Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.
Warning: AU and quite OOC
Beta Reader: espeon16
Words Count: 2,137
Chapter II
"Huh? You're not coming with us, Kumagawa?"
[Let's just say I have something I need to do first,] Kumagawa answered, looking back at Gon. [Let's leave it at that.]
"If you say so," shrugged Gon, clearly disappointed.
[Don't worry, I'm sure we'll meet again,] Kumagawa grinned crookedly. [Kurapika-chan, Leorio-kun, please take care of Gon-chan till then.]
Kurapika sighed, miffed.
"I thought I told you to stop calling me that. Frankly, it's embarrassing."
"Yeah," Leorio agreed. "It's weird."
"I don't mind," said Gon, and Leorio rolled his eyes.
"Don't lump us together with you, kid. But," he continued, turning back to Kumagawa, "I guess I don't mind taking care of the kid for you."
[That's enough for me,] smiled Kumagawa. [I'll see you at the exam.]
"See you!" Gon waved to his new friend as he disappeared.
Well, Kumagawa figured, it seemed as though he'd cleared his first task – introducing himself to the protagonist. He would have liked to go with the group to the exam, but he wasn't confident of passing the navigators' test. Better for him get to the exam site directly using {Alibi Block}.
Unlike Kumagawa, Gon and company had passed the navigators' test with flying colours. They were in the elevator heading to their destination when Kurapika and Leorio began to interrogate Gon on what kind of hunter he wanted to become.
Fortunately for Gon, the elevator doors opened before he had to reply.
[You took your time,] a familiar voice called as they stepped out of the elevator, and Gon smiled in recognition.
"Kumagawa!"
"How on earth did you manage to get here before us?" asked Leorio.
"I'm curious as well," Kurapika added.
Kumagawa smirked and placed his index finger on his lips.
[That,] he said, [is for me to know, and you to find out.]
"Typical," grumbled Kurapika. "Should have expected that answer."
[Well then. Shall we go?]
"Yeah."
There were other applicants milling around the venue, but they seemed disinterested when Gon went around trying to talk to them. Presently, Gon returned.
"Everyone's really intense," he sighed.
Before anyone could reply, a short, green-skinned man, Beans, came by to hand out numbered badges to the examinees. Leorio received number 403, Kurapika 404, and Gon 405.
Beans, reaching for another badge, froze when he saw Kumagawa's face.
"U-um," he said, sounding awed, "are you, by any chance, Misogi Kumagawa?"
The moment the words left his mouth, all the examinees within earshot fell silent and whipped around to stare.
"Kumagawa-dono?" whispered a bald examinee number 294. "I-it's really you!"
"There's no mistake," chimed in examinee number 34. "It's really him!"
"Holy shit," murmured examinee number 105.
Stepping forward, examinee number 362, bowed at the waist. "It is a great honor to be able to meet you again, Kumagawa-dono."
[Um,] said Kumagawa, confused. [Who are you guys?]
"You probably won't remember us," replied 362 with a wry grin, "but we all remember you well. I'm Kenmi by the way"
"I'm Ryu. You saved my mother when she was sick," said Ryu. "All the doctors had given up, but you came and cured her so easily. I still remember that moment as though it were yesterday."
"It's Kyu and that same goes for me!" Kyu chimed in. "Except in my case, it was my sister."
"And I'm Hanzou. You definitely saved many of us," finished Hanzo. "To see you again after such a long time…"
Leorio waved his arms.
"Hang on just a minute. How can he be that Kumagawa? I mean, he can't be any older than 18, and everyone knows Misogi Kumagawa was last seen 10 years ago. Shouldn't he look way older?"
"Seems like you never heard the rumor," Hanzo snorted. "Word is, Kumagawa-dono can conceal his real age."
"What?!" Leorio squawked. "Is that even possible?"
"Yes, indeed," cut in Beans. "I cannot explain how it works, but there definitely exists a method to conceal your appearance and age."
The method, of course, involved Nen, which meant that Beans couldn't explain much without giving away information needed in the secret exam.
Leorio nodded slowly.
"So, Kumagawa, are you really the Phantom Doctor?"
[I don't know about 'doctor', but I did cure a disease or two in the past,] replied Kumagawa.
"Shouldn't you be a doctor if you were able to do that?" Leorio asked.
Kumagawa shrugged a shoulder lazily, smirking.
[Hm,] he said. [Who knows?]
"And your real age?"
[Older than you. Probably.]
Leorio heaved a sigh.
"The guy I've admired almost my entire life…is this kind of person. I can't believe it."
[Why, Leorio-kun,] said Kumagawa in mock dismay, [that was not nice.]
"Ahem." Beans cleared his throat, and held up a badge labeled '406'. "Sorry to interrupt, but I do need to move on. Kumagawa-san, here is your badge. Please have it on your chest at all times."
[Thanks, Bean-kun,] said Kumagawa, taking the badge.
'How…how did he know my name?' thought Bean. 'Ah well, it probably doesn't matter. I should probably report this to the chairman, though.'
The other examinees, however, were beginning to grow excited. The bounty on Kumagawa's head was more than enough to let them live like kings for the rest of their lives, and then some. If only they could capture him right now, they wouldn't even need to become a hunter.
But nobody made a move.
"Hey, newbies!" called an unknown voice – or unknown, at least, to everyone but Kumagawa.
The group turned to see a chubby man, who introduced himself to the group as Tonpa. Before he could say anything else, though, a scream rang out.
"Oh my, my, my," said a clown with pink hair amusedly. "It seems as though his hands turned into flower petals and disappeared. How peculiar. You should at least apologise to someone when you bump into them, don't you think?"
"Damn," cursed Tonpa. "That psychopath is back again.
Gon blinked. "Again?"
"He's taken the exam before?" added Kurapika.
"Yeah," sighed Tonpa. "He's number 44, Hisoka the magician. He was technically supposed to pass the exam last year, until he killed an examiner he disliked."
Leorio frowned – the Hunters' Association, it seemed, would pass even the most evil person as long as they qualified. He would accept it for now, but it didn't mean that he had to like it.
A while later, Tonpa began to pass around some juice cans as a gift.
[Hey, Tonpa-kun,] said Kumagawa, staring intently at a can of juice. [Don't you want one for yourself?]
"Ahahaha," said Tonpa, grinning nervously. "I, um, already have my own! I drank it already! Hehe."
[Oh, really now,] drawled Kumagawa, before turning to Gon. [Gon-chan, do me a favor and cover your ears for a bit? Close your eyes, too.]
"Huh, why?" asked Gon, surprised. Leorio and Kurapika, however, were curious and also slightly suspicious after seeing Kumagawa's reaction, and decided not to drink the juice just yet.
[Hm, let's just say it's a game? If you can do it, I'll give you a prize.]
"Okay!" said Gon, and did as Kumagawa instructed.
Kumagawa then turned back to Tonpa, and crossed his arms, grinning.
[Now, now, Tonpa-kun,] he sang. [You've been a naughty boy.]
"Wha-"
Tonpa did not even have time to complete his sentence before numerous giant screws flew out of nowhere and pinned him to the nearest wall. Everyone gasped, except for Gon, who was, of course, still playing his 'game'.
Unknown to Gon, Kumagawa had used {All-Fiction} to temporarily take away Gon's senses – one of its handy abilities. Gon could take a bit of gore, but he had truly seen Tonpa as someone on their side, and would have been tempted to protect him as he did all his friends and comrades. It was better this way, Kumagawa knew, that Gon did not watch as he punished Tonpa.
[You gave us a little bit of advice,] he said to Tonpa. [Did you think that would stop me from hurting you?]
He waved his hand, and another screw pierced through Tonpa's stomach.
[Did you think I'd follow you around like a dog, just because you showed us a little kindness?]
His voice was rising now, as he summoned another two screws to pin down Tonpa's upper legs, causing the other guy to shriek in agony.
[How…] sighed Kumagawa, pausing for dramatic effect as he summoned another screw that hovered in front of Tonpa's forehead.
[…Naïve.]
Rather than let it fly on its own to its target, Kumagawa gave the screw a flying kick, sending it piercing through Tonpa's skull. Blood sprayed everywhere, but Kumagawa ignored it in favor of repeatedly hitting the screw' driving it in deeper, deeper, deeper-
"Kumagawa, stop!" yelled Kurapika, shattering the stunned silence.
Leorio was frozen in horror at the bloody scene in front of him, as were the people from Jappon standing around.
"Please," whispered Kurapika, sounding horrified. "Just stop."
[Hm?] asked Kumagawa, looking back at Kurapika. [Stop what?]
"He's dead already! We get your point! There's no need for you to keep…keep doing that."
Kumagawa feigned shock.
[Dead? Nobody's dead! What on earth are you talking about?]
Kurapika did a double-take, and looked back at Tonpa's mangled corpse…or at least, where it once was.
"Huh?" yelped a familiar voice. It was Tonpa, standing there with eyes wide but not a single scratch on his body.
[See?] grinned Kumagawa. [You probably hallucinated. Must have been the stress.]
"I'm alive," chanted Tonpa to himself, nearly in tears. Kumagawa walked up to him and pat his shoulder, and the coldness in his eyes nearly made Tonpa soil his pants.
[I don't dislike your naïveté, Tonpa-kun, but do that again and I can promise that you'll never see the sun again. Got it?]
Tonpa's eyes widened even further, and he nodded as rapidly as possible without breaking his neck. He prepared himself to get as far away from his psychopathic adversary as soon as possible, but Kumagawa's grip on his shoulder was tight.
[Not so fast, Tonpa-kun. I'm still in need of your services,] said Kumagawa, frog-marching him back to the now-wary group.
Pointing at Gon's forehead, Kumagawa returned the senses that {All-Fiction} had temporarily taken away. [Gon-chan, you can quit now.]
"Oh?" Gon opened his eyes, blinking to adjust to the light, and grinned at Kumagawa. "Did I get the prize?"
[Yes, you did,] replied Kumagawa. [I'll show you some magic, as your prize.]
"Magic?" asked Gon, excited. Kumagawa nodded, while Kurapika and Leorio merely stood back and watched, still on edge.
[Tonpa-kun is going to be my assistant,] said Kumagawa, squeezing Tonpa's shoulder. [And I will make him disappear!]
Just like Hisoka had done earlier, Tonpa's body slowly began to disappear. He opened his mouth to scream for help, but found that he could not.
[Sorry Tonpa-kun, I lied]
Nobody else in the area moved – or rather, they could not, as though they had, with the exception of Gon, been frozen in time. Not even Zoldyck's assassin, Illumi, or Hisoka were spared.
Illumi was shocked by the display in front of him. He was an assassin – in his line of work emotions did not exist, least of all fear. But here, now, for the first time in his life, he felt the tendrils of fear creep into his heart, pierce into his soul.
Hisoka, on the other hand, felt nothing but excitement. He had no idea who Kumagawa was, but he hoped that he would bring him even more enjoyment in the future.
Gon, looking at the smile fixed on Tonpa's face, knew none of this. Though Tonpa appeared to be perfectly fine and serene, the truth was that he was unable to do much else – Kumagawa had destroyed all other realities but the one in which Tonpa could do nothing but smile.
Not knowing this, Gon clapped as though he were watching an actual show until even the tips of Tonpa's ears had disappeared.
On that day, Tonpa's existence was erased from the world.
[I'm not sorry because it's not my fault]
To Be Continued