After a long journey of discovery in Heavens Arena, you joined Killua and Alluka once more on an adventure around the world. Though, this time, you had to make sure a certain needle user knew nothing of your whereabouts.

Arriving at a city south of the Arena, you looked around at the numerous tall buildings with interest.

"Hey... are you sure Illumi wouldn't find us here?" you ask Killua warily, yet your eyes were focused on the bustling scenery around you.

"Yup. It'll be hard for him to spot us with this many people around," he states calmly, resting his hands behind his head as he gazed at the congested streets. "Plus, he would probably expect us to hide somewhere quieter... since he taught me to hide in the shadows for as long as I can remember..." he mumbled the last part, as a disturbed frown made its way to his face.

'Hide in the shadows? What did he mean by that...?' you wonder to yourself, yet you remained quiet at the sight of Killua's expression.

Giving him a quick nod, you ignored what he said. "Thank god... we should be safe for now," you say, giving him a reassuring smile.

He glances at you through the corner of his eye, before looking away with a slight tint on his cheeks at the sight of your radiant smile. "Well, it would be a totally different story if he had someone with him, though..." he says, resting a hand on Alluka's shoulder protectively.

"Someone... with him...?" you slow down, a slight look of horror crossing your features. "So you're saying he could find us if someone helped him?"

"He usually likes working alone so it shouldn't be a problem," he pauses, placing his other hand on his chin. "Though I can imagine one person he would turn to for help..."

A lump seemed to form in your throat as you remembered Illumi's hostile aura. As quickly as that fear came, though, you shook your head, balling your fists in determination. 'No, I can't be afraid. I've spent so much time getting stronger after all.'

"So, what should we do?" you ask, following him and Alluka as they cross the street, which just so happened to be crowded with a bunch of pedestrians.

He turns to you with a stern look. "Blend in. Blend in as much as possible," he said simply, before looking ahead once more as you all reached the other side of the road.

You nod, looking ahead as well. 'That's right, this isn't like last time. We can't explore the world freely like before,' you thought, facing the undeniable truth.

'After all, we're not on vacation. We're in hiding.'

_ _ _

After finding a decent place to stay in, you were expecting to stay in your room all day, considering the precautions you, Killua, and Alluka had to take. However, in just the next day, you heard Killua's voice call out from another room

"(Y/N)! Get ready, we're going out!" he exclaims with an unusually carefree tone as if nothing wrong was going on.

'Going out? Where?' You wonder, getting up from where you were sitting. "We're going outside? Are you sure it's fine?"

"Yeah. We won't have to worry as long as we blend in, and stay in a populated area," he says, poking his head out from the doorway to give you a small smile and a thumbs up.

"Well... if you say so," you smile back with a small shrug, before getting ready to go out.

After stepping outside with Killua and Alluka, the three of you were greeted with the bustling city life. Glancing at Killua, you noticed he wore something different than usual. Instead of his V-neck shirt over a long-sleeved turtleneck, he wore a hoodie that matched the color of his eyes, along with a cap over his head.

"Why do you need to wear a cap?" you found yourself asking Killua, gazing at his cap.

"My hair stands out a little too much. Hopefully wearing this would cover it up a little," he states, adjusting the cap a little bit.

'Oh, of course. It would be bad if Illumi recognized him from a mile away, assuming he's here,' you thought to yourself as you looked around the crowded area.

While navigating the streets, Killua held Alluka's hand, just like usual. However, to your surprise, he reached out for yours as well, clasping it gently on his other hand.

You tensed up at his touch. "W-What are you doing?"

He shifts uncomfortably for a bit. "It's... p-pretty crowded in here. I'm just doing this so you won't get lost, that's all," he says, averting his gaze from you while still maintaining a firm grip on your hand.

"Oh! Don't worry about it, then. I don't mind!" you say, flashing him a bright smile in hopes to lighten the mood.

Looking at you out of the corner of his eye, Killua returned a small smile, before facing forward once more.

_ _ _

After walking around for a bit, you found yourself at the city's mall. You look up to Killua in confusion at this.

He slumped his shoulders in a deep sigh, as if he were expecting this reaction. "No, we're not here to go on a shopping spree. We need to get you and Alluka something important," he said.

"Important?" you ask, furrowing your brows slightly. Alluka looks up in confusion as well.

"The both of you need phones," he states, leading you along the slightly crowded mall. "There will be times when I'm not gonna be around when something happens. You're gonna need a way to contact me."

"Oh, makes sense," you say, looking around the mall. "Though, this is really different from before... it's like there's a shadow chasing us or something," you let out a small chuckle, yet it wasn't one of humor.

Alluka looked down at this, tightening her grip on Killua's hand as a small frown crossed her features.

Noticing yours and Alluka's expressions, he patted both of your heads. "Don't worry, you're much stronger now," he says, flashing the both of you a reassuring smile. "We can even explore the mall later, if we have time."

Alluka immediately perked up at this, as her downcast expression brightened up. "Really, Onii-chan?! Yay!!" she beams.

"Yeah, yeah, so don't worry about it, okay?" Killua says as he pats Alluka's head more generously, before turning to the both of you with a more serious look. "But before that, we need to find good phones for you both."