Apex Predator

Lammergeier VII

The following day the three friends were at a gym, lifting weights.

"Not that I don't like training at the gym," said Miwa, "but how come you both stopped training with your nen?"

"Eh? 'Cause mine got sealed," said Gon. "Ooo, did I forget to tell you?"

"Yes," she said. "What happened?"

"Knuckle's technique. It'll be sealed for thirty days."

"A whole month of no nen training?"

"Yeah," he sighed.

"Then..." Miwa tilted her head. "Could I see if I can purge it?"

Both boys looked at her in surprise.

"Yes," immediately said Gon.

"You didn't even ask for an expla—"

"Yes," he said again. "Purge me now."

Miwa smiled in amusement.

Miwa bit on her thumb, separating her physical energy from her spiritual energy to create nen. She channeled her nen through her arm, hand, and finally thumb until it coagulated atop the blood. The blood dripped upwards, defying gravity. It disappeared into the air, morphing into a shimmering golden-white butterfly. Three drops of blood for butterflies.

They fluttered about, slowly and gracefully moving to land on Gon's shoulder.

As soon as they touched Gon's shoulder, a mischievously adorable purple cat appeared on his shoulder. It would appear that the cat was the cause for suppressing Gon's nen. The butterflies moved to sit atop the cat, absorbing its energy into them.

There was the sound of a sigh as the cat completely disappeared along with the butterflies.

At once, Gon let out his nen. "Wow! All fixed up—thanks, Miwa!"

(≧ڡ≦*)

(Miwa's Clone)

The next time Miwa visited the ants, she was surprised that they were no longer at the nest. Rather, Miwa found they were somewhere in the forest. Miwa barely had time to process that fact until she noticed a fourth ant with them.

He was green, average-built, and had a thick striped tail with a pointer at the end. His purple eyes coldly assessed Miwa. He didn't have a strong smell, and whatever Miwa did smell from him, she couldn't identify. Even his nen core was ambiguous.

Blank, almost.

"Who is this?" the new ant coldly asked.

"A toy," said Neferpitō.

"An annoyance, my king," said Shaiapouf.

King?

"Friend," said Miwa, wondering if she ought to curtsy.

"You are not human," observed the king.

"Oh? You can tell right away?" the clone exclaimed. "Wow, you've got really good intuition. I'm a clone. When you kill me I go poof."

He promptly severed her head, so poof she went.

(≧ڡ≦*)

(Miwa)

Miwa blinked at the new memory, pausing mid-bite in her slice of pizza. She, Killua, and Gon were eating out at a pizza shop Gon found by chance.

'A king, huh. Hmm...'

More like a baby.

With the king now being born, Miwa had to wonder how the royal ants would change. Or would they at all?