Hunters X and X Heroes

Tomorrow's X Ally X Once X Again

   Rukei wasn't sure how far she ran or where her legs took her. She tried to convince herself that she cared- cared more about it than the fact that she abandoned her way out of this phase.

   The brunette lifted her eyes to the sky, like that place held her answer. She sighed, and too ashamed to keep her head up, she searched for the answer on the ground. What was she supposed to do now?

   It was hard to think with her mind in a mess, but she thought that running as fast as she could maybe released some of the pent up frustration she had. Apparently, it wasn't enough.

   She should at least backtrack her steps a little to know where she was, Rukei decided as she turned back around-

   How did she let him get so close?

   He froze with his knife readily gripped in his hand when she turned around. They stared at each other silently.

   Hardly unsettled that the child had caught him, the man smiled. "You're a really fast kid, y'know. But it doesn't matter how fast you are. Did you know walking on softer soil leaves very obvious footprints?"

   Another failure. It's all because she was being foolish that she-!

   "Nothing personal, kid," he muttered as he lunged forward. Her body must have moved on its own, because her mind certainly didn't register twisting the knife out of his hand and throwing him down. Her gun was in her hand, and the man was unconscious, so she guessed that she hit him with the end of her weapon.

   What was Rukei supposed to do with him? She set the gun back in its holster, staring down at the body. He wasn't her target, so he'd be-

   No, he wasn't worthless! The girl quickly knelt down upon the revelation, sorting through the man's things. All she had to do was collect other tags that amounted to the necessary points! Yes, this was also a logical course of action, she told herself.

   Yes, because going after two other targets whose locations she had no idea, and whose abilities she were unaware of, and whose worth were significantly less was definitely the more logical course of action in this situation.

   But Rukei refused admit that.

-

   For someone unlucky enough to draw her friend's tag number, the girl had come across an incredible stroke of luck! She resisted smiling while she hung upside down, her ankle ensnared in the loop of vine.

   "You have two tags on you?" Rukei repeated, interrupting the man's gloating that he had only one more tag to go, having no idea who his target was.

   He didn't know why he replied but hesitantly he did, wondering why she looked so happy in this kind of situation. Not only could she lose her tags, she could lose her life-

   The girl was no longer in his sight, the trap was empty, and very shortly afterwards, he was asleep.

   Rukei almost began humming as she rummaged through the man's bag, finding the two tags hidden between the folds of an extra set of clothes. She probably would have, had not someone called out to her.

   "You have six points now?"

   At first she jolted, but the nonchalant, familiar tones of the boy's voice let her calm down. She turned to the boy after placing the tags in her bag with a sort of cheer that lit her tone and movement. "Yes. And you?"

   "I'm done, of course," Killua replied, folding his hands behind head as she headed over to him, "What are you going to do now?"

   "Camp somewhere for a few days most likely," Rukei supposed as she headed off in a decided direction, "And you?"