"Huh...? I'm fighting again?" Ryu sighed softly at Senka's news. "Seriously? Why did you have to make Killua choose who he wants to fight?"

Senka shrugged. "I dunno, really. I just felt like it," she said matter-of-factly.

"Huh?!"

Senka then burst into laughter. "Okay, that's not the only reason, though!" Senka calmed herself down as she paused to think. "Well... Killua's pretty strong compared to (Y/N) and Alluka, so I decided it would be better if he could choose!" She beamed at him.

Ryu crossed his arms over his chest. "You literally thought of that excuse just now, didn't you?"

"No, I didn't!" Senka let out a forced laugh, as she began dragging Ryu back to the training grounds. "Anyways, Killua's waiting, so you go on ahead!"

Ryu sighed once more. "Fine..."

_ _ _

While Killua waited for Senka to come back, moments of Ryu's Nen resurfaced on his mind, as he occasionally checked on you through the corner of his eye.

"Killua!! We're back!" Senka yelled from afar, dragging the laid-back hunter along with her.

Training his gaze on the two Hunters, he tilted his head, raising an eyebrow at Senka as he did so. "Just like I said, it's fine if Ryu doesn't wanna fight right now. I can fight you inste–"

"Don't be like that! I'm sure Ryu's itching for another chance to use his Hatsu! Right, Ryu?"

Ryu scratched his head. "Nope. I already showed what I can do. Isn't that enough?"

"No, it's not! You may have shown your Nen, but you also didn't!"

"What...?" Ryu frowned in confusion. "You're not making any sense."

At Senka's words, Killua put a finger to his chin. "So I'm guessing your Nen ability has more to it than being an overpowered Ko attack?" He asked Ryu.

"Uhh..." Ryu narrowed his eyes in thought. "...Yeah. You could say something like that. I'd rather not make things too complicated though, especially since it's just training for you guys."

Killua gave him a direct stare. "We'll see if I can make you eat those words."

_ _ _

You would have never expected this 'training match' to turn into something way more.

With Alluka by your side, you were hiding behind some of the larger trees a good distance from the training grounds.

Looking past the trees and the harsh winds that blew from where they were 'training', you managed to make out what was going on.

"Ugh, they're so fast! I can barely see what Ryu's doing, but I can't even see Killua at all except for his electricity trails!" you said to Alluka, narrowing your eyes. 'I knew Killua was incredibly strong, but I still wasn't expecting this!'

Alluka tried to shield her face from the harsh winds and dust with her arms. "I didn't know Nen could do something like this, but why isn't Senka stopping Ryu and Onii-chan?"

"I was wondering that, too... especially since she was quick to call off my training with Ryu." You sigh, remembering the difference in power between you and him as you look back at the scene. "But who knew Ryu was this strong? Killua too!"

Alluka nodded. "If this is what it takes to be a Hunter, then we should really work hard, Onee-chan!" She beamed.

"I mean, I'm not planning to be a Hunter, but I agree!" you chuckle, looking once more at Killua and Ryu's battle. "They're not slowing down at all, though! Do you think we should be the ones to stop them? They're really starting to mess up the trees and everything..."

Right after you said that, you see something get in between Ryu and Killua just as they were about to clash once more.

"Huh? What's happening?!" Alluka pulled on your sleeve as the battle quickly came to a halt.

You narrowed your eyes, trying to see past all the dust blocking the way. "It looks like another person... wait, is that Senka?!" Your eyes widened as you jumped in place.

An excited smile overtook Alluka's features as the ruckus died down. "Onee-chan! I think it's safe to go closer now!" She beamed as she started dragging you by the hand.

"Ah! Slow down!"

_ _ _

"God, I leave for ONE SECOND, and you've trashed the whole place!" Senka sighed in exasperation as she shook her head.

Ryu rolled his eyes. "No we didn't, we just knocked some trees down, that's all."

"Killua didn't knock anything down! It was all because of your Hatsu! I literally saw it on the way here... geez." Senka replied, facepalming.

"Ah, is that it?" Ryu tilted his head, before shrugging and turning to Killua. "Well, I wasn't planning for things to end up this way, but you were a good training partner, Killua. You almost got me." The corners of his lips tugged upwards into the tiniest smile.

"Hey! Stop ignoring me–"

"Don't worry about it. I was able to learn a lot about your abilities, too," Killua replied, smiling back as he gazed at him with newfound respect.

An irk mark appeared on Senka's forehead. "For the love of Go–"

"Oh, look. (Y/N) and Alluka are coming this way." Ryu gestured to Alluka as she dragged you around.

"GODDAMMIT, RYU!" Senka fumed.

As soon as Killua saw you and Alluka, he left to meet with them, finally leaving Senka alone with Ryu.

"Oh, Senka–"

"Took you long enough to finally talk to me! Geez..." Senka sighed in exasperation. "But seriously, you went and trashed the whole place! It's a miracle Killua survived all that."

Ryu shrugged. "Killua dodged most of my attacks just fine though, and he was even able to land some hits of his own by throwing me off."

"But he barely knew anything about how versatile your Hatsu is! He only saw it in its most basic form..."

"Yeah... but somehow, he managed to read my moves and react accordingly. I dunno how he does it, but he's a pretty good training partner." Ryu turned to Killua as he chatted with you and Alluka.

Senka's eyes widened slightly. "Damn, he's quite scary–"

"I agree. In fact, I think I'd rather have Killua instead of you, Senka."

"Excuse me, WHAT?!" Another irk mark appeared on Senka's face as she glared daggers at Ryu.

At that, he chuckled ever so slightly. "Just kidding. There's no way anyone could replace you," he says, patting Senka on the head.

She scoffed. "Yeah, that better be the case!" She crosses her arms, turning away from him.

Suddenly, Senka hears a voice calling from afar.

"Senka! Ryu!!" Alluka called, vigorously waving her arms as she runs over to them, followed by you and Killua.

"Oh. They're coming over here." Ryu sighs softly, letting out a small yawn.

As fast as she could, Alluka ran over to the two hunters. "Senka! Where were you?" She asked, a slightly worried look on her face.

"Oh, right! I almost forgot!" Senka perked up as she grabbed the rectangular bag she was holding the entire time.

Ryu raised an eyebrow. "Hold up. Since when were you holding that?"

"Ever since I arrived, you idiot." Senka rolls her eyes. "Anyways. before you and Killua started fighting. I suddenly remembered this and ran off to get it."

"Really? I didn't even notice she left..." Your eyes widened.

Alluka nodded. "Me too! I was too focused on Ryu and Onii-chan!"

Senka sighs. "I shouldn't have left knowing that this was gonna happen." She glared at Ryu.

"Hey, stop putting all the blame on me–"

"Anyways!" Senka cut Ryu off. "I ran to get this so we could discuss Sanguis and his whereabouts after your training ends!" She holds up the bag higher, opening it and pulling out a slightly worn-out laptop, which is most probably what Ryu and Senka use for their jobs as Hunters.

Ryu's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, that."

Senka took a seat on the ground and turned on the laptop. The rest of you followed, with Alluka leaning closely on the laptop's screen.

"So, from what you've told us..." Senka began, opening up a file on her laptop. "Sanguis was last seen in Heavens Arena, right?"

You and Killua nodded. "But that was some time ago. There's no guarantee that he's still there," Killua said.

"Exactly! Which is why Ryu and I did a little bit of research." Senka began typing, before turning the laptop around to show what's on the screen.

On it, you see a table with all the locations Sanguis was known to be in, including exact coordinates and some pictures.

"Woah!" Alluka gasped in awe. "How long have you been trying to hunt this guy?"

Senka chuckles. "A long time. Even before we became Hunters." She shrugs, before slumping her shoulders. "But every time we get new info on where he is, he's already moved somewhere else..."

"That wasn't the case in Heavens Arena, though," Ryu added. "That guy would only stay in one place for a couple of weeks to a month at most, but he stayed in Heavens Arena for more than a month."

Killua narrows his eyes at this. "That's odd. Where is he now?"

Senka scrolled to the bottom of the file, showing the location of a worn-down and abandoned warehouse littered with moss. "We did some intense digging these past few days, and this is what turned up."

Ryu sighed. "Thing is, he wouldn't usually hang around places like this. He prefers being somewhere populated."

"Which is why we're not exactly sure how accurate this info is." Senka sighs in exasperation as she leans back. "Why is he so hard to catch?! It's been years!" She stares at the sky.

You look down at the ground, processing all the info Senka provided. "That's weird. First, he would usually stay in one place for a month at most, but he stayed in Heavens Arena for more than that." You pause, furrowing your brows. "Second, he likes staying in populated areas, so why is he in a place like this?"

"That's what we're wondering as well." Senka sits up straight once more, turning the laptop back so she could type on it. "The nearest city is a few kilometers away, so maybe he goes there as well," she explains, before putting a finger on her chin. "We'll need a few more days to gather more info about his sudden behavior change, though, so we can't go there right away..."

Ryu nods. "In the meantime, you guys can keep doing Nen training."

You and Alluka nod, while Killua gives you a sidelong glance. "(Y/N), we should use the time we have for your Hatsu ability. Alluka, too."

"Okay!" Alluka beams excitedly, while you chuckle softly at her actions.

_______________

Only the echoing footsteps and the rustling of his red duffel coat could be heard as he stepped through the worn-down and mossy entrance.

Sauntering past the empty interior, he found himself facing a man with long jet-black hair, and pale, translucent skin. His eyes were devoid of any light or emotion, much like a black hole.

"Oh. You must be Sanguis." The man with the long hair began, taking on a somewhat joyful, absent-minded tone.

"That's right," Sanguis replied, before scoffing. "You've got some nerve contacting someone like me. What do you want?"

The man with the long hair gave him a sidelong glance. "From what Hisoka told me, you've met a girl named (Y/N)."

Immediately as he said that name, Sanguis' guard immediately went up. "Yeah, I did. So what?" He narrows his eyes.

"I'm guessing you've also met her silver-haired friend? As well as his sibling, right?"

Sanguis crosses his arms over his chest. "I see what's going on here. You're looking for them."

The man looked at him with those blank, emotionless eyes. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to be smiling, since his face gave no expression whatsoever. "That's right. This makes things easier for us, then," he continued with that nonchalant tone.

"Oh?" The corners of Sanguis' lips tugged upward into a cynical smirk.

"I know you want to see (Y/N) again, and I know she's not gonna be alone," he began. "So why don't we find them together?"

Sanguis chuckled. "You want us to work together? You've really got some nerve," he says, before turning his back. "I can look for her by myself, thanks." He starts walking away.

"Even if you look for her, that silver-haired boy is always gonna be there."

Sanguis paused. "What are you saying?"

"You'll need my help to get her to separate from him." The long-haired man explained. "Isn't it perfect? We can both get what we want if we work together," he said.

Sanguis could feel his gaze burn through his back as if he was expecting a quick answer.

"I see. So that's how it is, huh?" Sanguis chuckled as his velvety voice echoed through the room. Slowly, he turned back to look directly at that blank stare. "Fine then. I accept."