Hey, minna! Ok... So not only this book is about to reach 3 k, but I also have over 100 followers?! AHHHH!!! I never thought I could ever get that much, unless of course I just go on a following spree and a fraction of them decided to follow back. A lot of you guys chose to follow me because you really like this book, or just want to be friends, and that makes me happy. So thanks you guys. I hope ya'll are excited for this chapter because this chapter gets more exciting, not promising anything though. School is getting more and more busy, but I just love writing so much, as well as I love all of you lovely readers. Speaking of which, this chapter is dedicated to @Akira_Potter. Keep your head up and keep doing your best, girl! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Don't forget to tell me what you think. Remember, stay awesome!

(Yuki's POV)

My foot rested on the car floor after exhausting itself from vigorously tapping for so long. While that foot took a break, my other took the liberty to channel my anxiety. I periodically checked my phone to make sure that we would make it on time. Every minute that has passed was a minute closer to Rin's doom. I felt hopeless that all I could do was hold on to the hope that the stranger would keep his word on not harming Rin until we get there.

As I bit my lips, a hand smoothly stroke mine.

"It's gonna be all right, Yuki," Killua cooed. When he spoke and touched me, for some reason I was startled because I forgot he was there. He was so quiet that I didn't even notice his presence. The anxiety must be getting over my head. "Gon and I are here for you." I turned away from the window to look at his eyes. I had every reason to worry my butt off right now, but for some reason, just by looking into his eyes made me believe him. He was even smiling, which brought back a little comfort in me.

"We're here," Ikalgo announced.

I checked through the window. On the other side of the glass stood a four storied white building with several marble columns up front, sitting at the top of a hill of white steps.

We made it to our destination, yet Ikalgo kept driving without slowing down even after we passed it.

"Hey, why aren't we stopping?" I asked anxiously.

"It's best if we park the car farther away from sight," Killua replied. "If the kidnapper saw you getting out of a car without Alluka, but with two others, then that would raise suspicion."

"Oh, yeah. You're right." I was surprised at how much thought he had put into it.

Ikalgo turned right of the curb of the building, then drove down two more blocks before making another turn. After he parked and turned off the engine, I opened the car door and hopped off, with Killua following me.

"Okay, so what's the plan?" I asked.

Gon accompanied us after coming from the back. Then Killua began to explain. "We are going inside to save Rin," he said as he gestured to himself and Gon, then pointed his index finger at me. "While you wait in the van with Ikalgo."

"Not this again," I groaned. It was like Killua had zero faith in me. I understood Killua wanted to keep me safe, but he also needed to understand that this was too important to me to just sit back and wait. All we had to do was sneak in, grab Rin, and go, with Killua and Gon doing a little fighting if necessary. If anything, I wanted to be as much help in this operation as I can.

"Don't underestimate the situation, Yuki," Killua told me with a stern look. It was almost as if he was reading my mind. "When we passed that building earlier, I sensed two people in there, both of them strong Nen users."

"Really?" I was shocked that Killua was able to do that in the car from that distance as we drove by it. I had almost forgotten that Nen users could sense other people's Nen. "So they're even stronger than you?"

I was hoping for Killua and Gon to boast about their Nen being stronger than what we're up against, but instead they gave a cold look as they stared off into space.

"Yes..." Gon being the one able to answer. This suddenly made my courage depleted. If Gon and Killua were anxious about our awaited enemy, then this could be a major problem.

"Now you understand the situation," Killua said, looking back up at me. "It's even dangerous for us to go in there, so you have to stay here."

As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I have no fighting skills or experience whatsoever, so I wouldn't even stand a chance against a Nen user, let alone two. I would just get in their way if they had to end up saving me. I wanted to yell out how frustrated I was for not being able to do anything, but I calmly held it back. "Okay," I was all I could get out, turning back to the passenger seat door with my head hung over.

"Ikalgo, watch over her," Killua instructed to his aquatic friend sitting on the driver's seat.

"Don't worry, Killua. I'll take care of her," he said this as he saluted his friend with his right tentacle over his head. It felt a bit demeaning that the only thing that could protect me was an octopus, but I guess it was better than nothing.

"All right." He and Gon then turned the other way with eyes of fiery determination. "Gon, let's go!" As soon as they both took one step, they disappeared in a blink of an eye, a brief breeze passing through after a second went by.

I blinked my eyes to adjust what had happened. Either they teleported, or they moved in super speed. I didn't even think that kind of speed for a human was possible. So this was the strength of Hunters, and the bad people inside are supposed to be stronger than them. This made me worry even more.

***
(Killua's POV)

Gon and I dashed toward the back entrance of the symphony hall as quickly and quietly as we could, stopping right behind the door.

"Killua," Gon whispered next to me. "Yuki still doesn't understand the whole situation, doesn't she. You didn't tell her about Illumi?"

I ignored him as I focused on hacking the security lock. I hovered my finger over the keypad, an arching string of electricity digging into the creases of the buttons. The box silently beeped from red to green, causing a clicking noise from the other side of the door.

"Killua, is there something you haven't told Yuki yet?" Gon pressed on with suspicion. It was irritating me that I couldn't think straight with him asking me questions he should already know the answers to.

"What good will it do for her to know?" I snapped in a hush. "What she doesn't know won't hurt her. It won't matter, so why tell her? We can talk about this later." I pushed the door open and waltzed in without even inspecting the inside of the dark room first. For all I know, the room was filled with stacked wooden crates, costumes on hangers, and dust flying in the air.

"It's just that you never cared about what people think about you before. Now that you're afraid about telling her the truth, it just means how much you really care about her."

I paused my footsteps as I let Gon's words sink in. Afraid? Was I afraid? Could that be the reason why it was always so difficult to tell her? The fear of being judged, rejected, abandoned, or even betrayed. If it was by her, I feel like I wouldn't be able to take it. Just the thought made me think this was what big brother would say to me. I shook the memories out of my head. Despite my insecurity, I do care about Yuki more than I might even know. Heck, I wouldn't even have said I liked her if I didn't.

When I turned to look at Gon, he was grinning at me with that usual wide, cheesy smile. Gon has always seen the best of me when I couldn't. I let out a light chuckle. "Since when have you become a love expert?"

"Gee-hee."

"All right. Time to find Rin."

It took me a long time of practice and concentration, but I was finally able to master my En. Normally, a person's Ren can only envelope a small amount of aura around them, but by combining the properties of both Ren and Ten, I was able to expand that aura space, and use it to sense any movement of objects within the range. Although I could only now expand it for 30 meters, I can still use it in a minimum at a place like this to find anyone in the building.

With my mind cleared and senses opened, I unleashed my aura to activate my En. It felt like standing in a viscous space of gas, feeling all other objects caught in the range. The first person caught in my spiritual atmosphere was a man at least ten meters from our position. I would most likely say that it's Illumi, but for some reason, it didn't feel like him, but of someone familiar, like I've sensed this sort of emotion before.

The second perpetrator was absent, but I was able to pick up a third body which was that of a child's, motionless, but still alive. This was probably Rin unconscious.

After scanning the neighboring area for three seconds, I switched off my En, already feeling a bit of my energy drained out of me. "Found him," I said.

Inside the room were no windows, only two doors. The one we came in, and the one we would proceed. "Let's go."

As Gon and I walked down the hallway to the path that would lead us straight to Rin, we kept our stealth in checked while maintaining our Hatsu, hiding our presence. What worries me was that the stranger I found in the building was standing between us and Yuki's brother. I would continue using En to keep track of where he is if I could, but that would spend too much of my energy. We'd either find another way around him, or fight our way through.

"Yo!" The silence broke when someone's voice casually spoke behind us. At the moment I heard that voice, my confidence depleted as my fear raised higher, not because we were caught, but because I recognized that voice. I'd recognize that voice from anywhere. As I slowly creeped my head around, I noticed Gon having probably the same reaction as me. Of course, he would never forget that voice either.

At the end of the hall from which we came through was the joker.

"It's been a while," he raised his hand up with happy greetings.

"H-Hisoka?!" Gon stuttered in surprise.

There was no doubt that it's wasn't the Hisoka we know. The same Hunter with pink hair, and a pink star tattoo under one eye, and an inked tear drop under the other.

That would explain why the aura I felt earlier was so strong and familiar, but it still didn't add up. "What are you doing here?" I interrogated. His mouth curled into that sly grim of his. He didn't answer, so I continued questioning him, trying my best to hide my intimidation. "Were you the one who kidnapped Rin and called Yuki here?"

Hisoka gave a lowly chuckle. "I've done no such thing. However, I'm glad to see both of you together. Now that we're in the same place..." With a snap of his wrist, a card appeared between two of his fingers. "Let's see how much you boys have matured."

This wasn't good. I wasn't expecting to meet Hisoka here. Even years ago, Hisoka was way stronger than Gon and I. Just imagine how much stronger he has gotten now.

A bead of sweat dropped down from my forehead. My heart began racing faster, but I tried to keep myself calm as I processed the situation. It couldn't be a coincidence that Hisoka was here at the exact same place and time Gon and I would be here unless he was either the caller or working with the caller. I was sure that it was Illumi who set it up, unless...

My throat almost hitched when I came to a realization. Gon and I sensed three bodies in this building. One of them must've been Illumi, but I couldn't find him. He must be outside of the building, which could possibly mean...

"Yuki..." I whispered. It slipped out of my mouth without me knowing. While Gon and I were here to rescue Rin, Illumi would go after Yuki. He wasn't after Alluka. He was planning on using Yuki against me.

As I took a step back, a thin card struck the floor board only centimeters away from the foot that just moved.

"You're not going anywhere," Hisoka said as he licked his lips, looking at us with hunger for a fight.

Dang it! The pieces were starting to come together now. Hisoka is working with big brother, and he's here to keep us occupied while Illumi continues to play around with us in his fingers.

I was a fool to bring Yuki all this way here. Illumi could be getting to her now as we speak.

How do we get passed this obstacle though? Could it be possible for both me and Gon to defeat Hisoka? Maybe we should split up, one of us keep Hisoka occupied while the other race against Illumi. No, I wouldn't leave Gon alone with such an incredibly strong foe. That would almost mean leaving him to die. I couldn't also let him take on Illumi, and if I were to confront big brother after all these years, I don't know what I would do. Just the thought of possibly defying him gave me a rush of fear and adrenaline. Never in my life I could remember fighting him, let alone winning against him. What on earth are we supposed to do? What should we choose?

At the moment before I reached the peak of panic, a light hand touched my shoulder. I turned for my eyes to meet Gon's. "Killua, we're in this together," he said with his eyes of pure sincereness.

It was then I realized that I was mentally freaking out so much that I didn't even know that my own aura was rushing out of me, expressing my anxiety. When I calmed down, the energy flowing out of me died down. I took a deep breath, then showed a smile to my friend.

"Thanks Gon." That's right. As long as I have Gon with me, nothing can stop us. Gon has always been there in my time of need. He has been my light in my darkest times. I almost forgot that. With Illumi returning in my life all of a sudden, I felt like I was reverting back to my old self; an assassin who analyzes the target before deciding to flee if he couldn't stand a chance. I'm not like that anymore. For now on, if a friend ever needed me, I would do whatever it takes to help them. Yuki might need me soon, so we we better finish off Hisoka quick.

"Feeling better now?" Gon asked, returning the smile.

"Yeah," I replied. "Ready?"

Gon gave a nod, then faced the opponent with a serious look.

Hisoka, who hasn't moved an inch, protruded his arm forward, Hisoka's fingers motioning back and forth, yelling us to make the first move.

With that kind of permission, Gon and I simultaneously sprinted forward, our Ren blazing out of our bodies like fire. When we zoomed right in front of him, Gon swung his leg around to kick him on the head. Hisoka ducked, which was what I was hoping for. I balled my hand into a fist to bring it to his stomach, but before it made contact, Hisoka grabbed my fist at the same time of grabbing Gon's leg. His clutch squeezed tightly, then he spun around, spinning us in the air before tossing us to opposite sides of the walls. Both of us managed to land on our feet on the walls, however,  and pushed forward once more, leaving webs of cracks on the surface.

We gave kicks and threw punches left and right, tapping and grazing him a few times, but not actually causing any damage. He already gave Gon and I a few a number of punches. It still wasn't enough to keep us down.

As Gon side stepped quickly around Hisoka, I reached into my pockets and hooked my wrists through my yo-yos. It has been a long time since I've used them. Without him looking, I ran toward him while hurling one of my yo-yos toward the side of his cheek, the round aloid smoothly rolling across its string made of the same substance. Hisoka jerked his head backward, avoiding the attack. I didn't stop running until I leapt up to to kick him. As I swung my foot forward, Hisoka arched back while swinging his leg up and kicked me me on the side. It was a powerful kick that sent a hard pain in my hip, but I immediately turned over to throw the other yo-yo at him. In a blink of an eye, he flicked a card out of thin air and used it to deflect my yo-yo.

Once I landed on the ground, I took a leap back to catch my breath. My shoulders were already weary from all the punches I blocked. Gon was taking a brief break at his end as well, his shoulders moving up and down as he heaved, his face and hands tainted with bruises.

Hisoka waved his hand, flashing a full deck of playing cards as a fan. He shot them from his hands in all directions. As Gon dodged each individual flying paper, I coordinated my yo-yos as a shield to deflect them. Eventually, the cards either fell flimsily to the ground, or were sticking out of the ground or walls, pierced.

Ever since this battle started, I've been using my Gyo to see if Hisoka was going to use any hidden Nen tricks. He hasn't used his special ability of Bungee Gum yet. I hated how this cocky joker hasn't even relaxed his smile once. He was belittling us, still holding back from using his full strength and power. It irritated me that he wasn't fighting us seriously.

"Such an expression," he said with pleasure, eyeing back to back with me and Gon. Hisoka always loved fighting strong people, and lived by killing. But what really turns him on is the conviction of his opponents. Whether they're infuriated, or suffering. "I'm getting very excited now."

He w as raising his arms up, appearing to make a move. I wouldn't allow him to get the chance, not while I still had a few tricks up my sleeve. I hurled both of my yo-yos toward him, each one wrapping around each of his muscular arms tightly. Even with such a hard alloyed constricting his arm, his skin seemed so dense, like it didn't even hurt. Once the string finished twirling to the end, I sparked up some electricity and transmitted the charge through the alloyed wire to the other end. Thunder Bolt!

I watched as Hisoka lit up with electrical spiderwebs flashing around him. He held his position, trying to endure the pain. He gritted his teeth, trying to hold in any sounds of agony.

Once I thought it was enough, I turned off the generating power inside of me to see how he managed. Hisoka had his head down as smoke seeped out of his body. But then his shoulders began to shake as he gave a malice chuckle. He picked his head up, showing that occasional smile of his.

"Very good, Killua," he complimented. "But is that really enough damage you can inflict to slow me down?"

I gave a smirk, which caused him to frown for the first time. It's was probably a response he didn't expect. "Nope. I was just stalling to give Gon enough time to warm up."

When I said that, Hisoka was surprised when he turned around to see Gon already in his charging stance, his knees bent and feet apart, hands pulled back while in the middle of generating some powerful energy which engulfed his right fist. "... Paper..." he muttered, the bright yellow orb now twice its size, circulating the air around it.

Hisoka began to move, but I pulled his arms back as hard as I could. "Oh no you don't." With his arms restrained, he wouldn't be able to use Bungee Gum to create an elastic substance of Nen to slow down Gon's attack, let alone prevent it. He wouldn't be able to block it anyway with his back wide open.

Hisoka of course tried to resist, but I dug my heels in to prevent him from getting the best of me. He was incredibly strong though. I was glad that I grew taller, otherwise I would already be flying over his head. I couldn't hold on to him much longer, Gon has to hurry up and put everything he's got in that one punch.

Gon finally took his first step and thrusted his fist forward, gusts of dust dispersing in the area. "Rock!" His punch made a great impact against Hisoka's back. Splatters of blood escaped his lips as he gasped, his eyes widening as his back bended acutely to the force.

Hisoka finally stepped out of his original spot, now only being supported by one knee. I withdrew my weapons back in my hands as I waited for how Hisoka would react next. The silence seemed tense and firm until Hisoka broke it with his laughter.

He raised his head up and wiped the blood off of his smirk. "Excellent," he said. "You boys have gotten stronger." He slowly got back on both feet and began stretching, bending his back backward, forward, and sideways, listening his joints as a couple of bones cracked here and there. I still kept my guard up. "You boys pass."

"Huh?" Was Gon's response, suddenly as clueless as innocent.

"I was told to stall you as long as I liked. Now that I've tasted a nibble of your power, I can't wait to see the main course of your potential." A chill ran down my spine, feeling more creeped out vibes from him.

"Who told you?" I demanded from him. He turned to me.

"You'll find out once you save your friend. That is the reason why you're here, isn't it?"

My instinct told me to use my En again, just in case Rin was moved. I closed my eyes and expanded my aura in the area once again. This time, I picked up three individuals. Rin's body was in a lower level this time, on the same floor as us, probably underneath the stage of the auditorium. Two other bodies were right on top of him, face to face. One of them Illumi, and the other Yuki.

At the moment I sensed both of them, I turned off my En and opened my eyes. All of I sudden I grew angry. I told her to stay put. What the heck was Ikalgo thinking?

"Gon," I made eye contact with my friend. "Yuki's here as well."

"What?!" Gon exclaimed in shock.

"Well, it seems that you two have bigger problems to deal with, so let's pick up on our fight some other time." He then waved his hand in dismissal. "Bye!" In that instant, his body disappeared before our eyes, always disappearing in thin air like the magician he is.

"Oi, Hisoka!" Gon called out, as if that was going to bring him back.

"Gon," I began seriously. "You go get Rin and bring him back to the van. Stick with him while I go get Yuki."

"You sure you'll be okay on your own with Illumi?"

It would seem most likely that big brother has already told Yuki everything about me, with possibly some additional twist on words. It would be best if it was just me. "Yeah, I'll be all right. Just go."

Gon nodded. "Good luck." In a flash, he disappeared toward the direction of the stage faculty area.

I soon began running myself to get to the next level. Hang in there, Yuki. Don't do anything stupid yet. I'm on my way.

To Be Continued...