Every Flower Has Its Thorns v2

.::Adventures and Memories::.

"So, the hunter exam is in two weeks." Killua mused, popping a piece of chocolate into his mouth. "You think you're ready?"

Killua, Gon, and Kaeko had been slowly making their way back to Yorkshin City from the Azian Continent, with the intention of regrouping with their old friend Leorio and to conduct additional research on a certain Ging Freeces. Of course, during their journey Gon and Killua made sure to properly prep Kaeko for the Hunter Exam to ensure she would pass with relative ease.

"Pfft." Kaeko rolled her eyes in response to Killua and crossed her arms over her chest, "After the training you put me through? I think I'd fail instantly." She smirked mischievously in Killua's direction – it felt good every once in a while to take a jab at his ego. "But training with Gon on the other hand seemed to help a -LAAAH!"

Killua had effortlessly glided his foot into Kaeko's path, propelling her face straight to the ground. A satisfied grin rose onto his lips once he heard the accompanying thud that came from her fall.

That oughta show her. He thought as he popped another chocolate ball into his mouth triumphantly.

Although he had to admit, he loved messing with her; especially because the facial expressions she made and her reactions were horribly amusing to watch.

Kaeko immediately hopped back to her feet and whipped around to face Killua with fire burning in her eyes and a small vein popping on the side of her head. "Why you...!"

Aaannnd there it was. That look on her face that he loved causing.

She lunged at the grinning white-haired boy as he danced around her mockingly, sticking his tongue out at her with every missed jab. "Missed me~! Ha. Missed me again! Where are you even aiming, stupid~?" Killua teased from behind her, playfully tugging at a few strands of her hair to further enrage her.

Over time, Killua came to the conclusion that he could definitely get used to having Kaeko around. She had become an invaluable source of entertainment for him.

Meanwhile, a sweatdrop appeared on the side of Gon's head as this childish exchange occurred before him. Killua and Kaeko were almost always out to get each other and he knew there was little he could do to stop it – it was just how their relationship evolved over time. These bouts of bickering were completely harmless and he found that watching the two proved to be rather humorous from time-to-time. But he had also learned that as soon as he chimed in or laughed audibly, he would be dragged into the crossfire – not that he minded much.

It was now the end of December, meaning that the teens had spent four solid months together since their original meeting – plenty of time to become familiar with a new group dynamic. Those four months were spent wandering from town to town while partaking in the occasional smalltime adventure – all Gon's decisions of course.

Whatever Gon said, went; and Killua and Kaeko were merely along for the ride. Killua had always been accustomed to Gon's antics, given how many years they spent together, and not once did he ever complain. To him, every adventure was entertaining – no matter what it was. He didn't care as long as he was with Gon.

Kaeko however, was a different story. Over the past 4 months she had really grown to know the two boys and had to grow accustomed (rather quickly) to all of the seemingly random choices Gon would make; whether it was for zennie, information, or based off of sheer whim. She had learned that Gon was not only a ray of sunshine, but he was also undeniably, undoubtably, unmistakeably insane and did whatever the hell he wanted whenever the hell he wanted.

For instance, there was the time that Gon decided to save a town from a small horde of Weremonkeys.

October 7th

"Hey you guys, look what I found!"

Killua and Kaeko stared on as Gon ran to them, waving a poster in the air. The three were passing through a local town, and Kaeko was dressed in baggy pants and a loose hoodie to avoid suspicion. She had also borrowed Killua's hat to conceal her long hair beneath it, and looked rather androgynous in this get-up. They couldn't take too many chances – after all, they were still in the Azian Continent where it was more likely someone would recognize her from the posters scattered around various towns.

Killua extended his hand, prompting Gon to hand the poster over so he could review the details.

"Help wanted," Killua started, "Weremonkeys stealing crops. Town fears future starvation is on the horizon. Seeking assistance with pest control. Reward $61,000 zennie. Hm..."

After reading the flyer, he slapped the back of his hand against the paper and turned to Gon to relay his opinion, only to find the bouncing brown-eyed boy was nowhere in sight. Confused, he turned to Kaeko for an answer, who immediately raised her arm and pointed to the direction their green-coated friend ran off to.

Killua groaned and tossed the flyer into the wind, taking off in hot pursuit."Oi, Gon!" He called, "Hang on a second!"

Kaeko shook her head lightly and chuckled, following right behind Killua. Not long after, the two caught up to Gon, only to discover he was already speaking with a town official. He was an older man with a ragged beard, grayed from age.

"My dear boy... I appreciate the gesture," the town official started, "But with all due respect, I am not sure you would be able to help much..."

"Don't worry, I'm a pro-hunter! I promise I can take care of this for you." Gon declared as he pulled his hunter license from the pocket of his shorts, proudly displaying it to the old man.

The old man's eyes widened at the sight and he gasped audibly, marveling at what was before him. "A pro-hunter! My, what luck we've encountered!" He smiled warmly and bowed his head as a gesture of respect. "My name is Mika, I'm the mayor of this town. It's a pleasure to meet you, dear boy. What's your name?"

"I'm Gon!" He beamed, extending his hand out for a friendly handshake.

"I thank you in advance for your help." He shook Gon's hand firmly, then pointed to the forest just behind the town before continuing, "The Weremonkeys have been coming into our town from the forest. I trust you'll be able to help us protect our crops?"

Gon nodded once, "Un. You can count on me!"

"Wonderful. I'll let the rest of the people know right away!" Mika smiled in gratitude and began walking over to what Gon assumed to be the town square.

BAHP!

A sudden, throbbing sensation pulsed through the back of Gon's head. "OW!" He whirled around to face the culprit responsible for the pain and discovered none other than Killua standing behind him with a fist raised in the air. "Killua, that hurt!"

"Are you an idiot?! What do you suppose we do to help? We don't even have a basic understanding of how this town operates!" Killua scolded, poking Gon relentlessly on the forehead.

Gon flinched with every jab and when Killua finally stopped the onslaught, he shook his head and asked, "What do you mean?"

Killua groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers, "I mean there's a reason that they're suddenly having trouble."

"He's right Gon." Kaeko added, walking up next to Gon and patting him on the shoulder. "It was a little reckless to say we would take care of it when we don't understand why this is happening in the first place." She sighed and began to list off the possibilities, raising a finger with each scenario. "Was there a natural disaster that moved the animals? A change in migration patterns? Construction? Pollution? Or maybe something else?"

"Wahh... all those make a difference?" Gon stared over at Kaeko in wonder. "How did you learn that?"

Kaeko chuckled in response and flashed him a small smile. "Did you forget already Gon? I used to live in a village in the forest."

"My house on Whale Island was around forests too... and we didn't have problems like that." Gon seemed to mull over this for only a brief moment before snapping his fingers as he came to a realization. "Ah! But it's different because I lived on an island and you lived on more land, right?"

"Bingo." Killua smirked and crossed his arms, leaning his back against a nearby wall.

Gon smiled warmly at the two, "This is why I need both of you with me. Together, we can help the people of the town!"

Killua and Kaeko stared at Gon's cheeky face for a moment before chuckling in unison. They knew they shared the same thought – Gon was a nut. But despite this, neither of them minded. They knew they were needed in order to keep him in check and reel him back to reality whenever his head got too far up in the clouds.

"Ah, ah." Killua waved his hand lazily in the air, giving into Gon's request. "You're the boss."

"So the first plan of action should be to figure out the cause of why the Weremonkeys are roaming into the city." Kaeko started, "I think some information digging is in order."

Without skipping a beat, Gon tilted his nose up to the air, closed his eyes, and sniffed. "Well, I know it's not pollution. I don't smell anything weird." He concluded, opening his eyes and looking back at his two friends.

At this comment, Kaeko lifted an eyebrow in complete, utter confusion and turned to Killua for an explanation. How could he figure that out by sniffing the air?

Even without the verbal communication, Killua knew exactly what she was asking and answered, "Yup. He's like a dog with his abnormal sense of smell" He poked Gon once more playfully in the forehead as he spoke, causing the young boy to grumble at the touch and shield his poor head from Killua.

Kaeko smiled at the boys and shrugged, "Well, at least that narrowed it down."

It only took the trio a few mere hours to find the source of all the trouble – construction. The people of the town had started expanding their living space, meaning they had destroyed many trees – mostly fruit trees – that were a source of food for the Weremonkeys in the area. Due to the construction, many of the forest animals had been displaced from their homes and were forced to wander off in search of another place to live.

Unfortunately for the townspeople, the place the Weremonkeys found were the yards, farms, and greenhouses that held the town's food supply.

"Luckily, there's a few solutions for this." Kaeko announced, resting a hand on her hip. "What do you think Gon?"

"We just have to make sure the Weremonkeys get food from somewhere else right?" He answered simply. "Or tell the people to stop building."

"Well..." Kaeko tapped her chin lightly with her free hand, letting her mind work out the kinks. "There's a bit more to it than just that. I mean... realistically they probably won't stop building."

"And where else are the Weremonkeys gonna get food?" Killua chimed, "It's not like we can tell them to go somewhere else."

"Hmm..." Gon furrowed his brows in thought and looked back over at Killua and Kaeko, "Then they should live together! I think the people can keep building without chasing the monkeys away, right? And we can stop the monkeys from stealing the food from the town while still making sure they have enough to eat!"

Kaeko's eyes widened at Gon's idea. "That's actually not a bad idea." The thought that the town and the Weremonkeys could still coexist had never even occurred to her. She tilted her head to look at the beaming boy before her and smiled. It was never just black and white with Gon; he always had a tendency to challenge the norms and come up with the simplest solutions. "And we can even set up a fence around the town's food source to deter the Weremonkeys from that area."

"OSU!" Gon cried, thrilled that they now had a plan of action established. "Let's go tell Mister Mika."

"Yeah, yeah." Although Killua sighed in 'exasperation,' he couldn't hide the small smile of amusement that graced his lips.

When the three teens made their way to the town square, Gon raised his arm in the air and waved upon spotting the Mayor. "Mika-san!" Gon called, "We have a plan!"

"My, my that was quick." Mika smiled warmly, slowly making his way over to the three. "But I suppose that's why you're a pro-hunter." He scanned his eyes over to Killua and Kaeko, never once allowing his smile to fade. "Who are your friends here, Gon?"

"Ah! This is Killua." Gon gestured to Killua, who lifted his hand ever so slightly as a greeting. And this is Kae-"

'Oh no.' Kaeko felt crippling panic seize her entire body as her name was just seconds away from leaving Gon's mouth. What would they do if she was discovered right here, right now? How many people would be after her? She was sure that there were at least several people in this town that had seen her poster, and she was not looking forward to having to sprint off or fight these people. Feeling her thoughts spiral out of control, she shut her eyes and held her breath, preparing for the worst when...

"OW!"

Kaeko slowly opened her eyes and instantly felt a wave of relief rush over her. Killua had 'accidentally' stepped (although she knew it was more of a stomp than a step...) on Gon's foot, cutting him off mid-sentence.

"Ah, my bad. Didn't see your foot there." Killua started. Before Gon could get a word in, he continued. "KAIgo." He gestured his head towards Kaeko. "His name is Kaigo."

Gon opened his mouth to protest against the abuse, but quickly shut it once he realized that Killua's stomp was intended to prevent him from blurting out Kaeko's name. At this realization, he mentally knocked himself on the head, wordlessly apologizing to Kaeko and Killua.

Kaeko sighed quietly in relief and made a mental note to herself to thank Killua for his graceful save later. She glanced over at Killua, who had his hands casually in his pockets as he usually did, and felt herself smile. He was a professional liar, and although in most cases that would be considered a negative quality, she was both impressed with how seamlessly he could lie and grateful that he chose utilize his skills for her.

"Ah, Killua and Kaigo." Mika smiled, outstretching a hand to shake both of theirs. "Very nice to meet the both of you. So, tell me about this plan you have."

"Un!" Gon grinned and began to explain how they intended to set a perimeter around the town's greenhouses and farms as a temporary deterrent, and also expressed the importance of how they should get accustomed to living with the animals in their habitat instead of destroying it.

Mika listened intently, allowing his old ears to absorb the young wisdom Gon bestowed upon him. With every suggestion, Mika's head bobbed up an down in agreement, until finally he raised a hand to stop Gon's speech. He notified the young boy that he would be running the ideas by the rest of the townspeople, ensuring that they would all be able to cooperate and work towards this as a viable solution.

After the town agreed with the conditions, their plan was put into place. The whole operation lasted for about three days until everything regained stability, and it turned out to be a complete success. Shortly after the town achieved healthy cohabitation, Mika presented the three teens with the promised 61,000 zennie reward, which they had split equally.

"Gon, Killua!" Kaeko had just come out of an ice cream shop with two ice cream cones in hand, walking carefully towards the two boys.

As Gon and Killua turned to face her, she could see their eyes light up at the sight of the two picture perfect swirls in each of her hands.

"Waah! Thanks Kae- Kaigo." Gon exclaimed, catching himself before he made the mistake of shouting Kaeko's name in public. He reached out and wrapped his hand gently around the cone Kaeko handed to him, taking a quick bite off the top. Cookies and Cream.

"You don't have to thank me. You help me all the time!" Kaeko smiled and waved her now free hand in modesty. Without looking at him, Kaeko could already tell that Killua's eyes were firmly locked onto the remaining ice cream cone in her hand. His stare was practically burning a hole through the ice cream itself.

"And how could I ever forget you?" She rolled her eyes playfully and smirked, handing Killua the ice cream.

Without the slightest hesitation, he quickly claimed the cone for himself and flashed her a cat-like grin."Sankyuu~!"

"That's double chocolate fudge." She stated as she watched Killua take a bite. She paused momentarily before continuing on, teasingly."You know... since you have that chocolate problem and all."

"I wouldn't call it a problem." Killua fired back in the same, playful manner, taking another bite.

"Hey, where's yours?" Gon asked, noticing the lack of ice cream in Kaeko's hand.

"Don't worry about it. Besides, I only had two hands and I wanted to get you two something since..." She scratched her chin with a forefinger somewhat sheepishly, "You've both... done a lot for me." She let her arm fall back down to her sides as she grinned back up at them, "I can't be a mooch forever you know!"

She was soon met with a swirl of ice cream in front of her face.

"Here! Have a bite." Gon offered with an outstretched arm. "It's really good!"

As Kaeko opened her mouth to protest, she was immediately interrupted by the young boy before her. "No buts! Just try it."

Sighing in defeat, Kaeko took the cone from his hand and bit into it, feeling a wave of cold cream surge through her mouth. Her eyes widened from the taste – Gon was right, it was delicious!

She handed the cone back to him and allowed the rest of the ice cream to melt in her mouth, savoring the flavor with a smile. "Thanks."

"Oi."

Kaeko tilted her head to the side, acknowledging Killua's attempt at trying to get her attention.

"Try some of this too." The silverette offered – although it came off as more of a demand. Following Gon's lead, he had raised his arm towards her – chocolate cone in hand.

Without protesting this time, Kaeko took the cone from Killua and bit into the swirl, letting the rich chocolate taste coat her tongue.

"Eeeh?!" Gon called out in surprise. "You never share your chocolate Killua!"

Killua's eyes widened at Gon's comment for only a mere second before he regained his composure. Gon was right; he never shared his chocolate.

So what compelled him to share with her? And why did it feel so... natural? He didn't even notice a deviation in his behavior until Gon had pointed it out!

Before allowing his thoughts to confuse him, he crossed his arms and scoffed; coming up with a 'reasonable' explanation for his behavior. "Tch. It's because she's never had anything like this before. I wanted her to know what she was missing out on." His eyes shifted over to Kaeko, who was ready to sneak in another bite. "Oi! I want that back!" He snipped, successfully stopping her in her tracks.

Gon puffed his cheeks out in protest, unsatisfied with Killua's explanation. Sometimes Killua wished the brown-eyed teen wasn't so damn perceptive. "But even then! Whenever I ask you to share, you always say no."

"It's my chocolate isn't it? If I feel like sharing then I will." Killua stated matter-of-factly, hoping that Gon would drop the subject. Of course, he knew that wouldn't happen so easily.

Confirming his thoughts, he heard his best friend shout, "That's no fair!" and rolled his eyes in response, stretching out his arm towards Kaeko, silently demanding she return the ice cream.

With a raised eyebrow and a light chuckle, Kaeko handed the cone back to Killua's outstretched arm. "So can I take this as a sign you're warming up to me?" She asked in a smug, yet playful manner.

"Whatever, stupid banshee."

"I'll take what I can get."

As Kaeko turned around to let Killua finish his ice cream in peace, she didn't notice the light pink blush that tinted his cheeks.

Then there was the time that Gon convinced Killua and Kaeko to check out an underground city with him for leads on Ging, even after knowing that the information was almost 100% guaranteed to be inaccurate. All because "there still might be something there."

November 4th

"Well, just as we thought. There's absolutely nothing here." Killua grumbled as he walked next to Gon. "You happy now Gon?"

Gon nodded, completely missing the sarcasm. "Un! We got to explore a new city, and now we know Ging isn't anywhere near here!"

Killua deadpanned. That was considered a good thing? He was about to retort with a snide comment, but quickly eliminated the idea.

Something wasn't right.

"Keep walking." He whispered, loud enough only for Gon and Kaeko to hear. "They'll notice if we don't."

Gon and Kaeko noticed the sudden change in the atmosphere too. To the untrained eye, they seemed to continue on as though nothing was out of the ordinary. In reality, they knew they were being tailed by at least two people.

"They're following me." Kaeko muttered under her breath, instinctively adjusting Killua's hat on her head to make sure it was secure.

As they continued on, Kaeko concluded that the people tailing them did not recognize her, but were definitely suspicious of her. Perhaps her facial features looked familiar and warranted further investigation on their end, in which case she would need to convince the stalkers she was not the person they thought she was. Before she could gather her thoughts and establish a plan, a sudden, powerful gust of wind blew off the cap that was sitting snugly on the top of her head – causing her messy, black hair to come tumbling down her back.

Damn it. She thought as she hastily snatched the cap from off the floor. That was nen.

There was no avoiding it now. She was sure whoever was following them knew about the bounty on her head.

And they had just gotten their confirmation that she was the one they were looking for.

Yet, despite this she continued to act as normally as she could.

"You'll have to take care of them yourself." She heard Killua whisper next to her. "It's easy to kill, but hard to hold back. Learn how to face stronger enemies without resorting to killing." His eyes shifted to the side to look at her. "You'll gain better control of your own nen that way."

"Un." Gon agreed with a slight nod. "And we won't be too far if you need help. This will be good practice."

"And speaking of practice..." Killua mused, sliding his hands into the pockets of his shorts. "See if you can get through this fight using only your right hand to attack." He rolled his eyes lazily towards her and continued, "It'll be hard for you, but it'll teach you to hold back against tougher opponents. Gon and I are gonna head back above ground, use zetsu, and double back. Try not to make too big of a scene."

Gon nodded vigorously in agreement with the plan. "Un. And Kaeko..." He whispered gently to her, "Don't be scared. You're strong." And with that, the two boys walked ahead of her, through the town and towards the mechanism that would take them back above ground.

Kaeko felt a lump form in the back of her throat as she watched them get further and further away. Was she afraid? No. Nervous? Yes.

Being on her own for the past few years and fighting for survival on a daily basis meant a few things for her.

One, her mentality towards fighting had been conditioned to be "kill or be killed."

Second, due to this overarching mentality, she did not understand the concept of "fighting for training" or "fighting for fun." If she was ever locked in a battle, she would always give it her all.

And third, she was unable to accurately gauge her opponent's strength. Enemies were either considered weak, in which case she would escape without engaging in any confrontation, or they would be considered challenges, which would lead to battles. In many instances, those battles resulted in her opponent's death. Her morality had taken a backseat behind her determination to survive.

In this case, Kaeko knew she had a "switch" in her brain that she had to turn off – the switch that told her to fight for her life. She knew that Killua's imposed restriction was meant to help her learn how to hold back, but the real question was whether or not she would be able to follow through with it. She had been in many battles before with many nen users, but she never had to restrict herself until now. How difficult would this fight be? How injured would she get? How would she have to alter her fighting style? These were all the questions that contributed to her nervousness.

Taking a deep breath in, Kaeko lifted her chin up towards the ceiling of the underground city and sighed, letting the air she breathed calm her.

This isn't kill or be killed anymore. She reminded herself as she walked towards a small cafe with outdoor seating. You're not alone.

She took a seat on one of the chairs outside the cafe and ordered a small cup of coffee she knew she would never finish. As the coffee was delivered to her, she closed her eyes and reiterated to herself. This is practice.

All that was left now was to wait for the stalkers to approach her.

She lifted the coffee cup to her lips for a drink, and as if on cue, she heard the two empty chairs in front of her skid lightly across the dirt, with accompanying creaks that signified two bodies had seated themselves in front of her.

"We know who you are." She heard one of them say.

With a sigh, she set her cup back down on the table, opening her eyes to see who she would be dealing with. They were two men who looked as though they could be in their mid-twenties. One had a remarkably big nose while the other had remarkably big ears – they made quite the pair and had the situation not been so serious, she knew she would have laughed.

"Kaeko Sepheru." The big-nosed man spoke, "Come with us quietly, and you won't get hurt."

At this comment, Kaeko mentally rolled her eyes. How many times have I heard that one, I wonder...

Regardless, she went along with them. She silently scooted her chair back to stand and left enough zennie on the table to cover her coffee.

"Shall we then?" She asked, staring up at them squarely in the eyes.

The two men exchanged glances and nodded to each other, following her lead and rising from their seats. This was all too easy. She couldn't have possibly intended to come along quietly with them, and they knew. The men stayed on their guard, positioning themselves so they stood on both sides of her as they left the coffee shop and headed down the road towards the exit of the town.

A few paces in, Kaeko had started planning her first move. Big nose man was on her right and big ear man was to her left. The most logical step would be to go for big nose man, since she was only supposed to use her right hand to fight.

Less than a second after this thought, she swiftly grabbed the back of big nose man's neck and propelled him into his companion, knocking them both off balance.

Shit, she's quick! The big-eared man thought, hastily regaining his balance as his friend continued to fall.

Before big-nose man could even hit the ground, Kaeko was behind him again and she mercilessly chopped the back of his neck with her right hand, knocking him out clean.

Judging by how simple that feat was, Kaeko was able conclude rather quickly that these two men were most likely new nen users. Someone more experienced would have been able to keep up with her movements and block her attack with relative ease.

As big-nose man's body thudded against the ground, Kaeko diverted her attention to big-ear man who was still standing. She rushed forward to deliver an uppercut to his chin with her right hand, only to find that she made contact with the palm of his hand. Big-ear man smirked as he squeezed her fist in his hand, making her wince from the pressure.

"Nice try." He grunted as he slammed his left elbow into her ribs, sending her flying to the side. The hat she wore fluttered off her head from the impact, but to his surprise, Kaeko landed smoothly on her feet and appeared to be unharmed from the strike.

I guess all that training came in handy after all. Kaeko thought, reminding herself to thank Gon and Killua later. Training with the two helped her increase her reaction times and gauge how much nen to use to cover her body when defending herself. And now, she was seeing the fruits of her labor. If this had happened a few months prior, her ribs would be stinging.

Slowly, she began to pace around the man, closely watching for any vulnerabilities. If she wasn't confined to just using her right hand, she could've taken Mr. Bat Ears down by now! She felt her eyebrow twitch in annoyance. She was tempted to rush in and trip him, or kick him in the side, or anything. But she quickly shook those thoughts away.

This is practice. She reminded herself once again. It was a lesson in holding back. If she defied the limits Killua set for her, it would have defeated the whole purpose of that lesson.

Not to mention, she knew the hedgehog would give her an absolute earful and she preferred to avoid that.

She rushed forward again, except this time she leapt over the man to end up behind him, and jumped again immediately after landing, slamming her right hand against the back of his skull to smash his face into the ground.

The man caught himself with both his hands before his nose made contact with the dirt, and he quickly rolled to the side and hopped back up, sneering at the young girl in front of him. It occurred to him then that she was only using her right hand to fight. He was beyond insulted.

"You're gonna have to use more than just your right hand to fight me, you arrogant bitch." He spat as he cracked his knuckles and lunged at her. "It's my turn now!"

The exchange continued on, with Kaeko making attempts to knock the man out and the man continuously getting back up. She had taken a few hits here and there, but sustained no noticeable injuries. After a few more attempts, Kaeko felt herself losing patience.

"This is taking too long." She grumbled quietly, letting herself give into her temptation.

She dashed towards the man and swung her leg at the back of his calves, knocking him off balance instantly. As he fell, she grabbed the back of his head with her right hand once again and relentlessly shoved it into the ground. Once she felt no resistance, she released her grip on the man's head and sighed, wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. She casually walked back over to the patch of dirt where the hat landed and picked it up, tucking her hair into it and securing it back onto her head.

The silence only lasted a few seconds.

"You used your right leg." Came a voice that she recognized instantly as Killua's.

"Only at the end!" Kaeko argued with a pout, folding her arms across her chest to face the two approaching boys. "Besides, the way I see it, even if I didn't, you would have criticized me for taking too long."

Gon chimed in to her defense,"I think Kaeko did good."

Killua sighed and pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "Either way, we should get outta here, and quick."

Without further discussion, the three teens headed back above-ground and wandered off to a lodge several miles away. After checking into a room, Gon decided that he wanted to continue exploring the area and Kaeko wanted no part in it – she was done for the day and Killua had opted to stay in and rest as well. After Gon left the room, Kaeko practically threw herself on one of the beds and wrapped her arms around a pillow to bury her face in. She enjoyed the softness against her cheeks and felt herself relax at the touch.

"Oi, banshee." She heard Killua say, "Can you toss me one of my shirts? They're in my backpack."

Kaeko groaned lightly to express her mild displeasure, but nonetheless, lazily sat up and reached over the side of the bed to grab his backpack. After digging around the contents of the bag, her fingers latched onto one of his clean shirts and she pulled it out, turning to face him as she did so.

She did not expect to see him standing in front of her, shirtless.

"Ah, sankyuu." He said casually, taking the shirt from her hand. As he fumbled with the shirt to make sure it was no longer inside-out, Kaeko's eyes wandered to his well-formed abs and she felt heat rise up to her cheeks. Despite all the time she spent with the boys, she had never seen either of the two shirtless – and now, here she was, staring straight at Killua's topless body.

And dear god, was this guy fit. Everything she saw was incredibly well-toned; his shoulders, his chest, his back, his forearms, his stomach...

Before she allowed her mind to wander, she tore her gaze away from him and buried her face back into her pillow, hoping the coolness of the fabric would get rid of the dark red blush on her face.

Not long after, Kaeko heard the bathroom door close, signifying that Killua had walked in to shower. She sighed, relieved that he was no longer in her presence.

For just a moment, she could've sworn she found the white-haired hedgehog to be rather attractive.

...And she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that.

And who could forget the time they inadvertently destroyed a poaching ring?

November 22nd

Gon, Killua, and Kaeko had been traveling through the wilderness for the past week; intentionally avoiding the main roads since, as Gon and Killua put it, this route would be "faster."

As they pushed past the shrubbery and through the tall grass, Kaeko noticed that Gon had fallen behind and seemed to be fixated on something a distance away.

"Gon?" Kaeko called, looking back at her brown-eyed friend. "What's wrong?"

"I hear crying." Gon replied as he closed his eyes to focus more on his hearing. "They're animals... calling for help!" His eyes snapped open once he was able to pinpoint where the sounds were coming from, and he immediately declared, "We have to help them!" while taking off into the direction of the cries.

"G-Gon!" "Oi Gon!" Killua and Kaeko called after him simultaneously as they sprinted to catch up.

"That guy... always running off and doing whatever he wants!" Killua huffed.

Kaeko sighed and shook her head. "Well, what can we do?" She smiled, letting out a light chuckle. "Gon's insane."

"You don't have to tell me twice." He grumbled.

Once the two finally caught up to Gon, they found themselves in a clearing surrounded by caged animals. The sounds of distress they produced were loud enough to shatter eardrums, but the forest did a good job of muffling their cries.

Gon's eyebrows furrowed in anger from the sight, and after the calls of the animals become too much to bear, he strode up to the cages and promptly ripped the locks off each cage with nothing but his bare hands. One by one, each encaged animal broke free of their prison and bolted back into the cover of the forest.

Killua and Kaeko watched on, ever vigilant of their surroundings as they knew far too well that his actions would stir up many unfavorable reactions.

As the last animal leapt back into the shrubbery, Killua announced calmly, "Looks like they're back, Gon."

"I know. I can hear them." Gon responded as he stood tall, looking head-on into the direction he knew the poachers would come from.

Once the poachers emerged into the clearing, they heard one gruff man speak,"You brats sure have some nerve meddling in grown-up business." This was accompanied by the sound of a few clicks as more poachers made their way to the clearing.

Weapons were involved. Guns, to be exact – not that it made much of a difference.

Looking around, the teens could count about 6 poachers within their immediate line of sight.

"And you all must have some nerve disturbing the animals!" Gon countered angrily. "I won't let you do this again!"

The same gruff man merely shrugged his shoulders and scoffed at his response, "And what are you gonna do to stop us?" His eyes narrowed and he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "You're all as good as dead anyway."

Within a split second, the three teens heard gunfire coming from the bushes to the side and saw a bullet whiz through the air – aiming straight for Gon's head.

Gon braced himself for the impact, but was surprised when he felt nothing, accompanied by an unnatural silence. Curiously, he slowly turned his head to the side and saw a bright, blood red flower holding a bullet between its teeth.

His eyes followed the vine that was attached to the flower, and he found that it led to Kaeko's outstretched arm.

When he got a good glimpse of her face, he could tell for certain... She was enraged.

Dark shadows covered her eyes and the menacing stare she gave the poachers froze them all in their tracks. The flower that held the bullet between its teeth released its grip on it, allowing the bullet to topple into the soft grass that lay beneath their feet.

Without another second to spare, Kaeko brought her arm back and leapt into the bushes where the gun was fired, landing squarely on top of the responsible poacher's back. The weight from her landing caused him to buckle and collapse onto the grass, face-first. When he frantically tilted his head to the side for a breath of air, he found himself face to face with a growling, hissing flower.

"Don't move, or I'll rip your face off." He heard Kaeko whisper coldly.

Now sensing that the poachers were distracted, Killua and Gon readied themselves to prepare for a fight.

...Until they all felt the ground start to violently tremble.

Everyone turned their attention towards the source of the tremors, and much to their surprise, saw a giant dust storm accompanied by stampeding animals heading straight for them.

"Ah, it's all the animals I freed earlier!" Gon stated, a bit too casually. "We should run. They're pretty mad."

This nonchalant comment instantly snapped Kaeko out of focus and she swiveled around with her mouth agape in disbelief, still standing on top of the poachers back. "EHH?! How can you be so casual about this?!"

As the stampede encroached ever closer, Killua and Gon whirled around and began to sprint away, hoping to avoid being stomped to death.

"Quit staring around all dazed you dumb banshee! We gotta GO!" Killua yelled as he ran past her, quickly grabbing her hand to make sure she kept up.

"Up there!" Gon shouted, pointing to a tree that he was sure would be out of the way of the current stampede. He quickly made his way towards the tree and leapt up the branches with Killua and Kaeko following closely behind him.

Once the teens settled into the safety of the tree, they breathed a collective sigh of relief. It was only then that Kaeko noticed a warm sensation gripping her right hand. She glanced down and saw that her hand was still entwined with Killua's.

As if he noticed around the same time, Killua quickly – almost violently – ripped his hand away from Kaeko's as a light blush formed around his cheeks.

But with every new adventure, Kaeko could feel her abilities grow more and more.

Gon and Killua could sense this improvement as well – she was a quick learner and possessed natural talent, just as they did. Of course, raw talent could only go so far and there was a lot of hard work that had to be involved.

"Kaeko!" Gon called out, stopping Killua and Kaeko's mini-fight. Once he had gained her attention, he flashed her a thumbs up and a confident smile. "You can definitely pass the Hunter Exam! But.." He furrowed his brows in contemplation, "Let's work on ren some more. Killua and I can do it with you this time!"

Killua smirked in amusement; he could already tell that this bout of training would tire Kaeko out rather quickly. "What's your record now anyways?"

Kaeko blinked a few times and placed a hand on her chin, trying to remember. "Hmmm... It's about an hour and thirty minutes on a really good day."

"Alright. Your new goal is 2 hours in a week." Killua grinned wickedly, loving the expression he produced on Kaeko's face.

Kaeko nearly choked on her own spit. "Are you crazy?! How am I supposed to get my record up by 30 minutes in a week?"

"It's completely possible if you're good enough" Killua retorted while jabbing her a few times in the forehead.

At this motion, a vein popped on the side of Kaeko's forehead as she hissed, "Keep doing that and I'll snap that finger off!"

Killua's amusement only grew with this response. "Try it then!" He grinned.

Gon laughed heartily at their exchange, "Ne Ne, Killua! Do you remember when Biske did Ren training with us?"

"How could I forget?! That hag put us through the most grueling regimen." Killua scoffed back as he rolled his eyes.

"But it was for a good cause right? We've improved so much thanks to her!" Gon chirped.

At this comment, the atmosphere notably changed from lighthearted and fun, to quiet and tense. Killua's shoulders fell as he stared down at the branch he was standing on. He knew fully well that Gon didn't intend on drudging up bad memories, but whenever Killua thought back to those days with the Chimera Ants, it was hard for him to shake away the memory of Gon's brittle body lying in a hospital bed. "Yeah, we did." Killua mustered, trying to uphold a smile.

The atmosphere change of course, didn't go unnoticed by a certain purple-eyed girl. She knew there was something they were keeping from her, and she wanted to know.

"Hey..." Kaeko started, taking a seated position. "Do you two wanna talk about it?"

The two boys exchanged glances and gave each other a mutual nod.

"Un. Let's stop here for tonight and set up camp." Gon stated, taking a seat in the grass.

Killua shoved his hands in his pockets and began to walk towards the foliage. "I'll get stuff for the fire. Gon can start."

Kaeko turned her head and watched him as he made his way deeper into the trees, eventually disappearing from sight. Then she turned to Gon, concern evident in her eyes.

As Gon prepared an area for a fire, he opened his mouth to begin...

Note: AAaaaaaand there you go! A super long chapter!

You guys thought I was gone didn't ya? You thought I abandoned ship huh? Well, I didn't! I'm definitely still actively working on this story. Life has just been crazy lately.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this new, super long chapter. This was definitely more focused on relationship building rather than advancing the plot, but I promise you, the next few chapters will be more plot-based!

Much love as always, and your reviews are always appreciated!

- Moofeen