Iason while heading towards the orange glow, hopes to find his boyfriend alive…

Gon out of fury threw his fist out at the shark, the creature changing trajectories mid-movement. Frustrated, he growled into his mask, eyes peering into the darkness, trying to follow the ripples moving in the shadow.

I need to be faster than this thing…

The question was how…?

How does he beat something in its natural habitat? He's fighting a sea creature, while underwater, where his movements were weakened… with no access to his former strength. With his current strength, he could probably at best, only tickle it.

Although… earlier, when he punched the creature after seeing it attack Iason, there was a bit more oomph behind his strikes. Now that he thinks about it, his body did feel lighter… stronger than ever.

The only problem was he couldn't see anything different about himself. So his rage might have been fuelling those strikes.

The moment he saw the ripple, his eyes snapped in that direction, seeing the creature coming back towards him. This time, he felt a little bit faster. Nimbly avoiding the attack, he managed to hit the creature in the area where the creature's ribs should've been, knocking it back.

Hopefully, that time, he fractured something…

Yes, if I can focus, time these things better… I may be able to hit it again, harder this time… I just need to focus. I need to time my strikes better.

The teen's eyes focused once more on the shadows. It was eerie looking into it, peering into something that should've reminded him of his friend's ability. But looking into this, reminded him nothing of the sort… instead, what he felt was a sense of loneliness.

He was here, with only the creature that threatened his life.

The boy sniffed once, using his sensitive nose to pick up the smell of the creature's toxic scent. It smelt foul to the boy's enhanced sense of smell. He wanted to narrow down the monster's location, to pick apart their movement… he was hoping to use its scent to his advantage.

But the more he sniffed, the more difficult it was to pin down its location. There was a huge problem. The scent was coating the surrounding area so fluidly, that it was impossible to detect when and in which direction it'll strike from next.

But if he could figure out its movement to the point, he knew exactly when it'll move… maybe he could use its speed to his advantage. Like a car to an unstoppable brick wall. He'll throw out his fist, hoping to smash it right into the monster's face.

There's no way it was skin was tougher than his fist in a head-on collision. Especially, when it has avoided every opportunity, it could against his attack.

Gon took a deep breath, stilling his nerves. He focused only on the depths, his sense of smell trying to guide his attention. Then he smelt it, the strength of the toxin growing stronger with each passing second.

At first, he believed it was surrounding him, stopping him from picking up on its movement. But there was a distinction in the movement, specifically the trail it left behind.

It felt… like it was a particle trail…

One, a trail that's left behind by an untrained Nen user…

He couldn't use Gyo, at least not right now… but there was a form he used against Gido.

He was able to avoid those Dancing Tops at least, until, he accidentally stepped into a position where he trapped himself, unable to avoid any of them. Had he not reactivated his Ten in time, he wouldn't have been walking away with more than a few bruises and broken ribs.

But here… he has no Ten to fall back on.

It'll be solely on his raw talent to pick up on the creature's presence…

Although, closing his eyes while on its hunting grounds would be the worst decision to be making right now. Yet, as he did… he felt something. It was unnatural, yet, also familiar… a sense of belonging, in his own, skin.

He took a deep breath, focusing on that feeling…

It was like he was surrounded by mucus… but before he could further divulge those sensations, to see if he feels anything different about himself… the creature's roar was deafening. He opened his eyes in time to see it moving towards him.

Drawing out his fist, given that there was no time to dodge, he threw out his fist with all his might, connecting it with the creature's nose. There wasn't enough strength to hurt it.

The monster pushed through the attack, teeth slicing past the boy's ribs. He was not only likely infected by the toxin, but it was also a matter of time before it takes root in his system, locking him out from his limbs.

Touching his side, he removed his hand, taking note of the yellow plus melding with his blood. Damn it…

"~"

Iason found Gon, clutching his side. Due to the roar and the orange glow, he was able to pinpoint his boyfriend's location. Although, finding Gon clutching his side meant only bad news… he was hurt.

The boy moved closer; swimming as fast as he could to his partner.

When he was close enough to do so, he called his boyfriend's name "Gon!"

Gon's ears perked up, hearing his muffled name through the water. At first, he believed it to be the cause of the toxin, but when he heard it a second time, his attention snapped in the direction, spotting Iason coming towards him "I-Ias-"

He was swept into a hug, a radiant glow surrounding him.

Yeah, he must be infected because now he could swear, he was seeing the flow of aura surrounding Iason.

Once Iason's gloved hand met the wound, he quickly removed it due to the yellow sticky residue "No… No! NO! NO! It got you! Damn it… I was too late."

"I'm fine…" Gon ran his fingers through his partner's wavey hair under the water, "At least I got to see you, before-"

"Shut your trap… I'm taking you to Sakura, he'll somehow figure out how to slow down the toxin. I can't lose you… WE can't lose you." The teen panicked; eyes glued to the wound. He was too late. If he was only a little bit quicker, maybe he could've saved Gon… stopped him from being wounded.

However, it's too late to focus on his lack of ability to reach Gon in time. Now he needed to act.

"It's really, my fault I'm in this situation."

Iason quickly yanked his partner's hand, pulling him towards the surface "Well it's gonna be my fault, for why you're going to be slapped. You idiot…" tears dripped along Iason's eyes, "We'll make sure you live long enough to be slapped by the two of us for your mistakes."

Gon chuckled at the threat, "I've wondered what it's felt like to be slapped…"

"Idiot…"

Gon yanked on Iason's arm, pulling his pant towards him, "You need to get out of here the creature-"

"It won't come…"

"Huh, why not?"

"Can't you see the reason?"

Gon felt perplexed, as to what reason would the creature ignore morsels of food, one which was weakening with each passing second and the second that was dragging them along "I don't understand…"

"Nen… It sees Nen as a light source. Can't you tell?"

"I'm Nen-less…"

"Not anymore…" Iason threw his partner a smile, "Your rage… your need to protect me may have been the last thing you needed to reach deep into yourself and pull out your aura. Although, I suppose if Sakura was also in my position, the result would've been the same…"

Gon looked at his fingertips, only now, noticing the faint glow of his aura. For so long he had been unable to use it, to see it. Now that he was able to see the flow, he could honestly, feel aura circling his body… it almost broke him.

This was why he was able to sense the creature for a brief, moment before it attacked him… it was why he was able to hit it hard enough to knock it away.

He could now access Nen…

When he felt the creature's presence, the roar alerted the two of them. Iason held his ground, well, water, aura radiating around him. Yanking his partner's hand, he let Ren flow forth, moving towards the surface… towards hopefully Sakura.

"How is aura going to protect us, it can still hurt me… even with my Nen I wasn't able to deal enough damage to hurt it. At best… I could only knock it back."

"I think right now you might be weak, given that… well it's a combination of things. First, you've only just been able to access it recently, so you won't be as good as when you were at the height of your Nen use. The second is… for months both Sakura and myself have been able to see it crop up from time to time. And at night… when we… cuddle, I would share your excess aura between myself and Sakura to disperse it."

Gon tilted his head like a confused puppy. For what purpose would they discard away the immense strength he had been bulking up while he was unable to wield Nen "Why…?"

"Because it was scary… it was a massive threatening entity. That whole time you've been unable to access it, it's been gathering, storing itself within your body. I was… No, once I brought it up with Sakura, we, were scared the moment you were able to access Nen, it would eclipse your body, crushing it under the weight of its massive raw power. We didn't want the moment your Nen came back, to hear you screaming in agony from the overflowing mass of aura circling your body."

"Thank you…" The teen offered his partner a sweet and endearing smile, one which not only shined through his scuba mask, it radiated in the darkness of the ocean.

Iason blushed, turning into a stuttering mess from the smile being directed at him "Maybe thank me after-" He stopped when he saw the shark heading towards them. Bringing up his hand, he let his aura flow, using the light being emitted by his aura as a blinding force to the creature.

Having been blinded by the flow of Nen, the creature changed trajectory, moving deeper into the water.

"See… it's afraid of-"

Gon grabbed his boyfriend, pulling him closer. He held Iason, hugging him tightly against his body. He'll always cherish his partners, loving them for caring about his wellbeing… who knows how long they could see that aura flowing through his body and while he would've liked to have known about it sooner, the fact they took precautions towards when it'll eventually unleash, not trying in any way to stunt its growth… merely managing how much he retained in his body at any given time, meant so much to him.

They were helping him regain his lost strength behind the scenes, rebuilding it to a position where he could start accumulating his aura at a level he could manage.

This means, now… he'll be able to not only train alongside his partners, but he can also offer tips and tangible evidence from his own experience. Once he gets into the swing of things, he can show physical proof of his experience and what he learned from not only Killua and Daniel but from those who taught them along the way.

"Thank you for looking after me… for saving me my shining teddy bear."

"Stop, you sap. We aren't completely out of danger." Iason tried to swat his partner away, to free him from his grasp, but Gon's love and affection for him were rapidly flowing out of his body in a very physical manner.

One that was positively affecting his body, since Gon… was actively rubbing his back. Why did his body have to betray him like that? Out of all the times, he could get a hard-on, being in the war path of a deadly shark had to be that very moment.

Great… now I'm hard… just… fantastic… Hopefully, he'll be able to get Gon off him before he realises what's happening down there "Gon, can you please stop rubbing me."

"Oh, right…"

As soon as Gon let go, Iason pointed out their situation once more "We need to go. You're still wounded and Sakura needs to look at your wound…"

"Let's go see our little flower."

The fact that Gon couldn't stop his smile from shining through his words would've been adorable if it weren't for the wound that was already leaking yellow pus. Since it was only a trickle, that meant that it was already beginning to take root in his system

Given the shark hadn't attacked them for a while, it must mean the creature left a while ago. However, they were only out of temporary danger… the wound was now Gon's biggest threat.

The boy held his partner's hand, swimming towards the surface.

"~"

Sakura's eyes widened at the wound, "How long ago did he get this?"

"About… five minutes." Gon winced when Sakura pressed down on the area above the wound, watching more pus ooze out. Given how much is flowing, by the time they reach the main island, it'll have already taken root in his system, locking his body in place.

"Don't move!" Sakura ripped some of the fabric of his wet suit, fastening it to the wound. Tying the binding around his partner's waist, he hoped to restrict the wound, slowing down the flow of his blood.

But that wouldn't be enough. He needed to reduce the pace at which the pus replicated in his partner's body, which means… he needed to visit the one place where Luminous Bile grew. He needed to find a bunch of untainted plants and hope there will be enough to slow down the toxin for just long enough to reach the main island "I'm going to have to go down there-"

"The shark is still down there… it's still alive-" Iason tried to warn his partner, to stop Sakura from making such a rash move. If he does go down there, even with the glow of aura, it's still not safe to be in the creature's vicinity.

The creature was far beyond dangerous…

Sakura's hands found Iason's cheeks, gracing the shape with soft fingers. He understood the danger… but he also knew how risky it would be to try to take Gon back to the beach while unprepared.

While help should be on the way, waiting for them to show up would be a race against Gon's ticking time clock. He wished he was more prepared, to at least have something on him he could use to help treat Gon's wound…

But wishing for more wouldn't be the best move.

He needed to act now before it'll be too late…

Either he risks going straight to the bed of Luminous Bile and back with the plant, or they attempt to try to swim back to the beach, the two of them forced to try to carry Gon. Neither was a good option, but those were their only two choices.

Continuing to grasp his partner's face he gave his boyfriend a gentle squeeze "I know the risks… but if we're going to make it, we're gonna need the Luminous Bile. I thought about why it would eat it before going on a hunt, we thought it was to hide its scent… I think there's a little more to it. The toxin is its greatest asset… and biggest weakness. If it doesn't eat the plant, daily, it'll start to shut down the creature's organs."

"Wh…" Iason froze, thinking about the process. Sakura might be onto something. If it was to mask the creature's scent, it would eat enough to remove the smell… but this thing was devouring it like a starving animal.

Maybe where the creature lived, the plant or something similar grew in abundance.

They barely knew anything at all about the creature, and its existence until now, wasn't recorded. If the shark needs the plant to live, hunting humans and other sea creatures were only for its sustenance.

Once that patch is gone… it might not leave the area, but try to find other locations where the plants grow in an abundance, which is nowhere… It will keep on moving and hunting other areas.

Within that moment, Iason understood the direness of the situation. This theory might completely change how they thought about the creature. They needed Gon to be alive to repeat this possibility, given that it was his job while they were on this island.

"I'll go you-"

"No, you need to stay Iason. You must have a minor medical background thanks to your brother, it'll be better for you to stay at our boyfriend's side."

"I don't have hardcore knowledge, just some basic first aid."

"Good!" Sakura snatched one of the two scuba sets, now putting it on. It was time for him to save Gon… to protect his boyfriends "Keep him awake and breathing. Don't let him fall under for any reason."

With that, Sakura got ready to jump back into the water, however, Gon's hand grasped his. Turning slowly, he saw his partner breathing heavily, seriously weakened from the serious wound, "Gon you ne-"

Gon pulled Sakura towards him, hugging him tightly, "We don't want you to leave…"

"I know…" The boy hugged his partner back, "But it's something I can do…"

"I know…" Gon kissed his partner on the lips, "Be safe and don't do anything risky."

"Like you did…" The boy gestured to his partner's wound, pouting from the assumption.

Gon smiled back "It's my job to make dumb mistakes… especially when it comes to protecting my boyfriends…"

"Well, it's our job to make sure you don't die from those dumb mistakes, right, Iason?"

Iason offered his partner a quick hug, "Be careful and remember, it's afraid of the light emitted from the aura. Don't take any unnecessary risks."

"I won't…" and with that, Sakura plunged into the water, swimming towards the Luminous Bile patch, hoping that there would be enough to slow down the toxin…

"~"

Gon turned to his partner, offering him a sweet and endearing smile "Does this mean you're going to be my sexy nurse…"

"Gon, please…" Iason blushed heavily from the accusation. This was the last thing he needed right now, to be hit on by Gon while he was wounded.

"By the way… I did feel it when you were pressed up against me with that hug."

"GON!"

A\N: I'll be taking a short break, as I'll be going on holidays soon so I don't think I'll be able to write while on holiday.