Hunters X and X Heroes

Three-Ring X Circus

   "We're being followed."

   There was no show of worry or hurry on the boy's face or posture; his hands were buried in his pockets, like they almost always were, and he stared out into the passing crowds casually. The tanned boy next to him however, though generally calm seemed anxious- or was it curiosity? His expression was always changing, but it was clear that he was already aware.

   "You're pretty good," Jen noted with an amused grin, but it faded completely with his next statement, "But so are they. They aren't just some pickpockets."

   "There's more than one?" Killua asked, nonchalantly standing still for a moment, pretending that he dropped something.

   Jen stayed with him and laughed, as if he were making fun for the boy for being clumsy, "I can't tell. But it's safer to assume there's always more than one."

   "But no more than three," Gon brought up suddenly- he remembered from Yorknew, "Rukei said that the Zakuya never trails targets in groups bigger than the ones they're following."

   Walking ahead without glancing behind him, the white-haired boy stood up again,  "Can we be sure it's the Zakuya?"

   "Well, I do make a lot of enemies," Jen grumbled, rubbing the back of his head as he racked his brain, "How about you, Killua Zoldyck?"

   Killua shut his eyes, it seemed like it was out of annoyance but he was trying to sense for their presence. "That's also entirely possible."

   "I thought so," the man nodded to himself, before saying 'sorry' to someone he bumped into, which was a good excuse to look behind him. For a moment, he caught a blur that leaped from one crammed building to another, "Well, it's more likely to be the Zakuya in this situation, so let's go with that."

   "So they're after you?" Gon questioned. He too, could catch the slight fluttering of blankets left out to dry, blowing in the direction opposite to which the wind was blowing. Someone had just darted across from that balcony with an unnatural swiftness.

   "Probably," Jen answered, "Do you wanna split up?"

   "If there's more than one of them, then there's no point," Killua pointed out quickly, before Jen could step away from the group, "Do you think we can draw them out?"

   Jen gave them a simple shake of his head and a shrug, "Not without looking really suspicious. Or splitting up."

   "So in the end, we have to split up," the white-haired boy concluded reluctantly, "Alright. Got a step two to that plan?"

   By the unusual pondering look the man had on his face, Killua guessed that Jen hadn't thought that far. The man gave an unhelpful, carefree question along with his sloppy grin. "Can't we just wing it?"

   "Of course not!"

   Jen sighed exhaustedly- he couldn't think this hard! The man glanced over to both of the boys, giving him a half-baked solution, "Uh, how about you two turn right at the next crosswalk, and I'll go left. Count to about a minute, and then try coming back."

   Normally, the white-haired boy would have called out the flimsy plan, but it had worked in Greed Island, so it should work fine here, right?

   But then, it was Bisky. Their teacher. Now, Killua glanced to the man with a very unreliable look on his face, it was Jen.

   "Okay," Killua let out a vexed breath, "What kind of Nen abilities do you have?"

   The look on Jen's face was the most baffled, perplexed look he had seen in a while, like he had completely forgotten what had happened back in the colosseum so long ago. "Nen abilities?"