TW: mentions of blood and gore!!
please skip the section of Yuna's
'back story' if you think you'd be
affected by the above mentioned
triggers!!

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The wind was harsh, messing with the white nightgowns they wore—them being the only things adoring their figures in the dead darkness of the night. The harsh breeze messed with the leaves surrounding them, making it loud, but not as loud as the heavy breaths and rushed steps echoing through the stormy night.

Yuna's blood circulation was barely happening as Mio's grip tightened once more, hopping over an overgrown root with Yuna clumsily stumbling behind her, not at all used to the dark environment effectively slowing them down.

Mio have never been this rough with Yuna, not once within the many years she worked for her family. Hence the tight grip on her wrist as they ran through the dense forest which surrounded their compound, was very foreign to the young seven-year-old. Heck, even stepping a single toe out of her home was previously taboo, so there were a lot of things happening that Yuna have never got the luxury to experience.

Now, if only this was happening in a different situation, then maybe—maybe Yuna could've got to fully enjoy her new surroundings. But no, the world is cruel to her once more, and had made her experience this rare phenomenon when her people—people she is leaving behind to run for her own life—were getting mercilessly killed in cold blood just for the gifts bestowed upon them.

At least they were buying them some time, and the forest was helping them to hide and escape.

Oh, how ironic that the creepy wilderness in the darkness of the night, with the chilling noises caused by the harsh wind is the only thing giving them a sense of safety—which was saying a lot about how terrifying the being chasing after them is.

How ironic that Yuna's lack of experience with such environments is slowing them down, looks like locking her inside all day all in the name of protecting her wasn't the right choice—not when she's going to get killed because of how she wasn't used to running for more than fifteen minutes straight.

Being calm and collected like a noble, and elegant like a princess will not help their situation. What they need right now, is the instinct to survive.

The question is, can they survive when Yuna's never been taught anything along those lines before in her life? Can they?

The answer is quite obvious was it not? They can't.

This was definitely not how Yuna wanted to experience the outside world, not one bit. There's a chance her first time outside will end up being her last, she doesn't want that. She isn't prepared to go so soon. She does not want to die, as she still had a lot she wanted to do, many things out there that she'd always dreamed to try.

She wanted to have a pet, maybe a cute bunny or a bird to take care of.

She wanted to eat many colorful foods, to have a favorite like Mio does.

She wanted to see the vast ocean, to see if it was really made out of salt.

She wanted to walk on sand, to see if she could make a big sandcastle.

She wanted to climb a tree all on her own, to see the view from the top.

She wanted to smell flowers, to see if each of them actually smells unique.

She wanted to meet kids her age, to play around like the other kids her age.

She wanted to meet different kinds of people, to see unique personalities.

She wanted to make a hundred friends, trying to make Mio the very first.

She wanted to have a sweet love story of her own, like in those fairy tales.

The list doesn't end there, and it continues on for several pages, but right now, all of those things she'd always dreamed of, felt even further away compared to when she dreamed of them within those walls.

"M—Mio..." Yuna chocked out, eyes going blurry at the stinging pain caused by her scrapped knees and palms—not to mention her uncovered delicate feet now littered with cuts and bruises, and her breath too labored for her to get a sentence out at the moment. "W—What about f—father..." Yuna fought to catch her breath, all of her muscles aching for her to stop and rest even for a minute, to just give it all up. "Your bro-ther...."

Who stayed back to give us more time to run away... he's sacrificing himself... and father was nowhere to be seen the entire time... it's like he disappeared...?

Mio's grip further tightened around her wrist, that it started to hurt Yuna, but neither acknowledged it when there's more important things to worry about—life threateningly important things.

"Sorry Yuna-Sama..." Mio too struggled to breath, but not as much as her mistress. "I cannot guarantee anything... at the moment..." She never dared to take her eyes away from the almost nonexistent forest path in front of her—knowing if she lost the way engraved into her mind since she first started working for Yuna's father, they'll easily end up getting lost in the thick forest to get cornered by the people after them. "But no matter the sacrifice Yuna-Sama, you must live on."

Yuna couldn't believe the selflessness of the siblings that have been taking care of her since little. Mio was only three years older, yet here she was, fully prepared to die for her. "Mio—"

"Live. Carry on the will of our clan and survive, dear mistress of mine." A smile could easily be heard from her voice despite the exhaustion, proud to have been the one to be by Yuna's side from the very start. Oh, the audacity to be able to contently smile is such a situation is insane.

Yuna thought so as well, eyes widening in horror at what Mio's hinting at. She was filled with a sense of doom, the situation fully registering in her mind and making panic bubble up her chest. "S—Stop! Don't..."

Don't talk like that!! Don't talk as if you're going to leave me!! Not you, anyone but you Mio!!

With a final burst, two girls have stumbled out to a clearing—Yuna barely processing the fact that they've arrived at the very end of the forest, before Mio continued to drag her towards the cliff visible at the end of their path.

Suddenly, there was the swift sound of something cutting through the leaves and approaching them from behind. With wide eyes of panic, Yuna looked back, body slightly shifting to a side—only to have something cut through the air right in front of her face followed by a 'thwack' reached her ears despite loud sound of the rough wind. The ash blond barely registered something wet getting splattered over a side of her face before Mio's gut-wrenching scream cut through the atmosphere.

Mio instantly fell to her keens only a few feet away from their destination, hand slipping away from Yuna's wrist to grip on the rocky ground beneath her—blood gushing out of her parted lips like fountains. It wasn't until all this happened did Yuna finally processed what happened just now, all in the form of the knife stabbed into Mio's upper back.

In between her ragged breaths, Yuna's eyes watered instantly, and her own scream overlapped through her caretakers. "MIO!!!" The poor girl stumbled in front of the older blond, going hysterical over the amount of blood pooling out of her lungs. "NO!! WHY?!! MIO DON'T LEAVE ME!!" Her legs buckled under her, bringing her arms around Mio's waist to being her closer as an attempt of reassurance. "TALK TO ME!! PLEASE!!" Her sobs were soon the only thing heard as Mio choked on her own blood right next to her ear, the blood soaking into the shoulder of Yuna's white nightgown. "THIS IS AN ORDER!! YOU CAN'T GO!"

Yuna was completely panicking—not over the one perusing them, but over the kindhearted girl who had been there with her since the very beginning and through her entire life. Mio had been the closest thing to a friend she had, the only one she considered as a friend despite Mio never accepting it back. The one to bring at least a bit of comfort in her sheltered life, the one who made her feel like she's alive and not just a prisoner stuck inside all the time.

She never even took note of the rain that had begun to tickle down, as if the heaven itself was showing sorrow for the entire clan that was completely destroyed overnight. The wind roughens things up even more to the extent that they couldn't even keep their eyes open.

Even then, despite the most pain she'd ever got the pleasures of experiencing in her entire ten years of being alive—Mio prioritized the safety of the person hugging her close at the moment, providing her the last sense of warmth she'd experience in this life. For the very last time.

It hurts... everything is silent... I can't feel anything...

I just want to close my eyes... and sleep...

.... but I can't let things... end like this...

I... have to make sure.... at least she....

Gathering the very last bit of her strength, Mio pressed her hands on Yuna's stomach—her bloody hands tainting the white cloth, leaving behind clear traces of this actually happening on Yuna. When said girl loosened her hold on Mio to glance down at her with hopeful eyes, the older girl took the chance to lean over into Yuna's ear, whispering her last words.

"Live for me, Yuna."

With her name leaving Mio's lips without any title present with it, she finally accepted Yuna's friendship for the first time... and for the very last.

After all, the very next second, Yuna found herself free falling headfirst towards the raging waves bellow—her tears mixing with the rain pouring down as she watched something roughly grab Mio's hair to pull her head back. Her arms instantly reached towards her dear friend, only forced to watch her last moments through her blurry sight.

Yuna's lips parted in an attempt to let out a scream that was stopped even before she could let it out, consumed by the waves that engulfed her small figure—her head throbbing not only by the force of the hit, but also because of the last thing she saw before the water invaded her vision.

With her weak and numb limbs never attempting to fight against the harsh current, Yuna recalled the memory before she finally succumbed into the darkness. The blurry sight of a blond head getting ripped apart from a cold body, followed by the dark red blood spraying into the air. 

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Killua and Gon had been sitting on the skysail, the uppermost sail that stayed even above the ships crow nest. They had already received the URL promised by Milluki, and had sent the massager flying back home, but had chosen to stay up there and enjoy the calm breeze.

The sunshine boy was in his usual attire of green, as if a plant that could not stay away from the color under the sun—the sunshine child fits him perfectly don't you think?

Meanwhile Killua had switched things up as always, now clad in dark-red tanks with tight black arm socks around his embow areas. He wore loose horizontally stripped watermelon colored pants with sandals on his feet. A necklace was hanging from his neck, with a few white feathers as its centerpiece.

"I wonder how much we'll get to know about the game through that site..." Gon mused to himself, swinging his legs a back and forth a little.

He glanced over to the boy who had an elbow propped over his knee, chin resting on his palm as he stared at the horizon glistening under the bright sky. "Don't worry, we'll get at least some information out of it. Piggy won't lie when he knows what's at risk."

His precious figurines... Pretty sure Yuna would be disgusted of him the moment she catches the slightest glimpse into his room—

Actually... I think I should spare her from the horrors of Milluki...

Gon's smile seemed to brighten. "I'm not worried, I don't doubt you one-bit Killua." That had obviously sent an arrow straight through Killua's heart, making his chin slip from his hand and almost fall back.

Thankfully he caught himself and quickly regained balance, only to glare at his best friend. "Oi Gon! Don't say things like that out of nowhere!" All while his light pink tinted cheeks betrayed how Gon's compliment affected him. "It's only funny when you say things like that to the Weirdo, go mess with her instead." He huffed out, turning his head away with closed eyes.

"Yuna?" Gon's head tilted forward in an attempt to catch Killua's expression. "Well both of you do have the same kind of reaction, but you get embarrassed three times more than her." Well will you look at that, he's totally aware of how his words affect both of his closest friends but he does it anyway.

"Huh?!" The alarm in Killua's voice could never be ignored even if anyone tried to, him realizing the extent of Gon's observations have actually caught him off-guard.

Could it be... that he actually keeps a very close eye on us...?!

Gon on the other hand was already over the entire topic, completely unphased of the dilemma he left Killua in. "Speaking about Yuna..." Killua's attention was gained the moment her name was uttered out. "I wonder how she's going right now..." He let out in a tone of reminisce. "We had so much fun in Whale Island..."

Killua deadpanned. "Stop talking as if she's dead." He had bluntly stated out, making Gon rub the back of his neck with a tongue playfully peeking out.

If anyone is wondering of the pink-blonds ware bouts, then let me inform you that she's easily within reach of the two boys. Yes, she is indeed on the same boat as the two, but was holed in somewhere that she'd never be able to catch the blue sea in sight.

"But she's not here with us right now." Gon argued back. "She's not having fun; it makes me a bit guilty for asking her to come along with us." True enough, Yuna only agreed to board a ship because she couldn't resist Gon's stubborn begging, leaving Killua speechless that she actually agreed. "She's scared of deep waters, maybe I should've let her ride with Nue like she first wanted to." Gon mused to himself. "But I still feel relieved she's close by though..."

Killua's shoulders straightened, leaning a bit forward to see the deck of the ship bellow him. "I had a feeling she wouldn't be able to refuse if you were the one asking."

But it still shocked me when she actually agreed... I get that she's suicidal, but even the suicidal population wouldn't just jump into something they fear when they have the chance to avoid it entirely...

"That idiot, she'll probably jump into a volcano if you asked her—" Killua abruptly stopped in the middle of the sentence, suddenly realizing something.

Wait, if she had the guts to do something she feared, then she definitely won't hesitate jump into something she doesn't fear... She's such a weirdo I swear...

The whitehead couldn't help the sigh that escaped his lips while Gon blinked at him with dotted eyes. "But I won't ask her to jump into a volcano..." He sweat dropped, watching Killua stand up on the wooden structure holding the sail.

"I think I'll go and check on her, be right back." With that, he didn't hesitate to jumped off from the sail which stood a good several meters high in the air—easily landing on the deck with his hands still in his pockets, before casually walking towards the direction Yuna decided to stay back in.

All while ignoring the workers he'd startled with his sudden appearance, why won't they when it seemed like he actually fell from the sky? Come to think of it, he actually does look like a literal angel with his blue eyes and white hair—a fallen angel of death. Sounds pretty fitting don't you think?

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Killua arrived in front of a room that was labeled 'storage', remembering how Yuna refused to stay in the main area filled with strangers.

Antisocial behavior I tell you... She'd rather stay alone over being surrounded by people...

He honestly wasn't expecting much when he had quietly opened the door to enter, not being surprised by the darkness in the space. If not for the light seeping through the door, he would've not been able to sight Yuna at a corner of the room, hugging her bag which laid on her lap while both his and Gon's bag laid on either of her sides—as if barriers of protection. From what exactly? He wasn't sure.

Yuna lifted her head to look up at him, just as he let the door close behind him—letting the room be engulfed in the darkness once more, not that it affected him much though. Killua had already memorized where the storage boxes were in the room, so he didn't wait to head towards his friend, giving his eyes the time to adjust into the darkness.

"You're not going to get out at all?" Killua wondered out loud, pausing in front of the wall Yuna sat with her back against and knees keeping her bag pressed to her chest. He was only responded by the ruffle of her clothes, and guessed she adjusted her position a little, to comfortably stare up at him. "Yuna?"

"I don't want to... feeling how the ship rocks along with the movement of the waves, is already enough to make me sick." She wasn't lying, it really did make her sick to her stomach. It made her want to pour out all the contents, and she would really attempt to do so if it will make it easier for her to breath.

She is reminded again and again, of the current that ruthlessly plunged her into the very bottom of that darkness. The lack of oxygen, the pressure of the water pressing against her lungs that brought her so much pain that it caused her to black out.

She honestly thought she had died in those rough waters back then, just like Mio who selflessly sacrificed herself for her freedom. She thought her death would've lost meaning if she had actually succumbed to death back then, and maybe—just maybe, that was the reason for her survival back then. Because she actually wanted to live, had the chance to live back then.

By now Killua's eyes had long since adjusted into the darkness. He could easily distinguish her outline in the dark, her long hair pooled all around her on the wooden floor—black top and pink skirt resembling the clothes she wore when they first met each other at the Hunter Exam.

Even then though, he still had a hard time trying to decipher the expression on her face, and he hated that he couldn't figure it out. He usually wouldn't mind how dark it got, no matter the place or time, but as of that moment he hated the darkness that made him unable to see her face clearly.

"You know... it's a bit too dark in here." Killua took a step back, body turning away from the door. "I'll see if I can get a lamp from the capt—" The boy couldn't take a second step away from his previous place before he stopped—or rather, he was made to stop from going any further than he already did.

A loud thump echoed in the silence, resulted by her bag slipping away from her lap the moment she brought her knees down to lean forward—grasping tightly onto a leg of his pants, her hand shaking from the sheer strength she put into her grip. There was a moment of silence in the room, which gave Killua the time to observe his friend, his body only half turned away from her.

With the way she is leaning forward, her long locks fell over her shoulders smoothly—her head down with the bangs completely hiding her expression from him. However, with the sudden turn of events, he was able to guess how she was doing at the moment. Her tight grip on his pants leg, and the tremble of her hand spoke a lot, but he sure wasn't expecting that single word to easily slip out of her lips.

"Stay." Her soft murmur was clearly carried to his ears with how silent the room was. However, with how that word had completely taken him off guard, he automatically voiced out his confusion.

"Huh?" The boy blinked twice, his brain finally registering her demand. "W—why?" He gained no response, only that her hand slowly eased it's hold until it finally slipped away from his article of cloth.

There was a beat of silence, before he caught her shake her head, shifting back to her previous position with her hands hugging her bag close to her chest, knees bent up to ball herself in. "Nothing..." Killua's eyes narrowed at that, obviously knowing she is stating out a lie. "You should probably go back to Gon-kun, he's alone up there isn't he?"

What if he fell overboard... Sure he can swim and the waves are quite calm, but I still can't help but get anxious...

Meanwhile a single one of Killua's eyes twitched, coming to a conclusion of what's going on in her mind.

This idiot is worrying about Gon when she's clearly the one in trouble—

He resisted a facepalm, only opting to let out a wearied sigh. "You know something I realized about you?" Killua had asked, tone quite dramatic as he turned back to her with both his hands on his hips. "That you." He freed a hand to press his pointer finger into the middle of her forehead. "Completely suck at asking for help!"

The boy took back his hand, only to lightly kick his bag away from Yuna's side—falling into the now empty place right next to her just as she started to protest. "But Gon—"

"He'll be fine!" Killua stressed once more, folding his hands over his chest as he leaned his head back against the wall. His legs stayed stretched before him, one ankle over the other. "He grew up in an Island Yuna, he can handle himself in the wilderness or out in the sea way better than both of us could."

Yuna was not convinced, but nodded her head nevertheless.

I'm still worried though...

Killua let out another sigh, practically smelling the uncertainty coming from her way. "Yuna." He turned towards her, making her turn to him at the call of her name. She however failed to take into account how close Killua had been sitting, hence her eyes went wide when she came face to face with the boy—literally inches away from each other. Killua was taken aback as well, but he managed to hide it very well, and didn't bother attempting to back away as he continued to talk. "Gon will be fine... He's actually more worried about you right now."

"... Me?" Yuna's head tilted away from the wall, her soft locks following her actions as he could easily see into her blues with the close distance unlike before. Yes, with the closeness, he is roughly able to identify her expressions, and he couldn't be more reassured.

"Yes you." The boy breathed out. "You'll be going off on your own way when we land, and Gon's worried he won't ever see you again."

Yuna became even more confused at that. "But... I already promised I'll meet him in Yorknew on September 1st. He made me pinky promise."

Killua's entire body went rigid at that. "He... did?"

The pink-blond merely nodded. "Yes. He was completely reassured after we made the promise, I don't think he was worried after that."

Why didn't Gon tell me about this?!

Seeing how Killua had gone silent for a moment, Yuna was left to ponder—until something clicked in her head. "Ah... Killua-kun..." Said boy immediately snapped out of his thoughts, gaze focusing at the thoughtful look Yuna was sending to him. "Are you sure that... it wasn't you that was worried...?"

Looks like she had hit the right nail when Killua immediately turned away from her. "What, no way! I only said that because Gon was talking about how he was worried you weren't even coming out of this dusty room!"

Yuna bit down on her bottom lips to hold back the smile threatening to appear, and failed miserably. "But he wasn't worried about me suddenly disappearing and never returning." She made it a statement, to confirm that she was pretty sure of what she had said.

At this point Killua was sure the embarrassment was swallowing him alive, the fact that he could hear a smile in her voice was the final log to snap. "Oh, shut up! The only thing I'm worried about is you not coming back and making Gon sad! I could care less if you never came back!" He shouted, now facing her with clear flustered cheeks.

Yuna obviously knowing the blatant lies being sprouted by him at the moment, wasn't a single bit phased by his harsh words. Rather, she is completely amused and didn't hold back the laugh that spilled out. Instantly doubling Killua's embarrassment, but also leaving him completely mesmerized by the soft and pretty laugh that reached his ears.

He didn't bother coming up with a refusal this time, only listening to her laugh until it died out completely—and with it, went away his embarrassment, leaving him to hold out a pinky towards Yuna the moment she eased down from her amused high. "Promise me, that I'll see you again on September 1st." Gone was the embarrassment in his tone, leaving a firm seriousness in them that had Yuna's eyes widening.

Why won't she be surprised when Killua had basically accepted her previous accusations of being worried about her. Blood gathered to her cheeks as she stared down at the hand held out to her, and without another word, brought her right hand's pinky to connect with his left one—letting her lips utter out the one word of affirmation to the vow they've just made. "Promise."

Yes, I am worried. I don't want you suddenly disappearing on me when my current goal is to help you out as much as I can, I know I have to get stronger in order to help you out of the hell your trapped in right now...

"Your pinky was cold." Killua uttered out into the darkness, many minutes since they've made the promise to see each other again.

"I know... my hands are always cold. It's quite normal." Yuna murmured out, head leaning back against the wall with closed eyes.

Killua's gaze trailed down at the hands that laid limp on her bag which stayed in her lap, her attire the same as the one from the Hunter Exam. "Now that you mentioned it... I did notice that before..." He recalled back to every single time they've made skin contact and had noted how cold her skin was, except unlike now, he never attempted to point it out to her. "It doesn't it bother you?"

"Mhm, don't worry about it much, it's normal." From how casually Yuna responded, Killua knew what she was saying was true—but he still can't help but be a bit disturbed.

Sure, he knew not everyone would have the same body temperature, but they should at least have some warmth, right? In case of Yuna though, he can't help but notice the cold that originated from her didn't display a single bit of said warmth. She is cold, unusually so, and very unlike the warm personality she had. It reminded him back to his assassin days.

It's eerily familiar to the coldness produced by a corps...

_______[]x[]HUNTER x HUNTER[]x[]_______

FACT NO: ✕✕✕

Multiple times throughout this book, I have hinted at one thing from the very beginning.

At the very start I have discreet hints, saying things like she's 'heart less' I wonder whether you took it literally or fugitively...
It wasn't until the latter chapters did, I start making it more obvious saying things along the lines of 'then again, it's not like she has a heart to begin with'

Makes me wonder what theories you guys have come up with so far, mind enlightening me dear readers of mine?

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ALSO, I'M EXTREMELY SORRY FOR GOING SO LONG WITHOUT UPDATING! Please be assured that I would NEVER give up on this book, because no matter now less motivated I get sometimes, I AM DETERMINED to complete it!!