Disclaimer: I wish I owned Hunter but it already belongs to Yoshihiro Togashi :( I just own my idiotic OC, Hitomi... yay...
Chapter 27: Tag Game x The Quiz x Game Clear!
"How was that?" Gon asked, as soon as they arrived at the place.
Now feeling better, Hitomi smirked, taking a small box out of her pocket. She looked at her three friends and nodded, before opening it.
"Finally," she smiled. "Got them."
There they were. A small vial with a pair of bright, scarlet eyes. Hitomi released a long sigh, before touching it. It quickly became a card and she held it tightly..
"Alright, we've got the Scarlet Eyes!" Gon cheered.
"Let's hurry and make copies of it with Clone," Killua suggested, while Hitomi nodded and Biscuit just eyed the card, feeling a little excited at the sight of it.
"We'll take the copies," Goreinu said.
"Yes, the original should go to you four," Tsezugera said.
The four smiled at each other, before realizing Hisoka walking away even without a copy of the card. They looked at him in confusion.
"It was fun," he said. "I'm leaving now."
"Won't you join us?" Killua asked. "I'm also curious about the Spiders' movements."
"You guys will continue gathering cards, right?" he replied. "I'm not interested, so just contact me when something pops us. I'll use Accompany or Magnetic Force to fly over."
And then he walked away. Hitomi blinked, still remembering his last words like Killua for a while.
"Ah!" they both exclaimed.
"Huh?" Gon looked at them.
"That liar!" Killua ruffled his own hair, in irritation.
"But what happened, guys?" Gon inquired.
"We didn't use Magnetic Force with Hisoka, did we?" Hitomi's eyebrow twitched. "And then he said that he knew nothing about spell cards."
That's when Gon finally understood their point.
"As suspected, he's definitely hiding something," Killua said.
"Among liars, there are types that tell useful lies and others that tell useless ones," Biscuit explained, looking at Killua. "You and I belong to the former type, while he's of the latter. If you think too hard, you'd only get stumped."
Killua just kept silent, still not convinced at Hisoka's behaviour.
"We've something to discuss with you," Tsezugera told the kids, changing the topic all of sudden.
"We've decided to join forces," Goreinu said. "How about joining us too?"
"If my hunch is right, we'll be fighting Genthru's team in the near future. But in terms of strength, we're at a great disadvantage. Ignoring my wounds and lack of training, I''m still no match for them. That's the impression I got from your description of Bomber's skills. Right from the start, he's been using Nen to kill all this time. His battle tactics are completely different than ours. That's why..."
Tsezugera's book popped up all of sudden, saying that a player used Contact on him. The kids looked at each other in worry.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" the voice said. "Guess who..."
They all tensed, recognizing that voice.
"Genthru," Tsezugera said in surprise. "What do you want?"
"I'm so honored that you remember me," he said. "First let me congratulate you for getting the Scarlet Eyes. I just confirmed it using List. So, let's make a deal. I'll guarantee your lives in exchange for... the Scarlet Eyes."
"Don't kid with me!" he snapped.
"If we have a deal, be at Masadora's entrance within an hour by yourself," Bomber warned. "If you don't show up, I'll consider it a declaration of war, so I'll just have to forcefully take the card from you. It's useless to run, you know? Because I have plenty of Accompany."
Tsezugera didn't say anything. He just growled softly.
"Asta, Amana, Manheim, Nick Cue, Souheil and Kazsule. Weren't they part of your group of fifteen?" Bomber asked. "Check your binders. There are no longer here... in this world."
No one said anything for a while.
"Book," Gon summoned his binder.
They all looked at Gon's contact list for said members, but they never found them. Hitomi, who was peering at it over the boy's shoulder cursed under her breath, doing her best to control the anger she was feeling. She sighed, managing to calm down a little.
However, Gon didn't have such a luck.
"GENTHRU!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.
Hitomi froze a little. She didn't expect that sudden outburst from him.
"Huh?" Genthru asked, confused. "Who are you?"
The, girl on the other hand, grimaced.
"Oh, please, I beg you," she thought. "Don't do what I think you will do-"
"Gon Freecss!" he shouted. "I'm taking you on!"
Biscuit and Killua gaped while Hitomi facepalmed hard. As expected, Gon was now messing up with the scary guy... again.
"Gon, huh? You're one of the four kids," he said. "Lucky Alexandrite seems to be with you, huh? After Tsezugera, you're next. Or, would you like to give me your card now?"
"You come here now! I'll take you on! I also have a copy of The Sca-!"
Before he could finish his sentence, Hitomi put her hand over his mouth and Biscuit started to scream to cover Gon's voice. Killua turned to Tsezugera, panicking.
"Can't you talk somewhere else?!" he asked.
"Don't worry," he assured. "We've broken contact."
The girls sighed in relief after saying that, stopping their attempts to cover Gon's message. Hitomi glared at Gon, and he rubbed the back of his head.
"Genthru is ignorant of your strength. As a proof of it, he thinks that we hold the original Scarlet Eyes. Since you have the Paladin's Necklace, you should know while trading, the necklace can identify cards made using Fake but it will also destroy cards made from Clone or Transform. That's why they are after the original. Ours, that's it," Tsezugera said. "Hence, let me suggest something new. We will scrap the idea of joining forces. Listen to what I have to say about a new deal."
"Deal?" Gon asked.
"Three weeks... we'll take that time to evade Genthru. And use that time to recover."
Hitomi opened her eyes before looking at Killua's hands, before frowning. Gon maybe would heal on time... but she wasn't that sure about Killua. Boy, she wasn't sure if he would ever recover. The bruises in his hands were disgusting and looked painful.
"Is that even possible?" Killua asked.
"If we attack first, it's possible but dangerous. If we are successful, can you hand over Number 75, Lucky Alexandrite?"
The four kids just looked at each other.
"Three weeks aren't enough for Killua's hands to fully recover. It's also almost impossible to fight evenly with Genthru team, but..."
"So, you want us to use that time to come up with something?" Hitomi asked.
"Exactly. With a good plan, you might be able to defeat Genthru. So prepare to lure Genthru's team to a place that's to your advantage. We can't avoid fighting them any longer and you are the only ones that have a chance against them."
"We are the only ones to have a chance against them? Is that true?" she joked. "Wow, last time I checked we were that weak that we wouldn't stand a chance in this game."
Tsezugera chucked a little.
"Seems like times had changed," his face became serious again. "Good. Starting from today, we'll keep Genthru's team occupied for three weeks."
"Count me in," Goreinu said, pointing at himself. "This certainly seems like the best way."
"Do your best," one of Tsezugera's friends said. "Just leave them to us."
Gon just nodded.
"However, Gon... What you did earlier was selfish and foolish," Tsezugera scolded Gon, who flinched. "If they were provoked and came here immediately, what would happen to Killua and Hitomi, who are still injured? Your outburst of anger endangered everyone here."
After realizing that he had done, he glanced at his feet, guilt shining in his chocolate eyes. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.
"Well, it's fine now."
And after that, they left using a card. The three of them keep watching the sunset, still thinking about the plan, Bomber, and everything else.
"Three freaking weeks... Damn, that's way too soon," Hitomi thought.
"What should we do?" Gon asked.
"What should you do?" the girl remarked. "Now because of your little outburst, I'm 100 percent sure that our cute Bomber guy is going after you... I can suppose that the other three will divide among us."
Biscuit placed a finger over her chin, in deep thought.
"Killua, you should focus on recovering. And while you're at it, devise a way to defeat Genthru," she told the boy. "Hitomi, you will continue doing basic training and help me training Gon. Avoiding Little Flower is the first priority."
They all nodded.
"Gon, I'll train you hard!" she shouted, in determination.
Both girls started attacking Gon at full speed, and he did his best to avoid all of their hits. Biscuit then grabbed his wrist. He quickly used Gyo.
"You're way too slow!" Hitomi shouted, making the boy flinch.
"You shouldn't be waiting to use Gyo until after I grab you, it has to be the instant I touch you," Biscuit completed the thought.
"Osu!"
"Don't 'osu' us!" Hitomi hissed, annoyed.
She then started to hit him again, making her teacher chuckle a little, before doing the same.
Killua, on the other hand, just looked at the situation from the rock in which he was, failing to come up with a master plan to defeat the Bomber.
"She is taking it even more seriously than Bisky," Killua smirked. "She's so into it."
After awhile, they stopped doing it because Biscuit decided to make Gon do Emission exercises, and she told Hitomi to do some Manipulation ones. That's why she had a lot of spoons next to where she was sitting, which were brought by Biscuit.
She took one and eyed it. She used her Nen and, slowly, it started to bend a little bit.
"Didn't I told you?" Hitomi joked, looking at Killua, "I'm psychic!"
"And here I thought you were the one taking it more seriously among us..." he shook his head.
"What can I say? Staying serious for a long time isn't one of my qualities," she gave him a sheepishly smile. It, however, disappeared and replaced itself with a frown at the sight of Killua's wrapped hands. "By the way, how are your hands?"
He looked down at them, as Biscuit made her way towards the kids. "Even moving them a millimeter hurts," he admitted. "They haven't recovered one bit."
Hitomi eyed them for a bit, it was exactly as she had thought. She released a long sigh, before continuing with her training.
"How is the plan coming along?" Biscuit asked him. The boy just shook his head, feeling a little upset. "Well, I guess coming up with one immediately is impossible."
Hitomi smirked as she managed to bend completely a spoon. She then grabbed another and began to do the same.
"Say, what is your ability?" Killua asked his teacher. "If possible, tell me so that I can come up with a plan more easily."
The other girl's concentration got lost as soon as a young woman was materialized next to Biscuit. Killua stared at her as well.
"Allow me to introduce my ability. She's the magical beautician, Cookie-chan," Biscuit said. "Her various massages are the caress of happiness. They burn off excess fat, and bring both mind and body into paradise. Her aura transforms into a special lotion, bringing youth and beauty to the skin!"
Hitomi decided that was better not to listen to her anymore, so she tried to focus in her training instead. The words, however, kept going inside Killua's ears and getting out, giving him a feeling of confusion. After a while, he shook his head.
"Is that all?" he asked.
"Of course not!" Biscuit declared, excited. "She does body massage, meditation massage and roll massage! And there's plenty more~!
The younger girl just released a long sigh. It was getting every time harder to focus in her task.
"Dumbass, that's completely useless!" Killua snapped.
"What are you talking about?!" Biscuit yelled, pissed off. "There's no other ability more useful!"
Hitomi gritted her teeth, trying to control herself. Sure, she was well aware that she was really an annoying person herself… but that was too much for her to take.
"So loud..." she thought.
The spoon started to bend dangerously.
"You can't put that ability to use!" Killua shouted.
"To a woman, it's the best ability!"
"You idiot!"
"What did you say?!"
"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!"
"I'll pulverize you!"
"SHUT UP YOU TWO FOR GOODNESS SAKE OR I'LL BE THE ONE PULVERIZING YOU!" Hitomi finally snapped.
And the spoon broke with a loud sound.
Gon was still training because if he didn't do so, Killua's plan would never work. Meanwhile, the other three were sitting behind him, looking at Hitomi's binder.
"It's been ten days since Tsezugera and the others left the game," Killua said.
"I wonder how they're doing," Biscuit commented. "Only five days left before the three weeks are up."
"As long as they are outside Greed Island, they will be just fine," Hitomi commented. "The problem would come if they were inside it like... well, us. We won't have that five days, today Genthru's team is going to come for us, I'm sure."
"Yeah... If Tsezugera's team don't come back into the game, all their card data is going to disappear," Killua said. "Well, I guess we have no choice but to wait for a message from Goreinu."
Right then, Gon stopped his watch and looked at it. Grinning widely, he waved it in front of the other three.
"Hey, I can do it perfectly now!" he said. "Now I can focus on my Emission type training, can't I?"
"Didn't you listen to us?" Hitomi instantly replied. "We said one minute sharp!"
"Even if you say you can do it perfectly, there's still an error of 0.1 seconds, right?" Killua explained.
"You can't even have a 0.1 second error!" Biscuit instructed. "It would be ideal for the error to be less than 0.01 seconds! Now, start!"
Gon pouted, clicking the button of the timer once again. At the same moment, the voice in Hitomi's binder started to say that a player had used Contact in her.
"It's me, Goreinu," he said. "Sorry for keep you waiting."
"So, how was it?" Hitomi asked.
"You know that it's been almost 240 hours since Tsezugera and the others left the game, right?" Goreinu said. "I'll tell you this beforehand, Tsezugera and his group won't come back."
"Why?" Killua asked.
"Genthru and his gang are having a stakeout in front of the starting point. Tsezugera doesn't know that, but we already decided on an arrangement beforehand," he explained. "After leaving the game, they won't come back in until I send a messenger to the port."
"I see, but their card data will disappear, won't it?" Biscuit said.
"I've kept all their important cards."
"Then they'll notice that they have allies elsewhere!" Killua shouted. "I'm sure Genthru is checking the card numbers with Side Vision. It'll be bad if they notice those three didn't have the important cards!"
"Don't worry."
Goreinu then kept silent for a while, saying that he noticed something. The other kids looked at each other, but didn't say anything.
"They left," he finally said. "Judging from the direction they're headed, they probably went to Masadora to collect more Accompany. It's finally the do-or-die situation."
"Anyway, what did you mean before?" Hitomi asked. "You said 'don't worry' before and I honestly don't have a clue with what you meant."
"Oh, that. They are fake," he said. "We've exchanged about 30 out 96 that they've collected with fakes. So, I'm the one who actually has the 96 cards. Of course, I have the Exchange Ticket and Blue Planet waiting for someone to use Gain on them."
Hitomi just blinked in confusion.
"It's a once in a lifetime gamble for the cautious Tsezugera. That's why I want to make it a success. I'm sorry for not being able to help you fight Genthru's team."
"We understand," Killua nodded. "So when do you want the promised card?"
"After defeating Genthru's team is fine," he replied. "Do your best."
The three kids looked at each other and nodded in determination.
"Did you find a way to defeat them?" Goreinu asked.
"It's all set," Killua replied. "Thanks to you, guys."
"I see... I hope you win. Please win for the sake of those who were killed by them."
"Don't worry," Hitomi assured. "There's no way we lose."
"Well, bye."
And like that, the call ended. Biscuit then turned around to face Gon.
"You better not have stopped practice to listen to that conversation," she said, sternly. "Let's see your stopwatch."
He looked at it and he grinned widely because he had managed the one minute sharp time. The others smirked as well. That was just perfect.
Hitomi realized it right when she saw the light beam in the sky, going towards them. It was finally the time.
"They are coming!" Biscuit said.
"So they've finally started it," Killua added.
"And looks like we have to start with it as well," Hitomi nodded.
"Bring it on!" Gon's eyes shone in determination.
The light landed, and Genthru's group appeared. Trying to look surprised, the four kids took a step back.
"What do you want?" Killua asked, icily.
"Now, don't get so defensive," Genthru said. "We came to make a deal."
"Deal?" Hitomi said. "Thanks for going to all the trouble to meet us, but we don't intend to make one."
"Don't say that. It's not a bad deal," he smiled. "Tsezugera agreed to it as well. It's a good idea."
The other four just stayed there, in silence. It was clear that he was lying to them.
"What kind of deal?" the white haired boy asked, cautiously.
"So you're interested in listening to it," he said, taking a couple of steps forward. "Then, I'm coming your direction for a bit-"
"No!" Gon yelled suddenly, making Genthru stop in his tracks. "We'll listen to this 'deal' of yours in the positions we are in."
Biscuit inner self smirked. They were playing the role of the innocent, weak little kids really well. If things continued going that smoothly, they could think that they would reach the agreed place unintentionally after running away.
"Oh, well. The deal is simple," Genthru explained. "Let's split the reward. We'll clear the game on behalf of everyone. We'll all leave the game, receive the reward from Battera and split it. Simple, isn't it?"
"Oh, yeah, we can believe you know," Hitomi said sarcastically, rolling her eyes and backing off a little more. "Not that you've threatened us in the past or anything. Not in the slightest."
"We've turned over a new leaf," he said. "As proof, Tsezugera is already out of the game. Check it."
"We've already done that," Killua said. "But that doesn't prove that an agreement has been made between you and them."
"Well, yeah... Then what do you want to do?" he pressed his glasses further in his nose. "Die?"
The air suddenly became thicker and Hitomi's group tensed slightly. A murderous, scary aura started to be emitted around Genthru's figure.
"Quit blabbering and hand over the cards, or..." he warned. "I'll kill you."
"He's finally showed his true form!" Killua exclaimed, looking at Gon, who held a card in his hand.
"Accompany on!" he called. "To Soufrabi!"
And like that, their tag game started. When they landed at the place, they found themselves in front of the Bomber again and used another Accompany card. The event happened again, so they used their last copy of said spell.
One more time, they found themselves facing the enemy group.
"Return on!" they all called, holding the cards. "To Masadora!"
Right when they arrived at the place, they made their way to the depths of the forest and hide there until Genthru's team arrived. When they left, the foursome started to run again.
After a lot of time, Bomber used Accompany and the four of them stood in front of the kids, who stopped in their tracks.
"Damn it!" Hitomi shouted.
Genthru just smirked.
"What's wrong? The game is over?" he asked. "How about you give up and hand over the cards?"
"No way!" Gon shouted. "I'll never give them to the likes of you!"
Hitomi and Killua looked at him. They were aware that he wasn't acting at all as they were. The boy was pissed off for real... and that wasn't a good thing...
"I'd rather fight than give them to you!" he yelled.
"Hey, Gon!" his friend called.
However, the black-haired boy didn't spoke. Killua fell silent for a while, before starting to run away, being chased by the blonde man.
"So, it's time?" Hitomi inner self smirked, before looking at the guy looking at her with cold, green eyes. He had long brown hair and a moon tattooed in his forehead. "Looks like that this is my opponent..."
Killua tried to kick his opponent, but he blocked his attack. He leaped and stood in the side of a huge tree. He looked at the girls.
"Bisky, Hitomi, make a run for it!" he yelled.
"But..." Biscuit mumbled, acting as a good girl as always. "But..."
"I'm not leaving you!" Hitomi faked her anger. "No way in hell!"
"Just run!" he shouted again.
Hitomi growled slightly, still acting of course, before glancing at her enemy. He tried to kick her, but she just leaped, impulsed herself with his leg, and jumped. She then started to run.
"Well then... Book," she called her binder a while before, surprising her enemy. She then took a card and it transformed back to what it was supposed to be, Accompany. "Accompany on! To Antokiba!"
Once there she looked at him with a huge smirk written in all her face. The guy, on the other hand, looked around in confusion.
"Why did you get me here if you wanted to fight me one on one?" he then asked.
"Obviously, because I don't want you to cry over your teammates for help," she replied.
He just stared at her, cluelessly. What the hell was she talking about?
"You mean that I'll be that desperate to ask for help?" he asked.
"Exactly! In fact, you'll maybe even cry for your mommy. Let's hope she has Nen to come here," she grinned. "Well then, why don't we start with a tag game?"
"Are you kidding?"
"Well, not really. Anyway, you're 'it'!
And then, she started to run.
After an hour or so, the man got tired. Hitomi, however, just kept jumping from tree from tree, avoiding him to catch her. His heart was beating that fast and strong that it was almost up in his throat. The calm breathing he used to have was somehow replaced to a rather elaborated one.
"What's wrong?" she grinned, hanging on a branch by her legs. "You move slower than my grandma, you know?"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" he threw a punch right to her. The girl avoided it and jumped to another tree.
"And you know that's funny? She's dead already," she taunted, as her grin turned into a daring smirk. "You know you need to get fit when even a deceased person is faster than you."
"Don't kid with me, brat!"
This time, he got quicker, maybe out of rage. She jumped in a higher branch with an intense look and a huge smirk.
"I think it's enough for now," she thought.
The man disappeared and soon, he was holding her. He grabbed her by the collar of her shirt.
"You're 'it' now, I think-"
But then looked at her red eyes, and couldn't take the gaze out of it. A couple of minutes later, the aura in Hitomi's body increased as she grinned wickedly.
"So, what to do?" she asked. "It's getting cold, you know?"
A wave of cold air hit his back and made him shiver softly. As time went by, he began losing the feeling in his fingers.
She took advantage of it, of course. Hitomi broke off his grasp and kicked him across the face, before pushing his back and stepping hard on it.
"And you are 'loser' now, I think," she grinned, teasingly. "Well then, why don't we have a rematch-?"
She looked at him and then pouted.
"He blacked out," she whined. "Damn, I thought it would be fun."
She shook her head, calling her binder and taking off a Contact card. She then used it on Killua, but she just didn't have the chance to say anything, because he beated her on doing so.
"YOU'RE LATE!" he shouted, making Hitomi flinch at the loud sound. "What took you that long?!"
"How rude! I could've just died here and you greet me like that?" she grinned, joking a little. "Why don't you try with something like 'Oh, nice to hear about you Hitomi! I was worried about you, are you okay?' It wouldn't hurt anyone, you know?"
There was a long silence.
"Hitomi," he released a long sigh. "Are you well aware that guy was probably the weakest out the four, aren't you?"
A vein popped up in her head. "I know," she mumbled, pissed off. "I just wanted to have fun."
"And you had any fun?"
"Well, no," she replied, and then heard the boy laughing. "It's not funny, Killua!"
"Just come here, Hitomi!" Biscuit's voice could be heard.
She did as she was told using Accompany, and dragging the guy with his face on the ground while walking towards them. Once there, she waved at them and they shouted angrily at her once again. One more time, she ignored them.
Long, long time after that Killua's book popped up out of nothing, since someone had used Contact on him. Gon's raspy voice greeted them:
"Killua, Hitomi, Bisky..." he managed to say.
"Gon! You're even later than Hitomi!" Killua exclaimed. "Are you okay?"
"You see? Even Gon gets treated better than me!" Hitomi complained.
"That's because he fought the tough guy, idiot," Killua remarked.
"Because he was loose-tongued, what's the difference?"
Biscuit facepalmed. "This is not the time for this, guys!" she said, before turning to the book. "Anyway, Gon, how did it go?"
Gon weakly laughed at the other end.
"Complete success," he said. "I just lost my whole hand."
"I definitely didn't understand that hoarse voice of yours..." Hitomi raised an eyebrow. "You say that actually the only thing damaged is your non-existent hand?"
"His throat seems damaged," Biscuit agreed. "Looks like it turned out like I thought."
They meet up, and Hitomi resisted her urge to puke when she saw Gon's arm, but shook it off afterwards. They tied the four Bomb Devils and waited for them to wake up.
"Good morning!" Hitomi chirped with a smirk, once Genthru came to.
Bomber gave her a long look, and then noticed that he was in front of the four kids. Aside from the girl who greeted him, they all were dead serious.
And next to them, there were his teammates, waking up as well. Like him, they weren't in a top condition either.
"Let's get down to business," Killua said, coldly. "Take your binders out."
"You'll return the cards you obtained from betraying your comrades," Biscuit added.
He gave Bara - the guy who fighted Biscuit - a long look. He then directed his face to the kids.
"On one condition," he said. "Use Archangel's Breath to heal Bara. I have clones."
"Don't worry," Killua replied. "We intended to do that from the start."
"We prepared eight clones beforehand," Hitomi replied. "Because we're that crazy to heal the guys who wanted to kill us... We're good kids after all."
Genthru was stunned at the revelation. Before staring at them, he agreed and released his book. After collecting the cards, they used Archangel's Breath on Gon and, in everyone's shock, he was healed completely. Not long later, they used another copy of it to heal Bara.
"You're up next, Killua," Hitomi said, before turning to Genthru. "We are stealing your binder. Not hard feelings."
"Do whatever."
Biscuit then took an Archangel's Breath and tried to use in Genthru.
"The number of Archangel's Breath has been maxed out," a voice in the card said. "The clone will be destroyed."
And it vanished in thin air. Since that wasn't what they accorded to do in their plan, Biscuit blinked in confusion a couple of times and panicked.
"W-Wait! What's going on?!" she yelled. "I just did exactly what I was told! Is it my fault? Is it really my fault?!"
"Whoa! Calm down!" Hitomi tried to calm her down. "It isn't your fault. It's Monkey-Face's one."
"Eh?" she looked at the girl, puzzled.
"Yeah, Goreinu must've increased his claims of Archangel's Breath with Clone or Transform," Killua nodded. "That way, after we use two Archagel's Breath cards, he'll claim two more."
Speaking of the devil, Goreinu called. He then agreed to come over there, after making himself sure that the four were okay. Once he was there, they explained the situation to him.
"I really dislike this, I don't approve it," he said, as expected. "Why should we use Archangel's Breath on them?"
"Because we're not like them?" Hitomi raised an eyebrow, making Goreinu growl softly.
"But these guys have killed dozens of players, or have you forgotten?!" he shouted. "If it's for these guys, I won't trade."
Killua eyed him and leaned closer, slightly. "What about me?" he asked.
"Of course," he replied. "If it's for you, I wouldn't trade. I'd just give it to you."
"Even if I told you that I've killed loads more than these guys?" Goreinu looked at him, shocked at the revelation. "Everyone comes here risking their lives. Compared to them, those I've killed were not even prepared to die. For them, it's like being suddenly killed by a phantom. Doesn't that make me worse than these guys?"
"No, you guys are just different," Goreinu replied, stubbornly. "I like you, but I really hate these guys."
"Wow, that was really logical," Hitomi mumbled, sarcastically.
"Right, it's not," Goreinu said. "It's about emotions. You guys feel the same way, right?"
"But even if we dislike them, we won't consider leaving them like this," Biscuit added. "Punishment is out the question."
"This was something the four of us decided before fighting," Gon told him. "After the fights are over, and after obtaining Archangel's Breath, we'd heal anyone's wounds regardless. This wasn't debated, we settled it naturally."
Hitomi released a long sight. "Looks like we don't have other way," she then looked at Killua, with an apologetic smile, who blinked at her. "Sorry, Killua. Can you bear with it for a while more?"
"No problem," he replied, without second thoughts. "I can heal these hands myself."
"I highly doubt that, but... oh, well," she then turned to Genthru's team. "As you see, we only have one card left."
"Just one more?!" Goreinu exclaimed. "Isn't that the original?!"
He, however, got ignored.
"Use it on Genthru," Killua's enemy said, while Hitomi's one nodded. "I'm not nauseous or dizzy."
"Neither I am," the other said. "I have a headache, nothing more."
In Goreinu's dismay, they used it on Genthru. They then said there were leaving to Masadora, to collect more cards, when the man stopped it.
"Fine, fine! I'll give them to you!" in a rush he summoned his binder and took a card, giving it to Gon. He blinked at it. "Sheesh. When I talk to you, I somehow feel like a kid."
"Are you sure?" the boy asked.
"Yeah," he nodded. "Actually, before coming here to talk, I intended to give it to you. Not just Archangel's Breath, but all of our cards as well. Myself, Tsezugera and his crew... the four of us agreed. We'll all quit the game."
Hitomi was shocked, but shook it off afterwards. She looked at Killua and then used Archangel's Breath to heal him as the others talked.
The boy stared at his hands with a huge smile in his face.
"Amazing!" he shouted. "I've been completely healed!"
Hitomi blinked for a bit but then chuckled at the sight of the happy boy. They both turned to the man who was talking. He then said that, even though Battera gave up on the game, he was going to pay the reward to them all. Also, that he was going to receive five billion jenny for it.
"F-Five billion?!" Biscuit shouted. "Hey, give me some of that!"
"Huh? What are you talking about?" he replied, nonchalantly. "I'm sharing it, of course. It's an equal split. Each of us gets one billion."
"EH?!" that was their only reaction.
"Obviously, I didn't do is single-handedly, right? I got this money... only because I joined you guys."
"Y-You're such a... nice guy!" Biscuit eyes watered, as she held Goreinu's hands in hers. "Your face isn't really my type though..."
Hitomi blinked at him. "He is giving us four billion jenny like nothing? There are a little amount of people capable of doing something that generous..." she thought. "And I'm not a good example of it..."
Goreinu turned serious again, and so did the kids.
"Now, you have 99 cards," Goreinu told them. "The only remaining card is 000. Everyone is watching our every step. When 99 cards are collected, what will happen?"
"I think that everyone wants to know," Hitomi nodded. "Let's find that out."
Gon called his book and, slowly, began to place Goreinu's cards on its place. At the 99th, they all looked at each other and nodded.
Hitomi stared at the book, as Gon put the card in there.
"This is an announcement to all players. Just now, a player has collected all 99 designated cards," the woman's voice said. "As a celebration, ten minutes from now, all players in Greed Island are invited to a quiz. There are 100 questions in total, they will be about the designated cards. The player with the most correct answers will win a prize. The Number 000 Card, the Ruler's Blessing, will be given to that player. Everyone, please wait with your binders open."
The kids looked at each other.
"That was pretty smooth," Hitomi commented. "People who stole cards won't be able to answer."
"So we can only answer 70-80% of the question correctly," Biscuit commented.
"This could be hard," Killua agreed. "But the group which obtained most cards on their own is probably Tsezugera's. And they're no longer here. The rest of the players are probably rookies."
They felt someone coming and tensed. The four looked at the huge amount of players who had come there using Accompany.
"Don't worry, we're not here to interfere. Actually, we came to help," one of them said. "If we are the top players of the quiz, we want to sell the card for 2.5 billion. To you, that money would only make up 5% of your final prize."
"I see," Hitomi thought. "These guys are ignorant of Battera."
"Sure thing," Killua nodded. "That's only if you emerge on top."
They looked around, noticing that the others were waiting for the same thing. "What should we do?" Biscuit asked.
"Huh?" Gon voiced. "We should just solve them individually."
"Yeah," Killua agreed. "How about a penalty for the worse player?"
"Okay!" Hitomi grinned, excitedly. "I'm in!"
Biscuit, on the other hand, just smiled proudly at the sight. "Sheesh... they really are something. They just ended life-and-death battles. Most likely, they're the only three who truly enjoy this game," she thought. "Well, hang in there until the end. I'll give this quiz a pass."
The three of them sat in the ground, with their books open.
"Now then, the quiz questions will be presented."
But despite all her efforts, Gon ended up winning the card.
Hitomi sighed, as she sat down next to Killua. Gon was inside the castle and Biscuit had gone to who-knows-where, probably shopping or something.
"So, what are you gonna do?" Killua asked out of cold. "You have the Scarlet Eyes, don't you?"
"Oh, that's right," she remembered. "I promised Kurapika that I'd come with him when I find a pair."
Unconsciously, she learned further in the wall. She knew that she had to be happy, after doing what she was supposed to do. But she had grew even more fond of her friends.
And, in the end, she was a little upset.
"So, we're departing after this," Killua mumbled, gazing at the floor.
"... Yeah..."
No one said anything more, and Hitomi then realized that the side-effects of using her eyes for a long time were taking effect. Killua noticed that, and narrowed his eyes.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, just tired," she said. "Because of that Scarlet Eye-thing."
"So you are tired," he sighed, annoyed. "Why did you used it?"
"Because, otherwise, it would be boring," Hitomi grinned. "Ending the fight in a matter of five seconds is not worth of it."
"But it was stupid," he remarked.
"It wasn't!" Hitomi replied, pissed off a little. "Trying to get fun is a good reason! You did the same, when you took the Exam, don't you?"
Killua facepalmed. "You're the most annoying person in the world," he sighed.
"Ah, thanks," she sheepishly smiled. "As you already know, annoying people is one of-!"
"JUST GET SOME SLEEP!" he yelled, irritated.
Hitomi mumbled something under her breath and then her eyelids dropped. Killua gave her a long look, before sighing.
"She can be a little annoying..." he bitterly smiled. "But I somehow get used to it. I will be just weird without her around..."
He then felt something hitting him in the chest and found her head there. A vein popped up when he realized that cliched situation was happening: she had sleep on him.
He blushed furiously.
"Get lost! You're heavy!" he tried to push her, but no avail. "And your hair is tickling me!"
Hitomi didn't react and stayed there. "Sometimes, I feel inside on some kind of shojo manga..." Killua released a long sigh, shaking his head.
Long time before that, Biscuit walked up to them and smirked slightly at the sight, folding her arms in front of her. Hitomi was asleep in Killua's chest. He was too, with an arm thrown over the girl's shoulder.
But the cute scene ended sooner than she expected it to...
"E-EH?!" Hitomi shouted, as soon as she woke up. "PERVERT!"
Killua came to himself as well and got further away from her. "Pervert?!" a tick mark appeared in his head. "You slept on me!"
"But you were hugging me!" she shouted back.
"Like hell I was!" he yelled. "Man! I even tried to bear your annoying hair tickling me and I am the pervert?!"
Hitomi stood in silence for a while, and Biscuit facepalmed.
"You touched my hair? OH MY GOD!" she shouted, looking at her hair. "It's infected now, damn it! Washing it won't help... I need scissors... But where the hell do I get them?!"
Killua raised an eyebrow, as Biscuit blinked at her, when she called her book.
"What the hell are you doing?" Biscuit asked managed to ask.
"I'll call Binolt, he must have some pair with him," they looked at her as she was nuts... she probably was. "Contact-!"
"H-Hey!" Killua leaned closer. "Stop it!"
But then he got her foot in his face, pushing him away from her. His irritation raised a lot more than before.
"Get away from me," Hitomi said, coldly.
"Don't worry, I will!" he shouted, annoyed.
"You two, cut it!" Biscuit tried to separate them.
"Uh..." a voice said behind them. "Guys?"
They turned around, just to see Gon coming towards them with a small box in his hands. Hitomi and Killua exchanged a glance, before looking away in annoyment to each other.
Right after the party thrown for them, the four sat in front of the box that Gon brought and his binder. He told them that they needed to choose four cards from the binder to take to the real world.
"So, which four will you choose?" Biscuit asked.
"How about everyone choosing one each?" Killua proposed.
"Then, I choose Blue Planet," she instantly took the card, and rubbed it with her cheek. "Giving up Young Medicine is hard, but I just have to have this! I can't wait to see the real thing~!"
They looked at Hitomi who, as expected, choosed the Scarlet Eyes. She gave it a long look and grinned proudly to herself.
"Then, what will you choose, Killua?" she asked the boy.
"Humm..." he placed his arms behind his head, in thought. "I'm still thinking," he then turned to Gon. "Have you decided?"
"Yes, I have," he nodded. "This one."
They all looked at his election. Biscuit didn't seem to understand, but the other two got it almost immediately.
"That makes sense..." Killua said.
"Wow! From a plan coming from you... it's pretty good," Hitomi teased.
"What do you mean with that?" he mumbled, annoyed.
Biscuit just blinked.
"But that card alone won't do," the Zoldyck boy pointed to another one. "You'll need this one too."
"I wonder if that will work," Gon commented.
"But there's also no other option," Hitomi crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Hey, what?" Biscuit was feeling a little out the conversation. "What is it? What's going on?"
"Let's see... Bisky, you're okay with Blue Planet, right?" Killua said, in a rude manner.
Biscuit was pissed, Hitomi could say. She froze in her spot.
"Include me in this conversation!"
SMACK!
And the pain wasn't late to come at all.
When it was all over, Gon came out the game. He walked towards his three friends, with a huge smile in his features.
"Hey, hurry, hurry! Get the binder out!" Biscuit bugged him, making him summon his book... or the box more likely. She hurried and opened it, before taking the card. "Gain!" a blue round gem appeared in her hand, and her eyes sparkled at the sight of it. "This... this is it! My dream, Blue Planet! What should I call you? Pla-chan? Blue-chan? Planet-chan will great!"
"Naming a jewel?" Hitomi raised an eyebrow, before shrugging.
She then took her card and used 'Gain'. The small vial fell in her hands and she hold it, clenching it slightly.
"So, since you have the eyes, does that mean...?" Gon trailed off.
Hitomi thought of it for a little, before smiling. "Well, I'm sorry but you'll have to endure me sticking with you guys," she smirked.
They all looked at her, in surprise.
"I hadn't find Kurapika yet, and I'm not going to search for him all over the world, you know. He is old enough to take care of himself," Hitomi grinned. "I also know that I'll bump into him someday, and that will be the day we will depart for real."
The two boys grinned when they heard that. "That's good!" Gon shouted, eagerly.
"Well then, how about you, boys?" Biscuit asked them, after a while.
"We thought about it for a while, but we stuck with Gon's initial choice," Killua nodded at him. "Let's do this."
Gon then used 'Gain' on the Paladin's Necklace and placed it around his neck. He then took the other one - Sword of Truth - and it reverted back to what it used to be, Accompany.
"I can't believe you guys did that for choosing a non-designated card," Biscuit commented.
"Yeah, but if I was the first person in the game, I wouldn't have done it," Gon told her. "You know, the first person whom I met inside the game was Hitomi. But when I checked the binder there was some there whom I'd met before her. The name is Nigg."
"Nigg?" she repeated, in confusion.
"Yes. Nigg is spelled as N-I-G-G, right?" the boy grinned. "Ging is spelled as G-I-N-G."
"So Nigg is an anagram of his name?" Biscuit understood.
"Most likely, I was there with Ging as a baby," he added.
"Maybe he wanted to say something like 'If you want to meet me, get strong enough to clear the game no matter what'," Hitomi shook her head. "You have a tough daddy, don't you, Gon?"
Gon just nodded, with a determined smile.
"When you meet Ging, what's the first thing you'll do?" Biscuit asked him.
"Of course, I'll introduce Killua and Hitomi as my best friends," he replied, happy.
They both looked at them, a little shocked. After blinking twice, the girl smiled warmly at him. Killua, on the other hand, just blushed a little.
"S-Stop that," he scolded lightly, in a tsundere-like way. "It's embarrassing."
The three then looked at their teacher, whose eyes were watering, touched at the strong friendship bond they held.
"I hate getting old, my tear glands get so weak!" she cried. "Initially, I got close just to destroy you friendship!"
"Really?!" the kids exclaimed.
Hitomi's eyebrow twitched. She knew she hadn't come there just to help then at that time...
"Bisky, why don't you join us?" Gon suggested.
"No, I'll pass," she waved her hand around. "I'm not interested in guys with children."
Biscuit gave the kids a long look and smiled. "If I stay with them any longer, I'll really feel like a parent," she thought.
"I see," Gon said. "Then, take care."
"Yeah, you too," her eyes softened, and her smile widened. "You three are the best. I love you."
They looked at her for a while before grinning and bowing slightly.
"Thank you very much!" they shouted.
She bowed back and nodded. Gon then took the card and smiled at his friends before holding it high in the air.
"Accompany on!" he shouted. "Nigg!"
A huge white light wrapped them and they flew away. Biscuit just waved after them, holding back her tears and wishing to see them again.
The three crossed the sky and passed next to a house, where there was a young man studying the human anatomy. He didn't notice them, though. The only thing he felt was his head overheating and his brain exploding.
Right after that, Leorio's face hit the table with a thud.
In the other side of the world, a young blond boy stepped back, panting and sweating a lot. His eyes then opened when he saw the beam of light crossing the sky, like a shooting star in daylight.
"Giving up, Kurapika?"
He glanced at the man in suit and his face turned serious again. Even though we was awfully injured and worn off, he forced himself to stand.
Kurapika was determinied. He needed to be stronger.
"Excuse me, Master," he said, in determination. "I'll continue."
And the man smirked in satisfaction as the boy started to run towards him once again.
On the other hand, the three kids arrived at an island. Beautiful flower petals greeted them as they flew all over the place in where they were.
And, behind a huge tree, there was a man. Gon took a couple of steps closer to him, as he looked at them at with the corner of his eye.
The boy just froze.
End of the chapter! Sorry for taking so long!
Well, sorry because of the lame fight (and little reference from Teen Wolf in a little part, my bad). Leaving that apart, I'll tell you that next chapter I'll start with the Chimera Ant Arc and I'll do my best on it.
fantasy.92: No, I don't believe you... XD Just kidding. Thanks a lot for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed this chapter:)
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See you all later!