Thank you for the birthday wishes!! I'm sorry I couldn't say thank you to everyone individually, my social battery is forever 10% :') I really do appreciate it though.

Also hip hip hooray for my fellow July babies! And June babies! And August babies! And every month babies! You are all my babies and I love you.

Beta:

(≧ڡ≦*)

The pretty cat-ant had popped many of Miwa's clones. It let out tinkling laughter every time her clone disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Are you having fun?" asked one of Miwa's clones.

"I think I nyam," said the cat-ant with a Cheshire smile.

"It's fun watching you," said the clone.

Indeed. The chimera ant did not exude any type of malice. Or, rather, the type of aura that naturally leaked from it was a dead-ringer for Kurama's default presence albeit at a much tamer comparison. Feitan had a similar bloodlust, but Feitan actively sought hurting others. And, you know, he was human, so his bloodlust could really only be so intense. Kurama, and now that cat-ant, were creatures made up of something not from that world. Their presence was alien.

The cat-ant was on the same wavelength as Kurama, but nowhere near as intense.

Still, for Miwa who took great comfort in Kurama, anything that reminded her of him instantly endeared her.

While the feline creature pounced upon the clones, it did so with the type of playfulness Miwa expected to find in kittens. It did not pay much attention to the clone that blatantly walked behind it, finding greater entertainment in hunting the ones that ran away or hid.

"How nyamy of you are there?" asked the cat.

"Right now? Not that many left," she answered. "Although I could pop them all now."

"Nyo, nyo. Keep running, I love the chase."

"All of them?"

"You," said the cat, "can keep talking to me. Tell me about nyowself."

"M-Me?" The clone's eyes widened. "You want to actually talk?"

"It's not like I'd get any information from nyowr dead body."

The clone nodded in understanding. "It's hard to make the dead talk."

"Ri-ight?"

"Okay," said the clone. "How about we exchange names?"

"Names," repeated the cat with a laugh. "I see. Neferpitō. That is the name the queen gave me.

"I'm Miwa," she introduced with a small curtsy. She was pleasantly surprised with how civil the pretty creature was. If they were capable—and most importantly willing—to converse with Miwa, then there was a chance they did not have to be enemies. In fact, there was a chance they could even become her friends, like Kurama. Miwa found she quite enjoyed making friends. "Um... I like your tail."

Neferpitō waved their tail as they found another one of Miwa's clones. Miwa's clones had stopped trying to run away, and instead started to hide. When Neferpitō found one, it made a funny face at the cat ant before popping. Some faces made Neferpitō laugh, the cat-ant clearly delighting in the hunt.

"This is called hide and seek," Miwa told them.

"Hide and seek," repeated the chimera ant.

"It's a game friends play."

"What a fun game!"

"Mm-hmm! You're acting as the seeker right now."

"I like being the seeker," said Neferpitō as they found another clone and swiped at its head.

"You're really good at it," approved Miwa. "You could be better though—"

"How so?"

"Um, try closing your eyes and using your other senses. I'm assuming you've got a good sense of smell."

Neferpitō sniffed the air. "I smell a lot of things."

"Focus on picking them out," advised Miwa. "Scents linger in the air, so you'll have a better time finding someone even if you're days behind them, versus looking for them with your eyes and ears."

"Nyow I understand!" Neferpitō leapt to the clone's side, leaning in to sniff at her neck. "Mm. What do you smell like? I don't recognize this scent."

"I dunno," answered Miwa.

"What do I smell like?"

The clone sniffed at the chimera ant. "Hmm... Like apple-mint!"

"Apple-mint," Neferpitō repeated in amusement. "I wonder..." Neferpitō reached forward and cupped the face of the clone. They pulled Miwa forward, turning her head and then dragging their tongue along her cheek. "You taste like you smell."

Miwa's clone blushed bright red, flustered by Neferpitō's actions. Then she processed what Neferpitō said, and she excitedly exclaimed, "Wow, really? Can I lick you?"

Neferpitō's red eyes gleamed with mirth, and they offered their hand out to the clone who promptly licked the back of it.

"You taste like apple-mint," she gasped. Miwa had never considered the possibilities of people tasting like they smelled! She wondered if Gon would taste like lilies and ponds, and if Killua would taste like fresh snow and asphodel. She'd ask them later if she could test that theory out.

"Apple-mint," Neferpitō said again, sniffing at their own hands. "Hmm... nyow I'll keep an eye out for it. And for whatever you smell like."

"Okay," said Miwa with a smile.

"Say... how much do you know about Nen?"

"A decent amount," answered Miwa.

"What about Specialists?"

"I'm actually a Specialist myself," the clone answered brightly.

Neferpitō's eyes shined as they waved their tail. They reached out a clawed hand to cup Miwa's face. "Nyew won't mind answering more of my questions, would you?"

"Don't see why not," said the clone.

(≧ڡ≦*)

Miwa startled at the massive amount of information poured into her head from the last remaining clone. The clone had popped itself after losing a game of rock-paper-scissors with the cat-ant.

"... Neferpitō," said Miwa, looking up at the sky and smiling to herself.

'I think... there might be good chimera ants.'

Or at least ones that won't immediately try to kill us.

'Yeah. You know they kind of remind me of you.'

Do they?

'Beings not from here, forced to fight humans, have a very similar presence. A lot of people would assume they're bad, but there's clearly potential... I hope I can meet that one again.'

Neferpitō?

'Mm-hmm. I want to invite them to Soleil.'

You think that'd be a good idea?

'Well... yeah. 'Cause... I made it a home for you.'

Yes?

'It's a home for anyone like you. If there's even a tiniest bit of you in these ants, then it's their home, too... if they'll have it.'

(≧ڡ≦*)

The morning light filtered through the leaves in the trees, gently awakening Killua and Kite. Killua was the first to wake up, his pale eyes coming into focus immediately. Miwa stopped playing with his bangs when she realized he was awake. She placed her hand on his cheek. "Are you okay?"

"M'fine," he mumbled. "Did the ant follow us?"

"No," she said. "Is your neck okay? My lap couldn't have been that comfortable."

"It's fine," he assured her, sitting up and popping his neck. After a pregnant pause, he mumbled, "Thanks."

Miwa leaned into him, pressing her forehead against his back. "Mn. What are friends for?"

There was a small groan from beside them as Kite woke up. He sat up slowly, rubbing at the back of his head as he looked around.

"What happened to the ant?" Kite asked.

"I played with them," Miwa answered. "They didn't follow us."

Kite looked down at the snoozing Gon. "And Gon?"

"I—I panicked when I hit him. I don't know when he'll wake up," admitted Killua.

"Hmm... Then, let's use this time to regroup. We're outside the country?"

"Yeah," answered Miwa. "I teleported us here."

"Teleported?" Kite said in surprise. "Good call. That thing was in a league of its own. Oh, and... thank you. I owe you my life."

Miwa's ears burned. "Um... don't mention it."

Kite smiled kindly at her.

Killua stood up, brushing off the grass that clung to him. He nodded down the road. "Looks like we'll have company."

"Mm-hmm." Miwa yawned and rubbed at her eyes.

"Company...?" Kite stood up, his eyes narrowed as he looked at the oncoming car.

"I called your team," Miwa explained. "Although I didn't expect them to send anyone."

Then again, Miwa hadn't told Kite's team that she could teleport. Only that one of the ants they had encountered forced them to retreat. Kite and Gon were unconscious, and Miwa was going to stay at the country's entrance to see if the ant pursued them. Spin, who had answered the phone call, told her to "sit tight."

"Ah," said Miwa upon recognizing one of the scents in the upcoming car.

A few minutes later the car stopped before them and out stepped three men.

The first being Netero, the Hunter chairman. He was exactly the same as when Miwa last encountered him.

The second was a sharply dressed man in a black suit and tie with combed back black hair and glasses. He smelled like fresh linen, and his core felt clinical yet fragile. Like a glass hospital.

The man right behind them was large with broad shoulders. He had darker skin than his previous companions, sunglasses, and loose white hair that fell to his shoulders. He smelled like lavender and smoke, and his core reflected that.

"Hey Kite. Got some kids with you, I see," said the man of smoke and lavender.

"Morel," Kite greeted politely. "It's good to see you again. This is Gon, Killua, and Miwa."

Miwa nodded her head in greeting. Killua uneasily shifted his weight behind her, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"You never showed up to my dojo," said Netero.

"I've been busy," she retorted.

Netero laughed. "I noticed! Soleil, huh?"

Miwa beamed with pride. "You should come visit."

"I think I will," he said. "I've heard reports it's a paradise."

A surge of fierce joy pierced Miwa's heart. Her entire expression lit up like the dawn, her eyes shining brilliantly.

Grandfather's hand was big and warm as he placed it atop her head. His office smelled of smoke and tobacco. Sometimes the smell made her nose twitch and itch, and she would sneeze. Grandfather always laughed and apologized to her as he patted her head.

He was a busy man, but never too busy to turn her away. Some called him evil, or cruel. Some would whisper he was a cold and unforgiving man. She did not begrudge him that, though, because it was his job. He had a lot of people to protect.

And—

"Are you excited to start the academy?"

"Mm-hmm!"

"You'll be good?"

"Mm-hmm!"

He patted her head again. "That's my girl."

"Grandpa?" she whispered to him. "I have a secret to tell you."

"A secret?" he asked in amusement.

She beckoned for him to move closer. He bent down to humor her.

"I love you," she told him.

He could be a cold man.

But he was always so warm to her.

"I love you, too, Miwako."

Miwa exclaimed, "I'll take you there whenever you want. I'll give you a grand tour."

Netero smiled at her.

The man in glasses cleared his throat. "Chairman—?"

"Ah, right—Kite, would you please update us on the situation?" asked Netero, turning to address Kite.

"Yes," said Kite. He took a deep breath then started to accurately recount the events prior. Finding the claw, investigating its origin, the destruction of NGL's underworld, fighting the ants, right up until the encounter with Neferpitō. He admitted, "I only saw that ant for a few seconds before Miwa teleported us away."

"And what did you think of that ant?" inquired Netero.

Kite hesitated. "I hope it is one of the royal guards. We'd be in trouble if it was only a squad leader."

"That powerful?" Morel probed.

"I don't think I could handle it on my own," said Kite. "I don't think anyone short of the chairman could."

Morel whistled lowly. "Not even the zodiacs?"

Kite shook his head. "Too much of a risk. I know there's no way to guarantee a certain outcome, but if I were to go off my gut instinct... it's not to be taken lightly."

Netero stroked his beard. "Hmm. And you, Killua?"

Killua flinched. "The last one we encountered could use nen. It had the worst aura I've ever felt. Worse than my brother's. Worse than Hisoka's. Now that I've learned nen myself, I can tell you guys are amazingly strong. But I still can't see you defeating that thing."

Netero stroked his beard again. "Miwa?"

"Um..." Miwa shrugged. "I don't know? It didn't seem that strong. It's hard to compare off just cores alone. In terms of size the ant's raw core strength would be around the same level as the three of you combined." Miwa gestured to Netero, Morel, and the man in glasses. "But they were only just born, so they have no combat experience. It'd be like fighting a wild animal. A clever one, mind you, but still an animal." She shifted her weight to the back of her heels as she thought about playing with Neferpitō. "Although... um... maybe... Maybe there's a chance to avoid combat?"

"What do you mean?"

Miwa chewed on the inside of her cheeks. "Can I think about it some more and get back to you?"

"Sure," he said. "Analysis isn't something that should be rushed anyway."

"Thank you."

Netero let out an acknowledging noise. "Well then... Kite, are you coming with?"

"Yes," he said.

Netero turned away, walking toward the entrance of the country. Morel and the other Hunter joining him shortly. Kite nodded toward Miwa and Killua and said, "I'm sure Gon will want to join us, but—"

"We sent two assassins to the nearest village," Netero cut in as he continued to walk away. The man lifted two wooden tokens and threw them back at Killua, Miwa, and the sleeping Gon. Killua caught both of them. "It's up to you whether you want to fight, but you must defeat them before you can come. If you wish to live as a Hunter... we are not desperate for help. We only seek the strong."

Kite's lips twitched. "... Never mind, then. I should have known he'd have something prepared. Take care, Killua, Miwa..."

"Bye-bye," said Miwa.

"Bye-bye," echoed Killua.

(≧ڡ≦*)

The next town was a quaint place with brick streets, brick houses, and a lot of yummy smelling foods. Miwa and Killua checked into a small inn to wait for Gon to wake up. Miwa was impressed how hard Killua must have slapped Gon to knock him out for so long. She hoped her friend didn't have a headache from the ordeal.

While Gon rested, Killua surveyed the town to try and find out more about the assassins. He returned in the late afternoon, telling Miwa he found that the assassins had left a message for them on the public board.

He was tossing the tokens up and down with one hand as he took a seat on their bed. Gon let out a small snore before rolling over.

Miwa watched him toss the tokens. "Why are there only two tokens? Isn't a 3v2 kind of unfair?"

"Probably not meant for you to participate in, Miwa," Killua blandly responded.

Miwa frowned at that, uncertain if she should be happy Netero already thought she was strong enough, or upset that she was excluded from something.

Suddenly, Gon sat up with a, "AHHH!"

"AHH!" Miwa squeaked, startled. Her heart leapt up to her throat.

"Oh yay it worked," said Gon with a big smile.

"What wor—you were trying to scare me?!" Miwa demanded.

"Yeah," he said.

"How long have you been awake?"

"Couple of hours," he said, a twinkle in his eyes. "Thank you for singing me a lullaby."

Miwa glared, reached forward and pinched his cheeks. She spread his cheeks apart. "You jerk!"

"Ow, ow, ow. Killua help!"

Killua pointedly looked away and started to whistle.

(≧ڡ≦*)

It didn't take long to catch Gon up to speed (after Miwa stopped stretching his face), and of course he wanted to take up the challenge. He was excited to rejoin Kite and fight the ants. He practically dragged Killua out of the room to go find the assassins and fight them.

'As long as they're happy,' she thought, watching them leave.

Meanwhile, she'd go hunt down their dinner!

Miwa found a neat looking local shop where she ordered food to go.

To: Killua & Gon

[Formed Group Message with Gon & Killua]

Message [Miwa]: I found a nice little shop. They do take out. I'll send a picture of their menu shortly. Let me know what sounds good and I'll bring it back to our room. :)

Message [Miwa]: [Uploaded Picture]

Message [Gon]: :(

Message [Miwa]: ?

Message [Gon]: u txt like kill now

Message [Miwa]: Is that bad?

Message [Gon]: :'(

Message [Miwa]: How do you want me to text?

Message [Killua]: How she texts is fine. It's how people *should* text.

Message [Gon]: i likd it bttr whn she ddnt use grmmr.

Message [Miwa]: ...

Message [Killua]: Miwa, don't.

Message [Gon]: :'(

Message [Gon]: it was...

Message [Gon]: *cute* :)

Message [Miwa]: :D!!!

Message [Killua]: NO

Message [Miwa]: cn ea nw ?

Message [Killua]: STOP

Message [Gon]: go go go

Message [Miwa]: food ?

Message [Killua]: I hate you both.

Message [Miwa]: :'(

Message [Gon]: :'(

Message [Gon]: tht's k we cn like eachothr :)

Message [Miwa]: :)

Message [Killua]: ...

Message [Miwa]: gon

Message [Miwa]: dnn?

Message [Gon]: oky

Message [Gon]: gt me the calzones

Message [Miwa]: k !

Message [Miwa]: kill?

Message [Killua]: The tortellini, please.

Message [Miwa]: k !

Message [Miwa]: i go

Message [Miwa]: c again !

Message [Miwa]: wuv u

Message [Gon]: wuvvy u 2

Message [Killua]: ...

Message [Miwa]: kill

Message [Miwa]: wuv u

Message [Gon]: wuv u kill

Message [Killua]: ...

Message [Miwa]: wuv

Message [Gon]: wuvy

Message [Killua]: wuv you too...

(≧ڡ≦*)

When Miwa returned to the inn with their food, Killua and Gon were waiting for her.

"Food smells great," exclaimed Gon as Miwa handed him the box of calzones.

"Hope it tastes good, too," she said.

"Probably will," said Killua. "Listen—"

Killua explained that while he and Gon were looking for more information on the assassins, they had encountered a woman named Palm. She explained that she was the student of Knov—the black haired man with glasses that accompanied Netero—and that Knov would not allow her to assist in the expedition unless Killua and Gon defeated Morel's students. Morel's students were the ones who had the other tokens, the two "assassins" were in fact other Hunters.

Killua and Gon promised to meet up with Palm to discuss a better plan of attack tomorrow morning.

"Should be fun," said Miwa with a smile. Gon's eyes were sparkling with pure joy at the thought of the upcoming challenge. Killua wasn't as overtly happy as Gon, yet there was a glimmer of happiness in his gaze. Seeing her friends enjoying themselves made Miwa's heart warm and her tummy filled with butterflies.

'I love them,' she thought.

She really did.

She loved Gon and Killua so much.

So filled with her love, she couldn't resist pulling the two boys into a hug and kissing their cheeks and foreheads and—

Killua pushed himself out of her arms, his face beet red, "St-Stop that!"

"Oh, sorry—"

"Forget him," said Gon, leaning into her. "I love affection, you can do that whenever you want."

She giggled. "Good. 'Cause I think I love giving it."

"Y-You have no shame," muttered Killua,

"What is this word you speak of?" Gon said with a mockingly innocent smile. "Shame? What's that?"

Killua shoved the calzone in Gon's mouth. "Shut up and eat, you brazen idiot."

(≧ڡ≦*)

As promised, Gon, Killua, and Miwa headed out to meet with Palm. Palm had rented out a room at another inn across town.

"... We only have a month to complete the task," said Killua.

"We'll do it in a week," declared Gon as the trio reached Palm's door.

The door opened up, and a small blonde girl abruptly punched Gon square in the face. "Idiot!"

Miwa caught Gon before he hit the floor, surprised and flustered by the sudden attack. The person who hit him had no killing intent. Rather, the smack reminded her of—

"You idiot!" roared the pinkette. "I LITERALLY JUST STITCHED YOU UP AND YOU WENT TRAINING?!"

"I love you?"

"I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Miwa felt an odd phantom pain at the top of her head that made her simultaneously nostalgic and tense.

"Bisky!" Gon and Killua exclaimed together. "What are you doing here?"

A blonde girl in a braided ponytail stepped out. She was in a cute fluffy pink outfit. She placed her hands on her hips in a very scolding manner, her pink eyes narrowed.

Miwa called her a girl, but her core felt too old. Perhaps not as old as Netero's, but certainly older than Kite's. It felt like a polished gemstone, shiny, sturdy, and like it had been compressed to near-perfection over the years. She even smelled like a crystal cave.

"I called her here," rasped a wavering voice of a woman behind Bisky.

'Wow,' thought Miwa.

The woman behind Bisky had messy, long black hair that covered most of her face. Miwa could tell she was a tall woman, but because her shoulders were hunched she appeared much smaller than what she actually was. Small and insecure, hiding behind her hair. She looked frail, and had a very odd gleam in her eyes. It was the type of look Miwa had seen some in some... obsessive members of her city.

Her core certainly felt... sticky. Clingy. Suffocatingly so.

It wasn't a bad thing, per say...

What's the term?

'Yandere?'

Yep.

Gon and Killua, still in synch, asked, "You two know each other?"

The woman shook her head. "No, I looked into your backgrounds."

"How?" Gon's brow furrowed. "We only know Bisky because—"

The woman let out an eerie chuckle. "Once I used my power, it was quite simple. Now there's no time to spare. Let's begin the plan to slaughter Morel's disciples."

"Um, no," they said.

Bisky sniffed. "Get in boys."

Gon and Killua winced, ducking around Bisky to enter the hotel room.

"You must be Miwa," said Bisky with a smile. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Hello," said Miwa as she gave a respectful bow. "Thank you for looking after them in Greed Island."

"Oh my, my. So polite. What's a cute girl like you doing being with those boys?"

'C-Cute?'

Miwa's heart thumped in her chest, her eyes widening. Her whole face felt hot, and she nervously fidgeted with her hair. She couldn't hold back her shy smile. "Ehehehe—"

Killua looked pained. "Get inside, Miwa."

"Ehehehe..." Miwa lightly stepped around Bisky.

Once she was inside, Bisky closed the door behind her. Brusquely, she instructed the boys, "Go ahead and begin."

"Osu!" they said, gathering their nen.

"And you?" Bisky asked. "Are you going to train with them?"

"Um..." Miwa fiddled with her hair. "No?"

"Hmm..." Bisky cocked her head. "All right. If you change your mind, you're welcome to join them."

"Thank you. I have a few things I want to take care of first," she said. "I'll be back later. Bye-bye."

"Bye-bye," Gon and Killua said.

Why not train in nen?

'Arrogance?'

Self-confidence you mean.

'Sure. And I want to work on something related to chakra.'

Oh?

'An idea I thought up of for a new technique. I had a dream about it. I'll have to go somewhere far away to test it out—it's pretty damaging.'

How damaging?

'Bijū-bomb level?'

Good kit.

(≧ڡ≦*)

Before Miwa headed off to train, she thought about sending a clone to check up on the cat-ant.

Miwa was tempted to go herself, but that was ultimately a needless risk. She wanted to assess the ants herself. While the majority of the ants hadn't impressed her—she wasn't put-off by all the gore after her time fighting the deranged residents of Meteor City—Neferpitō had caught her interest.

Neferpitō showed a sincere willingness to not immediately be enemies. Perhaps not allies, but Miwa couldn't ask for much more of a better start.

It wasn't like she was friends with Kurama right away. He hated her at first, and if he had been able to without consequence, he probably would have killed her.

Miwa didn't really care if people tried to kill her. It bothered her when people tried to hurt Gon or Killua, but she had been getting better about that. They needed to fight stronger people to get stronger, and she knew that meant people would try to kill them. They wanted that. She had to respect that, no matter how much it irked her.

Empathy for other lives was difficult for Miwa.

For some reason, death didn't really... perturb her.

If she was being entirely honest, death for Gon and Killua only bothered her because it meant she couldn't be with them. That was it.

Everyone died. That was fine. Whether they were killed by a chimera ant for food or tripped and broke their neck—it was all the same to Miwa.

She was a hunter, after all. She had taken so many lives she lost count. What right did she have to judge another hunter?

So she had nothing against the ants for slaughtering humans for food. The only mark against them was that Killua got scared of one of them.

She wondered why.

Because of the aura.

'Aura?'

She had noticed Gon and Killua were sensitive to auras; emotions reflected in nen/chakra. When she had introduced Kurama to Gon and Killua she had smothered his aura with her own and made sure to dilute his chakra as much as possible. She was exceedingly careful in using her own chakra whenever the two were around out of fear for how they would react to Kurama's chakra / aura. The few times she used his chakra, she made sure to override his presence with her's so they wouldn't feel his aura.

Mm-hmm.

Miwa had noticed that the cat-ant had a wee-bit of a... evil seemed wrong, but bloodthirsty seemed too tame. Something in between? An amped-up version of Feitan's bloodlust, but tamer than Kurama's default presence. Miwa hadn't really been phased by it because she was so used to feeling Kurama's constant malice. She acknowledged it was there and it did make her think of her best friend, but she hadn't considered the thought of that bothering Killua so much he'd knock out Gon.

'Good thing I've never let them feel your aura without masking it under mine...'

You should.

'Nooo! I don't want them to be afraid of you.'

They should be.

'Don't be silly. Hmm... what do you think of the ants so far?'

Haven't encountered enough to form an opinion. Their origin has my interest, but nothing more. I suppose I'm more interested in how the stronger humans will treat them. Humans tend to have adverse reactions to their predators.

'Can't expect them to be docile prey, can you?'

No. Is coexistence possible? I wonder...

'Do you think it is?'

We coexist.

'We're family.'

Yes.

'Welp. That double settles it then!'

Settles what?

Miwa decided to send a clone out to interact with the cat-ant.

'Let's find out—can we be friends? Or do we have to be enemies? Only one way to know for sure, and that's giving it an honest try.'

They'll try to kill you. Repeatedly.

'And you wouldn't in their place?'

I would succeed in their place.

'Hehe.'

What?

'Nothing. You're just really cute. I love you.'

Miwa felt Kurama's chakra fluctuate in a way she recognized as him being flustered. She could perfectly imagine him pressing his ears back flat and his tails curling anxiously.

You're... an idiot.

'Mn!'

(≧ڡ≦*)

(Miwa's clone)

"Neferpitō," Miwa greeted, teleporting to the cat-ant. "Lookie—"

"I found it," Neferpitō whispered, appearing behind Miwa and grabbing her shoulders. They pulled Miwa back, then dragged their tongue along her cheek. "Yes. You taste and smell exactly like sunshine, ash, and that flower."

Miwa's cheeks turned bright red. "U-Um—"

Neferpitō giggled, pulling away. "Ahh, long time nyo see. I knyew it. You can teleport? You teleported away that night and only let me play with clones. Is this a clone?"

Miwa shook her head. "Uh-uh." She held up a bundle of apple-mint. "Apple-mint."

"My smell!"

"Your smell."

Neferpitō accepted the bundle, sniffing at it. "Nyow I see. This is my smell... Mmm... not bad, not bad."

"Do you wanna play again?" asked Miwa.

"Hide and Seek?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Hmmm... That was a lot of fun..." Neferpitō trailed off. "But I have to guard. I can't leave. Instead... "

Neferpitō tip-toed around Miwa, their movements graceful and playful.

"Do you want to see the power I developed?" Neferpitō asked, red eyes gleaming with dark mirth. "I made it just for you."

"For me?" Miwa's blue eyes widened. "Really? What is it?"

"A power designed to catch you... hold you... break you... and fix you back up," Neferpitō laughed in delight.

"Wow. I can't believe someone made a power just for me," said Miwa brightly.

Oh no.

Neferpitō clapped their hands together. "Yesss... shall we play with it?"

"Sure!"

(≧ڡ≦*)

(Miwa)

Late in the evening, Miwa returned from her various tasks. After she had sent out her clone, she checked up on her city. She had a lot of stamping to do! Who knew paperwork could pile up so much? She got to enjoy lunch with Nobunaga and Shalnark, though, which was very nice.

Done with that, she trained / prepped for her new super awesome technique that she couldn't wait to use. When night had fallen, she went back to their shared hotel room, unsurprised to find Gon and Killua still training.

Bisky was reading a magazine with pretty boys on it, and Palm was eerily watching them from the kitchen.

Gon sniffed at the air when Miwa returned. "Why do you stink?"

"I was making tar," she said, reflexively wiping at her mouth. She hated making tar, the taste always lingered in her mouth even if she used suiton techniques afterwards.

Killua frowned. "Why were you making tar?"

"To dunk rocks into."

They stared at her and in perfect synch asked, "Why?"

"Because one day it'll look really cool."

Gon smiled. "I hope I can see it then!"

Miwa beamed. "I hope so too!"

(≧ڡ≦*)

I re-watched the ant arc before I started writing this and oh my gosh I love so many people. I just wanna give 'em all a hug.

I was going to wake another week before updating but then Candy sent me such an uwu picture of Chrollo patting Miwa's head and it filled me with warm fluffy feelings.

Answer: Orihime or maybe "Ciel" Phantomhive. Orihime is precious bean, and I feel "Ciel" would be a dedicated heir. And I think it'd be fun to see him deal with Lelouch & Aizen's shenanigans.

Question: What would your country's flag look like?

Reviews are love!