Falcon groaned softly as his eyes snapped open. He pushed himself off the bed below him with an arm, getting a strange sense of deja vu as his head throbbed. His current situation was actually very much like when he had woken up in Meteor City alone all those years ago. Falcon frowned and sneered at himself. 5 years and back full-circle. In the end, he had gained nothing from his little excursion out of Meteor City. He had been a fool for wishing for something more, for friends and family.
This time though, he wasn't alone. The moment he managed to sit up in the bed and was glancing around the room he now recognised to be his room on the 200th floor, Machi exited the bathroom by the side, eyes immediately falling on him. Falcon glanced at her, memories immediately rushing back into his brain. Falcon mentally scoffed at himself for harbouring hope that he would be accepted once more. 5 years was more than enough time for the members to get over him, for him to be thrown away once more.
"Machi." Falcon greeted coldly as he glanced at the clock by his bed and swung his legs off the bed. His head was still pounding, making his mood worse. But, it was already 3.30 in the afternoon and he had a match at 4pm. He had no time to be lazing about and resting in bed. He could settle the problem of his past and his now fully returned memories later. Now, he just needed something to vent on, someone to beat up, someone to kill.
"Captain. Where are you going?" Machi asked hesitantly. Hisoka had already left a short while after Falcon had fainted and now, there were only the two of them in the room.
"I have a match." Falcon explained shortly as he pulled on his cloak, hiding the scarred remains of his torn off skin from view. Machi frowned as Falcon wore his shoes and moved towards the door.
"Why? Don't you have something else more important than a match?" Machi questioned. Falcon froze with his hands on the doorknob.
"...No." Falcon finally answered shortly. Machi strode forwards and stopped Falcon as he moved to open the door, looking into his eyes searchingly.
" What's wrong with you? Are you guilty? Scared?" Machi probed. Falcon's eyes flashed with anger as he shrugged Machi off.
"Keep quiet. I'm sure you remember what happens when I pass my limits." Falcon hissed warningly.
"Captain. Please. We've all been searching for you, waiting for you to come back. You're the spider's heart and you always will be no matter what happens. No one can live without a heart. A spider may live without its head but we need a heart to function properly." Machi said. Falcon paused as he struggled internally. Finally, he sighed.
"I'm not going to leave. In the end, my place will forever be with the Spiders. But, I still need to vent so I'm going to this match, no, this execution session." Falcon said as he left. This time, Machi didn't stop him and instead watched him go.
Falcon arrived just in time, just as the judge was about to announce his loss by default for not showing up. Falcon tapped his foot and waited impatiently as the judge went through all the rules once again. This time, as soon as the judge announced the beginning of the match, Falcon immediately dashed forwards and placed a hand around his opponent's neck. Falcon lifted his opponent up into the air as he kicked out futilely, strength diminishing with every second that passed by.
*Your right arm is broken, twisted in the opposite direction.* Falcon muttered, loud enough for the microphone on the nearby judge to pick up. In the next moment, his opponent's right arm bended, forcing itself to break and twist. Falcon's opponent let out a heart stopping cry of pain as the audience fell silent, stunned by the sudden display of cruelty. Falcon let his opponent go, dropping him to the ground where he curled in on himself, sobbing in pain.
"Is that all you have? Why don't you use Nen?" Falcon questioned in confusion, cocking his head to the side as he stared down at the figure on the ground at his feet. His opponent glared up at him, slowly pushing himself to his feet and clutching his right arm at the elbow with the other hand.
"I'll make you regret this." Nelvan hissed as he flared his Nen threateningly. Falcon's eyes gleamed in anticipation, waiting eagerly as a basketball materialised in front of Nelvan. Nelvan raised out his left hand, allowing the ball to drop onto his palm as his eyes narrowed at Falcon. Then, he threw the ball at Falcon who raised an eyebrow and caught it easily.
"Is that it? You materialise a ball and just thr-" Falcon stopped mid-sentence as the basketball suddenly increased in weight in his hand, weighing his hand down. Falcon glanced at the ball in his hand, watching with a bemused smirk when the basketball suddenly deflated and wrapped around his arm like a bracelet. As he was staring at the bracelet wrapped tightly around his arm, more balls originating from different sports hit him, turning into braces and wrapping them around him.
"My Nen ability is called World's burden. When a basketball that I materialise touches you, it will transform into weights, each of them weighing up to 100 kg depending on the type of ball that hits you. Based on how many braces you have on you, you should be carrying about 990 kg in total. I'm impressed that you can even stand right now but that speed of yours is now neutralised." Nelvan boasted, explaining his Nen ability.
"Hmm. Not as interesting as I thought it was at first." Falcon mused out loud as Nelvan twitched at the insult. "And I'm not really in a sparing mood right now. I guess I'll kill you, not that I wasn't going to in the first place." Nelvan growled angrily and rushed forwards without thinking. He grabbed Falcon by the neck, squeezing tightly as he lifted the smaller body into the air.
"Revenge is sweet isn't it? I'll make you regret being so arrogant." Nelvan sneered as Falcon gazed at him calmly.
"Are those your final words?" Falcon asked, voice even despite the pressure that Nelvan was applying on his throat. "I'll give you another chance to think over your final words."
"Really? Well then, here are my final words. Go to hell you little bastard." Nelvan hissed, preparing to snap Falcon's neck. Before he could however, Falcon smirked bloodthirstily and raised a hand to grab Nelvan's arm.
*Your worst fears will follow you forever." Falcon murmured, this time too softly for anyone else but Nelvan to hear. Almost immediately, Nelvan released Falcon who dropped to the ground and landed in a crouch. Nelvan stared wide eyed straight ahead, at the space just above Falcon's head as he staggered back slowly, breaths coming in quick panicked pants.
"S-Stay away! Don't come any closer!" Nelvan yelled out as he backed away slowly. Falcon observed him silently, fascination and interest written all over his face as the judge stared at him, stunned and unsure whether to award Falcon any points for Nelvan's sudden descent into insanity. Abruptly, as Nelvan reached the edge of the ring, he turned around and ran away, disappearing back into the fighter's tunnel.
"Nelvan has given up, Falcon wins the match as his opponent has surrendered." The judge finally announced after a moment of internal struggle.
"Falcon wins once again! He now has a record of two wins and zero losses on the 200th floor. Including all his previous fights, Falcon is undefeated. Will anyone be able to stop him?" The commenter announced energetically, filling in the stunned silence from the audience. Hesitantly, there were a few cheers and claps before it spread throughout the entire stands and Falcon left the arena amidst cheers and whistles.
Falcon sighed as he headed back to his room where Machi was waiting. The fight had been disappointing as usual although it had served well to help relieve some of the stress he was currently experiencing. Now though, he would have to face Machi. He couldn't help but hope that Machi was right, that he would still be accepted by the other Spiders. But, he had no right to wish for that when he had left them alone for so long.
After Gon, Kurapika and Leorio had headed to the Zoldyck mansion at Padokea and brought Killua back, the four of them had separated. Kurapika had headed off to try and find a job before the auction at York Shin City on 1st September while Leorio had headed back to his hometown to pursue his studies and become a doctor. Meanwhile, Gon and Killua had headed to Heaven's Arena to train and earn some money. Now, after winning multiple matches, they were headed up to the 200th floor.
"What's on the 200th floor Killua?" Gon asked as they got on an elevator to go up to the 200th floor.
"I don't really know. I've never actually been up here. I left the moment I qualified for the 200th floor." Killua shrugged as the elevator 'dinged' and the door opened. Excitedly, Gon raced out of the elevator, followed by Killua who moved slower. They paused as they reached the hallway to the registration desk, staring down it warily. Killing intent filled the hallway, sending shivers down the two boys' spines and cold sweat running down their faces.
"Come on! Let's go!" Killua snapped. Gon nodded and the two of them slowly walked down the hallway. They only moved down about a quarter of the entire length of the hallway before the killing intent suddenly intensified. The pressure bearing down on them suddenly increased and they froze in place. It was not by choice though as the two of them could literally not move further down the hallway.
"Who's there? Show yourself!" Killua yelled, glaring down the hallway. A moment later, a receptionist walked out from the side and stopped at the end of the hallway, looking blankly at them.
"Killua-san and Gon-san right? The registration desk is that way. Registration ends at midnight so please register before then." The receptionist said, pointing to the left. Slightly behind them, a clock beeped. Gon and Killua glanced at the clock which proudly proclaimed the time to be 8.12 p.m. "There are currently 173 fighters on this floor. The ban on the use of weapons is lifted so you can bring your weapons to fights on the 200th floor."
"Is she the one doing this?" Gon whispered questioningly to Killua.
"I don't know…" Killua admitted.
"Additionally, there will be no more prize money for all fights from this floor onwards. You will now be fighting for pride and glory, honor in the other words." The receptionist continued. However, Gon and Killua were no longer paying the receptionist any attention as a very familiar magician walked out from the side.
"Hisoka?" Gon and Killua exclaimed in unison.
"What're you doing here?" Gon asked.
"Why wouldn't I be here? Heaven's Arena is a hotspot for all fighters and I'm practically an addict to exciting fights. The better question would likely be why the two of you are here. But I already know the answer. And anyway, you used the internet to buy tickets for your blimp here. It was simple enough to find out when you would arrive and I hung around the airport to wait for you. Then, I followed you." Hisoka said. "Now, as your senior, allow me to give you some advice. You're not ready yet, it's still too soon for you two to come to this floor. Now, shoo. Leave."
Hisoka shooed the two boys away with one of his hands. The moment he did so, they were pushed back by an invisible force and the two boys slid backwards a little. The receptionist glanced between the two parties in confusion, staying by the side of the hallway silently. Hisoka then plopped down on the floor, a hand resting on his right knee casually. "I mean it, take my advice. Leave this floor. It's far too early for the both of you."
"That's ridiculous! We've come this far and we just got up here!" Killua protested. Hisoka glanced at him evenly before he slowly raised a hand, spreading out his fingers in a 'stop' gesture.
"Well, it's not like you can advance anyway right?" Hisoka said as an even larger force bore down on the two boys, sending them to their knees. Panting heavily and grunting, the two boys tried to push back against the pressure and get back up.
"What're you doing Hisoka." A voice asked suddenly. The pressure immediately lessened and the two boys shakily got back on their feet. They glanced up as a young female with pink hair walked out from the side and Hisoka lowered his hand. She glanced at the two boys before she looked at Hisoka, immediately disregarding them.
"Nothing~ Just greeting these kids over here. Congratulating them on getting to the 200th floor." Hisoka purred.
"Playing with rookies? Are you really that bored? Anyway, Captain is getting antsy and since you're bored, you can go fight him."
"Me? I have things to do. Why can't you do it? Bond with the little bird a little." Hisoka replied, his tone bordering on flat out whining.
"Are you kidding me? Captain can, and will, beat me within an inch of my life. He's sparred with me and now thinks that all of us, even Boss, have gotten weaker in the time that he's lost and been searching for his memories." The female snorted. Gon and Killua perked up slightly.
While the two of them had been conversing, they had been trying to move forwards but the pressure was still there, preventing them from moving forwards. However, they had been keeping an ear on their conversation and they only knew one person with amnesia that Hisoka also knew. Not to mention that Hisoka also called Falcon a little bird during the Hunter Exam.
"Falcon's here?" Gon blurted out as Killua groaned, having been trying to signal to Gon not to say anything. Hisoka and the female turned to look at them and blinked once, as if registering their presence for the first time.
"Falcon?" The female repeated in confusion.
"The little bird. I found him at the Hunter's Exam remember? Those kids were at the exam too and the three of them were quite close throughout the whole exam." Hisoka explained. The female hummed in interest, turning to look at the two boys again, this time more closely.
"They're a little weak aren't they? Do you know why Captain was interested in them?" The female asked. Gon and Killua frowned, irritated at her assessment of their strength and at her insinuation that Falcon shouldn't be interacting with them.
"Beats me. Anyway, I'm not going to be leaving anytime soon. I don't think the little bird will want them to go through the initiation right? You should go before the little bird becomes impatient." Hisoka shrugged before he tried to shoo the female away.
"Yeah yeah. Don't take too long." The female sighed as she turned to walk away.
"Wait! How's Falcon doing? Has he gotten back his memories already?" Gon called out.
"... Captain, or Falcon, as you call him, is fine. He's gotten back his memories." The female turned back around and stared at them contemplatively before she finally replied.
"Where is he? Let us see him." Killua interjected, not trusting the female as he frowned at her.
"I'm not going to bring you to him and neither will I tell you where he is. Get stronger first then we shall see." The female replied dismissively as she spun on her heel and made to walk away. However, Gon stopped her.
"Why do we need strength to see our friend?" Gon asked angrily. "We just want to meet him, maybe catch up a little."
The female turned back around and snorted. "You're trying to throw your own life away then. Only the strong meet with and stay around the Captain and survive. Learn Nen first and maybe you can meet the Captain. But its going to be on your own willpower. Either way, I'm not going to facilitate any meetings. And they're going to be at your own risk." The female said.
This time, she didn't turn back around even as Gon and Killua called out to her. Soon, she disappeared around the corner and the previous pressure returned once again. Hisoka turned his attention back to the two boys.
"What I said still stands. It's far too early for you." Hisoka said, hand rising up once more. Gon and Killua cursed, trying desperately to move forwards.
"He's right. Push any further and you'll probably die. You can't overcome his Nen as you have no defenses against it. It's like you're wearing nothing in winter and you're wondering why you're cold." A bespectacled man said sternly as he walked out from behind them, on the opposite side to Hisoka. Hisoka smirked slightly as he rested his chin on his knee, hiding the bottom half of his face behind his arm.
"Wing-san?" Gon said in surprise.
"This is Nen? He can stop us from moving forwards just by thinking about it and willing it to happen? That's a load of bull!" Killua yelled, pointing at Hisoka.
"Well, I admit that I wasn't entirely honest earlier. But I wasn't expecting the two of you to make it up to the 200th floor so fast. I am willing to rectify that mistake now and teach you the true Nen if you'll allow me." Wing said honestly.
"What happens if we haven't registered by midnight?" Gon asked, suddenly whirling around to face the receptionist.
"You'll have to start over again from the first floor Gon-san. However, as Killua-san was here once before but didn't register previously, he will be barred from all further combat at Heaven's Arena as it will be regarded as him lacking commitment." The receptionist informed. Gon and Killua gritted their teeth before they turned to face Wing.
"If we go with you, can we make it back here before midnight?" Killua asked.
"That, will depend on you." Wing replied calmly. Reluctantly, with no other options available to them, Gon and Killua followed Wing to his flat. Hisoka hummed as he pulled out some cards, continuing to sit on the floor in front of the only hallway leading to the registration desk.
"It's much too soon…" Hisoka murmured softly, spreading his Nen to the cards and throwing them at the wall. The cards embedding themselves deep into the wall. "Much, much too soon."
The pink haired female knocked on and opened the door cautiously, poking her head into the room first. She immediately withdrew her head as a cup, missing its handle, flew past her and hit the wall opposite. However, instead of shattering into pieces, it gave out a heavy thud and dropped to the floor. Silently, the female pushed the door open wider and entered the room.
"Good job Machi. If you didn't dodge and instead tried to catch the cup, you would have broken your wrist." Falcon praised as he dropped the torn off handle of the cup he had been holding onto the floor. Pulled down by gravity, the handle fell and shattered into pieces unlike the cup. "Anway, what took you so long?"
The room was furnished with a king sized bed, tables, sofas, a television as well as a personal bathroom. The curtains and window were open, showing a view of the night sky as a cool breeze blew into the room. Falcon was seated on a sofa facing the door.
Falcon had gotten a wardrobe change, wearing the clothes he usually wore before he lost his memories. He wore a white dress shirt along with a pair of black pants. And instead of the red running shoes, he was wearing a pair of formal black military combat boots. He had also ditched the ragged cloak, exchanging it for a red hooded robe.
"Hisoka was playing with a couple of rookies that just made it to this floor." Machi said as she closed the door behind her, leaning her head to the side slightly to dodge a pen that pierced through the door. She then walked over to the sofa opposite to Falcon and sat down as Falcon observed the quivering pen.
"Rookies? If he's that bored then why can't he come and fight me? I still need to test his strength don't I?" Falcon said as a bloodthirsty smirk spread slowly across his face.
"I don't think he is bored. He knows those rookies, has met them before. They should be one of those people that he sees potential in and he is just waiting for them to grow stronger." Machi said slowly as she pressed a finger to her lips thoughtfully.
"Whatever then." Falcon said. Then, he paused, the image of two very familiar boys appearing in his mind. "Now that I think about it, I wonder how those two are doing…"
"Those two?" Machi parroted.
"Hmm? Yeah. I met these two boys at the Hunter Exam this year. They don't know Nen yet but they do have a lot of potential." Falcon elaborated.
"They didn't seem like much though…" Machi accidentally muttered aloud. Falcon glanced at her in shock.
"You've seen them?" Falcon asked excitedly. "Wait. Are they the two rookies Hisoka is playing with?"
"Black spiky haired kid wearing all green and carrying a fishing pole with a white haired kid with soft footsteps who is probably an assassin?" Machi confirmed with Falcon who nodded. "Yeah. Hisoka chased them away though seeing as they don't know Nen yet."
". That's good. They will need to know Nen to fight on this floor. Regardless of the poor skills of the majority of the fighters here, a Nen user will always beat someone without Nen. Hisoka was originally keeping an eye on them too I think but I warned him off. Nobody's going to touch those two and get away with it." Falcon explained, glancing out the window beside him. His eyes gleamed darkly as his smirk widened. "Nobody."
Machi shuddered slightly as she watched Falcon stare out the window. Considering what she saw earlier, Hisoka had pretty much ignored Falcon's warning and was still pretty darned fascinated and occupied with the two boys. She did not want a repeat of what happened the last time someone tried to hurt people that Falcon considered important, namely the Boss, followed by the original members of the Genei Ryodan and now the two boys.
The last time that happened was when the current Zoldyck head tried to kill the Boss and Falcon managed to severely injure him despite having taken damage shielding the Boss from the original, supposedly fatal attack. That was when Falcon had lost his memories and they had left him back at Meteor City while they took revenge on the Kurta Clan, the ones who had gotten the Zoldyck head to attack the Boss.
Falcon is the heart of the Spiders, the one who all the members of the Genei Ryodan revolve around. They may listen to the Boss's orders but if Falcon says anything to the contrary, it overwrites the Boss's orders. Even the Boss agrees, he himself looking up to Falcon.
After all, Falcon was the one who made them all stronger for all the Spiders and, for Chrollo, was the first to take him in and help him. Thanks to Falcon, all of the Spiders were all confident in themselves, in their strength. It was ironic then, that Falcon had a lack of self esteem, that he always thought that he was expendable and would be thrown away at the slightest failure. It was a lingering remnant from his parents.
Parents who expected him to support them despite his youth, parents who starved him, parents who called him a freak, a monster, as he was able to use Nen, someone which his parents didn't know about, since his birth. And now, they were also parents who were dead, tortured to death by the fuming Spiders when they heard the whole story.
Falcon may have been the one to make them all strong in the physical sense. However, mentally and emotionally, the Spiders were the ones to support Falcon, to keep him from breaking down and crumbling from the inside. And none of them minded.
The heart is the single most important organ in the body, the organ that ensures your continued survival. But, it is also the weakest and most fragile organ, easily breaking down and collapsing, affected by the slightest change in your body.
The organ to protect at all costs.
