A/N: SORRY IN ADVANCE for this boring chapter. In order to bring them together again in a way that makes sense I've got to do this boring plot line stuff. Please let me know what you think.

Also, I wanted to be clear that I was NOT confused when I wrote Alluka calling Killua nii-chan. No one has mentioned it yet, but it was definitely intentional. She loves him the most out of anyone, so of course she'd have a cutesy nickname for him.

Sitting on the floor of the hotel room the three youths began to dive into the veritable buffet that had arrived via room service. With a mouthful of food Killua turned to Gon, "So, Gon, you said you lost your nen? How could that have happened?" His eyes were focused on the other boy, hoping to verify the theory he had come up with. Alluka looked on with fascination, eager to learn what had gone on that eventually led to Nanika having to heal Gon.

"I think it had to do with the restriction and covenant that I placed on myself," Gon tapped his chin thoughtfully before biting into another sandwich. He was speaking casually about it as though it hadn't been life-threatening, "I sacrificed my entire future potential, basically my life, in order to defeat Pitou-" a fist collided with the back of his head. He cried out and glared at Killua who's face was contorted with rage at the memory. "Killua! Come on, it's not like you didn't know that, based on the state I was in." He trailed off and looked away.

"Of course I knew that, I just don't like hearing it!" Killua yelled back before immediately changing his tone, "Tch, Nanika healed you so why did your nen go away?"

Gon recovered equally quickly, "Well, it didn't go away. I think when I wanted to start training again my mind still believed that I had given up my nen, so all my aura nodes closed up, trying to keep everything inside." Killua leaned backward and put his arms out behind him to brace himself. He looked up at the ceiling waiting to hear the rest. Gon continued, "So, I went to see Kite and I trained my will each day, slowly opening the pores back up. That's it!"

That's it? Retraining yourself to use nen and still be as powerful as you feel right now isn't an easy feat. It's amazing. Killua kept the thought to himself and looked at Gon who turned to face him and smiled serenely. Killua blushed and looked away, "Stop looking like that, weirdo. Oh hey! Did you ever find out how Kite turned into a young girl?" He asked.

"Yeah, Ging told me something about it. When Kite is in trouble and not willing to die he activates an ability for his Crazy Slots. It makes it very likely that he will roll the option that lets his soul live on if his physical body dies." Gon was struggling to remember the intricacies of the ability, "Ging said the reason it probably worked is because Kite didn't want to die because of me. I'm not sure though, I never asked Kite about it." He smiled again and rubbed the back of his head apologetically, wishing he had a better handle on it to explain it properly to Killua.

During the conversation Alluka had crawled onto one of the beds and rolled onto her back with her head hanging upside-down over the side. Her eyes moved back and forth between the boys as the spoke slightly interested but mainly waiting until she could add something to the conversation.

Gon exclaimed incoherently and looked at Alluka, "Gomen, Alluka! We got carried away! Tell me how your travels were." Alluka smiled and rolled over so her head was upright and, resting her head in her hands, began explaining where they went first. Killua looked at his friend with admiration and affection that he would have quickly hid if anyone were to look his way. Gon had always been so considerate of Alluka even when Killua explained what Nanika's powers could do. It didn't matter to Gon that her powers had caused deaths because the girl he had come to know would never willingly kill anyone. Thank you, Gon, Killua thought before entering the conversation to supplement the story his sister was telling.

The sounds of the lobby swirled around them helping to mask their quite conversation. Abaki signaled for another drink before speaking again. She leaned back and tossed her arms over the back of the loveseat, "You made quick work of those mercenaries but was it necessary to kill all of them?" She didn't need to see the corpses to know thats exactly what Hisoka had left behind.

He smiled, "One was left alive. Anyway, you should take some responsibility for hiring them to kill me in the first place." The waiter placed two drinks between them and rushed off. Hisoka was still oozing malice stemming from the feeling in his gut that was creeping its way upward. Abaki was no better. After seeing Hisoka's anger she herself became on guard and hostile though no one watching would have assumed anything was going on under the surface of the seemingly pleasant expressions they held.

"They were hired to bring you to me by any means necessary. Though, I confess, I knew you would kill them if they attacked you." She raised an eyebrow, goading him into asking why she would lead them to their death. He cocked his head to the side and offered a hum of curiosity and she continued, "That group did jobs for anyone. Didn't care what the job was even if it involved killing children. I would have taken them to jail myself or worse."

"Fighting for justice, Abaki?" Hisoka's quiet taunt had hit a nerve.

"Something like that." Her response was curt and Hisoka remained silent. His expression changed from playful to serious as he waited for the explanation she did not want to give. Seeing that he would not give in on the subject she sighed, "I'm a Blacklist Hunter." She gave no other information.

"A fellow hunter seeking me out? How did I get to be so lucky?" He put a hand to his chest to signify his sincerity but his eyes held laughter. The woman's lip twitched.

"Always putting on a show. Don't you ever get tired of that mask you wear?"

"Never."

Abaki sighed. The Hisoka she had begun to get acquainted with back in Glam Gas Land seemed to have only gotten more mysterious and fickle over time. She wasn't sure if he was a psychopath or just a very damaged individual. But she needed him. "Have you been keeping up with the Dark Continent expedition?" She asked in a low voice, almost a whisper. Hisoka's mouth formed a thin line and his eyes studied her for a moment. He nodded and she continued, "Are you interested in making that voyage?"

"Not particularly." For once she believed the bored tone of his response, though she didn't understand it.

"But don't you live to test yourself against strong opponents? There are bound to be creatures different than any you or I have ever seen." She wasn't trying to persuade him just yet, she was genuinely curious. Not much was known about Hisoka Morow save for his enjoyment of a good battle.

"Monsters don't interest me. It's people I'm after." He grinned and leaned toward her successfully drawing an unsettled expression from her face. Abaki recovered quickly, nearly ready to reveal her trump card.

"If I could promise you an airship full of worthy opponents would you reconsider?" She could see her words hit their mark. His lust for battle was sparked and it made it's way through his eyes and his aura. Her heart beat faster in response to the intensity.

"How do you judge whether or not someone is worthy?" His tone was low and excited, hoping for an answer that would please him.

"I'm a Blacklist Hunter. They would have to be pretty bad for me to consider them worthy enough for you." She hedged, trying to pique his interest more. He scowled.

"That's not sufficient enough for me."

Abaki pursed her lips, "I have intel that the ship taking passengers to the Dark Continent will contain the remaining members of the Phantom Troupe," she saw his body still, "including Chrollo Lucilfer."

"I think my favorite place was Jappon." Alluka had been excitedly recounting the events of their travels to Gon who tried his best not to be jealous.

"Oh! Did you see Hanzo while you were there?" Gon suddenly remembered his adversary from the Hunters exam.

"Yeah! He's an information Hunter now." Killua's voice sounded casual but he met Gon's eyes with determination. We'll talk about that later, he thought. Gon recognized the look and gave an almost imperceptible nod. Killua continued, "That's how we knew about the expedition preparations in Kakin. We had planned on going there anyway to show Alluka where we first met Kite but when we got there there was so much commotion that we weren't able to move around as freely."

His sister nodded frantically, "Yes but it was still so wonderful to watch them set up for the boarding ceremony. They were building a gigantic stage in front of the dock where people would board the ship. So many TV crews were there too, covering the events. I bet if you looked closely enough you could see me and nii-chan on the news." Alluka yawned the last of her words and the boys laughed.

"Tired already, Alluka?" Killua patted her head and she closed her eyes, nodding. "We flew pretty far today. I'm going to stay up a bit more with Gon, okay? You go ahead and sleep. I'll be back in a while." She hugged him tightly and the boys exited the room, heading toward Gon's.

"So," Killua began in a hushed whisper, his eyes intense, "Let me tell you what Hanzo told me."

A/N: Sorry, I would do more but my daughter is in her terrible two's. -.-