Warning: Mentions of pedophilia / adult romantically pursuing a child.

(≧ڡ≦*)

It was late into the evening. Miwa rubbed her head at the flood of new memories from her clone popping.

She had learned that the royal guards operated mostly separate from the rest of the ants. There was a distinct dissociation between them and the others. At a moment's notice Neferpitō, Shaiapouf, and Menuthuyoupī were prepared to sacrifice every ant in that nest for their goals. There was an inherent lack of empathy from them, despite them being the same specifies.

Narcissism? Or something deeper? Miwa couldn't tell.

While they were aloof with the ants ranked below them, they were on good terms with one another. They never argued. Even if Shaiapouf disliked Miwa and told Neferpitō to stop playing with her, he didn't put up much of a fuss. He didn't berate Neferpitō, or try to convince the cat-ant otherwise. He expressed an opinion, listened to Neferpitō's response, and left it at that.

Neferpitō, Miwa had learned, was the most sensitive between the three. Whimsical and playful, they were acutely aware of their own actions and how it affected Miwa. They would say or do different things to coax certain reactions out of Miwa. Most importantly, when Miwa had one bad day and didn't really want to play—but didn't want to not send out a clone in case they felt ignored—Neferpitō offered to listen to Miwa instead. They listened as Miwa ranted about how frustrating it was to deal with paperwork, and further probed about how it made Miwa feel. It was a moment of kindness Miwa hadn't expected.

Shaiapouf was... more difficult to deal with. He was stubborn. From their first meeting he had decided Miwa was only a troublesome toy, and changing that viewpoint was like dragging nails across a chalkboard. He would never initiate conversations with her, and would sometimes flat out ignore her. The only time Miwa could get him into a prolonged conversation was if she (unintentionally) provoked an argument. He was passionate about his future king which made it easy to accidentally trigger him. She tried to be nice to him. She was fortunate that she was already accustomed to one temperamental nine-tailed fox, otherwise she might have actually been hurt by the slew of venom Shaiapouf would snap at her if she aggravated him too much.

Still, she had very small moments of catching him off guard. Bringing him sweets or books elicited a haughty thank you, and sometimes, just sometimes, she got a teeny-tiny smile when he thought she wasn't looking.

Perhaps not impossible to be friends with, but golly gosh she had work cut out for herself.

Menuthuyoupī, blessedly, was the simplest. He was honest, honorable, and straight forward. He listened to whatever Miwa wanted to say, and if he liked it, he told her. If he didn't, he admitted that, too. If something confused him, he asked her to explain. He liked to play games, and he liked to listen to stories about battles and heroes going on quests. Miwa was becoming quite an excellent story-teller because of how often he requested them.

Miwa would be hesitant to say she had a friendship with them. She knew—and they knew—when their king was born, if he ordered Miwa's head they'd do their gosh darn best to bring it to him on a silver platter.

Miwa was... something to them. Entertainment? Acquaintance? A bit more than a simple toy for at least two of them, but anything more than that...?

She thought she saw potential, however, and that was what kept her going.

She hoped her instincts were right and there was a chance for a genuine friendship.

Even if they weren't fond of her... she was starting to get fond of them.

She'd really hate to have to fight them.

You really are too soft.

'Am I...?'

She'd like to be soft.

But then she remembered how many people she killed with her bare hands, the sensation of their warm blood and the squelch of their organs popping under her pressure.

'I wish I was all soft.'

That'd be too boring. You're fine as you are.

She smiled to herself.

Kurama's description of Netero, Miwa had found, felt increasingly accurate.

Miwa could not think of any rational or logical reason for the Hunter Chairman to be so... passive about the ants. The group worked on taking out unimportant soldiers instead of charging the nest like they really ought to do. If Netero truly felt he could not handle the nest on his own, he should be more than capable of calling in the appropriate reinforcements.

Yet the man refrained.

It was starting to feel like... to feel like the man wanted the king to be born. Like he wanted his enemies to grow as powerful as can be before he stepped in.

Miwa wasn't complaining, but she was perturbed. She didn't understand his reasoning at all.

She even... she even wondered if maybe...

What if he wanted to fight her? What if he was humoring her... setting her up for something else?

She couldn't point out any one thing that made her feel that. Netero was only ever polite to her and encouraged her relationships with the ants.

Yet... her gut told her there was something more at work.

Because of Gon and Killua's training, the three of them had moved in to stay at Palm's room instead. She had checked out a suit, so there were a couple bedrooms in addition to a living room and kitchen. Bisky and Miwa were situated in the living room, both reading. Bisky seemed engrossed in reading magazines with pictures of pretty boys, and Miwa focused on trying to read the books Chrollo got her.

They were hard to understand. They used a lot of big words that she didn't know and had to ask whoever was nearby—most often Bisky—but she was determined.

The front door to the room swung open as Killua entered with Gon on his back. Miwa could smell the blood and sweat, and looking up, she noticed how battered he was.

"Oh wow," she said.

After Gon and Killua trained in practicing their nen, they had to start fighting one of Morel's disciples. So far Gon had been the only one to repeatedly challenge Knuckle, Morel's disciple, and Killua would carry Gon back to the room to rest. Miwa had to admit it was rather strange that Killua had yet to fight anyone for the entire month. Was he waiting for the other disciple? Or playing it cool and wanting to keep his abilities hidden for as long as possible? He never answered when she or Gon asked, and eventually they stopped asking him.

Bisky clicked her tongue upon seeing Gon's state. She summoned her nen ability—a personification of a masseuse that could heal with massages—while Killua headed into the one of bedrooms that the three children shared. Bisky followed behind him.

Miwa's ears twitched as she heard Bisky sharply address Killua, "Killua. Fight me."

Miwa heard a strangled cry of dismay and surprise from Killua followed by a harsh whap.

'Why do I know so many violent tsunderes?' Miwa wondered, mentally adding Bisky to the category.

Killua leapt out of the bedroom and into the living room with—

WHAT.

'OH WOW.'

Bisky who was once a dainty cute little girl had transformed into an extremely muscular woman. She was tall, had bulging biceps, and her face drastically changed from soft to sharp. It was such a huge transformation that if Miwa couldn't smell her and feel her core she would have thought it was someone else entirely.

Bisky must have been using a type of henge to change her appearance.

Miwa couldn't blame her. Miwa used henge to give herself fox tails and ears sometimes, after all. She loved fluffy and cute things. Bisky loved pink and cute things.

Miwa felt a sense of comradery between Bisky and herself. They were buddies in their love of cuteness, and willingness to transform themselves to fit that cuteness.

"Miwa," Bisky said, "would you mind giving us some space to train?"

"Okey dokey," Miwa said, teleporting away.

(≧ڡ≦*)

(Killua)

It was a painfully one-sided training session. He used the word training lightly, as it felt more akin to a lynching. His limbs were already aching from trying to dodge her in that living room, and a cut from his cheek slowly oozed blood. She hadn't even directly touched him, the wind behind her punch was that sharp.

Bisky coolly assessed Killua. "Now, do you know your weakness? You're too quick to give up. You're too cautious about fighting. Some might say you underestimate yourself. When facing an enemy you believe to be stronger, you fight on the premise of escaping."

Killua glared, wanting to respond yet he could not.

He was instantly reminded of that sensation...

That ant had been unlike anything he had encountered. Its aura was massive in scope. Not as large as Miwa's, but seeped in a kind of cold, cruel, malice. It wasn't human. It was a monster through and through. The instant Killua had felt that aura he knew they were up against an opponent they had no right to be facing. Everything after that was pure instinct.

Bisky continued, softening her voice, "I realize that this isn't your fault. It's the fault of whoever taught you to fight."

Illumi's image flashed through his head, coupled with phantom aches and pains from his childhood training.

"Habits that are burned into your body and soul aren't easy to break. But I can say one thing for sure." Bisky folded her arms across her chest. "Somewhere down the line, you'll leave Gon and Miwa to die."

His heart stopped.

Cold, raw, terror slammed into him. He wanted to immediately refuted, wanted to deny it with every fiber of his being—

But could he?

Fear clawed inside his stomach coupled with freezing rage. He did not mean for his expression to darken into that of murderous anger, but he could not help himself. He loathed what she had told him, and he hated his inability to instantly reject it. He wanted to open his mouth and tell her how wrong she was, but he couldn't stop remembering his training—

Bisky said, "Combat ability can change depending on environment and physical condition. Even those who are initially considered weak could achieve victory over the strong in the right circumstances. But in your case, you're constantly assuming the enemy is always at their best. You assume the worst-case scenario. Even when facing enemies with equal strength, you worry about how strong they are or what they might do to you. If we're talking about a stronger enemy, there's no question... You don't bother to think about how you could win. Running is your only option. That's how losers think."

Killua felt a spike of murderous desire in his heart as he glared at her.

"Suppressing that bad habit and forcing yourself to face enemies stronger than you will take determination. If you cannot defeat Shoot tomorrow, you must leave them."

His world tilted.

(≧ڡ≦*)

(Miwa)

"Good luck!" she cheered as Killua and Gon left to face Knuckle and Shoot.

"Won't need it! We're gonna kick some ass," chirped Gon. He held up his hand and Miwa instantly high-fived him.

"Mn. Be back later," said Killua.

"I'll wait for you," she said with a bright smile.

(≧ڡ≦*)

They did not win.

When Killua and Gon hadn't returned after an hour, Miwa went to check on them, only to find the two boys sulking in the park.

"Yeesh," said Miwa, consoling Gon with head pats. She was on a park bench with Gon on the grass in front of her and resting his head on her left knee. "Poor you."

"Poor me," sniffled Gon. "More head pats."

"All the head pats," she assured him, continuing with her head pats. "Killua come here and I'll also pat your head."

"I don't—"

"Killua," they whined.

Killua sighed, took a seat on the grass and placed his head on Miwa's other knee. She patted him as well.

The three stayed out there for the rest of the night. Gon was in a pouty mood and didn't want to get up. It had been a while since the three had camped outside, and it was such a lovely night that they decided to stay out there.

In the morning, they went back to the inn.

Miwa hadn't interacted with Palm very much. The older woman stayed in the kitchen or hid in the shadows and silently watched them. Sometimes she'd ramble about something that didn't make a lot of sense to Miwa. She knew Palm was Knov's disciple, and that it was up to Gon and Killua defeating Morel's disciple that would allow Palm to join them on their hunt in the NGL. She had high expectations of Gon and Killua, even making Gon pinky-promise to defeat Knuckle.

Miwa hadn't realized exactly how perturbed the woman was until the three of them returned from their defeat.

Palm was waiting for them in the darkened living room, clutching a trembling, ragged kitchen knife. Her voice came out low as soon as Gon opened the door, "You must take responsibility." She stood up slowly, walking toward them. "You promised to take me to NGL. You said you'd swallow a thousand needles if you broke that promise."

'She doesn't mean to literally—'

Miwa took a reflexive step forward, popping her knuckles. To her surprise, Gon moved to stand in front of her. He said, "Uh-huh, I'm sorry."

"I don't want an apology," rasped Palm. "But there's no point in having you swallow a thousand needles."

"Uh-huh. So what can I do to make up for it?"

"Let's see..." Palm held up one finger. "You must do one thing I say."

Killua's eyes narrowed. "Don't you think that's a little unnecessary—"

"Okay," Gon agreed.

"Go out with me," she said.

Killua's face morphed into that of pure disgust, while Gon's eyes widened in surprise.

"Go out with me," she said again, pointing the kitchen knife at Gon.

Even though Miwa knew Gon could probably kick Palm's butt, she disliked that the woman was pointing a knife at her friend. She made no immediate move to react, as Gon had plainly stood in front of Miwa for the purpose of nonverbally telling Miwa to stand down. Miwa bit her bottom lip to keep from saying anything too harsh, and she squeezed her hands tightly into fists.

How old is she?

'I dunno.'

She is an adult while Gon is a child, correct?

'Uh-huh.'

Miwa felt an echo of unease from Kurama.

Miwa... if any adult ever asks you out on a date, no matter who, let me take over.

'Huh? How come? Is that bad?'

Miwa tried to think back on what little she knew about dating, but her memories came up in vague flashes and blank spots. She hadn't been on a date before, and—as she understood it—hadn't really cared about dating. She remembered some of her old friends dated each other and—

And—?

'Um...?'

She couldn't remember anything more than that.

Kurama was silent, but Miwa could feel echoes of disdain rolling off her friend.

'Is Gon in danger? D-Do I need to kill her?'

She hadn't considered Palm a danger before. She was weaker than anyone they had faced, and so Miwa knew Gon and Killua could handle her in a fight. The woman rarely even talked to any of them, preferring to watch them in the shadows of the kitchen.

Although Gon had made it a point to block Miwa from attacking Palm, if Kurama told her that Palm was a threat to Gon Miwa would go straight for the throat.

At the moment, the woman was only shakily holding a knife—which Miwa thought was very rude—at Gon and had asked him on a date.

Somehow, one of those two facts made Kurama uncomfortable.

Why?

"Okay," Gon agreed.

"Huh?!" Killua's head whipped around as he stared at Gon in disbelief. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?!"

"Yeah, but I did say I'd do anything," Gon retorted.

Killua glared at Palm. "And you have no problem playing dirty like this?!"

"That's none of your business," Palm snapped. "It's our problem. It's up to the two of us. Don't interrupt us!" Her voice turned shrill. "This is something the two of us must decide alone! Just be quiet. We're going out now. There's somewhere I really want to go."

Gon held up a hand. "Oh, sorry. I can't go out today."

"Eh?"

"Today, I have to train with Killua and Miwa. I know! You can train with us, Palm."

"Huh? What are you talking about? Didn't you say we'd go out?"

"Uh-huh."

"Then, why are they tagging along?" she snarled. "And why would we train?! This is a date! Our first date. The first date for us! The! First! Date!"

"But it isn't a date."

"Huh?!"

"We can have a proper date late, since it's our first date like you said," explained Gon.

Wow.

'Wow? What's wow?'

How would you react if it was Hisoka asking Gon—

'Hisoka's head would be on the ground.'

And why?

'Because he feels icky and sticky and gross. His gaze doesn't feel right when he looks at us.'

This lady may not be... invested like Hisoka, but—ehhh—err—ehhh...

'I don't understand?'

It's—er—well—

Miwa could feel Kurama flattening his ears, a clear sign he was flustered.

Why don't you—er—ask one of the other adults? It might be—er—the norm here... maybe... I hope not...

Gon continued without missing a beat, "I need time to prepare for it, too."

"Prepare? Prepare for what?"

"That's..." Gon smiled brightly, adding a note of teasing joy in his voice as he said, "a s-e-cret. You get to find out tomorrow."

"Oh... In that case..." Palm dropped her knife. "Okay. Really, if you'd explained first, I wouldn't have been so angry."

"Sorry, sorry. But I wanted to keep it a secret to surprise you!"

Palm covered her mouth with one of her hands, the picture perfect scene of a bashful maiden. If that bashful maiden looked like she belonged in a horror movie as one of the ghosts haunting the heroes. "You wanted to surprise me? Gosh..."

"Let's meet tomorrow at ten in the morning in front of the bulletin board."

"I'll be there!"

Wow...

'Please explain?'

Urrrk...

(≧ڡ≦*)

"You're amazing, Gon," said Killua.

The three of them had gone to a placed called a "gym" to train. After training in nen and sparring for so long, Miwa figured the boys wanted to do something more mindless. They chose to lift weights there. Miwa was relieved the gym had excellent ventilation so it didn't stink at all. She was worried when they described the place to her that it'd reek like Heaven's Arena bottom floors.

"Eh? What do you mean?" Gon cocked his head as he did bicep curls.

"Well, listening to you talk to Palm, you seemed used to this stuff," explained Killua.

"Really?"

Killua frowned thoughtfully. "I was wondering..."

"Mm?"

"Have you been on a date before?" asked Killua.

"Sure, I have," answered Gon. "Although most of them were with Mito."

Killua paused in his reps. "Oh, that makes sense—wait, who else was there?"

Gon smiled. "Oh, some of the fishing boats that stopped at Whale Island were full of women, some of whom only liked younger men—"

Kurama felt increasingly disturbed, his unease rolling off Miwa in waves of unsettled anxiety.

'Kurama?'

"—so I took them around the village and had them teach me things," Gon went on. "Women like that were called fanatics."

Please don't be the norm here. Please don't be the norm here. Please don't be the norm here—

Miwa was alarmed by Kurama's mantra and anxiety, 'Kurama?!'

"Have you been on a date, Killua?"

"Don't be stupid. I was an assassin for most of my life, I didn't have time for that. When I quit, I've only been with you and Miwa," snapped Killua.

"Hmm... true. What about you, Miwa?"

Miwa shook her head. "Uh-uh. But it sounds like something fun, so I'd like to!"

NO.

'What?!'

"Then why not go on one with Killua tomorrow?" asked Gon.

It took a moment to process what Gon had said because Kurama was apparently having a bit of a meltdown.

"W—"

NO. NO. NO. This is NOT okay.

Miwa frowned, wincing at how loud Kurama had gotten. "Um... I can't—I can't—um—think right now. I have a headache, I'm going to go lay down."

"Boo."

"Very much boo."

(≧ڡ≦*)

Kurama encouraged Miwa to send out a quick text.

He wanted confirmation on something fast.

To: Chrollo, Feitan, Nobunaga, Shalnark

[Formed Group Message with Chrollo, Feitan, Nobunaga, Shalanrk]

Message [Miwa]: Hi hi! Quick question.

Message [Miwa]: Is it normal for an adult to date a child?

Message [Shalnark]: lol is that a joke

Message [Shalnark]: ik u like Feitan but u can do so much better

Message [Miwa]: (°□°）

Message [Miwa]: .

Message [Miwa]: !

Message [Miwa]: n

Message [Miwa]: no no!

Message [Miwa]: different adult asked

Message [Shalnark]: hahaha that's a dead adult

Message [Nobunaga]: AN ADULT ASKED YOU OUT?!

Message [Feitan]: Name?

Message [Shalnark]: lolololol

Message [Shalnark]: someone get the coroner rdy lololol

Message [Chrollo]: Come here.

Message [Miwa]: I

Message [Chrollo]: Now.

'Uwah... they seem angry,' Miwa thought uneasy.

That's a relief.

'Why?!'

With great trepidation, Miwa teleported to Chrollo.

The Phantom Troupe leader was in Soleil, dozens of explosive tags drawn around him. He had apparently been in the middle of creating even more tags. He and Feitan were using Miwa's office.

Chrollo did not look up as he carefully drew the fūinjutsu seals. "Explain."

Miwa took a deep breath and retold the day's events.

Feitan clicked his tongue. "Is that all?"

"Yes?"

"In answering to your question then—no," said Chrollo. "Age of consent in most countries is sixteen, and romantic relationships between those under the age of consent and those over it are illegal." Chrollo paused in his brush stroke. "Being a Hunter, however, instantly boosts anyone over the age of consent, regardless of how physically old they are."

Similar to an ANBU status, then.

Being illegal didn't really explain why it bothered Kurama so much. He didn't care about laws. He felt her confusion, and shifted uncomfortably.

You didn't—after you lost—after that incident—you—er—education in this area was lacking for you, he hesitantly started to explain. There's a reason why you feel uncomfortable around that clown.

'Besides being a masochist?'

Masochism is a little bit more than—er—

'More than what? Being weirdly happy to get beaten up?'

Yes.

For a brief moment, Miwa was reminded of another memory.

She sat in front of the man with long, spiky white hair. He was writing in his notebook, sitting atop a man he had beaten to a state of unconscious.

Miwa had been fighting the man previously. She wasn't supposed to kill him—he was a bounty to be brought back—but suddenly her mentor had intervened.

"Why did you do that?" she asked in confusion.

"Fucking masochists," he grumbled. "Never, ever, fight them."

"What's that?"

"Weirdos who like to get beaten up by cute little girls. They're sick. Keep away from them—"

"I don't understand—"

"You don't need to! You're too young anyway! Just promise to stay away from them."

The memory tingled in Miwa's head. It was one of her earlier memories.

'What? What more could there be—'

Hrrrrrrrrk.

"Sit," said Chrollo.

Miwa promptly sat on the floor.

"You are confused," he observed.

"Extremely," she said.

"Ask and I'll answer," he said. "As best I can."

"I'm leaving," Feitan muttered before he promptly left the room.

(≧ڡ≦*)

The following morning, Miwa laid in bed as Gon and Killua cuddled with her. She stared up at the ceiling, her mind mulling over the unexpected lessons she had been given yesterday.

She knew, intellectually, how the reproductive system worked.

But she didn't really... think about it?

She didn't even think about the steps leading up to courtship. She knew... she knew people dated but she didn't really think... how? Why? The steps...?

Her face felt hot as she remembered how blasé Chrollo was. He certainly answered every single question that popped up in Miwa's head, and he did so without batting an eye or appearing bothered. He was a textbook, reciting every answer in a monotone voice as he meticulously continued to craft explosive tags. Even when Miwa's ears burned and she stumbled over her words, the Phantom Troupe leader was entirely unaffected.

Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, her stomach somersaulting as the information churned in her mind. She had been so unnerved by the abundance of information she hadn't even sent out clones to the ants that night, or in the morning. She was still processing.

It was hard to... digest. It made her feel a very weird combination of nervousness and excitement. Especially when she thought about—

Thought about—

About—

'Relationships are weird.'

Yes.

She patted Killua and Gon who were sleeping so cutely beside her.

If she were to date...?

Her face felt hotter by the second. Butterflies swarmed inside her, making her feel simultaneously queasy and light. Miwa had never been the nervous type before, but lo and behold, she certainly felt nervous that morning.

Maybe even a little scared.

Killua was the first to wake up. He opened his eyes, then sat up, rubbing at them.

"Good morning," he mumbled, not yet looking at her.

"Good morning," she weakly returned.

Their soft voices woke up Gon, who let out a small grumble and curled further into Miwa's side. He body hugged her while Killua got out of bed.

Miwa was acutely aware of how warm Gon felt cuddling with her.

"Gon, you better wake up otherwise you'll be late," warned Killua when he noticed the time.

"Meh..." Gon sighed, sitting up. He noticed Miwa's complexion and said, "You seem a little sick, are you okay?"

Miwa wished her face would stop feeling so dang hot. "I'm fine, I just—um—kinda had my mind blown yesterday."

Gon nodded. "Sometimes I feel like steam comes outta my ears when I get bombarded with a lot of information. Did you learn something new?"

"I think it'd be more accurate to say I just didn't think too hard about certain things, and now I am. Like why the sky is blue, how babies are made—"

Killua did a double take. "You didn't know—?"

"I had a general idea," she retorted quickly, her ears burning. "Like I know biology. I just... didn't think about it? Why is the sky blue anyway—?"

"It's a reflection of the ocean," answered Killua.

"That's neat," said Gon. "Welp! I'm off to go on my date."

"Gon—" Miwa sat up suddenly.

"Yeah?"

Miwa leaned forward and sniffed Gon's neck to commit how he smelled that morning to memory. "If I smell Palm anywhere she shouldn't be, I will kill her."

Gon patted Miwa's head. "Awww. Okay, bye-bye!"

"Bye-bye," she said. As Gon headed out of the bed to get ready, Miwa started to massage her cheeks in hopes her face wouldn't feel so unreasonably warm.

'That's it. I'm just not gonna think about it anymore. Whatever happens, happens!'

You're going to be passive?

'Thinking about it makes me feel—feel—um—it's distracting. I have better things to do. Like playing with ants!'

For the briefest moments, she thought she heard Kurama rumble in a way reminiscent of a purr.

When Gon left, Killua threw a hat on and looked over at Miwa who was still struggling with her blush. Killua approached her, leaning down to press his forehead against hers.

'OH NO.'

Miwa squeaked, her body burning up. Her head felt like it was starting to spin as her heart thumped painfully loud in her chest. It was one thing to cuddle into her side, but having a face so up close to her own made her think of—

"Maybe you are sick," said Killua, a note of concern in his voice. "Rest up, okay? I'll bring back some rice porridge."

"Hrrrk," she squawked. "I—I—I'm going to take a spa day!"

She teleported to the ocean, sprinted into the cold water, and effectively fled from those warm fuzzy feelings Killua and Gon made her feel.

'AHHHHHHHHHHHH!'

Snrrrrk... hehehe.

(≧ڡ≦*)

"I'm back!" Miwa chirped, teleporting to Killua and Gon. The spa day had drastically helped calm her down. Once she was relaxed enough, she indulged in some training. She became so absorbed in her tasks, she hadn't even realized it had grown dark outside. She figured Gon would be done with his date by that point, so she decided to teleport to him. "Ooo dinner!"

Gon and Killua were eating dinner at a small restaurant. It looked like they had ordered appetizers.

"Here," said Gon, holding up a piece of chip with dip on it. Miwa took a bite out of it. "Nummy?"

"Nummy," she agreed.

"Take a seat," said Killua, patting the chair between them. "We ordered food for you. Although you didn't answer your phone earlier—"

"Oh. I must have left it back in the room, I'm sorry." Miwa scratched her cheek. "Gon, how was your date?"

"Meh," he said as Miwa leaned over to sniff him. "Don't worry, nothing happened."

"Mm." Miwa glanced over at Killua who was covered in scratches. "Killua why are you scratched up?"

"Training got out of hand," he said vaguely, resting his chin on his palm. Gon scooted over a drink with a bendy-straw to Miwa. She took a big gulp out of it, savoring its bubbly texture and sweet taste. Killua coolly assessed her. "You still want to do that date thing?"

Miwa choked on her drink as her face grew hot. In a weak squeaky voice, she kind-of-sorta-maybe whimpered in fear, "Uh-huh?"

"Then do y—" Killua's face turned red. "Never mind."

Miwa glanced away, fanning at her face to cool it back down. "Okay?"

Gon glanced at Miwa, then at Killua. He had a look of pity in his eyes when he stared at them. Killua noticed and promptly pinched his cheeks. "Shut up."

"Ow, ow, ow! I didn't say anything—!"

"You wanted to!"

"Well now that you ment—OW, OW, OW—KILLUA PLEASE—!"

(≧ڡ≦*)

The Palm thing was funny to watch as a child, but not so much as an adult. I know it's not meant to be taken seriously by the author, so here is my compromise.

Poor Miwa. ;-;

Answer: Magical fox with wings for national animal & some type of croquembouche-esque dessert for national food.

Question: Your land has been given a magical Deues Ex Machima item to guard from Evil Doers. What is the item & what does it do?

I know some of y'all are getting concerned about these questions. Shhh it'll be okay, almost done. :)

Reviews are love!