A big thank you to Rina Dragonfly, Anime Lover, Just A Cadbury and all silent readers!
Anime lover – Thank you, shoulders are not my strong point and I'm actually out of practice. As for clothing folds, not really; I think I put in too many really. Hope you get over your fever soon and it doesn't transform into something worse!
Let's get the legal stuff out of the way first. I do not own Hunter x Hunter or Hunter x Hunter 2011. All rights and ownership go to the following: Yoshihiro Togashi, Shueisha, Shonen, Kazuhiro Furuhashi, Nobuaki Kishima, Nippon Animation, Viz Media, Fuji TV, Funimation Channel, Satoshi Saga, Yukihiro Matsushite, Makoto Sato, Hiroshi Kojina, Atsushi Maekawa, Tsutomu Kamishiro, Madhouse, NTV, Yuzo Sato, Shoji Yonemura and last but not least Keiichiro Kawaguchi. Whew.
It had been another month since Gon and I were forbidden to practice anything other than Ten. They've been boring, really boring. I'm not one to complain, was taught to be grateful for what I have and what I did; but when all you do is practice one thing every day for thirty days, it gets a bit restless and painfully boring. It even came to points where I just wanted to go outside and play, but we had to do this so we could get stronger, and if we were going to learn more about Nen we needed to do this. On one plus side, I could feel presences much better now, like when the other fighters were coming up on the elevator before I even came face to face with them. I was glad about that; that would help me a lot. On other plus side, I managed to finish off making some new dress tabards in the evening, so I guess not all was lost. Sure they looked exactly the same as to what I was currently wearing but can never have too much of a good thing! And clothes were a very good thing.
I met Gon and Killua in the hallway after getting a shower and dressed. Wing wanted to see us at his house, hopefully to teach us some new things. The trip didn't take very long, we talked about what we could be learning with any luck; although none of us knew what to expect.
Once we got to Wing's house he invited us in. We stood in front of him and the white board. The crater in the wall was covered up by a giant rug like wall decoration. I stood next to Gon and Killua, with Zushi standing next to Gon.
"Gon. Killua. Mishka. Starting today, you'll train with Zushi. Gon, I'm pleased that you kept your word." Wing said to Gon, smiling at him with his hands behind his back. Gon smiled widely back at him, grateful for the praise.
"It's thanks to your promise thread. A few times, I almost gave in. But when I looked at the thread, I was able to control myself." Gon said, lifting his hand and looking at the promise threaded finger. I couldn't help but smile widely at him for keeping his promise. It was hard not to go against it, even I was finding it hard time to time; but it was somehow kept.
"That's because I added some Nen to help you." Wing said making me and Gon look at him in surprise.
"Huh? Really?" Gon asked him. Did Wing really do that? Can Wing really do that? It was such a surprise, if he could that's amazing!
"No, I was lying." Wing said, smiling widely with his eyes closed. I couldn't help but glare at him slightly, lying wasn't very nice! Not one bit. Gon pulled a face at Wing's lie.
"Lying's not very nice." I muttered to myself, shifting my gaze to the floor as I linked my fingers behind my back lightly. I didn't like liars much; they were deceiving.
"But how could you tell that he kept his word? He could have been practising in secret." Killua said pointing at Gon. Gon pulled a face at Killua, closing his eyes tightly as he closed-eyed glared at him. I laughed a little bit, putting my hand over my mouth with a wide smile to my face. Gon could pull some funny expressions when he wanted to.
"Because the promise thread remained intact. Gon, it's been a while, but would you try using Ten?" Wing explained, and then asked Gon as we turned our heads to face him once more.
"It's okay?" Gon asked him wide eyed.
"Yes." Wing said to him simply.
Gon smiled widely to himself as he closed his eyes to concentrate. I looked at Killua who was looking away thinking panicky to himself. I didn't know why, I mean it was only using Ten. Wait! Did I remember how to use Ten? We've been practicing but practising and actually using are two different things. I pulled a face as I furrowed my brows, this should be interesting. Me and Killua both looked back at Gon. He had a white aura about him, he still knew how to do it. Zushi looked at Gon as well as Wing asked him his question.
"Zushi, what do you think?" Wing asked him, putting a hand onto his hip.
"I-It's amazing! His aura is flowing all around him! Soft and calm… But it's very strong!" Zushi explained, looking at Gon with pure awe. I watched Gon with wide eyes, amazed he could still do it. Gon opened his eyes and smiled widely.
"I did it! Whew… I was worried I might have forgotten how." Gon said relieved he didn't forget how to do Ten. Now the question was did I remember how to do Ten?
"Once you've learned the technique, you can't forget it." Wing said to him, smiling at him as he spoke.
"Oh, so it's like riding a bike." I said to him as Wing nodded his head. I tried learning once, never again. I fell off and scrapped my knees and hands; Jerome thought it was funny, my brother not so much.
"However, to become a master, you'll have to train hard." Wing said to him as he continued to smile widely, well, as widely as Wing smiled anyway; which wasn't very wide.
"But it felt easier than before, despite not having been practising Ten." Gon said to him confused. Then I got confused, I thought we were practising Ten…were we not practising Ten? What were we practising if it wasn't Ten. I stared at the ground wide eyed trying to make sense on what we were practising and what we weren't practising.
"That's because you were training your spirit each day. Now, look at your left hand." Wing explained to us, making me exhale in thought with a small smile on my face and brows knitted together.
Well, at least I know knew what we were practising every day; that cleared things up a bit. Gon looked at his left hand where the promise thread was.
"It snapped!" Gon said surprised. I looked up at his hand and looked at his finger amazed. How did that happen? I looked back at Wing as he spoke once more.
"By applying my own Nen, I tied the thread such that if you broke your promise and used Nen, it would snap." Wing explained to us calmly as he lifted a finger next to his face. Killua and Gon looked at Wing as well; they didn't seem as amazed by that as I was.
"Hey, Wing… Did you watch Kastro and Hisoka's match?" Killua asked him as Gon looked at Killua.
"Yes, I did." Wing said to him happily. Killua shoved his hands into his pockets as Gon turned his head to look back at Wing.
"What was the ability that Hisoka used? Could we send loose limbs flying around?" Killua asked making my back stiffen. Send limbs flying around? Why would I want to do that? That sounded awful not to mention traumatizing for the person whose limbs are flying around.
"Hmm, that's a different question. Gon, Mishka, have you two seen the fight on video?" Wing asked us, looking at the two of us as I assumed we were the only ones who hadn't yet. I shook my head, but if there was limbs flying about I don't think I'd want to.
"No, not yet." Gon said to him for both of us. Wing pulled out a disk from his pocket and held it up, continuing to smile at the both of us.
"Then I'll explain while we watch." Wing said to us.
Wing walked over to the TV and inserted the disk at the side. Me, Gon, Killua and Zushi all took a seat in front of the TV on the floor, I stayed in my current spot between Gon and Killua. Gon and Killua sat with their legs crossed as me and Zushi sat on top of our legs. The match came on, he fast forwarded; and I was grateful for that as I nearly closed my eyes tightly when Kastro sliced through his arm. Hisoka held a piece of cloth other his severed arm and tossed it into the air. It turned into hundreds of cards; or what looked like hundreds of cards. Wing paused the video as the cards started falling to the ground.
"Can you see the threads of aura extending from his left hand?" Wing asked us as he held the remote. I squinted my eyes, I couldn't see anything.
"Threads of aura?" Gon asked him, confused about what Wing was talking about as well.
"Yes. Do you see them?" Wing asked, closing his eyes briefly and then opening them again, looking back at the screen. The three of us concentrated however we couldn't see them.
"N-nope." Gon said frowning widely and furrowing his brows as he continued to look at the screen.
"I can't see a thing." Killua said glaring at the TV.
"Nothing." I said knitting my brows together as I watched the screen, trying to see what Wing could apparently see.
"Same here." Zushi said closing his eyes and looking away. I heard Gon growl slightly to himself as he concentrated on the screen once more, glaring at it.
"Are there really threads of aura coming from Hisoka's left hand?" Gon asked, wondering if there was really or if Wing was just pulling our legs.
"Yes, Hisoka is using a technique that makes his aura difficult to perceive. It's a high-level application of Zetsu, known as In. When you use In, even the strongest opponents will find it hard to see your aura. The most effective counter to this technique is to focus the aura created by Ren into your eyes, a technique called Gyo." Wing explained to us. If Hisoka was using such a high level of Zetsu, he must have been a lot stronger than any of us originally thought. I knew he was strong, but I didn't think so strong he could hide his aura. It was actually a scary thought.
Killua had shifted so that his was sitting with one knee propped up and an arm lazily tossed over the knee. Gon's hands were on his knees as I straightened up slightly listening to the explanation. Focusing something into my eyes didn't sound very pleasant if I was honest.
"The method Gon used in his fight with Gido might work, as well. However, you couldn't take offensive action, so ultimately, you'd throw your life away." Wing explained as Gon shifted himself so that he was sitting on his legs as well with me and Zushi.
"Right." Gon said, making sure not to do that technique again. He was an idiot for trying and me and Killua made sure to remind him of that.
"My assignment for you three is to practice Ren until you can see through Hisoka's In." Wing said to us. He was giving us such a big thing to practice. I was glad though, we were practising something else instead of Ten.
"Uh, master? What should I do?" Zushi asked him, looking up at Wing as well. I guess Zushi felt left out that us three were practising Ren and he wasn't instructed to do so.
"Zushi, you should already be strong enough to see past his In." Wing said, smiling at the youngest of us. I looked at Zushi smiling widely as he pointed to himself in disbelief with his brows furrowed.
"I should?" He said, not believing what Wing had said.
"Show them your Ren." Wing said to him. Gon smiled at him as I smiled widely at the boy. Killua watched him from the corner of his eyes as Zushi looked at the three of us uncertain. He looked back at Wing once he felt sure, a determined look replacing the one of uncertainty.
"O-osu!" He said stuttering.
The three of us stood up and moved away from Zushi. He pulled his feet shoulder width apart and punched his hand towards the ground, but not actually touching it. Closing his eyes he inhaled deeply and then snapped them open.
"Ren!" He shouted as a blast of white aura started to rise from the ground; almost like fire on the spot he stood at. It made me feel uncomfortable and shift my weight on the spot as I brought my hands up to my chest and started fiddling with the sleeves of my training clothes, my brows furrowed. It was kind of worrying how a boy, probably younger than us three, could produce something so powerful.
"Then direct that aura into your eyes." Wing said, placing a hand on his hip and dropping the other arm to his side.
"Osu!" Zushi said as he concentrated, directing the aura to his eyes. I gasped slightly as the aura around him disappeared and instead made his eyes look as if they were blowing off steam. He brought his head up, gritting his teeth with the struggle and short punched the air.
"Gyo!" He shouted, looking at Wing.
"So, can you see the aura that emanates from Hisoka's body?" Wing asked him, never taking his eyes off the boy.
"Yes." Zushi said to him, although it sounded like he was struggling. He began sweating all down his face as he continued to try and upkeep Gyo.
"And how many threads are there?" Wing asked him, putting a hand onto the TV as he continued to watch Zushi; who continued to struggle keeping Gyo up.
"Twelve… No, I think it's thirteen." Zushi said to him, keeping the same short punched stance. It amazed me how he was able to keep it for so long, it looked difficult and painful. If this was something Wing wanted us to practise then I would need to brace myself for hours of pain and hours sitting in a hot bath.
"Not quite. But you were close." Wing said, smiling at him proud of what he had just accomplished.
Zushi let the aura go and doubled over, grapping onto his knees as he breathed heavily. Me, Gon and Killua looked at him in utter amazement, he really just did that.
"I could really see them!" Zushi said through gasps.
"You're making excellent progress, Zushi." Wing said to the boy as all four of us looked up to him.
"O-Osu. Thank you very much." Zushi said to him, furrowing his brows.
"By channelling all your power through Gyo, you achieved a level where you could see through Hisoka's In." Wing said as he took the remote out from behind him and pressed a button, turning off the TV.
"But with enough training, you'll be able to use Gyo while fighting." Wing said as he turned his head to face us again. He closed his eyes and smiled at us the widest he normally did.
"Do you understand? First, practice Ren, and master the Ren application known as Gyo. Then you'll discover the true nature of Hisoka's ability." Wing said to us as the three of us watched him. I was still amazed by Zushi's performance. If I could get that strong, than I would be extremely happy.
"And will you be able to use that same ability? My answer is both yes and no." Wing said to us, making Gon, Killua and myself look at each other, wondering what it was he exactly meant. I think, if we tried hard enough we'd be able to use In as well; but we had yet to learn Ren, so maybe it was a bit of high hopes for mastering In quickly.
"Regardless of what Hisoka's precise power is, as long as it uses Nen, you can learn it. However, Nen powers depends on the particular individual. Each of us possesses different specialities and preference. Thus, Nen differs for each person. If you're serious about mastering Nen, you shouldn't merely copy others' abilities. It's important that you first identify your own strengths." Wing explained to us as we kept watching him.
Our own strengths… What would mine be? Did trying to stay out of danger count as one? I wasn't very strong, and I didn't really like fighting close up, although all my fights required me to at the moment… This was going to be very difficult for me to discover, unless running away and staying out of trouble counted as one than I was pretty much useless. I couldn't help but sigh to myself trying to think of my own strengths.
"You've only just began to develop. You haven't settled on one form yet. Initially, try to grow as much as you can. That is the purpose of this training. Train hard, play hard, and enjoy life." Wing said to us as all four of us threw our arms towards the ground with Wing walking away from us.
"Osu!" The four of us said at the same time. Wing walked towards the calendar, the four of us followed him with our eyes.
"The final day of Killua's window to fight is June the ninth, Gon's is the tenth and Mishka's is the twelve, correct? I'd like you three to register for your final day." Wing said smiling widely as he tapped the calendar and placed a hand on his hip. I felt myself stiffen. Register? For another fight? I knitted my brows together; I didn't want to fight again no way.
"In the meantime, you'll train. You must learn Gyo before it's time for your battle." Wing said to us as he continued to smile widely. We all threw our arms to the ground once more.
"Osu!" We shouted at the same time, showing we understood what Wing wanted. I didn't want to do this though, no way. If I was honest, fighting Kai had put me off big time; and everybody here was so strong it was unreal.
Me, Gon, Killua and Zushi had all left Wing's house and began making our way back to Heaven's arena. Zushi stood in the middle of Gon and Killua whilst I walked next to Killua. Killua had his hands behind his head as we all looked at Zushi, a smile across our faces.
"Your Ren was impressive, Zushi. You moved way ahead while me and Mishka were resting." Gon said, commenting on Zushi's performance with his Ren back at Wing's house.
"No, I still have a long path before me." Zushi said scratching the back of his head, his brows furrowed and eyes closed with a nervous smile at the compliments.
"Hey, let's practise what we just learned." Gon suggested to us. I nodded my head with a small smile; as much as it sounded painful the idea of practising something new was tempted.
"Yeah, then let's go to your room, Gon." Killua said to him smiling widely. Gon nodded his head agreeing that was what we should do.
We made it to Heaven's Arena in pretty quick time. The four of us climbed into the elevator. I pushed the button for two hundred, although I had to stand on my toes to do so. We stood in a circle in the elevator. Zushi looked determined to practice and had his hands by his sides, as well as Gon. I had my hands linked lightly behind my back, just by the fingers as Killua stood with his arms crossed. I felt something strong and shivered slightly; it made me jump a little.
"Killua…Mishka…Zushi." Gon said, alerting us that he felt the presence.
"Osu." Zushi whispered back to us, leaning forward a little bit.
"We have company." Killua said looking at the door.
"Three of them as well." I said looking at the door myself. The elevator stopped on the two hundredth floor.
Gon exited first with the rest of us exiting behind him. Turning to our lefts we saw the three presences that we felt in the elevator. Standing in the hall way about twenty or so feet away was Gido and his two friends; the guy in the robes and the guy in the wheelchair.
"You guys don't know when to quit. That's why no one likes you." Killua said point blank to them as he shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Oh, don't be harsh. Tell me when you're going to fight, because I'd love to be your opponent." The man in the robes said to us, more so Killua. He still freaked me out with his black eyes and little yellow dots for pupils; it was disturbing and creepy. Killua sighed and looked at his, a frown evident on his face with his brows furrowed.
"I guess they specialize in hunting newbies. They want to rack up wins by beating us." Killua said to us as we turned our heads to face him. That kind of made sense, I mean, Gido had signed up on the same day as Gon just to fight him.
"We're getting desperate… Because our deadline is nearing. Come on, let's fight. I'll even demonstrate my power right now." The guy in the robes said to us as he started creating an aura where his arm was missing. Zushi stepped back as he got himself into a defensive stance. I couldn't help but stiffen at the feel of the aura, I wasn't too sure if I was ever going to get used to that feeling.
"I'm fighting on June the tenth." Gon said to him, stepping up. I looked at Gon shocked that he would even tell them.
"Hey, Gon!" Killua barked at him, not happy about him telling him his deadline date.
"That won't work. My deadline is May the twenty-ninth. Fight on that day." He said to Gon, or all three of us, trying to get us to fight them.
"Who cares about your deadline, moron? Let's go." Killua said to them and then said to us. We all turned our backs to them and began walking away from the three men.
"Gon… You and I will fight. I guarantee it." The robed man said to Gon making Gon stop to look at him.
"Gon, ignore him." Killua said as I quickly stopped and walked back. I grabbed Gon's wrist lightly and began pulling him away when he continued to stare at the men. Once we caught up with the other two I let go; it wasn't very comfortable being around those men; they felt dangerous. I noticed Killua look back at them slightly as the one in robes started giggling to himself. I couldn't help but furrow my brows.
We made it to Gon's room in one piece. I was glad too, any longer in the hall way with those three guys and I think I would have gone mad or ran away to try and find somewhere to hide, away from their presence. Me, Gon, Killua and Zushi stood in the middle of Gon's room. We all had our eyes closed and our heads down, concentrating on what to do.
"Visualize the energy building in your body. Power gathers in each cell, and grows. Then you force that power out!" Killua said, guiding us through. The four of us snapped our eyes open. I could feel a blast of air coming up from below me for three seconds before I had to shroud. The shroud disappeared as I took a deep breathe; it was difficult, very difficult. I didn't catch on very well. I looked over at Gon, Killua and Zushi; they kept their auras flaming upwards until they breathed out and calmed down. This was the first time I was able to get Ren to work, unlike Gon and Killua who managed it the first time, even if it wasn't for that long.
"I'm getting used to this. Mishka you managed to actually do Ren this time." Gon said as he looked at me.
"Yeah!" I said smiling widely at him and nodded my head quickly. I was happy with that achievement, it only took about ten tries to try and get three seconds of Ren; but I managed to do it. Killua looked at both me and Gon with a determined smirk on his face.
"Learning when to shroud the boosted aura with Ten was a little tricky." Killua said as me and Gon turned to face him, smiling widely at him.
"But our aura's still aren't as strong as Zushi's." Gon said pointing his hand at the younger boy. I nodded my head with a wide smile.
"I don't understand how he can do it, it's really hard." I said happily as I looked over to him. Zushi looked shocked for some reason, why I couldn't tell.
"Guess we should practise more." Killua suggested to us. I nodded my head, it was actually fun practising this one.
"N-No, that's enough! Learning when to rest if part of training. Let's call it a day." Zushi said to us, his shoulders hunched together. The three of us looked at him confused.
"Really? I can still-" Killua began saying. Zushi held his hand out flat to us, indicating Killua to stop, a glare on his face.
"No!" Zushi yelled at us. I sighed slightly as Killua placed his fingers behind his head, raising an eyebrow at Zushi and his sudden attitude change.
"Oh…" Killua said in disappointed. Gon turned his head to Killua and smiled widely while closing his eyes.
"Well, it's okay. We'll practise more tomorrow." Gon said to Killua as he turned his head to face Gon.
"Yeah." Killua said to him smiling at his suggestion.
Me, Killua and Zushi walked out of Gon's room. Gon followed us and poked his head out of the door smiling widely.
"See you tomorrow. Bye." He said to us as Killua waved his hand in the air at Gon; his other hand still behind his head. Me and Killua walked down way of the hallway as Zushi walked down the other. I had my hands laced behind my back as I walked down the hallway with Killua. Killua stopped making me stop and looked at him with an eyebrow raised in question.
"Okay, then…" Killua said as I looked at him in question.
"What is it?" I asked him as Killua looked back at me before looking over his shoulder through the corner of his eyes.
"Let's follow Zushi. I'm not comfortable with what those guys said earlier." Killua said as I nodded my head slightly agreeing to follow him. We waited for a little bit until we could only just about feel Zushi's presence and then proceeded to follow him. Killua poked my arm making me look at him as we stayed behind walls every time we felt like we were getting too close to Zushi.
"Do you know Zetsu?" He whispered to me. I furrowed my brows with an apologetic smile and shook my head. Killua looked at me disapprovingly and sighed before shaking his head.
"If we keep out distance no one should notice. Just concentrate on hiding your aura." Killua said as I nodded my head. I began thinking about hiding myself and my aura, although it was a lot more difficult than Killua had made it seem to be. What came to mind was when did Killua learn to hide his aura? Well it wasn't time to think about that now, now was time to think about hiding my own. I couldn't feel Killua's presence anymore and could only assume he had hidden his own presence.
We followed Zushi to the outside; hiding behind walls again once we got too close. Killua was glaring the whole way through as I had a determined look on my face. We followed Zushi all the way to an alley way. I felt the robed guys aura and quickly hide behind a wall with Killua, holding my breath as I tried hard to keep my own aura hidden. I closed my eyes tightly as I kept myself firmly pressed against the wall. The robed guy walked down the alley way. I felt something powerful, it made a chill run up my spin. I knew Killua felt it to as I felt him stiffen slightly next to me; although not that much. If I wasn't next to him I wouldn't have noticed. Killua looked at me and nodded his head towards the alley way. I nodded mine and followed him out from behind the wall. We stood in front of the alley way, looking at the three guys who stood there.
"Forget it. I figured you were up to something. But you don't need dirty tricks to make me fight you." Killua said to them as he shoved a hand into his pocket. The men jumped at Killua's words, I guess they hadn't been expecting us. He began walking forward with me following afterwards, I was frightened, I'd admit that; but I had to be brave to help get back Zushi. It looked like Zushi was unconscious as his head and upper body was lying across the wheelchair man's lap. He was missing a shoe. I wondered if it had anything to do with that powerful aura from earlier.
"When do you want to fight? Don't worry. I'll let you win. I'll even give you each a win. Is that good enough?" Killua asked as he stopped in front of the guy in the wheelchair. I stopped next to Killua, looking between them myself with my best brave look I could muster up. There was silence between us until the guy in the robes spoke up.
"After I get my win off you, I'm going to fight Gon." He said, a creepy smile spreading itself across his face.
"If you want to fight Gon, you'll have to follow his schedule. He'll be more than happy to fight you. I can promise you tight." Killua said smirking at them, until his smirk turned into a glare at the robed man. The robed man giggled slightly at Killua's words.
"Okay. If you two are willing to fight, we don't need to bother with this." The robed man said, pointing his only hand at Zushi, who was lying in the wheelchair guys lap.
"Let's go register together. Once that's done I'll return the boy unharmed." The man in the wheelchair said. Killua scratched the back of his head as he looked at the wheelchair man.
"Yeah, yeah. Sure… But only this once." Killua said to him making it clear. The man in the wheelchair moved Zushi so that he was sitting in his lap probably.
We all went back to Heaven's Arena. I was glad that Killua didn't drag me into fighting them in their matches, although it did make me wonder why he got me to come along in the first place, considering he was a good fighter by himself. I decided not to think of the matter, it didn't matter now; what was done had been done, I'd just ask him later. Killua stood in front of the registration desk as he wrote the date of the robed man's deadline onto it. I watched from the side, sticking close to Killua; it still wasn't comforting being around those guys.
"May, twenty-ninth…Okay, happy now?" Killua asked them as he placed his pen down and looked up at the robed man. The two men looked at Zushi, who was still out cold.
"Yes, we'll return him." The man said to Killua. I helped put Zushi onto Killua's back. Killua jumped slightly when he had his arms under Zushi's legs and walked forward away from the guys. I walked next to Killua, deciding it was best to stay with him.
"Oh, just to reiterate, it's a one-time deal. If you break your promise… Eh…whatever." Killua said looking over his shoulder. When he couldn't be bothered to finish the threat he looked straight ahead again. He looked back over his shoulder once more, glaring at the two.
"Forget it." Killua said and began walking forward once more. I began walking forward myself, keeping my hands by my sides.
"What? You got me curious." The man in the wheelchair said.
"What will happen if we break our promise?" The robed man said as we continued walking forward to take Zushi home.
"No point in telling you now. Just keep your word." Killua said to them simply.
The two of us got out of Heaven's Arena and walked down the quiet street with Zushi on Killua's back.
"Hey, Killua. Why did you get me to come along anyway? You're good at fighting by yourself without someone else's help." I said to him. Killua looked at me through the corner of his eyes as I continued looking straight ahead. He looked forward once more and closed his eyes with a cat like grin on his face.
"Yeah I know. But if you plan to keep up with me and Gon you needed to know Zetsu to." He said making me look at him with an irritated look. My eyebrow continued to stay up in question to him as I looked at him.
"So you only brought my along to get me to learn Zetsu?" I said to him irritated. He turned his head towards me, keeping the cat like grin on his face.
"It worked didn't it? You were able to hide your presence long enough for them to jump when I spoke." He said, making me sigh and look forward once more with a small smile on my face.
"Yeah, I guess it did." I said to him, the smile on my face widening. He was right; even if it was only for a minute or so, I managed to conceal my presence long enough for the men to jump at Killua's words.
We continued to walk down the dark street in silence, the only company besides ourselves and Zushi's unconscious body was our footsteps and whatever street lights were on. I heard Killua sigh slightly and looked at him confused, he seemed to have something playing on his mind.
"Clean living's tough…" Killua said making me furrow my brows. It must have been quite the change, living the life of an assassin where you only wondered when you'd be next sent out to kill, and then that life suddenly changing to know killing only fighting when needed. I turned my head to look ahead once more as we continued back to Wing's house, assuming that's where Zushi lived.
"You'll get used to it. Everything's hard at first; but it gets easier." I said to him, a small smile on my face. I heard him sigh once more, although a bit more frustrated.
"Easy for you to say you never had to go out and kill people." He said to me. I giggled slightly and furrowed my brows with a small smile on my face.
"No, but I have had to be away from my big brother for a long time. If I can do that than you can live a clean life." I said to him, turning my head and smiling widely at him. Killua thought to himself and shrugged slightly, closing his eyes as he kept his head turned forward.
"Okay, I guess you're right there…it's still tough though." He said as I nodded my head and looked straight ahead once more.
We dropped Zushi back at Wing's house. We agreed that leaving Zushi by Wing's door was the best option. Killua turned around and slipped Zushi off his back, leaving him by the wall. I knocked on the door, as soon as my hand left the door we both ran away as quickly as we could away from Wing's house. It was better than trying to explain to Wing about what happened, and I didn't want to lie to Wing; so this way was the only way we could agree on.
The walk between us to Heaven's Arena was silent but it wasn't uncomfortable; there was never much conversation between us I just think we enjoyed the company. If something came to mind we would speak, but other than that it was just silence and I didn't mind that; I still saw us as friends either way. We said our goodbyes once we reached my room. I entered my room and locked it behind me. Stripping down to my training clothes I walked over to my bed and just flopped onto it, closing my eyes. With that I was out like a light.
I heard loud banging on my door and blinked open my eyes. Rolling off the bed I hit the floor hard and quickly stood up. I walked over to the door and unlocked it only to have someone swing it open and grab me by the shoulders shaking my roughly.
"Zushi's been kidnapped!" I heard Gon say panicked, holding onto Zushi's shoe. I blinked a couple of times and yawned loudly closing my eyes tightly and placing a hand over my mouth slightly. I felt myself being shaken again with the same amount of force as before.
"Wake up, Mishka! We need to get Zushi!" Gon said. I grabbed his hands and took them off my shoulders. I let go of his hands and backed away inside, closing the door. I heard Gon bang on the door again as I went to over to my shoes and bent down picking one up.
"Mishka! What are you doing?!" Gon shouted through the door and then opened it. I quickly turned around and threw a one of my shoes at him, hitting him in the forehead. Picking up my other shoe I walked back over to Gon and slipped on the one that fell onto the ground, then brought my leg up and slipped on the other one."Zushi's okay. Me and Killua took him home last night." I said to Gon tiredly as I yawned again. Gon looked at me confused, rubbing his forehead with the back of his hand.
"But I had a phone call last night to my room. Zushi's shoe was by my door." Gon said as I rubbed my eyes with the palms of my hands.
"So that's where he's shoe went. Okay, let's go to Wing's house; that's where me and Killua took him last night." I said to Gon as he nodded his head. We both exited my room, I didn't bother putting on my dress tabard; I was so tired.
We ran all the way to Wing's house, just to help put Gon's mind at rest. Gon knocked loudly on Wing's door. The older man answered it and invited us in. It was from there that I had explained to Wing that Zushi fell asleep at Gon's after training, deciding it was better to say that instead of worrying him. I didn't like lying, and it was getting to me to do so. Wing was annoyed that we didn't stick around to explain last night, but he seemed to understand afterwards. At least, I think he did. He said thank you anyway. Gon had kept quiet about the match, deciding now wasn't the best time to tell him.
Gon turned to Wing, smiling widely after handing back Zushi's shoe.
"Wing, can you play the video again? I've learnt Gyo." Gon said to him, smiling widely. I looked at Gon surprised; he managed to learn Gyo over night? How? I furrowed my brows; I could only just about do Zetsu, let alone Gyo. Wing nodded his head and played the video. He paused at the part where Hisoka threw his arm into the air and turned it into cards. Gon concentrated hard; I stood next to Zushi as I felt his aura become stronger. It rose from the ground like steam and then went to his eyes, making them steam. Gon looked at the TV, gritting his teeth hard.
"There's fifteen threads. Thirteen are on the cards, one is one his arm and the other on the scarf." Gon said to Wing. Wing nodded his head and smiled widely as Gon let the Gyo go; happy to where he managed to get to.
"I'm surprised; you managed to learn Gyo overnight." Wing said to him as Gon rubbed the back of his head smiling widely with a small laugh. I couldn't help but smile back, although my brows furrowed. I felt Wing look at me making me look back up at him.
"What about you, Mishka?" He asked me as I fidgeted on the spot with my hands behind my back. I looked down on the ground as I furrowed my brows.
"I'm still trying to get the hang of Ren." I muttered quietly. I heard Wing laugh slightly making me look up at him through the top of my eye lids.
"Don't worry. You'll get it." He said to me smiling slightly. I smiled back a little and nodded my head. Me and Gon turned our attention to Zushi, deciding that talking to him was the best, just to see how he was last night.
Soon the door opened again. Killua was the one to walk in. His clothing was totally different, he wore a blue baseball cap with a yellow block on it, a black hooded vest top with two yellow "T" on either side, a blue turtle neck underneath, brown trousers and black trainers.
"Huh, Killua?" Gon said surprised as he looked over to Killua.
"Gon, Mishka, you two were here?" Killua questioned us as I nodded my head. Gon scratched the back of his head, a confused look on his face.
"Y-yeah…" He said as he looked away and at the wall confused. Zushi looked at Killua after putting on his other shoe.
"Killua, I believe you and Mishka helped Zushi last night. Thank you." Wing said to him. I gave Killua an apologetic smile. He nodded his head and turned his attention to Zushi, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
"You feeling alright?" He asked Zushi concerned. Zushi smiled widely at Killua, turning himself to face him.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I was probably tired. Sorry to worry you." Zushi said bowing to him. I saw Killua give me a small smile of thanks making me smile back slightly. He owed me for lying to Wing; it was making me feel awful.
"Oh, Wing… Can we watch that video again? I've learned how to use Gyo." Killua asked him with a smirk as he pointed to himself with his thumb. Me and Gon smiled widely at Killua, he learnt Gyo so fast! Wing looked surprised as Zushi looked put off.
Wing put the video of Hisoka's fight back on. He paused at the part once more where Hisoka threw his arm into the air, making it turn into cards and fall to the ground. Killua took off his hat and tossed it to me. I only just about caught it when it nearly hit the ground. Killua stood in front of the TV and activated Ren, making fire like steam rise from the ground below him. We watched him closely as the fire like steam went to his eyes. He began sweating.
"Fifteen threads, right? Thirteen for the cards, one for the scarf, and a well hidden one that leads to the arm he tossed. Continue." Killua explained to him as me and Gon looked at him in amazement. Wing continued to video. It showed two Kastro's fighting the one armed Hisoka.
"Hisoka is… Hisoka's aura appears to expand and contract. Or does it attract certain objects, similar to a magnet? Why else would his arm reattach? Or fly into his opponents chin? It's probably the former." Killua said as it showed Hisoka's arm being reattached. I couldn't help but feel a shiver up my spine; Hisoka could reattach limbs just like that? That was creepy beyond belief, so creepy. Killua placed a hand on his chest as he continued to watch what was happening. Next the video showed Hisoka throwing cards into Kastro's limbs and finally his chest.
"His aura is elastic, like rubber. That would explain most of his tricks." Killua explained. He hunched forward and let Gyo disappear. I continued to stare at him wide eyed in amazement; he managed to do that in one night? How? Wing turned off the TV.
"Very good…you pass. But I am surprised… I didn't expect you and Gon to learn Gyo overnight." Wing said as he stood in front of us. I stood next to Zushi and Killua, still holding onto Killua's hate. Zushi looked very disheartened with Gon and Killua both learning Gyo literally over night; I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disheartened as well. Still, that meant I had to practice every day really hard as soon as I got back to my room!
"Gon?" Killua questioned as Gon turned his head to face Killua, a wide smile on his face.
"Uh-huh, but I still couldn't figure out Hisoka's power." Gon said to him happy that he managed to learn Gyo.
We turned our attention back to Wing as he started speaking once more.
"So, Killua, since you finished your assignment I assume you want to fight, yes?" Wing asked him. Killua turned his head towards Gon, glaring at him slightly. I furrowed my brows a bit, wasn't Killua happy that Gon learnt Gyo too?
"O-Oh, I wasn't trying to beat you to the punch. I just got an itch to fight." Gon said to him defensively as he held up his hands. Killua calmed down and closed his eyes, smiling at Gon.
"Yeah, I get it. Actually, I've already chosen my day to fight." Killua said as he turned his attention back to Wing, smiling widely at him. I knew what day Killua was talking about, I'd be a fool if I didn't seeing as I was standing with him when he wrote down the date.
"May the twenty-ninth." Killua said to him, smiling widely.
"Mine's May the Thirtieth." Gon said to Wing, smiling widely. Wing smiled widely at the two and placed his hands on his hips.
"That's fine. I underestimated how fast you could learn. Spend the remaining days practising Ten and Ren. Mishka, you continue practising Ren. Be sure you get plenty of practice, rest and sleep." Wing said to the three of us, as he continued to smile at us. We threw our arms down towards the ground.
"Osu!" We said to him.
The sun was starting to set once we started to leave Wing's house. I had gotten bored and tired and holding Killua's hat so I handed it back to him for him to wear. I took it and said thanks, then quickly fixed it back onto his head. I walked next to Gon as I held my hands behind my back slightly, just holding onto my fingers as I watched the sky as we walked. I had to catch up to them; they had already learnt Gyo and I was still trying to grasp a hold of Ren. It was clear I wasn't slowing them down at all, they continued at their normal pace and just as they should. Still; I did feel bad about not being on the same level as them. I thought, when I managed to get up to the two hundred with them I had become as strong as them; but I was proven wrong in many different ways. I felt an elbow in my side slightly and jumped out of my thoughts. I looked at Gon who looked at me concerned with Killua looking at me with some concern, but not as much; he wasn't the type of person.
"Are you okay, Mishka? I was asking if you wanted to train with me and Killua tonight." Gon asked as I blinked a couple of times. I smiled widely at him and nodded my head.
"Okay. Sorry I was thinking to myself." I said to him laughing slightly. Gon smiled back widely at me as Killua gave a small smile as we continued our way back to Heaven's Arena.
The twenty-ninth of May came quickly. I met Gon in the hall way. I had gotten better at Ren, I could make it appear for about five seconds now before I had to shroud. I practised every night to try and get better and most of the time I woke up on the floor. I came to the conclusion that I just collapsed out of exhaustion. It didn't bother me though, if I got better than that was fine by me. We made our way through the stands and took our seats. Gon had explained how he was threatened to fight Sadaso, which I assumed was the guy that took Zushi. I told Gon that was the guy that threatened Killua too; however Gon said he knew as they were discussing it when I was spacing out.
"We have an exciting match for you today! Rookie Killua against the Rookie crusher Sadaso!" Cocco, the announcer shouted. Killua rose through the floor. He had his hands in his pockets. However, there was no sign of Sadaso. I looked at the arena confused with Gon as we wondered where he had gone; after all he was itching to fight Gon, so why wouldn't he show up? Unless he only wanted to fight Gon and no one else.
"We'll give Sadaso ten minutes before Killua wins by default!" Cocco shouted through the microphone. Me and Gon looked at each other concerned before looking back down to the floor.
Ten minutes had passed by slowly, it felt like hours. There was no sign of Sadaso; it was like he vanished into thin air.
"Time has run out for Sadaso! Killua wins by default!" The referee shouted as the arena was dead quiet. I looked down in surprise, Killua seemed unfazed by his victory, but everyone else was extremely mad about it.
"Damn, I want my money back!" Someone shouted through the crowd. I turned my head towards Gon, who looked angry about it. I furrowed my brows slightly and opened my mouth to say something, but instead I closed it; thinking it was better to not say anything right now. With Sadaso gone, I wonder…what will happen with the other two?
Authors note: For those confused on why Killua learnt Zetsu off screen; when he met Kastro he stated "When a presence as strong as yours suddenly disappears it puts people on edge." This can only point at Killua learning Zetsu at some point. Thought I'd clear it up as I know it would have confused me.