The cry of a seagull pierced through the cool ocean winds. It punctuated the rhythmic tempo of a fiddler on deck playing at high speed, a bleating trumpeter, and a beating drummer that played in harmony. The raucous laughter of passengers on the galleon filled the air as they all watched an unbelievable sight occur just above them.
Gon and Killua rushed up the crow's nest of the ancient ship with inhuman strength and agility. Each casual leap clearing a few meters with ease, their balance untroubled by the movement of the vessel. It bobbed and swayed in the wind on the open sea, up and down with each wave. The two of them stopped their ascent when they reached the top of the several meters tall mast. It was there that Killua decided to sit down, while Gon continued to stand.
They stared out toward the direction the ship traveled. The wind blew gently against their face as their hair swayed and bristled. Eyes locked on the metropolis they heard so much about. They patiently watched as the city came into focus.
Gon pointed out to the city and exclaimed with excitement, "That's it. Right over there, Killua!"
The boy, not one to change outfits often, was in his regular green clothing. On the other hand, Killua had opted to wear a red sleeveless shirt with thin shoulder straps for the occasion. Yellow and green horizontal striped jeans were covering his legs. On his elbows were thick, tattered, black elbow sleeves. Around the former assassin's neck was a rope necklace with a feather at the end.
The colorful duo stuck out against the blue sea like beacons in the dark. But they were Hunters; Hunters always stuck out. And these two young Hunters had stuck out their entire lives. It was only now that they felt normal as they traveled toward another adventure.
Carefree as the clouds that drifted by…
They smiled at the horizon.
Killua nodded and replied, "Yeah. We're almost there. Yorknew."
"Can you believe we're gonna get to see Kurapika, Leorio, and James again? I can hardly wait!" Gon said as he turned to Killua.
Killua turned to Gon, his voice calm and lecturily, "You're kinda jumping the gun. We've still got two weeks before we're supposed to meet up."
Gon turned toward the horizon, his large eyes becoming even larger as something approached their ship.
An immense city blotted the coast that only t grew larger the closer their creaking ship leisurely approached. Concrete spires of grey, dark grey, and silver. Dusty brown sand and dirt that held it all up. A foreboding structure that stretched endlessly in each direction…
Gon's eyes grew ever larger at the prospect of what was to come.
"Oh, right. It's been nine months since we saw them last and I'm getting excited."
Killua studied Gon for a moment. He frowned as he took in his friend's peculiar perspective. They were going into danger and Gon was as eager as, well, a child going into adventure. Killua's frown faded into a smile as he realized that Gon was right. He turned to the city exclaimed.
"And nine months ago I never would have dreamed we'd come to Yorknew City. Not for this, anyway."
For both it was the opportunity for adventure. To see their friends again. To pay back their debt to them for all their help during the Hunter Exam.
The thought crossed both their minds. It was Killua who verbalized it.
"The auction starts on September 1st, so we need to prepare as much as possible before then."
Gon turned and nodded to Killua, " Mhhmm. And if we're lucky, we might even beat Greed Island!"
"I don't know about that. We still have a few cards to collect and those Bombers to deal with. But no matter what, once my brother sends us the info, we'll give it to James and Kurapika."
Gon and Killua nodded at each other as they stared off toward York New City. A bird screech cut through the air that made the seagulls scatter. The two boys reacted in surprise as they saw a hawk dive toward the two boys. Killua stood up and held out an elbow for the hawk to perch on. They noted the small metal tube attached to the bird's leg.
Killua's voice and smile were eager, but his eyes focused and serious. "This is it, Gon. My brother sent the info."
Gon made a fist and smiled, but there was nervousness in his eyes… and excitement.
The sun blazed down on them. A thin layer of aura bristled around them as they tried their best to hold back their anticipation.
"When are they going to get here?" Leorio said as we leaned against his black car. At the edge of my vision, his posture wilted in impatience. He sighed as we continued our wait for the preteen duo to arrive. I rolled my eyes and frowned.
I looked at him out of the corner of my eyes, my right hand moving left and right with every punctuation, "It's a boat. Boats take their time. They said August 18st. Today's August 18st. They said they'd be here. I trust they'll be here." The exasperation broke through my words. I couldn't help it; this was the fourth time he asked in the last ten minutes.
I frowned as I looked around at the busy dock. I couldn't blame Leorio for his annoyance. We weren't told a time outside "afternoon". If I had an exact time, I could've squeezed in some more Nen experimenting…but no, here I was. Baking in the sun.
I sighed and took in the sights to relieve my boredom from waiting. Everything on the coast was so alive and vibrant. A pang of regret hit me as I continued to observe the harbor. I wish I had explored this part of the city more, but work had gotten in the way. The ocean was far from the more urban part of the city. My role as enforcer mainly dealt with the city ghettos of the Outskirts and the Las Vegas-like desert. Marlin was the one who took care of the docks and seaside.
As I stood there, it was like seeing color for the first time. All these lively fishermen with tan skin and sea-salt hair. Tattoos and outfits that varied from modern-like to straight up Pirates of the Caribbean…I couldn't help but click my tongue in annoyance. I had missed out on so much from being forced to survive, in both my lives.
I tilted my head toward Leorio.
"You get a hold of Kurapika?" I asked to pass the time.
A sour look of personal slight crossed Leorio's face. He shook his head. I sighed and closed my eyes.
I'll have to get in contact with Blondie in person…
I looked past my beet-colored hair I've learned to accept and toward the sky.
Seagulls hung in the wind against a picturesque blue and white sky. A cool, pleasant breeze nudged the clouds left and gave a refreshing tingle on my skin. My eyes turned down toward crowds of people who walked on the nearby sidewalk closest to the docks. Rich, touristy people with many diamonds and many kinds of outfits from all around the globe. The birds, chorus of people, and splashing of water were loud. The mixed smell of fish, seawater, wet wood, and fragrances were completely different from the dry air of the desert. Or the asphalt, car exhaust, and dirt of the city. I felt like I was at the crossroads of the world.
I turned down toward the docks.
The ports here were nice. They reminded me of something from Europe: old yet dignified. A rough, roguish refinement that its denizens matched to a T. Burly boat hands looking like Popeye and Bluto shared the same space as cruise-goers that oozed with money. Both marched up and down the wood and concrete docks, elbow to elbow, all of them trying to get to their respective destinations through the crowds of people.
Hundreds of people were walking here and there as they were arriving from all around the world. From the Kukan'yu Kingdom to the islands down south, dozens of boats came and went at a blistering pace. Rich and poor getting off massive cruise ships and rickety galleons. Officials on the dock ringing bells and yelling the name of ships, destinations, and urgently proclaiming how soon they would be arriving…
All the stinking rich coming for the Auction...
All the potential casualties and interference…
I bit back a sigh and ignored M.C.P's comment in my mind. I continued my studies of the world, my attention moving on to the ocean.
Clean ocean water softly lapped against concrete and wooden harbor docks. The ocean was calm. I couldn't help feeling it was the calm before a storm-
It is. The upcoming weeks' forecast anticipates rain.
I gritted my teeth, ignored my built-in brain Siri, and continued with the sights...
The blue water of the harbor was completely different from the disgusting greenish or sometimes brown river-water that ran through Yorknew City. The citizens...well, everyone dumped whatever the hell they wanted in that thing. To dive into that river was to swim at your own risk of growing an extra pair of eyes or something.
I should know since I had to dump some unsavory shit into said river while on the job…but then again, swimming into the harbor would leave you liable to be churned up to pieces by the ship traffic. Countless ships, dinghies, and yachts came and went without pause. It was just as busy here as it was deep in the city. And when I say busy, I mean busy. Pure chaos. The auction had kicked everything into overdrive.
Jeez, I never knew boats could honk that often or sound so pissed off.
This place was madness. I can't even imagine how this was all coordinated.
They have a system that monitors the boats. No different from airpl-
Shaddaup M.C.P. I'm being rhetorical. Can you do me a favor and shut it for a while?
Leorio pulled me out of my thoughts with an excited gasp.
"Wait… I think I see them." Leorio pushed himself off the car, forcing a traveling couple on the sidewalk to move out of the way or crash into him.
I squinted out onto the harbor and saw a large wooden ship. It looked like a ship straight out of Pirates of the Carribean or something. Just like countless others I'd seen. Nothing unusual about it for this world, except…
On top of the mast were two kids waving at us. Their smiles beaming so brightly I could spot them with my blurry bad eye without a problem.
I smiled and pushed off the car as well. Joy gripped my chest like I was meeting family again…
We half-walked and half jogged to the dock the ship was moving towards, brushing past the crowds of people with ease. We towered over most people and out-muscled everyone. Especially Leorio, who pushed past people like a giant through children. Excitement and anticipation building up within me.
A smile tugged at my face as my heart raced…
We moved past a throng of passengers disembarking off a large tour boat and to Gon and Killua's docking ship. The two of us waited maybe fifteen minutes as the ship slowly made its approach. Of course, they didn't do what any normal kids would have done and waited until the ship docked.
When the ship was a few dozen meters safely stopping and they made their move.
Gon literally jumped off the mast, with Killua following right behind. I sighed as Leorio and I opened our arms and caught the two idiots.
The four of us wrapping each other in hugs, Leorio catching Gon and I, Killua. The four of us laughed like fools. All the months of melancholy, grit, and hardship wiped away in a few seconds. A chorus of birds, the splash of seawater, and the chattering of people blocked out by Gon and Killua's joyous laughter.
I could hear crowds of people gossiping, muttering, and gawking at the entire display.
We didn't care about the commotion. We hugged those kids like they were our own flesh and blood brothers. Relief and happiness running through me as I saw they were safe and in one piece from their training and adventures...
One thing bugged me, though.
I pulled Killua away from me and held him under his armpits with ease. My eyes gave him a look up and down as I twisted my face in confusion. I scrutinized his outfit.
"What?"
"I left you alone for nine months and this is how you dress? Who dressed you? The blind?"
His face turned into a vicious scowl as he landed a foot on my face and started pushing my face in. My face was protected by a thin layer of aura that blocked the full force of his kick. That didn't stop my embarrassment as he mushed his foot against my face.
"Unlike you idiots, normal people wear more than one outfit!" he yelled from beyond my view of his soles.
My face was forced to stare at Gon and Leorio. Both of them were wearing large, sheepish smiles on their face as they looked at my outfit, then at their own.
Ah yes. This, this, was the Killua I remember.
I tossed him into the air like a pizza, caught him around in a headlock, and started ruffling his hair. He yelled in protest, but I laughed.
Something passed between us as he genuinely struggled. Like he tested his strength against me. It disappeared as soon as it happened. I ignored it and continued to annoy him in front of hundreds of people.
"I missed you too, Q-Tip!"
Gon and Leorio laughed. I let go of Killua and ran. That absolutely was the right move, as he immediately chased after me, intending to beat me up for his embarrassment. I led him on a merry chase down the dock toward Leorio's car. Grins frozen on our faces.
I led us through the massive basement complex of the Dragon's Head Condominium. Down the stairs, past the enormous gym and to the door of Yorknew City's Heavens Arena. With a push of my hands, the double doors swung open to reveal the vast, empty arena.
It was a hollow, lonely, dusty, dark place that was barely used in any official capacity. We stood on harsh sand and stone. We breathed in the cold, dry, stagnant air. No souls other than us. Not a bird or even a bug.
As silent and eerie as a tomb.
The Underworld.
The dark shadows that hung over the bleachers gave off a disturbing and frightening atmosphere. Bright lights that burned down on the Arena that were never turned off. It felt like there was an infinite abyss beyond the curtain of light…
To think that a criminal organization effectively owned a city. Everything from the sea to this massive chamber…
Just another display of the power of the Tao Long. Then again, not like professional fighting had ever been a clean business. No matter what universe.
My companions walked past me and looked at the arena. Four pairs of footsteps echoing out as I stood there and analyzed the boys.
Killua and Gon scrutinized the replica of a place that they had fought at months earlier. Their body language and facial expressions almost described to me the countless battles they went through at Heavens Arena. Gon's body twitching as if feeling a hit. His hands quickly gripping and letting go of fists. Killua's glancing stares at certain parts of the arena. The slightly blank, yet searching eyes were a glimpse into the memories their minds were replaying.
It reminded me of the light conversation we had in the car. Gon and Killua's adventures at Heavens Arena…
I had to confess that, to my embarrassment, I hadn't seen any of the boys' fights… or been in contact with them (I felt guilty as hell but I had been a wee bit busy…). So what they told me was a surprise.
Gon and Killua had done a lot in nine months:
First the three visited Gon's Mom before heading off to Heavens Arena.
Gon and Killua met Biscuit's former student. And grand student. And Netero's great-grand students, heh…
They alternated between exploring and training at Greed Island and fighting in Heavens Arena.
Gon and Killua beat the piss out of a group of fools who thought they could blackmail them. Apparently Biscuit let them blackmail the kids. So yeah, all Nen masters had a few screws loose…
Gon had gotten his punch on Hisoka, but lost ten to six…
And now they were on track to get all the cards on the island. Though they had to contend with a lot of issues like other murderous players
…Uh, they also hadn't come alone…
"Wow… now that I've seen both arenas, this place really is an exact copy of Heavens Arena…" said a blonde girl who looked as young as Gon and Killua. She had a men's model magazine in her hand as she stared around her. Her voice echoed through the empty chamber…
I turned around and stared at Biscuit Krueger. I gave her an eyebrow as I spoke out to her.
"I'm surprised you came back. From what I remember, you just wanted the stone in that game," I said with a downward point of my right finger, "You basically got what you wanted…"
Her tone was one of contempt as she rebuked me, "These two are my students. As aggravating as these two are, they've grown on me. Like fungus. As their master, it's my responsibility to keep training them!"
She shrugged, then continued, "Besides, we brought the console with us. I can still keep working toward my goal in my spare time."
I stared to the right of her. Gon was laughing while scratching the back of his head. Killua had a look of annoyance over him as he opened his mouth.
"Bull crap. You were just interested in what was happening here, Old-"
Why Killua?
Why?
"hag-"
Biscuit hit him so fast and hard he was howling and holding the top of his head in the blink of an eye. I shook my head while Leorio and Gon grimaced.
I sighed, then chuckled a bit before replying, "Alright. Whatever the reason, I just have to ask: are you willing to help us?"
Her face morphed from a mask of indignation to business-like. Eyes serious and face calm. Her reply was similarly business.
"That depends on the goal. If you're planning on killing the Phantom Troupe, forget it. Leave me and those two out of it."
Killua and Gon reacted in shock. Leorio looked on coolly. I guess she didn't tell them about this...
I stayed calm.
I held up two fingers. My gaze and voice were steady.
"Two. Just two."
Gon and Killua stared at me in surprise. Leorio's only response was a frown.
She lifted her chin a fraction and her eyes lingered on me before nodding. It was… incredibly hard to tell what she was thinking, but I think it was surprise… as if I wasn't what she had expected.
"I see… if that's the case… under two conditions."
I nodded. She continued.
"One: I won't fight them. They are notorious for killing people who find out their identity. Just knowing their appearance is enough to put a target on your head. Unlike others, I don't have the means to discourage them from going after me. I rather not have them bother me. Too much trouble," she said nonchalantly and with dismissive fanning of her hand.
I nodded. Makes sense considering what I just found out recently…
"Ok, and the other?"
She closed her eyes and shook her head, "Before that, I want you to spar me."
Everyone reacted to that except for me. M.C.P had whispered in my mind her probable intentions.
I shrugged, nodded, and replied.
"Let me guess: if I'm not capable enough then what's even the point of going after the Troupe?"
She smirked as she removed her white gloves and put them away before placing down her magazine."Something like that."
Then she disappeared right before my eyes.
A digital scream blared through my mind. A command to duck. I did as instructed and bent my legs and waist. The sensation of rushing air above my head was my only warning that she had moved behind me with mind-boggling speed.
M.C.P relayed his commands one after another. A quick step forward to dodge a twisting downward punch to the top of my head. A single pivot on my left foot prevented a Biscuit's own foot from nailing me in the spine. Another step and pivot on my left food avoided an elbow being embedded in my left rib. I continued spinning on my left foot until finally I faced her.
With a squeak of my shoes, I took a single step back to avoid a spinning kick that would have broken my ribs. Confusion and frustration built on her face as she missed a follow-up back kick by an inch that could have kicked in a car door.
We studied her. Her style, her moves. A type of Kempo. She drew power from the earth, delivering monstrous power through her solid stance and legs. But she could deliver incredible power in the air by rotating her body as fast as possible. Her fancy, flashy attacks covering up her practical approach that compensated for her size and frame…
She was way better than me. Way better than me. Every move was polished and perfect. Faster, stronger, and more experienced than me. She should have hit me every single time.
M.C.P made this embarrassingly unfair. It was as if we were both playing chess; she was the world champion, and I was some dude being whispered my next moves by a supercomputer. I kept seeing visions of crazy shit she could do to me if I messed up even once…
But Biscuit wasn't dumb. I could see her figuring me out. She was Gon's and Killua's master for a reason…
She continued her offensive as I continued my defense. Just barely dodging everything by a hair's breadth. My vision and reflexes slowly got used to her speed. A speed like a whirring saw-blade combined with a size and style that made it impossible for me to stand still. Her attacks were relentless. Only M.C.P kept me in the fight…
A jab to my belly forced me to take a short hop back to avoid it. In less than a second, before I could even finish landing, she blurred forward. The sound of cracked tile and something akin to a cannon blast echoed out. Dust against darkness and a pink figure speeding over white tile. Right toward me.
Her obscured form came to focus as I concentrated on her, my teeth hurting as I bit down in effort to see her.
A right palm strike to my stomach. I could see her aura burning around her hand. Ko.
No chance of dodging it. Was she trying to kill me?!
I raised my arms X to block, positioned right in front of my chest. Before I could even think about moving my aura to block, M.C.P had done it for me. I felt my aura brace every part of my body needed to take the minimal amount of damage. My fists and inhuman strength tightening my muscles as I gritted my teeth for the oncoming impact force of a speeding semi-truck…
A 'plop' sound... A dull sensation... Like a slowly lobbed baseball hitting me… Less bruised muscles, fractured bones, and more a welt.
As I was propelled back from the impact I locked eyes with Biscuit... Disbelief and shock in her pink eyes, which I felt mirrored on my face and felt in my eyebrows…
I faded back through the air before crouching into a landing. The moment I did, I hopped back several times and several meters to gain some breathing room for her next assault…
It never came.
Biscuit stood there with scrutinizing eyes. After a long moment, she nodded, then dusted off her hands against her skirt and pulled out her gloves before slipping them on again. With a short walk and quick crouch she grabbed her magazine.
"I've seen enough. All right, I'll tell you my second condition."
I nodded and slowly stood back up from my fighting crouch. My eyes absentmindedly landed on my right hand.
I flexed a fist. Aura channeled through my hand, then disappeared at my command... she should have bruised my forearms at the very least… I didn't have that skill with Nen to react that fast… but with M.C.P fine control of my aura…I couldn't help but feel out of my depth... M.C.P's complete form - his merging with me - it suddenly felt like I was at the precipice of power and puppetry...
We heard a slapping noise from the corner of the arena. We turned to my left and saw Killua, Gon, and Leorio standing outside the arena. All three of them with looks of shock on their faces. Killua was slapping the tiled floor and pointing a finger at me.
"Don't act all cool!" he shouted to me and then turned to his master.
"How the hell did he get strong enough to fight you in only nine months?! And what's that floating thing there!"
I frowned as we all looked up. Dozens of meters above the arena was M.C.P's big, burning, red, dreidel shaped head staring angrily at the scene below. Wide grey pupils against black slits. Yellow shimmers thrumming against red…
He locked eyes on me, barely moving. A simple thought communicated out from me as I bit down on my discomfort:
Do you have to leave In to manipulate my Aura?
No. But that woman's blow required one hundred percent utilization of Aura to prevent serious injury.
Biscuit responded, snapping me out of my internal conversation. Her tone was educational, "That was the reason he could defend himself. He looks unbeatable to an opponent that lacks experience. But that's just his Hatsu and not his actual strength or skill. That's why he never attacked. He couldn't," she waved her hand, her tone snide. "Without his Hatsu, he's not actually that strong."
I sneered. She wasn't wrong… even if she was brutally honest and painfully dismissive. I just didn't like being spoken about like I wasn't in the room.
But yeah... she was completely right: Biscuit had no openings. The gap between us was that cavernous. Had I attacked I'd have been (from the mental images I saw from M.C.P) Aikido-flipped into a Team Rocket exit...
"Whoa…" Gon said as he stared at the angry head in awe, "What is your Hatsu?"
I chuckled and held a hand up to pause that discussion.
"I'll tell you about it later. We're kind of short on time."
I turned back to Biscuit and nodded. She nodded and continued on to her last condition.
"Two: You make sure that big dumb oaf gets out of this alive…"
She stared at me with such intensity… I swallowed reflexively. I closed my eyes and chuckled.
"You really care about Mayer, yet you're not willing to stick your neck out for him? Jeez, why not promise me to take care of those two as well?" I said with a tilt of my head toward Gon and Killua.
I opened my eyes to find her giving me a hard look. Her porcelain doll-like face filled with frustration.
"Oh, don't worry. I'll make sure those two idiots stay safe. As for Mayer, I've talked to him about this. More than you can imagine. If he wants to go off and die, I won't get in the way..."
Biscuit was the best, I mean the best, I've ever met at hiding her thoughts and intentions. It was like trying to read a blank slate, oblivious person, or someone that was genuinely truthful. Actually, all-in-one.
Gah, I just couldn't pin her down at all.
Yet, at that moment, I could tell she was conflicted. She was angry, confused. Sad. Pulled between being selfish and being sentimental toward a lifelong friend.
I guess I solved her problems. I was her "have a cake and eat it too" option.
I nodded. "I understand."
In a second, she was back to normal. No hint of emotion or anything. An ordinary young girl. Not a woman who could beat the piss out of me if she really tried...
The sound of footsteps pulled us back to my left. We turned to see Killua, Gon, and Leorio walk up to us. Gon and Leorio stopped about a meter away, while Killua continued until he was a foot away. I stared down at him as he stared up at me. A sharp, questioning look in his big blue eyes.
"You've changed."
His words were factual, if accusational…
I snorted cheerily. Yet something heavy dropped from my chest and down to my belly.
"So have you Cotton ball. We all have."
I stared past him to Gon, who looked at me with those big brown eyes of his. His expression was a mixture of sadness and full of pride. As if he understood at a glance all I had been through.
Then he opened his mouth and did the thing that made Gon, Gon. His voice was as solid and as immutable as gravity. His conviction, unshakeable.
"You're not alone anymore, James. We'll stop the Phantom Troupe and make sure no one gets hurt!"
I turned away to hide the smile on my face. When I turned back I saw Leorio with a determined smile and thumbs up. Killua with a confident smirk. Biscuit with a small, prideful smile.
I looked at the two of them one last time and studied them. Their bodies were, even for adults, um, I think the technical term was, hmm, yoked as shit son...
I had anticipated having to spar both Gon and Killua to see if they were powerful enough. It was obvious they filled out, but Nen was another thing entirely. I spoke to both of them in a light, yet commanding voice.
"Have you both developed Hatsus yet?"
Gon and Killua nodded. A cocky smirk from Killua and a bright, determined smile from Gon.
I nodded and turned to Leorio. For a split second, his face was stone-cold serious. A hard, absolutely loyal look in his eye. One for concern about what we were going to do… and trust.
As soon as I saw it, it disappeared into a determined grin. A scowl almost appeared on my face from having that much faith put in me. I instead nodded and felt resolve settle in my heart.
I smirked.
No way back now.
With resolution in my voice, I spoke to everyone.
"Good. Now to meet the rest of the team..."
Author's Notes:
*crawls from under piles of work. a shaking hand slams onto the table*
I AM NOT DEAD! THIS STORY ISNT DEAD!
Hello everyone and I hope you are all doing well!
If you, dear readers (however many of you are left), are wondering why I straight up disappeared... 'tis simple: I got a job.
I moved across the country and have been adapting myself to another place and work. It's been busy. Its been hard. I've been writing whenever I have a chance, but not as often as I like and not as long as I did before.
Like I said, this story isn't dead, but I can't update EVERY Sunday like I could do when I was job searching, in quarantine, and living on savings. I'll be updating roughly once a month. Give or take one since life can get in the way.
Thank you all for your patience. Thanks again to all the returning readers and ones who stayed around since the beginning. Thanks for all the new readers who got this far and endured the beginning of my story. All of you are champs!
Remember: When life is hard and you are on your knees- don't give up! Punch life in the nuts so its down to your level and choke it out! That is to say, there is always a way and I know you all can achieve great things internet strangers!
That's why, as always:
I wish you happiness, health, luck, and everything goes well and continues to go well for all of you!
That was your daily pep talk! Until next time dear readers! Go out there and kick ass!
