Beta: TaintedLetter

I'm back! Already have the next few chapters pre-written too. ^^

(≧ڡ≦*)

Miwa yawned widely, rubbing at her eyes.

Everything was coming together bit by bit.

The city of trash was no more, replaced by a vibrant forest. Most of the infrastructure had finished construction and now the residents were moving into houses. Miwa now spent her days on the logistics side.

The city was self-sufficient. Most of the power was derived from renewable energy—solar panels at the top of the trees, and wind panels on the outskirts. Managing that power wasn't something Miwa knew much about so she had to hire people who did, and in turn have them teach a select few residents of the new city.

She also had to kidna—find some tree and bug experts that would look after the forest. She was fortunate enough that the ones she too—assisted in relocating fell in love with the city and wanted to permanently live there.

So: infrastructure: check. Power: check. Food: check. Water: check.

Economy: wip. Government: wip. Education: wip. Medical: wip. Misc things she hadn't thought of yet: wip.

"—Miwa?"

"What?" Miwa blinked tiredly, looking up at Chrollo.

There had been a kind of town-hall that was built. The city planners said the city would need a central building for its main government body. Kikyo agreed with them, and insisted on them designing an office Miwa would be comfortable in.

Miwa had been hesitant at that, but then Kikyo pointed out something that Miwa hadn't really thought about.

"You're going to be the leader of that city, aren't you?"

Miwa had only wanted to make a good place for Kurama to live in after her death. She hadn't thought about ruling it. She was going to be heading back out on adventures with Gon and Killua as soon as they were done with their game, after all!

But once the idea was in Miwa's head, she couldn't disregard it entirely, so she talked to Chrollo about it. He was smart, after all. He read a lot of books and seemed to always have an answer for her.

Chrollo, Feitan, and Miwa were in Miwa's designated office at the constructed town hall. After Miwa had explained that Kikyo told her to become the new leader of the city, Miwa relayed the idea to Chrollo and asked for his input.

The Phantom Troupe leader was silent for so long that Miwa almost dozed standing up.

When he finally did speak, Miwa was startled.

"S-Sorry," said Miwa, rubbing her eyes again.

Feitan's eyes narrowed as he assessed her. Coldly, he asked, "When was the last time you slept?"

"I dunno. I'm sorry, could you please repeat what you said, Chrollo?"

"I said," Chrollo repeated," it would be good for the city if you did take leadership."

"Even though I don't plan to stick around indefinitely?" Miwa curiously asked.

"A good government should be able to operate independently of its central leader when the need arises," said Chrollo. "You mentioned you wanted to create a safe place for your friend. As a leader, you could influence the laws to assist with that."

"Oh." Miwa smiled. "I hadn't thought of that. You're right. Can you also be a leader?"

Chrollo smiled in amusement at that. "You want the leader of the Phantom Troupe to also be the leader of this city?"

"You're super smart," said Miwa. "And you clearly already have experience leading. Why not?"

Feitan dryly said, "We're wanted in nearly every country."

"So?"

"It'd put a target on the city if I accepted such a public position ," explained Chrollo.

"Wouldn't they already be targeting it since they know it's where the Phantom Troupe is based?" asked Miwa.

"There's a difference between operating in the shadows and blatantly showing off," sharply reproached Feitan. Although the lower half of his face was covered by his collar, judging from how venomous his tone was, Miwa could perfectly picture the sneer on his face. "Although it's likely this city will be targeted regardless by the mafia given that the major mafias operated several big operations here. And you slaughtered nearly all of their men."

"Nearly all? I missed some?" Miwa gasped.

"Not all mafia members are cannibals," Chrollo succinctly pointed out.

"Oh darn."

Chrollo cocked his head, his stoic expression ever unchanging. "The mafias are still recovering from the Yorknew fiasco. They were hemorrhaging and your massacre dealt a fatal blow to several of the groups. Whatever is left will not be in a position to seek vengeance for years to come."

"Even so, we shouldn't brazenly taunt them. It'd not only put you in needless danger, but the city," Feitan stiffly rebuked. "The mafias aren't our only concern."

Chrollo nodded once. "You are correct.

"Who else is our concern?" asked Miwa.

"All of our past victims," dismissed Feitan. "Countries, world leaders, powerful people... We haven't been too picky on our targets."

"Oh. But..." Miwa frowned. "I want this place to be safe for you guys as well. This place should be... should be... haven. Forever."

"An eternal sun?" Chrollo said with an odd twitch of his lips.

Miwa's brow furrowed. "I guess... Hmm... I should start thinking about city defenses. Ugh. I have to make intent-seals."

Ugh, Kurama echoed, his voice laced with plain disdain. No. Not intent-seals. They always give us migraines.

'Do you have a better idea?'

Uuuugggghhhh.

Intent-seals were S-classed fūinjutsu seals. Not only were they costly to make, but the sheer amount of layers in them required a level of meticulous focus that made most fūinjutsu masters cry.

Miwa vaguely remembered a man with spiky white hair crying trying to teach her intent-seals. He hated them that much. She inherited his severe hatred of them shortly after.

However, in terms of defense, there were scarce few better options.

The seals were created by a family that lived amongst whirlpools. Miwa didn't remember the details—only vague snippets of conversations—but after that family was destroyed, a surviving member invented them. They wanted to create a place that they could never be bothered again.

They had taught it to that man with spiky white hair, who taught it to Miwa.

And it was Miwa who then perfected it.

She remembered—

"I promised you a safe place, didn't I?" she retorted, rubbing tiredly at her eyes.

That place will only happen if you're alive to make it happen. You haven't eaten in days—

"It hasn't been days—"

There was a knock on the door to her office. "Hey. Sorry I let myself in with the spare key. Um, are you okay? You missed the get together—"

"I'm fine!" she said quickly, scrambling to get up to answer the door before the pinkette did something drastic. But Kurama was right. She hadn't eaten in days as she was on the cusp of an epiphany, so her legs gave out as she tried to stand and she tumbled.

The door swung open, a woman with vibrant green eyes hurrying quickly to her side. "You dumbass! What did you do?"

"Eheheh... S-Sorry Sakura."

Idiot.

Her stomach growled loudly. Sakura clicked her tongue, easily picking her up bridal style to carry her out.

"Come on. I'll get you some ramen."

"Thanks—"

"If you're really grateful, stop acting like a dummy and take better care of yourself!"

"Eheheh..."

Miwa had perfected the intent-seals. Or at least as close to perfect as she thought she could get.

Intent-seals were, as the name implied, seals based on intent. Those who had the intention to harm would trigger the seals. Miwa had designed the seals to have an inverse reaction based on the level of malice. The more someone wanted to hurt someone else inside the barrier, the more intensely the seals would react. The seals produced a multi-layer genjutsu, heavily inspired by the Sanbi. Those who had the intent to harm would be met with a fog that would turn them around. The stronger their desire to hurt, the thicker the fog.

For someone like Kurama, the seals would constantly trigger due to his naturally malicious chakra. So Miwa had to design the seals to specifically target humans. Animals or other such creations would be entirely immune. Such precedence wasn't full-proof. For the delusional, they could intend to help, but their definition of helping would be to sucide-bomb.

Which was why additional seals were required.

The seals couldn't constantly work either. Once someone was a set amount through the barrier, the seal should leave them alone. Otherwise it'd work on any human having a bad day.

There was once a man who used rain to watch over everyone in his city; he had to stay in the city at all times to do that. That wasn't an option for Miwa, but she remembered appreciating the idea.

Another place had something similar. Another village hidden amongst tall trees. They used a barrier to monitor everyone who came in, and those who did not use the front door would be immediately expelled.

That seemed like a good idea to supplement with the intent-seals. A barrier that would mark anyone who came in another way besides a designated front door.

That lost village did not use an obvious marker—so the person would not know they were monitored—but Miwa decided to do exactly that.

For those who trespassed into the city, they would receive a clear burn in their skins; all could see they were a threat. She could easily add in a loud audible alarm to ring throughout the city whenever that barrier was wrongfully breached.

There were only a few lifts to carry people up to the treetops. Miwa could start by setting the barrier to only work at a certain altitude and over time—as the city expanded—adjust accordingly.

One layer to dissuade the dangerous, and another layer to mark the trespasser and alert the city to their presence.

Not full proof by any means whatsoever, but certainly a strong enough combination to give the city the upper hand.

Plus Miwa couldn't think of any other stand-alone fūinjutsu barriers that could be maintained for years without maintenance. She'd likely have to invent them in her spare time.

Kurama thankfully knew how to create those barriers himself, so he could always refresh them after Miwa had passed.

She could already feel the oncoming headache creating enough intent-seals to cover the city.

She must have had an amusing look on her face because Feitan snorted and looked away.

"You're too young to look that tired," said Chrollo, his tone of light teasing.

Miwa sighed. "No amount of clones can speed up what I have to do next..."

"Find jobs to start up the economy?"

"No, they can handle that," she dismissed. "Creating defense barriers... ugh..."

(≧ڡ≦*)

It took Miwa a solid week of misery, pain, and a fair bit of frustrated tears before she finished creating the seals.

Yes, tears.

Chrollo walked on her crying once, seemed perturbed, left, and came back with some warm drinks that made her feel much better. He was very nice about letting her hug him afterwards, too.

Feitan, on the other hand, saw her cry, made an odd panicked noise, and promptly disappeared.

At least from her sight. She could still clearly sense his nen hovering around her.

He doesn't know you can sense him, commented an amused Kurama.

'Why is he hiding from me?'

That is what you call a tsundere, chortled Kurama.

'Well. You would know best.'

HEY.

At least she finished it. Good timing, too, because Naoko from Mokani, the trash-removal company, stopped by with an abundance of teachers. The trash-removal company had taken a special interest in the construction of the city, leaning heavily on charitable donations in the form of helping move businesses there—and now—starting up education.

Naoko told Miwa it made the company look really good. Especially since Miwa was able to remove trash in an "environmentally friendly" way. A lot of major cities were looking to switch to Mokani because of all the good press.

She didn't wholly understand the details, but she understood the results.

Mokani looked good by helping rebuild the city, and in doing so were able to draw in more customers. More customers meant more profit. More profit meant happy company. Happy company meant more charitable donations.

Miwa wasn't complaining, and neither were the citizens. Through Mokani's connections more businesses were also looking to start up in the city, which meant jobs, which meant money. Actual money being made in what used to be a literal trash dump.

Miwa was told she'd have to do a few stimulus payments to get the economy jump-started, but that was fine. She had plenty of money to spare with how much she was making with Mokani.

The last huge hurdle Miwa would have to deal with was the actual government.

Hopefully, the Zoldyck family would be able to provide some advice there.

(≧ڡ≦*)

"I have no idea what I'm doing," sighed Miwa as she enjoyed some tea under the gazebo with Kalluto and Kikyo. She was resting her cheeks in her hands, her elbows propped onto the table as she morosely stared into her tea.

"Aww," cooed Kikyo. She leaned forward, reaching and playing with one of Miwa's curls. "Don't worry, dear. That's what mothers are for. To guide you."

Miwa leaned into Kikyo's touch, wondering what kind of mother she was. She and Killua had an odd relationship—him scarring her face and her being proud about it—but she didn't think they hated each other. Kikyo certainly loved Killua. Miwa wasn't sure how Killua felt. He didn't talk about his family much.

"I could certainly use some guidance," said Miwa. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do about governing."

Kalluto took a dainty sip from his tea. "Actually, I've already done some research."

"Really?" asked Miwa.

"What a good boy I have," praised Kikyo. "What did you find?"

"Well," said Kalluto carefully, "I think Miwa would be best suited to rule in a democratic monarchy."

"That sounds like an oxymoron," said Miwa. Monarchy was the type of government that ruled through bloodlines whereas democracy was supposed to be the kind where the people voted for officials.

Kalluto smiled. Miwa thought he had a very cute smile. It was small and brief, but when he smiled, his whole face softened. Kalluto began to explain, "You should be the leader. It's clear that your bloodline should carry that burden as well."

'Hmm—wait. Then couldn't I name you as my heir?'

In theory, I suppose.

Miwa perked up at that. "Okay. Then how does democracy fit in?"

"You can't be expected to be omnipotent," said Kalluto. "And who better to take care of city infrastructure than the lead architect? Who better to be the treasurer than the financial adviser hired to kick start the economy? You should have people in place who are optimally suited to fulfill roles that you lack knowledge in."

"That's a lot of roles."

Kalluto and Kikyo giggled briefly at that. Their giggles were similarly adorable.

"I've taken the liberty of compiling my research into a proposed outline," said Kalluto. It was then that Miwa noticed he had a large box at his feet. He lifted it up and placed it upon their tea table. It was filled with paperwork. "If you will allow me, Elder Sister, I'll help draft your government."

"I will take any and all help," said Miwa, her cheeks a little red at being called elder sister. She hadn't been a big sister before!

'It looks like I really will end up teaching Killua the hiraishin.'

His family was so kind and accommodating to her.

Kalluto gave her that cute smile again, eliciting a happy noise from Kikyo.

(≧ڡ≦*)

The next morning, Miwa decided to drop by to give a thank you gift to Kalluto and Kikyo. She had stolen some pretty silk fabrics from another country and thought the two would enjoy using them to make their clothes or something similar. Both were fashionable people, and Miwa had learned they both designed their own clothes from scratch.

Miwa handed the fabrics over to the butler, Gotoh, and was about to head back to the city when Kalluto came into the room.

"Elder Sister," Kalluto greeted with a polite bow.

"Hi Kalluto," chirped Miwa.

A thought occurred to Miwa.

'He actually hasn't seen the city yet, has he?'

Considering how much work he had contributed to helping set up the government, it was a shame he hadn't had a chance to admire the city. There were a lot of nifty things already available in the city that Miwa thoroughly enjoyed.

Like bakeries!

"Do you want to visit?" asked Miwa, holding out her hand.

Kalluto hesitated, bringing his hand first up to use his sleeve to cover his mouth. He deliberated for a few moments before he tentatively placed his hand in Miwa's. In a flash of golden light, Miwa teleported both of them to the town hall.

Her office was decently sized. There were two couches that sat opposite of each other and a sturdy coffee table in between. At the end of her office was a large desk, and behind it double doors that lead to a balcony.

Miwa gave his hand a little squeeze as she guided him to the balcony that overlooked the city.

It was a marvel.

The town hall was built on the tallest central tree. Her office balcony overlooked the majority of the city, each of the branches winding together to form wooden roads. Houses were seamlessly built into the trunks and branches. A lot of the homes had flowers or vines growing on or around them, filling the once nauseating air with a delicate floral scent.

The trees had been trimmed to allow beams of sunlight to filter through. In between pockets of shade golden light trickled down and bathed the city. Below people were moving about, talking, carrying boxes, and continuing to build the city.

The area directly below the town hall had been designated as a commercial zone so shops had been set up. It seemed like a new one was opening up every day.

"Pretty neat, huh?" said Miwa, pride in her voice as she looked out at the city. A breeze passed through, letting her catch hints of the man-made lake she had created at the bottom of the forest. She turned to look at Kalluto.

The feminine boy was looking around with wide, wide eyes. In a melodic tone he whispered, "Yes. It is... it is very neat."

Miwa's eyes brightened. "I'll show you around. There's this new bakery I really love."

She turned away, tugging Kalluto along. She had a hum in her heart, excited and joyful to show off her proud creation to one of her friends. Kalluto may not have been Gon or Killua, but Miwa had rapidly grown fond of him.

He was Killua's precious little brother, after all! He was kind to her, easy to talk to, and best of all he was cute and liked cute things!

A comrade of cuteness!

"Ah... um... your hand..."

"Huh?" Miwa blinked. "Something wrong?"

"We're still holding—um—never mind," mumbled Kalluto. He hid the lower half of his face behind the sleeve of his free hand. "Please lead the way, M-Miwa."

Miwa smiled warmly. "Mn!"

Miwa happily showed Kalluto around, stopping by several of the shops. Kalluto didn't speak much during his tour. He kept hiding his face behind his sleeve, only lowering it to smile back at Miwa when she asked him a question. A lot of the civilians said hi to Miwa, though. Ever since the majority of the population had moved into their new homes, they had become more comfortable with Miwa. Some would even call out to her and strike up a conversation.

She couldn't recall all their names, but the ones that frequently sought her out she made a point to remember.

Kalluto was silent during each greeting. Even when Miwa tried to introduce him, the most he'd do was narrow his gaze and coldly study them until they got uncomfortable and left.

Still, Miwa thought he was enjoying himself. He didn't let go of her hand the entire time, and when no one was around he would smile softly at her.

As the afternoon waned on, Miwa spotted a new crêpe shop. She pointed it out to Kalluto and asked, "Do you want some?"

"Sure," he demurred.

"Yay. I've only had one crêpe before," Miwa said, heading over to the booth with Kalluto. "Um, good afternoon."

"Good afternoon," said the booth owner, beaming upon seeing Miwa. "What can I get for you two today?"

"Hmm..." Miwa squinted at the board, slowly reading the options. "I'll take a... hmm.. St-strawberry ch—ch—cheesecake? What about you, Kalluto?"

"I'll try the chocolate l-lovers," said Kalluto, his eyes narrowed as he peered at the board.

"Coming right up," said the owner with great cheer. "Consider them on the house."

"Aww, thank you."

Miwa watched with rapt attention at how quickly the owner prepared them. She knew for a fact crêpes weren't easy to make, but the owner made them look easy. He added on a lot of toppings, and even gave Miwa extra whip cream on top.

She happily accepted her crêpe, with Kalluto gracefully taking his own. She thanked the owner before she and Kalluto continued their tour. Her first bite made her smile ear to ear in delight. It was cool, sweet, fruity, and had that tangy taste only cream cheese could replicate. "That's delicious! Kalluto, want to try?"

"But—um—okay," said Kalluto, leaning down to take a bite out of her crêpe. "Ah. Very good."

"Right?"

"Would you like to try mine?" he offered, holding his chocolate crêpe down for her.

"Oooh. Yes, please," said Miwa, taking a bite out of his crêpe, "Mmm! I think I found my favorite shop."

Kalluto smiled kindly in amusement at her. "You said that earlier about the tea shop."

"That's also a favorite."

"You can have more than one?" he teased her.

"Uh-huh," she said, taking another bite out of her crêpe and savoring it. "Mmm."

"Ah... you have some..." Kalluto gestured to her nose.

Miwa blinked. "Huh? Have some what?"

As they were still holding hands, and Kalluto was holding his crêpe with his free hand, he was very careful in manuerving. He stretched out a finger with his crêpe hand, wiping at her nose. He pulled back to reveal some whip cream on his finger tip then licked his finger clean.

"Oh," said Miwa, realizing she must have had whip cream on her nose. She giggled. "Oops. Thanks, Kalluto."

"You are welcome."

The two enjoyed their crêpes in comfortable silence. Kalluto admired the scenery and pleasant atmosphere, marveling at how much of a drastic change Meteor City had undergone.

"Can't really call it Meteor City anymore, can you?" he mused.

"Hm?"

Kalluto gestured around them; to the bustling streets; the sounds of children laughing; the beautiful flowers in bloom. "This. Meteor City is a thing of the past. What you have created deserves its own name."

"I couldn't agree more."

Miwa and Kalluto turned around to find Chrollo approaching them. Flanking him were two members of the Troupe Miwa had previously met at Yorknew; Nobunaga and Shalnark.

Nobunaga was the kindly samurai, and Shalnark was the cheerful blond boy with an innocent smile that didn't match his sadistic gaze.

"Hi!" Miwa greeted.

"Who's this?" asked Shalnark, nodding at Kalluto who warily eyed them.

"This is Kalluto. He's one of my best friend's little brothers," introduced Miwa. "Kalluto, this is Chrollo, Nobunaga, and Shalnark. They're my friends."

"Hey kid," said Nobunaga. "Whoa, that's quite the glare."

Miwa turned to look at Kalluto but she didn't see any glares. He looked stoic, hiding behind his sleeve once again.

Chrollo raised his hand to Miwa, gesturing for her forward. Miwa let go of Kalluto's hand, hopping forward. Chrollo patted the top of her head. "Did you have fun today?"

"Mm-hmm. There's a new crêpe shop that we went to. I had a strawberry cheesecake. It was really good."

"Strawberry cheesecake is my favorite kind of crêpe," said Shalnark, bending down to make eye contact with her. His lips turned up in a coy smile. "I hope you'll take me to the shop tomorrow."

"Sure," said Miwa.

"Hey, hey. Don't forget about me," said Nobunaga with a grin. "I want a proper tour of this place."

"Okay! I'll show you ev-er-y-thing!"

Nobunaga reached forward and patted the top of her head. "I'll look forward to it. You did an amazing job so far."

"Eheheh..."

"Well worth losing the bet," Shalnark said, nudging Nobunaga.

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up and stop being a sore winner."

Miwa tilted her head. "What brings you both here?"

"Boss," they said.

"They're going to help you train with your nen," said Chrollo.

"Oh! Um, please take care of me," said Miwa with a quick bow.

Kalluto politely cleared his throat. "Elder Sister? It's getting late."

"Oh—sorry. I'll talk to you all later. I gotta get Kalluto home before it gets late," she said, turning back around and taking Kalluto's offered hand.

"Bye-bye," chuckled Shalnark as Kalluto glared at him.

(≧ڡ≦*)

As the sun dipped down and the moon rose up, Miwa climbed to the top of the town hall where the Phantom Troupe members rested. Chrollo had become fond of the spot, usually taking a book up to read under the moonlight. And where Chrollo went, Feitan was sure to be nearby as his silent guard.

That night Chrollo and Feitan were joined by Nobunaga and Shalnark. Nobunaga had taken a seat next to Feitan, admiring the full moon.

Shalnark sat at the edge of the rooftop, idly swinging his legs as he played on his phone. He turned his head to greet Miwa. "Hey little girl."

"Hi cute boy," returned Miwa.

Feitan scoffed.

"Don't worry you're cuter," said Miwa with an innocent smile.

"Ouch," said Shalnark. "I always liked to imagine myself as the cutest member."

"You're too nice," she said.

"I can be mean."

Curious, Miwa asked, "How mean?"

Shalnark's lips curled into something that might have made Miwa swoon if she were older. "I prefer psychological trauma. Maiming gets old and the pain will dull. Mental scars can destroy more thoroughly."

"You say that like I don't include psychological warfare in my techniques," muttered Feitan.

Shalnark shrugged. "It's over so quickly with you. No build up."

"It's called efficiency."

"I call it boring."

'Which is better? Doing something fun but inefficient, or doing something efficient but not having fun?'

What's the point of doing anything if you can't have fun with it? Kurama retorted. A life without fun is a monotone existence that makes death preferable.

Shalnark patted the spot next to him, and Miwa took a seat beside him. He was very bubbly in a toxic kind of way. He had a bright smile, and innocent-looking face, but Miwa could feel the venom underneath him. His chakra reminded Miwa a lot like a poisonous flower.

Pretty to look at. Deadly to touch.

"Have you thought about a new name for the city?" asked Shalnark.

"Um... no," Miwa admitted. "I'm not really good with names."

"What kind of government did you decide on?" asked Chrollo. She had told him earlier that day she was having tea with Kikyo specifically to pick out the direction of the government.

"Democratic Monarchy," explained Miwa. "Kalluto's putting the guidelines together."

Nobunaga leaned back from where he sat, letting out a low hmm. "Then you'll be a queen?"

Miwa's face reflexively scrunched up at that.

"A suggestion, if I may," Chrollo intoned, shutting the book he was reading with a sharp snap.

"Gladly," said Miwa.

Chrollo stood up, making a graceful single gesture out to the city. "A city forgotten now shines. You have transformed a wasteland into a paradise. Meteors are trash that fell from the sky, forgotten and abandoned by the stars themselves. But this city? It shines too brilliantly to ever be overlooked again. It can be... a lifelong sun. No, perhaps an eternal sun. Therefore, I would propose you name this country the Empire of the Sun, this city Soleil, and you, the Empress."

'Empire and Empress... that's... way too grand...' Miwa fidgeted.

Not grand enough, I'd say, scoffed Kurama. Empire is right. A city for now, but as things continue to grow and take over more of the land, this place will flourish. Especially under our guidance.

'Mmm... if you like it...' Miwa offered Chrollo a tentative smile. She'd only have a century, max, here, whereas Kurama would spend his entire immortal life there. She wanted him to have the final say, since he was the biggest reason she was doing all of this.

"Thank you," said Miwa. "I'll—I'll go with that, then."

Chrollo gave her one of his rare smiles. Brief, small, and surprisingly gentle. "I'm glad you like it."

Shalnark leaned closer to Miwa. "Say, got any open positions in your new government?"

"I have nothing concrete," Miwa admitted.

"Great. Nobunaga and I can run your security department," said Shalnark with a wide grin. "I'm pretty handy with computers."

"You want to join?" Miwa asked in surprise. "But I thought..." She looked over at Chrollo and Feitan.

"If they want to paint a bigger target on their back, let them," snorted Feitan.

"I wouldn't mind staying here waiting for the next heist," said Shalnark with a shrug. "You agree, right? Nobunaga?"

"It's pretty nice," Nobunaga agreed, scratching his chin. "Might get boring after a while, though."

"Then the boss'll have to hurry up and plan our next heist."

Chrollo made an acknowledging noise at that.

Shalnark glanced back at Miwa again, smiling once more. "When do you think you'll have some free time?"

"Free time for what?"

"Training, of course! That's why the boss called us here—so we could help you create your nen technique."

"Oh!" Miwa brightened. "C-Can we do that tomorrow?"

"No reason not to."

Miwa beamed in response.

"Oh wow," said Shalnark. "You're a cute kid."

Miwa's cheeks turned pink.

"Ow," said Shalnark, wincing when something hit the back of his head. He turned out to glare in the direction of Feitan, Chrollo, and Nobunaga. "Okay, which one of you did that?"

"Did what?" innocently asked Nobunaga.

"You must be imagining things," dismissed Feitan.

"Perhaps you should rest," commented Chrollo.

These guys aren't so bad after all. For human scum.

(≧ڡ≦*)

(Gon & Killua)

"And this is... ninety-nine!" exclaimed Gon as he placed the card in his binder.

What a time. It took them months to beat the game, but at long last Killua and Gon were about to do exactly that.

They had come a long way from when they first entered the game, and admittedly a lot of their progress was due to Bisky. Despite being disguised as a dainty blonde girl, she had proven to be one monster of a teacher.

Killua and Gon had made leaps and bounds of progress not only in their nen abilities, but in their chakra techniques. Both boys were able to water-walk while fighting! The next step to their chakra-journey would be elemental ninjutsus, and the boys decided to wait until they met up with Miwa again before trying that out.

Killua had memorized all of the fūinjutsu symbols and was eager to try to make his own storage scrolls. Because he promised Miwa he wouldn't make any without her supervision, he was extra anxious to see her again.

And, you know, they missed her.

With ninety-nine out of one hundred of the cards collected, they were only one away from beating the game and reuniting with their dear friend.

Ding-ding. This announcement is for all players. A player has collected ninety-nine restricted slot cards. Ten minutes from now, in honor of this event, there will be a quiz contest for all Greed Island players. There will be one hundred total questions dealing with restricted slot cards. The player who has the most correct answers will receive #0 Ruler's Blessing as a prize. Please wait with your binders open.

Gon let out a small hmm. "Questions about restricted slot cards, huh?"

"I get it. The questions are probably designed so that players who mainly stole cards can't answer them—" Killua cut himself off as he sensed oncoming traffic.

The party was quickly surrounded by several more groups of players who had teleported to their location.

The first party to land held up their hands in a gesture of surrender. "Don't worry. We aren't here to get in your way."

"In fact, you could say we're here to help."

Gon frowned. "Help?"

"Yeah. If we get the top score on the quiz and win the card, we want to sell it to you for 2.5 billion. That's only five percent of your reward. It's a reasonable price, yeah?"

'Oh... they haven't heard about Battera,' realized Killua. Battera had contracted hundreds of players to enter the game and retrieve an item to save his lover. Unfortunately, his lover passed away, and so did Battera. There would be no prize money available anymore. Sucked for them.

Killua's smirked. "Sure, if you get the top score." Killua turned away from the party to talk to Bisky and Gon. "Everyone else is here for the chance to sell us the final card, too?"

"With the game ending, they're all hoping to share in the reward," observed Bisky. "It looks like they're going to take the quiz in teams. What should we do?"

"Eh? We should do it ourselves," declared Gon.

Killua grinned. "Yeah. Whoever scores lower gets penalized."

"I'm in!" cheered Gon.

"I win, you never say eat me again," said Killua.

"Boo! Fine! If I win, you say it to Miwa," said Gon with an oddly mischievous grin.

"Prepare to lose," agreed Killua, holding out his hand.

Gon accepted the challenge.

(≧ڡ≦*)

(Miwa)

It took months of hard work, but Miwa finally felt like she could say her work was (temporarily) complete at Meteor City—now named Soleil. The city had been up and completely functional for over a week by that point, and only moments ago did Miwa receive a letter of recognition from the V6.

The Empire of the Sun was officially a country! Meteor City was gone forever.

She knew in the coming weeks more and more countries would be forced to recognize the Empire of the Sun's status, and in doing so all of her citizens would no longer be "nobodies." They were not discarded, unwanted, or to be looked down upon.

They were proud members of her city.

Her city. Her country.

What an odd turn of events.

Miwa's office had undergone a transformation. Kikyo had stopped by not long after Kalluto's first visit and decided to decorate for Miwa. The Zoldyck Matriarch picked up quickly on the things that interested Miwa—what was cute to her—and adapted the designs accordingly. The result was the office was a tasteful fusion of cute girlish things with professional sophistication. Why, her office even had pointlessly expensive artwork that hung on the walls!

The government was designed mostly by Kalluto, but Kalluto had hired a team of undergraduates in political-science to refine and assist him. There were many departments set up in the town hall—finance, legislation, security, education, infrastructure, medical, foreign affairs—and so many nice people who joined. Nearly all the members were locals, but there were some people brought in from other countries.

Shalnark delightfully headed up Security—which was further divided into cyber, military, and city. Shalnark hadn't exaggerated in the slightest bit when he said he had a talent for computers. He typed faster than anyone Miwa had ever witnessed. Nobunaga headed up the city's main security force, taking pleasure in "training" recruits.

Feitan and Chrollo had refused official positions, but both Phantom Troupe members were always nearby.

In fact, when not training in chakra, Chrollo spent the majority of his time lounging on the couch in Miwa's office. Feitan always hovered in the shadows. He disliked being called out, and would typically sit on the rooftop above Miwa's office, or hang upside down on the balcony to practice his chakra management.

Miwa proudly held up the letter of recognition. "Hehehe..."

"What's that?" asked Shalnark.

She had been enjoying afternoon brunch with the Troupe members in the city. There was a plate of scones and sweet drinks on the coffee table. Chrollo, Shalnark, and Nobunaga were relaxing on the couches. Feitan, ever a dour, relaxed against a wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

Miwa handed the letter over to Shalnark. The blond whistled appreciatively before passing it off to Nobunaga.

"Congrats," praised Shalnark. "This calls for celebration."

"Celebration how?" asked Miwa.

"Why not play a game?"

Miwa's face scrunched up. "I don't like video games."

"Wha—" Shalnark was appalled. "What kind of child doesn't like video games?"

"I suck at them."

"You just haven't found the right genre," said Shalnark. "It'd be such a waste if you couldn't enjoy them. I'll see if I can find something you'd like."

Miwa highly doubted such a game would exist. She dubiously responded, "Good luck finding a cute game."

"Some kind of celebration should be good though," said Nobunaga. "Shame you're too young to drink."

Miwa shrugged. Even if she wasn't, alcohol was a type of poison so she couldn't get drunk anyway.

"How about a bullshit tournament?" suggested Shalnark with a bright smile.

"Itching to reclaim your title?" mocked Feitan.

"You won't win this time," said Shalnark.

Feitan stepped closer, a dark gleam of amusement in his eyes. "Care to place your money where your mouth is?"

"Always."

Miwa clapped excitedly. "Oh yay! This sounds like fun."

"I'll add a rule to this game," said Chrollo, pulling out a deck of cards. "No strip clause."

"Ah... yeah, good idea..."

"Strip clause?" Miwa tilted her head.

"Don't worry about it, kiddo," chuckled Nobunaga.

"It's just a rule to substitute clothes for money when you're behind," explained Shalnark, clearing the tray of food off the table. "No one wants to see Feitan's pasty ass."

Shalnark bent forward as a knife flew over his head.

"So predictable," he clicked his tongue.

(≧ڡ≦*)

(Gon & Killua)

Quiz is over. I will now announce the player with the top score. With a score of 87 out of 100, our top scoring player is Gon.

"WOOOOOOOOO! That means Killua gets penalized."

"F—" Killua bit his bottom lip.

There was a coo in the sky. The three looked up to find an owl descending upon them with an envelope. The owl dropped the envelope into Gon's hands. Inside it was the final card, along with a letter of invitation.

It was time for Gon to receive his final prize and see the ending of the game.

(≧ڡ≦*)

(Miwa)

The game of bullshit lasted well into the night. Miwa lost terribly. She apparently lacked a poker face, and ended up having to bet all of her explosive tags and unused storage scrolls to compensate.

Nobunaga wasn't much better. The samurai was easily provoked.

Chrollo and Feitan were masters at keeping a stoic face, but Shalnark was in a league of his own when it came to mimicking false expressions. Even Miwa was fooled by his crocodile tears and she literally saw him lie!

Chrollo was still the victor. He cheated. He had to have cheated, Miwa started counting the cards after she lost, but she had no idea how he cheated.

Chrollo claimed the prizes for his own, giving his comrades a small amused smile as they grumbled over their loss. "Well played."

"Shoulda known better than to go against the boss," sighed Shalnark. "One day I'll figure you out."

"And one day hell will freeze over," snarked Feitan.

Shalnark politely flipped Feitan off.

Miwa yawned.

"Bedtime for the kiddo," said Nobunaga. "Come on, I'll tuck you in."

Miwa beamed. She loved being tucked in! Nobunaga had started doing it after their training sessions had gone on well past midnight. Sometimes Shalnark would do it though. And the couple of times Miwa had stayed at the Zoldyck mansion, Kikyo would.

There was something so warm and fuzzy about being tucked in. She loved it. She wanted to tuck Gon and Killua in the next time they went to bed together. She wanted to share that loving sensation with her dearest friends.

'What a great day,' thought Miwa. 'I can't wait to share this with Gon and Killua... I hope they finish that game soon.'

(≧ڡ≦*)

(Gon & Killua)

Killua whistled appreciatively. Gon, Bisky, and Killua had celebrated the ending of the game in the final city. As Gon was the only one to have one hundred cards in his binder, Gon was the only one able to receive a grand prize.

In Gon's room at the palace, he revealed the grand prize.

The ability to take three cards out of the game.

Gon further explained the prize to Killua and Bisky, "Once I've chosen the three cards, I'm supposed to go to the port."

Bisky asked, "Did they tell you about your father?"

"Mm-hmm, but they don't know where he is right now."

"Shame," sighed Bisky.

Killua shrugged. "Well, that's what the starting message said.

"It's kind of expected by this point," laughed Gon.

Bisky smiled. "So, what will you do for the three cards?"

"How about we each pick one?" suggested Killua.

Bisky wasted no time in pulling out the card she wanted. "Then I want Blue Planet!" Bisky lovingly nuzzled the card of the dazzling gem. "This is still the best one. I can't wait to see the real thing."

Killua frowned. "Hmm... I'm still thinking. Have you decided, Gon?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Which one?"

"This one," said Gon, pointing to one of the cards.

Bisky's face scrunched up. "Ehh? Why that one—?"

Killua, however, instantly understood. "Oh! I get it. Not bad, Gon."

"Hehehe..."

(≧ڡ≦*)

(Miwa)

Come morning, Miwa headed over to the Zoldyck mansion for breakfast. She had sent a picture of the letter to Kikyo yesterday, and the Matriarch exuded joy in her response. She told Miwa to come by and receive a gift.

Miwa appeared at the gazebo where the three always ate. The Zoldyck mansion was a beautiful place, but the garden surrounding the gazebo was Miwa's favorite spot. She thought Kikyo looked so elegant sipping tea underneath it. She and Kalluto looked like proper royalty!

To Miwa's delighted surprise, Kalluto and Kikyo were already at the table.

Miwa flung herself forward, hugging the one nearest to her—which happened to be Kalluto.

Kalluto, like Killua, got very flustered when receiving physical affection. Kikyo was not the type of person to give out physical affection. She had not received it growing up, and did not know how to properly hand it out. Even Kikyo got stiff when Miwa hugged her, but the mother didn't push her away.

Kalluto floundered for a moment until he hesitantly hugged her back.

(≧ڡ≦*)

Once the last bit of food was devoured, Gotoh cleared away the plates.

"Now come here," beckoned Kikyo. Miwa obediently got up from her seat to step forward to Kikyo. "Good girl. Are you ready for your gift?"

"Mm-hmm!"

"It's a... makeover!" squealed Kikyo. "Kalluto created a brand new outfit for you. We'll have a proper spa day. Take care of your skin, do something for your hair... a brand new look for you."

Miwa's cheeks turned pink. She remembered the first time she had a spa day was in Yorknew. It was a pleasant experience.

She hadn't had much of a chance to tend to herself since starting her Meteor City project. She had been dealing with literal trash for months, then a lot of physical labor, then training... She hadn't done anything out of the bare necessities. By consequence, her hands were calloused, her hair had plenty of split ends, and the clothes Killua had so kindly given to her were nearly shredded beyond use.

She had been meaning to get more clothes for herself... she just hadn't set aside the time to do so.

But to think that Kikyo and Kalluto had prepared all that for her!

She was touched.

Miwa smiled as warmly as she could. "Thank you... thank you so much."

"You haven't even seen it," teased Kikyo.

"But you both..." Miwa gestured helplessly. "You've been so kind to me. I'm... I'm so happy to have so many wonderful friends. Thank you."

"Sweet child," cooed Kikyo, cupping her face in her hands. "This is what mothers do. We take care of our children."

For some reason, Miwa's eyes started to burn.

(≧ڡ≦*)

(Gon & Killua)

"Well first thing's first," said Gon.

"We gotta call Miwa," said Killua, already pulling out his phone.

"Then we'll go see Ging," concluded Gon with a big grin.

The two boys had left the game with Bisky. Their mentor for the past months bade them goodbye, leaving the two friends a moment to finally contact their favorite pig-tailed girl. Killua made the phone call, anxiously shifting his weight as Gon bounced on the back of his heels in excitement.

Ring... ring... ring...

On the third ring there was a flash of golden light. Killua and Gon felt a tingling sensation on the small of their back from where the hiraishin marks had been placed. As soon as the light died down, they found themselves staring at a teary-eyed Miwa.

She, like Gon and Killua, had undergone her own transformation. Although her's looked a lot more radical than the boys' subtle growth in strength.

Killua's old hoodie had been replaced by a type of furisode kimono shirt that reminded Killua an awful lot of his brother, Kalluto. It looked exactly like something Kalluto would design, actually. It was made up of gold and black silk. She had black shorts, and black knee-high boots. The design on the furisode reminded the boys of the sun.

"I—I—I missed you guys SO much!" Miwa blurted out, rushing forward and into their arms. The three friends embraced tightly.

"You look—nice," Killua managed, patting her back.

"You look like a sun princess," praised Gon, happily hugging her. "I missed you."

Miwa's eyes burned as she pulled back. Then she decided she did miss them that much and proceeded to hug Killua again. Killua let out a small chuckle as he wrapped his arms around her and patted the back of her head. Miwa nuzzled into the crook of his neck, breathing in his familiar scent and relishing how utterly comforting he was.

She tilted her head back to nuzzle on his nose like she had seen a lot of animals do—his cheeks turned bright red at that—then kissed the tip of his nose. Killua went stiff as a board, spluttering something as Miwa turned away and jumped into Gon's arms.

Gon laughed, swinging her around as they hugged. He happily nuzzled Miwa's nose and after Miwa kissed his nose, he kissed her's.

"Ahh, I love nose kisses," said a cheerful Gon. "Thank you, Miwa."

"I think I love nose kisses, too," chirped Miwa. "And nuzzles."

"Nuzzles are great," he agreed, nuzzling her again.

"How can you two do that without getting so embarrassed?" asked Killua as he stared at them, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I dunno," they said.

"Although you're always supposed to return nose kisses," said Gon. "Go on."

He nudged Miwa closer to Killua. Killua's ears were as red as Kurama's eyes. Miwa tilted her head cutely as she watched him, wondering if Killua would return her nose kisses and nuzzles.

After a minute of debilitation, Killua leaned forward and gently kissed the tip of Miwa's nose.

"Yay," cheered Miwa.

"Hooray," agreed Gon, his grin oddly smug.

"Shut up," said Killua.

"I really missed you both so much," said Miwa.

Gon slung an arm around her shoulder. "We missed you, too."

"Where'd you get the new clothes?" asked Killua.

"Your brother!"

"What?"

"Wow, he has good taste," said Gon.

"I'm sorry. Did I hear you right? From my brother?" Killua pressed.

"Yeah."

"My. Brother. You—you talked to my—to my family?"

"Uh-huh."

"What?"

"So," said Miwa with a chirp in her tone. "Wanna see my empire?"

Killua gaped. "Wha—"

"Heck yeah!" cheered Gon.

(≧ڡ≦*)

BONUS TT!AU - In which Miwa, Killua, and Gon have traveled back to this point in time with all the knowledge and skills they possess at the end of the series.

Also known as a random collection of mini scenes from the arc that occurred to me while re-watching it and made me giggle so I thought I'd share.

"Uwa! This place is amazing," cheered Miwa, examining the first town with a twinkle in her eyes. "I kind of wish I had tagged along with you guys the first time around."

Gon grinned. "It would have been fun to see Bisky train you."

"I wonder how differently my nen abilities would have formed," pondered Miwa. "Hehe. Where do you guys wanna start first?"

"Let's do the tournament here, then go monster hunting," suggested Gon.

"Monster hunting?"

"There's some fluffy monsters," added Killua, who smiled kindly at her.

Miwa gave them a thumbs up. "Heck yeah! You guys know exactly what I like."

"I'd hope so by now," admonished Gon. "There's a magical city you might like, too."

"Oh wow."

"And a city of lo—" Gon paused. "Actually never mind, we should avoid that city."

"Which city?" asked Miwa.

Killua's eyes narrowed. "Wh—Oh. Yeah, we should definitely avoid that city."

"Which city?" repeated Miwa.

"City of Aiai," explained Gon.

"How come?"

"It's... uh..." Gon looked over at Killua with a panicked expression.

"Filled with slime. And stinks. Very gross," lied Killua.

"Oh. Ew, yeah let's avoid that."

(≧ڡ≦*)

(A month later into the game)

"It says to collect more cards we need to go to the City of Aiai," fretted Miwa. "Aww. I really wanted to avoid the stinky place..."

"We'll go for you," said Killua quickly.

"Yeah, you don't need to step a foot in there," Gon hurriedly added.

"Guys... I can't do that to you. We'll suffer together," said Miwa with a big smile on her face.

Killua placed a hand on her shoulder. "No, no, no. No need for that. Really. You can stay here."

Gon placed a hand on her opposite shoulder. "Sit back and enjoy some ice cream. We'll be right back."

Miwa peered at me. "You guys aren't normally so nice about my sensitivity. You haven't teased me at all for being delicate or disliking gross stuff."

"You know what they say. With age comes maturity," wisely said Gon.

"Gon... you laughed at a butt joke for like an hour yesterday."

Killua cleared his throat. "We should really get going now. Sit tight, Miwa. We'll be right back. [Accompany: On - City of Aiai]."

Miwa's eyes narrowed into suspicious slits as Killua and Gon teleported to the City of Aiai.

'You know, I have a very sneaky suspicion about those two.'

Reminds me of the "surprise" after the wedding night.

'Oh, God... you don't think...'

I doubt it'll be something that catastrophic.

'Hmm... '

Only one way to find out though.

'Right you are.'

(≧ڡ≦*)

Miwa teleported near the City of Aiai, then hurriedly entered inside.

To her surprise the City of Aiai was not at all gross. The only smell emanating from it was that of flowers. There was no slime anywhere to be seen. In fact it was... it was an adorable city with a lot of pink and cute accents. All of the NPCs were attractive and sparkly, even!

Miwa took one step inside and an incredibly handsome young man approached her. "Ah! My eyes."

"Um," said Miwa, wondering if she was about to receive a quest.

"Forgive me. I was momentarily blinded by your beauty," said the man with a smile that would make most women swoon. "Please, won't you let me paint you?"

Miwa stared blankly at the man. "Paint me?"

'Like a quest?'

Probably?

"Sure," she said. The man's eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Ah... my goddess, you bless me. Away, to my studio..." The man held out his hand. Miwa carefully placed her inside and he kissed the back of her hand. Gently, he started to guide her off the main street but as they rounded the corner—

"Ouch!"

Another boy crashed into Miwa. Since Miwa was unprepared, she ended up falling down, too.

"Watch where you're going!" scolded the boy who crashed into her. Miwa noticed he was pretty gosh darn cute too. In fact, he was so cute that Miwa was tempted to update her cute list. It'd been a few years since she'd done that.

"Ah, my goddess, are you hurt?" fretted the artist.

"I'm fine," said Miwa, getting up and brushing the dirt off her clothes. "And you should watch where you're going. Cute or not, you're the one that ran into me."

The rude boy blushed. "I—I—I'm not cute. Y-Y-You idiot!"

'Oh my.'

Oh Sage, no. I'm not doing this again. I am not sitting through this flirting bullshit again. I'm disconnecting.

'Bye-bye~'

"How dare you call such a beauty an idiot!" immediately defended the artist. "

"She's not b-beautiful! S-She's hideous! Idiot!"

'What is happening?' Miwa wondered in disbelief as the two NPCs proceeded to fight over her. It didn't last long, however, because two feet landed on either of the NPC's cheeks. They were sent hurtling away. It was a one-hit knot out.

Killua and Gon hopped off the now unconscious NPCs.

"Hi," said Miwa with a raised eyebrow. "What was that for?"

"Reflex," they answered.

"What the heck is this place?" asked Miwa, hurrying over to their sides. She grabbed each of their hands. "Is everyone so pretty here?"

Killua's face screwed up like he bit into a rotten lemon. "Pretty? They're not real."

Miwa stuck out her tongue. "You can think fictional people are pretty. You agree, right, Gon?"

Gon's face pinched up. "Ummm... I don't want to answer that."

"Wha—why not?"

"Because I want to say no, but if I do then I feel like you won't let me use you as a pillow anymore," admitted Gon.

"Why do you want to say no? We made a fanclub for our favorite fictional characters!" Miwa gasped, offended. "You're my vice-president. We make plushies on the first of every month together!"

Gon puffed out his cheeks. "Those characters aren't taking you on dates! That's something only we can do."

"Dates? What dates? I was on a quest to be painted—Oh."

"Painted?" Killua repeated blandly. "Painted?"

"He said I was a goddess," said Miwa with a shrug.

Killua's head whipped around to glower dark at the unconscious NPCs.

"Let's... let's just... grab what we need and leave," weakly said Gon. "Miwa, don't let go of our hands, okay? It'll be a problem if Killua destroys the city."

"Okay," Miwa sighed.

Gon squeezed her hand. "... I'll help you make another plushy afterward."

Miwa beamed.

"As long as it's not another stupid body pillow," muttered Killua.

Gon and Miwa giggled at that memory.

(≧ڡ≦*)

(After beating the game, each of them collecting 100 cards each by tying in first place on the quiz)

"So now we go to the castle to get a prize?" asked Miwa, bouncing up and down in excitement. She had a lot of fun at Greed Island. Killua and Gon speed-ran to get most of the cards, letting Miwa take her time to figure out a lot of the puzzles herself. They still guided her, though, and waited until she had the same amount of cards as them before they challenged the final boss for the 99th card.

"Yep! Let's go~"

(≧ڡ≦*)

The trio entered a castle and were greeted by a man who—like Bisky—kept a childlike youthful appearance. He had big grin eyes, freckles, and soft blonde curls. He instantly reminded Miwa of a character from an otome game she played with Gon and Kalluto.

"Uwa," gasped Miwa. "He's so cute!"

"Gon... you forgot to mention him," observed Killua.

Gon weakly chuckled, suddenly having an impending sense of doom. "He's not that cute, it's fi—"

"I'm officially updating my cute list," declared Miwa, stepping forward and sniffing the confused man. "Yep. He smells nice."

"I'm sorry," whispered Gon. He accepted the obligatory smack on the back of the head from Killua. It was only fair.

'At least it's not a new otome game release,' thought Gon. The day Shalnark introduced those to Miwa was a dark day indeed.

(≧ڡ≦*)

Since I was gone for so long I made this a long fanfare heavy chapter haha.

After doing a lot of research into asexual/aromantic for my Bucket List story, I feel reasonably confident that Gon is ace through and through.

I could have split this chapter in half but like... nah, let's just finish this arc so we can do the ant beybehs next.

Answer: Lady/Lord/Liege.

Question: A neighboring country of equal strength has declared war on your country. How do you react?