Phinks is going to pay. It was the first thought Gon had when he left Killua's cell. And the first thought when he woke in the morning. And now it was in the back of his mind as he barely avoided losing his head.

Nobunaga frowned as Gon jumped back. "C'mon. This is no fun." He strode forward. "How long are you gonna keep running?"

They were in the back courtyard for their planned duel, though not at the planned time. It was decided it would be better to fight later in the day when the surrounding buildings blocked off the sun. The now shaded weedy field, after removing the debris, had become a spacious playground for the two fighters to dance around without concern. With the buildings and encircling benches there was also ample room for an audience. Of which there was. All the Spiders barring some exceptions, were present. Of those not, Phinks' absence irked Gon the most. Though, he couldn't quite understand why. The man had not stopped plaguing his mind since his meeting with Killua. During his restless sleep the previous night, he had snuck out to find Killua again. The door was unguarded, he need only to open the latch and walk in. And yet he couldn't. It wasn't worth risking Killua's life for the mere chance to have another conversation. At least, that's what he had told himself then. But now, he didn't know what to think.

Nobunaga stopped. "Hey kid, you listening?" He pointed at Gon with his sword. "Honestly, if you don't want to fight just say it!"

Gon shook his head at the man's voice. C'mon. Focus! He studied the swordsman up and down as if seeing him for the first time. He wasn't Phinks or Chrollo, but he was still one of the Phantom Troupe. The boy clenched his fist.

"Is that supposed to be a no?"

Gon pointed at the blade in his opponent's hand. "That sword. It isn't fair. You have a weapon and I don't."

"That's your problem? You know, Uvo used to make the same excuse. But he still beat me half the time."

"And he beat you all the time, when you weren't using that stupid toy," said Machi, from one of the benches.

"He's right Nobunaga," added Feitan in his sharp voice. "This is pathetic. At least put your sword down for a kid."

Nobunaga scowled at his friends. "If you haven't noticed by now, this is how I fight. I offered Gon a real match and he accepted. I never said he can't use a weapon. He can bring a machine gun for all I care."

"You really are stupid, Nobunaga. It's obvious Gon isn't the weapon type," said Shizuku. Her blank voice felt even more mocking than the others.

"Fine! We'll let him decide." Nobunaga looked at Gon. "Which one is it kid? Sword or no sword?"

The answer couldn't be more obvious. "Sword."

"Ha! I thought so. He was just being cheeky. Just like his former, he doesn't back down from a challenge.

"I wasn't lying. It is unfair." Gon adjusted his stance and focused his nen. His aura felt much stronger now. It's what gave him the confidence for his next words. "But I'm still going to beat you!" Maybe fighting him wouldn't help Killua, but he could still punish one of the Spiders, for Kurapika at least. And It would make a great story for their next meeting. The thought brought a smile on his face.

The man grinned back. "Bring it on then. You still haven't shown me what the boss did."

With that, Gon charged. At first, Nobunaga did not stir, his aura remained placid, and the sword stayed relaxed at his right side. But as the boy closed in, he immediately let out a wide horizontal slash. It was an unremarkable move, one that Gon had seen several times now. He ducked under and let out a straight right fortified by nen. With this new strength, he knew one good punch was all he needed to turn the tide, even against another enhancer. Landing it was a whole other problem though, as Nobunaga simply stepped to the side, and the fist slipped by his chest. The boy kicked the ground and changed direction, but the sword was back with another wide arc. This time, Gon jumped over, and went for a downward kick to the head. Nobunaga stepped back and used the clearance to swing for the third time. Gon craned his body back, barely avoiding the blade midair. As he made his awkward landing, his opponent did not relent. The swordsman brought a downward slash which he could only sidestep. Gon then used the opening to move forward for another punch. It seemed Nobunaga had anticipated this though, as he began to circle around, once again expanding the distance between them. This repeated endlessly. Every time he would get close, the swordsman would easily pull back, and use the residual space for another slash. He was good at predicting his moves, and was smart enough to never retreat in the same direction for too long. As Gon's frustration built, his moves started to become clumsy, until one jab from the sword almost claimed his eye. With a curse under his breath, he fell back.

"Who's the one running now?!" Gon seethed.

"Running? I've attacked you how many times now? Just because you can't land one measly hit doesn't mean I'm running."

"Neither can you!"

"Don't have to. I'm just going to tire you out. And with that lousy ken of yours, it'll happen in no time."

"He keeps his sword and still fights like a coward," Feitan commented again.

"Will you shut up and let us fight in peace? What do you want? For me to cut off his head?"

"Both of you be quiet and let me think!" Gon wiped the sweat from his brow, as he studied the metal in his opponent's hand. That sword could move faster than any of his limbs, and it made Nobunaga's already longer reach even worse. As long as it could swing, he would never land a hit. It's time to switch targets. Gon relaxed his posture. He eyed the swordsman with another smile, as he began to circle around him.

"Oh, somethings coming. I can feel it." Nobunaga had a look of obvious excitement. But that didn't hide how his aura flow and posture had stiffened. It seemed he was now taking things seriously as well.

Gon charged again. This time, without any warning, yet his opponent reacted even quicker. He brought his sword up much higher than before. It was clear this wasn't meant to be the same horizontal slash, but a diagonal one. One that would start at Gon's left shoulder and come out his right side. Nobunaga was obviously making sure he wouldn't duck or jump this one easily. The move was a surprise to Gon, and now the best response would be to slow down and jump over when the sword was lower. But he did the opposite. He sped up and entered the arc just as it began. His opponent was caught by surprise as he raised his left arm, and let the sword dig in. It should have been easy for Nobunaga to cut his arm clean off, but the sword was only contacting a small portion of his slender forearm. Gon focused all his aura there and planted his feet hard. It stopped him from losing his arm instantly, but it wasn't enough to fully block the sword. He screamed in pain as the blade's momentum continued to carry it through his flesh.

"Gon you stupid little fool! What the hell are you doing?" Machi's voice screamed behind his own.

Just when he thought his plan failed, the biting ceased. The sword's momentum was suddenly gone. Perfect. He freed his arm and grabbed the end. Taking a step forward, he shielded both hands with nen, and clutched the base of the blade with his right. Now gripping both ends, he tugged with all his might. After a split second of struggle, Gon stumbled back as the sword slipped Nobunaga's grasp. With that, he quickly leapt further back, his heart beating in exhilaration. The now sword-less swordsman stared at him stunned.

"I think I change my mind. I'll go with no sword." Gon smiled through the pain. Checking his arm, he saw there was a fair amount of blood seeping out, but he didn't have time to worry about that now. Gleefully, he stuck the sword into the dirt.

"Ah, a classic enhancer move!" cheered Shalnark. As he looked around the audience, Gon saw Machi's look of disdain was the exception. Pakunoda was giving a small clap, Feitan was snickering, and Shizuku had a look of awe. Even the usually serious Franklin, was carrying a grin.

"Not bad!" called Bonolenov, watching from the hideout.

Gon leaned on the sword. "So now what?"

Nobunaga's look of confusion was replaced with a smirk. "Not to burst your bubble," He said stretching his arm. "But the truth is, I let you have it."

"Liar!"

" I didn't expect you to rush in like that. I stopped to avoid cutting your whole arm off."

Gon scowled. "Even if that's true, it's your own fault."

"You're right," He sneered. "Next time, I won't stop. I'll follow through, and you'll have to beg Machi to put you back together."

Gon readied his stance. "Only if I give you a next time!"

"Oh you- "

Nobunaga cut off. Gon was rushing him faster than ever. Now, there was no annoying blade ready to cut him in half, he could charge without hesitation. The swordsman groaned in shock, as Gon's right fist squarely hit him in the jaw. He skidded backwards from the force.

"The hell was that..," was the only thing Gon heard him mutter, before he brought down his leg hard, and kicked him on the top of the head. Reveling in the cheering of the Spiders, he let out another jab at the rib, on the way down. As his fist made contact, he felt a blow on the side of his skull. It was weak, but Nobunaga managed to land a left hook. The swordsman used the split-second opening to make a quick retreat.

He looked up at Gon. His dark hair, now undone, flowed down his shoulders. From it, trails of blood streamed across his face, and out his mouth and nose. He grinned madly. "That's what I've been waiting for Gon! Maybe I should've gone no sword after all."

Gon's eyes locked on the blood. He couldn't help but grin as well. I can win. He only wished Killua were here to see this.

"But too bad for you, I didn't."

Nobunaga could act cocky, but his aura did not lie. It clearly had become weaker and unsteady. He was hurt. Gon glanced at his own injury. He was glad to see that the bleeding had lessened, and the pain seemed to be subsiding. Still, this had to finish quickly. He had held back on his punch before, playing it safe, but now, he was going to put out everything. He flipped back and revved his ren, once again beside Nobunaga's sword. This was a good distance.

This time, they both charged in together. There was no surprise on the swordsman's face as he saw Gon's full speed. He was already used to it. And Gon was counting on that. He smoothly snatched a rock from the ground and hurled it with all the force his right arm could muster. A rock would be useless against a nen user, but this one was strengthened with his enhancer aura. Combined with his own speed, and Nobunaga coming right towards it, it would be impossible to dodge. And It appeared that his opponent knew, for he extended his right hand as if to catch it. But he had clearly misjudged the direction, since it flew right over, and sped towards his face. It wasn't a clean hit. The swordsman managed to crane his neck and got away with little more than a scrape on the forehead. Good. Gon knew his distraction worked perfectly when he planted his fist into Nobunaga's heart. He smiled as the swordsman gasped out blood and began to topple backwards. I can kill him. But that's when he spotted the glint of light in the corner of his left eye. He instinctively turned to look. There it was, Nobunaga's sword, perfectly secure in his right hand. The boy's eyes grew wide in bemusement. Perhaps that's what caused him to not notice the black boot that smashed into his jaw. After focusing everything on that punch, the kick felt hard. His body flew upwards, and his head swam with the taste of blood.

"Like I said," Nobunagas voice brimmed with triumph. "This time, I'm not stopping."

Unable to move his neck, Gon eyed his opponent. His vision was blurred, and all he saw was a vague figure leaning on a strange cane. But he understood clearly what that meant. He used his sword to recover from my attack. The swordsman pulled his weapon from the earth and raised it up high. He brought it down with both hands, and Gon's heart beat in horror as the faintly visible blade sped towards him. He desperately tried to command his muscles to block, to dodge, to do anything. It was no use. His body was completely petrifi-

"GOON!"

Killua's voice broke Gon from his daze. With a scream, he brought his hands together and caught the deadly blade. He pressed his palms hard around the cold steel. But the relief did not even last a moment. In the air he had no leverage, his muscles felt weak, and he was already injured. It wasn't even a struggle as the sword slipped right through and continued unhindered towards his face. In the end, Gon's lips could only form one word before he saw black.

My first action chapter! Please tell me how I did. Also I apologize but my production will slow down somewhat from here on. I'm starting to get very busy lately.