Thank you Razorblade Mistress, foreverellen, Guest and winddemon199 for reviewing to the last chapter! It was a huge boost to my writing. ;)
"I have lots of thinking to do. It's not every day that you find out that your family were a lot of narcissist slavers."
Elsmy was indignant. "They were no-"
"Sorry; shouldn't have said that." Bleach put in quickly. But, they were.
"…It is alright." Elmsy let go, pulling the elevator's door open for Bleach. "You will come back, right?"
Bleach nodded. "It may take a few days, but I will."
The anxious smile Elmsy gave her almost made her heart melt.
"I will be waiting for it, my little Rainbow Butterfly."
A few days later.
"Ne, what's the 200th floor like?" Gon asked.
"Who knows?" Killua responded. "I've never been up there before."
"It's luxurious." Bleach commented. "And I bet the payment for winning the fights will be so good!"
The trio was in the elevator, rising to the 200th floor; all of them were pretty excited about reaching the top floor of Heavens Arena.
DING!
The elevator's doors opened to reveal the 200th floor's hallway and Gon wasted no time in jumping out of the metal cage.
"Wow! The 200th floor is so fancy!" The kid commented excitedly.
"Right?" Bleach spoke with a big smirk on her lips. "Imagine how our rooms will be!"
Killua didn't share his companions' excitement. "Where is the receptionist…? This way?"
With that, the white-haired kid started to follow some the signs that lead to the receptionist, with Gon and Bleach following close behind. The three fighters had a smile on their faces as they walked to the receptionist; they were experiencing that feeling of accomplishment that left you feeling happy and, most of all, at ease.
It ended when they turned left and felt a murderous Aura so intense, it killed that heart- warming feeling without pity.
With a scowl on her face, Bleach activated her Ten and continued to walk. The girl didn't take two steps forward before noticing that the boys weren't following her. She turned around with an amused smirk on her face.
"What the hell are you guys waiting for? An invitation?"
Both boys exchanged a look and nodded at each other. Then, they resumed walking forwards. However, a sudden surge of that same killer intent made they stop once again.
Bleach's smirk dropped and she activated Gyo. Why weren't the boys using Ten? They had told her that Wing had explained about Nen already, so they should've, at least, had some sort of mastery over Ten. Could it be that the Nen master just told them about Nen and didn't actually teach them?
Fuck, The girl thought as she marched towards the boys with heavy steps. I should've gone with them to make sure they learned their shit.
"Hey! Who's there?!" Killua yelled. "Show yourself!"
Suddenly, the killer intent disappeared and one of the Heaven's Arena attendant walked towards them.
"Killua-sama, Gon-sama and Bleach-sama, correct? The receptionist's desk is over there, so, please, register for a match today. You won't be able to register after midnight, so be careful." Bleach looked up to a digital clock on the wall. It was still 20:12; they had plenty of time.
"Was she the source of all that?" Gon asked.
"No way." Bleach answered. "She isn't much."
"Looks can be deceiving." Killua commented.
"Believe me, she isn't capable of projecting such a murderous intent."
"By the way-" The attendant resumed. "-there are currently 173 contestants in the 200s class. And, starting on the 200s, all weapons are allowed in the matches, so, please, use whatever you have. Also, you will no longer receive a monetary prize in the 200s class; you will fight only for glory."
"WHAT?!" Of course, Bleach didn't like hearing that. "That's fuc- so unfair! I want to go back to the 190s!"
The complaint had barely left Bleach's mouth and, out of nowhere, a card appeared besides the attendant's head and flew to the floor, right in front of the trio. The three raised their gazes from the card and back to the attendant and their eyes widened. Right behind the attendant was the creepiest of the creeps, the jester, the one and only…
"Hisoka!"
So, the clown was the source of that blood-lusting killer intent…
Scowling in annoyance, Bleach looked from the clown to the kids behind her. She knew she would have to help Gon and Killua to pass through Hisoka's murderous intent and she believed that maybe she could do it. She wasn't particularly good at Ren, but she believed that - with a lot of effort and luck - she was capable of projecting enough of her Aura to envelop the boys' petites bodies for a couple of seconds. The problem was: Hisoka wouldn't like that; not one bit. And she really, really didn't want to fight the magician.
Still, she couldn't leave Gon and Killua to fend for themselves, not against him of all people.
"Well… fuck."
Bleach almost kissed Wing on the lips when he appeared to take the boys with him and truly teach them Nen. Actually, she just didn't do it because she was still mad at him for not having taught them before.
"Ne, Bleach, why are you coming with us? You know Nen already; you should go register for a fight and ensure that you don't drop floors."
"I'm going to make sure that Wing teaches you the real sh- thing this time, Gon." Bleach answered, smirking at the annoyed look she received from the Nen master. "Also, I don't really mind dropping from the 200th. I like getting money from my fights, you know?"
Bleach was pleasantly surprised at Gon and Killua's natural talent. If Ging had said that she was a natural regarding Nen, she could only imagine what he'd say about his son, who had mastered Ten in less than two hours; less than half of the time it took her.
"You two are good. Scarily so." Bleach commented as they walked from Wing's house to the Heaven's Arena.
Now, the three of them would be able to register and continue on the 200th floor.
Bleach sighed. Yay. The fucking 200th floor, where there is no money prizes. I wonder which one of us will fight first... I'm sure as fuck it won't be me. No reason for me to fight if I won't get anything in return. Fucking penny-pinchers.
"Your right radius and ulna are broken. Fractured humerus. Three broken ribs. And twelve other minor fractures." Killua listed as he and Bleach glared at Gon. "Four months before you're completely healed."
The former assassin was sitting on the foot of the bed, in front of Gon, while Bleach sat beside the brunette.
Bleach moved her gaze from Gon to Killua and smiled. "You wanna go first?" Killua looked at the girl and nodded before returning his glare to Gon.
"You moron!"
"Sorry..." Gon said sheepishly.
"An apology won't help!" Killua exploded, poking Gon's forehead forcefully. "Do you have any brains in here?! Didn't you see what happened to those who suffered the traditional Nen greeting?! One wrong ove and you could've ended up like them! You're lucky not to be hurt any worse. Man, why do you think the Four-Eyes was training us for?"
"Still, I had a feeling that I'd be okay." Gon said.
Bleach and Killua deadpanned at that and looked at each other. After a few seconds, the girl nodded.
Killua pressed the ball of his foot on Gon's fractured arm, making the poor brunette winkle in pain.
"Alright, Killua. My turn." Bleach spoke, pushing Killua's foot away from Gon.
"Gon, sweety-" Bleach began in a saccharine voice that made both boys shiver in fear. "-tell me something." Still smiling, she scooted closer to Gon, who followed his survival instincts and scooted away. "Are you… OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND?!"
"Bleach, Mito-san-"
"Don't you fucking Mito-san me, right now! I'm fucking pissed at you! You were stupid, Gon! To accept a challenge from a fighter that already masters Nen without knowing shit about it?! That's fucking ridiculous! But the worse: you deactivated your Ren and entered Zetsu! Do you have any idea of the risks you were taking?! You could've died, Gon!"
"I-I'm sorry…"
"I don't want an apology, Gon! I want you to promise not to do such reckless shit again! I don't mind you challenging a friend stronger than you, like me or Killua or even Wing, and risking getting your ass kicked; this is how you get stronger. But, I do mind you accepting to fight a complete and amoral stranger like that Gido fucker and risking your life! Never do that again, alright?! Not without proper training!"
Gon stared at Bleach's angry and worried eyes with his wide ones. Slowly, a smile stretched across the boy's face and he offered the girl his unbroken pinky finger.
"I promise."
Bleach's eyes widened before she returned Gon's smile with a smirk and winded her own pinky around the boy's.
Then, the trio heard a knock on the door.
"Come in!" Killua spoke as he stood up from the bed to open the door.
Sure enough, it was Wing standing there, and he didn't look happy. Bleach's smirk widened as she turned her eyes from the Nen teacher to Gon.
"You know what they say: three is the charm."
For the third time in less than an hour, Gon had his sorry ass raked. Also, for two months, the time Killua told Wing that would take for Gon to recover, the brunette was forbidden to train Nen.
Killua and Bleach decided to accompany him in that.
One month later.
"Gon, you scare me." Bleach spoke as she and Killua watched the boy jump from side to side with wide eyes. "How did you recover from all of those injuries in just one month?"
"As if you're one to talk." Killua spoke. "In your fight with Hanzo, you recovered from that cut he made on your shoulder in seconds."
"Yeah, but only because this-" Bleach raised her pendant for the boys to see. "-helps me heal. It isn't natural of my body like it is to Gon."
"Whatever…"
"Awwwn! Is Killua-chan sad because he can't recover as fast as his friends?" Bleach teased with a smirk.
Killua narrowed his eyes at the girl and was about to attack her when Gon put in, obviously trying (and succeeding) to avoid a fight between his two white-haired friends.
"Ne, Killua, wasn't you about to say something?"
"Ah, right. Here…" The former assassin fished three tickets from his pocket.
"Tickets?" Gon let out.
"These aren't ordinary tickets. They are for Hisoka's fight."
Unfortunately, since Gon was still in that two months' probation of not studying Nen, he couldn't go see Hisoka's fight, leaving Killua and Bleach to go to it by themselves.
"You should smile, Killua." Bleach spoke with a smirk. "After all, I bet this is the closest to a date you've ever been in your life."
"That's none of your business! And I wouldn't want to be on a date with you even with you were the last girl on Earth!" Killua spat, sparing an ugly glare at the girl before turning his eyes back to the arena. "Now, shut up. It's about to start; Hisoka and Kastro's fight."
Killua and Bleach were speechless when they left Hisoka's fight.
"Kastro's technique…" Bleach began looking in the distance. "It was weak. Why?"
Killua looked up at the girl. "What do you mean?"
Bleach stared back at the boy. "I met a man here, a Floor Master called Elmsy. He is also able to make copies of himself with his Nen, but, his doubles were higher in number AND much stronger than Kastro's. Also, Elmsy's doubles weren't unstable as Kastro's were; they were like real fighters that had complete mastery over Nen and obeyed Elmsy's orders. I don't understand why such a difference, though. I mean, it's the same technique, right? Shouldn't the doubles have the same strength?"
Killua sighed and shoved his hands in his pants' front pockets. Indeed, Bleach's question made sense. If Kastro and that Elmsy guy were, indeed, using the same technique, why did one use it in a stronger way? But that was the least of his concerns. How did Hisoka manage to heal his severed arm during the fight? That was an even more troubling matter.
It seemed that there was still much about Nen that they didn't know.
A month later, after Gon was free to train again, Wing resumed teaching the boys about Nen. Gon and Killua's next lesson was Gyo. Every day, the boys would go to Wing's apartment and watch the video from Hisoka's fight.
"Wing, can I talk with you for a minute?" Bleach asked the teacher.
"Sure, come with me."
Both walked out of Wing's living room, in which Gon, Killua and Zushi were practicing their Gyo, and on apartment's veranda.
"You wish for me to give you a tougher training, right?" Wing asked.
"You sure don't beat around the bush, huh?" Bleach spoke with a smirk on her lips. "But, yes, that's pretty much it. It's not that I want to surpass the boys or anything but… Well, I already know how to use Gyo. And Ten, Zetsu and Ren. I was hoping you could teach me Hatsu."
"I see… Well, I have a proposition for you." Wing spoke after some moments. "We'll make a test and, according to the result, I will orientate you on how to practice your Hatsu. But, you'll have to wait for Gon and Killua to master their Ten, Zetsu and Ren before I give you any more help. Also, you can't tell the boys about this."
"Deal."
"Tell me, Bleach, what do you know about the Six Classes of Nen?"
"So, all I have to do is use Ren on this cup?" Bleach asked Wing as she stared at the water-filled glass, which had a little leaf floating on it.
"Exactly. This will show us in which category your Aura falls."
"Okay."
Wing watched was Bleach activated Ren around her hands. The teacher's eyes widened at what he saw.
"The fuck?!" Bleach let out and jumped back from the glass.
"I wasn't expecting this." Wing spoke as he raised the glass to his eyes. "You're a Specialist type, Bleach."
Inside the glass, there were seven little fishes swimming; one for each colour of the rainbow.
"Is this bad?" The girl asked, glaring at the fishes.
"There is no good or bad in Nen, Bleach; everyone is different, so every Nen is different. As long as you learn how to use your Nen properly, you'll do great." Wing explained with a smile. "But, there is a small problem about your Specialist Nen."
"Huh? What?"
"I can't help you improve it." Wing admitted. "I can suggest that you repeat this glass exercise and that's about it. Since I don't know what your Nen does, I can't teach you how to use it. I'm sorry, but this is something you'll have to learn on your own."
Bleach sighed. "It's alright, I guess. I can manage on my own." Then, her eyes lit up in epiphany. "Actually, there is someone that might help me!"
"And the winner, and still Floor Master, is Elmsy!"
From her place on the floor, close by the arena, Bleach watched as Elmsy waved and smiled at his audience tiredly. She couldn't help but smirk in amusement; despite being Floor Master for God knows how long, the man sure didn't like showing off. When he jumped off the arena, Bleach was quick to push her way through the fan girls that were surrounding Elmsy and approach him. Actually, more like fell down in front of him.
"Arysa!" Elmsy let out as he picked up the girl that was glaring over her shoulder at the poor fan girl that accidentally pushed her to the floor. "Are you alright?"
Bleach frowned and narrowed her eyes at the man. "I told you before; my name is Bleach."
"And I told you before, your name is Arysa." Elsmy said, frowning back.
Bleach was about to retort, but the surrounding girls' loud voices stopped her.
"Who's that girl? Why's Elmsy talking to her?"
"Is she his girlfriend?"
"WHAT?! No way! Elmsy is mine!"
"You bitch! Get away from him!"
As one, the fan girls started to emanate a murderous intent more terrifying than Hisoka's. Bleach felt cold sweat streak down her neck and back as she activate Ten to protect herself.
"Elmsy, get me out of here." The fan girls got closer. "NOW!"
"Those bitches are fucking crazy!"
"Language, Butterfly."
"My name isn't Butterfly either."
"You will have to choose between Arysa and Butterfly, because I am not calling you Bleach. You are not a cleaning product."
"As if being a flying insect is much better."
They bickered like that all the way up to Elmsy's floor.
Miraculously, Elmsy and Bleach managed to run away from the man's fan girls with their bodies almost intact; Bleach had received many hits, but hey were mostly gone by now thanks to Namid's healing power. Their clothes on the other hand weren't so lucky; they could barely be classified as rags now.
"Wait here a little bit." Elmsy spoke, motioning to his living room. "I will get us some new clothes."
"Alright."
Bleach sat down on the couch of heavens and closed her eyes, visualizing Foog's chakrams. Since that unpleasant first encounter, Bleach hadn't succeeded in summing the Fire Guardian's weapons not even once, despite trying to do so many times in the weeks Gon wasn't forbidden of using Nen. Taking deep breaths, Bleach thought of the Guardian that was fire's incarnation.
"What are you doing?" She heard Elmsy ask.
Concentration lost, Bleach let her Aura return to its normal flow and opened her eyes, giving Elmsy, who had already changed his clothes, an annoyed look.
"I was about to succeed in summoning Foog's chakram. But you ruined it."
The man smiled in amusement and sat down besides the girl, putting the clothes he was carrying on his lap.
"You were doing it wrong." The man spoke calmly. "Do not try to think only about Foog. Imagine his power and what you wish to do with it. After all, you must have a reason to call to him, right?"
The girl nodded and closed her eyes again. This time, she didn't think only of Foog and his chakrams. She thought of fire and of what she wanted: to become stronger, so she could find Ging alongside Gon. And never, ever again, let someone step over her as if she was nothing.
Elmsy watched the girl besides him with attentive eyes. His Gyo showed him how her Aura flew to her hands in a slow but sure rhythm and how it started to change its neutral nature to a fiery one. Suddenly, the chakrams appeared in Bleach's hands and her eyes opened and, even though she was using brown contacts, he knew her irises had turned red. He almost took out her contacts himself to see them.
For a short moment, Bleach's world was red. But that wasn't important. What really mattered was that, in her hands, she could feel Foog's chakrams, in her core, she could feel his power and, in her head, she could hear his voice.
'FINALLY! I THOUGHT YOU'D NEVER BE ABLE TO DO IT, CHOSEN ONE.'
'Bleach! My name is Bleach!'
"I did it!" The girl exclaimed, turning her head to smile to Elmsy. "I summoned Foog's chakrams!"
"Yes." The man said, returning the smile. "Now, you have to learn how to use them."
"Alright!" Bleach agreed, jumping from the couch excitedly. "Let's go!"
"Go where?"
"Outside! You don't want me to burn the couch of heavens, do you?"
"Fair enough." The man conceded with a chuckle, but, instead of standing up, he grabbed the clothes from his lap and raised them to Bleach. "But, first, why do you not go change your clothes?"
Bleach looked down at her tattered clothes and smirked sheepishly.
"That's a good idea."
Dressed in one of Elmsy's oversized shirts and shorts, which were held on her lips by her belt, Bleach followed the man to the rooftop of one the many buildings that were in the city.
"You sure we can train here?" Bleach asked.
"I know the building's owner and he said it was alright for you to train here." Elmsy answered.
Bleach blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"I cannot help you anymore, Butterfly. You know that, when I started to protect your family, the Guardians had already been banned. I have never seen a Chosen One use Foog's power."
"Then, how did you know what I should do to summon the chakrams?"
"You may not remember but, when you were a child, you used Namid's power to heal me, yourself and the rest of the Family. Once, I asked how you did it and you explained to me that you just pictured the person you were healing cured. I just assumed that, to summon the other guardians' powers, you had to do the same."
"I can cure other people?!" Bleach let out. "Damn, if I had known that before, I could've healed Gon after his fight with Gido! Why didn't you tell me this before?"
"I am sorry. I thought that you remembered about, at least, your healing powers." Elmsy said and pointed to the indigo crown pendant around the girl's neck. "Since you still are wearing Namid's necklace and all."
"Whatever." Bleach dismissed, before giving the man a smirk. "So, anything else you forgot tell me before I start training?"
Elmsy returned the smirk with a smile. "Just good luck."
Bleach watched the man walk away in silence. For now, she had learned what she wanted from him already: a way to summon the chakrams. After she mastered the chakrams, she would bother the Floor Master again and learn about the other guardians; what their powers were and, most important, where were their weapons.
Taking a deep breath, Bleach sat down on the floor with her chakrams on her lap and started to meditate.
'You have to think before you act, Bleach.' Ging had told her once. 'There is no use in practicing Nen if you don't know what you must do with it. First, you understand the concept of your abilities. Then, you act upon them. The theoretical of Nen is just as important as the practical use.'
That memory of Ging brought a soft smile to the girl's lips as she succeeded in synchronizing with Foog. She would learn all that she could about her Guardian of Fire and his powers, then, she would use them.
And so, as Killua and Gon trained under Wing's guidance, Bleach trained on her own, practicing every day with Foog and his chakrams.
Weeks later.
"Bleach!" Gon called as he ran into the girl's room and jumped on the bed, on top of her. Killua watched his friend's antics from the doorway, with a detached smile on his face. "I did it!"
Startled awake from her nap, Bleach stared up at the boy with wide and confused eyes.
"Hisoka agreed to fight me!"
Bleach's eyes brightened up at hearing that and she couldn't help but hug the boy tightly. She didn't think she could ever feel what she was feeling then: pride for another's accomplishment.
"Ne, Bleach."
"Yes, Gon?"
"Please, let me go. I can't breathe."
"And the winner is Hisoka!"
"You did it, Gon!" Bleach exclaimed in happiness as she ran to the arena, towards the boy. Killua was close behind. "You punched that creepy clown right on the face! You're amazing! In no time, you'll truly kick his ass!"
Gon was listening to Bleach's praise, but his eyes didn't move from Hisoka's retreating figure. Gon would reach him, no matter what.
Suddenly, before the jester could leave the arena, the place's lights went off.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" The fight's narrator began in the most excited voice anyone had ever heard. Everyone stopped talking. "Something inedited, something big, something UNBELIEVABLE has just happened! For the first time in the history of Heaven's Arena, one of our Floor Masters is defying a fighter!"
A single cannon of light was lit and its beams fell directly over a very confused Bleach.
"Bleach-sama! Someone has something to say to you!"
Other cannon of light was lit, illuminating the area right in front of the girl. Standing there, with his arms crossed and a smile on his face, was none other than Elmsy.
"Arysa, I challenge you to a fight. Here and now."
Bleach blinked at the man, processing what he had just said to her. Slowly, a smirk stretched across her face.
"Let's do it."
Well, honestly, I don't like this chapter much; lots of cannon plot but too little original ideas. Still, I didn't want anyone to get lost in the timeline, so I guess it couldn't be helped... But next chapter is the exact opposite! Lots of riginal scenes and very little copy-and-paste of the cannon plot! ;D
I hope I can write a good fighting scene for Bleach and Elmsy. Fighting scenes aren't exactly my cup of tea, but I'll do my best! =.=
Well, despite the astounding amount of copied cannon scenes, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. :)
Kisses,
RedVoid