Chapter 11
Some lines are taken from the anime
Read the previous chapter's A/N if you're confused :)
Hitoshi POV
The fights were all over. This whole fiasco should've been finished after Kurapika's fight but the prisoners aren't idiots. They know exactly what to do and say to get us to spend more time here. The pink haired girl especially. We lost 50 hours. I really should've just looked for a different trapdoor and not taken the one closest to the group. Gon's an innocent child who's probably never left home before, he reminds me of Hizashi (I never got around to calling him dad, but he is a father figure). Killua reminds me of my dad (Shouta). Kurapika is the brain of this operation, and Leorio the brawn (though there isn't really any brawn). It's the stereotypical set up that never fails, so I'm not worried about not passing, they're just really annoying. Though, Killua is someone I could potentially get along with.
A door opened on the left side of the center platform and a voice spoke over the speakers again, "Please cross the bridge, on the other side you'll find a small room. You will spend the 50 hours you wagered there."
"All right, let's go." Killua said. We all followed him to the room.
I looked around. It seemed comfortable enough. "Great. So, we have to stay in this room for 50 hours." Leorio groaned.
It was your fault, you imbecile.
"Killua," Kurapika started, "How did you do that just now?"
"Whaddya mean?"
"You removed the opponent's heart in a split second."
"Well, it's nothing special, I just ripped it out."
"That's all?"
"Well, I did manipulate my body a little bit, made it alot easier." Killua sharpened the nails on his hand. Huh, interesting. I'm thinking he's definitely related to Illumi. He looks like him if you squint, comes from a family of assassins and ran away. Illumi mentioned a missing brother once, I wonder if that's him. I obviously can't just ask Killua if he's a Zoldyck but I can text Illumi.
1 New Message from Hitoshi
Hitoshi: Do you have a brother by the name of Killua?
I do, why? :Illumi
Hitoshi: I'm doing this tower thing with him and 3 others.
I see. Mother wants me to bring him back home, I will most likely go home for a few days after this exam to do just that. Would you come with me? :Illumi
Hitoshi: Sure, I've got nothing better to do. Cya soon 3
"Hey! What're you doing Mr. Shinsou?" Gon asked, sitting down next to me.
I opened my notes app and wrote.
Texting, and drop the Mr.
"Oh, sorry Shinsou. Who were you texting anyway?"
"Gon, don't be rude." Killua said, coming to a stop in front of us.
"Ah, sorry," Gon rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I was just curious is all."
It's fine, I take no offense. I was texting a friend is all.
"Say, do you have any games on your phone?" Killua asked, "It's so boring here."
I do not, do something with Gon. He's so full of energy he might just explode.
Killua looked over at Gon, "Let's search the room and see if there's anything to play with." He finally said.
"Ok!" The two left to go do whatever and I was left sitting alone again, until Kurapika came and sat next to me that is.
"Hey," he started, "I wanted to ask, where'd you learn to shoot like that?"
Self taught mostly, you wanna see it?
"The gun?" I nodded, "sure," he said.
I took the gun out of the holster and handed it to him (with the safety on of course, don't need a teen shooting the place up).
I felt my phone buzz in my pocket.
I New Message from Psycho Clown ?
Psycho Clown ?: Where are you? Illumi and I both finished already. I miss you kitten 3
I'm in a room and will have to stay here for the next 50 hours :/, I'm stuck with a group of people. :Hitoshi
Psycho Clown ?: They better not be touching you.
I snorted. Kurapika took his eyes off my gun and looked at me curiously, "Something funny?" He asked. I shrugged and glued my eyes back to my phone.
You don't have to worry. :Hitoshi
Psycho Clown ?: I'm not worried
You keep telling yourself that, see you in 50+ hours ;) :Hitoshi
"How old are you anyway, Shinsou?" Leorio asked from across the room.
I once again opened my notes app and replied.
Why does it matter?
"Just curious."
24
Leorio looked surprised, "Wait actually? I thought you were a teenager."
I don't look that young.
"You kind of do, I thought you were Leorio's age." Kurapika chimed in, reading over my shoulder.
Leorio is 19, yes? I suppose I could see that.
I turned my attention to the TV the two 12 year-olds were staring at. Kurapika didn't say anything else nor did Leorio, we were all content watching the TV and kids.
The time in the room had flown by quite quickly. 10 hours had passed in the blink of an eye. Everyone (not me) fell asleep at one point or another and were still sleeping right now (though I noticed Killua was still awake). I managed to find a couple caffeinated drinks in the fridge and drank a few over the 10 hour period. I've got some left for the next 40 hours so sleep doesn't need to happen (it will most likely happen on its own at some point).
"Hey Shinsou?" Killua whispered. I looked over at him and gave a small nod, he took it as a sign to continue, "Back in the elevator at the very beginning of the exam, there was this weird energy. It felt kinda like my brother's energy. When he trains back home there's this aura- sorta- of power that's in the air, same with my father. It always disappears quickly but some of it remains in the air. I felt a similar sort of energy in the elevator with you. The only reason I even noticed was because I was exposed to it back home (not that my family knew that- they've been trying to keep it secret from me. I'm not dumb, I notice things). So tell me, do you know what this energy is?"
I stared at him, well, I was not expecting that. I held my phone in front of his face.
I do not.
"You're lying. You know what I'm talking about, I can tell from your heartbeat."
Then how about this. It's not something I should be informing you about, ask you family members or figure it out when the exam's over.
"My family won't tell me anything. And I need to know if I'm going to defeat them. So you're going to tell me or I'll force it out of you!" He said lunging at me. I dodged him. I delivered a chop to the back of his neck and he fell down, he wasn't knocked unconscious though. "What's going on?" Kurapika asked, reaching for the light switch. "Nothing blondie, go back to sleep." Killua answered.
Kurapika didn't listen, he got up and turned the lights on. Leorio groaned and Gon tiredly rubbed his eyes. Killua walked up to me, "This isn't over Shinsou." he muttered, "I'll figure out your secret and then I'll take you out just like I will my family."
He gets it from his brother. Illumi is big on death threats too. I sighed quietly and brushed my hands through my hair. Good job Shinsou, Killua just made himself your enemy and you didn't even have to try to get him to hate you.
He's just like Illumi, one moment he's happy (or 'emotionless' in Illu's case) and the next he's a sociopathic killer. What has my life become? And to think I fell asleep in Illumi's arms the other day without a care in the world. Well, I mean it's not like Illumi can really kill me with the situation we're in but still.
The remaining 40 hours were finally over and done with, to the relief of everyone. A certain tension had been hanging over the room since that one night.
"This one minute is taking forever huh?" Leorio said whilst everyone was staring at the timer above the door waiting for it to hit zero.
The door finally opened and Gon ran out, "Wait for us Gon!" Leorio shouted.
We all ran after the green boy and came to a stop back in the large room with the platform where we fought the prisoners 50 hours ago.
"We ran for 30 minutes and are back here again." Leorio complained.
"I told you we should have gone down the stairs." Killua said.
"Shut up, it was a group decision!" Leorio defended.
We've been walking all over the place for the last few hours. We have but 1 hour left to reach the bottom, currently it seems as though we will not make it. I for one will shoot my way out of this place if I have to. If that means killing them and taking their wrist timers, so be it.
"You won't be able to kill me, you know?" Killua whispered from next to me. Gon looked at us confused, I swear he's got super hearing or something. I gave Killua a small glance, he really is just like his brother even if all he wants is to distance himself from the life he once led he won't be able to. You can't take the killer out of someone again once it's been created. I should know, I'm having too much fun killing people, Hisoka should be ashamed of himself and his stupid nen (and Illumi's stupid nen) it's having a bad influence on me (can't say I hate it though).
Killua smirked. "We only have an hour left, we won't make it." Leorio said.
We all looked up to see the wall we stopped in front of was sporting a sign. Door, O- open, X- close, It read.
We all pressed buttons on our timers, O 4, X 1. "Shinsou? Why would you do that?" Leorio asked.
I shook my head and made an X with my arms, hoping the moron understood. I didn't press the wrong button.
"Sorry Leorio, I pressed the wrong button by mistake." Gon said.
"Oh, sorry Shinsou."
I shrugged, I don't really care if this guy blames me or not.
Killua walked into the now open door. "Hey Gon, we must be getting real close to the end." He said, poking his head out of the door.
"Woah really?" Gon asked, buzzing with excitement, he immediately went into the room. The rest of us followed. "Let's see, 'This is your last decision point. Are you ready?'" Killua read, "'Choose O or X', that's it."
A voice on the speakers started explaining things to us. When the guy finished talking I went and sat down on the ground waiting to see how this plays out.
"Let me be clear," Leorio started, "I'm pressing the X button, but I'm not staying behind."
The dumbass cost us 50 hours and he's making demands? I think not.
You wasted 50 hours, why don't you stay behind and let someone else leave? I wrote, I showed it to him, his expression turning to one of anger.
Gon stepped in before he could explode, "Hold on a second, I'm going to press O." He said. I turned him out as he would most likely recite some kind of cliche inspiring main-character speech. I've heard enough from Midoriya, I don't need to hear more.
I started listening again when Killua said, "So now we have to pick which three leave. If it was up to me, you and I would be two of those people," he gestured to Gon, "and Shinsou would stay here chained to the wall."
Wow.
"What do you have against Shinsou anyway? He's so quiet you barely notice him so how come he bothers you?" Gon inquired.
"It's nothing you need to worry about." Killua brushed off his question. If Gon was offended he didn't let it show.
I got up off the ground. We all stood in a circle staring at each other, waiting to see who would make the first move. Not surprisingly it was Killua who sharpened his nails and attacked me. "Hey we don't have to fight until we push the O or X button!" Leorio shouted.
"Too late for that." Killua retorted.
"Ah damn it." Leorio cursed under his breath. He grabbed a weapon on the wall behind him and attacked me as well. The weapon he chose left a dent in the wall when he swung it at me. Seriously, there's two other people in the room. Why attack me? I pulled my guns and pointed them at their foreheads. Leorio stopped dead in his tracks and Killua shot me a challenging glare.
Gon also moved to go get a weapon from the wall while Kurapika was stuck staring back and forth.
"Wait!" Gon yelled, we turned to look at him. Though Leorio hesitated knowing he was about to turn away from the man who was holding a gun to his head, basically holding his life hostege. "I've got an idea." He then explained his idea which was actually rather smart. We all pressed the O button and used the weapons to smash through the wall to get to the shorter path.
The path was revealed to be a slide. We all got on it. I left last.
A voice on the speakers announced our arrival. "Kurapika, number 404 is the twentieth to pass! Killua, number 99 is the twenty-first to pass! Gon, number 405 is the twenty-second to pass! Time elapsed 71 hours and 59 minutes." Leorio and I came into view a few seconds later. "Leorio, number 403 is the twenty-third to pass! Shinsou, number 98 is the twenty-fifth to pass! Time elapsed 71 hours and 59 minutes."
I saw Hisoka walk over to me. He hugged me from behind and whispered in my ear (he does this too often *eye roll*) "I missed you kitten~ I almost thought you weren't going to make it."
"I knew there was something off about you!" Leorio yelled, "You're in league with this clown!"
"Oh~ I think you misunderstand, he isn't in league with me, he belongs to me." Hisoka stated. I sighed, here we go.
"WHAT?!"
"Are you alright, Shinsou? Is he hurting you. Did he buy you at some kind of auction? Do you need help?"
"I don't understand."
"Everything makes sense now."
(A/N guess who said what ;))
The other applicants in the room turned and stared. Illumi disguised as Gitta-something-something glared daggers into Hisoka
(at least that's what it looked like to me). He looked as if he was about to come over here and either join Hisoka or beat him into the ground.
"You know kitten~ now that everyone knows, why don't you put your collar back on?"
I choked on my spit. Excuse me? What? Hisoka then pulled a simple black collar out of nowhere. I glared at him.
Before I could take out my phone and text him he snapped the collar on my neck. "I even have a leash for it if you misbehave~." He whispered.
He took my hand and pulled me over to where he was sitting before and sat me on his lap.
1 New Message from Little Kitten ️
Little Kitten ️: You're sick, you know that?
I'm aware :Hisoka
Little Kitten ️: Why'd you do that just now? Illumi will kill you, you know.
He won't he agreed to getting you a collar to mark you as ours, when he reveals himself as Illumi sometime during the exam he'll most likely let everyone know you're not just mine :Hisoka
Little Kitten ️: … I hate you both.
No you don't, now be a good kitten and don't take the collar off~ :Hisoka
Little Kitten ️: Why shouldn't I?
So no one here even looks at you wrong, I should've done it earlier, you're pretty you know? This way everyone will keep their hands off you. You can take it off after the exam. :Hisoka
Little Kitten ️: Jealous bastard.
I could still feel stares on me though they had lessened, Kurapika for one was still trying to figure out what was going on.
Thank you sooo much Hisoka (and Illumi) for making my life that much harder.
Thoughts?
This chapter was mainly focused on character interactions and such. I might have Hitoshi tag along for the 'rescue Killua' arc I might not. They'll meet again at Heaven's arena (Hitoshi basically lives there), but until then we'll just have to see where this story goes.
I don't even know what that ending is but whatever.
:)
