On a rooftop in York Shin City, a solitary man crouched and stared over the brilliant panorama of the night-shrouded city. His big frame was perfectly still, shaggy hair so blonde as to be almost white (or was it white?) fell over a hard, craggy face. Emotionless eyes shifted slightly, and he grunted in acknowledgment of the small, giggling man who had materialized soundlessly (until the giggles, anyways) next to him.
The crazed assassin seemed to delight in trying to surprise, or possibly kill, him. Once he had let the little loon know that he was aware of his presence, the Iron Wolf ignored him. The Iron Wolf... his was a name spoken only in furtive whispers by 'those who knew'. It was said he could find anyone. He was a hunter. Not a Hunter... no, not a member of that select guild of brilliant madmen. He was too solitary for that- a lone Wolf, who stalked his prey as a test of skill and courage... tracked them tirelessly until he had run them to the ground.
The Iron Wolf moved, shifting his position slightly, continuing to ignore his giggling companion, and acknowledging the slight weariness he felt... weariness that would have been exhaustion, exhaustion to the brink of death, for an ordinary man. He would wait. This 'Speed Hunter'- the boy who was his prey (a boy not much older than my son... a restless inner voice said) had eluded him briefly, here in York Shin. But he would be back. His instincts told him this, and on the hunt (I have no children. I am wed only to the hunt.), they had never failed him.
A movement down on the street caught his attention. He watched as a silent, slender figure strode into view, supreme confidence and perfect caution in a strange blend. Then, abruptly, the young woman vanished from view in a burst of impossible speed. The Iron Wolf tracked her with his eyes; the scarcely visible blur disappeared into a small, cheap-looking hotel. She was nowhere near as fast as the boy, but the Hunter-filly was still fast enough to give him problems.
Which was why his employers had insisted on sending Paedric Shea with him. The deranged little man was a Blacklist Hunter, who apparently shared the beyond-human abilities of his prey, both the immediate and the ultimate. Given her return to the hotel alone, it seemed that her search for the day had been as futile as his. However, she, too, remained convinced that the boy would return here. The other trackers had dispersed, chasing rumours and shadows, searching for a 'Speed Hunter' that most of them had never even heard of before being set on his trail, much less seen.
The boy was almost a complete unknown, even by the standards of the reclusive Hunter community; he had some small success stories to his name- the (re)discovery of a very unique piece of geography, the liberating of a minor city from an apparently supernaturally-powered gang that had been terrorizing it... but nothing that would make him stand out from the rank and file of Hunters in general.
The Iron Wolf shrugged, steel-hard muscles rippling under his skin, and stalked over to the roof access, vanishing from sight. His small companion stared at the hotel a moment longer, and his eyes glowed with Gyo, his giggles stilled. The crazed Shea, his lunacy dropped like the mask it was, scanned the cheap-looking hotel with a studied intensity that would have given even the famed Iron Wolf pause. He had checked the girl's file at the Hunter website, along with the 'Speed Hunter's' markedly thinner one, and had learned enough to be wary of her.
He glanced back at the dark stairwell, half-thinking of hurrying down to try to 'surprise' the Iron Wolf again to maintain his manic persona, half-thinking of the Hunt that he was currently on... the Speed Hunter, high bounties from all the parties interested in his current hunt notwithstanding, was minor prey. But there were no rules saying that a Blacklist Hunter couldn't have more than one target at a time... He smiled coldly, a very different smile than his usual manic rictus, as his gaze turned to the seedy little hotel again.
In the shadows, the Wolf watched his erstwhile partner carefully. He'd long suspected that the manic giggler was merely a facade, and here was one more bit of proof that the man behind the facade was even more dangerous than he appeared.
--
Meanwhile, down in the seedy-looking hotel, the young huntress flopped onto the bed in a surprisingly nicely appointed room. She rolled over onto her back, brushing her long, blonde ponytail out of her face, and smoothing her poofy red dress. She heaved a sigh, wondering whether or not whoever it was had that had been shadowing her for the last two weeks was going to do anything THIS time. She doubted it... she would almost have welcomed the break in the monotony. As far as she could tell, they were following her because they thought she had lost the Speed Hunter's trail.
She had, in fact, but didn't care that much- she had her own leads to follow. She'd been doing this for long enough she didn't feel that much need to tail another Hunter to try and find her prize. She smiled at the thought... -I seem to be running into a lot of terribly talented boy Hunters lately. First those two, and now this Speed Hunter child... at least, he seems to be rather talented, given how easily he's outrunning everyone. Either that or the child has a decidedly interesting hatsu. Child... heh... I wonder how the hotel owner's nice teenaged son would react if he knew I was almost old enough to be his grandmother?- she thought, then chuckled. Well, at least he'd probably stop flirting with her.
She had been promised any five named or name-worthy stones from the Grand Treasure of the Ophirate, along with her weight in gems. It was THAT big. She smiled again -I guess I never WILL stop loving sparkly things...- She rubbed her sleepy eyes, and started to giggle at the slightly irrational thought of shifting into her true form and walking out, leaving her pursuers wondering where she'd gone. She flicked the light off, and let her special Nen ability "Lovely Masseuse" calm her. Then she smiled in the darkness, relaxed and a little giddy. -More gems to add to my collection. Soon, the Museum is going to have to rename their gemstone display the 'Biscuit Krueger Wing'... Of course, they're still all mine... all... mi...- And with that happy thought, Bisuke drifted off to sleep.
--
High above the hotel on the rooftop, hunter and hunted watched the darkened room. Paedric Shea shifted slightly, staring down at the window with burning eyes, his Nen a chaotic jumble of swirling colours. Behind him, the Iron Wolf's eyes widened slightly as the crazed little Hunter simply faded from view. He tested the wind, then bared his teeth slightly in what might have been a grin. The little loon was still there, simply blended into the background. It seemed tonight was a night of revelations. The Iron Wolf stiffened infinitesimally, his instincts warning him it was time to go. He could no longer track Shea accurately, so he casually vanished into the shadows, drifting out of sight with less noise than a night breeze.
--
In a nondescript van on the streets behind Bisuke's hotel, Daniel Smith slumped forwards, letting his forehead bang against the steering wheel. -Some surveillance team we are...- he thought bleakly. -3.7 Trillion Jenis in equipment and training, and the best we can do is stare at the other surveillance teams...- He paused, and gave a short, muffled bark of laughter. -Well, at least now I know who watches the watchmen... we watch each other.-
He banged his forehead on the steering wheel again, ignoring the chatter behind him... it was always the same. Then a couple of words caught his attention, and he turned his attention to the techlit dimness of the back of the van.
"... disappeared completely off our scope... nothing on any wavelength..."
"... infrared traces suggest that the Wolf was up there too..."
Daniel swivelled his chair around. "What's happening?" he demanaded, swinging his display panel and keyboard out and hammering a rapid series of commands.
"Sir!" one of the technicians said "It appears the Mafia team is making a move. The giggling one- the Hunter- has vanished off all our scopes. The Wolf appeared to have left earlier, but we've lost him off all sensors as well."
Daniel hesitated for a moment, then slammed his workstation back into it's nook and spun around, throwing the van into gear with the same motion. "Park the drones somewhere safe." he snapped. "We're gone. I haven't forgotten what that maniac did to Patel and Jackson when he found them spying on him."
--
Paedric Shea slipped back into visibility, glaring at the receding taillights as the surveillance van disappeared around the corner on two wheels. His mouth twisted in a bitter frown, and he glanced up at the hotel they had all been watching, briefly considering taking out his anger on the sleeping Huntress, then decided against it. He stalked away down the street, his face an icy mask of rage and disappointment.
--
In a familiar dark basement, the Knight-Guardian enforcer writhed under an all-too-familiar incandescent stare, pinned to his chair by the sheer force of the other man's anger. "Do-you-know..?" the Mafia boss rapped out, biting off each word as though it had offended him personally. "Do-you-know-what-those-idiots-you-hired-in-my-name-are-doing?" He noticed the smaller man's hand continually straying down to his half-concealed morningstar, and visibly collected himself.
The small enforcer opened his mouth to speak, but his Mafia counterpart ran straight over whatever he was going to say. "I'll TELL you what they're doing. They're ELIMINATING the various nation's surveillance teams, whenever they run across them!" He paused for breath, and the other man again started to speak, but once again, the Capo ignored him.
"This wouldn't be a problem, normally, except for the fact that at least two of the nations are aware of who is killing their men, AND who they're working for. At least," he hesitated, returning his baleful glare to the target of his ranting and slamming him back against his chair, "who they THINK they're working for. If they're pushed too far, they have more than enough resources to bring my organization crashing down. And when they do... one way or another, they'll have my secrets."
He leaned in, skewering the enforcer with his gaze at close range. "ALL my secrets. I believe you would be wise to go and bring your hounds to heel, enforcer." With that, the Mafia boss turned and stalked towards his door.
The Knight-Guardian got shakily to his feet, and managed to sputter "The Knight-Guardians can destroy any foolish enough to challenge us! Let them send their entire armies to claim the Treasure. They will break like waves on the cliffs!"
The Capo stopped, briefly, but didn't turn. "And when they decide that no amount of treasure is worth this, and drop a nuclear warhead on you... where will your vaunted prowess be then?" he said. Then he walked out the door and was gone.
The enforcer relaxed muscles like corded steel and shuddered. Even if the Boss didn't have information that would tear the veil of secrecy from the Knight-Guardians and their trust, to be delivered in the event of his death, he wasn't sure he could have acted against the Mafia boss, so overpowering was the man's rage. He stared at the empty doorway his counterpart had vanished through for a moment longer, then drew his dagger and vanished behind it.
--
In another part of York Shin City, in a well appointed room in a large hotel, Killua was sitting on one of the beds clutching a double handful of poker chips and wearing a shocked look on his face. Ryozha was storming around the room, yelling "I swear, Killua, if I have to drag you out of that casino one more time..!"
"He did the same thing last time we were here, too." Gon volunteered from one of the other beds.
"HEY!" yelled Killua, jumping on Gon as poker chips sprayed all over the room.
Ryozha watched as the two wrestled and laughed, absently catching and neatly stacking the poker chips in a brief burst of speed. He wanted to join in, but wasn't sure it would go over very well. He stared for a moment longer, shyness and insecurity warring with nascent friendsihp, then sighed, and slumped into the armchair. He grabbed his laptop and popped it open. He hammered rapidly at the keyboard for a few minutes, before finally exclaiming "A-HA!" Killua got off of Gon and wandered over.
"What's up?" he asked.
"I finally managed to figure out where the guy we're looking for is." By this point, Gon had wandered over too. "Ping Lee. My Grandfather always said that he's one of the best there's ever been at imbuing Nen permanently into stuff- he's the one that made my laptop and camera and stuff. If he can't figure out how this ring works," here he paused and fished the ring out of his pocket and flared Nen through it, "then he'll know who can. Best part is, he's still in York Shin City. Unfortunately, York Shin is also where I ditched most of the people who were tailing me. Odds are, at least some of them hung around to wait for me."
"Yeah, you mentioned that before." Killua answered.
"So I had an idea," Gon interrupted. "We have a friend here- a man we met last time we were in York Shin, looking for Greed Island. His name is Zepairu- he's a buyer in the big market, and he sees just about everyone who passes through here."
Ryozha sat up, his interest piqued. "So... what'd he say?"
"Well," said Gon, "he said that the 'Market Rumour' is that a lot of the local Mafia guys are all stirred up. A guy he knows who works for the Mafia as a runner,sometimes, when they're dealing with something too sensitive to trust to electronics... well, he said he got sent to a really weird place on one of his last runs. He walked through a door, there was a flash, and suddenly he was somewhere else- he wasn't in the room he had walked into when he went through the door. He gave the message to the guy who met him there a few minutes later, and then... well, he said he thinks he's lucky he's still alive- the Mafia boss who gave him the message was so angry he almost couldn't talk, and the guy he gave the message to looked really mad too. Then the guy he gave the message to pulled out a big knife... and disappeared behind it. Zepairu told us that he thinks the only reason he got so much info out of the guy is because he was drunk- he was trying to forget coming so close to death." Killua made a small, disdainful noise, and Ryozha glanced at him.
"Not everyone has done what you have, Killua- and while we may live inches from death more often than most, it still affects us." He glanced at Killua's face, and his mouth quirked in a half-smile at the look on it. "Well, most of us. Heh. So... the Mafia is all abuzz, huh? Well... I don't really think that has much to do with us, but it's useful to know. Unless... Killua, where'd that news report you found go? The one about the weird murders?"
Killua looked surprised, but dug around under the bed until he found the newspaper clipping. He tossed it to Ryozha, who snagged it and studied it. "Here we go," he said, "all those guys who got killed- they worked for a bunch of different embassies."
Gon cocked his head to one side, looking puzzled. "So?" he asked.
Killua threw a pillow at him. "They were spies, idiot." he said, laughing.
"And that paper also says the police think the Mafia killed them, right?" Gon wanted to know.
"Yup." said Ryozha. "So... this might have something to do with me... or rather, us... after all."
Killua looked more impressed than he had in a while. "You know, Gon... I'm starting to think you were right about how important... how big this hunt is. It's actually kind of cool."
Ryozha blushed a little- Killua's comments came rarely... in fact, it was Gon who talked to each of them mostly, neither boy entirely sure how to deal with the other... then he tossed the paper aside. "We'll figure all that out later- I just got an e-mail from Ping Lee."
About an hour later, Ryozha was fidgeting in an outdoor seat at one of York Shin's many cafes. Ping Lee's e-mail had given the name of a famous night spot in Zaban and the instructions to meet at 'it's closest equivalent' in York Shin, along with the warning that at least three of the surveillance teams were still in York Shin City, hoping to pick Ryozha's trail up again, and that one or more of them had at least half an eye on Lee. Ryozha glanced around. He, Gon and Killua had all disagreed as to what exactly Lee had meant, so they had split up. Killua had taken the instructions literally, and had headed for York Shin's hottest nightspot... and, coincidentally (or not), the location of a large casino.
Ryozha sighed, but decided that Killua was most likely (hopefully?) going to be able to stay focussed on the hunt at hand. Gon had thought that "Mr. Ping" had most likely meant the street address closest to that of the night spot, and was perched on a warehouse rooftop not far from the street corner he thought Ping Lee would show up at. Ryozha had simply superimposed a map of Zaban over a map of York Shin, and parked himself at a cafe near where the night-spot would land if Zaban were abruptly dropped onto the center of York Shin.
If Ping Lee were to show up at any of the three places, whoever was there would immediately call the other two, and Ryozha would approach Lee once he got there. Ryozha shifted position again, absent-mindedly drumming his fingers in time with the jazzy beat of Artie Shaw's "Begin the Beguine". He half-hoped Killua was right- he'd have to put up with his gloating, but the crowds at the "Night Auction" Casino would provide the best cover they could hope for in this meeting.
Some time later... Ryozha wasn't sure how long, but a glance at his player revealed that Glenn Miller, Count Basie and Duke Ellington had all finished their gigs and packed it in for the night... -This "random play" really isn't very random... or at least, it's sure spitting out a lot of Jazz tonight. Gonna have to remember to ask Lee about this if there's time.- Ryozha thought... Ryozha's cellphone vibrated silently in his pocket. Ryozha yanked it out and snapped it open. "Yeah?" he said. Gon's voice came out of the speaker briefly. "He's here." was all he said, before hanging up.
Ryozha smiled. -Looks like Gon was right after all.- He stood and tossed some coins onto the table to pay for the sodas he'd been drinking, but before he could leave, his phone vibrated again. This time, it was Killua who said "He's here." before hanging up immediately. Ryozha frowned. -Something's not right... I'm gonna bail before Ping Lee shows up HERE, too.- With that, Ryozha left the cafe and vanished into the nighttime crowds of York Shin. He drifted with the crowd, pausing briefly to call Gon and Killua, to tell them to pull out.
A short while later, a third faux Ping Lee had turned up. Ryozha watched him carefully from the fringes of the crowd as he glanced around, then spoke briefly into his lapel, where presumably he had a microphone concealed. Ryozha studied him carefully- whoever he was working for, they had the resources to employ both talented character actors and expert professional makeup men. He assumed that the other two "Ping Lees" would be equally proficient actors, since there was no way for them to know in advance where he'd be.
Now that he looked at the man closely, he could see subtle hints of wrongness that told him that it was NOT Ping Lee, although he wasn't sure he would've picked them up if he hadn't been warned by the other two being early. As he watched, the actor slipped a stun-gun into his pocket. Ryozha shuddered. Killua might be able to shrug off crippling shocks like they were nothing, but Ryozha had no illusions that he could handle even one shock from a taser. He thought for a second. Obviously, whoever had sent the doubles had intercepted Ping Lee, or delayed him somehow.
If Lee was only delayed... he wondered if Gon or Killua knew how to do a brush pass. Ryozha faded into the crowd and found an internet cafe. He grabbed a shadowy corner booth and hooked his laptop up to the system with a cable- no sense in risking an open Wifi port, after all. He hammered out a brief e-mail in a single stacatto burst- "Sorry, was delayed tracking another lead. Will arrive tomorrow. New meeting place? -R".
Then he invisibly attached a tiny worm to it whose only function was to follow the e-mail to it's destination and report back if it was intercepted or not. -Hopefully the hacker I bought this from was as good as he claimed... I certainly paid enough for the stupid thing. But he said that it should withstand any attempts at detection.- A few seconds later, the worm reported back- the e-mail had gone through without incident. Ryozha sat back, idly scanning through the web for any hints at the surveillance teams watching him- there were certainly enough 'live satellite imagery' sites kicking around that he should be able to find some trace of them. When the fifteen minutes he had hired the 'net kiosk for were up, he snapped his laptop shut, paid and left.
When he got back to the hotel, Gon and Killua hadn't returned, so he called Gon, bouncing his call through Whale Island, just for fun. Through the crackling, scratchy, but surprisingly clear phone, he learned that Killua had tailed his "Ping Lee" to a nondescript van, where he'd lost him. Gon hadn't even had to follow his- the same van, or one very much like it, had picked up Gon's "Ping Lee". He and Killua were on their way back to the hotel- they had just stopped to leave a note for Zepairu to meet them as soon as he could. After Killua and Gon got back to the Hotel, they settled in for some serious brainstorming.
"Okay," started Ryozha, "I can't figure out what's going on very well, but here's my best guesses. I think one of the countries that's having me followed kidnapped Ping Lee- the Hunter they hired to follow me wouldn't have to kidnap him, he'd just use the Hunter Website to get any info he needed about Ping Lee. Also, he'd know that Ping Lee's specialty is imbuing objects with Nen, so he'd have no reason to assume that I'd come back to visit him so soon. That, and he probably wouldn't have the resources to keep him watched- he'd be following his own leads, not tailing me, most likely. So, probably not the Hunter who's competing with me. I don't think it was the Mafia, either- if what the newspaper and Zepairu said DO have some bearing on each other, then the Mafia here in York Shin might be mixed up in this somehow, but I don't think they have the resources to make three, or maybe even more, Ping Lee duplicates. Also... I don't think a stun-gun is a Mafia-style weapon... they seem more likely to just stick a gun in your ribs and tell you to come quietly."
"That sounds right." Killua agreed. " So you think it's one of the government shadow-teams that kidnapped Ping Lee?"
Ryozha nodded, and Gon said "I don't think a Hunter would grab Mr. Ping either- it doesn't feel right." Ryozha and Killua both looked at him expectantly. "Well..." Gon continued "if anyone grabbed Mr. Ping, that means that they knew you were back in York Shin City, right?" Ryozha nodded again. "So that means that they know you're back in town, either from your e-mail to Mr. Ping, or else because someone saw you. Most Hunters wouldn't bother grabbing someone to force you to come to them- they're more likely to track you down and grab YOU, since they'll probably underestimate you. A lot of the time grown-ups look and go 'Oh, it's just a kid', even when they know you're doing something huge, like the hunt we're on now."
"Yeah, that sounds even more right, actually, Gon. So, it's almost definitely one of the government shadow-teams that took Lee. He said that there were at least three of them still around in his e-mail- that's out of seven that I know of- and the murders were of men from three different embassies. That means that there's one shadow-team out somewhere else hunting for me. I don't think anyone's realized yet that you and Killua are working with me, Gon, except maybe the Knight-Guardian wannabes, so we still have that advantage. Since that's the case, I think it should just be me that goes in to get Lee out once we find him."
Gon moved to protest, and Rhyoza waved him down. "I know you want to help, and that you're my partners now, but I don't think those goons can stop me if I'm ready for them. It would be bad tactics to waste a major potential advantage for a small bit of extra safety."
Killua rolled over on the bed and put his hand on Gon's shoulder. "I don't like it either, Gon, but I think he's right." Gon subsided, grumbling.
A while later, Ryozha was blurring down the darkening street towards Ping Lee's place. His reply e-mail had included a coded 'trouble alert', for which Ryozha was thankful- it confirmed his suspicions that Lee was in fact being held hostage. Gon and Killua had gone ahead to position themselves "in case of trouble". Once he reached the Lee's building, he slowed to a stop in the shadow of a nearby building.
He shifted to Gyo briefly, not really expecting to see anything other than Lee's usual perma-Nen signs. Seeing nothing to indicate danger from that front, he hesitated. He wasn't sure what resources this shadow-team had, although the fact that they'd taken Lee suggested that they weren't very well equipped, at least in terms of surveillance gear. Ryozha shifted to In, and did a rapid run by of all the buildings with a clear line-of-sight to Ping Lee's warehouse. He spotted five men with binoculars, and three with Sniper Rifles. Gon and Killua were virtually invisible until Gon sent up a little Nen-flare, and Killua did likewise a second later when none of the watchers reacted. Ryozha let a half-smile creep across his face, and did another superspeed run-by, this time leaving the word THANKS in a shimmering trail of Nen-fire. With that, he was ready.
Taking a deep breath, he checked his aura briefly as he blurred virtually invisibly towards Ping Lee's warehouse. It was a satisfying gold-shot crimson, so he tightened his focus, blazing towards Lee's place of business in a comet of red fire and golden lightning, invisible to all save the keenest Nen-enhanced senses. He reviewed his options in the surreal slowness of his speed-awareness. -Anything I do will alert these guys, and probably the other surveillance teams, to the fact that I'm in York Shin again. My best bet is to get the info I need from Lee, then bail. Should've told Gon and Killua to wait for me at the airport... oh well. Guess what I need to do is disable everyone inside, get the info from Ping Lee, and get out before the others know what happened.-
Ryozha ran hard, vectored straight up the wall, cleared the roof, and soared high above York Shin. Then, abruptly, he sucked up his own momentum and slammed it out the other way, ricocheted off the sky and screamed down at the roof at thousands of miles per hour. He nailed the skylight squarely, and hurled kinetic energy into it just before he hit. It shattered like a bomb blast. He also briefly stopped absorbing the kinetic energy of the friction heat and sonic booms he generated, creating a spectacular burst of noise and flame.
Flipping himself upright and once again swallowing his own momentum, storing it in his Nen, he was amused to see that those inside hadn't even hit the ground from the dive they had performed to get clear of the 'explosion'- the same glance told him that the shockwave from the sonic boom he had let slip had just started to pick them up, to send them tumbling. He considered his options briefly, then grabbed one of the rolls of duct tape he always made a point of carrying and solidly bound the half dozen diving, tumbling men (who had moved a good inch or two in the time he wondered what to do with them -Must've really scared them to get them moving that fast even without the help of the shockwave...- he thought, mouth quirking in a half-smile), then gagged them all as an afterthought.
Then he slowed out of speed awareness and ambled over to where Ping Lee sat, tied to a chair with an amused expression on his face. "Y'always were a showoff, kid." Lee greeted him. "I'm assuming you've already noticed the watchers and the snipers?"
"Five and three, right?" Ryozha answered.
"Good kid. So, whaddya need? I'm assuming it has something to do with why these goombas're after you?"
"Got it in one, Lee. Tracking down some major-league treasure, and this..." Ryozha produced the ring, "has something to do with it." Lee casually snapped the ropes with a burst of Nen and grabbed the ring, heading for his workbench.
"Hang on. Oh- those others'll be here in a sec- take care of them, willya?" Ryozha nodded and headed for the door.
Once there, he paused for a second. He was well within Lee's building, and could already hear the pounding of feet coming up the street outside. He called Killua, and confirmed briefly that the three snipers had remained outside. He grinned, stretched, and zipped back into Lee's workroom to drop off his pack. Then, he unlimbered his jointed staff and waited; he stretched a cocky grin over his face in a matter guaranteed to infuriate the first man through the door.
A couple of minutes later, the door was kicked open, and a burly man in a dark suit and darker glasses dove through, his pistol coming up almost into the ready position... before Ryozha cracked him over the head with his staff at the same time Ping Lee yelled "Hey! Keep the damage t'the fixtures t'a minimum, puh-LEAZE!" The big man staggered woozily to his feet as two of his companions followed, while the two that remained covered them from the doorway.
Ryozha stole the first man's gun and threw it into the face of one of the two who had stayed outside, knocking him off his feet, while his other hand brought his staff around like a whip, knocking the gun out of his partner's suddenly-numbed hand. Then he whipped his jointed staff back around, bringing it to the ready position and dropping into a challenging, in-your-face crouch.
The big man who had entered first gathered his wits and made a couple of abrupt, peremptory hand motions. His men spread out, the two who were still armed hanging back, and the other three surrounding Ryozha. Ryozha paused just long enough to wonder why the lead agent was wearing sunglasses when it was dark out, then idly wondered if he had a full tank of gas and half a pack of cigarettes... he slid his headphones on, and smirked with some satisfaction as the "Peter Gunn Theme" blasted out of them at 10x normal speed.
He did a fast, showy sideways flip to dodge incoming fire from the shooters, then leapt at them, dodging the three surrounding him and disarming both gunmen with a fast staff-sweep whose follow-through knocked the guns skittering into the shadows of the hallway. Doing a midair flip, he let his momentum carry him into the wall, which he then sprang off of, kicking one agent squarely in the face and battering two others about the head and neck with the two ends of his jointed staff. The agent he had kicked in the face slammed headfirst into the far wall and slumped down (accompanied by the shout of "OY! The fix-TURES, if ya don't mind!" from the workroom), while one of those he had been belabouring didn't manage to block a strike at a vital point and collapsed.
The remaining three had managed to turn that point, and two were leaping at him, trying to pin him, while the last agent- the big leader- was bringing his hands down in a hammerstrike that would be crippling if it landed. Ryozha dropped onto his back, hooking a toe under one of those lunging at him and yanking him slightly off-course, wincing slightly at the sound of fingers and collarbones breaking as the hammerhand strike that had been aimed at him smashed into the big man's luckless subordinate instead. Rapidly shifting position without getting up, he boosted the last agent who had been diving at him, so that he sailed right overhead and also slammed headfirst into the wall ("That's goin' ont'yer bill, y'know!").
He then flipped onto his feet and did a quick spot-check- the big team leader was quickly wrapping his broken (-Well... maybe just sprained, from the size of him... yeesh.- Ryozha thought) hand with a handkerchief. His subordinate was writhing slightly, but didn't seem able to get up. Ryozha mostly ignored him, dropping into a 'ready' crouch and motioning the big agent towards him.
The big man pocketed his sunglasses and pulled out his earplug (-Perfect!- thought Ryozha, and hit the autodial button on his phone in his back pocket to briefly buzz Gon and Killua so they would take out the snipers unseen), then dropped into a fighting crouch as well. Ryozha watched his form carefully- there had been no Nen-activity from any of his opponents in this fight yet, but there was no harm in being careful- then decided not to waste any more time. He did a couple of backflips down the hall, then raced forward (quickly, but not with his usual superhuman speed), flipping sideways in a dazzling spring that pinballed him off both walls, the ceiling, and then one of the walls again to end up behind the big man, spiking a devastating nerve-strike at the base of his skull.
A split second before he connected, Ping Lee stepped out of his workshop behind the big man and swatted him aside, slamming him into the wall with stunning force. He flipped the ring to Ryozha, who had tumbled to a halt, and informed him "It's a map of some kind, I can tell you that much, and it's a-flipping-mazingly old- at least six hundred years- but how it was made, or even how to read it exactly, I can't tell you, and I don't think there's anyone else alive who can, neither."
Ryozha looked at him, disappointed, but before he could say anything, Lee held up his hand. "I have a coupl'a educated guesses, tho'. First off, it doesn't display properly if you just pump Nen through it. Either it's degraded over time- and frankly I'm amazed that th' thing still works at all- or else y'gotta put the Nen through it a special way. Hmm... since it's still working, I'd actually guess that it's th' latter. I might be able to pull the Nen out of this thing t' study it, but if I made even one mistake, you'd have nothin'. Well... nothing other than a ring with a huge funny-cut diamond in it, anyways."
The sound of sirens and running feet outside interrupted them. "Ah... that'll be the police." Lee commented. "If there's as many people chasing you right now as there seems t'be, y'd better make yerself scarce." Ryozha turned to go, and just as he was about to vanish, Ping Lee held up a hand. "Hold up, kid- something's bugging me. Call me in a day or two- I might have some fresh info." Ryozha threw him a casual salute in thanks, and vanished in a silent blur of speed.
He met up with Gon and Killua on a warehouse rooftop a few blocks from the suddenly active warehouse. "So what did he say?" Gon wanted to know.
"He doesn't know much- he thinks it's probably a map, but he can't tell us much more than that. But he thinks he might have more info in a few days... I think he's trying to remember something."
"If that's all he had to say, what took you so long in there?"
"Well... I used almost no Nen fighting those guys that came in from outside."
"What? Why?" Gon asked. Killua cocked his head to one side, but didn't say anything.
"It's pretty simple- basically, I just don't want them to know what I can really do." Rhyoza told him.
"Oooh..." said Gon. "Kind of... 'never let your enemy know your true capabilities'?"
Ryozha looked at him for a second, surprised, then nodded. "Yup, that sounds almost exactly right. Anyways, lets head back to the hotel, see if we can figure out this ring." As they moved off, he watched Gon out of the corner of his eye. -I just can't figure this kid out... half the time he acts like he's totally naive, and the other half of the time, he's seeing 'underneath the underneath', his brain working on a whole ton of different levels. Well, at least he's on my side for now. Kinda nice to have even someone who's just almost a friend at my back.-
Back in their hotel room, Ryozha flopped down in the armchair again. He dug the ring out of his pocket and, almost absently, started flashing Nen through it, varying the duration, varying the intensity, trying stacatto pulses, basically doing the Nen-equivalent of idly doodling. Gon and Killua arrived a couple of minutes later and locked the door behind them. Killua perched on the edge of his bed, and Gon sat cross-legged on the floor, watching Ryozha with his head cocked to one side.
After a minute or two, Ryozha sat up, flipped the ring to Gon and said "Here, Gon- your turn."
As Ryozha leaned back, Killua bent forward and said "After your little light show for those guys, there's no more point in secrecy- we need to move fast from here on."
Ryozha cocked his head and glanced at Killua. "I agree." he replied, "The question is, what should our next move be? Those spies- based on what I saw and what Ping Lee told me, I think they're from Bederusse- know I'm here now, and they've probably decided that I had help... or else that I'm faster than their intel reported. I hope it's not that I'm faster- I went to a lot of trouble to make them think I'm slower than I really am." He made a face.
"Also, once that particular batch of spies makes their report, it's very likely that however many surveillance teams are still in York Shin will also know that I'm here. It's amazing how few secrets there actually ARE in the 'secret world' of Black Ops and spying."
"Do you really think they'll be that much of a problem?" Gon asked as he looked up from the ring briefly.
"Well... no, not really." Ryozha answered. "We'll have to be careful of them, of course- Nen doesn't make us bulleproof." He paused, and glanced at Gon. "Well... it doesn't make ME bulletproof, anyways... I'm not so sure about you, Gon."
He winked at Gon, who stuck his tongue out at him and went back to the ring. "The other Hunter shouldn't be a problem, since they're not a Hunter of the Black List... I just wish I had some kind of 'in' with the Mafia. They're the ones that worry me the most. One of their high-level members is in on this, and we have no way of knowing what they're up to." He half shrugged again. "I guess we're just going to have to 'hurry up and wait' to find out what Ping Lee comes up with- I don't have any more contacts here in York Shin who could help us. Unless..." he flipped off the chair to stand looking at Gon and Killua. "Do you guys know anyone here in York Shin who might be able to help us out?"
A while later, Gon had passed the ring over to Killua, who was busily producing blobby, amorphous masses of Nen from it. He wandered over to where Ryozha was fitfully poking at his laptop, producing the usual stroboscopic blur. "Why do you want somebody else to help us here in York Shin, Ryozha? Zepairu has already given us very good information, and he'll probably get more to us if he finds anything more out. And your friend Mr. Ping has already helped us too." he said.
Ryozha glanced away from the computer, and said irritably "Yes, but neither of them can help us any with the Mafia connection."
"Oh!" exclaimed Gon. "Why didn't you say you needed somebody inside the Mafia?"
"I did." grouched Ryozha.
"Sorry..." Gon told him. "I guess I was concentrating really hard on the ring when you said that. But Killua and I know someone who is with the Mafia- our friend Kurapica works as a bodyguard for one of the Mafia guys. He took the Hunter exam with me and Killua, but right now he's chasing the Genei Ryodan."
"He's chasing the Shadow Brigade, and he's still alive? He must be strong." Ryozha commented.
"He is!" Gon told him. Hang on... I think I still have his home code around here somewhere..." He pulled out his phone and started prodding it.
Thousands of miles away, Kurapica pulled out his phone and studied it. Recognizing Gon's code, he let a small smile slip through his normal impassive mask and answered. "Hello, Gon."
"Hi Kurapica!" Gon said. "Uhm... is it all right if I ask you a question about the Mafia?"
Kurapica blinked, then replied "Ask your question- if I can, I will answer it."
"Thanks, Kurapica! The question is: do you know anything about Mafia activities in York Shin..." There was a burst of frantic whispering from Gon's end of the phone, then Gon continued "... in York Shin or elsewhere... concerning Ryozha Tenryu, the Speed Hunter? He's searching for a major ancient treasure trove that somehow has modern Mafia ties."
Kurapica was silent for a moment, then said "The Mafia has seen a great deal of upheaval recently- the death of the Ten Godfathers and the theft of the entire Underground Auction has caused the fall of a lot of organizations, and new ones have replaced them. So it's difficult to say who's doing what at the moment- no one trusts anyone else as the various organizations fight for position. Even so, there is STILL only one organization, and one man, who is the unquestioned master of ancient treasures amongst the Mafiosi- Boss Hinatta Myoji of the YorkShin Aerie Organization. I cannot tell you any more, except for one thing: be very, very careful if you have any dealings with Boss Myoji. He's dangerous- there are rumours that he's a Nen-user of some kind, but even if he isn't, he's very powerful."
Gon listened soberly, then said "All right, Kurapica- thank you very much!" He was about to say more, but he caught the look in Killua's eye, hesitated, and glanced at Ryozha.
Ryozha stiffened slightly, then said "I'm going to go out for a while- take it easy, guys. And if you have to go somewhere, hit the F1 key on my computer and leave me a message in the box that opens up."
As he disappeared out the door, he caught a fragment of Gon's end of the conversation "So, how is your search for the Genei Ryodan going, Kurapica? Have you been able to find the eyes of your clan?..." The closing door cut off the rest of the conversation.
A while later (a glance at the clock on his phone revealed it to be about 20 minutes), Ryozha's cel rang. He opened it and gave a half-shrug when he didn't recognize the number. He answered anyways, and was startled when Killua's voice came over the line.
"Hey." Killua said, without preamble. "Gon thinks I was being unkind to you, or at least rude... and, well... I guess..." Killua trailed off for a moment, then continued "I guess he was kind of right. Come on back to the room- we need to talk." Ryozha mumbled something, and closed his phone, still a little shocked. -Apparently there's more to Killua... and Gon, for that matter... than I thought.- He absently threw the phone into his pocket, then half-shrugged. -Well, no sense standing around here mumbling to myself- time to hit the hotel again.- he thought, and disappeared in a sudden burst of speed, racing back to rendezvous with his partners.
Back at the hotel, Gon and Killua were listlessly poking at Ryozha's laptop, half-heartedly playing one of his computer games. Ryozha burst in like a silent whirlwind, as usual, this time chucking a small pile of chocolate bars to Killua. Killua jerked back in surprise, which allowed the candy to scatter everywhere before he registered what they were, then his eyes lit up.
He snapped them up, saying "Uh... wow, thanks! Why..?" Ryozha half-shrugged. "It seemed like a good peace offering. I passed a specialty shop that sells imported chocolate, and I know how much you like it, so I got about 20 pounds of it."
Killua glanced down at the mound of candy in front of him, and hesitated. "This... doesn't look like 20 pounds of chocolate..."
Ryozha winked. "You're not the only one who likes imported chocolate."
He glanced over at Gon. "I'm sorry, Gon... I really don't know what you like, so I wasn't sure what to get you. And I have to apologize... I was being kind of nosey when you were talking to your friend."
Gon waved him off, saying "It was nothing..." just as Killua said "Well... I'm sorry too. I should have just asked, instead of..." They both stopped, and Ryozha started to laugh at the looks on their faces.
"Anyways," Gon said, "we think that we need to practice together some."
"Right," continued Killua, "both fights we've been in, you haven't really known what we could do, and we haven't known what you could do, and that's caused problems."
"Uhm... wow." Ryozha managed to say. "I like that idea... a lot. What do you want to do first?" Gon grabbed a water glass while Killua rolled his eyes. He filled it from the tap in the bathroom and set it on one of the bedside tables after grabbing a leaf from the tree outside the window.
"The water test?" asked Ryozha. He half-shrugged. "Okay, I guess, even though I'm pretty sure we know what each other's Nen-type is." Gon put his hands on either side of the glass and focussed. A second later all three were spluttering as water fountained out from the glass, drenching half the room.
They stared at the glass, then at Gon, who was looking stunned. "Wow," he finally said, "I guess it's been a while since we did this last. Wonder what'll happen when you try it, Killua?" Killua shrugged, brushing water out of his hair and looking interested for the first time. He put his hands in position and glowed gently with Nen. A few seconds later, he stopped, and stuck a finger into the glass. It skittered off the surface of the 'water', which had become a solid, crystalized lump. He scraped a bit off and tasted it, while the other two did the same.
Ryozha screwed up his face at the taste, slurring "Wheeee-oooow, SWEET!" He glanced at Killua, who was grinning from ear to ear. -He does like being strong, doesn't he...- Ryozha thought idly to himself. In the meantime, Gon had re-filled the glass and peeled the leaf down from where it was stuck soggily to the ceiling.
Ryozha hesitated. "Y'know, I don't think I've ever done this test- I've heard of it, I think it's Shinjen Dojo that does this water test- but my Grandfather's school used a different method. So I'm not sure what's going to happen... if I remember right, the leaf on top of the water moves for Manipulation, right?"
Gon nodded, and Ryozha hesitantly put his hands around the glass. The leaf quivered for a second, and Ryozha breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. "That's iiii..." he started to say, as the leaf shot off at a sharp angle, taking a chip out of the glass with a sharp 'CHINK!' noise and cutting his ear as it went by. All three boys turned to stare at the leaf where it stuck, quivering, in the far wall.
After a brief, frozen moment, Ryozha raised an eyebrow and looked at the other two. "I take it you've never seen that happen before either?" He looked around. "Maybe we should clean this up before we try anything else. If we're going to spar or anything, having all this water on the floor could be dangerous." Gon and Killua nodded mutely, their eyes occasionally straying back to the leaf where it was embedded in the wall.
As they cleaned, Gon started to enthuse about Ryozha's strength, but Ryozha stopped him. "I don't think that test is very good for showing what I can do, Gon, just because of the way my Nen works. Remember what my special ability is? I control motion of things that are in my Nen. I think a lot of how fast that leaf shot out of there is because of my special ability, not because my Nen is really strong. In fact, I know my Nen's not THAT strong."
Gon blinked. "Oh." was all he said.
Killua glanced at them both, and quickly changed the subject. "I'm still curious about what you found at my house, Ryozha." he said.
Ryozha looked at him, surprised. -Odd... I always got the impression that Killua didn't like to talk about his family. Maybe he really IS starting to trust me more. This is still kind of weird for me... I don't have a lot of friends my age... I'm not even sure how I'm supposed to act.- Aloud, he said "Well..." and gave a description of what had happened when he went to Kukuru Mountain.
After he had finished, Gon and Killua were falling about laughing from his description of his short 'speed prank war' on the Zaoldyeck security forces. "One thing I'm still puzzled about, though, Killua..." Ryozha finished off. "Why did your house have so many dungeons and torture chambers? I thought the Zaoldyecks were assassins, not kidnappers."
Killua sat up and gave a little offhanded wave. "Oh," he said, "those were used on me and my brothers, as part of our training. Grandfather said that he used them on my father when he was small, and that his father used them on him. It's kind of a family tradition, to make us strong."
Ryozha stared at him, and so did Gon. "You've never mentioned that before, Killua..." Gon said wonderingly.
"I haven't?" said Killua. "Well, I guess I just didn't think it was important." He shrugged again. "Anyways, we've sat around long enough. Why don't we spar a little?"
Ryozha grinned. "Why don't we head out somewhere where it won't matter if we break stuff? One of the warehouses not far from Ping Lee's place is abandoned and condemned- it won't matter if we trash the whole place."
Gon and Killua looked at him. "Uh... exactly what did you HEAR when I said 'spar', Ryozha?" Killua asked him.
Ryozha looked at him blankly for a moment, then half-shrugged. "Why don't we just go over there? You'll see what I mean, I think, once we start. It's not like it's all that far." The other two exchanged glances, shrugged, and followed him out the door.
Some time later, Gon and Killua were standing in the empty warehouse Ryozha had suggested. Ryozha blurred in a second later and said "There's nobody around, so there won't be any reports of the building falling down or weird flashes of light or anything if things get out of hand." He looked at Killua, who was giving him a flat stare, and Gon, who was giving him a look of bewilderment, and sighed.
"Why don't you guys go first? Maybe then I'll see why you think I'm so weird for thinking the building might fall down from our sparring..." Gon and Killua looked at each other, shrugged in unison once more, and squared off. Ryozha watched them as they started off with what were obviously comfortably familiar opening moves, and moved on into blurred (for just about anybody other than Ryozha, anyways) strikes, blocks and counterstrikes, staying more or less in the same position as they started in, shuffling back and forth a bit.
After about five minutes, they broke off and walked over to Ryozha. He gave them a half grin, noting to himself that neither of them was so much as sweating. -Okay, THAT, at the very least, is impressive- most people I know, even Hunters, would be sweating like pigs after a workout like that.- he thought. Out loud, he said, "Well, at least now I know why you guys thought I was nuts for suggesting the building might fall down. You hardly even MOVE when you're sparring!"
"Huh?" Gon said. "We were moving a whole bunch!"
"Uhm... right." Ryozha said. "But when you finished, both of you were standing in the same spot you started in, or very close to it."
"Oh."
"Anyways, which of you wants to tangle with me first?"
Killua looked at him sidelong. "I'm curious, now. I'll go first, okay Gon?" Gon looked disappointed, but nodded.
Ryozha moved out to the center of the warehouse, with Killua close behind. They started to square off, but Ryozha interrupted, saying "Hey Killua- want to do it with weapons or without at first?"
Killua looked impatient at the delay, but said "Let's do it without to start with- this is just practice, right?"
Ryozha favoured him with a lopsided smirk, shook his head and laughed slightly. "Sure." was all he said, though. They squared off, and danced around each other a bit, watching for an opening.
Killua thought he saw one first, and lunged, a quick feint with his left hand while he brought his right foot up in a fast snap kick. Ryozha started to block it, felt the power of it, and darted backwards to avoid damage to his arm. He closed again, ducked under another swing and smacked Killua solidly with an uppercut, lifting him off his feet. Killua simply flipped in midair, landed and closed again. Ryozha narrowed his eyes, then held up a hand.
"Hang on," he said, "is this just martial arts practice? You're barely even using your Nen, Killua!"
"Uh... well..." Killua stammered.
"Haven't you ever sparred with your Nen abilities? It's actually pretty fun once you get the hang of it. You just have to be careful not to injure your opponent."
Killua looked a bit uncertain, but said "Well, I'm willing to give it a try... let's go." Abruptly, he was in midair, gathering his Nen in a crackling electrical discharge. Ryozha grinned and ran straight at the wall, shooting up it and across the ceiling to come down on Killua, drop-kicking him to the floor. Killua landed on his feet, and Ryozha was on him in a whirlwind of blows. Killua blocked some, took others, and watched carefully for his opening. -He's being very careful to avoid my hands, where he can see the electricity crackling...- Killua thought. -I think I can use that.-
When they broke apart next, Killua watched cautiously as he chased after the flickering blur that was Ryozha. As soon as Ryozha started to turn, he jerked his hands wide, abruptly covering the areas that would normally be left slightly open by his standard guard and opening the areas that were normally covered. Ryozha's kick smacked into his open hand, and he closed his grip, shocking Ryozha with thousands of volts.
Ryozha twitched for a split second, then Killua's hand was forced open by a flare of golden kinetic-Nen. Ryozha went flipping backwards, rolling to a halt to land (apparently) awkwardly on his back with his hair sticking out in all directions, one hand trapped under his back, and a grin on his face. Even the weakened shocks that Killua had been using for sparring were pretty potent.
"You're starting to get the hang of it, Killua- I told you you were stronger than me." Killua grinned back and closed again, but this time Ryozha didn't close with him. When he flipped onto his feet, he instead let off a flash of friction fire he had been building up behind his back. Killua was forced back and blinded briefly. When Killua's vision cleared, Ryozha was nowhere to be seen. Thinking fast, Killua scanned the warehouse- most of the floor he was on was open and clearly visible. The upper level was too small to hide much either... glancing upwards, he ran towards the nearest pillar of the warehouse's metal support frame and sent electricity coursing through it.
He was rewarded a split second later by an "OW!" from the rafters, and Ryozha tumbled out of them. He landed easily on his feet, looking more serious than he had since the play-fight had started. -Killua's good... very good. he thought. I can't afford to play around as much as I have been, even if it's just sparring.- He accelerated into speed-awareness, rocketing forward and closing the distance between him and Killua in an eyeblink, trailing a wall of friction flame.
He forced it forward with a spurt of kinetic power at the last instant, then leapt into a flat arc, leg extended in a devastating kick. Too late he realized that he hadn't connected with anything where Killua had been, and then Killua's foot crashed into his shoulder in a downward-smashing axe kick that hurled him into the floor with enough force to make a small crater in the concrete. He bounced out of it and tumbled to a stop, gasping and clutching at his shoulder weakly.
Gon rushed over and asked "Are you okay?!", and even Killua looked a little concerned as he rubbed his bruises and singe marks.
Ryozha staggered to his feet with Gon's help, and said "Whew... nice shot, Killua. I'm gonna need a break before we do anything more like that." He sat back against a convenient pillar and rubbed his shoulder, watching Gon and Killua ricochet around the room, trying out 'his' new way of sparring.
A couple of hours later found them back at the hotel, sweaty and happy from a solid workout. Ryozha was sprawled in his customary armchair, Gon on the floor as usual, and Killua had flopped down on his own bed.
"That was fun!" exclaimed Gon. "Yeah," said Ryozha, "y'know, I think that's the first time I did Nen-sparring with kids my own age. It's totally different than when I do it with Grandfather or the other instructors at his school." He paused for a second. "I couldn't believe it when you punched Killua through those two metal pillars, Gon... that was just nuts."
Killua groaned and rubbed his ribs. "Don't remind me." he muttered.
"Can you show me the move you used to do it in slow motion, Gon? I couldn't see it clearly from the angle I was at."
Gon said "Sure!" and hopped up. Under his breath he said "First comes Rock... Jan... ken... pon... Rock!" as he slowly swung his Nen-glowing fist around.
Ryozha stared, slack-jawed, for a moment, before slapping his forehead. "Looks like I need to relearn some of the basics." he muttered to himself.
A little louder, he said "Gon... exactly how do you do that? The Nen-focus around your fist? I think I get it, but I'm not totally sure..."
Gon thought for a second, then said "It's called Kou- you take all your Nen and put it on whatever part of your body you're attacking with. It's very strong, but it leaves you vulnerable- there's a version called Ryu that's not as strong, but you're not as vulnerable either- you basically just use Gyo to move your aura around and concentrate it. It's pretty simple."
Ryozha slumped further into the armchair, groaned a little more, then vaulted up. He focussed for a second, bringing up his Ten, then concentrated harder, achieving a short flare of Nen around his fists. He stopped, breathing heavily, and commented "That's harder than it looks... the part that's bugging me, though, is that... well, for crying out loud, I GREW UP in a Nen school! You'd think that by now someone would have noticed that I wasn't adding Nen to my strikes properly... No wonder my blows have been doing so little."
Killua glanced at his bruises, then looked at him. "So little?" he said, an incredulous look on his face.
Ryozha sighed. "I know you're trying to make me feel better Killua, but honestly, compare my hits to Gon's. They're downright pathetic."
Killua shrugged, and Gon spoke up, saying "Maybe no one noticed because you always move so fast when you fight. I know I could hardly even see YOU, much less your hits, even WITH Gyo."
Ryozha gave him a grateful look, and said "Thanks Gon. I guess that's possible, and at least that explanation makes me feel a little less stupid for missing something so basic for the last six years or so..." he finished, looking so pained that Gon and Killua started to laugh, and, after a second or two, Ryozha joined them.
Dawn found Ryozha on the roof of the hotel with his Nen flickering and strobing all over his body as he reinforced it first in one place, then another.
Gon appeared in the doorway, rubbing his eyes. "You're STILL going, Ryozha? Wow."
Ryozha stopped and turned to Gon. "This is harder than I thought... I kind of wish I had a teacher to show me how to do it properly. Only problem is, I can't afford to leave York Shin until Ping Lee contacts me, and I don't know how long that will be." He sighed. "Otherwise, I'd just hit Grandfather's school- he'd probably be able to sort this out in no time." He stretched, grunting a little. "I'm gonna go for a jog, Gon. If Lee calls before I get back, I'll call you guys and meet you there." And with that, he disappeared in a whirlwind rush, racing straight down the side of the building.
He didn't want to admit it, but his lack of knowledge really was embarassing him- he'd thought he was at least close to as strong as Gon and Killua... and then something like this had to come up. -I hope this isn't as bad as I thought... I've been feeling for a while now that I was getting close to my limit, and everyone always praised how fast I was, so I thought I was okay. Now... it really looks like I'm not.-
During their fourth night of Nen-sparring (the warehouse had fallen in halfway through the third night), Ryozha's phone finally rang. Ping Lee's impatient voice came over the line. "Hey kid- quit wreckin' up the neighbourhood and get over here. I finally twigged to what I've been tryin' t'remember."
Ryozha just answered "'kay." and snapped his phone shut. Waving the others over, he jogged down the street towards Ping Lee's place... at a more normal pace than usual, so Gon and Killua could keep up.
A short while later, they stood outside Ping Lee's place. Most of the rubble had been cleared away, and Ryozha, indulging his curiousity briefly with a sprint to roof level, found that the skylight had been repaired as well. Returning to ground level, he led Gon and Killua inside, finding Lee's workshop with little trouble.
When they reached the door, Lee called "C'mon in, kid, and bring your friends with you...", and, when they were inside, he commented "So this is what happened t'those snipers the other night. Good work, boys. So... who are ya?"
Before Ryozha could say anything, Gon spoke up. "I'm Gon Freeccs, and this is my friend Killua Zaoldyeck." Ping Lee cocked his head to one side and looked at them.
"Gon Freeccs, huh? I did some work for your daddy once- y'look a lot like him- nice guy, if a little odd. Then again, all the Hunters I've ever seen are a bit crazy. And... Zaoldyeck? Huh. I remember my master telling me about some work he did for a Zeno Zaoldyeck once, years and years ago. Said he was the most dangerous guy he'd ever laid eyes on."
Killua nodded. "Yes," he said, "that sounds like my grandfather, all right."
Lee turned and rummaged under his workbench. He pulled out a battered binder and said "A'right... now that th'pleasantries have been dispensed with, down t'business."
Opening the binder, he flipped through it until he found what he was looking for. Propping it open in front of him, he said "Okay...", then paused.
Gon and Killua were looking at what appeared to be a blank page in puzzlement. Ryozha nudged Killua and murmured "Gyo!". Killua blinked, and when his eyes came open they were gleaming with Nen-light.
Gon quickly followed suit, and they found themselves staring at a three-dimensional image of a man's face. "This was an early project I did... s'why it took me so long to remember it, and also why y'gotta use Gyo t' see it." Lee told them.
"My master wanted me to translate an old photo into a Nen-image. He picked this guy, he said, because he was the greatest living master at infusing objects wit' Nen. Name's Jack Fettham, and last I heard, he was still alive. He specializes in ancient Nen techniques, too, so figuring this ring-thing o' yours out sh'd be no problemo for him. Only problem is, he don't like visitors too much, although he'd prolly take someone I sent out o' respect for my master and between craftsmen an' all that, but like I said, tha's th'problem- where he is, takes at least a month, mebbe two, for a letter to reach him, and just as long f'r one to get back. An' that's assuming he's even home when the letter gets t' him- way I hear it, he goes out on long rambles, sometimes for weeks on end... word is, his whole valley's lit up like fireworks if you use Gyo- place is the Nen version of fairyland. Eh- guess a guy's gotta have somethin' to do for a hobby."
He paused and looked at Ryozha. "'Fore you ask, kid, this one's on me- I've already sent the letter. All I ask in return is that you give him my respects, an' maybe suggest that he come visit me sometime." Ryozha gave him a half-smile and said "Sure... thanks, Lee."
A half hour later found them wandering through one of York Shin's many markets. "So..." Gon said, "what do we do for two or three months? We have to wait for confirmation that Mr. Fettham is still in the same place... and we really don't know where else to go."
Ryozha shrugged. "I dunno... hang on a sec," he said, stopping to look at a few pieces of computer equipment. "Hmm... these would fit my laptop nicely, and make it a lot more powerful. Let me just check what my bank balance is..." he fished out his phone and rang up his bank balance.
"Whoa..." was all he said for a second. "Hmm... Lee's raised his rates a bit, but... wow, I hadn't realized I was this low on cash. Shouldn't have bought those last couple dozen games, I guess." He glanced at Gon and Killua. "You guys know of anywhere around here where we can earn some money without needing to wander too far?"
"Well..." started Killua, but Gon interrupted.
"Wait a minute! I bet Master Wing and Zushi are still at the Celestial Tower- Master Wing could train Ryozha some, and it would be good to see Zushi again."
Killua nodded enthusiastically, and added "And since Ryozha hasn't competed there... er, have you?" when Ryozha shook his head negatively, Killua continued, "Since he hasn't competed, he'll be able to earn a few hundred million while we wait for word from this Fettham guy."
Ryozha looked at them, and said, "Uhm... not to sound ignorant or anything, but what's this "Celestial Tower" you were talking about?"
"Well..." said Gon, "It's right here in York Shin- it's the fight capital of the world..." and he went on to describe the way that the Battle Tower worked.