We made it past trains eight and seven without issue. Killua kept to his word as I did of most the fucking fighting. He did take out any gunmen I wouldn't have been able to reach in time. Leaving me to deal with the people who failed to understand a person who can rip down doors and a kid faster than the eye are people you do not fight. I avoided killing people by playing patty cake with their faces, breaking noses and giving concussions with slaps. A full-powered punch would have been overkill, considering how strong I am relative to bulls, let alone humans. Most of the candidates quickly realized not to fuck with me after watching me slap teeth out of people's mouths. That was good.
After my conversation with Killua, I was not in the mood for anyone to slow me down.
Yet... I didn't want to keep hitting these or hurting this many idiots. I knew I was strong, but I didn't realize how squishy a regular human was. My attacks only used my tricep muscles at most and that was enough to dislodge teeth, smash orbital bones, and bruise anything unfortunate to hit my palm. My hand was starting to go numb from the amount of pimp slapping I was up to. Even though most people understood they couldn't beat us, there were still too many fighters blocking me from getting to the front of the train. Some of them didn't fight, but asked if they could just follow us... but Killua thought it better not to. He pointed out if they couldn't beat us then they'd never pass the exam. I don't know if I entirely agree with that logic, but I will give it to the examinees: they were annoyingly persistent.
As it should be. If they wanted to be Hunter, they needed to believe they could become a Hunter.
Unfortunately, they weren't passing this year.
I thought about yelling to the crowds of people we were Tao Long and Zoldyck every time we entered a train car, like a buddy cop movie. But honestly? I didn't want people to know I was a 'Tao Long'. Evira told me to hide my 'identity' unless I wanted a deal with people gunning for my head. As for Killua, I dunno, but I'd bet money he didn't care.
I opened the door when we finally got to car six, only to meet two people at either end of the train car having a shootout with each other. Everyone else was either bleeding or avoiding the gunfire by lying prone on the floor. The guy in front of me looked like a stereotypical cowboy, hat and all. The other person across the train was a woman with red hair, sunglasses, and a sniper rifle.
My eyes widened as the cowboy turned around like lightning and pointed his revolver right at my chest. I didn't have the adrenaline or the time to properly act. I felt the bullet slam into my chest as I started to fall. I dropped to one knee, rolled to the side, and hid behind the wall to my right. Killua...
Killua fucking disappeared. One second he was behind me, the next I hear the sound of a man screaming. I looked around the corner and saw the cowboy with his wrist twisted in a grotesque angle. Killua was staring down at the man with cold anger.
"Killua, I'm ok. My clothing is bullet resistant," I said between coughs from the bullet impact, my head peering around the corner.
Killua turned around and instantly looked different. He no longer looked ready to kill. Instead, he had a face of restrained concern.
"Oh. Ok. Good," he looked away sheepishly as he scratched his chin. This was completely at odds with the man screaming in pain. Killua looked down at the man with annoyance, which was followed by knocking the cowboy out of his misery with a quick kick to the head.
I stared back a the boy with a big, shit-eating grin. He tried not to look at me as he turned away with his arms behind his head, frowning. A sweatdrop was rolling down from his head for some reason, even though it wasn't that hot.
"Hehehe. Look who cares now!"
"Shut up! I don't care! It'd just be a waste getting you all the way here, especially when you owe me three mountains of candy," he said, his eyes closed as he frowned, aggressively.
My jaw jutted out in annoyance, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Why all of a sudden three mountains?!" This kid was going to bleed me dry of funds...
"'Cause I just stopped this guy from killing you! Are you blind?!" Killua said, now reverting to being a child all of a sudden.
I stood up as I rubbed the middle of my chest. He shot my center of mass in an instant, with incredible accuracy. Almost without looking. I'm lucky his instinct and training led his lead to my chest instead of my head. Hehe...
But, that bullet took the wind out of me and was going to leave a nasty bruise. I looked down at the ground to see the pancaked slug rolling around on the metal floor. I guess that's a good lesson: while I'm tough enough with bulletproof clothing to tank a bullet, it still hurts like hell. I flattened myself against the wall and peered around the corner.
Killua was standing in the aisle of the next train car like there wasn't a woman with a rifle at the other end of the car.
"Hey, are you really ok? Even if your clothing is bulletproof, a bullet would still break a normal person's sternum," my five-foot-tall friend said with a disconcerting amount experience for a kid his age.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. As you can tell, I'm pretty tough... So out of the damn way before she shoots you!" I said as I reached out to grab the boy and pull him to safety.
But Killua easily leaned away from my grab as he stared at me with half-lidded eyes and a frown. He nodded his head toward the woman and spoke.
"She isn't going to shoot us. She'd have tried it by now," his voice as casual as a coffee shop conversation.
I bravely inched my head around the corner. The woman was hunched down behind a chair, gun propped up on the head of a seat. Her weapon was trained right on Killua. She could have easily have shot at Killua (I'd doubt it'd hit), but she didn't. It was hard to see her appearance from behind her cover, but she had red hair and a stoic face. She was fair-skinned with sunglasses, and I think a brown and yellow jacket.
I squinted at the woman as she stared at me through her sunglasses, down the scope of her gun, and right into my eyes.
"Hey, want to make a deal?!" I yelled over to the woman.
Killua looked at me, incredulous. I gave him a look that yelled, 'What? You go do something then!'
Killua turned his head back to the woman and analyzed her in a second, then turned to me and shrugged in indifference. I sighed.
"Well, sniper woman?! I open the door and we all go to the front of the train. I'll give you fifteen seconds before my friend over here goes and kicks your ass!"
Killua gave me an annoyed look. I screamed with my face, 'What the fuck else do you want me to do?'
Q-tip started speaking to me through facial and gesture telepathy as well, 'Go and kick her ass?'
'Are you serious?! I've kicked everyone's ass! Why don't you do it?!'
''Cause it'd be too easy. Plus, it's fun seeing you bumbling around,' he said, his face looked like a cat.
I wanted to punt him across the train.
"How do I know you'll keep your promise?" the sniper woman said.
"I'll let you go through the door first, but no one else," I yelled. I could hear people complain, but they could go fuck themselves.
"He's telling the truth, if that means anything to you," Killua added while staring at the sniper woman.
"You weren't even looking at me, how could you tell?" I whispered.
The boy gave me a cocky grin as he tapped his ear, "I can tell by your heartbeat."
"Jeez, that must make sleeping a pain."
He shrugged, "You get used to it. Are you keeping track of the time?"
"Oh yeah: Three seconds!" I screamed.
"Fine!" the woman said as she got up, her rifle still at the ready.
I looked back into the cabin I was in to see people I didn't KO ready to get past me into the sixth train car. I gave them a dismissive look.
"You all better sit down right now, 'cause if you try anything, that's all you'll be doing for the rest of your lives," I said as I glared at them.
My promise to cripple them worked. Most of them sat back down or backed off. I walked backwards as I kept my eyes on the crowd, keeping them honest with my gaze. Once I slipped through the door I did the same as always, tearing the thing off from its hinges (or whatever equivalent this shit has) and lodging it in a way that no one was getting through.
I turned around to see Killua close to me, staring at the rest of the people with boredom. The sniper woman was on the other side of the train car, waiting for us to open the door.
"Well, this was easier than I-"
The train shook and the lights began to flicker as we hit a curve the mad train conductor had promised. I crouched down and grabbed a nearby seat as people began to slide to the left, being pinned to the walls and chairs by the G-force of taking a curve at over a hundred miles per hour. The train straightened out, causing it to tilt back and forth for a few horrifying seconds before ultimately going back to normal.
I stared at Killua with wide eyes, both at the situation we were in and, for me, what I saw. He had braced himself using a metal subway pole, which was twisted by his grip strength into a crumpled mess. He stared back to me with a serious look and then nodded. We both knew what would happen if we hit any more curves like that last one. I looked out the window to see the worst possible scenario: we were traveling through the mountains.
If this train car tips over at a hundred miles per hour down a mountain... I don't care how tough me and Killua are. We are fucking dying.
We both nodded at each other as Killua ran to the door, though not invisibly fast as I would like. I ran past the multitude of people who decided their best option was to stay down and out of the way of the crazy people. As I passed the sniper, I pointed to her and then to the door. She understood immediately and followed behind me.
The silver-haired Hercules made me look like a weakling by ripping the door from his hinges as easily as I would tearing apart tin foil. I shoved Killua through the door with my foot and grabbed the sniper by the shoulder and pushed her through the door. I could hear them both protest. I didn't care.
At this point, I was starting to get a feeling when my bad luck was going to arrive, and it was right at the pit of my stomach.
Speakers blared to life as the madman spoke, "Hahaha! Six minutes have passed-"
I ran towards the door, ignoring whatever Spaulo Assholo was going on about. We needed to get to the front of the train, or at least as far front as possible. If you ever rode roller coasters, then you know that the g-forces are worse at the back of the coaster than at the front. It's like being at the end of a whip. And like a whip, that energy will travel upwards after the tip snaps.
And a train isn't designed to take that kind of stress. Especially when moving at this speed.
And he was about to accelerate into a curve. Because that would be the worst-case scenario. At this point, I'm starting to find that it doesn't just pour when it rains for me: it escalates to a category 5 hurricane-level of bullshit.
I felt the train shudder as Spaulo detached the tenth car. I sprinted forward as hard as I could muster, the world slowly becoming a blur as I ran through the sixth car like Usain Bolt on steroids. I could see Killua in front of me, running faster than me with a skateboard underneath his arm. He was a blur as he moved forward. With adrenaline rushing through my brain, hard, I could almost see the shape of Killua as he moved like the lightning through the cabin. In the freeze-frame of time, the sniper was just standing around as Killua blurred past her, completely unaware of him. She was looking at me in confusion as her face was slowly, painfully slowly, changing to understanding. Not fast enough, though.
I grabbed the woman as I passed her, like Bowser kidnapping Princess Peach. I slung her over my shoulder while navigating over the prone and crouched passengers all over the cabin blocking my way. Seconds were passing, but it felt like minutes as I raced to go as fast as my inhuman legs could take me.
Killua easily ripped the door off and flung it to the side. He turned around and waved to me, his blue eyes were focused, serious, and determined. I nodded at him, my eyes matching his as I ran through the exit of the sixth car and into the fifth. I would wager only three or four seconds had passed.
My feet stumbled for a second as I heard a horrifying sound of metal moaning from far behind me. I knew what was happening and I only had minutes to get to the front I whispered thanks from my lips to Mayer for putting weights on me when I ran. If not, running with Red on my shoulders would have been impossible, or at the least very challenging. But I had no problem moving at top speed.
And I needed to move as fast as I could to avoid what was to come.
We hit sudden curves that sent me running sideways to the left for a split second, then to the right, then to left again. The momentum and inertia stayed to the left, my body leaning to the right as I fought to move forward. It felt like being in a drifting car with a teen who saw one too many Fast and the Furious movies. The only thing keeping me from flying through a window or being pinned to the left wall were nearby poles and handholds in the cabin. My stomach dropped as I felt the entire train tilt and sway, left and right, before settling on slowly falling over on to its left like a dying elephant. The bullet train finally reaching the limits of its design.
With a loud screeching sound I heard the cars behind us begin to fall off their metal tracks. One by one. Sheering metal ringing out as car six behind us tried its best to hold onto its metal brethren. It was failing, quickly.
Killua moved to the front of the cabin in a blur and he didn't even bother trying to open the next door, opting to punch the shit out of it. Like a bomb going off, it flew forward into car four with a clang. The boy then turned around and began punching, kicking, and generally whooping passengers' asses into unconsciousness, all so I wouldn't be slowed down. At this point, he was just following the letter of our agreement to not kill, as the spirit of it flew out the window and up to heaven the moment the train began capsizing off a mountain. These people were going to die when this train rolled down the mountain. Honestly, I couldn't and didn't care at this point. We couldn't save everyone.
And Killua's not dying, and I'm certainly not dying again.
The speakers blared to life, "Best get to car four in a few seconds or all of you are going down a mountain slope, and certainly not for skiing! I will be detaching all cars past four for the safety of our passengers! Good luck!"
I growled. Miraculously, or at least in my mind, the design of car five was more open than the ones before it. One row of seats on either side with poles next to them. The aisle was clear and straight with barely any people or shit in my way to block my sprint.
It was a goddamn Christmas Miracle.
I moved with the grace of a football player, with the meanness and toughness of a world champion rugby player. I twisted passed people, leaped over bodies, and shoved the holy hell out of anyone in my way. Nothing was stopping me as anyone unlucky to not get out of the way were bounced off of me like tennis balls against a speeding car. I could see Killua beyond the crowd of passengers, aware of me coming closer and moving past the door into car four. With one last stomp of my legs, I ran forward, my exit in sight.
And then the car disconnected.
With horror I saw the train in front of me begin to pull away as I desperately sprinted as hard as I could, my legs being strained to their absolute limits. Evil winds entered through the cracks that formed from the separating cars, my large body serving as an unwanted ship sail that slammed against violent air currents. All my muscles in my legs screamed in pain as I pushed them beyond their limits to keep my speed up. My eyes were so focused all I could see was a tiny, white tunnel in front of me. Everything beyond that white hole was pitch black: the other passengers not even existing to me. I started hallucinating, seeing white smoke like a teapot flying off my body; both my mind and body going insane from the impending doom in front of it. Hell, I didn't even feel the woman on my right shoulder as I roared, jumping through the door.
As I moved through the air between the two cars I saw the world slow down again...
Killua was staring at me, eyes wide in panic as the car he was in pulled away from me...
I wasn't going to make it. And it would be by dozens of centimeters. I was going to plummet, hit the tracks, and be swept under the train. My body ripped to pieces. It all played out so vividly in my mind. It was hopeless...
But I tried anyway.
My left hand moved quicker than I could imagine as it grabbed Stick from my right hand. In a blur, I pushed Stick desperately towards Killua like I was an Olympic sprinter passing him a baton. With a quickness that surpassed even my adrenaline abused brain, he grabbed my wooden sword and pulled me through the door with all his strength.
I tumbled forward, the woman falling off me as I turned into a rolling pinball across the metal floor. I began sliding out of control as the floor was wet with some liquid. My movement mercifully ending when I smashed into a metal pole that was in the middle of the train, my painful and violent not airbag bending from the speed and weight of my body. I could feel the left side of my body complain from the impact, but thanks Heavens to Betsy nothing was broken. It hurt though.
My hand and feet worked to get me standing, only for my limbs to slip and send me to the ground again. I looked at my hands in confusion. What the fuck...
There was blood all over my hands. I turned my head up to see the entire cabin was covered in blood, dead people, and one single person standing in front of the door. Blood and limp, lifeless people were all over the open layout of the cabin, with passengers lying motionless on the subway style benches that lined the walls. Their bodies occasionally jerking and moving from the impact and jostling of the train tracks. People were in heaps near the center and front of the cabin, many of them cut down with clean strikes. I stared in disgust and dismay at the sight before me. Rage and disbelief rented space within my mind as I fought to control myself.
"What the fuck?!" I yelled, while slowly and carefully getting up. My breathing was heavy from my recent impromptu sprint and long jump, but it was also from anger. I looked the man over.
He was shorter than me by a good four or five inches, with black hair and an Asian face. The guy had an enormous beard and giant eyebrows, as well as a mane of black hair that looked like it hadn't been cut in years. He wore red, wooden armor over a plain yellow robe. He had a katana on his left side, his hands clasped over it as he stared intensely at me with confidence and determination. He looked like a samurai going to war.
I saw behind him that the door was partly open. I stared back at him with even more disbelief and anger, before looking around the cabin to thankfully see not everyone was dead. It just looked worse than it actually was, if dozens of people killed out of hundreds was somehow is better.
"Did you do this?" I asked, pointedly.
"If I did?" the samurai said gruffly, his voice harsh and direct.
I snorted, angrily, "Then I'm going to kick your ass. What's wrong with you?! You're strong enough to open the door! Why would you kill all these people?! You're only two doors down, this was unnecessary!"
"Hmph. You dare talk down to me? If you must know, I cannot pass through the car behind me, yet the fools here still thought to defeat me. You would ask me to endanger myself for people I do not know when they have committed themselves to my harm?!"
My teeth clenched reflexively. I couldn't deny what his words...
"Fine. You're right. I don't know what happened here, so who am I to talk? Let us through then, we'll deal with the problem in the next car," I said as Killua came into my peripherals, his footsteps not making a sound even in the pools of blood around us.
I could hear the woman behind us getting up and groaning. I guess it was jarring to move as fast as a car, fly through the air, and tumble across a metal floor.
The samurai shook his head, "I cannot. My honor does not allow me to take your insult lying down. I will not let you pass."
"Alright, let my friend here and the sniper through. After that, I'll fight you."
Again, he shook his head, "I will not. They are with you."
I looked down at Killua, who looked back at me like the annoyed child he was.
"Why'd you have to insult him?"
"I didn't insult him. I said I'd kick his ass, and just asked him a few questions..." I said, puckering my lips and shutting my eyes.
"You're annoying, you know that? " Killua said, as he looked at me in disbelief. He was annoyed because I wasn't technically lying, hehe.
"Alright, I'l-" a gunshot cut me off as the samurai ducked behind the benches against the wall. The samurai had moved beforehand, not actually dodging the bullet, but anticipating it. Me and Killua felt the woman moving to prepare for something, but it held no bloodlust against us. We had ignored both their movements since they were no threat to us or even attacking us.
It felt weird, let me tell you, sensing if someone is going to attack or not. Especially now that I was getting and better at it. If I had this during the White Death, I'd have skipped through that forest, no problem.
We turned around to see Red holding her sniper rifle, smoke coming from the barrel. Wait, smoke. That reminds me of the steam that was coming off me.
I stared at my hands and body to find nothing on it. No smoke, steam, or whatever rising off me. I guess I was going crazy. All good.
Bah.
"She's not shooting at you, idiot. She's trying to hit the other guy," Killua said as he looked at me dismissively. I looked back at him, contemptuously.
"First of all: shadda' up! Second, why are you shooting?" I said, first pointing to Killua and then at the woman.
"First: no. Second, yeah, what's up lady? Who told you to shoot?" Killua said, replying instantly and with an annoyed look. Funny enough, he copied my gesture as we both were now pointing at the woman.
She stared at us, her black glasses doing little to stop her confusion from showing.
"What? He was just standing there. Might as well shoot him," she said with a shrug, her voice haughty.
"Look, Sniper Wolf, you weren't going to hit him. He's too good to get hit by such a telegraphed shot," I said as I looked at her like she was an idiot.
"Yeah, you're standing right in front of him. He'd have to be blind not to see you aim. And what's a Sniper Wolf?" Killua added, before looking up at me with confusion.
"It's a person from the country of 'Nunna' ya'', who resides in the small town of 'Business'," I said with a shit-eating grin and a raised eyebrow.
Killua squinted at me, a child-like frown on his face.
He then kicked me in the fucking shin.
I lifted my leg up and grabbed my right shin, roaring in pain, "Ow! You little twerp! I'm about to fight, why you'd injure me!? MEDIC! I NEED A DOCTOR!"
"Shut up! You're fine! Besides, you deserve to get hurt if you lose to someone like him!" he yelled, casually pointing a dismissive finger at me.
"Yeah, whatever. It's weird finding someone who can tell how strong someone is as well..."
He gave me a flat look, "What are you talking about? I'm the one who showed yo-"
"It's-it's such an amazing feeling meeting someone who's your equal!" I said, cutting the twerp off. My fingers dabbing my eyes like I was crying.
"Hey! You're not my equ-" Killua roared before I cut him off again, his hair standing on end.
"NAY CHILD! NAY! DO NOT BE ASHAMED THAT YOU HAVE MET A KINDR-" I said as dramatically as the best of Shakespearean actors, my hand in front of Killua like a stop sign, and my other against my forehead.
Well, that was until he kicked me on the shin again.
"OW! That one hurt, you dick!" I hissed, kneeling down to rub my other shin.
"You're really starting to piss me off... Now stop wasting time and beat this guy up!" Killua said, his eyes closed as he had a huge vein on his forehead.
I rubbed my leg and grabbed Stick, who was leaning on a nearby bench. I stood up and walked towards the center of the car as Sam-R-I did at the same time.
"'Neh, neh, you're starting to piss me off,'; 'I'm a badass assassin kid. I'm only twelve or whatever and just stopped using diapers...'" I mumbled under my breath as I stared at Sam-R-I.
"YOU ASSHOLE! I HEARD THAT BEETHEAD!" Killua roared. Oh shit, I forgot he had super hearing.
"I KNOW THAT COTTONBALL! I SAID THAT ON PURPOSE!"
"YOU'RE LYING! I CAN TELL! OR DID YOU FORGET THAT TOO, STUPID?!"
"S-SHUT UP!" I said, winning the battle of words in my head.
Sammy stared back at me, his eyes were hard and focused. He definitely was a warrior, a person who had fought for years on countless battlefields: both big and small. His face was lined with wrinkles and scarred with tiny nicks and cuts. His skin was weathered and worn, like dried leather. It was also in his stance. In how he was tensed up: his right hand on his hilt, his sword primed to attack at any moment. As he stood before me, I could tell the man had very little openings. His body slightly angled out in front of me, his left leg leading. This guy has been through some shit and was ready and willing to slice me to pieces.
Yet... he didn't feel intimidating at all. I had the reach advantage, height, and I'd bet dollars to donuts I had the physical advantage. Hell, he wasn't even within his range and I could already attack him with my arms, let alone my sword. I had long-ass arms and legs.
"You sure about this, Sammy?" I said as I nodded towards the man
"What? Who are you speaking to?"
"Uh. Sorry, what's your name?"
"Bokuden. And yours?" the samurai said with a glare and grunt.
"James."
He nodded as he crouched down, readying himself to face me.
"It shall be an honor fighting such a powerful opponent."
I looked at him with apathy as I shrugged. I slid my left leg forward as I shifted my weight evenly, resting my sword hand on my right thigh. I looked bored and defenseless as I placed my left hand on my hip. I looked completely open to any attack.
In actuality, I was pulling a Fool's Guard. It's not anything special, and useless for a regular person fighting someone their equal. And while this guy maybe my more than my equal in terms of technique, but he was not my physical equal. The door to the exit was slid only half open, and from the marks on the door, it looked like it took multiple people working together to open it. Even if the door took a literal ton of strength to open, I was confident I could slide it all the way open. Not easily, but doable...
We had a stare off.
Bokuden with his right hand on his hilt, intensity burned onto his face.
Me, looking lazy as hell and staring at him like I was bored.
I could see the disrespect bubbling up, but he fought to stay calm and collected. Sorry, not gonna' let that happen. I raised an eyebrow and gave my best dismissive look at Bokuden. He bristled but didn't take the bait. We waited in the silence for a few seconds. Watching, waiting for the other to strike. All so we could end it with a counter-attack. He refused to budge, but I wasn't fighting just with my body. Unbeknownst to him, he was playing checkers while I was playing chess. That is to say, I already could read him like an open book.
He was a prideful, impatient, determined man. With far too much honor and respect to keep taking my feigned scorn. The warrior was experienced enough to know what I was doing, but not disciplined enough or prepared enough for my level. Both my level of physical ability and my level of assholeness. He would attack because he saw the opening and thought himself better than me.
So I continued my assault, leaning my torso and head a bit back and twisting my lip into a cocky smirk. The man gritted his teeth and tightened his grip around his blade, but he didn't bite.
He was almost there. Just one last push.
I pretended to look away to my left as we circled each other, as though the proud warrior wasn't even worth my time. While it looked like I was letting down my guard, in reality, I kept him in my peripheral vision. I made sure he wouldn't cut my head off in the middle of my act. Then I said, "Pfft..."
That was the final straw.
He slid his sword out in an upward arc, with smooth, practiced precision: a sword strike akin to artwork. He moved without any wasted movement or flourish. It was absolute, economical, and to the point. So much so I was jealous: my own movements were still sloppy, wasteful, and telegraphed. When I trained with Mayer, he would beat me silly with his wooden sword. Like a wife with a rolled-up newspaper going to town on a cheating husband.
I had grown by leaps and bounds and stood on the mountain of proficiency. Yet there was always another, taller mountain off towards the horizon. Once you climbed one peak, another more difficult one took its place. That was the bittersweet truth of mastery, and I was nowhere near mastery.
My opponent was more skilled and experienced. Too bad I had three months of being a cheating cheater with cheatery magic. As well as training with one of the best Hunters in the world. That made me far above the mountain range of normal human limits.
And so I saw the swordsman's painfully slow sword strike moved towards my head. Molasses, glue, tar, syrup, water: whatever substance you wished to say he was moving through, he was slow as fuck to me. Even Mayer's casual sword strikes were lightning compared to the man in front of me and I could just, maybe, kinda react to them. A few meters behind me was Killua, who I could barely see at his fastest, and I could react to him; it'd be hard as fuck, but I'd manage. The boy would still kill me eventually, but my point still stands.
In that slow time, I realized something: I was angry.
I trained my ass off. I was expecting people a level or two below Killua... but this was... what the fuck man? He wasn't even at my level.
I mean, I just had this whole conversation in my head. The blade was only a dozen centimeters away and I still had plenty of time to react.
My head leaned back as his blade harmlessly flew past my head by an inch where my head was a split second earlier. I realized I could have ended this without all the feinting and mind games. I could have killed him in all honesty, it wouldn't even be hard. Just 'smack', right on the head. It would've been quick too.
Maybe Killua was right, maybe I was too soft?
I didn't have a choice as my body and soul reacted on their own, choosing the merciful option. Though I doubt it was merciful for a Samurai. My arm disappeared as I swung my sword up, knocking the katana upward towards the sky. The clanging piece of metal little more than shiny, frail stick to me. Hell, I'm surprised my Stick it could even maintain its structural integrity, being wood and all. Even if it was made from a World Tree or whatever. I say this because Bokuden's sword didn't stand the test between blades.
Bokuden's weapon blunted and cracked upon impact, then twisting from his hands and lodging itself into the ceiling from my strength. The blade vibrated like a tuning fork as it stabbed itself into the ceiling of the car, the metal weapon warped beyond any use. Bokuden looked at me in shock and horror, as though I was a freak.
I was. I didn't care though.
We stared at each other as I tapped my wooden sword against my right shoulder. He kept staring at me in shock, his hands shaking from the impact of my blow. He looked at me like I was going to kill him. I waited for him to realize I wasn't, but after thirty seconds it never came. So I sighed and put my sword away, which to me was just turning my sword around and grabbing it where the round handle met the fatter 'blade' part with my right hand.
I stared back at the man, his demoralized face taking me out of the my thoughts and making me feel bad...
Now I just felt awkward.
"Alright, well, good show. Uh, nice try. Um, better luck next time. We got to go," I said with a click of my tongue and a finger gun.
He moved over to the side, still in disbelief. I felt even more awkward. Never really destroyed a man's spirit before, not counting all the hundreds of people before. But this was really... personal? I'm staring at a man shaking and questioning his whole world view.
I felt empty. Not a bad or good empty. Just... nothing. A blah.
The hair on my neck felt the displacement of air as Killua quietly glided next to me as I stared at the defeated Bokuden. I was starting to get used to this kid's movements.
I sighed in... disappointment and frustration.
"Now you understand what I'm talking about, huh?" the boy said. I turned to see him with an impressed frown. As though he liked what he saw with my performance, but was loath to admit it.
"You mean, 'excitement' and 'fun'? I guess. I did train my ass off for this, so I was expecting people between our levels, ya' know? But... eh, this is the trash train right?"
It felt like I finally got the toy or game I wanted as a present, only to find out it was a letdown.
Killua shrugged, "Yeah, I guess we'll see what the real Hunter Exam has. Except for your flailing around, it hasn't even been entertaining," he said as he caught me off guard. His eyes grew wide and his mouth looked like a cat's as he walked away cheerfully, a hand behind his head.
"You fucking! Little! Fucking! GAH!" I said incoherently as I followed the kid to the next cabin.
But stopped as I didn't hear the two other candidates follow us, so I turned back to see the samurai still shaking and the sniper woman looking at us like we were Creatures from the Black Lagoon. I sighed. What is it with all these people and being as dramatic as hell? I know we're strong as stuff... but, like, this is what the Hunter Exam would be, right? The best of the best. So why were they surprised?
I'm not even the best of the best. So what the fuck? Was the difference between a Hunter and a human that far?
"Come on you two. Are you going to stay here, stranded in a train car in the middle of the mountains... somewhere?" I said, looking out the window and not knowing where the hell we were.
That seemed to break them out of their trances as they slowly began walking towards me. I turned around and continued walking, Killua standing in front of the door with an eyebrow raised.
"I don't know why you care about those two. If they can't take seeing the level of competition they'll face, then they should just stay on this train. I'm sure someone will pick them up."
"Well, we're all going to Zaban City anyways. Might as well bring these two along, ya know?"
"I don't, but whatever," Killua said with a shrug, pushing the half-opened door completely open with his free hand.
I shrugged and followed the boy. I waited until our tag-a-longs walked through the door before turning back, preparing myself to rip the door and block the entrance. But I stared into the fourth cabin and saw that no one was in any shape to follow us, so I just left the door open. Turning around, I saw the two would-be Hunters looking at me frustrated. I stared back in confusion. I could see Killua hanging behind them, pretending not to care but actually keeping a watchful eye. There was a man far beyond us at the last door, but the door itself wasn't open, so he couldn't be that strong. The rest of the people on this train were all unconscious or dead from, what I could tell, purely martial arts. I looked back at the two people in front of me with an annoyed look.
"What?"
Bokuden spoke up, "Why do you assist us?"
I shrugged.
"Are you insulting us?" the redhead said.
What?
I looked at them in confusion before shaking my head and trying to walk past them. The samurai put an arm on my left shoulder, stopping me. He was strong, but I was stronger. He could tell that the moment he felt my shoulder muscles. I looked down at the man, my face displaying that I was even more annoyed than before. He let go, quickly, but played it off like it was a choice and not out of fear.
I turned to the woman in sunglasses, "Look, I made a promise to you, Red. And I don't know shit about you Bokuden, but there's no one on this train left. Let's just get the fuck out of here, ok? Jeez," I said with a tired sigh.
They still didn't understand my gibberish, apparently. They looked at me, now confused and annoyed. Cannoyed as I shall call it. Disgruntled is probably a better word, but it's my thoughts and I make the rules around here.
"See, I told you should have left them behind. Even weaklings have some pride," Killua said as he stared at the ceiling. The two of them bristled.
Damn Killua, you're cold as shit.
I looked at the ceiling as well, but not in feigned disinterest like Killua, but out of sheer annoyance. Air came out of my mouth like a train whistle as I dropped my head to look over the man blocking the door.
The man was wearing a black kung fu outfit and had bleached white hair. I knew it was bleached as it was badly done. I mean, the roots were still medium blonde. He had his hair all spiked up and he had the face of a rat. He had a really bad blonde Fu Manchu mustache that looked like dried silly string, all curved and curly. Both his hands were behind his back like an kung fu master. This showed off the white markings on his suit that took the shape of progressively bigger rings that ran down his clothing.
He was strong. Maybe close to my level if I were being generous, but the fact that he couldn't open the door meant he had to be weaker than me, at least physically. I dunno, he could be fast as hell or strong, but not opening that door was a big indicator to me he wasn't at my level. I looked at the two people giving me lip.
"Alright, you two fight this guy then," I said as I sat down on a nearby bench.
All three of them stared at me, bewildered.
I sneered at the three, "Yeah, ffffffffffff," I held my f so long it sounded like hissing fuse, "fuck you guys! I'm tired of doing all the work! I'm going to sit down, take a break," I said, laying my sword down on my lap as I kicked my legs out and put my hands behind my head.
The two ingrates stared at each other like Abbot and Castello, before turning to Killua as if he could somehow talk sense into me. He gave an annoyed look at the two, before sighing explosively.
"These two idiots are going to die if they fight that other idiot over there," he said as he pointed at the man with his thumb, "so come on and hurry up."
"Maaaan, you do it! I'm tired. I literally jumped through two train cars today, I'm done. I'm tired carrying this team on my shoulders," I said, the three of them looking at me annoyed.
Killua rubbed his chin with his thumb and finger before using the same hand to point at the air.
"Well, maybe you won't be bored fighting him!? This guy looks strong," he said with a finger in the air like he was cleaver or something.
I gave the boy a flat look, though it could have been interpreted as 'go fuck yourself'.
"Man, what am I paying you for?! This isn't three mountains worth of candy, maybe like, two and a half. Maybe," I said as I slung an arm over a headrest and pointed to him with the other.
Killua became offended, furrowing his eyebrows before going at me like the best damn businessman on the planet. He waved a finger at me like it was a lethal weapon.
"Hey, don't you try to weasel your way out of paying me! In fact, I saved your life! I should get four mountains of candy," he finished without shame, staring away with a greasy smile.
"What the fuck?! How are you negotiating up?! You don't do that!"
Sniper interrupted our conversation, "Hey! We don't have much time. Every six minutes the trains are disconnected, remember?"
The speakers blared to life, "Don't worry about that! I'm giving you guys an additional twelve minutes as an apology for this train's faulty maintenance!"
All four of us looked at each other, bewildered that the man could hear us.
I grinned, "Hehe. Well! There ya' go! You guys figure it out,"
Killua folded his arms and looked away, "Well I'm still not doing it! Not unless I get an extra mountain of candy."
I pointed to Killua and looked at the two 'adults', "There ya' go! See, we're getting somewhere! Do you two want to fork over another mountain of candy?"
The two of them looked at me like I was insane. At this point, I have a tenuous grip on what normalcy was, at best.
Guess all Hunters are eccentric.
Eh, I'm putting the cart before the horse. But whatever.
Bokuden sighed before speaking up, "Even if I had a weapon, we cannot defeat him. I have already faced him and lost. He has some type of Zoldyck martial arts. This is what he said."
I turned to Killua, who was looking at the samurai with a confused frown. I started laughing. Immediately I knew what was going on. I turned to the guy in the kung fu suit and nodded my head towards him like he was a random guy on a subway.
"Hey, were you trained by the Zoldycks?" I yelled.
Killua looked at me with pure spite.
"There's no way he learned any Zoldyck martial arts!" Killua roared at me as he pointed a finger at the man, his hair standing on end like a cat.
"OH! But I have! I have learned from the great SILVER SWOL-DICK! As well as HIS father! X-ENO SWOL-DICK! Not only that, for I have learned from all the great teachers in the world! I-Zack Netrow, Major Domeman, Biscuits Keebler, ALL THE ZODIACS and even some of the Phantom Troops!"
My three companions were turned into stone by the sheer audacity of this man. I, on the other hand, was rolling on the floor laughing myself to death. No seriously, I think I'm going to die.
"Ohooo, nonono...please... stop... PFFT HAHAHAHA!"
Killua picked me up by the collar and started shaking me violently. His face was wide-eyed with outrage.
"HOW CAN YOU BE LAUGHING AT THIS, YOU IDIOT?! HE'S DISRESPECTING YOUR MASTER!"
"MAJOR DOMEMAN! AAAAAAHAHAHA!" I laughed as tears continued to stream from my eyes. This was the most beautiful disaster ever.
He dropped me on the floor with a thud, but I couldn't stop.
"HEY, SINCE YOUR DAD IS SILVER, ARE YOU COPPER?! COPPER KILLUA, AHAHAHA!"
Killua stalked toward the fake martial artist, or rather, a powerful martial artist so stupid that he claimed he was trained by people who wouldn't give him the time of day.
I reached out towards Killua, tears streaming down my face as I tried to convince him between fits of laughter not to fight, apparently, the greatest martial in existence.
"NO WAIT, KILLUA! DON'T DO IT! YOU CAN'T WIN! ALL THE ZODIACS! HE-PFFT- ALL THE SWOL-DICKS!" I nearly died from that," "AND NETROW! YOU C-CACACAAHAHA-AN'T DEFEAT HIM!" I said as I collapsed to the floor and pounded the ground, asking for mercy and air from God.
Killua walked up to the man, who stepped forward into a fighting pose with two hands in front of him, like a Mantis or something. I'm guessing he didn't hear the that he was facing an actual Zoldyck, ehem, I mean Swol-dick. The boy was shaking from sheer disbelief at the atrocity this man had committed with his words. I don't know how you can even pretend to be trained under that many people, and somehow fuck up all their names. So badly.
Swol-dick. PFFFT...
I fought to calm down since this could turn bad for the Martial Artist. As stupid as the man was, I didn't want Killua to kill the guy. I mean, he was priceless. A true eighth wonder of the world. He must live.
"Wait, Killua! Let me ask him to move out of the way. No reason to go too far."
Killua turned to me, his face achieving absolute apotheosis of annoyance and rage. There was an enormous vein on his forehead that should have given him a stroke, an aneurysm, or detonated his head from high blood pressure.
"Fine. But you better be quick..." he said as he turned his shaking body towards me, his eyes looking deranged.
"Alright," I turned to the man, "..."
"Pfft..."
I couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably. Killua launched his skateboard, smacking me on the forehead with it.
"STOP LAUGHING, YOU IDIOT! IT ISN'T THAT FUNNY!"
I crawled to a nearby bench, like a wrestler in a submission hold trying to reach the ropes for mercy. The skateboard would of pissed me off if I weren't in such pure bliss.
"Help me...oh god...I can't stop lau- AHAHAHA!" I laughed, my voice gasping for air.
"HOHOHO! I see my twenty laughter, four kings of comedy tech-" he never finished his sentence as Killua launched him into the ceiling with an uppercut to the chin. The man bounced across the ceiling and into a corner of the cabin. He was left twitching, his body huddled up against the wall as face was collided against.
Damn, at least Killua didn't kill him.
Killua stood there, his eyes closed as he held a shaking, smoking fist, "You bastard. You're not even worth killing..."
I managed to settle down after a few minutes, but I would remember this for the rest of my life. Killua had a hand to his face as though he wanted this whole situation to disappear. He walked up to the door and slid it open without a problem. I jogged after him, wooden sword in my right hand and skateboard in my other.
"Mr. Copper! Mr. Copper! Wait up!"
That was answered by Killua leaning a leg out in front of me, causing me to trip and fall face-first into the ground. I rubbed my face and pointed at the kid.
"HEY! THAT'S NOT COOL, COPPER!"
"Stop calling me copper! What does that mean for you then, Apprentice Domeman, huh!?"
I started gigging again, "I don't know, but that was funny as FUCK to me. So, is your pops really called Silver?"
Killua sat down on the subway benches that lined this cabin, hands in his pockets, not even deigning to look at me. All my good humor disappeared as the atmosphere changed around the boy. He stared off at the passing landscape that was flying by. Lush, green mountains with white mists could be seen through the square, glass windows that served as our portals to a different world. Giant tropical trees covered the world around with vines and roots. Sunlight disappeared as we traveled through a mountain tunnel made from ancient trees, bioluminescent plants of pink and blue serving as tunnel lights. As we exited the tunnel, a massive flock of spooked black birds flew through the sky, like a black cloak that enveloped the horizon. It felt like I was passing through an amazon rainforest. No, like I was passing through a prehistoric, mesoamerican jungle world filled with danger and adventure.
And at the end of that was the Hunter Exam.
Road to El Dorado baby...
And Killua looked indifferent.
I walked over and sat down to Killua's left, his body shifting a little to make space between us; even though I wasn't close to him. I sighed, remembering I didn't know him as much as I thought. Skateboard in hand, I held the board up to the boy. He turned back to me and gave me a long look, before nodding and taking it back.
I placed my sword next to me as I leaned forward and folded my hands in front of me, "I guess you don't want to talk about your family, huh?"
The boy shrugged as he turned away from me, back to looking through the window. I turned my head as I saw the only two other Hunter candidates left on the train walk into our cabin. We were in the middle section, and they sat at the back of the train car. As far from us as they could get.
I turned back to the young boy to my right and looked him over. He was brooding for some reason. I understand his family put him through some fucked up shit, and his family was probably a sore spot. So...
I started to swat the tip of his whitish hair with my hand like a cat, "Hehe, no being mopey!"
He swatted my hand away as he gave me an annoyed look, "You're so annoying! Don't you have an off switch!? I brought you to the front, ok? Now leave me alone."
Killua turned back to stare out the window. Oh no you don't.
I slammed my hand on his head and started rubbing his hair relentlessly. He grabbed my wrist with one hand while trying to push my off him.
"Hey! What are you doing!? Stop!"
"I'm going to use your favorite word: you idiot! I'm your friend, fool! No need to be cold! Besides, I still owe you three mountains of candy!"
His body slackened a bit as he stared at me for a split second, before turning away with a smile he was trying to hide, "You're the one who said it, not me. Besides, what kinda' loser grown-up becomes friends with a kid?"
I wrapped him in my long arms, before ruthlessly turning my palm into a fist and noogieing the shit out his head.
"Now it's only two mountains of candy!" I said with a stupid grin on my face.
He pushed my face away as he struggled to escape even with his massive strength. I wrestled monsters before. Specifically two Germanisque idiots with no chill. Killua began wiggling his entire body to get out of my grip as I continued my assault on his head. Just when I thought he had no escape, he disappeared entirely from my grip as I fell forward into the seat in front of me.
I turned up to see Killua with his eyes closed, his hands dusting his clothing off.
He then smashed me over the head with a fist. I slumped forward into the seat, a giant lump forming on my head ridiculously fast.
"Who said you could noogie me, you bastard?! And it's four mountains! Four!"
Even though my head hurt, I couldn't help but laugh.
After receiving the information to find the Navigator for the Hunter Exam from Spaulo Forza, a Hunter who looked like a biplane pilot with a black mask over his head, the four Hunter Candidates went their separate ways.
Except for James and Killua.
Killua sat in the cafe with the older man. Four enormous bags of candy bigger than Killua's body weight, each, sat next to the duo. Everyone was gawking in confusion at the pair, not understanding what the enormous cloth bags were for. What didn't help was the fact that James was covered head to toe in dry bloodstains. Killua didn't care for the curious rubberneckers, while the man found it hilarious.
Killua looked at the menu in hand and tried to decide on what to buy, but his mind wasn't into it. He kicked his legs against the booth they were in, half in frustration and half in impatience. The boy was waiting for the inevitable moment when the man would want something from him for over an hour. It never came. Quite the opposite, the man kept his word and gave him four 'mountains' of candy in the boy's body weight. The red-velvet cake head man asked if Killua had a place to stay, which the boy obviously didn't. So he insisted on paying for lodging for the two. He even offered to buy the boy food from the cafe they were currently eating at, since they arrived around three-thirty in the afternoon and James didn't think 'pure candy' was good for a growing boy.
Killua begged to differ, but he went along with the man's offer anyway.
The want-to-be former assassin couldn't quite place why he decided to accept James' offer. He didn't know if the older man was simply lonely or a weird, creepy man masquerading as a nice but, stupid man. Killua was vaguely aware that the man may be what he says he is: just a nice person. But words are easy to say. Actions were harder and more concrete. Yet... he couldn't find any contradictions in the man, other than his reluctance to speak the truth at certain points. especially when questioned. Killua found that annoying since the red to brown-haired man wouldn't stop pestering him with questions.
Like now.
"Hey Killua, so what do you think about this Papusa? I'm gonna' try the Sweet Panda Frog too, that looks weirdly delicious, but I never tried this Papusa thing. Everything is so different compared to, uh, Yorknew City..." the man said as he balanced three different menus with rapt attention. Somehow the man was being honest, yet at the same time not telling the whole truth.
The Zoldyck heir gave the man a strange look. The person in front of him was a paradox: a person who acted normal, yet had to be extraordinary to try out for the Hunter Exam. Killua felt the man didn't know how dangerous he actually was, and this was consistent with the way he acted like an idiot when he let his guard down. It was as if he was a stranger who never saw anything in his life, full of energy and the spirit to try new things. Yet, he said he was born in Yorknew City and grew up poor before being adopted by his aunt Flole into the Tao Long Mafia Family. The white-haired boy had met both Evira and Flole. The two families had worked together countless times, Zoldyck and Tao Long, to the point that any contracts on Evira or her leadership were brought to her first so she could buy it out. Of course, this was mostly due to having Mayer's influence as her bodyguard and left-hand...
Mayer... Mayer was one of the few people that Killua genuinely liked. This was why Killua didn't completely distrust James. Anyone who was Mayer's apprentice couldn't be completely malicious.
The giant blonde was there when their when all of Silva's children were born, and while exceedingly quiet, was genial and well regarded by the Zoldycks... Well, not completely well regarded... Everyone except Killua's mother Kikyo, Illumi, Milluki, Kalluto, and most of the butlers.
In Killua's opinion, just everyone with a stick up their butt.
But the boy hadn't seen Mayer in six years, the last time he saw him was when his Grandpa Zeno brought him to Mayer's circus in Glam Gas Land. The silver-haired boy also remembered meeting Mayer's twins, Kalvin and Clyde. He found them annoying, jumping around and smiling all the time while showing off their tumbling. Mayer's wife was beautiful but more than that she was full of warmth and love. She greeted Killua as though he were her own child, giving him a tremendous hug and kisses, much to Killua's embarrassment. But he couldn't lie, he enjoyed himself. Killua held back a small smile at the memory of meeting the Giant and his family.
Killua's mom had quite the yelling match with Grandpa, or more of a one-sided scream while Grandpa simply sighed.
That was his last memory of Mayer. Smiling at the big top with his family. Killua asked why Mayer never visited, only for his Grandpa to tell Killua things had changed when the man's wife died. Something to do with the Phantom Troupe...
"Earth to Killua! Help me pick!"
"Just pick something! Don't you have 'infinite funds'?! It doesn't matter what you pick!"
"You bought ten million jenny worth of candy! How the fuck do you get off being that greedy and telling me off?! Don't you have some restraint?!"
Killua leaned back against the booth, his arms behind his head as confident smirk slide across his face, "Hey, that's the price of quality. Besides, you shouldn't have lost the can-, hey!" Killua said as James through a rolled-up napkin at the boy's head.
"I asked you if you wanted to team up, I didn't pay you. I gifted you that candy, and god save my soul, that fucking drink. Stop acting like I bought you..." James said angrily.
Killua was taken aback at James' response. From what he could tell of the mobster he was never really angry, just acting. Mostly. This, as well as when he lectured him on monsters, were the only times he saw the man genuinely angry. The boy couldn't understand why the man cared so much, even after the conversation they had on the train. Nothing came for free, no one cared out of the goodness of their heart. Either someone controlled you, or you control someone else. In a sense, all relationships were like contracts and nothing else.
That's what Killua thought. That's what Killua was taught.
The boy rubbed the spot on his head where the napkin hit. He looked at the older man, analyzing him. The man had to want something. But Killua couldn't ask directly. That would make the man think up a lie or deflection. As stupid as the man acted at times, he was devious when he wanted to be. Killua saw how he manipulated the samurai into making the first move, but he also saw how much the mobster had held back. He could have killed the samurai in the first opening seconds of the fight. Even if he didn't want to, he could have wounded him into submission, crippling the warrior in a single strike. Yet he chose to break the man's spirit. Killua suspected that it wasn't a conscious choice on the mobster's behalf. The boy saw the realization on James' face after his duel. Yet, it was one of the few tactics Killua knew that made sure the samurai would not continue to fight, even in blind desperation.
Killua had been ready to step in when he predicted the samurai would use the Tanto hidden on his back to attack the taller man's belly. The moment Mayer's apprentice let his guard down, the samurai would have cut his belly open: bullet-resistant clothing be damned. The Zoldyck had a feeling that mobster didn't have a clue the man had a concealed weapon, a mark of inexperience. But the boy never expected Mayer's apprentice to move as fast and hit as hard as he did, even when he was aware of how physically adept the mobster was. While not anything on Killua's level, he found a new level of respect for the man's combat abilities.
Yet, the would-be former assassin still felt... distrustful of the man. He hid things, even when he wanted to be honest. He told the truth when he was able and held back when he couldn't. The man was skilled at not lying but bad at concealing the resulting half-truths. As though he were straddling the line between wishing to reveal and reluctantly hiding in the shadows. This was why Killua couldn't fully step forward and accept James, even if he seemed genuine in his offer for friendship. One thing Killua knew for sure, as strange as it seemed: the twenty-eight year old really did want to be friends with Killua.
It was maddening to the boy.
So Killua asked a question that would answer both of the boy's questions.
"Hey James... why do you want to be my friend so much? There's no point, we're going to have to go against each other in the Hunter Exam," the boy asked, a scanning gaze on James.
James didn't even bother to look up, choosing to instead look at the menus, "Then may the best man win. And considering I'm the only man between us, since you're a boy, that means I win."
Killua didn't bite at the response. The only thing that James seemed consistently sharp with were his insults. The boy found it annoying that he couldn't always dominant the conversation.
"I'm serious James. Why? We might have to kill one each other..." the boy said, a serious look on his face.
James took a moment to tear his eyes from the menu to stare seriously into the boy's eyes. Killua's eyes widened as James Tao Long stared back at him. He felt the conviction in his gaze. The boy also felt the inkling of two emotions inside of him: respect and admiration. Those emotions quickly disappeared as Killua's mind refocused itself when he realized that was stupid. No way he could respect or admire this idiot.
In the afternoon sun, the red-head sighed and laid down his menu. His body and clothing stained from head to toe in dried blood. The mobster removed his black gloves to reveal a mark on his right hand: a green tree. Killua knew it was one of the two symbols that represented the Tao Long. The other was a dragon.
"Eh, 'cause I want to be friends, that's it. As for killing: I'm going to die if I lose the Hunter Exam. Maybe. It's complicated... But, even if I faced you and had to kill you to win and I somehow could, I still wouldn't. I couldn't live with myself killing a kid, especially a kid I consider a friend. I rather fucking die."
The man replaced his gloves and went back to staring at the boy, pity in his eyes.
"And... friend is a friend, that's it. You don't have to say it, it's in the heart. You just... know? After that train ride, woo boy, I consider you a friend; even if you don't. Like I said, it's in the heart. When you can say, without hesitation, 'Yeah, that's my friend,' then that's it, thats who you consider a friend. And that's how I feel when I look at you: you're my friend. There's no system or rules. You don't buy or barter friendship," the man shrugged as he leaned back on to his booth, an arm draped over the headrest of his side of the booth as he pointed the other to Killua, "And friendships can span generations. It doesn't have to be between two people of the same or similar age. I've had plenty of friends way older than me..."
Killua saw the man's eyes become unfocused and sad, memories dancing in front of the Tao Long's eyes. The boy didn't know what to make of it, but it was only for a second before James came back to the present. The older gentleman stared at the boy with a sincere and open smile. One that spoke louder than any words that James could say: they were friends.
Killua looked at his hands for a moment, confused. He... never had a friend before. None at his house. None of the butlers. Not anyone on the face of the Earth...
The boy was still lost and unsure. How do you quantify something like friendship so you don't make a mistake? So you know if the person is your friend or not? Do you have to give everything to them. Do everything they say? Sacrifice your all? Or do you control them? Making sure they can never betray or hurt you? So they are always following you like a puppet? The only person he knew that had a friend was Grandpa, and he rarely talked about it. But, the times he did the man's eyes danced with pride and happiness.
"Yeah, but how do you know?! Know that you're really someone's friend? How do you be-" the boy stopped, getting caught up in the moment. James had an amused eyebrow and laughter on his lips, but his eyes held understanding and respect. The boy didn't dislike it. His family had never given him those kinds of stares. Only burdensome looks of responsibility: faces that made it clear he had the whole world on his shoulders.
He still found James' stupid faces to be annoying. Like James was making fun of him or something.
"Friendship... I'm gonna' assume you haven't had many friends, right? Or if you did, nothing significant. That's not unusual for a kid your age, surprisingly and sadly enough. Was it because of your family?"
Killua shrugged, annoyed the man was dancing around his questions, "Stop answering my question with a question."
The man rolled his eyes as he looked up at the ceiling. Killua glared at the mobster. There were a lot of things that pissed Killua off about the man in front of him, one of which was how familiar he became when he was comfortable around a person. Killua almost liked him better when they first met. When the man wanted nothing to do with the boy. One thing he did not care for was how James was aware of how smart Killua was, but chose to dismiss him because of his age.
The redhead's eyes came back to Earth as he realized his mistake. He sighed and shifted his torso forward, positioning his arms onto the table in front of them as he stared at the boy with all due seriousness and respect. Killua noticed.
"Sorry, I forget you're a lot smarter than your someone your age should or would be. As for your question, sorry for running around, but I already answered your question on why I already consider you a friend. And I'd like you to be my friend, well: because you want to too. That's it. Besides, I just like hanging out with you. You're interesting and weird, not in a bad way. You annoy the hell out of me, but I don't mind that. Makes life more fun that way when you have someone there to push you a little and keeps you honest. That doesn't lie to you and tells it how it is. It keeps you sharp. Besides, I don't like 'yes men' as my friends..."
James sighed as he rubbed the side of his head.
"I dunno... there's a lot of reasons, but nothing selfish, I assure you. I just think you're a cool kid. Or, like this creepy adult trapped in a kid's body and stuff," James ended with a goofy smile.
Killua's right eye twitched at that last remark, even if James was being completely honest and genuine.
"Well, your a weird kid trapped in an adult's body!" Killua said with an annoyed look as he turned away. But that was just to hide his thoughts. The information that James had given the boy... a lesson Killua didn't know he needed...
"I guess you're right, heh," James said with a sad, hollow laugh. Killua turned to the mobster, trying to see on his face the emotion that he heard in his voice. But when he turned his head back, it was gone. Replaced by a man looking through a menu trying to figure out if he should buy one Sweet Panda Frog or several. Even before he tried the food.
James was an idiot.
But... he was normal and had a purpose in life. And... maybe he was Killua's friend. A weird adult friend that he might need to call the police on, or kick his ass he tried anything. The boy wasn't sure yet or ready to commit.
At least... at least James thought Killua was a friend... maybe...
Killua's ears perked up as James began to speak, dragging the boy out of his thoughts. The idiot's eyes still focused on the menu, like he was cool or something, "As for knowing how your friends, or good friends with someone, well it has to be mutual. That's why I'd like you to consider me a friend, hehe. Also, two people can't abuse each other. There has to be respect for each other's feelings, opinions, etcetera. As well as a willingness to accept them into your life, to some extent. Not too much, ya' need boundaries between people or they start sucking you up into every single thing they do. You need still be your own person, ya' know? If I had to put it into words: a friend is willing to sacrifice themselves but unwilling to abuse. And so it becomes a virtuous cycle. If not, you'll be taken advantage of by people who are more than willing to pretend to be your friends. You're smart enough to realize that though. Everything else... well that just comes with experience..."
Killua stared at the normal man. Giving him normal advice about what a normal friendship should be. Treating Killua like a normal child. As casually and as nonchalant as discussing the weather.
But sometimes normal was extraordinary in its own way.
"OH! Killua, they make hot chocolate with your FACE ON IT! It looks huge too! I'm gonna get one and make them put your ugly mug on it! I bet the cup will shatter! Hahaha!"
Jame's head snapped back and hit the booth when Killua's napkin ball hit the mobster directly on the forehead. Killua's throw was far less gentle than James was.
The man was an idiot.
But... Killua could learn some things from him. Even if he didn't know if he was fully committed to being the man's friend. He'd stick around and see what more he could learn from James.
Besides, James would get himself killed during the Hunter Exam without Killua's help. Might as well help this idiot out.
He did give him candy.
"Ow, my head..."
Hey all! Hope you are all well and I hope everything continues to stay like that.
If Killua is a Tsundere, Gon is happy-go-lucky Keet, Kurapika is Aloof, Calm, and Brooding, Leorio is Hot-blooded and impulsive, than James is a Dandere. Considering James always comes across as grumpy and rude to everyone at first, and then they can't get him to stay quiet, I find it funny.
Also, one thing guys. I appreciate reviews, even if you love me, hate me, love my story, hate my story; ask me to die, whatever. But I don't like it when my story is spoiled, so please keep that to a minimum in your reviews. As you can tell, I don't like revealing things. If you have questions and everything, please DM, PM, send me an email, whatever.
Shout out to TwistLuck.L for spreading my story. Shout out to1 love m4gic for both shitting on my americanness and pointing out that I was failing to convert from AMERIUNITS to the metric system. Hahaha, thanks 1 love m4gic, love ya.
Thank you to everyone so far who has reviewed: I'm Da Bomb, 1 love m4gic, Mr Beaver Buttington, Jacksonion Democracy, BlueCore, Enormtpucko, Crocodile59, rzetyagi (even if you did ask me to kill myself... for some reason?), Saizo K, DG2, TwistLuck.L, Lifelessman, hiteshguhan, RockyGolem, Guest( don't be shy bro/dudette), KingDodogama
As of 3/15/2020 I'm sick, so no chapter next week. I wanted to get this chapter to you guys if your as sick as me and staying inside with nothing to do. So pardon me if this chapter isn't up to snuff or there are too many typos and grammar mistakes. My head hurts like crazy.
Stay safe everyone, hope you guys don't get sick, and if you do I hope you guys recover quick have enough toilet paper! Hehehe.
