I hope you guys know and can appreciate that I blew off a lot of homework to get this to you.

Chapter 24

The first thing that my brother's taught me when they were doing low-budget thug work was to not aim for the head or throat. Damaging vocal cords when you wanted information was a no-go. Same went for rattling the poor chump's brains too much. Fogginess caused misinformation and misinformation meant everything needed to stop until the bastard got his wits back.

Torture was very much a timed activity.

"Oh my god," a boy in purple gagged, his face deathly pale as he turned away, facing the wall as my heel slammed into Ichihiro's wrist another time.

"FUCK!" The guy had a weird scream, high-pitched and desperate like a seal trying to get a mate. It made this whole process that much more annoying. Contrary to popular belief, I didn't enjoy breaking bones or methodically cutting through tissue and muscles. It didn't make my day. In fact, I thought it was a bit pathetic since the battle should have already been done. This was just milking it.

CRACK! His bone broke, his whole arm jerking as his wrist shattered. I kept my foot there, lightening the weight until Ichihiro's howls turned to whimpers. My fingers were starting to cramp from having to hold his head up by the roots of his hair and it was starting to become a real pain to have to keep him from swaying into my legs.

My eyes moved over his slouched form impassively, taking in the sweaty mess of his nape and clammy complexion. It would have made me feel better if I was able to tie him down. He was still bigger than I was - if I wasn't careful he would be able to tip this fight back in his favor. That was another reason why I was going to need to break his kneecap next.

I tugged his head back, watching his eyes roll around and around in their sockets for a moment. A broken wrist wasn't that bad but he was acting like a wimp. His adams apple bobbed, his breath harsh as it rasped from him quickly.

"Ichihiro," I murmured, softening my voice as his eyes fluttered. I flicked his cheek. "Ichihiro, you can't pass out just yet. You haven't answered any questions."

His adams apple bobbed, his eyes rolling once more before he focused. I gave him a reassuring smile. "That's it. There we are."

"Mouse," he gulped and I gritted down my urge to ram my knee hard enough into his ribs to break a couple. Whatever got him coherent enough to tell me what happened to my brothers.

I relaxed my face, keeping a pleasant smile. "I really didn't want to do this but honestly what did you think was going to happen when you went after my brothers?" He didn't answer, a low pant escaping him. His fingers twitched and I flicked a glance at them. Maybe I should break them next instead of a knee. Walking or throwing daggers, that was the dilemma. His lids lowered dangerously, his neck going slack until I was basically carrying his whole head, forcing it up and back so that he had to look at me. I clicked my tongue, lightening my foot a bit on his foot until he gave a ragged sigh. "Tell me what happened in the forest, Ichihiro."

That got a smirk out of him, a wobbly little sliver of lip as his eyes regained a bit more sharpness. The muscles in his back rolled and I kept a heavy eye on that hand of his. I really should-

"You're really going to try and torture that out of me?" He groaned and I felt my eye twitch at the sound. The last thing that I wanted to hear from this man was any sound of pleasure or well-being. The very notion made me want to crack all of his ribs. His eyes met mine, feverish and held. He wanted to see my face when he said this next part. "I ripped out their intestines and made them whine for death."

CRACK! I hit him so hard that his head ripped out of my hold, his whole body slamming into the ground with enough forced to create fissures in the nice tile marbling. Impassively, I stared down at the clump of greasy black hair still clenched in my hand before grimacing and shaking it free.

"Oh my god, someone make her stop," I heard one of the older contestants whisper emphatically to the referee. "Can't you see that she's gonna kill the guy?"

His hand had come loose from my boot, his whole body shivering, gasping as he tried to regain whatever equilibrium he had had before. I clicked my tongue, angry with myself. I had just meant to slap him - hard enough that he would shut the fuck up but light enough that he wouldn't become a wet noodle on me.

"See what you make me do when you say dumb shit like that?" I chided, my shoulder already aching as I reached down to grab ahold of his ratty t-shirt to drag him up once more.

It was almost too quick for me to see - a flash of silver and me jerking back quickly enough that the dagger only took out a chunk of my arm. Otherwise, it would have been my liver. I hissed, spinning and-

"Dumb bitch." A harsh grunt left me in a huff as his boot drove into my gut, sending me to the ground in a rush of pain. I fought to get my next breath, my lunges rebelling for a moment, as if they were trying to teach me a lesson for being so stupid. I hadn't been watching his hands. He had rolled over so that I couldn't see them and then distracted me-

The toe of his boot landed another agonizing blow into my ribcage, my bones shuddering with the impact. Another hit and they would be broken - I was small - thinner - I gritted back a scream, trying to roll away before I realized that even that would only be a temporary escape. I shut my eyes, gritting my teeth as I let out a measured gasp, someone in the crowd giving a harsh yell of wonder.

His next kick cracked two of my ribs. I could feel it, the white-hot burn of bones splitting and digging into vulnerable internal organs. I didn't hold back my scream, shirking into the agony as I reached out and caught his foot, digging it even farther into the splitting bones, the ragged edges slicing through some more tissue.

"Fucking bastard," I gasped, heaving my hips off the ground and wrapping my legs tightly around his thighs. I slammed my fist into his already weakened kneecap, grinning as I heard the resulting crack of bones and his scream of agony.

His whole body caved, giving way like a building on top of a landslide. And I was the downpour, motherfucker. I helped him along, arching into the motion to bring him down, rolling so that I was twisted around his broken leg, pulling it in the opposite direction as he screamed, his whole body withering.

His body bucked against me, battering me between his leg and the ground as he tried to fishhook away from me, grabbing at my ankles like that would do anything. I tightened up, sinking into the pain of my shoulder and ribs like a person drowning. My brain went a little fuzzy, lightening until all I could think about was his leg underneath me, his nails digging into my skin, creating ditches-

My breathing sawed unevenly from between my lips as I felt him fumble with something at his waist, whimpering and grunting and I mentally prepared myself as I heard the distinct sound of metal against fabric. He was going to try stabbing me-

My head jerked up, my whole body tensing as Ichihiro cocked his hand back and threw the dagger. My breath stopped. At Minoru. Minoru had curled into a ball and wasn't even looking - He wasn't even in this-

My body reacted before I could even think, releasing my hold on his leg with one last parting punch to his broken knee before launching myself across the space. There was no time to try and catch it. No time to try and warn-

Everything went quiet, narrowing down into that one second - that one second as I watched the slim sparkle of Ichihiro's dagger come closer and closer. The soft fwip of a card moving back and forth between fingers stopped - I hadn't even realized I was paying attention to it until that moment -

And then my lung was being popped like a balloon, the dagger slicing through tendons and tissue like I was made of butter. Something hot and thick pressed down on me - pressed into me - like my whole body was a series of balloons and one of them had been popped.

I hit the ground hard, the dagger jamming even farther into me as I rolled. Lights popped at the corner of my eyes and my throat constricted on another rough scream.

Mori! Minoru's voice was a hurricane, roaring through my mind in waves. I wanted to go home, I realized, my vision blurring as I slid to a stop on my back. There was a trail of blood on the floor, all leading to me like a darker form of Hansel and Gretel. Don't go into the forest, kids.

Something bubbly slithered up my throat. That couldn't be good.

Mori! God! I could feel him trying to step across the bounds of the ring, his mind thundering with anger and… pain. He could feel my pain. Why the fuck would you do that?

Why would I do that? A wet cough pushed past my lips, bringing with it the taste of metal. Oh, that definitely couldn't be good.

"NO OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE ONCE THE COMPETITION STARTS!" I heard the referee yell but it all sounded like backwash at this point. I was stuck somewhere underground and although I had definitely felt this before when those goons had left me for dead, this time… this time I wasn't sure anyone was going to save me.

"THAT BEAR IS WITH HER!" Was that green bean? Jeez, why was he getting involved? "It entered the competition with her!"

"Since he wasn't presented at the beginning of the match with Miss Mori, he is not considered a viable-"

"That's bullshit, man!" Definitely the lawyer. I almost laughed.

Don't come in. Something was bubbling up in my throat. I felt like I was breathing in water. I coughed again, something wet and metallic tasting coating my tongue.

I'm not going to listen to you when you're this hurt- He sounded furious. Close to tears. I could have laughed then too, the ceiling lights blinding me as I tried to draw in a full breath and only was able to flounder. He always had been a crier.

Please. I could just end this. Why - I felt a tear drip-free, Amori's face flashing across my vision. He had looked so… so happy when I had said yes. So hopeful. I couldn't let Ichihiro take this dream away from my brothers. Away from me.

Mori-

Trust me. I wasn't even sure I trusted me. But I heard him give an anguished roar, felt him step raggedly away from the line that roped off the area.

"Fucking dirty bitch." Someone was sliding across the ground toward me. I could hear the tap, tap of their hands grasping onto the ground and then the thin sound of them dragging themselves forward. "Should have just killed you in the forest."

Someone? I knew who it was. Not someone. Ichihiro. Ugh. Even now with his leg broken and his wrist smashed to shit, he still found the energy to be a creepy bastard. My eyes fluttered. Damn. I wanted to go to sleep.

Fingers bit into my cheeks, yanking my head to the side, and there he was - the man of the hour. He looked even more slimy up-close, his eyes a hollow pit, his pores gigantic, his lips parched and crusty.

His nose almost touched mine as he hissed out a foul breath, dragging himself even closer on his elbows. Move - I needed to move. But my ribs were broken, my shoulder was definitely ripped open again and the stiff medicinal tape had started to dig between the raw stitches on my palms. Oh right. And that dagger had lodged between two of my ribs maybe - probably - popping one of my lunges and causing internal bleeding.

Your 15 minutes are up.

"What's so special about you?" he demanded and some spit flew into my face as he dug his fingers further into my cheeks. "Why does such a weak, useless girl get so much attention?"

Oh. Maybe he was in the Hisoka fan club too. Why, why, why - that's all these simps ever wanted to know. It wasn't like he was carrying me around and offering me sweets.

I let out a weak laugh, something wet dribbling from the corner of my lips. Was I drooling? "Didn't feel so weak when I broke your wrist into a million pieces."

I let out a strangled scream as jerked forward and bit me. In the arm. Like a fucking psychopath. Blood dyed his teeth. My fingers twitched and I forced my leaden arms up shoving at his body as he moved to just above me. What the fuck-

"I don't think you want to do that." I didn't turn toward the pleasant voice, didn't take my attention off of Ichihiro as he leveled himself over me, driving a knee into my aching ribs that made me go stiff with agony.

Ichihiro did though. His head snapped up, his nails tearing at the skin of my cheek even as a few tears leaked from his eyes, splattering across my face. I retched, turning to the side so that I would drown in my own vomit. Oh god. I stared down at the crimson liquid. Not vomit. Oh, Jesus. That was bad.

Ichihiro's teeth bared as I sent a punch to his chest, trying desperately to add any bit of omph to the motion but I was tired and - I retched again, spitting out another swallow of blood. It was getting really hard to breathe.

"She's dying!" someone screamed from the sidelines. "Aren't you going to stop this?"

"Oh, I really think I do," Ichihiro whispered his smile a flash of teeth, his eyes firmly set on Hisoka. Hisoka. For some reason, that made me want to cry and scream all at once.

"The rules state that she needs to admit defeat before this ends," a calm voice stated and I resisted the urge to send the referee the middle finger.

Hisoka's voice was a soft, sharp knife of a reply. "I really think you don't."

"Your knight in shining armor is trying to protect you." I felt a shiver of disgust roll up my spine as Ichihiro leaned down, his breath hot against the shell of my ear. Why did everyone keep calling him that? "But I don't think he's gonna save you on this one~"

I stopped breathing. I stopped seeing. Every part of me focused on the feel - the feel of Ichihiro's hand inching down my stomach. Numbness worked its way up my insides, making even the broken ribs and punctured lunges feel like bruises.

He's going to rape you.

His fingers pressed into the buttons of my shorts, his laugh low in my ear. "Just admit that I win and I this won't happen."

He was trying to rape me. My mind drifted for a moment, letting the desperation and terror course through me like a live wire. I wanted to claw off my own skin in that moment. I hated the body that I had been born into. The body that made him think that he could take - that he could desecrate -

Fury replaced terror.

"Or maybe you want this-"

The dagger slid from me surprisingly easily. I felt whatever air in my lung completely dissolve, blood filling my mouth in a sweeping rush.

But that didn't stop me from ramming it into his liver. And then into his kidney. I rolled, blood and spittle dripping from my lips, splattering across Ichihiro's surprised face. I twisted, the knife snipping seamlessly through his organs, his face paling as he gave a dying shriek.

"You're right," I snarled, forcing the dagger out. "I do want this."

I was going to kill him, I realized, flipping the knife in my hand and sliding it along his side. I was going to fucking-

"I FORFEIT!" He screamed, his voice raw as he withered, trying to buck me off but getting nowhere. My hand slammed down into his throat, tightening as his face leeched of whatever color was left. His pupils had gone small, the whites of his eyes bright in the overhead lights. "I FORFEIT!"

"Miss - Miss Mori is the winner!" I stared down at the knife mere inched from sliding into the soft tendons that encased his lunges. I could -

Another mouthful of blood made me gag, a hot shiver going up my spine as I turned to the side and coughed up a wad of liquid. The edges of my vision darkened. I would kill him later. Now. I snarled, snapping my teeth as my eyes drifted sluggishly over to where the chairman and the other examiners stood looking horrified… and intrigued.

The chairman's dark gaze met mine. "I must remind you that no contestant will kill their opponent."

My hands shook, Ichihiro's pants filling my ears. I could end this - I still didn't know what had happened to my brothers.

The knife clattered to the tiled floor, ringing in my ears. I needed to become a hunter. Something hot and sad burned inside of me. I needed to do it for them. Because I had promised them. And Ichihiro had already taken away enough from me. He didn't get this as well.

I swayed forward, drawn by the pull of gravity more than anything else as I brought my lips to Ichihiro's ears. "When this is over, I'm going to find you and I'm going to kill you."

Nothing more. Nothing less.

I forced myself off of him, grateful for Minoru's sudden presence beside me. His teeth flashed, snapping at the scrawny, greasy-haired boys jugular with a ferocity that made him whimper. Minoru's paws scooped me onto his back swiftly, leaving me in a dizzy, half-conscious heap on his back, throwing blood and god knows what else.

Minoru. My vision spun. I think-

My whole world faded into static, the smell of something sweet drifting into my subconscious.

Please follow/favorite and REVIEW! I didn't get to answer them this chapter because I have like 300 papers to write but I really do appreciate them!