A/N: There we go. I'm a day late from the five day schedule but oh well.
I edited some parts here, altered it a little. Major, I think.
Can't put anything here. All A/N stays below, that's when I can start yapping...
Original word count: 2,714
Disclaimer: HXH belongs to Togashi!
"Guys. Would you please get back to your senses, really, we're losing time. I think I know what they want from us," Kurapika said, waving a hand in front of Leorio's face. He started explaining the realization that hit him, earlier.
"Long punishment?" Leorio asked, confused. He massaged his forehead, trying to take in everything Kurapika had just said.
"Yes," Kurapika continued. "Our 72 hours will be 72 years decreased from their punishment. All they want is to slow us down."
Killua, regaining his mind, nodded. "If the only thing they want is to make us lose time.. then they'd really propose those long death matches. Which means, Akane really did good by finishing up so soon." Akane smiled in glee.
"So, anyway, who's gonna go next?" Kurapika asked.
"Me! I'm going!" Gon said, enthusiastic, but not as enthusiastic as how Akane was, earlier. He had his hand up too, but he was being decent and without the jumping all around and screaming and laughing and all.
"Are you sure?" Killua asked, concerned about Gon's safety. Gon nodded. "You don't lack in courage, that's good, but… what he said should've scared you, ne?" Killua asked.
Gon poked Killua's right temple. "The next one doesn't seem too gruesome." Killua looked at Gon. "Maybe, but…"
Kurapika sweatdropped at their twelve-year-old thoughts. They completely forgot the next opponent was still a criminal.
"Don't worry," Gon said, dismissing them. "He doesn't seem the fighting type." He went across the bridge and to the arena, humming a silent tune to quiet his awakening fears.
"I'm Sedokan," the guy said. "I'm not a fighter; Running, Jumping… not my thing at all."
Gon nodded. It was pretty obvious to begin with. The man was really thin, you can almost see the bones through the skin. "Then I think opposite to you," Gon said. "I'm not really good with Thought games."
"I thought so," Sedokan said. "So I prepared an extremely simple game." He took out two candles. "It's not dynamite, don't worry. It's just a candle, kid. We light them at the same time. The one whose candle's light goes out first, loses. Simple as that. No fighting, no bruises, no nothing. Just one candle." Sedokan nodded. "So?"
"I'm game with it!" Gon said happily. "It's easy!" "Okay," Sedokan said. "Well…" he produced two candles – one short, one long. "Pick one," he said. "O for the long, X for the short. It goes by the majority."
It's a trap! Killua thought. Normally we'd pick the longer one. "Normally."
"I bet the long one's trapped," Leorio said.
"It would be logical to think so," Kurapika thought. "But counting on this… this normality, it wouldn't be surprising if the short one is a trap."
Leorio gawked at Kurapika. "Both of them can be traps, is that what you mean?"
"We can't be sure," Kurapika said. "Neither of them are reassuring."
Both of them… can be traps!
"Don't rush on your decision," Sedokan said, limping down on the floor. "This is majority's decision, so don't worry, and you can go consult the others for your decision." He paused a little. "We have all the time in the world, anyway," Sedokan said, teasing.
What kind of a freakin pun is that, Killua grumbled to himself.
Gon turned around to face the others, eyes asking what decision he should make. Tick-tock, tick-tock, their digital watches counted off the seconds that they wasted staring at each other, weighing the consequences. Gon was shivering in cold sweat.
"Gon!" Kurapika shouted, finally breaking the silence, making heads turn to him. "You decide which candle to pick!" he said. "Instead of wracking our brains and wasting our time," Kurapika said, a gentle hiss, "I think it would be better to trust on your instinct!"
"Really?" Gon asked, surprised, but glitters coming out of his dark hazel eyes.
"Yes," Killua answered. "Now go pick the right one, and win for us, ne! If you lose you're going to be beaten by the awesomest Killua ever!"
Gon laughed light-heartedly at Killua's joke. "Mm…" Gon said, index finger on top of his lips to a thinking pose. "I pick the long one! It's logical that way."
Everybody behind him sweatdropped. Those big sweatdrops that come out. Bigger than ever.
"The long one… are you sure?" Sedokan asked.
"Yes," Gon said, and the four others just had to press on O unwillingly.
Sedokan tossed the candle to Gon, who caught it perfectly. "So we light these at the same time, okay?" Gon nodded, and let the wick touch the flames.
When he lifted the candle to position himself comfortably, the flames started to dance. I must keep my attention and focus, so that the candle doesn't burn out… Gon thought.
"Kurapika, how long does a candle like that burn?" Killua asked.
"Maybe five or six hours," Kurapika said. "But with the wind from below, I doubt it'd stay that long." Kurapika strained his eyes to see. "Is it just me or the fire in Gon's candle is… a little too big over the ordinary?"
"Look…" Leorio said, at the same time, and Killua directed his attention to the candle in Gon's hands. The flame was so big, Gon looked like he was holding a campfire, and not a candle.
"The wax must've been altered," Kurapika said, "so that it burns much faster!"
"Gon fell for the trap!" Akane said, worriedly. "What do we do now?"
"It's hot, it's hot, it's hot, hot hot hot…" Gon chanted to himself as he tried to balance the candle on a finger to avoid the heat.
"He won't be able to hold any longer!" Leorio realized. "Maybe two or three minutes, but nothing more!"
Gon continued his balancing game when suddenly, as if a lightbulb popped above his head, he had a brilliant idea, and grinned to Sedokan. Sedokan looked shocked. What was there to grin about?
Gon dropped the candle into the floor, while saying, "If the flame's that big, it won't let up on the wind below!" He dashed toward Sedokan and blew on his candle.
"I win!" He shouted, and rushed back to the little room where the rest were.
"Very, very talented of you, Gon," Akane said, ruffling Gon's hair.
"Thanks," Gon said, grinning impishly.
Kurapika sent a look to everybody else, and, knowing the message, everybody nodded. "My turn," he said, and stepped up toward the arena.
Clank, clank. The manacles of the muscled-guy (with muscles bigger than the one Akane fought) clattered to the floor. He had gigantic biceps, abs, triceps, everything – and a badly done face.
Epic fail on the plastic surgery part, though, Killua snickered. If he tried hard enough, he'd have muscles that big, and even bigger, but that would make him look like a maniac, so.
"Nineteen people, that's my record of people killed," the badly-done-surgery man, named Majitani, said, "But it's not a good number." His voice was gruff and deep and intimidating, but not much. "Ripped bodies. Blood. Pain," he said, "are the most exciting things in life, when you risk your life, soul, and body for the sake of it."
Kurapika stared at him coolly, expressionless and uncaring about whatever the weird man was saying. "Mm, that's okay for me," he said with a clean tone. I will get used to that, anyway, in the near future, he added in his mind. "If you want to decide the rules of the match, and now," he said, "it would be perfect."
"R-right," Majitani answered, and his face showed his utter disbelief.
Hmm… he wasn't expecting such a cool disposition from Kurapika, huh? Maybe the rest who'd seen him had been fatty cowards, Killua thought, smug. Easy kill, for him.
"I suggest a fight to the death," Majitanj said. As expected, Kurapika thought. "The fight doesn't end until one player dies or gives up. But…" a grin played on the ugly man's face, "Don't expect me to slow down on my attacks if you give up!"
"I'm alright with that," Kurapika said, and shedding his top two layers of clothing – the tabard and the long-sleeved outershirt – asked, "So, can we begin now?"
The look of disbelief in Majitani's face was turning pretty obvious. Killua smiled, shaking his head. The man's overestimating the fact that maybe the competitors will be fearing his looks. Killua stroked his chin. Well, but in the terms of fighting – of killing – looks don't really matter, does it? He had to smother an impending laughter at the irony of his thinking of his own situation.
"I forgot," Majitani said. "No weapons are allowed. We might be jury, but we're still prisoners." He paused. "It's a hand-to-hand match."
Kurapika stared at his two swords for one and half seconds before tossing it with the pile of his clothes. "Okay, anything else?"
Majitani's disbelieving look became that of fear. Hah, he thought the weapons would make the other seem weaker. Killua crouched on the floor like a frog. I'd better get comfy, I believe this match will get pretty interesting.
"What do you think of this?" Leorio thought, stroking his chin.
Gon didn't answer, only replied with a soft "Hmm.."
Kurapika? In danger? Killua thought. No, this guy won't even land a scratch on Kurapika. The guy's just another freakin' impostor!
Akane sighed. "You don't need to worry, I have trust on Kurapika's skills." She tried her best to ease the tension.
"The guy seems like a weakling," Killua added.
"Weakling? You've gotta be kidding me!" Leorio exclaimed. "Have you seen the body of that guy?"
"Leorio-kun," Akane said, "Looks don't really equate to the fighting level and speed and strength and all." She winked at me. "Look at Killua here."
I smiled. You'll know soon enough.
"Akane's right," Gon said. "Look at Kurapika. No palpitations or anything."
Leorio grumbled. "So what?" But obviously, he's lost the argument.
Suddenly, alerting them, Majitani jumped up, fist raised in the air like mad. Kurapika saw the attack and dodged. He wondered what would've happened to him if he didn't get to dodge, looking at the cracked rock.
Well, until something caught his attention and everything turned red.
"A twelve-legged spider… could it be…" Leorio uttered.
"It's the Genei Ryodan," Gon said, confirming Leorio's doubts. "It's the gang that massacred Kurapika's tribe."
"'The worst criminals in history,' as so dubbed," Akane added.
"It's pretty well known," Gon said. "Kurapika told it to me…"
As for Majitani, he was pretty overconfident, and he had a big smirk off his face, that, well, Kurapika just pretty much wanted to punch off. "Pretty silent now, aren't we?" Majitani teased. "I am Majitani, one of the four kings of the Ryodan," he said. "Take that fist as some kind of introduction." He had his eyes closed, and explained the details carefully. "You can still go back and go whimper and lose, you can tell it now while the offer still…exists…" He trailed off at the end, for he was being stared back by one of the highly-wanted treasures that the Ryodan once stole by killing off an entire clan.
The Scarlet Eyes.
A pair of burning scarlet eyes met his one dark one, and he could say it was burning in anger and wanted something – vendetta.
"Wh-what about y-you?" Majitani continued his speech even though stammering. "Wh-wh-what do y-you h-have?"
The next second, Kurapika was off the ground and was gripping Majitani's chin, squeezed it so hard that the cheekbones met, and blood squirted out of his nose. He rammed the giant to the floor, cracking the skull and the floor at the same time.
Killua whistled. Akane looked at Kurapika with worried eyes. Gon, with surprised ones. Leorio gawked at Kurapika.
"Three… three advices…" Kurapika said, facing the dead corpse of the man. His voice was deep and scary. "One, on the real tattoo, the number of the member is written in the center of the spider," he said slowly. "Two, they've already killed so much people that it would be impossible to count the number." Then, he sighed. "Three, don't you ever utter the name of the Ryodan, ever again, if you may be able to, 'cause I won't be able to hold back and will kill you slowly, painfully."
He stalked back to his pile of clothes.
"Kurapika, are you alright?" Akane said, not hesitating to hug him. Kurapika looked at her with curious blue orbs.
"Akane?"
"I was worried," Akane said, letting go. "I thought something had possessed you back then! What had happened, anyway?"
"That's always what happens," Kurapika said. "Whenever I see any spiders." I should even be happy it still is there, he thought.
"We're not showing Kurapika any spiders now, right, Leorio?" Gon whispered, and Leorio nodded. "Yep."
"You totally blew your fuse," Akane said. "Learn how to hold it in, okay?"
Kurapika nodded, with a smile. "I will."
"Aww, that leaves me out! All you three won without me fighting!" Killua grumbled. "Can I do at least ONE match?"
"But Killua, we already won…" Akane thought.
"Just one, just one," Killua said. "Yo, guys on the other side! Any one of you care to play with me?" He crouched for momentum and jumped to the arena. "Please?"
"Unshackle me," a prisoner said. "I wanna play with this kid."
Mischief crawled up into Killua's dark eyes. "Sure."
What Killua saw for an opponent was a man with tousled hair, and apparently a strong grip as he made the wall crumble in his hands.
"Oi, Killua! Forget this game of yours! Just don't fight the man!" He cuts… no, rips… people's bodies apart, and only with his bare hands! Leorio said. Jones the cutter!
"Meh. Don't underestimate me, Ojii-san!" Killua said. He turned to Jones. "Playing aside, let's go?"
"It's a one-way massacre, kid," Jones said. "No matter how playful you get."
Killua grinned. "Oh, of course it is."
In a fleeting second, still with the Cheshire cat grin, he was ten feet away from Jones – behind him, even – with a thumping object in his hand.
His heart.
"Give that… back… to me…" Jones said, stumbling toward Killua.
"Oh, what a beautiful heart," Killua said. He licked his bloody fingers, turning his lips a scary shade of crimson red, a shade deeper than Kurapika's eyes, earlier. "Buh-bye."
He closed the fist and the heart popped open, exploding.
He trotted back to the gang and wiping his fingers to the wall, started to run with them out of the exit.
"Well, that was a pretty nice…talent, you got there, Kill," Akane said. "What a technique. How did you do that?" No fear laced her tone, only curiosity.
"Mmn, it was barely a technique," Killua said. "I barely did a modification to my fingers," he said, and raised his hand to face Akane. He turned them into claws by cracking some muscles and bones. Then, he turned them back to normal. "Nothing special. Runs in the family."
"Wow…" Akane said. "You're a great fighter, Killua," Akane said, patting his head.
This time, he didn't mind Akane's patting.
"Oh, I'm still amateur compared to my father," he grinned, licking blood off his lips. "If it were him, the man wouldn't have bled."
Akane put back her hand to her pocket, unable to control the shudder that ran through her spine.
A/N: Ta-daaa! Now I can start yapping.
Okay, sorry for being so mean and removing Leorio's part in the arena test. I really, really just don't like what he did. They lost 50 hours because of him! *grumble* So since this is my story - kinda - I'm making Leorio NOT play the arena test, so they have a 50 hour spare to use up. HOORAY!
Okay. Let's get serious. I was kinda bored with Gon's fight, too... I think I did that earlier so it has less excitement. But the Kurapika part, I did that all today. -heart- I love that. It was the first time he showed his scarlet eyes fully in the anime and manga. [I Think?] I think I used Killua's thoughts a little too much in this chapter. Hmmn. Back to the Killua addiction, I think. -fangirl screams- Because of that, I had to put Killua's fight. It was probably one of the coolest parts in the Hunter Exam Arc. The first time I watched it this year (and the first time I've watched it after eight years, I think), my mouth was gaping wide like a goldfish's (and like Leorio, Gon, and Killua after Akane's round). I was like, "Damn, Killua, did you just DO that?"
Okay. I just like the feel whenever a killer licks bloody lips and all. -licks her own with tomato juice, since she doesn't have blood-
Here's a random note. Try saying 'Killer' with the Japanese accent. It's gonna sound like 'Kirer'. If you stress it even more, it'll sound like 'Kirua,' the standard pronunciation of Killua's name in Japanese (since they don't have the 'L' sound). I was shocked. I realized it myself. I kept on saying 'Killua the killer, Killua the killer' while I was writing his fight with Jones. Then I realized.
- Removed the Spoiler, I couldn't write anything in that theme.. *sigh* -
Ta-da! That was random. Haha.
Must stop yapping. Ja-ne!