"Hisoka. What are you doing?" Falcon asked as he headed down the hallway with Machi. Hisoka was standing outside of his room, leaning on the door frame, while another man, who had long hair, stood in front of him.
"Nothing~" Hisoka purred, the two of them turning to face Falcon. Machi stood behind Falcon silently, watching Hisoka and the long haired man closely. The long haired man glanced between Hisoka and Falcon, face stern and solemn.
"Who is this?" Falcon asked, pointing at the long haired man who twitched indignantly, unamused by the fact that Falcon was talking to Hisoka and not him.
"I'm Kastro." Kastro interjected before Hisoka could answer, glaring angrily at Falcon. Falcon gave Kastro a once over, raising an eyebrow before he turned back to Hisoka.
"Hurry up with whatever you need. There's a message for you about… work." Falcon told Hisoka before he brushed past the two of them and casually entered Hisoka's room. Machi followed Falcon but, instead of sitting on the bed like him, she leaned on the wall. Machi kept her eyes on Hisoka and Kastro while Falcon playfully started bouncing on the bed.
"Why won't you fight me?" Kastro suddenly yelled agitatedly.
"Its simple. I'm no longer interested in you. I have more, and better, toys to play with now." Hisoka said, shrugging.
"Gon and Killua better not be one of those 'toys' Hisoka." Falcon called out warningly, eyes narrowing at Hisoka.
"You certainly are at any rate. Although you are more of an equal, like Illumi, than a prey." Hisoka said, turning back to smirk at Falcon. Falcon clicked his tongue and glanced at Kastro, an idea forming in his mind.
"Hey, you. Kastro right? I'll let you fight Hisoka. Just beat him to a pulp or you can kill him if you're strong enough." Falcon said, smirking evilly.
"I'm hurt. Do you think that I can't handle him?" Hisoka said, clutching his chest dramatically.
"How would I know. Besides, I need to see you fight, gauge your strength and all that jazz." Falcon said absentmindedly as he gazed at Kastro who was gaping in surprise at the two of them. "So? Do you agree?"
"If you can really ensure that Hisoka fights me…" Kastro replied slowly. Falcon snorted, not missing Kastro's doubt, but didn't comment on it.
"Hisoka?" Falcon said simply.
"Yeah yeah. Come on. Let's go register for tomorrow. I'll come by to your room later." Hisoka said, waving a hand at Falcon in farewell as he led the stunned Kastro away.
"No. We'll tell you after this match. We're not leaving until it's over anyway." Falcon shrugged.
"W-Who was that child?" Kastro asked as he and Hisoka walked to the registration desk.
"Hmm? His real name or the name he is going by?" Hisoka hummed.
"Real? I guess Falcon is a weird name. I was asking why you listened to him so easily though." Kastro said, glancing behind them at where Hisoka's room was. Machi was leaning on the door frame, much like Hisoka had done earlier, and was staring at the two of them unnervingly. Just then, Falcon walked out of Hisoka's room and, sensing Kastro's gaze, turned to look at him. Falcon smirked, waving a hand in the air before giving Kastro a mocking salute. Falcon walked off as he dropped his arm and Machi swiftly followed behind him. Kastro shuddered, feeling the Nen emitting off Machi and Falcon, and quickly turned back around as Hisoka chuckled.
"Well… it's not like you will be able to tell anyone with Machi watching you. And Falcon won't really care as long as you don't tell the two boys, who I guess you don't even know,… not to mention that you'll be dead soon enough." Hisoka muttered as Kastro glared at him. "His real name, not that he wants to go by it or that anyone will call him that anytime soon, is Dharius. After the mythological bird, Dhalion. Those who do know his real name usually don't call him that though, they call him Captain or, in my case, little bird."
"Captain?" Kastro murmured in confusion.
"Yes. He's in charge of the strength and training of everyone so he's called Captain, like the military position. He's good at that you know. Training people. He easily sees through attacks as well as the weaknesses and strengths of his opponents." Hisoka said as they finally reached the registration desk. "Ah, here we are."
Distracted by the prospect of finally getting his revenge match with Hisoka, all thoughts of Falcon was immediately chased out of his mind as he walked forwards determinedly.
"Falcon!" Killua yelled, waving his arm in the air to attract Falcon's attention. Falcon looked over and, seeing Killua, started jogging towards him.
"Hey Killua." Falcon greeted distractedly as he glanced around the area.
"Hi? What are you doing?" Killua asked in confusion, looking around himself to try and see what, or who, Falcon was looking out for.
"Looking out for Machi. I'm not supposed to be here right now and I gave the slip." Falcon replied as he straightened up and looked at Killua who sweatdropped.
"She really doesn't want us interacting huh?" Killua commented.
"Yeah. She understands that I like you guys but she's keeping me away from the both of you for that very reason. She's convinced that I will end up fighting with you guys and killing you in a fit of rage. But that's ridiculous. I didn't try to kill, or even fight, either of you during the final phase of the Hunter's Exam right?" Falcon said dismissively. Killua lost his amusement, irritation showing on his face.
"Wing thinks so too. He doesn't like the both of us hanging out with you." Killua said
"It doesn't matter in the end. Neither of them can stop us right? Unless you don't want to hang out with me anymore…" Falcon trailed off slowly. Killua glanced at him and, catching Falcon's worry, slung an arm over Falcon's shoulders.
"Don't listen to anyone. I'm not going to leave you anytime soon and Gon is not the kind of person to do that." Killua said reassuringly.
"Yeah." Falcon agreed, brightening up. They walked up to Gon's room but saw an interview on the television hanging above them on the way. An interview with Kastro about his fight with Hisoka later on in the day. "Oh yeah. I forgot about that. I need to go buy some tickets huh…"
"You want to go watch the fight?" Killua asked, glancing over at Falcon as they walked.
"Yeah. I want to see how strong Hisoka is." Falcon nodded as he changed direction to head towards a man who was selling tickets by the side.
"Oh. Buy 3 tickets then. One for each of us. Gon wants to fight Hisoka so this will be a good chance for him too and I'm also kind of interested." Killua said. Falcon waved a hand over his shoulder at Killua in acknowledgement and Killua hung back as Falcon bought the tickets.
"Ok. I got them. Let's go." Falcon said, showing Killua the three tickets as he walked back. The two of them continued on their way up to Gon's room. Killua pushed open the door to Gon's room, about to announce that they had gotten tickets to a match that Hisoka was participating in when he froze. Falcon glanced at him curiously, looking over his shoulder into Gon's room only to freeze in shock as well.
"Umm… Gon?" Falcon started hesitantly.
"Oh hey guys! I was just thinking about going to find you guys!" Gon greeted cheerfully as he jumped up and down. Upside down and on his arm.
"You've already fully recovered?" Killua asked incredulously, a stunned expression on his face.
"Yup! All better. See?" Gon confirmed, jumping up and down as he cartwheeled and performed handstands all over the room. He finally stopped after a while and looked down at his hands, clenching and unclenching them experimentally.
"Didn't the doctor say that he would take 4 months?" Falcon whispered to Killua as Gon started stretching.
"Yeah. And it's only been 1 month." Killua whispered back to Falcon. Then, he raised his voice, addressing Gon as he pointed a finger at Gon accusingly. "What is your body made of you weirdo?"
"You're one to talk." Gon retorted. "So, what's up?"
"Oh yeah. Check this out. Guess what these are." Killua said as Falcon held up the tickets that he had bought.
"Tickets?" Gon said, tilting his head to the side in confusion.
"Well… you're not wrong but these aren't just any tickets." Killua sweatdropped.
"They're tickets to Hisoka's match." Falcon explained, nudging Killua into the room so that he could enter. "Now come on. The match is going to start around 2 hours later so we can go get something to eat first."
"It's quite a popular match. I was asking around while Falcon was buying tickets and I got some information." Killua said as the three boys moved out of the room and to a cafe to eat. "Hisoka is not an ordinary fighter. He's fought 11 matches in total. 3 losses and 8 wins, of which 6 were by knockouts. And the number of knockout wins equals to the number of corpses."
"But Hisoka's lost 3 matches?" Gon asked.
"Nope. The 3 matches were because his deadline was coming and he needed to sign up for a fight. He wasn't interested in the opponent and didn't turn up for the match, losing by default." Falcon explained. "Basically, he doesn't lose when he does fight."
"And… Hisoka's only given up 4 points in total over all his matches." Killua added. "One down and three clean hits. He's as good as the master class."
"Wow… that's pretty intimidating." Gon said slowly. His expression however, showed excitement and anticipation for a fight between them. Falcon glanced at him, sharing a smirk with Killua behind Gon's back.
"Anyway, this guy that Hisoka's fighting is called Kastro. He's the one that downed Hisoka and won three of the four points that Hisoka lost in total." Killua continued, schooling his face into a neutral expression.
"Kastro is gunning for a revenge match with Hisoka, even went to Hisoka's room to get Hisoka to agree with the fight." Falcon informed the two boys. "I'm planning to use this match to analyse Hisoka's fighting skills and techniques. See how he fights."
"Hmm. That's a good idea." Gon said thoughtfully. Then, a thought struck him and he stopped walking as he turned to face the other two boys. "But what about my promise with Wing?"
"Of course this doesn't count! We're just going to be watching a match." Killua said. Falcon nodded before he stiffened slightly, turning to come face to face with Wing.
"Absolutely not." Wing said firmly, startling Gon and Killua. Wing glanced warily at Falcon as he faced the other two boys, keeping a close eye on Falcon even as he addressed them. "Watching a match counts as studying Nen. Gon, you should focus on getting better for another month."
"Ok. I understand." Gon said, calming down from his shock at Wing's sudden appearance.
"Well, that's all I had to say." Wing said, turning around to leave. Falcon and Wing exchanged glares but neither of them attempted to do anything else.
'They've been training Ten diligently. Their Nen aura shows this clearly, like a calm and tranquil river.' Then, Wing shook his head as he sighed, looking up at the sky for a moment. 'This is bad. I keep telling them to be wary about Falcon but I'm the one that is losing my calm.'
"... Oh well, I guess the both of us will go see the match ourselves." Killua said, shrugging helplessly. Then, Killua glanced at the tickets and sighed. "We'll have to do something with this ticket though… maybe we should go give it to someone else."
"Yeah. Let's settle this first before we eat then." Falcon said as he took out two tickets, stuffing the last one in his pocket, and gave one to Killua. Then, he stood by the side and started calling out to the passing people. "Does anyone want a ticket to the match between Hisoka and Kastro? Only one ticket left!"
"I'll take it." Falcon froze when a familiar voice called out from behind him and turned around sheepishly.
"Hello Machi…" Falcon greeted as Killua and Gon stared at her warily.
"Captain." Machi said, glancing at Killua and Gon before she turned back to Falcon. "Say your goodbyes to them. After Hisoka's fight today, we're going back to Meteor City for a while. The others are already there."
"... Ok. I'll see you around Gon. I'll see you later at the match later Killua." Falcon said slowly as he turned to leave.
"Wait!" Gon said, trying to grab Falcon's arm but Machi stopped him.
"I told the both of you to stay away." Machi said warningly.
"Machi. Stop." Falcon hissed angrily, eyes flashing as he turned back around. Killua and Gon shuddered slightly under the pressure but remained resolute, staring past Machi and at Falcon in surprise. Machi started and released Gon but remained between Falcon and the two boys. Falcon looked at them guiltily before he spun on his heel, averting his gaze. "We're going now. I'll see you around guys."
"Why won't you let us hang out together? Falcon told us that it was because you were afraid that he was going to attack us. But, do you not trust him?" Killua accused calmly. Machi glared at him silently.
"Captain. Why don't you leave first? Pack your things." Machi called out without turning around. Falcon paused for a moment, hesitating as he glanced between Machi and the two boys.
"You better not attack them." Falcon finally said as he left, waving to the two boys.
"I got it." Machi replied as she turned around, moving to lean against the wall. She stared assessingly at the two boys who unconsciously straightened up under her gaze. "The two of you just won't leave the Captain alone huh."
"You got that right. Falcon's our friend!" Gon said determinedly as Killua nodded in agreement.
"... The Captain was born with all his Nen aura pores open. His parents didn't know about the existence of Nen and thought he was a freak, a monster. To put it simply, they didn't treat him well." Machi started slowly, watching the two boy's reactions closely. "Eventually, they abandoned him at Meteor City when he was around 3 years old, after he learned how to control Nen on his own without any help. Normally, he would be trained by the best possible people. His talent is enormous, seeing as he managed to learn about Nen all on his own. But, his parents abused him and threw him away."
"How could they? They're his parents!" Gon said angrily as Killua bowed his head, a murderous aura rising slowly off him.
"People are afraid of things they don't know about. It's natural." Machi explained cooly although her body was tensed and her fist was clenched slightly in rage. Machi turned to look at Killua. "And stop that. You're attracting attention."
"... Sorry." Killua muttered, reining in his bloodlust. Machi snorted.
"Anyway, Falcon has some… issues because if the whole thing. He's convinced that if he has no worth, is not useful, then he will be thrown away and abandoned like his parents did to him." Machi continued. She then directed a glare at the two boys. "Which is why I won't allow him to get any closer to the two of you than he already has. If the two of you abandon him then he will most likely break for real."
"We won't abandon Falcon!" Killua snapped.
"And how do you know that for sure?" Machi asked. "You haven't seen how the Captain truly is, seen him in his dark side when he is absorbed in a fight or angry. You don't know what he has done either. How do you know for sure that you won't abandon him?"
"We won't. We've already seen his dark side to some extent anyway. During the Hunter Exam when he killed someone with me." Killua said confidently.
"... We'll see. Either way, unless I get irrefutable proof that neither of you will abandon the Captain, you're not going anywhere near him. The others will all likely do the same too." Machi said.
"Others?" Killua asked.
"Yeah. The Captain doesn't want you two to know though so I'm not going to tell you." Machi said. "Either way, I'm not going to stop him from watching the match so it will probably be the last time you see him."
"We'll find him. And show you, as well as these 'others' that you're talking about that the both of us will not abandon Falcon!" Gon yelled at Machi determinedly. Machi gazed at them solemnly but didn't reply, turning to leave.
"The next time you see us, we'll definitely be strong enough to bring Falcon with us!" Killua called after Machi. Machi paused for a moment before she continued walking without replying. Killua and Gon watched as she walked away, merging into the busy crowd a moment or two later and disappearing from their sight.
'We shall see. I don't disagree that the two of you have a lot of talent and that you are unlikely to abandon the Captain but I can't take any chances. None of us can, not after we failed him the last time.'