She exchanges a single stricken glance with Satoshi, then the two of them unfasten their seat-belts and step out of the car, awaiting their doom.
The highway they stand on is deserted under the bright noonday sky, their car and their pursuers' black one the only ones in sight. Sparse woods surround the road. If they'd gotten a mere five minutes more, she knows those woods would've parted into a suburb, a clump of houses and stores and people. Their pursuers had known exactly when to stop them: just far enough away to not be able to call for help.
She sniffs and scrunches up her nose in disgust. Something smells terrible.
The black car stands a few yards from them. A man dressed in black slides out of the driver's seat and starts towards her and Satoshi. The man who'd ordered them out of the car is standing right in front of them, a handgun pointed at Satoshi's head. Next to him is another man with a gun pointed at her, and behind them is a woman with a rifle. She must've been the one who shot the tires.
"Listen up," says the first man, the one whose gun is trained on Satoshi. "You're gonna stand here until we say otherwise. If you move, you die. You understand?"
She nods. Tears well up in her eyes that she blinks away as well as she can. Beside her, Satoshi stands motionless, eyes flicking side to side as he surveys the situation. She wonders what he's thinking.
The gun angled at Satoshi comes closer until it's inches away from his face. "I said, do you understand?"
She would never know how Satoshi keeps calm. He just stares into the man's eyes and says coolly, "I am not so stupid that I don't understand basic words. However, you seem stupid enough not to realize that understanding is not the same as obedience."
"Why you-"
"Harada," the driver speaks up from a few feet away, "calm yourself. We're still waiting on Bando's squad to report in on their status. We have to keep them alive, at least until we've made contact with our target."
Their target? She wonders. That must mean that she and Satoshi aren't their target, but are related in some fashion to it. Perhaps they intend to use the two of them as a way to garner obedience from the target? But if so, why use them? If they were just after two random people, they wouldn't have needed to tail her.
She abruptly remembers Hisoka's phone call. He'd been in pain and he'd known Satoshi was in danger. He was expecting them to hunt down his brother. Why? She can only think of one reason: these men are targeting Hisoka.
She swallows, eyes flicking around nervously. She absentmindedly drags a hand over her nose - whatever the smell is, it's strong enough to make her eyes water. On the one hand, the thought of going against these people is honestly fucking terrifying. They could kill her in an instant. On the other hand, if she and Satoshi are still around when - if - they bring Hisoka in, they might kill her anyway. Or kill her out of frustration if they don't find Hisoka.
Satoshi moves slightly, a tiny flick of a wrist. She turns and catches his eye. He mouths, "Got a lighter?"
Confused, she stares at him. Why on earth does he want a lighter? She subtly shakes her head no.
He looks away casually. She copies him, knowing they're still being watched. Their guards still have both gazes and guns trained on them, watching their every move.
However, as the minutes tick by, their watch relaxes. One of them drifts off to call someone on the phone. The woman with the rifle disappears into her car. The two remaining men start up a conversation. As time passes, their conversation gets more animated, distracted enough for her and Satoshi to talk.
"You smell that?" Satoshi mouths at her. He subtly tilts his head towards her car. "Missed a shot. Got the gas tank instead."
Her eyes widen in horror. According to the action movies she's seen, that should mean her car had already exploded. Are they about to die?
Apparently seeing her fear, Satoshi rolls his eyes. "Relax, idiot. That's just in movies. It is leaking now, though."
It only takes her a second to realize what he wants to do. She mouths back, "You want to ignite the gasoline?"
He nods.
"How? We don't have anything to light it with."
Satoshi hesitates, then casually taps on his glasses.
She stares at him for a long moment. She almost asks if he's crazy. Not only does he want to blow up her car, potentially wounding or killing both them and their captors, he wants to do it with his glasses?
"You've gotta be kidding me."
Satoshi's mouth presses into a thin line. "Do you see any other way?"
"That's my parents' car! Do you have any idea how much money I'm gonna have to pay for it?" Just the idea of the long hours she'll have to pick up at the restaurant she works at is enough to make her feel sick.
"Do you want to be dead?" Satoshi shoots back. The words are soundless, formed but not voiced, yet she still feels their bite. "Do you want Hisoka to be dead?"
She looks away. Of course she doesn't! None of this - being captured, threatened, terrified for her life, for Satoshi's, for Hisoka's - none of this is something she wants! None of this is fair, or right, or anything other than horrific. Tears well up in her eyes again and she scowls at the pavement, cursing the unfairness of it all.
There's a hand on her shoulder. She jerks, but it's only Satoshi.
"Look," he mouths, expression gentler. "I'll get Hisoka to help you pay it off. But we need to get out of here alive, and this is the only way I can think of doing it."
She gazes back at the ground, but this time with a sense of defeat. He's right, after all. Choosing between a car and the life of three people isn't even a choice.
"Fine," she whispers. "What do I need to do?"
Satoshi glances subtly back at their captors. They've moved off a bit, closer to her car. "Get all of them as close to the car as you can."
Si watches silently as Kurapika casts Chain Jail on Chrollo.
There's still that strange feeling inside her that wants Chrollo to live, that knows that what he did for her can never truly be repaid. But there is also the deep, quiet knowledge that the evil he has done cannot be truly repaid, either.
So she watches, doing her best to tie up the still-unconscious Pakunoda and Kortopi while she does so. It wouldn't do for them to interrupt Kurapika, after all.
Even in the midst of his rage, Kurapika retains his intellect. From what he says, both through implication and demands, Si discovers that Gon and Killua had given themselves over to the Spiders in order to keep Kurapika safe from detection. Chrollo remains impressively calm and placid as he tells Kurapika that the kids are most likely still alive, but Kurapika will never see them again.
"Yes, I will," Kurapika says coldly, his eyes still blazing red. "I'll kill you otherwise."
Chrollo shrugs, looking completely unperturbed. "Even if you cut the head off, the Spider will not die. Our goal is not to keep an individual alive, but the whole Spider. They will not give in to your demands."
Hot fury burns in Kurapika's aura, but he doesn't back down. "Even if I cut off the head and two legs? You aren't the only spider here."
Chrollo's mouth tightens and his eyes flick to his unconscious members. But he looks Kurapika in the eye and says, with the same calm, "Even if half the Spider should die, it would regrow."
Kurapika's fingers twitch. Si knows if he were any less controlled he would've strangled Chrollo then and there. She steps forward, unsure if she needs to calm him down, but it proves unnecessary.
When Kurapika speaks next, it is a list of demands: don't speak to the Troupe, don't use Nen. The chain, half-buried in Chrollo's chest, gleams. He adds a final demand, just to be safe: don't harm him, Si, Gon, Killua, or Leorio in any way.
Pakunoda and Kortopi wake up shortly afterwards. Kurapika repeats the procedure with them, and then he grabs his phone.
Si honestly isn't sure what she expects. Some of the members, such as Feitan, seem utterly heartless. Would they care if three of their members died? Or would they, as Chrollo said they would, simply appoint a new leader and carry on?
She's not sure who answers the phone, but whoever it is seems willing to comply once Kurapika tells them who he has the power to kill at any moment.
It strikes her, then: Kurapika is giving up his best chance for revenge in order to save Gon and Killua. A swell of pride rises inside her. Just a few days ago, he'd endangered all of them for a shot at revenge. Now he's doing the opposite, and she can't deny it warms her heart. They really do grow up fast.
Kurapika hangs up the phone, tells the three now ex-Spiders where they're meeting Machi - the one he was talking to - and orders them to go with him without resisting. They comply.
And just like that, it's over. The exchange - the three ex-Spiders for Gon and Killua - goes smoothly. The fury in Machi's face when she realizes none of them can talk to her or use their Nen is terrifying, but Si ignores it as best she can. At the very least she can be thankful that Machi's fury is for Kurapika, and he's capable of taking her on himself.
Gon grabs her arm as soon as the Spiders are gone, excitedly telling her everything that happened with the Troupe while Killua interjects whenever he thinks Gon's wrong. Kurapika stands a little off from them, eyes downcast and expression lost. Si gives him his space at first, but as Gon's story tapers to an end, she finally turns to Kurapika.
"You saved their lives, you know."
Kurapika doesn't respond for a moment. Then he says, "They wanted Gon for a member, he wasn't in danger. And Killua could've gotten out himself."
Killua's face shifts, torn between a child's fear and an assassin's pride. Finally, he says, "No, I couldn't have. They're way too strong. Even Dad doesn't like fighting the Troupe; says it's not worth the effort."
Kurapika shuffles his feet, uncharacteristically awkward. "I...didn't want to put you in any more danger. That's all."
Gon grins, big and happy. "Thank you, Kurapika!"
Kurapika mumbles something under his breath. Si holds back a snort. The four of them stand there in silence for a moment, looking around, relaxing. It's a moment of peace after the adrenaline rush of the past few days.
Si finally breaks the silence. "We should probably go check up on Leorio."
Leorio had gone back to continue working with Zepile for more money; Gon had told him that if they ended up getting enough to buy Greed Island, Leorio could use the rest for med school. Obviously, that was quite the incentive.
"Oh, yes!" says Gon. Then he frowns. "Since we couldn't get the reward money from turning in the Troupe members, I hope Leorio's made some for us."
Si exchanges a look with Kurapika. Some money, certainly. Leorio's sensible enough and has been working with Zepile for a while now. But enough to buy Greed Island? She seriously doubts it.
"Gon," she starts slowly. Killua shoots her a warning look but she ignores it. "Have you ever considered there might be a different way to get in? A way that doesn't involve actually buying Greed Island?"
All three boys stare at her blankly, Kurapika included. Then Gon grins at her and says, "Oh, you mean volunteering to enter the game for the buyer?"
That was exactly what she'd meant. She gapes at him. "I...yes. How did you know that's what I was thinking?"
"I was thinking about it too," he says cheerfully. "I'd prefer to have my own copy of my dad's game, but if that doesn't work out, that was my back-up plan."
"I didn't know you knew what a back-up plan was," Killua says.
Kurapika covers his mouth to hold back a laugh.
"Of course I do!" Gon cries. "I just...don't use them. Usually."
"That's pretty obvious," says Killua.
"Anyway," says Si, "All we need to do is see who wins the game at the auction and track them down. I can't imagine most people would want to go into a game as supposedly dangerous as that by themselves."
They all nod.
"Kurapika," Gon says, "what are you going to do now?"
The boy hesitates. For a moment he looks lost, then the expression clears. "I'll continue the search for my people's eyes. My boss is leaving the city, so I'll have to follow her."
"So you aren't coming with us?"
Kurapika's face softens. "No, Gon. It seems like our paths will take us separate ways for a bit. But I promise, if you - if any of you - need me, I'll be there."
Si's heart warms. He's come a long way in a few short days, a long way from the boy who refused to involve any of them in his life or even talk to them. She sets a hand on his shoulder, about to tell him that, before she thinks better of it and simply nods at him instead.
"I feel the same!" Gon says. "If you run into trouble, we'll be there! Right, Killua?"
Killua gives a noncommittal grunt. Gon elbows him. "Yeah, sure."
Kurapika smiles. "Thank you, Gon. Thank you, Killua."
"That goes for me, too," Si tells him. "If you ever need anything..."
"I'll call you. Thank you, Si."
The three of them say their goodbyes to Kurapika and watch as he leaves. Somehow he looks taller than before, more sure of himself. Si smiles a little. She'll still worry about him, of course, but she thinks that, eventually, he'll be alright.
The atmosphere is tense and stifling as Si, Gon, Killua, and Leorio stride into the auction hall. The auction's due to start any minute now. There are hundreds of people there already and dozens more filing in by the second. If Si sees one more overwrought tuxedo, she thinks she might scream.
"Hey Si," Leorio says from her left, "I think that guy over there's checking you out."
"Not another one," she groans, following his gaze to glare at the rich, sleezy-looking guy eyeing her lecherously. "Man, why is it always the rich ones who are the assholes?"
"I don't understand," Gon breaks in. He's to her right, and Killua to his right. "What's wrong with that? He's just looking at you."
Si throws Leorio a wry look. When she turns to Killua, she's surprised to see he looks just as confused as Gon. She's abruptly reminded that, for all Killua's life experiences, for everything he's done, he's still only a kid.
That knowledge makes her hate the Zoldycks a little bit more.
"It's..." She hesitates, then smirks. "How about I tell you when you're older?"
Predictably, Gon pouts. Killua scowls at her, when makes her smirk grow wider.
"Aw, that's no fair!" Gon complains.
"We're older right now," Killua puts in. "Tell us."
She just laughs, continuing to walk. She brushes past someone seated on the end of a row and turns to apologize -
And freezes.
Feitan and Phinks are staring at them.
The four of them burst out of the auction hall without a second thought.
"Why are they here!?" Gon cries as they run.
"How would I know?" Killua yells back.
"Does it really matter? They're still here!" Leorio pants.
Something - or someone - incredibly fast flicks on the edge of Si's vision. She flings herself towards it without a second's thought, activating Ren as she goes. She impacts flesh and muscle and sends its bearer flying backwards.
A hand catches her before she can continue, jerking her to a stop. "Calm down, will you? We're not here to fight."
"Yeah, seriously." Phinks walks towards her, brushing off his clothes. "We're just here to enjoy the auction."
Feitan releases her and steps away. As soon as he does, Gon, Killua, and Leorio flock to her, eyes wide.
"You're here to 'enjoy the auction'?" Si asks disbelievingly. "You're thieves."
Feitan glares at her but Phinks lets out a laugh. "Esu was right, you're quite the spitfire."
The idea that Esu talked about her - to members of the Phantom Troupe, no less - is definitely one that sits uncomfortably. "Esu? Why would he be talking about me?"
Phinks and Feitan exchange glances. Phinks look back at her. "No idea. He's even more obsessed with you than he is with the kid, and that's saying something."
Considering how fixated Esu has been on Gon... Si winces. Yes, that is saying something. Probably not anything good.
"In any case," Phinks continues, "don't worry. We're not interested in killing you. We can't kill the chain user, so why bother with you?"
If the Troupe's policy of total disinterest is the only thing getting Si through the night, she'll take it.
"Don't you want to kill Kurapika, though?" Gon asks. "He took away your boss's and two of your friends' Nen."
Si throws Leorio and Killua a wry look. Leave it to Gon to remind two murderers of exactly why they should want to murder your friend.
Phinks lifts a shoulder. "Killing him won't solve that problem. Nen doesn't always disappear after death. If it's born of hatred or regret, it can become even stronger. We can't risk the backlash from that affecting them."
He's not wrong. Nigg had, on occasion, regaled her with tales of what happened with Nen users who had died after casting a Nen affect on another person. What often happened to the unfortunate victims was worse than death. It was especially bad if the victims didn't have Nen themselves. Given Kurapika's conditions, the three ex-Spiders would be utterly powerless to any Nen backlash Kurapika's death gave them. No, Phinks and Feitan are right to leave Kurapika alone.
Si does have to admit, though, that Feitan's unwillingness to kill Kurapika due to that reason means he must not be as heartless as she'd thought.
Phinks steps back. "In any case, that's all."
The two Spiders turn to leave.
"Wait!"
They stop, looking inquisitively at Gon.
"Do you know if Pakunoda-san is alright?"
Both men's faces tighten and Si already knows what their answer is. She grimaces; out of all the Troupe Members, she'd liked Pakunoda the most.
"She's dead," Phinks says.
Gon's face falls. "Does that mean Kortopi-san and Chrollo-san are, too?"
"No." This time, Feitan speaks. "Paku spoke to us and paid the price. Phinks, let's go."
Phinks turns to leave, then pauses. "One last thing. Kid, Paku told us to thank you." Phinks nods at Gon.
Then the two Troupe members are gone.
Si's mind whirs. What did Feitan mean? Surely Pakunoda couldn't have thrown away her life through a careless accident. She must've had a reason. But what? What was important enough to die for? Surely she didn't throw away her life simply to tell the rest of the Troupe her life story?
"Si? We're going back to the auction hall."
She nods distractedly and follows, still thinking.
The auction passes by in a blur. The copy of Greed Island goes to an old, white-haired man near the front named Battera. On the way in he'd been surrounded by reporters asking if he were intending to buy all copies of the game. His answer? Yes. For her part, Si just hopes he's looking for players.
The four of them manage to track him down. He's surrounded by bodyguards, and at the forefront: a pro Hunter who introduces himself as Tsezguerra.
Si stands back and lets Gon take the lead. This is his mission, after all. Gon talks about the game, about the memory card he has, about the ring. Tsezguerra goes from condescending to surprised to begrudgingly impressed, and with him Battera.
"You know Nen, right?" the Hunter asks. "Let's see your Ren."
Gon nods. "Okay! Wait. All of us?"
Tsezguerra eyes the four of them, lingering on Leorio. "Do all of you wish to play Greed Island?"
Gon turns to her and Leorio - apparently Killua is a given. "Si? Leorio?"
"I'm afraid you'll have to count me out," Leorio says. "I have studying to get back to, and anyway, I've barely learned Ten."
Si considers. Until then, she'd been going along for the hell of it. But after learning just how serious this is - that out of the hundreds of people who have entered the game, none have come back - she needs to decide if the risk is worth it.
Her quest to find Illumi will have to be halted if she goes into Greed Island. Then again, as far as she knows, he's already left Yorknew City. There's no telling where he is now and Si doesn't have the network or the resources to find him. Given how obsessed Illumi is with Killua, it'd actually be better to stick around Killua than to waste her time hunting Illumi down by herself.
She does have to admit that she doesn't like the idea of the two of them being around when she actually does find Illumi, though. Not simply because she doesn't want them to know about her past, but because she doesn't want it repeated. Having two friends murdered by Illumi was horrific enough. She doesn't need two more.
Then again, given Killua's relationship with Illumi, it's hard to imagine that Illumi would kill him. Gon, though...Gon is not someone she's willing to risk. She refuses to have another person as collateral.
"Si?" Gon asks.
"I, um..."
But wouldn't her presence benefit Gon more than hurting him? If he's with Killua, he's already in danger. Si's being there would only help at this point.
Yes, Si can't hide it anymore. She wants to keep the two of them safe. Kurapika has Melody to keep him in line, now, and Leorio's the only sensible one out of the whole group. Killua and Gon are just kids. No matter how powerful they are, no matter how intelligent, no matter how mature, it doesn't change the fact that Gon's still twelve and Killua only turned thirteen last month (which she only knows because Killua will not stop boasting about it to Gon: "Gon, you have to listen to me now that I'm older"). It definitely doesn't change the fact that Gon grew up with no father and an aunt as a mother, and Killua was tortured daily by his family.
They need...Si doesn't know, exactly. Actual guidance? Parental support? Whatever the case, she already knows they won't get it unless she steps in.
"I'm in."
"Then the three of you, please show me your Ren."
Killua and Gon activate Ren immediately. Si hesitates, judging the extent of their auras before matching them. She sees no need to show Tsezguerra how powerful she truly is. Gon and Killua's Ren are...passable. Hopefully.
They aren't. Tsezguerra tells them as much, but right before Si intervenes to ask for a redo, he gives them another chance. Four days from now, there's a screening for all the potential candidates. If they can get stronger by then, they have a possibility of making it onto the game.
Si purses her lips at the news, before slowly nodding. "We'll be there."
"Very well. Good luck." Tsezguerra gives her a look like he knows she was faking her Ren. She gives him a cheery smile back. The four of them give their goodbyes and depart.
She looks over at Gon and Killua as they walk. If there's anyone who can grow stronger in four days, it's them. She only hopes for their sakes that it's enough.
A/N: This is where my old writing stops and my new writing comes into play. Given my long hiatus, my writing style's changed a lot and I've also changed a ton as a person. This is also where this fic is going to began to depart a bit from the plot-line. As brilliant as Hunter x Hunter is in the world building department (especially the Nen system), it's extraordinarily lacking in character development and, the biggest thing for me, morals. Si, even from the beginning in Ace of Spades, has been a character of integrity and morality. She cannot shine in a narrative that celebrates amorality (Leorio is canonically the only one out of four protagonists who doesn't outright murder someone). So this is where the ripple effect that began all the way back in AoS will really start to show.
As for the science bit! If anyone's interested! MythBusters did an episode to see if they could set a car on fire by shooting the gasoline tank. TL;DR: they couldn't. However, gasoline itself is extremely flammable and can be set on fire quite easily. Also, as some of you know, it is possible to set things on fire using a magnifying glass. It is also possible (though difficult) to set things on fire with eyeglasses, though they have to be a certain kind of eyeglass and the conditions have to be right, etc.
Hope you enjoyed!
