Game of Balance Chapter 10, a hunter x hunter fanfic

EDIT1 (27 May 2015): I'm getting rid of the content from chapter 10 from before and putting in a combination of chapter 11, 12, and 13 in here. So please don't read ahead because then it won't make any sense. :) Thanks! Please review!

Hey everyone! Here is chapter 10 as promised! This chapter shows more Gon, Zushi, and Suou. We can never have enough of their appearances in the story. :) There are also KiKi interactions! This chapter is going to be lighthearted. Anyways, happy reading as always! :D

And once again, if my MC acts like a Mary Sue in any way, TELL ME IMMEDIATELY!

'' - thoughts

"" - speech

italics - memory

Disclaimer: I do not own HunterxHunter. If I did, I would keep Alluka and Killua to myself. :PP

Chapter 10

Approximately 80 hours left until I have to fight against Yuu.

The morning sunlight spilled into the room, touching the both of us as we laid in the bed comfortably. I nuzzled my nose against the warmth. It was so warm and soft. A satisfied sigh escaped from my lips when my legs tangled with that warm something. My arms wrapped around a firm body. A body... A body? Why would there be a body in my room? Was it a corpse? A doll? No, that wasn't it. It was too warm to be either. Then was this a dream? That was a possibility. I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids felt too heavy.

"Sleep." It echoed in my ear as if it was on repeat.

"No..." I murmured to myself.

"No?" Amusement crept into the voice.

"Hmm..." I finally opened my eyes with great reluctance. Bright blue gazed down at me. Rubbing my eyes, a soft white tickled my skin and I giggled from the itch.

"Good morning, Kinra. How do you feel?" Killua's lips curled upwards as he watched me sit up and stretch.

"Good enough to train again. I only have three more days left to prepare." A fierce determined glint sparkled in my eyes, causing his smile to widen.

"Then go wash up and eat. After that, I'll leave you to your devices." He sat up as I grabbed my towel and washed my face before grabbing an apple from the basket on top of the table. "Good luck with your fight, Kinra. We can't go to cheer you on because Gon was forbidden to by Wing-san, but Zushi said that he would watch and record it for us."

"Thanks, Killua. And that's fine by me." I pushed him gently out of the door. "I'll be okay now. So go to Gon and Suou." He paused before looking at me one last time. "I'll see you later." He finally walked away into the hall. Once I could not see him from afar, I closed the door and stared at the sky from the window. Three more days. That's all I had left. To kill or to be killed. Those were my only choices left...or was it...?

I loosened the bandages around my arms and hands, letting it fall to the ground. Staring down at the hard floor in the locker room, I lifted my mask up and shifted my tinted glasses.

"MASKED FIGHTER!" The announcer called out my name with enthusiasm as I sat up and walked over to the battle arena with a golden key dangling from my bracelet on my left wrist.

It was time. Time to fight for my life.

My fight with Yuu.

I watched Yuu, standing from afar. His mask placed perfectly over his face and his cloak revealed not a single movement. "NOW THE FIGHT BETWEEN THE MASKED FIGHTER AND KITSUNE WILL BEGIN SOON! HERE ARE THE COMPETITORS!" I jumped onto the battle arena before smoothing out my cloak.

"LOOK AT THE FIGHTS FROM THE PAST FOR BOTH! FIRST IS THE MASKED FIGHTER! HE USES AIKIDO AND PRESSURE POINTS TO SUBDUE HIS OPPONENTS! WILL HE BE ABLE TO DO THE SAME WITH KITSUNE?" I never moved my gaze away from him. Even though the battle did not officially begin, to the two of us, it had already started. A tense air grew thicker between us as it filled the entire stadium. The audience stiffened with discomfort.

"HERE IS KITSUNE! EVERYONE'S FAVORITE! COULD IT BE ALCHEMY? COULD IT BE MAGIC? EITHER WAY, HIS BEAUTIFUL ATTACKS ATTRACT THOSE FROM AROUND THE WORLD! WILL HE WIN THIS FIGHT?" No one spoke a single word. The air was heavy with death and ill intentions. There was not a single cheer, not a single noise, and not a single smile. A chill went down the announcer's back. We walked towards the center and stopped.

The judge approached before yelling out, "Ready... START!" He jumped out of the ring immediately, sensing extreme danger from us.

"Shall I tell you of your future?" His voice echoed throughout the stadium. No one dared to breathe in fear of angering the two fighters.

"Shall I tell you of your future?" I repeated with narrowed eyes. "Your future is..."

"Death." He completed. Dashing towards me, he lifted his hand to slam it against my face. Taking a step forward, I grabbed his wrist and pulled him to the ground as I whirled around. He took a huge jump to the side, breaking my intended attack. I slipped to the ground and rolled away before he slammed his hand on where I was. The strength of his Nen cracked the ground subtly from his hand, forcing me to wince at the force that hit me to the side. I coughed and stood up. "Weak." That was all he muttered before I lifted my right hand into the air.

I activated Yochigan. "Come to me, Yami." The small key glowed an immense golden light, awing the audience as a long black katana materialized into my raised hand. "Hikari." The glow grew stronger when a small white dagger materialized in my left hand. During this, Yuu chanted to himself. For him, a dark whip formed into his hand. "Before was a warm-up. Now... We will truly fight." I called out to him. As he snapped his wrists, causing the whip to slash at the ground with a flinch-worthy sound, an energy sparked with danger at the tip. I watched him stride towards me casually. One chance. That was all I needed. When he was close enough, I threw a dagger to his eyes and ran in front of him with my katana ready. He turned his head to dodge and with a flick of his wrist, I felt something wrap around my foot. Before I had time to think, I slammed against the wall. Without allowing myself to regain control, I jumped off of the wall towards him with my katana. Again, he flicked his wrist, which manipulated the whip to wrap around my katana. Before he could throw me to the other side of the stadium, I let go of my katana and flew right into him. Without processing what was going on, I threw punches and kicks at him as he defended himself. Materializing another dagger, I flicked it into his cloak, so that it stuck onto the ground. The sudden change in direction caused him to slip to the ground. Throwing several other daggers into his cloak to keep him down, I quickly punched his mask, breaking it into several pieces, and connected with his nose. Blood spurted out from his nose when I felt a sudden painful shock on the foot that had been touched by the whip. The pain exponentially increased as I screamed and fell to the ground. Dragging myself, hot tears poured out of my eyes when I bit my bottom lip in an attempt to stop myself from screaming. I materialized another katana and stood in front of him. It was then when he managed to hit my back with his whip. I spat out blood but I stood my ground. My mask had somehow slipped off during the scuffle and my glasses broke during the first hit from Yuu, revealing to the entire world of my appearance. I raised my katana, ready to slash him down.

"If I am family, then you can do nothing to harm me!" He laughed out loud as if daring me to harm his body.

My eyes darkened considerably. "You are no family of mine. You are nothing." I stabbed my katana through his shoulder and into the ground. The sound of his bone cracking echoed throughout the stadium arena and the blood that squirted out stained the blackness of my katana. "But... I will change you into who you once were... Yuu..."

"Do you really believe you can do that? Even if you were able to, DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT HE WILL STAY THE SAME AS BEFORE?!" A shrill unfamiliar voice cackled from him. "You can save no one, lower. You are mere pawn. A PAWN FOR THE GAME! And the sooner you realize that, the better off you will be!"

"Do you sincerely believe that Alice would be happy for what you are doing right now?" Pity reflected off of my eyes.

"YOU KNOW NOTHING OF HER! It's all because of YOU that she died. It's all your fault, your fault! I will listen to the Clan. I will not make the same mistake because of YOU! I will KILL YOU! GET MY REVENGE! FOR I WILL BE THE ONE TO RESTORE ALICE'S HONOR!" His eyes that were empty before filled with regret, longing, and anger.

"Because of me..." I repeated his words. I watched his face squirm into that of blind rage. My heart squirmed uncomfortably under his scrutiny. My fists tremble at my side. "As I thought... I'll always be the scapegoat. For that Clan." I laughed out loud painfully and hollowly. "They will never admit, never accept that they can make a mistake. It's always the Outsider. Pinning everything on the child so that they can't lose a thing that they consider to be of worth." Looking down at him, I pushed the katana further into the ground. "I suppose it's partially my fault for never trying...never fighting back for the freedom I wanted so badly. But even if I wanted to...even if I desired it the most... Because of that person... Because of Alice's grandfather... Because of ALL the Elders... Because of the foolish adults, the arrogant children, the selfishness of the Clan members... I am stripped of my greatest freedom, my ability to choose!"

My foot held him down onto the ground with the katana stuck in its place. "Even now, I have no choice but to follow the orders of the one who brought me here to this world!" My firm voice reverberated through the air. "Protect the heiress! Raise the heiress! Kill that person! Save the Clan from peril! Do this, do that! Harping at me like an animal, like a master! Do more, do it all until you live no longer! Do it unless you wish to die at the hands of the other Outsider! DO IT ALL NOW!"

I clenched my fists in anger, ignoring the spasms of pain that throbbed throughout my body. "Because of that foolishness! Because of that inability to empathize! Because of the narrow-minded ways of the Clan! No one will change for the better. NO FUTURE WILL MOVE ON FOR THE BETTER! STAYING AT A STANDSTILL UNTIL ALL ARE DEAD! The children! The women! The men! The old! The disabled! All would perish until not one remain alive. So tell me, Yuu! What was I supposed to do back then?! WHAT WAS I TO DO TO REGAIN MY FREEDOM?! MY LIFE?!" I huffed in agitation. "Shall I tell you of my answer? Shall I show you my answer?"

He stared at me with disbelief and fear. "You said that I cannot save anyone and that I am a mere pawn. Well I will not deny that I am a pawn and that I am a sacrifice. Because I am... But... I know that I can save you. I know that I can save the rest of that cursed Clan. And I will DIE trying to fulfill that mission! If I am not allowed my freedom, if I am not allowed to be happy, then I will fulfill ALL requests by that Clan until they have none left for me to complete. Because by then, I will know of a way to fight for my freedom, to survive by myself, to live for myself, and to bring down anyone that gets in the way of my future! No one...NOT EVEN YOU...can stop me from forging my own path!"

I disintegrated the katana that held him down before pulling him up. Placing my left hand on the crown of his head, a soft golden glow emerged from the key. "Emerge from your place, Golden Apple!" Yuu's eyes closed as his body came to a complete still. I pulled out a rotten black apple from the top of his head and placed it in my hand. Grimacing at the state of the usual glowing golden apple, I summoned the key from the bracelet into my right hand. It enlarged into its regular size as I watched a small keyhole form in the flesh of the apple.

"Unlock." I placed the key into the hole and turned until I heard a small click. Disintegrating my key and reappearing as the small golden key from my bracelet, I pushed the apple into his heart. Before he had time to process on what just occurred, I summoned my katana and stabbed him again in the same shoulder to the ground, controlling the darkness to manifest out of him, until he had only half of it left, and formed it into a doppelganger of himself. Instead of having the same physical characteristics as him, the doppelganger was just a black form with red eyes. Disintegrating the katana that held Yuu down, I summoned a dagger and placed it carefully onto his skin as I watched my own light enter him to fill up the empty space that it left behind. The more my light entered him, the more darker the small key on my bracelet became. Once I saw his figure become the normal blue that it should have been, I sighed with relief. Hearing the crack of the whip from behind me, I kicked the unconscious Yuu away before jumping up into the air to dodge the attack. The doppelganger had somehow created the whip that Yuu had before.

Once I landed on the ground, I examined the black form carefully at a safe distance. I had never seen such a thing before. Could I even touch it? I summoned my katana before dashing forward in an attempt to see if I could cause it any harm. When I stabbed it, it howled in pain and grabbed the katana to stop me from moving. Without any time to process anything, the hit of the whip slashed at me from behind. It grabbed my foot, causing me to lose my balance, and the doppelganger concentrated on whipping me continuously with unbearable amounts of pain. After each hit, the aftereffects of the areas hit by the whip was shocked with overwhelming force. It felt like something tore at my skin over and over again. A scream ripped out from me as it stabbed through me multiple times. I finally managed to grab the whip from the end and never let go. So it decided to throw me across the stadium and onto the ground, attempting to release my hold on the whip. Even as my hands felt torn and numb, I began pulling myself closer to the hold of the whip and towards the black form. It roared in disgust and slammed me down on the ground with the whip harder than before. I spat out more blood and felt it trickling down my forehead. Feeling lightheaded, I shut my eyes before opening them again in determination. When I was close enough, I screamed in a last ditch effort as I threw the newly manifested katana through the doppelganger's head.

There was silence.

I slumped on my knees as I watched the black form disintegrate into thin air. My katana fell to the ground, fading away when I willed it to disappear. It was over. It was done. I shakily stood up and placed my fingers on Yuu's hair before willing the Golden Apple to reappear. When it appeared, it was a beautiful and enticing golden apple that glowed with ethereal warmth. Droplets of tears touched the skin of the divine fruit as I used my key to lock it. Once I placed it back in him, I stood up and walked away from him.

When I turned towards the judge, I noticed the unusual calm look in his eyes as if he had expected this. Now that I thought about it, I never heard a single count or hit from him, nor did he follow the rules of how they usually judged. Somehow, there was something immensely wrong with this situation.

As the man walked up to me, he yelled out, "WINNER: THE MASKED FIGHTER!" When he was close enough, the judge sneered at me. "Too bad that you didn't die." I froze in place.

"You..." Before I completed my sentence, he began to fade away into thin air.

His voice echoed in a mocking tone. "It truly is a shame... Well, that is fine by me... Your freedom... Your life... They will all be mine to take, Outsider." Yells of confusion filled my ears as the audience pointed at where the judge, who disappeared completely, had last stood. My fists shook in anger as I screamed in utter frustration until I had no strength left to perform such an action.

When I felt myself fall to the ground, I watched as the dark key returned to its golden color and as my blood pooled from beneath me. Ah... I really was screwed. My eyelids felt heavy when I heard paramedics yelling at me to stay awake. At the corner of my eye, I saw them carry Yuu away. I guess all things end well to a certain extent. So tired... So sleepy... A murmur of a nostalgic tune... Reminding me of my duty... Reminding me of the pain... Reminding me of everything that I did not want to remember or think about...

I stared at Yuu again from afar. His layered black hair now glowed a hauntingly beautiful color of burgundy, but what really caught my attention for a mere second were the grinning imps imposed on his body

Dammit all... I guess I still had things to do... Stupid imps...

I finally blacked out with a frown at the thought of how I was supposed to deal with those grinning imps. It almost made me wonder why I couldn't bother fainting faster, but alas, it just was not meant to be.

I groggily opened my eyes and felt an intense gaze. In the next second, there was panic all around me. Someone asked me if I could hear them. I nodded and continued to nod for every question that person asked me. When I asked them quietly of my current location, they answered that I was in the hospital. What really shocked me was what they told me next. "You were in a coma for almost two months with no signs of waking up." I gaped at the nurse when they finally walked away after determining that I was completely okay.

"Kin-chan?" A familiar timid and soft voice called out to me.

"Yuu?" I sat up and looked around the room. Beside me, Yuu gazed at me as if he was dreaming with his familiar glimmering forest green eyes. "Are you my Yuu?" I asked, scared of his answer.

Heartbroken at my fear but understanding why I acted like that, he smiled reassuringly to me. "It is. The one who is your family. Your friend. Your teacher. The one who gave you the pocket watch. The one who adored and loved Alice. They are all me. So yes, it is I." He hesitantly pat my head gently and delicately. "I feel ashamed to see you right now. I ended up falling into their trap and now I even hurt you. I don't deserve to be free like this."

"Don't say that... I'm glad that at least you're alive... It gives me hope for the future." I coughed from the lack use of my throat. He handed me a cup of water that I accepted gratefully.

His eyes were downcast with shame. "I understand if you don't want to forgive me and I'll also understand if you want me to leave-"

"Stop. I don't need any of that." I sighed to myself. "Close your eyes for me and don't open them until I say so. Once I do this, I'll forgive you or whatever you needed." He gazed at me questioningly before closing them. After I activated Yochigan, I summoned my dagger and glared at the laughing imps. Swiping through them all in one go, I watched them disappear into thin air. Satisfied with my work, I deactivated Yochigan and willed my dagger to disappear. "You can open them now."

He looked around him in wonder. "What did you do? I felt a breeze, but that was it..."

"Well... I'm not too sure... I think I might have changed your fate..." I grinned at him sheepishly.

"My fate?"

"In dying soon... But I really don't know if I'm right though."

"I see..." A silence overcame us.

"So... What happened, Yuu? What's the condition of the Clan?"

He hesitated before answering. "After Alice was captured by the elites, I tried to save her, but they killed her right in front of me..." His eyes glazed over with mist. "So I knew that I had to leave. Before I could get far enough, they captured and tortured me. I... I can't really remember the details but after I gave them false information about your whereabouts, they realized that I had lied to them and placed me in an isolation chamber. Needless to say, that weakened my mentality greatly. I think I almost went insane in there." He faced the ground with shame. "I knew that I wanted to die, but they did something to me that forced me to not be able to kill myself. After that, they made that person, the one who controlled everyone else, to manipulate me into their control... And you know the rest..." He grimaced.

"I... I see... So it really wasn't a lie when you said that Alice died... I really hoped..." My hands covered my face. "I really hoped that maybe it wasn't the full truth...and that there was some hope of her actually being alive...and that she was only pretending that she died. What foolish hope I had..." I pulled him into a tight embrace. Tears trailed down my cheeks. "I'm sorry, Yuu... I made you suffer... I wish I was able to take you or Alice with me... Then maybe..."

He shook his head furiously. "No. Don't say that. Alice knew what she was getting into. I also knew of that horrible possibility. We were the ones who forced you into this... Making you suffer more than before. We took everything from you. And because of how we summoned you, you're not allowed to go against our orders or to stop yourself from completing the missions. Kinra, everything you said from before was right. Never doubt yourself in regards to that." His eyes flickered with determination.

"Yuu..." I pulled away from him. "That might be true... It might be true, but... I don't hate you or Alice. I don't hate the two of you... I don't hate that girl who was trained to kill me if necessary. Your Clan might have taken everything from me, but at least, you both gave me Rose. And I'm no longer alone with just her. I now have Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio as well. So I'm not alone anymore. And now that you're back. I also have you too. If completing the mission is all it will take to save everyone, then I'll do it, even if I have to pretend that it is of my own will."

Yuu smiled wistfully at me. "If Alice heard that, she would have cried with happiness and hugged you so tight that you would try to escape from her."

"Yeah... I probably would have... She probably would have..." I gave him another hug. "Yuu. Do not blame yourself." He became stiff at my words and that was when I knew that he was trying to hold back his tears. When I pulled away again, I took out the golden pocket watch from my cloak and handed it back to him. "You can give that back to me when I finish my mission."

"Alright." He stuffed it in his pocket before watching me with curiosity.

"What's wrong?" I asked him. He suddenly looked unusually mischievously.

"Well, ever since you were hospitalized, I realized that a certain boy visited you every day. A little more than your other regular visitors." I raised my eyebrow at that.

"Who is it?"

"Well, he has white hair and blue eyes. Somewhat thin and is quite a fighter apparently. Oh yeah! He has a match today! I'll show you on TV!" He grabbed the remote quite excitedly as he turned it on. "THERE! That boy!" On the screen, Killua stood tall on top of the newly renovated battlegrounds with no opponent.

The announcer screamed with enthusiasm. "It seems like the opponent has run away! Killua wins the battle by default!" He threw his hat in the air as if to bask in the glory.

"Oh. You mean Killua." I blankly looked at Yuu. "And?" His grin widened.

"Does my adorable Kinra have a love interest already? Ah... I have gotten so old." He dramatically fell to the ground in sadness. I shook my head at his antics with a smile. He then looked up at me with a strange determination. "Since Alice is no longer alive, I suppose I should take on the duty to tell you about the birds and bees."

"Wait. What?! I already know about that kind of stuff! You don't need to have the talk with me!" I grimaced and buried my head into my pillow.

"It is my duty as a parent to make sure you understand what to do. Remember. Make sure to use protection."

"NOOO! I'M STILL A CHILD. LALALALA, I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" I rubbed my ears with my hands, attempting to drown out his lecture.

"Do you think I should tell that Killua to stay away from you or that if he makes you cry, he'll have to deal with me?" He contemplated to himself out loud. I gaped at him with horror.

I weakly begged. "Please don't." He laughed at my misery.

"Fine... Then, can you at least tell me what you think of him?" Yuu asked curiously.

To me... To me, Killua is my support and I am his. While I journeyed with them, I realized just how important he was in my life. Perhaps I was stretching this too far, but if one of us were to disappear, then the two of us would feel as though something big was missing in our lives. Maybe for Killua, he would be okay because of Gon, but I knew that the same could not be said for me. However, there was one thing I was sure about. If one of us were to die, I would rather have it be me and not him. Although, ironically, I did not want to die at the same time. Death was scary. In fact, dying was scary, but what was scarier than death itself was being forgotten by my loved ones. That is why I would rather die because at least, they would still remember me after my death.

I finally answered his question. "I... To me... Killua is special... Ever since I met him... He was different... I felt a connection... For once in this life, I was comfortable enough with someone to the point where I wouldn't mind if I had to die in order to save him..." Not by the Clan's will. Not by anyone else's, but my own. I knew that Yuu understood the underlying meaning of my words because his eyes softened as he nodded to me.

"Well, I need to go now."

"Already?" I tried to hide my disappointment.

"I'm still being traced. It would be dangerous if I continued to stay longer than two months. And..." His forest green eyes darkened. "I have something I need to do at all costs."

"Okay. Be careful. I do want to see you again." I grabbed onto his sleeve. "Promise me."

"I promise." Yuu softly whispered to me.

The door to my private room slid open. I turned my head to see and smiled. "Killua." He stared at me with shock.

"Kinra...?" He walked towards me slowly as if afraid that he was dreaming. "You're... You're awake."

"I saw you on TV earlier. Nice throw. Your hat, I mean." I watched him gape at me, unable to decide how he should feel. Finally, his fingers grazed against my skin and twirled the locks of my hair.

I reached out for me as he willingly pulled me into a tight embrace. "Welcome back, Kinra." He whispered in my ear.

"I'm back, Killua." I smiled as I nuzzled my face into his shoulder.

"Killua! You can't just leave us like that!" Suou's irritation reflected off of her voice as several footsteps entered the room. Killua stiffened as if he was caught doing something bad.

"O-Onee-chan?!" I let go of him and smiled at Suou. Tears quickly gathered at the corner of her emerald green eyes. She dashed into my arms and hugged me as if I was about to disappear.

"I'm sorry I took so long to wake up."

"Y-you were in a c-coma a-a-and... I th-thought you were g-going to leave me all alone!" She sobbed as she tried to explain her loneliness.

I pat her head affectionately. "You're my adorable little sister. I can't leave you until you're ready to stand by yourself."

"D-don't ever scare me like that ever again!" Suou scolded me as I laughed joyously in her presence. "Promise me that you'll never leave me again!"

I winced. "I can't promise that. What I can tell you is that I'll do my best. Always."

"Okay." She spoke softly. I noticed that Zushi stood next to Gon uncomfortably.

It reminded me of what Killua told me before. "So did you watch my fight with Kitsune? Didn't you say that Zushi recorded it for you guys?" I looked at Killua for confirmation.

A frown appeared on his face. "Well... He did, but he wouldn't show it to us for some reason. He said that he would only show it to us if you were to watch it with us. Something about privacy."

"I see..." I turned to Zushi. "Can we see it?" The moment I said that, he looked very relieved.

"Osu! I will bring it to this room right away! I will be back right away!" He dashed off before I could say anything else.

"So what did the doctor say?" Gon asked me with a relieved grin.

"She told me that I only needed to stay for a couple of days and complete a few days worth of therapy. After that, I'm free to go. She said that it was quite a miracle for this to happen, but I'm not complaining. As long as I get to leave the hospital, I'm all good." I paused before turning to them. "So why was Zushi so nervous earlier?"

They looked at each other before Killua began to talk. "After your battle, Zushi informed us of your hospitalization, but we did not know how bad it was until they finally allowed visitors. By that time, Gon had fulfilled his promise with Wing-san, so we asked him to show us the recorded battle to see why you were so badly injured, but he refused. And he didn't budge at all, so we couldn't get it from him. There was something about your battle that shook him for some reason. When we asked him why he would not show it to us, he started talking about your privacy and that he should not show it to anyone without your vocal permission. He said that he felt as if he was intruding on a very dangerous matter, which is why he decided to be stubborn about it."

I stayed silent for a little bit. "I'm glad that he did that." They looked up at me, startled.

Killua's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by tha-"

"OSU! I'm back!" Zushi entered the room with the DVD in his hand. "I shall turn it on immediately. Would you like the remote control, Kinra-san?"

"Yes. Thank you." I smiled softly at him. "I'm grateful that you kept it to yourself. It must have been tough. So thank you." He blushed with embarrassment.

"It is nothing." As he fiddled with the buttons, he turned towards me as he handed me the remote. "It is merely an obvious thing to do for a matter such as this."

"Well then... Shall we begin?" I motioned for Gon to turn off the lights in the room and grabbed Killua's hand.

"Killua." I whispered to him. He turned to me with disappointment reflecting off of his eyes. I knew that he was frustrated that I was fine with Zushi not revealing my battle to him, since he wanted to know why I was so badly injured.

"Killua, I would rather show this to you and everyone else when I am awake than have you all judge me based on what you see and hear in that battle when I am not awake. I will not ask you or anyone else in this room to understand my actions, my words, and my relationship with Kitsune. But...do know that my anger is not directed to ANYONE in this room nor was it directed to Kitsune himself as a person, but towards the people behind him. Kitsune... No... Yuu did nothing wrong." I pulled my hand away from his, but he linked his hand with mine again. When I looked up at him, he nodded in understanding. My lips pulled into a relieved smile.

"Yuu?" Suou sat down next to me, recognizing the name.

"You met him before we left, remember?" Her eyes lit up as she remembered who he was.

"Oh! That person. Okay. So he is Kitsune? The one you fought?" I nodded in affirmation as I fiddled with the remote. I soon moved over, so that Killua could sit down on my bed with Suou on the other side. Zushi and Gon quickly took their seat on the chairs.

At the beginning of the video, the announcer called out our names and introduced us to the crowd. Strangely, it was extremely quiet as we immediately walked to the center of the arena.

"I still remember... It was so tense and suffocating to be in there... I felt like if I made a single sound, it would cause destruction. It was so uncomfortable..." Zushi shivered before continuing to watch.

The judge approached before yelling out, "Ready... START!" He jumped out of the ring immediately.

"Shall I tell you of your future?" His voice echoed throughout the stadium.

"Shall I tell you of your future?" I repeated with narrowed eyes. "Your future is..."

"Death." He dashed towards me and lifted his hand to slam it against my face, causing me to counter with imbalance, but he managed to counter that immediately. Once that small scuffle ended, I stood up with my right hand in the air. My eyes glowed a sky blue color when I activated Yochigan.

"Come to me, Yami." My voice reverberated throughout the stadium. When the small key around my wrist glowed an immense golden light, a long black katana formed into my right hand.

"Hikari." In my other hand, a dagger materialized with the light shining brighter than before, while Yuu summoned a whip. Once the light faded away, I glared at him. "Before was a warm-up. Now... We will truly fight." His whip cracked in response.

After I was thrown into the wall, my mask slipped off and my glasses remained broken on the ground. I used every method I could think of to try to keep him down, attempting to ignore the pain that went through my body.

I flinched when I heard myself scream in the video from the pain that the whip caused. Killua squeezed my hand, comforting me of my memories of my injuries. When I stared at him, he looked at me with knowing eyes. My heart throbbed at the reminder of his past. I rest my head against his chest as I felt his head rest against my own.

I raised my katana, ready to slash him down.

"If I am family, then you can do nothing to harm me!" He laughed out loud maniacally.

"You are no family of mine. You are nothing." I stabbed my katana through his shoulder and into the ground. The sound of his bone cracking echoed throughout the stadium arena and the blood that squirted out stained the blackness of my katana. "But... I will change you into who you once were... Yuu..."

Suou flinched at his words. She grabbed my free hand. "How can he say that..."

"Because he can." I merely stated. Everyone looked at me with surprise.

"Do you sincerely believe that Alice would be happy for what you are doing right now?" I yelled at him.

"The...Clan...?" She turned to me with confusion in her eyes.

"Because of me..." I repeated his words as his face turned into one of blind rage. My fists shook visibly by my side. "As I thought... I'll always be the scapegoat. For that Clan." I laughed out loud painfully and hollowly.

She fidgeted uncomfortably at my words. "Onee-chan...?" She whispered out to me. I squeezed my grip on her hand.

"They will never admit, never accept that they can make a mistake. It's always the Outsider. Pinning everything on the child so that they can't lose a thing that they consider to be of worth." Looking down at him, I pushed the katana further into the ground. "I suppose it's partially my fault for never trying...never fighting back for the freedom I wanted so badly. But even if I wanted to...even if I desired it the most... Because of that person... Because of Alice's grandfather... Because of ALL the Elders... Because of the foolish adults, the arrogant children, the selfishness of the Clan members... I am stripped of my greatest freedom, my ability to choose!"

"Onee-chan... What on earth..." Suou shook at the intensity of my frustration, anger, and hatred. I closed my eyes in response as I listened to the rest of what I had yelled out to the world.

Killua's eyes widened at my words. "What do you mean by having no choice-"

I suddenly shook my head. "Not yet."

"Protect the heiress! Raise the heiress! Kill that person! Save the Clan from peril! Do this, do that! Harping at me like an animal, like a master! Do more, do it all until you live no longer! Do it unless you wish to die at the hands of the other Outsider! DO IT ALL NOW!"

"Onee-chan?" I heard hurt in Suou's voice. "Onee-chan, what is going on? What are you talking about in there?"

"Keep watching it." I muttered.

"Because of that foolishness! Because of that inability to empathize! Because of the narrow-minded ways of the Clan! No one will change for the better. NO FUTURE WILL MOVE ON FOR THE BETTER! STAYING AT A STANDSTILL UNTIL ALL ARE DEAD! The children! The women! The men! The old! The disabled! All would perish until not one remain alive. So tell me, Yuu! What was I supposed to do back then?! WHAT WAS I TO DO TO REGAIN MY FREEDOM?! MY LIFE?!" My voice suddenly was firm and quiet. "Shall I tell you of my answer? Shall I show you my answer?"

Suou was now stiff with her eyes never moving away from the screen as if captured by my words.

"You said that I cannot save anyone and that I am a mere pawn. Well I will not deny that I am a pawn and that I am a sacrifice. Because I am... But... I know that I can save you. I know that I can save the rest of that cursed Clan. And I will DIE trying to fulfill that mission! If I am not allowed my freedom, if I am not allowed to be happy, then I will fulfill ALL requests by that Clan until they have none left for me to complete. Because by then, I will know of a way to fight for my freedom, to survive by myself, to live for myself, and to bring down anyone that gets in the way of my future! No one...NOT EVEN YOU...can stop me from forging my own path!"

"Why are you calling yourself that..." Her voice strained as if it was hard to breathe.

"Because I am..." I whispered to myself.

After I released the katana that held him down, I took out the Golden Apple and unlocked it with my golden key. Immediately, I pushed it into his heart and stabbed him in the same shoulder injury with my katana to keep in place. A dark form appeared next to Yuu as I controlled the state of his balance. It formed the whip carefully as it walked around me. When I kicked the unconscious Yuu away, I tried to attack it with my katana. Although I had damaged it by slashing at it, it was not enough. In fact, that induced it into a fit of anger as it slashed at me with its whip. I stubbornly held on its whip and finally threw a katana through its head. When it disappeared into thin air, I stood up and walked over to Yuu. Once I had locked the Golden Apple and returned it to him, the judge declared me the winner before disappearing into thin air. There was panic throughout the stadium as I screamed in frustration before falling to the ground, bleeding profusely.

"Well that's the end of the video." Zushi stood up and retrieved the DVD from the TV.

"Thank you, Zushi."

"It is not a problem. I will go back and return this to where it was before. Good night, everyone!" He waved at them all before exiting the room. There was a heavy silence.

"I cannot tell you anything in regards to my mission, but I can tell you that I was appointed as Suou's guardian. Despite that, I do see her as my adorable little sister and even though we are not blood-related, we share memories together that I think should deem us as being family. Suou already knows about my appointment as her guardian and the fact that we are not blood-related." Suou silently nodded in confirmation.

I continued. "The Clan was cruel to me when I lived there, except for two. Yuu, who was Kitsune, and Alice took care of me like parents. They taught me, protected me, and trained me to become stronger. Sadly, we had to separate and I ended up going on a journey with Suou."

"You're not a pawn... You're not a sacrifice! I won't allow it!" Suou clenched her teeth in frustration.

"It is not of your desire, Suou. I know this is frustrating for you but because of my circumstances, I am unable to go against their true wishes. As long as I can protect you and Yuu, then I don't mind completing these missions, so please don't be sad for me. I would rather see you smile." I hugged her in an effort to calm her down.

"Kinra..." Killua called out to me with uncertainty.

"I'm okay... I accepted it a long time ago." I smiled at him sadly. He lightly embraced me as if to comfort me or soothe me of my worries.

Gon looked at me with determination. "If you ever need our help, you know that we would always help you."

"Yes and I am thankful for that. Thank you." I nodded gratefully towards him. "However, when it comes to the matters of the Clan, I wish to not accept your help as it is a Clan matter and not an Outsider matter. Although Suou could help, I refuse to do so because that would be too risky with...with Alice dead and Yuu on the run. But... I will always keep that in mind."

"Onee-chan..." Suou guiltily stared at me.

"Suou."

"Yes?"

"You know that I love you, right?" Her eyes widened before droplets of tears unwillingly dripped down.

"Y-yes." She hugged me tightly after Killua released me from his hold. "And you know that I love you too, right?"

"Of course I do. You're my adorable little sister after all." I pat her head gently. "Well you guys should head back to your rooms. It's almost time for the visiting hours to be over."

"I'll help you with your therapy tomorrow, Onee-chan!" Her eyes glittered at the aspect.

I shook my head. "I'm okay. You guys need to finish training with Wing-san, right? Focus on that. Once you guys 'graduate,' then I'll let you guys help me with my therapy." They all nodded in agreement begrudgingly. "Good night everyone." I called out to them as they exited the room.

"Good night, Kinra." They chorused together.

After my last therapy session, I put on my cloak and new clothes before slipping into my shoes. Grabbing my bag, I headed for Wing-san's house.

Once I entered the first room, I heard a combination of voices. "OSU!" It was Gon, Killua, and Suou. When I opened the door, Wing-san congratulated them for completing their basic training in Nen.

After I greeted Zushi, he turned to me. "Ah, it's nice of you to join us, Kinra-san. Are you feeling better?"

I bowed to him with respect. "Good afternoon, Wing-san. Thank you for asking. I am feeling much better than before. After all, I did finish my final therapy session today. According to the doctor, all I need to do now is to not strain myself for a couple more days."

"I see. Well then. I suppose it is best if you don't force yourself too hard, since you did sleep for almost two months." He smiled as I nodded in affirmation.

"Indeed." I murmured, thinking to myself in complete silence. Immediately, I felt Killua's fingers trail over mine, lacing them together with our palms touching. Soon after, I saw the warm smile that graced his lips as he watched me with those strong light blue eyes that softened in intensity when my own lips curled upwards at the sight of him.

Please R&R! I'll be happy to see more reviews, favorites, or story alerts. Whatever floats your boat~~ :3 Those notifications give me the strength to keep writing! Hope you liked the moments between Killua and Kinra, along with the interactions between Suou, Zushi, and Gon!

All of my readers, I will update soon so until then, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! :D