Hey, guys, this is my first ever fanfic! Bear with me, I'm new at this. HunterXHunter has always been one of my favorite mangas, because it's so creative and I love all the different powers. So, I decided to write this- a multi-chapter story based on the arena where Gon and Killua went to challenge Hisoka. It's set 20 years in the future, and the world has gone down the drain- York New is rampant with mafia violence, and people love nothing more than to see a good killing. 15 year old Taki Lodoro is trying to find the person who killed his mother, whom he hears is the champion of the top floor. Taki knows nothing about him or her, so he must use his knowledge of nen and fighting ability to power his way through to the final floor….

of the Heavens Arena.

-

1. First Floor

Taki Lodoro walked down the busy streets of Yorknew City and couldn't help but stare at his destination.

"Wow," he said, "The Heavens Arena… It's bigger than I'd ever imagined." He remembered that on the way here he read a news article on it, saying that it was the fourth largest in the world. It was huge, and intimidating. 251 stories, 251 opponents. "251 long elevator rides, too," he thought.

The building was made of sleek, white metal, and the roof was made of diamond- like glass. It looked like it truly went to the Heavens. One side of the building was designed specifically for spectators- the other, competitors. "That's where I'm heading," he said aloud. A man walking down the street turned to look at him. Taki was oblivious, though, and continued toward the tower. "Hey, kid! You're not going where I think you're going, right?" the man said. "The Heavens Arena? Yeah, why? Think they won't let me compete because of my age?" Taki replied. The man looked confused, and chuckled to himself. "Kid, you're gonna get killed. The judges don't step in to stop risky matches anymore, or score points faster. In fact, they encourage the opponents to kill eachother. You go up against someone who don't have an ethics- and trust me, there are a lotta them in that hellhole- you're dead. Listen, if you're low on money I can get you a ticket h-"

Taki cut the man off then. "Is your mother dead because an assassin wanted some quick cash? No. I can take care of myself."

The man turned away and tried to think of some way to talk this kid, who knew nothing about what he was going to get himself into, out of a death wish.

"Listen ki-"

But he was gone.

"Great… well, who knows, maybe he's as good as he says he is… "the man said, going his way down the street. "Hopefully he'll survive long enough to get out while he can."

"Nobody understands anything about me… I have no one left…"

A lonely voice accompanied by a sudden burst of rain. Taki continued to walk, frustrated, down toward the terrific building where he would settle past disputes once and for all.

When he finally arrived, he was greeted by an unpleasantly cheerful face. A receptionist with pink hair, a bright red dress, and with a headset that made her look like a popstar.

"Hello! Are you here to find a parent/ guardian/ other form of love and safety? If their name is on the list to the left of where I'm pointing, then they are either dead or in a better place. If not, please contact the arena supervisor- the number is 995-32---"

"… I'm here to participate." Taki said. His short black hair was like a bowl cut but curving underneath the ring around his head. He wore a dress shirt and black jeans with a patch of blue on the kneecaps, as well a cerulean headband that made his hair look like a dark truffle. His sparkling green eyes shined in the artificial light being made by the lamp above.

"Please sign up on this entry sheet, and place your name where required." The receptionist bubbled.

"Umm… okay. Thank you." Taki filled out the forms at lightning speed. When he went to school in his home country of Woodlent, his tests were timed, and at one point students were expected to complete a 400 problem math final in 2 minutes. Ever since their country was bombed by a lower-regional icy wasteland by the name of Stalagite, they were forced to excel in all areas to rebuild their name.

"Thank you. Walk into the arena and enjoy your first fight!"

"What?!" Taki said in surprise. "Already?!"

"Oh, you should be fine- It says here that you are 12 years old, so you will be fighting a 21 year old by the name of… Forandeh Gamesh? I have faith in you, don't walk away now, all will be calm, you'll win! ENDPROMPTVICTORYSP- oh, sorry, my data coding is acting up. Anyway, at the end of your match, you will be provided with a celebratory cake! Go out there and get them!" The receptionist was looking frazzled. It was almost midnight already, and there had probably been a lot of contestants today.

She must be an android reprogrammed to process contestants. I must have put too much on my form and sent her over the limit… I kinda feel bad, though.


Taki walked into the stadium, where he was greeted by thousands of spectators and bloodthirsty enthusiasts. He wasn't the only one on ground floor there, though. There were hundreds of mini- arenas, all on the same level. His challenger, a hefty man for someone so young, was standing in the very far left arena. He had dark, tan skin and wore only a loincloth. The man held a battleaxe in his left arm. He looked embarrassed when he saw Taki.

"Oh, come on," the man said, "Why, out of all the people I'm facing, I get a kid?!" He obviously wasn't very smart because apparently he didn't get how the fights were set up.

When Taki got into the ring, he became even more irritated that his thoughts were confirmed. "Listen, ya brat, if you don't run home to your momma, I'll kill you and rip you limb from limb!"

Taki became red in the face.

"Oh, whatsa matter? Don't like me talking about your mommy?! Oh, haha! Oh, that's funny! HAHA!"

Taki was infuriated now. It seemed like everyone didn't care about his past, or him in general. No one knew him, what he was going through, the intense loneliness he felt everyday.

"I wish I could rip that fat bitch by the seams. I'd lick your tears and watch you cry. I killed my mom when I was 5, everyone in my tribe does. That's all their good for, you know- reproducing and having strong men like m-"

His final words, a fatal mistake. While he was saying his enlightening speech, Taki threw a needle into the center of his stomach, attached to a thread. Years of making dolls for his brothers and sisters had influenced him to make his nen ability somewhat related. Taki spent 2 years in the jungles of NGL studying nen, learning on his own. He had heard of chimeras, and the legends were still chilling to the bone (note: world leaders tried to cover up the event after what happened in the country- the chimera threat was eventually wiped out), but he had no choice. His mom was long dead in the ground. Taki didn't believe in God. He didn't see anything of the sort in the world as it was. The fact that she was killed for a paycheck made him so mad, and he saw that his life was just a game to other people. Nobody really cared about him. So, he decided to enforce his life, to defend himself from all the evil in the world. He learned nen.

Taki is a manipulator- the ability to control objects or living things. In this case, he does both. By shooting a needle into a softspot or pressure point of the body, he can control the body parts of the person of choice. This is not his only technique, but the technique he uses the most. His headband is a custom- made visor that is imbued with nen so that he can see which body parts he is controlling. He has three options from here- rip the body part off, control the body part, or paralyze it. Out of mercy, the first one is hardly ever used.

Taki watched as the man's face changed from cockiness to terror as the battleaxe he was carrying rained down on his head. In the distance, an announcer told of the victory and the crowd started to cheer. Hospital workers ran to clean the mess up.

"Another day, another death… will the world ever change?"

Taki walked back to the lobby slowly. He knew his goal. He knew what he was fighting for. Though, he couldn't predict what lied ahead…

in the Heaven's Arena.

END CHAPTER 1.

Whew! That took a while to write. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it! Please, R&R, I really want some criticism on my first work. It helps me write when I know what to improve. I want to make this as readable as possible (heh.), otherwise- what's the point?! Thanks for reading!