Having found the spot, the two start their training.
Ashton continues to spruce up Alluka's attire.
They reached the location with minimal problems, Killua kneeling so Leo could climb off him. Ashton was right when she mentioned the "dead tree".
A lone tree with blueish bark looked secluded, against the brown trees with red leaves. But it wasn't just the bark that made it different, it was the lack of leaves on the branches, that made it feel so isolated.
It'll be impossible to tell the colour of its leaves, as not only were the ones around the base too dark to tell what their original colour was, red leaves from the surrounding trees were mixed in with those leaves.
Why this tree was different, the three were unsure. But if they look up the history, they were sure to find out… Maybe they could ask Ashton for its history too. If she knew young lovers came here… maybe she knew why the tree was a hot spot.
When Killua walked up to the tree, he felt a pulse of aura circling it, abnormal, yet normal to him. If someone were to focus on it, he was sure a person like Gon who grew up, surrounded by nature or even Sakura, who was attuned to flora like roots in dirt… could tap into the life force to trace its roots via En.
Pulling his hand away, he looked up at the branches, finding not a single leaf in sight. Turning away, he looked at his partner, seeing the boy talking with the other, possibly answering some questions.
Leaving the tree, the boy joined the others. Leaving the mystery behind for someone else to discover.
"So, what exactly is hidden in the cloth?" Leo asked, Daniel, ramming one into the earth, the longest out of the four.
Daniel's eyes flicked to the boy's, "I would be considered a weapon master… at least in terms of fighting styles. While Killua is hand-to-hand combat, which I was also trained in… it doesn't compare to the intensive training I had with actual weapons. From a knife as big as a pocket knife… to a great sword that was twice, the size of me."
The boy made sure the harness felt secured, resetting the clips and attachments for the weapons, tightening them on him before he continued "There are certain weapons I feel more comfortable with over others, mainly long to medium range sized weapons, like quarterstaffs and polearms, given that it works better alongside my Nen ability. Killua is similar, as his Nen ability works best with his fighting style, which is both long and short distances, with short being his preferred preference."
When Daniel saw Killua was close, he grabbed his harness, chucking it over to his boyfriend who caught it with ease, "So what are you two talking about?"
"Basic stuff…" Daniel pulled the cloth from the spear, throwing it onto the floor.
Leo's eyes were drawn to the spear, the crimson blade and eyes socketed into the wolf motif, being the only colour on the dark weapon. Other than the wolf emblem, there was another concept, one, he wasn't quite sure which part of history it came from.
He supposes he could ask Daniel, maybe even Killua, but he doesn't know if that will be okay, considering he hasn't been forthcoming with a lot of his information. Then again… they were about to show him a secret, not even the public was aware of.
He thought there will be one weapon for each…
Nope, when Killua put out his one, he noticed both boys' harnesses were designed differently. Killua had satchels, where Daniel's clipped in. Daniel revealed the second weapon which he hooked to his right side, a hand axe. Then he revealed a third, a golden chain whip with a snake motif.
He thought the boy was about to put on a fourth weapon, only to pull out two yo-yos he threw over to Killua who caught them, before dropping one into each satchel.
"Okay, Daniel is just… overkill, at this point… and Killua got Yo-Yos?"
Killua snorted, "It'll make sense in a second…"
"Hand-to-hand, followed by muscle memory for weapons, weapon sparring then a bit of Nen training? No aura for the weapons, as we still need to get used to its mechanisms… got it?"
Daniel made the crystal-clear sign, creating distance between himself and Leo by taking several steps back. He could get ready, bouncing on the spot so he could at least warm up a little.
Killua then looked at Leo, "Let us get a warm-up in before we get serious."
"No… no that's understandable. I wasn't going to push you to show me your abilities right at the start, anyways. So, I'll see it… if I see it."
Killua gave a nod, now creating distance between himself and Daniel, "Ten-minute warm-up, at maximum… the remainder of thirty minutes on intensive training."
"Got it…" Daniel put his fists out, getting into a stance as Killua did the same.
"Three… Two… One… Go!" The boys ran towards each other, aura collecting around their frame, with Killua's speed allowing him to cover more distance than his partner was able.
While his running speed had Daniel beat, he slowed down considerably so his lover could retrain his body to match his speed. When Killua threw the first punch, Daniel blocked it to the side, the colliding of aura sending out a pulse that made the grass sway.
The counter put Killua on the defence, him blocking while Daniel was throwing out the punch. The same process repeated, the impact this time sounding louder on the crashing of limbs.
Leo's jaw dropped on how quickly each one moved, each strike causing the grass to jostle and sway, sometimes even being dug out of the ground, especially when one of them kicked.
If this was them during a warm-up, he dreaded to think of the poor enemy on the receiving ground of their serious strikes. If the warm-up was an indicator, what would Nen training be like… Not even Nen training, what would weapon training be like?
Little did he know, the two had been using Nen already, the impacts being proof of that evidence.
"~"
Ashton clipped bunches of hair together, forming a roundish shape that started to match the shape of the girl's hair.
Adding a fold, she gave the girl a long ponytail, letting it dangle over the back of the young girl's head, with a bit of face cream, she smoothed out the girl's face shape, giving her a more boyish look.
It took a bit of time getting everything right, she was starting to get worried that Killua and Daniel might come back in the middle of the process. But once the make-up was set correctly, she adjusted the bangs before moving the ponytail so it was out of direct view, "Alright… I think I'm done."
She played with the bangs a few more times, shifting them a little better on the girl's face so it looked messier, then prim and proper "Alright, you're good. Go, take a look…" She directed the girl's attention to the mirror on the wall.
Alluka took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the image she was about to witness.
Standing before the mirror, she opened her eyes, looking directly at the image of herself, if she were to present as a boy.
The moment she saw it, she felt nothing… other than amazement from what the woman did with her hair. How she managed to keep folding the locks over while maintaining its size, so it didn't look puffy, she didn't know…
It looked like she had been given a haircut, without her hair ever being cut.
The ponytail was probably so she didn't have to fold every strand into a semi-flat afro. It was also amazing how she managed to give her a messy hairstyle like her brother, making sure it retained a shape other than flat.
She touched some parts, feeling a few of the hair clips helping retain their shape.
"So how do you feel… looking at yourself presenting as male." The woman asked as she stood behind the young girl.
"First, it's impressive what you did with the hair… I had a long main, yet you somehow manage to make it look short… and messy like big brother's."
Ashton chuckled, "Why thank you… I wasn't expecting a compliment."
"Looking at this alternative version of me… I don't feel…" The girl paused, taking a moment to really, think about it. To her, nothing felt off about the situation. The person she was looking at, was her, dressed up to be someone else…
But at the same time, she didn't feel like what Leo felt… she wasn't disgusted with this version of her. She was impressed, but she felt like she lacked the reason to feel any differently about herself.
Maybe she knew who she was deep down, so dressing up this way, made her feel no shame. Was Ashton right… some people knew who they were, it's just they didn't have a word for it "anything."
"Anything…?" The lady asked out of concern, "Nothing at all…?"
"No disgust… No shock, other than being impressed by the hair… nothing at all."
"Interesting… so you might be slightly… gender apathetic."
"What's that…?"
"Umbrella term, you don't care, or connect towards your gender at birth. It could also mean all genders… but you tend to present more as female, so it's hard to describe. It'll also explain why when someone calls you a boy, while Killua's quick to come to your defence… you don't say anything in response to misgendering…"
Ashton looked in the mirror, "Although you may look like a pretty boy right now, as a description, not so much as from my perspective, you don't look disgusted at yourself… at least when I look at your facial features. Leo would be disgusted if I did the reverse to him…"
"So, what does it mean for me?"
"We have two options. First, you like to crossdress and consider yourself as a girl, Femme presenting… Second, or which I feel more likely… you're trans, but borderline is gender apathetic, at least when it comes to presenting as the body you were born with. Again, this is not me trying to fit you neatly into a nice little mould with labels… it's to give you possible explanations. Like I said… at the end of the day… it's how you would label yourself, rather than others doing it for you. Only you at the end of the day will feel right in the body you identify with."
Alluka started to remove the hair clips, letting her hair fall into place. Even when she was dressed as a boy, her face looking, boyish… seeing her with long hair felt more natural to her.
Again, she supposes Daniel would feel the same way about himself. Even though he has long hair that would make some misgender him as a girl, he feels resolute in his gender identity. He is a male… no matter what.
Maybe she's the same… no matter what, she'll always see herself as a girl "Even looking this way…" The young girl rubbed the make-up off with her hand. She looked like a mess right now, "I am still a girl."
Ashton chuckled, more so from the smudged mess on the young girl's face than her words "Go take a seat… I'll help get the make-up off your face."
"~"
With one final crash of limbs, the two smirked at each other, close enough to kiss. But neither one was giving in to the thought. Not just because they didn't want Leo to feel awkward, but they were also focused on winning a bet they had set previously.
Daniel wasn't weak…
Nor was Killua…
Yet, as Daniel moved his leg, he hadn't anticipated Killua would beat him in terms of what he was attempting to do. The kick was swift and precise, knocking his footing off balance.
The boy thought he could recover, but his partner had already defeated him the moment he lost his balance.
Grabbing his partner's hand, he threw the boy over his shoulder, slamming him back first into the grass. He pressed a hand against the boy's neck, stopping him from making any sudden movement.
Killua panted from above, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead, stopping at the tip of his nose before falling to land on his lover's shirt, "I win…" The boy's smile widened, adding to his charm. He had beaten his partner yet again, though this time he was given a run for his Jenny.
Daniel was in shock, unable to believe he had zero time to recover.
Killua finally let go, standing up. He was about to offer a hand to his partner, to help him up. But the moment he stood up; Daniel had swept him without warning.
He fell backwards onto the grass, in shock from the action. You reap what you sow, I guess… Turning to Daniel, he found himself giggling, possibly from his reaction to being knocked on his ass.
The laughter was infectious…
Killua was unable to hold in his own, giggles.
The boy hadn't expected their hand-to-hand combat to get out of hand, going on longer than the set goal. It had to at least, lasted almost an hour… there was no way they fell within the timeslot he had given themselves.
They might not be able to fit their Nen training in, not if they continue to progress the way they are. Plus, they don't want Leo to get too bored.
Leo made his way over to the boys, wondering why neither of them had gotten up. The moment he heard the giggling, he knew something was up with the situation.
The older teen peered over their heads; arms crossed "Do you guys plan on laughing yourself to sleep?"
"Not at all…" Daniel chuckled under his breath, "I just caught Killua off-guard… it's rare."
"Yeah, yeah…" Killua got up, still laughing from the absurdity of the situation, "laugh it up, loser…" Offering a hand to his boyfriend, his partner pouted "We're both losers in this situation."
Grabbing his hand, Killua helped Daniel up "You got in a cheap shot… I beat you fair and square."
"Oh, so all those cheap shots you got on me… does that count as a win for me."
"No, they don't count. The moment I knocked you on your arse, as I said… I won."
"But you didn't say it's over… you assumed the fight was over after you threw me onto the ground. If that was the reason, then I would've won multiple times before you…"
Killua sighed, "Alright… you got me there. But it's still a cheap shot." He held a finger out at his partner, "I still win, even if I wasn't the last shot. I got at least one-hundred points, if this was Heaven's Arena… you'd have gotten sixty… and I'm being generous."
"I would've won via technical points though. I got you good a few times."
Killua waved his partner off dismissively, "Didn't hurt, didn't count…"
"Gon's punch didn't hurt Hisoka, yet he was awarded two points…" Daniel remarked slyly, his lips twisted into a Cheshire grin.
Killua shot his partner a glare, arms now crossed. He got him beat in that remark… but at the same time, Gon's battle had become deadly enough, that the referee decided to award points on what would end the match quicker "You forgot… that was from a referee who wanted the fight to end quickly."
"The announcer as strictly stated… that some referees award points for creativity, or… interesting hits."
"Damn it…" Killua blew a breath of frustration, "I won… but I'll agree you got me good, a few times."
Daniel cheered, even though he ultimately didn't win, he still got his partner to relent that he was improving. At this point, the argument was indeed childish. But Killua was putting up a front for Leo, acting like he was the epitome of strength.
Leo looked on in bemusement, wondering why Daniel considered it a victory, even though Killua stated he beat him. It wasn't fair and square. Still, he voiced his disappointment, not in the results, but rather in the time spent on a single task. He could be out there forever.
There were only so many right hooks he could handle, before he gets bored of the whole ordeal "Can you two, move on? We've been here longer than an hour… and you promised to show this, oh so secret special…"
Daniel frowned, "You're a party pooper. Killua, what's next?"
"No, he's right… we did overkill it on the warm-up. We'll cut the weapon training, save it for when we're alone."
"So… you pulled out the weapons for no reason? Doesn't sound very fair…"
"But you'll get bored from us swinging our weapons around. Plus, to be honest, we shouldn't really, be swinging them at each other without training… at least to get used to the heaviness and speed we can strike with each move." Killua remarked with a neutral expression, "Besides… they're deadly sharp, one misstep, and you could be seriously hurt."
"How about I show him a cool trick…" Daniel interjected, "I'll show him a disarm trick, not that it'll be useful to him. I show off a few movements, and we'll go back to training? Sound fair…"
Killua's eyes flicked to Daniel, "Sure, which one?"
"Spear, the axe will be more difficult in terms of showing off… as I'm more attuned to staff-style fighting, over axes. Plus, whip… I rather not spin that here like an untrained noodle."
Killua gave a nod "Alright, pass the spear." When Killua caught the spear, he turned to Leo, "You might want to stand back a bit."
Leo took several steps back, Killua spinning the weapon so the edge was facing towards the ground and his hand behind his back to give his partner more of a challenge. Daniel wants to leave an impression; he'll give his partner the perfect reason to give the watcher's jaw, to drop to the floor "Bring it…"
Daniel smirked, moving fast enough to bypass Leo's ability to keep up with his movements. At Killua's side, he saw his partner's eyes flick towards him, already registering his movements.
With two quick hits, he disarmed Killua, the second strike launching the weapon into the air, rapidly spinning in a circle as it went flying.
Daniel jumped, catching the spear in the middle, freezing its trajectory, before flipping to land further from Killua.
With a quick spin, he faced the weapon's edge behind him, causing the grass to flutter from the speed of the movement "Like I said… I'm a professional-"
Killua slipped beside his partner, moving before either one could react.
In three simple movements, he disarmed his partner before throwing the spear into his sheathe.
Leo had no clue, which was more impressive… Daniel's ability to disarm Killua, while the weapon was behind him, or Killua's ability to disarm and re-sheath the weapon before he could react.
"Show off…"
"Me…" Killua acted innocently, arms swinging from front to back "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You only know that cause I taught you…" Daniel argued back at his partner, pouting from having been overshadowed by his skilled partner, who wanted to secretly eclipse him in his ability to show off, with raw skill.
"Me…?" Killua pressed a finger to his lips, acting all innocently, even though everyone saw what he did, "Never…"
"You're lucky you can act cute…" Killua's cheeks turned red, becoming a sputtering mess from having been caught off-guard by Daniel's ability to hold back, even though they agreed, they would do so for Leo's sake.
Rather than getting angry, Leo burst into tears of laughter, not expecting Killua to be reduced to mumbling words, from just a simple argument. He didn't like how they were so close… but at times like these, he couldn't but laugh at how childish these two could act at a moment's notice.
The two turned to each other, grinning widely from the outcome.
Leo could still see the absurdity in the situation, even when they were both casually flirting with each other, via childish insults.