Disclaimer: I do not own HXH; Togashi Yoshihiro does.

(Akane's POV)

"Don't worry, Kurapika," I told him. "We will always be here for you."

There was this look on his face that showed shock, but then it showed acceptance, the feeling of being comforted. Oh, of course. But I didn't think my… what do you say, my comforting powers work this good.

Well, just as long as it works the good way, I'm happy.

"Thanks, Akane," he said, tone solemn. Obviously his thoughts still lingered on whatever what was on his mind.

I wanted to ask him what he knew, since his sentence started with 'I think I know,' but I know that this wasn't the right time to ask. Not now, since he is depressed and pressured about the last round of the exam (or maybe that's just me).

Curiousity was gnawing on me, but since I know curiousity killed the cat, and I am feeling like a neko recently, I thought, maybe not know. On the last day of the exam, I'll ask him. When we're both hunter-buddies. Hunter-buddies, that didn't sound right.

We stood like that for a few moments, staring at each other in silence, sometimes looking at the floor, but we didn't move. We were dwelling in our own thoughts. I squeezed his shoulder when I heard the speaker announce that we have landed, ready to go; Kurapika, with no words spoken, pulled me through the corridor by gripping my hand. He led me up til we were where the rest of the candidates remaining gathered, a tiny silver walled room. Gon spotted us and waved a hand. It wasn't really needed since there were only nine of us, but hey, that's Gon. I waved my own free hand and looked at Kurapika, who was looking at his shoes. I looked at him, sighing. I squeezed his hand. "C'mon, we have an exam to finish."

He just smiled at me and we went to Gon, Killua, and Leorio.

Here we go, I thought. The last round.

We were led out of the airship to a gigantic building, terrifically built, very… say, exotic. Not like the usual box-shaped sky-scrapers. But it was like back home, something like the Parthenon far up east, too. But more modern. Anyway, from the front, eight of us was led by a man in a suit to a room with a very high ceiling. Inside were the Chairman and the other examiners. Oh, and like our guide, and there were these scary men with dark shades and sharp black suits, maybe they're bodyguards of the sort. They looked like creepy lawyers, and I've had enough of lawyers! Other than that, Chairman Netero was beside some kind of easel with a white piece of cloth covering it. I wonder what is it?

"The last round," he said, "is a form of duel, 1 on 1." He gripped the cloth and saying, "The groups are as follows," he pulled it off so quick, you could hear that whipping noise created by the cloth against the air.

The easel carried a canvas. The canvas had some kind of heirarchical map. I noticed there were numbers, most likely the number badges, paired up.

…Wait a sec… When I realized which numbers were paired to which, and when I finally realized this might as well be a duel round, not a dancing-waltz-pair-up-in-two-please round,I felt cold sweat lingering on my forehead. I scanned the easel and I was even more worried. This can't be happening.

No, no, this isn't happening. I rubbed my eyes to be sure I was wrong in whatever I was seeing. But no, it didn't change. I released a scared, terrified gasp, and I immediately looked to my left. Kurapika was looking at me with an uneasy gaze, too. He didn't like what he was seeing. Gon, Killua, and Leorio was looking at me with a bad, 'I-wish-this-didn't-have-to-be' gaze, too. Hisoka was rubbing his chin, interested.

But none of those actually helped. I was still scared. Scared that I will be losing, or maybe winning because the other quitted for me. Scared to lose my dignity all over again. Scared to die. Scared of so much.

"The rules are like this: one victory, and you pass the exam." The Chairman looked at us one-by-one, but paused a little longer at me. "In other words, in this tournament, the players fall one by one. The design of the pyramid is to designate the place of the loser, not the winner. Consequently, each player has two chances to battle. Any questions?" he finished up.

As the others continued to ask questions, I moved restlessly around, heading to Kurapika. I sighed. "Well, break a leg," I told him, though not completely honest.

"You too," he said. He patted my head and I walked away.

"The fight's rules are simple," Chairman Netero continued. "Weapons are allowed, and pushing your opponent to quit means victory!" he said a little happily. "Killing of one's opponent is immediate disqualification." He then smiled. "The pyramid only shows that only one of you nine will have to fail."

Thick silence enveloped the room, and when Chairman Netero finally got sick of it – say, around 15 seconds – he said, "Okay, let's get ready for the first round."

I took a nervous gulp and an unwary step as one man with the dark shades and sharp suit announced the ultimate.

"First round, #98 and #404, Akane and Kurapika."

Kurapika and I walked toward the center of the arena. We looked at each other with determined yet uneasy glances. I knew both of us didn't want to do this, but we had to.

I had a feeling that he would decide just to quit out, just to save me, but I hope he'd stay at least a little longer. I wanted to be myself, save a little of my dignity, for pete's sake. First, when it was Killua. Now, here with Kurapika. No, I can't keep doing this. I have to fight for my win this time.

And I won't let him spoil that moment.

I set up myself, flexed my muscles invisibly (never realized I had them, ha-ha), getting ready for the exercise coming up next. Kurapika, meanwhile, took out his tanto – he did not unsheath them, though. They were still kept neatly in, no blade coming out ready to harm.

I glared at him. I did not want to be weak, and this time, I'm proving it to him. I will not be weak. I will be stronger than what I am. I will show them.

He ran to me, hitting my arm with his tanto slightly. "Tell me, I can just quit for you, Akane… I still have a next round, anyway."

I shot him a murderous glare, and I felt my eyes…feel weird. His eyes widened, but before he could react to whatever my eyes were doing, I hit him back. "Do it when you're really honest with it," I hissed.

I ran to him, and he dodged by crossing his tanto to cover his face, but there wasn't any rule that I can't hit below the belt, right? So I did, just to hold him incapable for a few seconds, and started to hit him with punches and kicks to the chest and to the back. I tripped him, and he fell to the floor. I stood over him, towering over him.

He stood up, and was poised for action again. I positioned myself as well. For half a second, I loosened my ground and smiled at him.

Then, the dance began all over again.

Let's get this short. Since he didn't want to hit me lethally or hard as to injure me, and I just wanted to play around, it lasted pretty long. When did he quit, ask you? When I fell to my knees after he hit my stomach with his tanto. I started coughing up blood; damn, that was one fault I never got to fix – I never got to guard my stomach area right. He looked at me desperately, before he finally gathered his dignity in a bottle, threw it in the trash. The people were expecting me to say 'I quit,' of all words, but instead, he just smiled at me and told the referee, "I quit… take her to the medic." Then he slipped to the corner of the room, eyes fading dim under the shadow of his bangs.

No! No! NO! DON'T! I wanted to shout, but more blood came out of my mouth as I tried to open it. It was hopeless, the pool of blood I started to spit out starting to drown me, that's how I felt. Two strong pairs of hands started to lift me off the ground, but I was too exhausted to bother to check who. The lack of blood was starting to make my head spin 'round. Before they led me out of the room, though, I saw Kurapika look up slightly from his bangs and smile faintly.

"Congratulations."

I was brought to a white room, and the guys put me down on a bed. I stared, my eyesight blurring, at the gray the doctor gave me some kind of pill and gave me two glasses of water. He stared at me for, say, two and a half seconds, before he finally handed me some clothes. It was a t-shirt, red and black, and some jeans. He said something about clothes being laundered, before he helped me up. He left the room, and I thought maybe he wanted me to change. I was wearing my white camisole that I always wore under everything, and my white pants. I shrugged the pants off and wore the jeans, seeing the pants had bloodstains, too. I wore the t-shirt above my camisole and opened the door. The doctor, who had gray hair and awkward glasses, said something. I narrowed my eyes to show I couldn't understand, and he said it again.

"Do you want to watch the remaining matches?"

I nodded, thought a little less energetically than what I would have if I felt right. He handed me a bottle of water and assisting me with his shoulders, we went through a corridor and we went in a giant door, which I recognized as the same style as from the match-room. He led me in, and then I realized what was really happening with my eyes.

They turned scarlet.

Shock turned into pure energy. I let go of the doctor and leaned on the wall, clutching my head. I was having a headache not because of my eyes, but because of the shock. There was too many to bother about, and when I looked up, Kurapika saw me and his eyes widened in shock, too. He was distracted for half a second, but since Hisoka was there attacking him, he had to keep focus, even though I could say he was now thoroughly distracted.

Who's fault? Mine, of course.

Too much to bother about! Why was Kurapika fighting with Hisoka? Was he really the one supposed to be? I checked the easel and squinted my eyes to see. It was true. There was 98, then 404, and above was 44. Why didn't I notice that?

Other than that… how the hell is this happening? My eyes… they're red! They're creepily red! Just like Kurapika! How is this possible? Is this what happens whenever I feel them get hotter and feel like there's something above them? I couldn't remove the red, everything I saw was red. Kurapika was red. Hisoka was red. The wall was red, the floor was red, the ceiling was red. The windows, the people, Netero-san, the doctor. EVERYTHING was red.

Get it off, get it off, get it off…

I felt myself slink in a corner, surrendering to the unseen demons.

(Kurapika's POV)

Aaarg! HISOKA.. I couldn't hit him right, I was distracted. Akane's eyes were bright red, and I'm pretty sure she would be able to notice this time. She would ask me, and I don't know if I would have the gut to answer her.

A card flew, scratching my cheek. I dodged Hisoka's attacks. But what will Akane do? How does Akane feel? She doesn't seem to be used to this.

I saw her slink to a corner, and my eyes widened, before I could release a scared gasp.

'Don't, Akane."

(Akane's POV)

Did I hear Kurapika? I had a feeling I did. I blinked away my dizziness and looked up to him, but he was thoroughly focused on his battle, eyes narrowed dangerously to Hisoka.

Sudddenly, he cast a worried glance to him, the end of his mouth twitching slightly to a smile when he saw me awake again.

Maybe he did say something.

I looked at him, watching them fight. It was a deadly battle. Hisoka was fast, Kurapika just a little slower. Then, Kurapika's eyes turned red, too. I was shocked because when they turned red, Kurapika became so fast, and he attacked Hisoka so blindingly speedily.

What if… what if he knows why this happens?

I could feel the suspicion and doubt climbing up my spine. He knows something.

Maybe that's what he knew from the very beginning.. Why didn't he tell me?

I buried my face in my palms, trying to get rid of the doubt, because after all, he is my friend. When I put it up, Hisoka was walking to him, and then whispered something in his ear… my keen hearing heard something about September, but that was it. (Did my ears evolve over the Hunter Exam? Hisoka was around ten feet away, and it was a bloody whisper, for pete's sake) Kurapika's eyes flashed scarlet, and Hisoka announced he quitted.

Kurapika fell to the ground.

"Kurapika!" I shouted, and dashed to him when I was sure it was already, say, legal to do so. I was worried. What did Hisoka do to him? "Kurapika, are you alright?" Gon looked worriedly from a distance.

"Hisoka..." he said in a bare whisper. "He knows."