So far, everything done before was not even the beginning. The real story has yet to commence. It all started when three teenagers were invited to come over to the girl's house…

-flashback-

Mizuka's gaze was tinted with doubt. "My aunt would like to meet all three of you."

The three blinked.

"In other words, would you guys like to come to her house, um….I think it was this Saturday," Tristan translated for them.

They blinked again. Only this time, Gon didn't blink. "Sure! Why not?"

Killua groaned inwardly, a little annoyed by Gon's rash decision-making.

-end of flashback-

10th April.

Saturday.

2:00 p.m.

"Welcome! Welcome! You must be Mizuka's…..friends! Come in and make yourself comfortable," exclaimed the head of the house and smacked a wide smile on her face. She lead the three guests into the guest room and seated them on velvet couches. With a click of her fingers, a maid hustled over to the coffee table and laid a tea set. She bowed then excused herself.

The aunt examined the three while their attention was directed at their tea-cups. One had short, pink hair tied in pigtails, and wore a ruffled skirt. The other two…..had weird hairstyles much to the woman's distaste. The taller one didn't bother combing his wild mop, while the other seems to be trying too hard with gelling his hair (which is wrong! Gon's hair is naturally spiky!). Tristan emerged from the kitchen and greeted them with his always blissful smile. "Hey!"

Hinari gasped, "Are you living here?"

"No. Actually, Mizuka's aunt is like...my family's host family."

"Where is she by the way?"

"She's working part time in a sushi house. She'll be back soon."

Gon brightened. Oh right! I forgot she worked on Saturdays!

Having the courtesy to excuse herself, the aunt rose to her feet and nodded in their direction, "I'll leave you juveniles to your conversation. I'll be back with lunch!"

And so they were left alone.

To break the silence that ensued the woman's quick departure, Gon suddenly announced, "I'd like to see her parents."

The blond stared at him solemnly. "Do you know that they're…?"

The spiky-hair boy nodded.

Tristan smiled sadly, "Come with me. I'll show you around the Corridor of the Tayaki's." He then cocked his head in the other two's direction. "Like to come with us?"

Killua shook his head. Like a fangirl who would jump off a cliff after her idol regardless of her parents' objections, Hinari shook her head as well.

The blond shrugged, "Alright, but...I guess it won't hurt to do a little exploring around the house, hey?"

The pair headed off, leaving the group even smaller than before. Killua glared after the blond. It bothered him that the half-French boy's last statement was not just some petty suggestion, but rather, was encouraging him on the idea of snooping around the place. When rephrased, it sounded more like "Why don't you just bombard the place to your heart's content and see if you find anything?"

"Tch," Killua muttered to no-one in particular. "If you insist."

The boy straightened up and ambled upstairs. Abandoned, Hinari sighed and trailed after him.

0000000000

Lined in a perfect row along a specific corridor were portraits of the members of the Tayaki family tree. The first couple showed great-grand-relatives dated back a century ago. They ranged from picnic events to portraits professionally painted. Gon and Tristan wandered deeper down the hallway until they reached the current generation.

"And this is Mizuka," the blond pointed at a little ecstatic girl who was grinning herself silly.

"Wow…she's so….different," was all Gon could muster. "What about this one?"

"That's when she was six. This picture was taken before her parents left to work on this small island."

"And this one?"

Tristan froze. He glanced around cautiously before lowering his voice to a murmur. "That…" he began hesitantly, "was six years after her parents left. Unfortunately, they never came back."

Gon frowned. It was evident that at that stage, Mizuka was enduring a period of depression. How ironic. When he was twelve, Gon was having the time of his life with his three best friends despite the countless times their life was hanging on the line. The girl, who will soon possess a disgustingly rich inheritance, was not coping well with life. Looking down at the remaining pictures down the corridor that was yet to be woven into a story-telling tapestry, the spiky-hair boy looked at his companion with profoundly curious eyes, "Tell me, Tristan. What happened?"

The blond nodded willingly, albeit with a trace of reluctance. Gazing down at the remaining portraits, he heaved 3 his shoulders and sighed. "Okay. So this was how it all began…"

0000000000

There was a squeak from the mattress, and then, a subtle thudding noise echoed down the hallway. A girl of mere seven years dashed across the corridors shrouded in the bloodcurdling darkness. Her shoulder-length hair of light purple bounced off her neck in synchronization of every step she took. When she finally saw the dim-lit room, she whipped the door open without a moment's hesitation.

"Auntie!" she gasped exhaustedly. Running around the labyrinth of corridors and stairs in search of one particular room was quite a feat for a seven-year old."Auntie! I had a bad dream-"

The woman sitting upright on her queen-sized bed slammed her novel shut and snapped off the little girl's whinging before she was further bombarded with 'I saw the bogey man' and such. "Off with you, rude girl! Don't you ever again disturb me in the middle of the night!"

"But Auntie! I saw them. They were dead!" the girl rubbed her splotchy, red cheeks and eyes as she sobbed.

Amid the soft light that illuminated the ghastly features of her aunt, the woman's expression darkened considerably. She knew very well who the girl was referring to. The child's frequent descriptions of a dead woman and man have been persisting for weeks. "N-Nonsense!" the aunt retorted with flustered cheeks.

"But-"

"Maids!"

Upon hearing the shrill call, the corridors were immediately filled with light. Two young maids bustled into their mistress' room as they struggled to hide their irritation from being woken up in the middle of the night. The woman pointed accusingly at the intruder. "Take her back to her room and lock her door!" she barked her orders.

The young ladies nodded. One of them tended to the agitated woman while the other gently ushered the girl out the room.

The girl sobbed even heavier when she was tucked into her bed. She curled her pale hands into fists and rubbed her eyes furiously. Her hair was splayed on the pillow in a disarray and her robe was soaked in her tears. The maid in black brushed her damp fringe away from her forehead and murmured tenderly, "Hush, sweet Mizuka. Go to sleep and everything will be better in the morning."

"I saw them! I swear, they were dead! They were, looking at me with scary eyeballs, and they were so, bony and stiff," Mizuka hiccupped between words. "Where, are they? Why haven't, they come back yet?"

"You are having a nightmare. Don't think about it too much. They'll be back soon."

"I've, been waiting for so long! WHERE are they?" The girl demanded. She was at the brim of throwing a tantrum.

The maid held back a little, faltering for the correct words. She couldn't spill the truth. Some secrets are better left in the ashes, for the better. "They will be back…someday."

For a child whose intelligence hasn't quite developed yet, the word 'someday' is only used when one is desperate to escape the main issue, and to Mizuka, it meant nothing. Tomorrow? Next week? Next year? Unsatisfied with the answer, she released yet another torrent of tears.

"A-Alright, I think they'll be back next month! But please…don't do this again. It upsets your aunt, terribly," the slightly annoyed maid quickly murmured. "Good night, dear Mizuka."

The door was locked, and she was thrust yet again into the darkness. In the following hours until dawn, the girl was too terrified to fall asleep, for fear of encountering the same nightmare: the one with the corpses of a man and a woman. The unfortunate girl had no doll to cuddle onto, had no mother to caress her hair and sing her a lullaby, and had no-one who was willing to listen to her problems and share with her their bed. She writhed under her blanket in distraught, shivered and whimpered throughout another sleepless night, wondering...how in God's name did she end up in such a situation.

0000000000

A month flew by.

Her parents never came.

Five years later…

And they still, didn't turn up.

Now 12, Mizuka sat stiffly on a beautifully carved chair before the camera man. She was to have her portrait taken. Clothed in a simple white dress and a white head-band perched on her hair, she was ready to go.

The friendly camera-man spent a few seconds adjusting his camera and the height of the tripod, and finally, squinted his eyes on the viewfinder. He called out, "Mizuka! Clasp your hands together. That's it...now put them on your lap. Okay. When I count to three, give me a big smile! One...two...three! Smile!"

Click!

Her aunt examined the photo on his camera and shook her head. The camera-man shrugged and turned to face Mizuka, "You didn't smile. I'm going to do it once more, okay?"

The little girl nodded.

"Alright. When I count to three, say cheese! One...two...three! Say cheese!"

"Cheese."

Click!

Yet again, her aunt was not satisfied with the result. Rather than a smile with the corners of the mouth turned up naturally, Mizuka looked more like showing her teeth for the dentist's inspection. After half an hour of several attempts to take a supposedly simple portrait, the camera man was on the edge of his patience. As a professional, never in his life had he spent a long time for one portrait.

"There's something wrong with her, I tell you!" The man yelled impatiently at the aunt.

"Oh, fine! I pick the second one!" muttered the woman.

"Right! Expect the portrait to be delivered a week later!" With a huff, the camera man was gone.

Suddenly, the woman turned to face the little girl and brought her hand sharply on her cheek. "Regardless of his rudeness, I agree entirely with that man. What IS wrong with you, child? Do you want me to slap your harder until you can SMILE? Next time when you are asked to do something, DO IT. Do I make myself clear?"

Mizuka stared at her blankly. There were no tears swelling in her eyes; she had shed enough in the past years. She made no attempt at touching her burning cheek. Years of abuse have taught her to remain stoic: happiness will irritate that woman, and sadness will bring her satisfaction. Like a machine programmed only to respond in obedience, she nodded. "Yes."

0000000000

Hinari gawked at the elaborate room. The place contained a double-bed, shelves choking with books and encyclopaedias, and a desk laid with tins of pens and pencils arranged in their category, not to mention other decorative items such as the antique rug that rested below. "This is Mizuka's bedroom?"

To her disappointment, an expensive-looking bedroom was not enough to gain a slight reaction from the white-hair boy (in other words, she's light years away from impressing him). Back at Kukuru Mountain, the size of his home was indescribable. The mountain that used to house eight Zaoldyecks and a massive dog contained more space than necessary. Contemplating on such matters lead to an unexpected thought which crept unconsciously to Killua's mind. Speaking of which, where the bloody hell is that Alluka…?

The pink-hair girl popped his little bubble of thoughts and pointed inquisitively at a little metal box sitting innocently on the desk. "Hey look! I wander what secrets she's hiding!"

"Oi oi…..don't meddle with other peoples' stuff. Would you like it if I checked your diary and see what things you've been writing about your crush?"

Hinari blushed. "Just a little peek?"

"You do whatever you want to do; it's none of my business. If you're caught red handed, you get the blame," Killua said uncaringly and crossed his arms behind his head.

Taking the risk, the girl snatched the box and examined it, turning it this way and that. Killua arched an eyebrow as he watched Hinari wrestling with the object. It looks so familiar…

The girl pouted, "It wouldn't open!"

His curiosity got the better of him. The boy reached his hand out and gestured to her to give him the box. Once the object was passed over to him, he scrutinised the cube made of metal pieces arranged like a prison cage.

Killua's eyes widened. Just as I thought. But why, of all places, is such a box found in a girl's bedroom?

"Fuujiou. Get out of the room."

"Huh?"

"Just get out, and close the door. I'll tell you when you can come in."

"Why…?"

"Get out, will you? You need to stay in a safe place for a while."

His request was misinterpreted by her brain cells, in which she thought he was 'protecting her from harm' and therefore keeping her away. Hinari nodded quickly and scrambled out into the corridor, closing the door behind her.

Summoning a larger amount of nen than the quantity used daily, Killua closed his eyes and focused the energy into the box which then glowed, and illuminated the room with blinding light. Hinari widened her eyes at the light emanating under the door. Suddenly, an explosion, then the clinking sound of metal against metal was heard. The girl outside was washed with relief that she was not inside the room, but at the same time, worried about the boy's current welfare. Before she slammed the door open to check if he was alright, Killua had already whipped his hunter license out, and inserted the card into a slot. With a neat click the lid flicked open, revealing its prisoner trapped in velvety material for only-God-knows-how-long.

Oh, and he has great sense of timing too.

Just as Hinari opened the door, a third head popped in the doorway to find out what all the commotion in her room was about. She shifted her gaze onto a certain boy with a cassette in his clutch. Killua could feel his bottom jaw unhooking from the hinges which then plummeted into the unimaginable depths of his chin.

UGH! WHY must she show up at the most INCONVENIENT TIME FRAME?

Someone had to break the unnerving silence. The purple-hair girl, although looking neither perturbed nor startled, had those golden eyes that indicated some explanation was required from the boy. Killua opened his mouth, and then closed it. A sudden rush of heat graced his cheeks as he mentally screamed mild curses in his head.

"May I…play the cassette?" Mizuka suddenly asked and pointed to a cassette player. "How you opened the box, you can explain later. I was never able to open it."

Killua nodded quickly and inserted the object into the player. He turned the volume to moderately loud then took a step back. Hinari moved closer to the pair. All three pairs of eyes were glued onto the device.

[Yo, Mizuka]

Killua groaned inwardly. I should've fetched Gon first!

[How long has it been since I sent this box to you? Probably years…]

[Right now as you're standing in front of the cassette player listening to a stranger talk, I'm somewhere else on the run, however, not in your world.]

Mizuka frowned. "Another world…?" she whispered to herself.

[Have you found the key yet?]

Killua immediately stared at what he thought was an empty box, but true to the stranger's words, there was a key threaded with a string.

[That is the key to a new journey.]

Killua handed over the object to the girl. She held it up by the string and inspected the smooth, golden surface.

[It belonged to your father. Your mother has asked me to pass it on to you. Wear it, and keep it safe.]

Mizuka did as she was told and slung it comfortably around her neck.

[The current head of the house is not to know about the key. Your parents have entrusted their faith in your ability to protect the it.]

THe girl rested her fingers on the key and fingered the intricate pattern.

[That is all. Best of luck on your journey.]

[I will be looking forward to meeting you.]

Meeting you...she repeated in her head.

[Oh, hey, youngster. I mean you, over there, nen-user.]

Killua stiffened, and placed as much attention he could gather onto the forthcoming message. The masculine voice snickered playfully.

[Catch me if you can.]

And then, the tape clicked and rewinded.

That…..that old BASTARD! Killua fumed silently.

UGH I just HAD TO write those character's past thingy...did you guys skip them? Cause I did :3 Haha it felt like YEARS since I last updated. Not the best of chapters, but here you go anyway ;p

Okay...right now...

I NEED TO DO MY FREAKIN ESSAY! D:

*scrambles away as people chuck flammable deodorant cans*