More training with Madelyn, with a twist.
It had been a few weeks now; training Sandra, Matthew and Kevin weren't that difficult. If Killua was going, to be honest, the three students weren't that memorable. It wasn't like dealing with Madelyn, who was the poster child of complaining.
Then there was Isaac; the bright, bubbly, blushing mess of a person. It wasn't that he was just a slow learner… he soaked in lessons, but he was the epitome of true laziness… he tried to find short cuts where he could, which resulted in him in making bad decisions.
No wonder his Ten and Ren were terrible. It wasn't that they were weak, he was trying to apply it in the quickest way possible. Given how he trains, Killua wouldn't be surprised if Isaac's future Hatsu was to copy physical objects, just so he wouldn't have to put the work in himself.
This was all speculation, considering they've only met him twice in the past few weeks…
But if that was the case, and he was looking for shortcuts everywhere he could get away with, they'll need to strike down the idea. Making copies of an item is a useless idea, especially, if he was trying to get away with doing less work. The conditions to make it work properly would counterbalance the usefulness of the item.
If he were to make a copy of someone's assignment, it'll be a static copy… so their name will be at the bottom, and it'll be something he can't remove…
If Isaac was going to get stronger, he'd need to put in the work to improve himself, first… not last.
Killua eyes glanced over to his partner, watching the boy fume as Madelyn refused to listen once more.
She was truly a prideful one…
"No, we're not moving onto Ren, just because you're aware of it. You need to focus on Ten first, improve there then we can add Ren to your training repertoire."
"You don't know if I can handle it when you're not even letting me prove I can do it…"
"You mean can't…" Killua remarked with a frown, "Daniel's right! It's too early… it took a month for us to learn Ren properly, and that was with intense training…"
"That's you… not me. I bet I can learn it faster than you."
Killua cracked his knuckles, silencing the girl before stepping forward, "How about we put that theory to the test-"
"We're not doing that Killua… do not stoop to her level. She wants to prove herself, but I know she's not strong enough to handle an emotional attack."
"A what now…?"
Killua crossed his arms, "When we first unlocked our aura nodes, we had to control and maintain our Ten for far longer than an hour. Hisoka, a madman that murders others for a thrill… while dressed as a clown, refused to let us sign up for floor two-hundred, unless we could stand an emotional Nen attack. You aren't ready for that kind of training…"
"And why not?!"
"Because one false move and you'll be permanently disfigured, blindness, missing arms… the consequences could be anything. I'm not willing to put you in harm's way… for something stupid… I'm not about to toss a coin on whether you can survive an emotional Nen attack or not. Understand?"
"You're marking me as a failure before I can prove myself…"
Killua's eye twitched, "Because we know limitations when we see one…"
Daniel sighed as he crossed his arms, "Fine… How about this… IF, you take a single step back… you will give up on Ren until Killua and I agree you're ready."
"And if I don't?"
"We're wrong, and I introduce you to the concept of Ren, alright?"
"Yes!"
"You know this is going to end poorly…"
Daniel turned to his partner with a loving gaze, "have some faith in me. You know I have good control over my Nen, given my abilities…"
"I don't doubt that…"
Daniel turned to Madelyn with a deadly smile, "one step, and it's over… ready?"
"Ready as-"
Daniel released his aura, suffocating Madelyn in malicious intent. She didn't even manage to last a few seconds before she jumped back, goosebumps all over her body.
"Now do you understand…?" Killua rolled his eyes at her reaction. They knew it a mile away, she was just too stubborn to realise her own, weaknesses.
But the tears that follow, told them a completely different story "I'm not weak!" She sniffed loudly, only to then bite her tongue as she wiped her tears away. She tried to pretend that none of that happened.
But it was far too late, the boys had already seen the waterworks, it was an issue they'd need to discuss when she opens up to them. Daniel raised a hand to dismiss cut the session quick "Ten-minute break."
"I can…" wiping the last of the tears away, she looked at the boys in determination, angry that her previous mistakes would make her look so weak in their eyes "keep going!"
Even though she looked at him with anger in her eyes, the boy wouldn't relent to her childish antics. Her gaze means nothing, when her earlier tears, told them a completely different story. Daniel simply stared back at her with a neutral, bored expression, "I'm the teacher, so you're taking a break. Instead…" he then turned to Killua, "you can watch us spar…"
"Provided you can keep up with our movements…" Killua offered with a taunt, grinning smugly when the girl offered her a death stare in response.
Daniel offered a smile to Madelyn before getting into a stance, fists clenched, and guard relaxed "No Hatsus. Ryu and En only…" When it comes to having an upper hand, Killua's Hatsu trumps his. He has speed on his side, whereas his ability is more on the technical side.
Controlling the battle is kind of impossible when he can't keep up with Killua's speed.
"Agreed!" Killua made the first move, moving behind Daniel, hand poised to chop his partner in the back of the neck. Daniel narrowly avoided the attack, fingers barely grazing the back.
Daniel brought up his knee, hoping to at least stun Killua before backing up, but his partner caught his leg, pushing it up so the boy lost his footing. Daniel quickly recovered, using his hands to grab the floor, he performed a mid-wheel kick.
He scored a successful hit, unfortunately, Killua already blocked it. Daniel immediately swung his legs around on rebound, this time coming in for a roundhouse.
Killua jumped to the side, avoiding the attack on his opposite side with a smile. It was a well-placed attack, however, due to the distance, the boy needed to close was too far… his follow up attack too slow. He should have flipped his posture and kicked him in the gut, groin, or chin.
Hell, even a reverse axe kick would've been good in this situation "should've aimed for my chest area…"
"And get grabbed again? I don't think so…"
"Oh, you noticed my hand?" Killua quirked a smile at his partner.
"It was close to your chest on the block, so if I flipped my body to kick you, you would've grabbed me again. But if I went for your opposite side, you wouldn't have been able to block. Sidestepping on the other hand… I should've thought about that…"
"Next time. Then you should've bounced, then kick on the opposite side."
"Nope, you could've kicked my feet so it throws me off balance again."
Daniel ran towards Killua, throwing his weight into a flying kick.
Madelyn bit her lips as the two exchanged blows, neither one landing a successful hit. Hell, even as they fought, they gave each other tips, mainly Killua was the one doing so, but every time Daniel rebutted with a 'how he could be countered' argument.
They were putting their trust in each other, unlike how they trust her… not that she was any better with them. She felt queasy, knowing that they were this strong, yet she got scared the moment someone used an Emotional Nen attack on her.
She shouldn't be this weak… she was older than them. Age should be the key component when it comes to experience…
Instead, it was the two boys younger than her that was physically overpowering her. She was weak, and she'd either must accept that fact, or continue to push each other away.
They had stories to tell… but her stubbornness refused to accept that fact. She refused to accept she was insanely weaker than a pair of love stuck boys. She refused to accept friendship and trust could make you stronger.
She pouted, eyes drifting from the boys, back to the elevator, the one thing she could use to escape from her internal suffocation. She didn't want to be here anymore, at least for today.
But the moment she moved, she just happened to be in Daniel's line of sight, "Madelyn-"
She froze, eyes looking at her only escape when she heard her name. She didn't think this far ahead, only about satiating her queasiness. That was until she heard a hit being connected.
She turned just in time to see Killua accidentally punching Daniel square in the face. The boy had no time to stop, let alone pull back his fist before the connection.
The boy's face morphed from a smug grin to eyes widening in worry. Killua was thankful he held back his full strength or Daniel would be walking away with more than a bruise, "Oh, shit!" The boy pulled back his hand after the attack. He needed o check on the boy before dealing with the reason for his distraction, he heard the boy utter Madelyn's name, so she was involved in this mistake… although he knew pointing it out would only make her angry, so it'll be a waste of breath.
When Daniel fell on his ass, he rubbed the non-bruised side of his cheek with a pout.
Reaching his hands to Daniel's side, Killua grabbed the underside of his partner's chin, inspecting the damage "Why on earth would you look away at the last second?" He touched the boy's cheek, only to have his partner wince in response, "Shit…" I hurt you really, bad… "It should take a few days to recover, from a quick look of things. But that bruised… I'm sorry… for hurting you…"
"Ow, I know…"
Killua pulled back his hands, resting them on his side. With a sigh, he turned to Madelyn.
She was about to get defensive, but Killua's tone made her pause "Look, we still have three hours to kill. Mind calling it early?"
"You… You weren't about to accuse me?"
"Sure, Daniel got distracted from something you did, but it was his eyes looking away… not yours."
"I… I was going to leave early anyway. I… I don't feel too good."
Killua nod, offering a hand to his partner to help the boy up. Daniel took it with a smile, pulling himself up.
Daniel, however, was worried about the girl's response, more so than himself. A bruise can heal… but something felt off with Madelyn's tone, "Everything ok…?"
He paused her steps, her back still turned to the boys "It will be…"
"At least talked to Clarisa about it… if you won't talk to us."
She bit her lip in response, choosing to remain silent as she walked away.
"What was that about…?" Killua crossed his arms, frowning at the situation, "Wanna bring me up to speed here?"
"I don't know what we did… but I believe we made her upset."
"Her upset…" Killua feint disgust at his partner's words, "if anyone should be upset… it should be me. If she hadn't tried to walk away without saying anything, you wouldn't have been distracted."
"Maybe… but she's our student, we should be equally worried about her… not just each other."
Killua blinked in surprise at his partner. He never expected that to come from Daniel's mouth, especially, when the boy does nothing but stare at him like he's Daniel's universe, "That's a bold claim coming from you… considering you look at me like I'm your universe."
Daniel smiled widely, "you are my universe though." When Killua blushed from his comment backfiring, the boy added to his statement "I like that perspective. I'll use that next time…"
Killua let out a frustrated groan. He ended up giving his partner ammunition, which was only come back and bite him later. His cheeks were, going to be burning bright red later…
"However, if I was going to make a comparison, she'd be considered a moon in this solar system… or maybe a planet… something at least within our range in this case. As much as I'd like to think about you all the time, we should spend some time worrying about our other students…"
"Then you worry about Madelyn… I'll worry about Isaac. He's taking far too many shortcuts… I know how to deal with that."
Daniel crossed his arms, grinning smugly at his partner "Oh, and you intend to leave me to deal with Sandra, Matthew and Kevin on my own."
"Well, teaching Isaac is like trying to teach an entire classroom."
"Well… teaching Madelyn is like teaching a self-entitled rich girl who brought the building, because everything she touches, she deserves to own." The boy winced after his statement. He regretted his smug expression.
"I promise to help share your burden of boredom with Sandra, Matthew and Kevin. Now, let us take a better look at that bruise…" Killua reached up, inspecting the damage once more. His partner's cheek was heavily bruised; whenever he ran his thumb the area, even if it was a feathered touch, the boy would wince.
"Touching it will only make it worse…"
"Well, unless I develop X-ray vision, I won't be able to inspect the damage otherwise…"
Daniel brought his hand to Killua's pulling it away to instead lean into the boy. His partner had plenty of time to react, but given that his mind was probably occupied with the thoughts of contemplating on whether he'd rather the action continues, or pull away, Daniel's lips ended up meeting his in a chaste kiss.
The two melted in each other's arms, Killua's hands reaching up to touch his partner's face, but when the boy winced, Killua instead placed them on the boy's shoulder to push him away "We shouldn't be doing this here…? You know how I get…"
"But… I'm being overwhelmed here with tender care… I want to show my appreciation for you." Lust was the last thing on his mind, as it should be with Killua. But it was true; when Killua gets overwhelmed with emotional care, it tends to build-up in a manner, where he needs to release it.
Over time, that should change… where these actions wouldn't make him want to release it, but rather revel in the raw emotions. To soak in gentle care, without the need for him to bust a nut.
It probably doesn't help, that he wants to help Killua with his needs.
"You're the worst boyfriend I've ever had…" Although it sounded like an insult, his tone mixed with his expression come off as being fonder than anything. He was even a hair-trigger away from leaning in for another kiss.
Daniel raised an eyebrow, "I'm your only boyfriend… unless you're not telling me something."
Killua rolled his eyes, pulling the boy in for a fierce kiss, only to push the boy away once more, "You're the worst because sometimes I wonder who'd make a better cheeseburger, you of Gon."
"Gon, clearly… he's so cheesy, he has two partners. But if you going for taste, me… obviously…" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, "I'm tasty cheese…"
"Hmm…" Killua snickered at the rather terrible double entendre, however, it won't stop him from having fun. He pressed a finger to his cheek, with his hips swaying from side to side, acting innocent in a manner that came off as more of a joke "I don't know… I might have to taste just to see."
Daniel playfully shoved his partner "Sly like a cat. You're just missing the ears and tail."
Killua pulled Daniel in, his fingers digging into the boy's pants, threatening to rip them off within an instant, "Cats can be very territorial… I don't like other people touching my things…" His eyes darkened for a moment, once more leaning in to continue their kiss.
Daniel pressed a finger to the boy's lips, "we should probably take this back to our room."
"A little voyeurism won't kill you…" Killua muttered into his boyfriend's finger. He meant that as a joke, considering kissing isn't really, Voyeurism… unless maybe tongue was involved. Then it'll get explicit real fast…
"That is true…"
"Wait, you're down for a little R and R outside our bedroom. This is new… Who are you… what have you done with my boyfriend? Did I smack you so hard, that you're now considering relinquishing your body to my every need?"
Daniel chuckled, blushing momentarily at the thought. Killua wanted every inch of him, for every second of the day… that did not bode well for him, because he'd probably enjoy every second of it "No, you didn't smack me that hard. But the thought is… appreciative. I'm not going to… do it with others around our vicinity, but if we were camping and we just happened to get a little… frisky, a little adventure wouldn't hurt."
Killua's lips curled into a warm smile, "Even if you were…"
"Yes… on the receiving end."
Killua brought his hand up to the boy's other cheek, the one untouched, "That makes me a little happy, to hear you're willing to explore… with limitations, of course." Killua kissed his partner once more, short and sweet this time… the kind that Daniel prefers.
When he pulled back, his arms curled around his partner's waist, "So about our situation… not sex, nor the disasters surrounding it. Are you sure about splitting up the work, you taking Madelyn and me taking Isaac?"
"Yes, I'm sure…"
"Then while one of us is working, in the background the other should work on themselves, rather than watching our lessons."
"I can agree to that… Further, improve our selves. Then after the lesson, bring it back in so we can bounce ideas off each other."
Killua made a noise of understanding, his eyes drifted down to the boy's lips once more. He should probably deal with his hormones in the morning, rather than letting them build up… He has been craving too much recently, and Daniel desiring him during those occasions doesn't help the situation "Let's start a little now. We got a few minutes to get some ideas off each other while we're here."
"Ok, I'll start…" Daniel gave his partner's side a gentle squeeze, "I was thinking for you… rather than electrocuting yourself every time you want to use Godspeed… you can create faux shocks to replicate the feeling of being electrocuted…"
"But-"
"While using the stored electricity in your attacks."
"I guess… but as Vows and Limitations work, wouldn't it reduce the strength of Godspeed and Whirlwind."
"There will be a time where you know longer feel the pain from it… so wouldn't it weaken over time naturally, given the case that your tolerance to it would build up."
Killua hummed at the thought, a higher risk, means a higher payoff… but if it no longer becomes a risk, it will get weaker over time. And he can't exactly continue to release electricity on himself until he gets that buzzing feeling… what if it requires him to release all the electricity he stored in himself, just to last a minute… it would no longer be feasible a Hatsu.
Daniel's idea would work, but he needs a trigger to get it right, a feeling he must cement so he can use that to activate the ability every time… he'll think about it more, "Ok, you make a good point… Alright, let's give you a tip. Your father says to rely on your thoughts, not you hand gestures… right?"
"Right…"
"That wouldn't be as strong as there's no risk to thinking about your next attack… unless you were to overthink it to the point you have a hundred ways to could make the next attack, to the point they end up knocking you out before you even make one. That being said… I think you should give it a physical limitation, before moving onto thoughtful actions. Namely, your hands."
Killua pulled back to hold the back of his partner's hands, letting them rest with the palms facing him "Focus on two hands, but if you need extras, take the image to the next level… a multitude of hands making up a single entity. That way, you can add a surprise twist to your attack. Like a grenade going off, the hands split and reach for the nearest object… you understand?"
"I… was thinking of a similar idea, where I can control up to ten, but they rely on the fingers I have… but I do like your idea more. I think maybe five or six hands can make up one entity. I should keep it to a smaller number so I can focus on their, individual strength, rather than rely on more numbers… which would ultimately require my strength to be split over a greater distance of numbers."
"That's a sound idea…" Killua's released Daniel's hands, instead once more gripping his partner's hips, "sounds like you already thought about it."
"My bigger worry is dealing with Victor…"
"He will be difficult to deal with."
"It's his manipulation tactics I'm mainly worried about. Forgetfulness… I don't ever want to forget about you again." Killua blushed at the words, but Daniel still had more to say, which was only going to get worse as the boy progressed through those feelings, "I want to come up with this idea where I'm manipulating you, and you manipulating me… without us manipulating each other."
"That sounds… contradicting… extremely difficult…"
"It is… like a condition that has a ridiculous demand. Something attached to our lives… Like, I will rather be dead than forget about you."
"A little extreme, but I think I get the idea. You want something like Kurapika's idea. If he ever uses Chain jail on anyone other than the Phantom Troupe, he'll die… Except in your case, you rather die than forget about me… But at the same time… I don't want to lose you…"
"What about if it's attached to both of our lives…" The boy quickly looked away, wanting to dismiss his own, idea before it has time to settle, "Actually, that's an insanely stupid idea! I'm an idiot for thinking that you'd rather die than lose me… that's not fair for Alluka and-"
Killua brought the boy's lips to his own, pulling away only when Daniel relaxed, "I've already done it… Scarlet said the condition is if I fail, we both die… I'm willing to go that extra mile for you, but, in that case… it was a one-time situation. I was desperately trying to save you, no matter the risk or the ridiculous conditions that came with her ability. I felt like Alluka would be safe if I fail… Scarlet could've taken Alluka back to Nathaniel for him to look after… but here right now, it's… I don't feel right. The rules outweigh the benefits. Think more about it… then we'll reconsider later… when we're strong enough to compete with the consequences…"
"Alright…"
Killua decided to continue to humour the thought "But having our lives interweave with each other… While to an extent it's considered romantic, the consequences change the overall tone… BUT, if I could add to the conditions, I would add Gon's quote. It's been a long time, so sorry if I butcher it… In our next life, I hope I get to be me … and you get to be you, so we can meet each other again… or something along those lines. Our lives should be intertwined in theory… But again, as I said… I don't want to lose you. Maybe we can come up with something that meets both of our demands. A bond that relies on both of us…"
"I'd like that…"
"Good, then let get back."
"For no ulterior reasons other than looking after me…"
"Oh, I'll look after you… every aspect of you…"