Wow. You guys have been so awesome about following this story and I really appreciate it. I'm already at 100. *confetti rains from the ceiling*

So I got two great reviews from Celeste (next chapter gets more into the fighting. This one was agony for me.) and guada (Unfortunately, I suck at doing menages. I really have tried in the past and it just turned out awful. I definitely don't want to do that disservice here so it'll just be Hisoka and Morie. But I definitely can see where you're coming from. I'm sorry I couldn't help you out on that front.)

I was kind of sad that I didn't get that many reviews so my only thanksgiving wish is that I get a few more - pretty please?

Chapter Nine

Trick Tower was made up of a variety of brick and mortar pathways, all dimly lit by gaslights and torches. It was a labyrinth of hallways so similar that I could only imagine the insanity that would come from having to live here. Sometimes down the darkening, flickering hallways, I would hear an echo - like someone was whispering just around the corner. Or the scrape of chains along stone.

Only an hour into our walk, I had climbed onto Minoru's back, sitting cross-legged so that I was able to face Ichihiro as we drifted along down the halls. It took less effort on both of our parts to stay like this and since his ribs were beginning to ache again, it was the more strategic way to go.

My eyes narrowed on the slim, pleasant-looking man currently walking along merrily behind us. I didn't like him. I didn't like the way that he was constantly smiling or his little remarks about how lovely the construction of the hallways was. He was just such a happy guy. And not the mocking happiness that Hisoka seemed to broadcast - almost as if he were laughing at everyone around him.

My mind wandered briefly to the scarlet haired man who had slowly been taking up more and more of my conscious thoughts. Like a creepy poison that was eventually going to corrupt my entire body. Perhaps it was that bit of surprise that I had seen in his eyes in the clearing.

Or maybe I was just crazy. Both seemed equally as likely in the grand scheme of things.

Morie. I blinked, turning around slightly at the startled whisper that Minoru had sent me.

And what I saw made my stomach drop.

We can gone throw several smaller rooms, some asking little questions like how many contestants were left in the game, what had been our last test and so on. Easy things that were meant to slow us down or make us overthink. Lucky, we all seemed to be under the same assumption - even with the wrong answers we still needed to go on.

I had realized rather quickly why they had paired people up so unevenly. It was more than likely in an effort to promote squabbling between three people who didn't really know each other. It wasn't about whether the answer led to the correct passage - sure it would probably help you to get on the shorter path but what was really important is that we continued on at the fastest pace possible.

I had assumed that this was their main goal - that we were really only against the clock in here. Of course, I was wrong. We were in a prison.

And the warden had finally decided to let us see some of the inmates.

"They're here! They're here!" a high voice warbled.

"I should have known it wasn't going to be this easy," Ichihiro sighed, his smile finally wavering a bit as he stared across the impressive space.

Like an island in the middle of the sea, a stone platform rose up from what I could only assume was a deadly fall. The space around it seemed so to be so far down that I couldn't even see the bottom. My hair ruffled up into a white cloud around my face as a distant breeze whipped around the enclosed area. Torches stood proudly at all four corners, shivering in the roar of the wind from below.

We had no way to get there, completely cut off from it. And just across from us was a group of three shabbily clad inmates, chained in irons and marooned just like us. As we watched, the cuffs clipped off, thudding to the ground and a low cheer echoed around the area from one of them.

"Ah, this is fun, isn't it?" Lippo was back and his voice was even more irritating than before if that was possible. "As I'm sure our Hunter contestants have realized, there are three men on the other side fo this section. They are all prisoners here at Trick Tower."

"And here I was hoping that they would have chosen to hire a third party for this bit," Ichihiro muttered. Absently, I slipped from Minoru's back, my eyes narrowing. It was a little too far away for me to get a good look at the prisoners. All I could make out was a frizz of hair, a hulking figure still shrouded in his prison garb and a spritely figure, standing a bit crookedly.

And a distant sort of hunger - something like desperation that coated the air.

"You will battle with each of them - one on one. The rules are simply that each of you must go and that you will only participate once. We want this to be fair." At this, Lippo gave a manic laugh that made my ears ring. "Everything is permissible and there will be no draws. You win as long as your rival admits defeat."

"Oh, can I go first?" that same squeaky voice from earlier chimed in and I saw the jerky movements of someone trying desperately to wiggle around the other two. "Please. Please. Please."

A long-suffering sigh reached our ears. "Do as you like, Immy. These three don't look all that impressive anyway."

I tried to dredge up any emotion other than slight annoyance but came up with nothing. Obviously that was a jab but I had to admit that he was right. Our appearance as a unit ranged from boring (Ichirhiro) to someones oversized teddy bear (Minoru.) And then somewhere in the middle, there was me. Some women could pull off the scary vibe without any real trouble. Those women were not me. I was short for my age with a smaller build from living on the streets for so long. In fact, some might have even said that I looked half-starved and a bit desperate. In short, I was a product of the streets far more than I would have liked to admit. There wasn't anything elegant or intimidating about me. Hungry would be the word that I would have used to describe myself - hungry for much more than a meal.

"HEY, PIPSQUEAKS!" A voice called across to us. It was the larger one, I saw. "The rules are simple. You can choose whoever you like to face us. Two wins and you'll be able to pass without any issue from us. However, if we win then all of our sentences will be cut by 72 hours and you will have to stay here until the examiners decide to come scoop you all up."

"Better get your sleeping bags ready, kiddos!" that same irritating voice from before crowed.

"That's irritating," Ichirhiro muttered, his brows going down as he stared across the expanse. I couldn't help agreeing with him.

So, to sum it up, there just here to play around with us as long as possible. My lips thinned.

What else are you going to do to pass the time in a place like this?

Ichihiro's eyes slid to us, slim slits against the skin that that shit-eating grin was pushing up. My brother's had once told me that a frown can tell people one thing while a smile can hide a million. That's why Amori grinned so much whenever he fought someone.

"Who do you want to go first?" My eyes narrowed further at his amiable question. Whoever went first would have a severe disadvantage compared to the rest. We had no clue what each duel was going to be but at least by watching the remaining prisoners while the first test was going on, we could get a general feel on where their minds were headed.

I smiled, getting ready to tell him that he could shove that question right up his ass and get onto that platform.

I'll go. I whipped around, staring up at Minoru. His eyes were narrowed onto the figure currently making his way across the metal bridges that had wound out from our perch.

Are you crazy? I hissed through our mental connection. You know how risky it'll be to go-

I don't trust this guy with my dead hair much less this first test, he replied grimly and I let out a grumble. He'll screw us over the first chance that he gets. At least with how little he is, I have a good chance in a straight fight and I'm fairly smart so I can hold my own in a riddle. It's a 50/50 shot.

Dammit. He had a point. I suddenly wished I was with my brothers. It would have been so easy to get through this with them.

"Minoru will go first," I gritted out, watching as he stepped heavily onto the metal bridge that led to the platform beyond.

Ichihiro's smile slipped a bit. "Well, that was a bit unexpected."

You're telling me, I thought glumly, glaring across the space that separated me from the only person I had known since infancy. If anything happened to Minoru - pain burst through my chest, a claw squeezing down on my lungs until it was hard to breathe. I don't know what I would do if someone hurt him. Chills crawled along my scalp. Or who I would become.

"Oh joy!" Fully on the platform now, I finally got a full view of the prisoner. Short and leath, the man had a shock of blue hair, frizzy and unkempt. His face was gaunt, his skin-tight against the bone like he had refused to eat for the past month or so. That didn't seem to diminish any of his nervous energy, however. His spidery fingers twirling around each other, his teeth chattering as if a live wire were running through him. "I had so wanted you. You're quite big, aren't you? Some kind of animal, correct?" His smile grew lecherish as he reached out a shaking hand. "Immy Notoshi. Arrested for game hunting I slaughter half of the population of small-billed swans."

My stomach rolled, hatred starting to sour my mouth.

"Was that a threat?" Ichihiro murmured curiously.

"If it wasn't a threat then his people skills are severely lacking," I replied blandly.

Minoru stared blankly down at Immy's outstretched hand, his beady eyes flashing in the light of the flames.

"He wants you to get on with it!" I screamed across the expanse. The prisoner's eyes glinted in the shadowy light as they all latched onto me. I gave a little wave. "Ah, in case you haven't noticed, Minoru is a bear. So I'll be talking for him."

"How do you even know what he's trying to say?" the mammoth man from before grumbled.

I gave a little smirk. "Sign language."

"He didn't move his hands," Immy said suspiciously. Minoru gave a few incoherent flaps of his arms, looking slightly bored.

This is stupid, Minoru complained.

Hey, I just don't want smiley over here to think that we're anything special.

"He says let's get on with it," I called.

"Ah, fine." Immy pouted, turning to a large screen that I hadn't seen before.

The screen blinked to life, orderly letters fizzing in and out for a moment before stabilizing. Yike. A poem. I hated poems.

"Solve this and you'll pass my test," Immy said, grinning. "That's it. So simple."

Minoru had stiffened, his head turning to fully take in the words on the screen. Briefly, his eyes flicked to me. I have a bed but I do not sleep. I have a mouth but I do not eat. You hear me whisper but I never talk. You can see me run but I never walk. What am I? When he was finished, his eyes flicked to me.

I blinked stupidly. Dude , I'm not good at rhymes, I said blankly, before he could ask me anything.

On the platform, I could see Minoru shuffle a bit to the side so that he could see me while also keeping an eye on the prisoner in his way.

That's not what that's called, he griped and I caught the irritated lilt in his voice. I stared at him blankly.

Then what is it called? I asked, a distant part of my brain working to figure out what this trial was really called. I felt like it started with an r.

Minoru's eyes narrowed at me for a moment before he spoke. Poem?

"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!" The prisoner finally burst, stomping his foot. The words on the screen flickered for a moment. They did rhyme. Didn't they? I couldn't entirely remember it now. "Are you guys having some silent thing right now?"

He's acting like it's life or death, Minoru said blandly, staring up at the words on the screen like he was trying to read another language. Distractedly, he flicked his hand at me.

I sighed, plopping down to dangle my legs over the edge. "He says that you're acting like this is life or death. Which it's not."

"FINE!" The prisoner snapped, waving his hands. "If you don't answer this correctly within the next five hours, you'll die. I'll kill you."

"Ooooooohhhhh, death," I murmured, drawing an annoyed look from the frizzy-haired man.

My eyes drifted up, watching as Minoru pulled out my dagger from the pouch at his belly and began to scribble something or other down into the stone floor.

"Will he be able to figure it out?" Ichihiro asked, his head tipped to the side and narrowed on Minoru as if he were trying to dissect something.

I didn't answer for a moment, watching Immy ramble on. His tactic for this was obviously to try to distract Minoru with his incessant yammering. With anyone else, I think it would have actually worked. But Minoru was accustomed to having to tune out the human world. It was one of his many talents.

"I wouldn't bet against him," I finally said. Silently, I reached out to him. If this reaches three hours then forfeit. In a fight to the death, you can kill him.

The barest of nods was all I got in return.

I settled in for a long wait, trying to think of what that word was. It was just there - on the tip of my brain. Not a poem but a… limerick? Wait, how the hell did I know what a limerick was but not a… Damn, what the hell was it called? Definitely an r-word. No way in hell was I going to ask Ichihiro. He would probably just smile down at me.

River. Minoru's voice broke through my mind like a shot in the night, making me jerk. I looked up, barely coherent enough to fully grasp the fact that Minoru was slowly getting to his feet. His eyes met mine. It's a river. Bed - a bed of rocks. Mouth - mouth of a river. It all fits. Tell him.

I kept his gaze. Are you sure?

It's already been an hour and a half. This is the most time I'm going to waste on this riddle.

My head gave a dull throb. Riddle! How in the world hadn't I thought of that? He gave a few half-hearted arm waves.

"He says that the answer is a river," I called, cutting Immy off in the middle of a vivid retelling of him slaughtering 10 swans in a row.

His eyes blinked over at me owlishly, his mouth twisting. "What?"

"You hear me," I snapped, catching on to the fact that this nitwit wasn't going to make it easy. "River."

Immy's eyes flicked from me to Minoru in a few rapid sweeps. "Are - are you sure-?"

"Just tell us if he's right or not," I cut him off.

A purple vein in his temple pulsed, some of the color leeching from his skin. He was going to lose it. I could already tell.

"Yes!" he snapped peevishly, stomping back across the ramp without a backward glance. Minoru wandered back to us as well, his eyes glassy. Across the way, I could hear the erratic screams of the frizzy-haired poacher.

My eyes drifted to the small scoreboard just above their hallway. We were one up.

I know that I don't thank you guys enough for sticking with me through my updates. I know that some of you read some of my other stories as well, so I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate you. So here's a hearty cheers to all of you and a happy thanksgiving (even though I totally plan on getting out another chapter for ya'll before then.