𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐄 𝐌𝐄 𝘬. 𝘻𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘺𝘤𝘬

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐰𝐨

Y/N POV

We burst from the portal to get to the stairs when we're stopped by a giant devil-like figure. A Royal Guard. 

My jaw drops. We aren't supposed to encounter anyone for another few hundred yards, so why is one only a couple feet in front of us?

Pushing my independent thoughts to the back of my brain, I flip a switch and bring out my wise and critical thinking. We get in position to fight Youpi, when, out of the blue, balls of fire rain down from the roof. I stand still for a moment, then remember Knuckle and Meloron. If they were hit, would we ever find them? 

I rush to fight Youpi, following Gon and Killua, when someone punches Youpi. It's Knuckle. I run past him as he motions for us that he got Youpi.

"We need to find Shaiapouf!" I yell to Morel so he hears me over the sound of the meteors flying into the ground. He nods and we separate. 

I run through the rooms, searching, when I feel a deadly aura. Following it, I see a man with skin a beautiful shade of green. He's holding a woman. "Komugi?" I whisper. I stare at the man. He turns to me, and his aura gets darker. Instantly, I recognize who he is. The Chimera Ant King. The difference between our powers is insurmountable, and I shiver but don't back down. 

"Get away from her!" I shout, slowly inching closer to them. "Why would you hurt her? She's blind and you're being cruel."

The man fixes me with a glare. "Do you know her?"

"Yes; she's my friend."

"Y . . . Y/N?" Komugi murmurs. 

"Komugi!" 

Komugi passes out and I uncap my bloodlust. "If you take another bite of her," I snarl. "I don't-"

Pitou appears in the doorway behind me and I whip around. 

"I wasn't the one who hurt her," the King growls. "Pitou. Heal her." 

I go quiet. A Chimera Ant with empathy?

Pitou jumps over and summons someone named Doctor Blythe. She starts to heal Komugi. 

The King ignores me, turning to the two new people in the doorway. Grandpa Netero and another old man with white hair frighteningly similar to Killua's. Netero nudges his head and I nod, jumping to the window Pitou was at and leaping out. I need to find Shaiapouf.

Running through the halls, I can't find him. When I turn into the throne room, though, I see him facing against Morel. I come up behind the burly man, letting him know I'm here. 

"I'm taking the lead, Y/N. I don't want him knowing about your powers," Morel instructs. "I'm going to distract him. When you see an opening, that's when you attack."

Morel activates his Nen and using Smoky Jail, he traps Pouf inside. I can't find an opening, but I watch as throughout the fight, more and more tears appear in Pouf's eyes. 

Pouf wipes away his tears and starts to talk to himself. I keep quiet, watching as he changes size back to his regular self. Still, he flits around and even with my wings, I know I can't catch up to him. I stay back, letting Morel's shadows surround me. With the smoke and my usage of Zetsu, Pouf never notices me. 

Pouf starts to laugh and encases himself in a self cocoon. There are glowing orbs of yellow inside the cocoon that float through the smoke. Still, they don't see me. After a trip around the smoky jail, it moves back to Morel. 

We stay here for some time when, without warning, Morel suddenly lifts his pipe. I duck, and he slams it into the cocoon. Strips of the slimy substance float to the floor. Morel removes the Smoky Jail, and I see Pouf standing outside in shock. But he quickly recovers and splits himself up into tiny particles of miniature Shaiapoufs. 

I grab one out of the air. It looks at me in shock before wriggling out of my hands. In a high pitched voice, it screams, "You've just revealed yourself. But, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" He keeps thanking us as millions of him fly away. Suddenly, they turn back and grab Morel's pipe, quickly flying away again.

I jump up, unfurling my dark wings. I climb the skies, making sure to stay above Shaiapouf. With Zetsu on and clouds glide around my body, he never notices. I watch as he goes to a nearby cliff and drops the pipe down. He watches it splash into the ocean before flying away. As soon as he's gone, I dive into the ocean. Before I hit the water, I change out of my dark form into my regular one. Moments later, I feel the water slide over my body and my temperature drops. My fingers wrap around the pipe and I drag it to the surface. Breaking free from the sea, I crawl onto a boulder jutting out. I wring my hair and turn the large pipe outside down to release the water stuck in its cavity. Then I transform dark again and start my flight back to the castle. 

The air is cold around me, making me shiver. When I land back down in the throne room, I see smoke filtering out still. Landing, I see Morel notice me and run over. 

"Thank you!" Morel grabs the pipe from me and starts rubbing it down.

"Can you still use it?" 

"No. It needs to be fully dry. But if I attempt to dry it, it'll dry faster. In all honesty, I'm just glad that I didn't lose it." 

"Well, that's better than nothing." I go back to my regular self. "I'm going to go and find Pouf. Be careful."

"Same with you." He starts taking his shirt off to wipe down the pipe. 

I find Pouf in the room with Pitou, Gon, and Komugi. 

"Stop!" I hear someone scream. Pitou. "Stop, Pouf and Komugi's friend! Please," she turns to Gon, hands clasped together, her face drawn tight. "I swear, they won't bother us. Please let me continue." 

Pouf starts to question Pitou, and Pitou told us what had happened. 

A Chimera Ant, in love with a human? All along, I've been told they are heartless creatures. But here they are, with Pitou showing human like loyalty to the king, while he displays love for a human.