Should have a lot of free time today, so hoping to have chapter 19 finished and revised either in the afternoon or later tonight. I'll add a bonus of the first scene in chapter 19 in a different perspective at the end of said chapter, too. Just because I feel like writing it from both being centered on Gon and being centered on Killua.
So I guess extra fluff for anyone who is still going to be reading come next chapter.
But again, hopefully two chapters will be out today. Maybe by some miracle three, we'll have to see who wants my attention today.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter x Hunter. I would love to though.
Chapter 18: Dodge BallXAgilityXThose Eyes...
By now there was only two competitors left on either side of the court. Gon on the left, Killua on the right.
The other students were sitting on the edge of the bleachers, ready for the show these two always put on during the competitions. Razor allowed them to bend the rules to a certain degree in any sport when it was just the two of them, just because it made them try harder and quite honestly made it more entertaining.
In this case, they could cross the line as long as they stayed inside the whole court. Tagging each other with a ball counts as an out but catching is only an out if the handler throws the ball, so catching a tag is not an out on either party. No blood or broken bones allowed.
Other than that, it was free game.
Razor knew he would probably be fired if the principal found out about this.
Gon tossed his two red balls up repeatedly, catching them in each hand while holding one on the ground with one foot. Killua dribbled his two red balls, smirking at his opponent.
Currently Gon held all but two of the dodge balls, those two being Killua's.
"You know, you could just give up now and maybe I won't make you sleep on the floor for losing. Maybe," Killua taunted from afar, earning a laugh from Gon across the court.
"Yeah? Maybe I won't tell Aunt Mito about how you-" Gon started, but was cut short as he had to duck to avoid an incoming ball aimed at his mouth. From the look on Killua's face, he could tell he had hit a sore spot.
"We agreed never to speak of that," Killua warned him, gripping his only ball hard enough for it to nearly pop as he walked slowly towards the spiky-haired teen.
"Yeah, I was just kidding. I wouldn't really tell anyone," Gon rebutted, sticking his tongue out. Killua had already crossed the line to the other side, and was now getting dangerously close. Gon was feeling pretty uncomfortable now as he knew these days while he had a small edge in raw strength and physical fortitude, his other half had the edge in agility and quick thinking.
Unfortunately the latter two were the winning factors in this game.
Gon began throwing the 9 balls around him in an effort to keep Killua away, though the silver-haired teen ended up simply leaning left or right to dodge them.
He left one ball for himself for when Killua got close, noticing that the other had quickened his pace now.
Razor smiled and decided to make this more interesting, tipping over a basket full of dodge balls as a small wave of them rolled over the court and littered the floor with them.
Both competitors froze at this and waited for the balls to settle, so as to not step on one and fall. Once everything had settled, Killua shot forward like a bullet in an attempt to tag Gon with the ball in his hand.
Gon dodged to his left, attempting to tag Killua as well. Killua jumped back to dodge and threw his ball forward, causing Gon to side step and turn to watch the ball. Knowing Killua it was bound to be on a rebound course to connect with the back of his head.
Then he remembered the rules had changed.
Gon turned back around to see Killua's foot flying through the air, ready to connect with his chest. He quickly sidestepped to the right and watched as Killua flew by, stopping and landing just short of the out-of-bounds line.
Then he noticed the look in Killua's eyes. He had only ever seen that look once before, and prayed to never see it again afterwards. It looked as those his very eyes were dead. All he knew about it was that apparently it ran in his previous family, and it usually spelled trouble for whoever his target was, as the silver-haired teen became very dangerous.
How Gon wished he wasn't the current target.
Gon watched Killua closely, then noticed his eyes dart to something above him for a split second.
The ball.
Gon jumped backwards as a ball slammed into the spot he was just standing in, then he looked forward and saw Killua was gone. He looked to the right and saw Killua kicking up and throwing balls in all directions as he passed the others on the bleachers. Gon looked around and noticed red balls bouncing everywhere. For some reason it reminded him of spinning tops.
He took a step forward as two balls collided where his chest was, then a step back and two more hit where his head was. He threw his arm back and caught hold of what felt like a leg.
"Crap, I thought it was a ball," he thought to himself, quickly turning around to see he was holding Killua's leg. He took a swing at Killua with the ball in his other hand, and missed as Killua bent down past his own leg to make a grab at Gon's ankles.
This must be the fruit of all that stretching Killua liked to do during exercises, as Gon never delved too deep into them with his friend.
Gon couldn't jump away in time, being in shock at how flexible his friend was.
Why did that thought make him feel funny?
When Killua grabbed both of Gon's ankles, he pulled upwards and made the spiky-haired teen fall to the floor on his back. Killua pinned him there with an elbow and threw his free hand back, catching a flying ball that was passing by and immediately bringing it down to where Gon's face was.
Gon stopped the ball with his free hand and shoved his own ball towards his opponent.
A loud thud resounded through the gym...
One of the bouncing balls had flown in the way and knocked the ball out of Gon's hand before it reached Killua. Gon was dumbfounded, mouth agape at such a thing happening. Killua hadn't even flinched, as if he knew it was going to happen.
"There's no freaking way he's doing all this on purpose. He can't be plan out something like THAT!" Gon thought, drawing back his legs and kicking Killua off him.
Killua flew back and landed on the other side of the court. He started picking up more idle balls and tossing them with all his might every which way to keep the cycle going.
Gon sprinted after him in an attempt to stop him. He couldn't handle both Killua and the balls at the same time, so one of them had to be stopped.
Killua threw rebounds at the spiky-haired teen to keep him from knowing exactly where it will go, preventing the act of catching one. Gon dodged each one until he got up close and made for a tag, only to have his wrist grabbed.
Killua brought his knee up to the other side of his arm and stopped just short of breaking Gon's arm. Gon stared wide-eyed at the attempt and knew Killua's subconscious was taking this way too seriously.
He didn't know Killua's previous family, but he already hated them for the fighting instinct he inherited from them.
Killua slowly let go of Gon's wrist and backed away, that dead-eyed emotionless look still on his face. Gon nodded to show he understood Killua didn't mean it, and they resumed. Gon dashed forward again and tried to tag Killua with his ball. He noticed Killua wasn't moving an inch, and stopped short to duck down as a ball flew over his head. He heard Killua catch it and jumped back as the silver-haired teen swung the ball at him.
Killua threw his ball at Gon, and Gon threw his ball at Killua before he even landed.
Both balls hit each other in mid-air, rebounding off each other and flying back towards their respective handlers. Both were so surprised they didn't even think to dodge, and both were smacked in the face simultaneously.
Gon landed on his back, while Killua his the back of his head on the ground.
Razor's laugh boomed throughout the gymnasium as he walked between the two of them.
"I wish all my students were like you two. It would make my life so much more fulfilling," he announced to the unconscious pair. Coincidentally the bell chose to ring at that moment.
Razor hoisted the two over his shoulders, collected their shirts and jacket, and proceeded to carry them to the nurse's office while declining the offer of the girls who asked to take Killua off his hands.
Age 14
Killua stood in front of his spiky-haired friend protectively, glaring at the 4 much older and much taller boys in front of them.
They had stayed out a bit later than usual..only until about midnight.
Okay, maybe far too late.
On their way to their neighborhood from the city, they noticed that they were being tailed by a group of not-so-nice looking guys.
"What do you guys want? We don't have any money for you to take," Killua asked. One of the 4 took a step forward and grinned, showing the yellow teeth that held the toothpick in his mouth.
"Well we just wanted to say hey. But now that you ask that skateboard looks pretty nice. Why don't you hand that over since you're so willing to give us something?" the guy said, reaching for the skateboard in Killua's hands.
"I'd rather jump off a building than let anyone else have this," Killua retorted, smacking the other's hand away harshly.
"Oooh, you're pretty feisty huh?" he questioned, his grin growing wider. He kicked Killua in the stomach, then grabbed the younger by the neck while he was doubling over in pain, lifting him clear off his feet.
"Killua!" Gon yelled, making a grab for his friend and being grabbed by one of the other guys.
"Hey, Chop likes to eat cats. You think he'd like this?" the guy asked their supposed leader, snatching the plush cat out of Gon's hands.
"No! You can't take that!" Gon yelled, his kicks and punches falling just short of the face of the guy holding him up. Another one of the group came and picked up Killua's skateboard to inspect it.
"I don't know guys, this looks like a pretty crappy toy. Maybe we could use it as firewood," the guy said, holding the skateboard with his fingertips as if it was a dirty piece of trash.
Killua struggled harder at hearing this, clawing at the guy holding him by the neck. He turned his head and saw Gon being held up by one of his arms, flailing like his life depended on it.
Killua's struggling ceased. The guy holding the silver-haired teen looked over at the boy in his hand.
"You finally-" he began, but stopped short when he saw the look in the young teen's eyes. He froze when he noticed those eyes looked so...
Dead.
All heads snapped in their direction when a pained scream came out. Killua had broken the man's arm by pushing on both sides with each hand substantially hard, and dropped to the ground. He turned and stared at the one holding Gon and Killu, sending chills down the man's spine.
He charged forward and kicked the man in the shin, making him drop both Gon and Killu. Killua caught Killu and tossed him to Gon who had landed on his feet, massaging his wrist.
The silver-haired teen swiped out the feet from under the guy in front of him and stomped down on his stomach to knock the wind out of him. He turned around and stared at the one holding his skateboard now, who promptly dropped it and backed away, tossing his hands up in surrender.
Killua kicked up a broken bottle and caught it, taking a step forward, but was stopped when his shoulder was grabbed. He watched the group scurry away, then turned around and looked at a frightened Gon who was holding his shoulder.
"Killua?" Gon questioned, not liking the look of Killua's eyes one bit. Killua stared at him awhile longer, as if trying to ascertain whether he was a threat or not, before his eyes slowly turned back to normal.
"Gon? Where did those idiots go? Did they just disappear? And..." Killua questioned, looking around like he was completely lost. He grabbed his head as if he had a terrible headache before scooping up his skateboard. "...Whatever, let's go home. My head is killing me."
Gon didn't know how to explain what he saw, so he never told Killua of it. He just wished he'd never have to see it again.
Don't feel obligated to give a good review, I accept good and bad alike, so don't hold back. Though I prefer any review to none at all. Constructive criticism is very much welcomed.
Thank you for reading.