that the broken yukata was still in the bin, so I figured that nobody had been in my room yet.
In a way that was reassuring, but at the same time I wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible.
''Well I can't have everything now can I..''

I walked up to the tub and somehow managed to turn on the shower head since my arms were still hurting from the exercises. Not to mention my legs, which wanted to give into the strain all together. My muscles were practically shaky from all ends, and it didn't really feel all that great as I knew that I'd have to train soon, yet again.

But I still had to force myself to step in the tub. '' Ugh, so much effort,'' I groaned as I managed to climb in and let the hot water hit my skin after it had warmed up to my liking.

It honestly felt so relaxing and I stayed there for a good while as I started washing my ridiculously long hair, and basically just stood there like a statue, simply enjoying the warm water as it softened up my muscles even just a tad bit.

''Will I have to see Illumi today?'' I contemplated for a second how I need to prepare myself and what I might have to do.

I started washing the shampoo from my hair and glanced at the window, noticing the dimming light outside.
'' Oh.. right,'' I said to myself, '' It's only evening..I didn't look at the time before. I guess I wasn't out cold for that long, thankfully.''' I felt glad that it wasn't a new day yet and that I didn't need to go outside anymore for the day.

I rinsed out my hair one final time before turning off the shower and carefully stepping out of the tub to go and grab my towel which was still hanging on the door.
I rubbed and dried my hair before I peeked out of my bathroom door, just to make sure that there was no one there.
I was still butt naked so I didn't want any sudden guests that might be waiting in my room.

The ghost was clear, so I walked up to my closet and looked through it and thankfully saw that they had returned my simple clothes that I had on the first time - I put on the simple shorts and shirt that I was given and went back to drying my hair.

The corridors still sounded quite noisy, so I figured that everyone was still going around the place, getting everything up for the big festival.

And just to make sure that I hadn't missed anything, I walked over to my bed and grabbed my phone from the nightstand.
I scanned it over the best of my abilities, and saw that there were no new messages and missed calls. So thankfully I could cross off a curious Illumi from my worry list.
Some of the words still looked rather odd and untranslatable, so I figured they must of been some specific tech related words that I had no clue about.

Maybe if I had the chance I'd ask someone what any of these meant. After all, searching through the phone was only child's play, and tech specifically in this world wasn't all that complicated as it had been back at home. Sure they had many advanced things, but they all seemed to lack a certain something that just made everything back on Earth seem more advanced than here.

Possibly because most humans heavily relied on technology, whereas here people had abilities of their own, and a huge population of people didn't need many things that most people nowadays wouldn't know how to do without.

Maybe as years go by, here as well, things will improve and the technology will become more complex since more people would have access to it.

Like even now, certain web pages and information is only available if you were a Hunter. There's simply so much only Hunters develop and use for their own benefit, without really involving normal people.
And I had to wonder if that was the reason for their minimal developments. Most of the bright and talented people worked for the Hunter HQ or had their personal businesses, so the normal people were kind of outcasted into dealing with their own things in their own little world.

Maybe one day, if things progress for the better, I can have a talk with Milluki about their tech.
I know that Milluki invented his own things and the technological advancements he did were pretty darn good.
Of course Zeno didn't really approve of it, but I saw where he was coming from.
He was strongly dedicated into his training and Nen ability, that tech for him seemed like a silly thing to tinker with.
But maybe if I were to give certain insight into what Milluki could develop, it would have huge impact on their business.

I know that Milluki didn't really need any assistance, even with his missions, but I kind of wanted to snake my way through to his good side.
Or at least a side where he didn't detest me.

I was no inventor, of course, but if I could even be a little bit more helpful with ideas, then maybe he wouldn't see me as a bug. I just needed to hope that I had something beneficial for him, regarding information.

The only tricky part to this was, that I somehow needed a miracle where I could talk to Milluki, preferably alone, but yet again that would be a rather dangerous thing to wish for.

It was with many people, that they would act in a certain way if there were other people present.
So in hopes that if I got to speak with Milluki alone, then maybe I would have a chance at talking to him on a serious level without him really putting up an act. Because then it would stay between us and neither of us need to worry what others saw.

Now I don't think that Milluki would care all that much, his attitude was shit regardless who he was next to. But I knew the kind of image he had of me, so maybe he would act less snappy if there was no one around to question his behavior in speaking with me.

But thankfully he was one of the people in this house that I didn't need to worry bumping into, or actually having to speak to unless I took the initiative to do so.

*Knock, knock*
I jumped.

'' Y-yes?'' I asked, cautiously.

Did my thoughts provoke someone to come to my door? No way, that wasn't possible.

It was't Milluki was it? No. He wouldn't have any business with me.

I didn't particularly feel any specific presence at the other side of the door either, so I didn't know who to expect.

The door opened and I saw my favorite butler bowing slightly as he presented himself to my room.
'' Good evening, Miss. I see that you're doing better now. How are you?'' Retsu asked as he eased up and closed the door.

I was quite happy to see him and I put the phone away, not showing any more interest towards the gadget.
'' Ah- good evening to you too, Retsu. To be bluntly honest? Quite shit.'' I exhaled as I rubbed the towel through my hair to dry it off a little bit more.

I know it was funny to mention, but my stomach was quite hungry, and I was still thirsty. But at least my muscles stopped shaking, so that's good, right?

'' Compared to what you went through, it's a miracle you're even this well, Miss.'' Retsu beamed at me, seeming surprised that I was standing, and apparently having even showered.

'' Yea.. about that, what did happen? I only remember fainting..'' I said a little unsure of my situation.

Retsu glanced at the ground for a second, unsure as to how to tell me the news, and it made me a little bit nervous that he had to think so long as to tell me what happened.

'' I'm sorry to say that we don't know the reason fully. But we do know that some part of the meal was poisonous and you almost died. The reason why we can't be a hundred percent certain, is because our chef had killed the man who was most probably the only suspect in the matter.'' You could tell from Retsu's face that he wasn't all that proud to rely the news to me since my life was on the line. And I was certain that that wouldn't have ended well for any of them if I were to die.

'' Do you know how it got poisoned?'' I asked, trying not to really make this conversation any gloomier than it was.

'' The chef speculated that the newcomer did a poor job with his equipment, and failed to sterilize everything properly before preparing your food. We can't be certain anymore since the chef eliminated that guy for good..'' He mentioned with a heavy heart.

I nodded along to that, remembering very clearly what had happened when I woke up. I sat down as my body was still feeling quite weak, and now that my body was warmed up, it felt a little too tired to stand.

'' That kid.. he found me?'' I asked, unsure.

'' Yes, he called me over to go get the doctor and some medicine. In that moment he was the only one in the room. Do you remember anything before you fainted?'' Retsu asked curiously, wanting to know if maybe there was anything else to the story that they might of missed.

I shook my head to his question, '' I arrived there and it was only me. If anything was tempered with then it clearly had to be when it was prepared, just like your chef had guessed. Though.. I do feel bad since I did try something that wasn't labeled for me to eat, really. I know they must of gone through a lot of trouble because of that incident.'' I looked at the ground, uncertain if I should feel guilty for going for something that wasn't meant for me, or that I should be upset that they placed something like that there to begin with.

'' That is absolutely not something for you to worry about. That table is required to have clean food, clear of poison. Since there are other members of the family who do not consume it, it would be a crime for any of the chefs to place anything like that on the family dining table. The only food that has a certain amount of poison in it, is the kind that gets delivered to the members personally,'' Retsu explained calmly.

I nodded again, feeling glad that it wasn't something I had to fret over.
'' I see. I'm sorry that things turned out like that with your chef and that new employee. Do you know if that kid is still around?''

'' He's in the house until tomorrow. He's currently on his break. I wouldn't advise you to look for him right now. His temper is not something you want to cross your sword with.'' He glanced to the side, looking for a nice way to describe his attitude towards people.

I huffed and smiled softly, '' I know. I had a talk with him before. But I feel like I can somehow manage him. If I can put up with someone like Illumi, then that guy is no threat.'' My grin widened as I saw Retsu smirk a little, he arched his brow at my remark and bowed his head slightly.
'' I'm in no position to question your tactics. He's resting in the dining lounge, if you want to take up the risk and implode on his break.''
I giggled a little, knowing fairly well how those kind of people reacted when their personal time was disturbed.

'' But a little advice, Miss. If you wish to show up, let it not be with empty hands.'' He rose his hand to present an example.

'' What do you propose?'' I asked, curious as to know how I can win over the little demons trust more easily.

'' There is a certain hot beverage which he loves. Maybe as to smother his anguish a little, you could take that along?''

'' To soothe the beast before I enter it's den? Sounds like a good plan. Thank you Retsu!'' I gave him a smile full of gratitude and I walked to my bathroom door to leave the now completely damp towel on the wooden rack to dry.

'' You're very welcome. Are you certain that you're feeling up for it though? You can rest a little to be sure,'' he offered as he was trying to make sure that I was actually healthy enough to be walking around.

''Yea. I still feel a little shaky, but I feel fine, aside from having nothing in my gut.. again.'' I said, a little disappointed that I had to go through something like this again.

'' Perhaps, as you're going down anyway, you should grab something light to eat. Some puree soup, maybe?''

I walked back to my bed and smiled at him, '' Yea, that sounds like a good plan. I'll try and remember to do that.''

'' And how is your little pet doing, if I may ask?'' Retsu asked as he watched me scurry over to tidy up my bed a little.

'' Ah.. that cat? I don't know honestly. For some reason he seemed freaked out and wont come out of hiding. I have no idea why. He was so friendly and comfortable before.'' I answered as I puffed up my pillows as much as my muscles allowed me and I evened out the blanket nicely.

Retsu fell silent, and for a moment it seemed as if he wanted to keep what he was thinking to himself.

I looked at him questioningly, '' What, you know something?''

'' It might be out of place for me to say,'' he commented as he refrained from saying anything, but he didn't hide the fact that there was something he could of told me.

I smiled at him, ''Come on, I'm not going to do anything if you speak your mind.'' I tried reassuring him that he can just speak to me casually, even though I knew it was difficult for them, since it was something they were trained to avoid.

'' The reason, probably, for him behaving like that, is because of your aura.''

'' My aura? Did I do something?'' I tried recalling anything I might of missed with the recent events.

'' Khmm- it was during the day when you.. emitted quite a lot of energy in a rather alarming way.''

My mouth fell as my eyes dilated and I shut my mouth instantly, remembering very clearly as to why that had happened.
I looked up at Retsu in an apologetic way, '' Oh god.. I'm so sorry about that!'' I rubbed the back of my head and looked around the room uncomfortably.

Retsu seemed to understand that I hadn't even realized it and relaxed a little as he didn't offend me by mentioning this. '' It's not a problem, Miss.''

I exhaled as I closed my eyes for a moment and rubbed my forehead, '' No, really.. I'm sorry. Just this thing with Illumi happened and.. before I realized anything, I was over come with fury. I didn't mean to do it at all, and certainly was it not directed at anyone aside from Illumi, I swear! I just feel so shit because I can't control it.''

'' You'll learn to control it eventually. Knowing how to manipulate your own aura takes months of practice, even for the most talented.'' He tried to reassure me that it was no big deal, but I still repented it deep down, even if it wasn't a big deal to these guys.

'' I know just.. I really will try my best to control this thing. Sadly I can't make up for it in any other way than to stay out of trouble and not bother anyone with my presence.'' I sighed as I didn't really know what else to do with this thing inside of me.

I hardly even knew it was there, but the moment I gave it a reason to react, it sure did a damn good job at unleashing itself.
Maybe this thing was upset that it was stuck inside this body just as I was. ''Well it's not going to get any better for the either of us. So calm the fuck down and let me live my life in peace.''
I told myself off as I had to imagine talking to that thing.

'' No one is bothered by it. But since the house is quite busy and most of the employees are currently in the estate, it was simply a little alarming for everyone since most do not know of your existence yet.''

I had anguish written all over my face as he mentioned this.
'' Everyone?... Well count me out, I'm not leaving my room again!'' I protested as I simply couldn't face all those people that will be looking at me.

Retsu chuckled a little, seeing how worried I was over this.
'' Relax, Miss. Knowing the ''small'' amount of energy you released in that short amount of time, nobody will be bothering you even if they were to see you.''

I arched a brow, '' How come?'' I asked him, skeptical of why anyone would not mind my presence after that show.

'' Whereas we do have staff here who's Nen abilities are admirable, there are more of those who do not have any specific abilities, aside from knowing the basics to aura use so that they can harness and empower their physical strength when fighting. You are a specialist, are you not, Miss?''

I nodded, still insecure about this whole thing.
'' Then they know better than to approach you. Imagine walking into a room full of blooming flowers. You know they're all there, but before you take a closer look, you're unable to tell what kind of flower you're dealing with. Does it have a scent? Is it poisonous? Does is have any other quality to it. The same goes for people. Everyone knows the presence of everyone in the house, but unless we take a closer look, we are unable to determine who we're dealing with. The fact that everyone now knows your aura, proves that they know what they're up against. You being a specialist already tells the people to stay away. If that make's it easier to understand, Miss?''

I was so intrigued while listening to him that I simply nodded when he asked me if I understood.
'' That make's it really simple! I'm just really lousy at picking up other peoples presence.. To be honest, if I think about it now, there's too many to count up and it seems too confusing..''
I did feel things moving around. Like feeling the presence of static moving around with a breeze. But I hadn't trained for that long, so I was unable to detect anyone.
Even when Retsu had come to my door, I was unable to tell who was there.

But then again, if people used In then I wouldn't be able to tell at all.

I hoped that one day if I train my aura long enough, I would be able to tell if someone's presence disappeared or not.

'' That comes with time. Knowing who can use Nen and who can't comes by training. If you're able to pick up and distinguish those with aura around you, you'll be able to pick out potential threats. And if you feel a threat, you can simply use In to be untraceable.''

'' But wouldn't that give me away anyway?'' I recalled the fact that you would still be able to tell if someone vanishes out of the blue.

'' Not if they already know that it's you. But if you're trying to hide from someone who is hunting you down simply because they're tracking anyone with high aura levels, then it's better to blend with the surroundings. Even some animals have a certain level of aura, if not a specific magical beast that can use more. Taking all that into count, then you're safer among the crowd without the need of using In.'' Retsu kindly explained as I simply stood there, amazed that he was teaching me things.

I did recall that Gon and Killua went through such a thing in the past. They were keeping an eye on the Spiders and it took them a great deal to stay calm and composed, to not be found out.
And that alone was something I couldn't imagine myself doing.

'' I hope my training pays off then. I can't wait for the day when I'll be useful to myself.'' I commented as I rolled my eyes at myself.

Retsu had a relaxed face as he smiled along and stood there, proud.
'' I wish for the same, Miss.''

I smiled and huffed a little, having taken in all that information and feeling a little refreshed now that I had had a proper talk with someone.
I then looked at Retsu who was on standby, '' By the way, do you have to use those honorifics with me? I still feel very strange about it..''

'' We were advised to use them, yes.'' he replied with a casual face.

I sighed, '' I guess it can't be helped.. But you know, when they're not listening you can just use my name. I feel like some strange '' important'' icon when I hear the word - Miss,'' I tried explaining, and I rose my hands when he opened his mouth to speak, but stopped him, '' And I know, I know! You need to say it, you're obliged to do it. But really.. I'm just a casual person, I don't need any stupid honorifics. The one who needs some more manners and should use them is Hisoka. He's a little too familiar.'' I looked to the side lazily as I had to recall his dumb nicknames he kept saying.

Retsu looked at me as if he was pitying me and cleared his throat, '' Then, is Allika-sama good enough?'' The corner of his lip twitched upwards a little when he saw me glare and pout at that.

'' No! Just a normal name!'' I crossed my arms, clearly acting over dramatic.

Retsu huffed a smile and straightened his posture while looking at me, '' Then, Allika.''

I smiled, finally, and clapped my hands as he was finally able to do it, '' good job! Of course I understand that you can't do that infront of people, I'm not forcing you to do it. But it's fine when were just talking like this, right?'' I cocked my head a little, looking at him to approve of what I had offered.

'' It'll have to do. It would be unacceptable if you were to demonstrate your frustration with this every time.'' He beamed at me, clearly being a smartass, because I loved being over dramatic about certain things.

'' Pft, nonsense,'' I objected with my nose in the air, looking important.

I saw him smirk and I returned a smile, feeling quite content with how I got along with him.

But now that it had quieted down, my mind started to wander over to the other twin, and still finding it odd how these two can be so different.

I was itching to ask, but I thought that it might be too inappropriate if I would snoop about their past like that.

'' Is there anything you wish to ask, Mi- .. Allika.'' He paused there, almost forgetting our little deal.

A faint smile crossed my lips when I drifted back to my thoughts and exhaled.
'' There is, plenty. But I don't really want to because I think it wouldn't be the nicest thing of me.''

'' How is that?'' He asked, a little curious now.

'' ..Because it involved your brother,'' I said a little awkwardly.

'' Has anything happened for you to be concerned?'' He asked a little bit more serious this time.

'' No, no. Nothing like that - nothing negative at all, if I gave you that impression. It's just my silly curiosity.'' I laughed a little, knowing very well that I had no right to know about them.

'' If it's nothing too specific, without him knowing, I can maybe give you an answer?'' He offered, giving me a green light to further my thoughts to him.

I glanced at him for a moment, very uncertain if I should open this door.

I had gotten on such good grounds with Retsu recently, that I would simply hate it if I were to ask something and leave the wrong impression.

'' Then.. just to make it clear. I'm really nosy and there really is no specific reason to these thoughts at all. I don't want you to think that I'm trying to spy on you guys or something.. Just that.. Here I am talking to you, and it's really refreshing, but when it comes to your brother then.. no matter how relaxed I seem to try and be - or how ever I try and approach him, I always have a feeling that he's not really reachable? I don't know if that made any sense... He just feels very distant compared to you.'' I tried explaining my feelings the best way I could.

I always felt a little off in the presence of Katsu.

I know he meant no harm and he really was just probably doing his job and didn't mind anything around him, but I simply couldn't shake off this odd feeling I got from him - the feeling of emptiness, as if his presence wasn't there to begin with, as if he was trying to avoid something.

Retsu was silent for a moment.

He was either thinking of a nice way to tell me to stop prying, or trying to find a logical approach to my messy question.

'' And really! It's fine if you don't tell me. I know there has to be a personal reason for why Katsu is the way he is. I don't hate or dislike him for it, at all! I just don't want to seem like a burden whenever I do happen to speak with him, simply because I don't know how to act around him,'' I added some more, just to make Retsu fully aware that I didn't mean any harm when I mentioned his brother in any way.

Retsu smiled gently. He lowered his gaze and thought about it for a while longer.
'' Katsu has.. had a lot on his shoulders from a young age. We were involved in an accident many years ago, which by now seems like a bad dream. But for Katsu, it left a very big scar in his mind. I'm glad to know that you see my brother in that way. Most people would label him as a pest, or someone with an odd way of socializing with others - a broken person you could say. But by no means is he ill mannered. He's hard working and will do anything to prove himself.'' Retsu explained with a gentle tone, and it somewhat seemed a little heavy for him to talk about his brother.

I fully understood if it was something from their past that it was simply something they couldn't shake.

Maybe Retsu was a little bit more stronger than Katsu, and managed to climb out of that deep hole. But the fact that they were still here, supporting eachother, meant that by no means is Katsu any less of a person than Retsu.

Restu looked me in the eye and bowed a little, '' Thank you, Allika.''

I got flustered when he did that and I took a step forward, '' N-no stop! I should be thanking you for even telling me this.'' As if this was a fight for formality, I bowed my head even lower and stared at the ground.
'' Thank you for telling me this! I know it must be terrible to recall such things to begin with. I know I'm just a passing stranger in this house, but it does ease my mind a little. I know I'm not paranoid and that I can still speak with you guys freely.'' I looked up at Retsu who was a little surprised as he was still slightly bending forward.
'' I had worried that maybe Katsu saw me as a pest and couldn't possibly talk to someone like me. So I'm really glad to know that that's not the case.'' I smiled up at him as we both stopped our bowing session and I saw his expression soften up a little.

Retsu smirked a little before he started laughing to himself.

I looked a little confused, as if he just went crazy out of the blue and kept staring at him.

'' You indeed are strange, Mi- Allika.'' He still chuckled, having almost messed up my name, again.

I grinned at him, evilly, as if coming up with a plan.
'' By the way.. if you ever call me Miss by accident when were casually talking like this, you'll have to do a punishment challenge. I know that the training you guys go through gets basically hammered in your head, so I'll start using the same tactic. Miss = punishment, don't mess it up!'' I said in a playful way, threatening him as I was waving my finger around like some snobby kid.

Retsu's eyes gleamed a little as he smirked mischievously. He chuckled a little as he took a step forward and cocked his head to the side a little while looking down at me.
'' And what if I purposely do that?'' He asked in a completely different tone of voice, which caught be off guard and I stared at him, a little flustered at the sudden change.

His eyes narrowed as he still smirked and leaned in a little, '' what would that punishment be, little Miss?''

I know I was plainly staring at him at this point, my heart raced and I felt my pulse all the way up in my face. My stomach was in a knot and I tried to rack my brain for a smart-ass answer that wouldn't highlight my flustered state.

I mimicked my mouth a little until I had to look away and ran my eyes over the wall instead, '' Y-yea.. about that.. I h-haven't gotten that far yet.'' I laughed it off as I tried to find a way out of this sudden situation.

I felt Retsus eyes on me and I didn't know what to make of this. He was just teasing, right? Just a little joke.
I looked back at him and still saw him smirking slyly before he hummed out, '' hmm, how sad. Well.. I'll be waiting for your grand ideas then. It would be quite disappointing otherwise.'' He commented in a crafty way before taking a step back and having his normal stance back again.

I sighed in my head and tried to calm my nerves.
'' D-don't be too thrilled about that. You don't know what I would ask of you.'' I still tried sounding cocky, trying to block out any unwanted signs of thrill.

Retsu smiled kindly and he peered in my eyes, '' that's the amusing part. I'll be waiting,'' he happily declared as he felt his pocked vibrate and took the call.

'' Yes, sir?'' He answered right away and had his business face on again.

I looked away, as if not wanting to butt in to his conversation and went to check my phone on the nightstand.
I noticed that it was quite late and I had been chatting with Retsu for quite some time now.
Forgetting what had just happened, I figured that I should probably go say hi to that grumpy kid until it actually was too late to bother anyone.
Not that anyone slept here at twelve, probably, but I still didn't want to seem too pushy with my gratitude.

Knowing very well what that kid was like, I assumed he probably didn't even want my thanks or appreciation for his help.

In the mean time, Retsu had taken up some order and was patiently listening on the phone.

I ran my hand through my hair a little, feeling that it was still quite wet, but it couldn't be helped.
There was no blow drier in this room, and I honestly didn't feel like asking for one as it didn't really matter in the summer.

'' Yes, sir. I'll get right on that. Yes, have a good evening.'' Retsu finished the call and put away his phone before looking at me with a friendlier face than what he had before while talking on the phone.

'' I'm sorry, business calls. Oh and about that drink. If you go past the living room and knock on a red velvety door, a little bit further away, and tell the barman that you were requested to bring the head chef his hot drink, he will know what to make you. I wish you a good evening, Allika.'' He smiled as he said my name.
I smiled back softly and wished him the same before he turned to leave my room.

'' See you around, Retsu,'' I added as he looked back and closed the door with a pleased expression.

I exhaled as I felt a mysterious weight leave my shoulders and I had to rewind what had happened before.

I shook my head, '' No, I can't just assume the worst.. I mean I should, but.. he wouldn't.. would he? No, no, stop. He wouldn't.''

I wanted to believe that Retsu was simply teasing me a little; A little friendly tease, that's all there is to it.

I know I gave him the freedom to act freely around me, so I shouldn't assume that he meant anything by that little taunt.

He had acted in a weird way in the beginning as well, so I didn't think anything big of it.
That's just Retsu, I told myself before grabbing my phone and looking for some socks to put on.

Back on Earth I had guy friend who were always challenging each other every other day, so I wanted to imagine that that was what Retsu was going for.

I did want to be more friendly with him, and have someone to speak to in normal terms since I couldn't possibly do that with certain other gentlemen around this house.

I truly wanted to believe that Retsu gave me that little pass to be somewhat of a shoulder to cry on, in case I would have no one else to complain to.

And there you go people.
I know this chapter is suuuper short, compared to what I have been dishing out recently, but this ''day'' aka chapter will be a little long, so I need to divide it into two.

I know that the twins are somewhat like side characters in this thing, but they still hold a strong pillar in the over all story, so I have to quietly include them in some ways.
So I hope their impact in Aru's life doesn't upset you guys too much or anything.

-Btw, for anyone who is interested: I did recently draw and redesign how Aru looks like. As I had mentioned before - Aru's sketch was super outdated and I was waiting for an opportunity and a light pulp moment to get my pencil working so I could finally make a '' fresh '' sketch of her.
If you're curious and want to know, then I did upload her pic on my Deviantart( iBeDoll - my profile. And shes under the name Aru Gosuto if you just wanna have a quick google)-

On a side note, when ever I do get the time, I will try and work my way to also design the twins so you guys can have somewhat an idea of what I imagine them to be, even though I know you might have an image in your head already( Sorry if I'll make something really off! You can simply keep your own original image of them in your head!)

I love you guys and stay tuned for the next part of this chapter!