Yeah, I, I know it's hard to remember,
The people we used to be
It's even harder to picture,
That you're not here next to me
"Gon? Gon!" I shout as I run through the halls of the airship. 'Where is he? How could I leave him? My only purpose for being in this world is to watch over him. I left him and know we're about to land and he's still missing.' I know my internal panic isn't helping, but I need to find this child. I continue to run through the halls as people pass by me and gave me weird looks. I reached the gym doors and decide to check anyway, even though I seriously doubted he was still there.
For once I'm thankful the universe wants to prove me wrong, there Gon is passed out on the floor. I rush towards him and knelt down beside him. "Give me a break... don't tell me you passed out from exhaustion..." I mutter with a forced laugh under my breath, which made him immediately wake up. "Come on, Gon, we are landing soon," I say as I grab his stuff and we walk out. I know he's tired and I feel bad for him, knowing he definitely overworked himself..
Killua, Gon and I sit idly on the airship as we near our destination.
"I still can't believe that you passed out," Killua says. "Both of you!"
Gon laughs nervously at this, but then looks over at me. "You fell asleep again, Rin?"
I nod my head meekly. "Yeah."
"What even hap-" Killua starts, but I cut him off before the question fully leaves his mouth.
"Don't be so reckless, Gon," I lecture, something I never do.
"I'm fine though," he says with a smile. I roll my eyes at him, knowing I've been through this before.
Killua gets up and walks away, saying he wants to quickly get something to drink. With him gone, I look over at the remaining boy and say, "I'm supposed to watch you, so don't die on me."
"I don't need a babysitter," he says, a bit harshly. He seems to notice his tone. "Sorry. It's just...you can watch me and make sure I live, but I need to do this on my own. How else will I become a Hunter and meet my dad?" He says the last part with a smile and I nod with my own small grin. 'Yeah but how will you take it if I told you, it was your father who told me to watch over you'
Killua comes back as they announce that we are about to land.
The airship dropped us off at the top of a tower. The top of the tower has nothing on it, which makes several other applicants question what we were doing here and what was happening. Seriously, the day they stop questioning the Hunter Exam will be the day hell freezes over. I sigh as Beans let out a small 'ahem', making everyone's attention turn towards him.
"Everyone, the exam's Third Phase will begin here, at the top of Trick Tower," Beans announces. "To pass this phase, you must reach the tower's base alive. The time limit is seventy-two hours. With that, we will begin the Third Phase. I will pray for your success." When he finishes, he boards the airship again, then wished us good luck again through the speakers.
We walk to the edge and look to the bottom.
"Wow, it's so far down," Gon says, looking towards the ground.
"Are we supposed to climb down that?" Leorio says as he clutches to his briefcase as if it will be his lifeline.
"That would be suicidal," Pika says as he turn to Leorio.
"Yes, probably for a normal guy, but I'm a professional rock climber," a buff looking guys says as he reaches for the edge and starts climbing.
"He's going pretty fast," Gon says as Killua whistles lowly.
"Bye Bye~! See you in hell," I yell out to him, only muttering the last part so lowly that even Gon can't hear. As he and the other turn to look at me. The sound of birds' wings flapping comes into our hearing range. The man starts pleading for help only to be eaten in return.
"How did you know he would be killed, Rin?" Piku look at me, astonished as if I can tell the future.
'Hmmm, that not a bad idea to play with.'
"I can see the future," I state calmly as they all look at me, shock written across their faces. I start to tremble slightly. "Pfft," I say as I quickly put my hand on my mouth as my laugh are getting hard to hold back. I turn around so they can't see my laughing face, but not before taking a quick glance at them. Stunned. It's the only way one can describe the look on their faces.
"Hey, do you really mean that?" I turn slightly to see Killua putting his hand on my shoulder, as my laugh is still getting hard to contain so, I let it out.
"Pfft, HAHAHAHA!" I laugh. I clench my side as they begin to ache by the intensity of my laughter. I try to calm myself, taking in deep breaths. "You...should...have s..seen...-the looks on your faces." I say as my laughter dies down.
"Man, that was a good laugh," I state and look up to only see again looks of shock on all but one, Gon. I walk up to him and ask "Hey, are you okay? I didn't mean to take the joke that far," I say only to see him break out into a full out grin
"You laughed, a lot, and it was cute." he says happily. 'Hmm I guess I.' I think happily as I put my hand on his head and rubbed it. Realizing the compliment he gave me, I feel my cheeks heat up a little, "Don't call me cute." I mumble to myself.
"Hey, there are less people now," Piku states. I slowly look around to see that he is right.
"Gon, Rin, we'll look over there while you look over there." Killua instructs as he turn to me and Gon then at Leorio and Piku pointing in opposite directions.
We eventually split into two groups, the group I was in consist of Gon, Killua and I. They start to talk about ways we might be able to get to the base of the tower, while I just wandered off a couple meters away from them and stare at the ground.
"Hey! Kurapika! Leorio! Over here!"
"We found something!" I rush over, feeling excited.
Gon grins at me and bends down. "Just look! We found a hidden door!" Gon puts his foot on the area and it pushed in. When Gon released the trapdoor, it snapped back up.
"I see," Piku mumbles in thought. "We can descend by flipping the stones."
"Good job, Gon!" Leorio exclaims, patting Gon on the back. "Let's hurry up and head down."
"Actually," Gon speaks up, stopping Leorio in his tracks. "I'm confused. There are also hidden doors here, there, over there, over here and over there as well." Gon points out the five other doors before continuing.
"Why that many?" I question and Gon just shrugged.
"Six hidden doors, located in the same area," Piku muses to himself. "It sound suspicious to me."
I nodded in agreement. "This place is called Trick Tower, after all. We should expect the unexpected," I warn. "I mean, some could be traps, right?"
Everyone looked at me and nods in agreement before Killua spoke up.
"And it looks as though each door can only be used once…we tried opening a door someone else used, but it wouldn't budge."
"And…" Piku adds in. "None of these doors are big enough to fit more than one person at a time, meaning it's highly likely we're all going to be separated."
Killua nodded. "We'll have to split up."
My heart ached at that and I looked down at my feet. I didn't want to be separated from them, it was much more fun with them. Beside, I have to keep an eye on this happy-go-lucky kid. "Gon and I decided we were each going to choose a door," Killua rules.
"No hard feelings if one of us springs a trap, right?" Gon chime in with a grin. "How about you guys? What are you going to do?" Gon glanced at the three of us.
"I can live with that," Leorio agrees with their idea.
"I have no objection…" Kurapika stepped forward.
"I.." I begin, a bit uneasy. Gon looks at me and cocks his head to the side, questioning my silence. Killua give me a concerned look. I really don't want to be separated from either Killua nor Gon. "I can trust you with Gon, right Killua?" I ask. He give me a confused look but then give me an assertive nod. "Okay then, I'm okay with the plan."
"Well, that settles it…" Kurapika steps up to one of the trap doors and everyone else followed his example, I squeeze one of my arms as I glanced around at everyone in worry, hoping we'd all make it through okay.
"Let's go on the count of three?" Leorio suggested and I nod along with everyone else.
"I guess this is goodbye for now!" Gon chirps happily,
"We'll meet up again, at the Tower's base." Kurapika consoled.
"One!" Killua said
"Two!" Gon continues
"Three!" Leorio said
I heard the sound of three doors flipping and I look up in shock. Killua hasn't gone. Instead, he was staring at me with a soft expression.
"Don't get yourself killed" he says.
I sigh brightling up my mood. "You too," I say with a grin once again forgetting about my fangs and jumped onto the trapdoor and fell gracefully on my feet. I look around only to see a paper on the wall 'Path of Insanity' It reads.
'This won't be fun.' I think as I walk over to the sign and get the watch on the table grab it and a door appears.
Do you want to pass, O for yes X for no
I press 'O' of course. and from there my journey began.
Two hours. I'm sure I've spent at least two whole hours of 'O's or ''X's, yeses or nos, lefts or rights. There was not a single trap yet, just sudden jumpscares(not really)and dead skeletons(fake). I want something good to happen. As if to answering my prayers, the next option is sparks my interest unlike the others.
O for path of regret X for path of sorrow
'If I choose path of regret, They might make me do something I will regret or show me something I will regret. If they show me something I regret, I would kill myself. No doubt about it. Then my only choice is sorrow. But they can't make me feel sorrowful, the only thing that had made me remotely bitter was that time. But it's not like they can jump into my mind, and she me her. Right.'
I think deeply about it before coming to a conclusion of sorrow. I press X then the right gate opens. Then as soon as I reach the middle of what looks like a room, darkness over comes my sight.
Black. An abyss of darkness surrounds me. As I float in an endless abyss, I look around to see if anything or anyone else is around.
"It's useless," I hear a voice. The sudden companion puts me on high alert and I look around to the only person I know who owns a voice as sweet as that. It is a voice I have heard hundreds of times and it's impossible to forget. But there is no way that it's her's.
"It's your fault." I turn around once more only to come face to face with the first girl to be called my friend. All the air leaves my lungs and my blood begins to run cold.
"IRIS!" I shout at her, completely forgetting everything and run towards her.
"It's your fault," she repeats as I stop dead in my tracks.
"Eh?" I say as she continues.
"If I wasn't in the house, if you just listened to me in the first place, none of it would have happened. We could have been together when it happened, yet you insisted on leaving."
"That's not true," I say as I step away from the girl who looks like Iris, but is not. This isn't her, it can't be. I love Iris, I really do, but she's dead, she's gone!
"Why did you leave me?" she says again but with more sadness I thought was possible for my friend. I know it isn't her, but my eyes tell me another story. Her hazel eyes that I have stared into dozens of time. Her olive skin that I have removed many cuts and bruises from. Her hair that reaches her mid back, which she asked me to cut every month. Her strands of hair of blue, sadness. This person looks exactly like Iris, my Iris.
'I didn't do that I went to get-"
"SHUT UP!" I look up at her through teary eyes. I'm completely astonished, she never once yelled at me with such hate. Her hair transforms from bale blue to a faire red, symbolizing hatred and anger.
"If you didn't leave that day and if you didn't insist I stay at home to rest I wouldn't... I wouldn't.. I WOULDN'T BE DEAD! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"
I remember that day too clearly. I force my eyes shut, trying not to look her in the eyes, but the scene is painted on my eyelids. I wanted her to rest that day because she seemed on edge that day, it was a special day, too. She got me the wonderful music player but I didn't give her anything. The only thing that made an impact on her life that day, was that it was the end of it.
Wait. Special day. "Iris, listen to me, I didn't leave you that day-"
"SHUT UP, YOU LEFT ME AND THAT'S THAT!" she says as she looks at me her hair flaring red.
I gotta make this quick "That day you died I was so sad I couldn't do anything. After I found out who killed you, I lingered around the remains of the house for a month" I say as I walk closer to her. "That day was a special day, our one year of meeting anniversary, you got me the music player remember. Because you said you loved the sound of my voice and you wanted me to sing more songs for you." I take another step towards her until I'm close enough to touch her.
"I asked you what you wanted the most and you said a pedal of each color on the rainbow cherry blossom tree. At the time, I thought it was because that was the place we met, so I easily complied, but now I know I shouldn't have ever left, I shouldn't have told you to rest, I shouldn't have said it would be quick and when you wake up I'll be there. I should've let you be awake and awaiting my arrival, but I didn't and I remember everything clearly that day too."
I slowly wrap my arms around her. "You knew what was going to happen too didn't you?" I say with a small sad chuckle, my arms still wrapped around her petite body. "You wanted me to send me far away so I wouldn't smell the fire or burning wood. That's why you sent me to the tree, our tree." A single tears escapes my blue eye and rolls down my cheek.
"You wanted me to get away to live. I always told you that I only needed you to be by my side and I could be happy, but you said I needed more than that. I think I finally understand it know, I want to thank you so much."
"Iris. Thank you for giving up your life to save my pathetic one. Even if it is miserable I will always live on and with people that accepted me for me, just like you did," I say as she slowly disappears
"I guess nothing can pass your eyes," she says with a smile.
"How are you even here?" I question her.
'Well, of course it isn't really mean, I'm just a creation from the room, based on your memories."
I laugh slightly. "That's weird. So you telling me that I'm imagining you?"
"In a way yes. I did always tell you that you're messed up in the head."
"Not more than you."
I notices her hair has gone back blonde. Soon, she starts to slowly turn transparent
"Heh?" I exclaim, looking at my disappearing friend. "What's happening?"
"You pass the test, there's no longer a need for me to be here," the not-really-Iris person says.
"Wait, no!" I exclaim, trying to hold on, but my arms grab nothing. "Don't leave me again. Please, stay for a bit longer."
"Oh, Rin, I was never really here in the first place."
"No! Don't say that. Even if you're just a hallucination, I want you to stay."
The figure pushes my bangs out of my face, revealing my black orb of an eye, a single red tear escaping from it. She smiles at me and kiss my forehead. "I know it's hard sometimes, but please smile and stay strong. Live life till its fullest, promise me," she says as she finally disappears from my grip and I slowly sink to the ground crying.
"I promise," I sob silently as I finally leave this unconscious state
When I awoke, I saw a door leading toward an unknown path. I look around, searching for Iris, but she's gone. I touch my cheek, wet with tears. I sniff and scoff softly, she seems to always be the reason why I cry. I sit on the ground for some time, collecting my feeling and emotion. I know it wasn't her, but it felt too real.
With a sigh, I get up, brushing the dust off of me, fixing my hood, and putting back strands of random hair that fell loose. I take my music player, a precious gift from Iris, and started listening to Across the Line. I slide my hand into the hoodie, touching the crystal my friend made me in her dying moment. After of last exasperated sigh, I put on my best poker face and walk over to the new sign, ready to face anything it have to throw at me.
Choose O for path of Individual or X for Majority rules.
Not wanting to go through another round of shit, in my current state, I pick X.
In this desert
In darkness
Lying with the gun across his chest
Pretending
He's heartless
As the fire flashes in the sky
He was fragile
And frozen
When the bullet took away his friend
And now he's somehow
More broken
I was walking down a platform, it was completely dark I couldn't help but let out a sad smile as I thought of Iris, then went back to my poker face.
He's pulling his weapon to his side
Loading it full of his goodbyes
Holding an enemy across the line
He's pulling his weapon to his side
Loading it full of his goodbyes
Holding an enemy across the line
The path I had been walking on was curving, and I must thank these abilities of mine, or I would have been a goner by now. I finally reach a bigger platform in the middle was a really buff guy, and on the side a small source of light.
Sweating
And shaking
Lying with her hands across her chest
She wakes with
Her cravings
As the fire flashes in her eye
She was fragile
And frozen
When the needle took away her friend
And now she's somehow
More broken
"Well look at what we have here, a little kid, this will be easy, Looks like we can win this thing, and get less sentences," the bulky man says as he starts explaining that we are having a death match.
She's pulling her weapon to her side
Loading it full of her goodbyes
Holding an enemy across the line
She's pulling her weapon to her side
Loading it full of her goodbyes
Holding an enemy across the line
"Get ready you brat," he says as he runs towards me and jump into the air with his hand out, maybe to strangle me. I don't have enough time to play with him, so I had to end this quickly.
With every battle he's choosing
With every fight he's losing
His enemy's not far behind
With every promise she's broken
With every lie she's spoken
Her enemy's not far behind
I don't move an inch as he still head towards me, not scared in the least, my poker face not giving away anything.
It's your time
It's your time
It's your time
It's - your - TIME!
He was getting closer, that's when I decided to act.
He's pulling his weapon to his side
Loading it full of his goodbyes
Holding an enemy across the line
I held my hand and pointed then into the gesture of a gun.
She's pulling her weapon to her side
Loading it full of her goodbyes
Holding an enemy across the line
I whisper, "Angel's Orb," and a pale yellow ball of light forms on the tip of my index finger. At first, he laughs at me, telling me to take my best shot. I aim my finger towards the area where his heart is located.
With every battle he's choosing
With every fight he's losing
His enemy's not far behind
With every promise she's broken
"Bang," I whisper and the orb shoots straight for the man.
With every lie she's spoken
Her enemy's not far behind
I walk away from the dead body with my hand in my pocket and onto a platform. The lights didn't come on, but I did pick up four familiar scent and a disgusting one.. The lights finally flicked on and I was right. In the front of me was Killua, Gon, Piku, Suites, and….. a fatass. I growled under my breath when I see him.
Gon turns around and looks in my direction. He sends me a grin, that snaps me from my emotionless state. Iris's words echo in my head '..smile and stay strong.' I blow air out of my nose to hide a laugh. Smile at the boys and hold my fingers up in a peace sign. "Yo."
Omake
"So," Iris starts, "you're tagging along with boys." She makes a mischievous face and wiggles her eyebrows.
I hit her playfully. "Shut up," I say.
"Remember those Sabertooth boys we say before? You know, the Twin Dragons that we were going crazy over when we saw them fighting."
I place my finger on my chin. "You mean Sting and Rouge?"
Her eyes almost come out of her skull. "You know them!?"
"Yeah, I met them some time back." It is my turn for the mischievous grin. "You still think Sting, the blonde, is hot?"
Her face flushes and her hair changes to a pale green. Green represents a thing such as uneasiness or worry. In this case, embarrassment. "Stop that, you have no place to speak. I believe you were the one saying, and I sort of quote, 'Ohmygosh, that dark haired one is so mysterious looking and hot.'"
"Iris, we both know I didn't say that."
"You basically did."
"It doesn't matter any more."
"Why? If it's because I'm dead, then you're mean." She puffs out her rosy cheeks like a small child.
"No, I think they like each other."
"No way."
"I swear it's true." I smile with dreamy eyes. "I love BL."
"What's that?"
I place my hand on her head and gaze into her hazel eyes with sorrow. "You died too young, I'm sorry."
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BlackRose161: The story is going to follow up untill a certain point then change then go back on course then change than ending. Sorry No spoilers, I already have how this will be planned. XP