Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.
Reviews!
Zero Fullbuster: Hope you like what I'll do in this one too!
Xavier Rall: Hope you like it, because the man of the hour is here!
Victor John Foxfire: I'm not sure about silliness, more like a flex of what a true master of Nen can do.
Not planning on include anyone else from the HxH cast, though and other series are not something I plan to include.
Those are some mayor words you mentioned there, but nah this is a crossover only between the Digimon Adventure universe and HxH.
AnonymousBW: That's me, master of the cliffhangers mwahahaha! Glad you liked my T.K characterization; he was one of the hardest to fit on one of the six categories along with Cody. BlackWargreymon certainly gained mix opinions, specially with Cody, T.K, and Killua. DNA digivolutions? Teasing? Me? Naaaaaah.
Felipe1402XZA: Time to pull out the Joestar technique… NIGERUNDAYO!
: Comadreeeeeee!
1-Believe it babe, the mad clown is here!
2-Nah, for me the concept of international Digidestined is bullcrap, I completely discarded it from this fic. Sorry, not sorry.
3-Poor Mummymon, it kinda hurt me to kill him, but it worked to give BlackMetalGarurumon to attack Killua, and for Arukenimon to take them a bit more seriously.
4-Tempting, that premise sounds really tempting.
5-The what now?!
Guest: Haven't watched any sentai in my life, aside from their occidental counterparts (Power Rangers)
The cold wind on the plateau passed by them as everything seemed to freeze Killua glared at the strange man that appeared from the ruins of the temple. The man kept a disturbing smile that sent shivers to the core of the group.
"Killua…" Davis said, nervous enough to omit the nickname to his leader. "Who's this guy?"
Instead of Killua answering, a chuckle draws their attention back to the man. "It's rude to talk to someone who's listening, you know~" He said, giving a smile to the boy. "As for how Killua and I know each other," Again a chuckle escapes his mouth. "Well, we are well-known acquaintance," He said, giving a wink and pointing a finger to the boy.
Killua narrowed his eyes further. "You haven't answered my question, how are you here Hisoka?" Of all the people he knows from his world, why did it have to be him? The only guy he just can't read or understand completely, who at one instance threatened to kill him and the next turned into an ally on Greed Island.
Hisoka shrugged and calmly walked forward, making the whole group flinch. "Ah, who knows my boy? One moment I was ready to have a fight I've been looking forward since I've met you and dear Gon, and the next I'm standing on a place I've never seen before… And then I'm here."
His eyes went to the creatures standing protectively in front of the children, his lips quirking into a smile as he continued to walk forward. "These little critters are partners of your friends behind you, aren't they my dear boy?"
Killua blinked in surprise. "How did you-"
Hisoka chuckled again, "It's been such a long time since I've seen these creatures… I'm wonder if they still pose a challenge to me at this point."
Killua mind was trying to process everything. Hisoka was here, and he somehow knew about the Digimon… His mind already threw a conclusion, but he didn't want to admit it, he couldn't believe it. Yet what other explanation was there? It was… The only choice, "You are the previous Anomaly," He stated half-hoping that he was wrong.
"What?!" The entire group did a double take, sans Ken who seemed confused.
"Diiiing! Correct my boy! And it seems you are my successor…" He put a hand on his chin seemingly in thought. "Out of the two of you, I would've said dear Gon would've been a most likely choice, though."
"Gon?" Yolei muttered in confusion, looking at the other three newer kids. Only Kari and T.K seemed to recognize the name as they exchange looks.
"The Anomaly?" Ken blinked looking around for explanation.
"The Anomaly was a Nen user that helped the first Digidestined, even before our first group," T.K explained. "And… That it's him," he said looking at the man with a small frown.
Killua reeled back from the revelation, this guy. Out of all the Hunters, out of all the Nen users, out of all the people from his word, this guy was the previous Anomaly?!
Suddenly, various memories came to him, during their first adventure, when he learned about the existence of the first Anomaly. Mainly a certain person came to mind for him.
Piedmon, unofficial leader of the Dark Masters, and one of their most fearsome enemies, his words when talking about his predecessor, seeing him as some sort of equal, like they were cut from the same clot, someone that deranged excuse of a clown would call a partner of his own.
Then on the vision Homeostasis showed them of the previous generation, he saw the Anomaly with blue hair. The only one who knew who'd have such a ridiculous hair color would be him!
And then there's how Homeostasis had called him, a wildcard, like the joker… Fuck everything was so obvious now, but he still had a hard time accepting it!
"Then…" He was broken out of his stupor when he turned to see Kari looking at Hisoka. "You're here to help, if you're like Killua?"
Hisoka looked at the girl with a look of disinterest for a moment, before frowning and putting a hand on his chin in thought. "What's your name, little girl?"
Immediately all senses jumped and his body and muscles tensed as he heard the question, yet he couldn't open his mouth fast enough when she responded. "Um, Kari…"
Hisoka's eyes for lit up with recognition as he heard the name, he dropped his arms to the side and walked forward. "Ho~ I see…" He said as he walked forward.
Kari felt a shiver run down her spine by the tone of his voice, she took a step back as he walked forward. He chuckled as he walked to her, only stopping when the Digimon all got on his way. He looked at Kari and smiled. "You are the Digidestined… of Light right?"
His demeanor and the distrustful behavior Killua was showing towards them told her not to answer, yet the man just smiled further and a twinkle appeared on his eye. "I take that as a yes. Then I'll have to ask you to come with me, please."
Gatomon sneered at him and brandished her claws. "Where, and why? And what makes you think she'll accept."
Hisoka shrugged and placed a hand on his neck. "The 'where' is a place I would sadly fail to describe, as for why well, my benefactor just seemed to be really interested on meeting her, as for the last one… I sadly can't give her much of a choice." He said, his face dropping his smile and turning serious. "I'm afraid you'll come with me either way, my dear," He said, narrowing his eyes threateningly.
Kari gulped and everyone did the same, the presence the man was emanating was… Toxic was a way to put it. Even the Digimon felt frozen in place at the amount of pressure he seemed to ooze on the atmosphere around them was crushing.
Only one seemed unaffected.
Killua walked forward, hands clenched into fists and his eyes shrank to the size of pinpricks, and his teeth gritting against each other. He stood in front of the magician and looked up at him straight in the eye. "Touch her… And I'll kill you. Right here… Right now!"
Hisoka paused and looked down at the boy in surprise, before a wide grin stretched across his face. 'Well, well, Illumi. Now I can see the family resemblance,' He thought.
He smiled and pointed down at the boy, "Dear Killua, step aside if you know what's good fo-"
He didn't get to finish, as he raised his arm to block a punch from the boy. He responded with an open palm strike towards the boy's face, but Killua bathed it away. The two immediately started to trade high-speed blows against one another, their arms nothing but blurs to the other Digidestined, whom couldn't tear away their eyes from the fast-paced exchange.
Killua was the one on the offensive, throwing rapid punches and trying to find an opening on the man, while Hisoka was just blocking and swatting away any hit the boy threw to him.
Hisoka started to grin as he observed the boy's movements, slipping momentarily and allowing a fist to connect against the right side of his face, sending the jester skating back. He stomped his foot down and turned to look at the boy with a twisted smile, a twinkle on his eyes as he licked a small trail of blood running down his mouth, "Oh~?"
He stared at the boy's scowling face. He never had paid much mind to the young Zoldyck, too busy looking at the shining potential dear Gon had always showed, always seeming to take the spotlight while Killua walked on his shadow. But that didn't meant he forgot about him, oh no, he just centered his attention on the glowing energy of his friend.
But now, under this circumstances, and knowing how Gon lost any chance of meeting his expectations, and more importantly, seeing that look on his face— such determination, such strength… such potential.
His pant was feeling tighter and tighter at the prospect.
He licked his lips again. "That was a nice hit dear Killua," He said, his hand twitching. "Think you can repeat it?"
Killua narrowed his eyes. "Guys," he spoke, never taking his eyes off the magician. "Get the wings out, anyone that can fly so we can get out of here."
"I'm assuming we can't take him?" Davis asked, already gripping his Digivice tighter that he's ever done.
"No," The word didn't leave any room of discussion as Killua said it.
Hisoka shook his head. "I'm terribly afraid that I won't let you go that easily," He said lifting his hand with only his index finger lifted.
Killua's eyes widened and he immediately used Gyo on his eyes. "Everyone, Gyo!" He told them.
As they focused their aura around their eyes, only the Digimon were unable to see as a pinkish aura extended from Hisoka's hand and appeared to be connected to Killua's forehead. The boy crossed his eyes over his head and cursed at seeing the sticky substance, "Shit!"
"I think you know by now, Killua but…" He tugged with all of his strength and Killua was sent flying. The mad jester grinned and hurled the boy in the direction of the ruins of the temple, causing the boy to crash against the debris. Hisoka grinned as he flexed the finger emanating his Nen. "Bungee Gum possess both the properties of rubber and gum~" He said, chuckling and walking in the direction of the boy
"Killua!" They all yelled in worry at seeing the hard blow their leader took.
Kari regained her bearings and raised the Digivice. "Hurry, evolve!"
Everyone followed suit, their lights shining above the plateau.
Killua raised from the debris, practically unharmed, yet that didn't stopped him from glaring at the portion of the Bungee Gum sticking on his forehead and back to the grinning clown who smiled tauntingly at him, 'When did he even put this on me?! 'He thought back to all the interactions with the clown and remembered a moment, when he pointed down at him when he defended Kari. 'That must've been it! Tch, he used In to it. I should have used Gyo back then!' Then he frowned. 'Not like he wouldn't have found a way to put it on me anyways.'
His mind starting to work on different possibilities, 'Godspeed is a good option, but he could just stick his end of the Bungee Gum on something else and leave me stuck. That also includes my Echo Rhythm, or the Switch. He can move me around as he pleases, and I don't know of a way to cut it, or remove it unless he so wishes it!' He focuses Nen on his hand as he thought of a way to fight him. 'Maybe I can do something similar.'
Hisoka grinned and waved his finger at him, "What's wrong, my boy, is that all you got?"
Before Killua could respond, various voices yelled from behind the jester.
"X-Laser!"
"Hand of Fate!"
"Nile Jewels!"
"Explosive Rings!"
"Missile Storm!"
"Stinger Missiles!"
Six attacks rained down on Hisoka, who looked in time to see them all about to impact on him. An explosion took places as all the attacks detonated upon contact with the ground, all around the cloud of smoke the Digimon observed the zone of impact expectantly.
While their partners attacked from the sky, the Digidestined rounded the plateau to rejoin their leader, while also keeping their eyes on the cloud of smoke. "Are you okay?" Ken asked the white haired boy.
"Yeah," he gave a short nod, continuing to focus on the lingering smoke in front of them. He turned to Yolei briefly, "think you can do something about this?" He asked, pointing to the sticky aura on his forehead.
"I can try," She said forming her blades around her hands. She pressed the edge of one of her hands on the string but when she tried to cut the aura it got stuck with the substance. "Ugh, what the heck is this thing?"
"A mix of rubber and gum," Killua said in annoyance to the annoying ability. "Can stick to anything and it won't come out unless he wants it to!" He added as an afterthought, 'Unless we take this from me, we won't be able to get away.'
Cody continued to stare at the cloud of smoke with growing nervousness. "Do you think… That he is… Okay?" He hoped the man wasn't dead, he already saw a Digimon die today, one that wasn't a Control Tower, he couldn't stomach the thought of now having killed a human, even when threatening his friend.
As if to ease the boy's doubts, and at the same time increase them tenfold, something jumped out of the cloud of smoke and towards the flying Digimon. Hisoka had used his Ken to protect himself from the attacks of the Digimon and had taken his time inside of the cloud to see who would be the most preferable target for an attack, getting high into the sky by focusing Nen to his feet and bursting upwards. He flickers his finger and the end of his Bungee Gum glued to Killua got unstuck, he grinned and hurled it to the wing of Pteramon. "What the-" The armored Digimon gaped at the action.
Hisoka grinned and pulled himself up with a tug until he was up to eye level with the pterodactyl. The Digimon flinched as he saw the sinister smile on the man's face, his yellow eyes glistening with hunger and a shadow covering his face. He reared his fist back and slammed his fist on the top of the armored dinosaur's head. The Digimon's eyes bulged and his whole body shook in pain.
From below everyone gaped at the feat, with Cody staring at his partner with fear and worry on his eye, "Pteramon!"
The Digimon's body started to shrank, but Hisoka didn't miss a step. He jumped on top of the Digimon's shrinking body and used it as a springboard to gain more altitude. While Armadillomon's unconscious form started falling down.
Exveemon dashed forward to catch him, "Armadillomon!"
"No, wait!" Angemon called in an attempt to stop him.
Hisoka grinned as he saw the dragon flying to catch his friend. How noble, it reminded him of the old days with his comrades watching each other's backs. But that also made this new lot a bit predictable. He pointed his finger to the dragon's back and stuck his Bungee Gum to it; he grabbed hold of the sticky substance and tugged himself so he would land right in between his wings.
Exveemon turned to see the grinning jester standing on his back. "What?"
"Bye~" He said, focusing Nen and slamming his fist on the dragon's body.
Pain flared across Exveemon's back, running across his whole bod. Hisoka repeated the action and Exveemon couldn't take more of those blows, his form glowed as he started reverting back. Hisoka grinned and jumped off his back, as V-Mon's small body joined Armadillomon on the fall.
"V-Mon!" Now Davis shared Cody's worry, seeing his partner free falling.
"I got them!" T.K said jumping in between them and using his Hatsu to unravel the strings of his sleeves. He shot them forward and they wrapped around the bodies of the Rookies and tugged them back towards their group.
Cody and Davis jumped and caught their partners in their arms, staring at them with worry. "It took them both out with one hit…" Cody said in disbelief.
Killua glared up at Hisoka's falling form, a yo-yo forming around his hand. 'He took out two of them. He's focusing on beating all of them to leave us without a way from getting away from him!' He realized. 'We have to take him out before that happens… Even if it seems impossible or if we have to kill him…'
Hisoka was one of the most dangerous individuals he ever met on the level of his brother. And he was pretty sure Illumi did saw him as an equal. He knew the chances were slim but… They might have to kill him if it means stopping him from taking Kari to… wherever he wants to take her. He just hoped the others were ready for it.
"Ken, Yolei, think your partners can go Ultimate again?" He asked them.
Ken looked down at his Digivice to see if there was any reaction, yet the screen didn't show any response, "No…" He said with a grimace. "They must be worn out after the previous fight…"
Yolei gripped hers as well, "I doubt any of our armored forms would help too…"
Killua frowned and looked at T.K. "And what about you and Angemon?"
The blonde shook his head. "It was the first time he evolved into Magnaangemon since five years ago and…" He turned to the remains of the temple. "Whatever that cloud was it seemed to drain him…"
Killua clicked his tongue in annoyance; it wasn't their fault, just… One thing happening after the other, he gripped his Conjured yo-yos tightly, Hisoka was far away from his reach, but eventually we could trap him with his yo-yos and dragged him back to earth… Though that doesn't mean he could do it before the clown takes down their friends.
As for the jester, he smiled as he saw the four remaining Digimon float above him. It seemed they decided to keep a distance to try and prevent him from using his Bungee Gum on them like he did with their friends, or at least they thought they'd be. 'They don't know how flexible me and my ability can be~' And with them just a few feet above him, well… The odds weren't on their favor.
"This time he won't escape!" Nefertimon said, glaring at the clown for clearly being a threat to her partner in specific. The eyes on her headset started to glow, "Queen's Curse!"
"Hand of Fate!"
"Explosive Rings!"
"Stinger Missiles!"
Hisoka crossed his arms and amplified his aura so it would all take the force of the attack. He narrowed his eyes and prepared for his next trick. They might think themselves out of his range, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. He coated all his fingers in aura and activated his Hatsu, using In just in case so he could get away with this little trick of his. He thrusted his hands forward and aimed his strings to the angel and the insect, the two that were floating higher than the others. He gripped them tightly and smiled.
With his strings tensed enough, he used them as an improvised slingshot and rocketed himself upwards, and past the group of Digimon. They all gasped as their enemy once again gained altitude over them and turned to prepare a second barrage of attacks. But the jester was quicker, he turned around to face them and drew various cards from his pockets and started throwing them at the two that were floating closer to him—Angemon and Stingmon. The two Champions tried to block the sudden barrage of cards with their staff and gauntlets respectively, yet they weren't fast enough and some slipped past their attempts and lodged themselves on their torsos.
"AGH!" They both cried out in pain and Hisoka took advantage of the momentary distraction. Using the strings of Bungee Gum still glued to them, he gripped them once again and like before used them to rocket himself, this time downward and towards his objectives.
Taking advantage of the momentum, he released his Hatsu and focused aura on both fists and just as he passed by the two Champions he slammed his forearms—with thirty percent of his aura on each of them—against their chests. The air left the two Digimon and their forms reverted back to their unconscious Rookie forms.
Below, Ken and T.K observed in terror as their partners plummeted down to the floor. The two sprang to action running to where their partners were about to crash, yet Ken felt a tug that stopped him from going. He turned to see Killua looking gravely at him, "What are you doing?!"
"Leave T.K to handle it!" He said. And as he said it, the blonde repeated his actions when Armadillomon and V-Mon fell down, wrapping his strings and pulling the two Rookies down safely. "I need you to do something… To cushion their fall," he said looking up.
The implication wasn't lost to the others; Ken pulled out his book and started working on something, while Kari and Yolei looked up at their partners in worry pit forming on their stomachs, dreading of what was about to happen.
"Rosetta Stone!" Nefertimon summoned a slab of stone over her head and threw it at the smirking man, without effort Hisoka smash it with his fist.
"Diving Horns!" From behind Aquilamon tried to attack the man by ramming him with his worns glowing with energy. Hisoka spun mid-air and grabbed the bird's horns and gripped them tightly, not even budging and using them to stay in the air.
Nefertimon floated behind Hisoka's back and summoned another slab of rock, "Rosetta Stone!"
Hisoka smirked and using the strength of his arms he pulled himself upside down on Aquilamon's horns, dodging the stone and making it smash against the bird's face.
Nefertimon gasped in shock and guilt, and while Aquilamon recoiled from the attack, Hisoka took his chance to flip back and seat on the bird's neck and taking his hands off his horns. He brought both hands together and slammed them against the bird's skull. Aquilamon's eyes rolled to the back of his head and his figure shrank back to Hawkmon's.
Hisoka didn't miss a beat and threw a web of his Bungee Gum towards Nefertimon, successfully sticking it to her face. And with a tug he rocketed himself towards her, rearing his free fist back and smashing it against her masked face. Nefertimon's mask cracked with the impact, her figure glowed and reversed back to Gatomon, who now sported a big bruise on her face.
"No!" Kari gasped, seeing her partner defeated, while Yolei screeched Hawkmon's name in terror.
"Ken!" Killua barked, turning to look at the purple haired boy.
Ken finished the last details on his book and dashed into action; he ripped the paper from the notebook and placed it on the area where Hawkmon and Gatomon were falling to. The drawing was a bit crude, and the description gave the bare minimum, but it was enough to fulfill his conditions. The paper glowed and a pile of pillows appeared on the scene, the bodies of the two rookies falling on top of them with a soft thump.
Kari and Yolei rushed to their partner's side, to put them away from harm's way. Killua for his part kept his eyes on the falling jester, waiting for the precise moment to act, when Hisoka had descended enough to be within his reach.
He gripped his yo-yos and narrowed crouched down, focusing Nen on his feet, 'Now!'
He propelled upwards and threw the yo-yos up at the man. Hisoka looked at the boy, in time to see the cords of the toys wrap around his legs. Killua focused his Nen and unleashed an electric discharge to fry the man. Yet as it reached him, Hisoka seemed unaffected, smiling smugly at the boy as the electricity didn't seemed to cause any sort of reaction.
Knowing that something was wrong, Killua used Gyo and confirmed his suspicions as he observed the pink aura surrounding the area where the cords were. 'Bungee Gum possess the properties of rubber, he isolated his leg!' That also meant that his yo-yo's were now stuck.
Hisoka pulled one of his remaining cards, shrouding it with Shu, in one swift movement he cut off the wires of the toy. Killua clicked his teeth in anger as the toys dissipated, he couldn't afford making them again, and it would be too taxing for him to do so. 'I'm a complete and utter idiot for not bringing the real ones!'
He landed on the floor, standing in front of his friends, whom in turn stood in front of their unconscious partners—all of them sprawled behind the group. Hisoka landed in front of them, focusing Nen on his legs to cushion his fall with a small burst of aura.
He looked at the children, all of them flinching under his malicious gaze. He craned and massaged his neck and chuckled. "That was such a good warm-up, Digimon certainly makes things entertaining," He lowered his arm and smirked wistfully to himself. 'I even put myself at a disadvantage by getting on the air, it made it all the more fun. Ah… I'm actually feeling nostalgic~ If only they were of a higher level… Now there's an idea…'
He pointed at the group, their bodies tensing and Killua instantly using Gyo to make sure he wasn't using his Bungee Gum again. "Now then, shall we continue, or will dear Kari step forward and come with me peacefully if she pleases?"
Davis sneers at him and gripped his fists. "Think again, you weirdo, we ain't letting you near her!" He said, raising his aura.
Everyone followed suit, their Ren and subsequent Ken flaring around them. Hisoka's eyes widened in surprise before chuckling, "Well, well, well. This is most certainly a surprise. Killua, did you actually unlock their auras? I'm impressed; the thought didn't cross my mind back in the day…" He said whimsically.
Killua didn't answer him; instead he looked around his friends and tried to come up with a plan. Their escape route, the Digimon, had been defeated, so their only option now was to fight, to somehow defeat Hisoka and wait for the Digimon to recover their strength to escape.
Hisoka eyed the Digidestined with curiosity, he never thought of unlocking his teammate's aura. Would they be capable of great things? Or did Killua made a wrong judgment in doing so? Well… Only one way to find out~
He let his Ren out, a dark purple aura that radiates sheer malice. The Digidestined flinched at the sudden wave of power surging from the man; they could feel how his aura was far denser and stronger than theirs, even Killua's.
Killua looked at his friends and clenched his fists in preparation. "Don't hesitate, guys. Attack with everything you have, lethal force included."
"Letha-?" Cody choked out. "But-!"
"Don't discuss this!" Killua hissed, never taking his eyes from the man. "We can't hold back against him."
"Wise words," Hisoka said, getting on a fighting stance. "Will you be able to keep them?"
"Listen, everyone, when I give the signal," Killua said in a low tone, and keeping his head bowed so Hisoka won't hear or read his lips. "Ken and Davis stay and offer fire. T.K, try to restrain him… Everyone else, engage him head on." He gulped down his nervousness and steeled himself. 'We don't need to win, just wait until one of our friends wakes up and get the hell away from here… Then think what we'll do when we have to inevitably come back to the Digital World to deal with our other problems!'
Saving those thoughts for later, he focused on the task at hand. He charged forward and sharpened his claws, ready to use all tools on his repertoire to face the mad clown. Hisoka readily waited for the boy, focusing Nen on his forearm to block a swipe from Killua's hands. Killua narrowed his eyes and started to deliver slashes against the jester, all of them blocked by the experienced Hunter.
From behind, the rest of the group prepared themselves. Ken summoned his book and ripped a page from it, revealing one of his calico guns, "Everyone ready for when he gives the signal?" he asked.
"Um… I—I think…" Davis said, pumping Nen on his legs to prepare his ability.
"We just need an opening so I can immobilize him," T.K said, the threads of his jacket coming undone. "Then we can all attack at the same time."
'And luckily just knock him out,' Cody thought with a grimace, his hands shaking as he hold his conjured Shinai on his hands. To kill someone, a human, he couldn't believe that was a possibility he had to face now.
Yolei observed the fight between the two Hunters with growing nervousness, "I can barely keep up with their speed." She hoped they could somehow match them when they join in the fray.
Kari looked at the sky, more precisely at the position of the sun. If it goes down, then her ability won't be as effective as the others. She hopes Killua gives the signal soon so she can help. 'He's here for me… Everyone is fighting because of me…' She looked at the fight in front of her with growing determination. 'I can't afford to just sit back and let everyone take care of everything.'
Killua jumped to deliver a round-house kick to the man's head, but Hisoka raised his forearm and blocked it. Killua landed and leaped back to start circling around his opponent and find an opening for him, or for his friends to get in. He couldn't use his electricity, since Hisoka's Bungee Gum would render it useless, and since he hadn't being able to land a single blow on the man, his claws didn't showed any use on the fight.
He stopped circling him and charged, this time using his Echo Rhythm, mirages appearing and lining around the boy. Three of the Killuas charged towards the clown, one of them jumping to deliver an axe-kick to the head, another going for a slide, and the other going for a drop kick to his chest.
Hisoka narrowed his eyes, and turned around to block an attack coming from the real Killua, who had used those mirages as distractions to sneak behind his back. He caught the boy's right arm on one hand, as he had it on its clawed forms and seemed ready to thrust them forward to pierce his chest.
Killua glared at him, his eyes shifting to subtly look towards his friends. He looked back at Hisoka and his hand wrapped around the wrist of the same hand that the jester was using to hold his arm, much to Hisoka's confusion. Then he focused Nen on his foot and stomped hard enough to lift a cloud of dust and snow that covered the two of them.
"That's it!" T.K said, not wasting any time and thrusting his strings forward, "Get ready everyone!"
The strings flew into the curtain of snow and dust, and wrapped around the jester's body. The surprise of this made Hisoka let go of Killua, who leaped back to avoid the incoming barrage of attacks.
"Alright, my turn!" Davis said, as he focused Nen on his feet and propelled himself a few meters off the floor. He spun in the air and formed a sphere made out of Nen that was kicked towards the magician, "Fire Tornado!"
Ken ripped a page from his book and took the form of a glock 22 and took aim to the tights of the man.
The others all charged forward with a war cry to pump themselves up, Yolei's blades forming around her hands, Cody's shinai drawn at his side, and Kari's aura shining and glowing all around her body.
Hisoka saw all of the attacks coming towards him in surprise and a bit of admiration; all of them had coordinated perfectly to attack him. That meant they must've being accustomed to using their Nen abilities for a while now.
Yet he's been on this for far longer. He focused Nen on his legs and jumped to intercept the sphere on Nen thrown at him with a kick of his own, the ball impacted against his shin and immediately exploded upon contact, leaving him with a burn on his leg that he didn't paid no mind. It was an expected result, that or actually kicking back the ball.
"What the-" Davis gaped as he saw the man just tank his attack with his own leg.
Hisoka smirked and slipped a card from one of his bracelets and coated with his Bungee Gum, he let it fall, with the thread of his ability allowing it to dangle in the air. He tugged it upwards and across his chest where it cut the front of his bindings. He tensed his muscles and focused his Ken before stretching his arms outwards, setting himself free.
T.K's eyes widened as his strings were broken, his sleeves now useless and shredded, "No way!"
Ken took aim and gritted his teeth as he realized what he had to do. He forced his hand to remain firm and then pressed the trigger. The gunshot rang across the plateau and the bullets sailed towards the man, yet then they connected against his skin they seemed to get stuck against his skin, "Huh?!"
Hisoka smirked and dropped the In, revealing the pinkish aura of his Bungee Gum completely shrouding his body. 'When I saw that gun I knew this was a good way to avoid getting injured. What a versatile ability to have,' He thought, looking down at the boy and being reminded of his good friend Chrollo.
He landed and cancelled his Hatsu, allowing the bullets to fall harmlessly on the ground. He turned around in time to see the youngest of the boy bring down his shinai towards his head; he sidestepped and dodged as the boy tried to hit him with his weapon. The kid regained his footing quickly and lashed out at him with various swings that the man dodged, with ease, yet when he tried to block it with his forearm he felt a ripple of pain ran across his limb.
Hisoka's eyes narrowed at this, that sword was clearly a conjured one, so it wasn't hard to believe it had some other effect, a condition on it. He might have to look out for it… But first…
He crouched and avoided a swipe from Yolei's blades. His hand shot upward and caught her arm; she gasped in surprise and let out a shriek when he threw her straight to Cody. His eyes could only widen when the body of the girl impacted against him and caused him to fall on his back.
Hisoka allowed himself a smirk, before he turned and raised his open palm to block a strike from Kari. Her teeth gritted as she tried to free her first from the man's grip, only to prove to be useless. She tried to use her knee to strike his gut, but the jester counters it with his own leg. "My dear girl, you certainly possess skill, it's almost a shame that we can enjoy each other a bit longer~" He said with a sultry smirk.
Kari again flinched, but regained her bearings to glare at him. "What do you want from me?!" She asked, rearing her free hand to attack.
Hisoka didn't answer; he looked behind him and noticed that Yolei and Cody recomposed themselves, he got couldn't be having that now, can he?
Hisoka quickly delivered a strong open-palm strike to the girl's gut before she could attack, causing all the air to escape her body. He grabbed the neck of Kari's shirt and lifted her off the ground; he spun her around like an Olympic hammer, her legs—carried by the momentum—struck her two friends across the face, before she was thrown to the side as well, her head spinning and cradling her stomach after the blow. All the while Hisoka observed her with a triumphant smirk.
He didn't get much of a chance to admire his work, when he looked up and crossed his arms to block a kick from Killua. The man pushed the boy back, who back-flipped and landed on a low crouch, he dashed towards the man, while from behind Davis, Ken and T.K did the same.
Hisoka smirked and prepared himself to fight the four boys at once. He sidestepped to the right to dodge a jab from Killua; he took advantage to give a chop to the boy's neck while also kneeing his gut. Killua grunted in pain, as Hisoka kicked him away and turned to face the three incoming boys.
Ken had ripped another part of her book and summoned his pair of tonfas and charged forward, T.K just focused on using his Ken —with his sleeves ruined he couldn't use his technique, while Davis tried to repeat tactics again and jumped to use his technique, "Fire Tornado!"
Hisoka smiled with amusement, he crossed his arms and blocked the sphere of Nen. Even though he focused aura around his arms, his limbs still suffered from some burns. The smoke cleared and T.K and Ken both attacked, he dodged and blocked the strikes of the two, yet they weren't the only ones to try and fight him.
He moved to the side to avoid a thrust from Killua's claws and jumped a few feet away from them to gain some breathing room.
The man smiled, as he observed all of the kids. 'Good, good. They're still really green, but with enough guidance they could…' He licked his lips at the thought, 'be really good playthings. And Killua has certainly grown; I'd have to coat myself with Bungee Gum at all times to avoid his electricity on a one on one fight… He will surpass his brother in no-time, since Gon is… gone,' He snorted in amusement, 'he'll have to do to entertain me. But sadly, I'm here on a business, so it's time to wrap this up.' His eyes drifted to Kari as she struggled to get up.
The boys gathered together and stood in front of the clown, while around them their friends were slowly gathering their bearings to join back to the fray.
Hisoka chuckled, "Killua, my dear boy, you did a good job in honing your friends skills as Nen users," He genuinely complimented, while Killua narrowed his eyes at him. The man's eyes turned to the Digidestined and then he clapped his hands in clear praise, "And you all performed spectacularly, even when you lack experience you give a good fight," not a challenge, but good entertainment. "But sadly, our fun must come to an end," He said, lifting a hand and closing it into a fist.
'What is he…' Killua's eyes widened and cursed again. Hisoka must've stuck his Hatsu on someone! "Gyo everyone!"
The Digidestined all followed suit, focusing Gyo on their eyes. Hisoka smirked and grabbed his end of the thread…The other end was connected to Kari's hand, "Eh?" She muttered, looking at the substance.
Killua whirled in time to see the girl being hauled to her feet and dragged by a strong tug of the man towards him. He tried to reach for her, but was too far, "Kari!"
In the end her body collided with the man's chest, which immediately wrapped an arm around her neck and pulled one of his cards close to her neck. She tensed at unnatural rigidness of the card, feeling like the cold blade of a knife instead of a simple piece of paper. 'H-How… When did he…' She thought frantically, her mind processing her small clash with the clown… And the moment he caught her fist on his palm. 'D-Damn it!' She uncharacteristically cursed in frustration.
"Well then," Hisoka spoke as he kept Kari under his grip and looking calmly at the group. "It seems our fun is over for today. You all have exceeded my expectations, I approve of all of you~"
"Cut the crap!" Davis said, stepping forward, fuming and ready to throw hands. "This isn't over, let Kari go!"
"Davis!" Killua hissed at him, the last thing they need is pissing the clown off.
"Is not like he can't get away!" Davis responded, glaring at the white haired boy.
Yolei nodded alongside him, "He's right! Even if he has Kari, he can't leave this place!"
Hisoka chuckled. True this plateau was a bit isolated, but he could do rappel to climb down, by sticking his Bungee Gum to the plant of his feet, while keeping his hold on the girl. Or just wait for his 'benefactor' to just help him in getting away from this lovely children~
"I'm afraid, you are not in a position to threaten me," He said, pressing his arm harder against Kari's neck, making her gasp in pain, "Unless you want me to bring harm to dear Kari here?"
Ken narrowed his eyes at him, "You said you came for her, yet you plan of harming her?"
"Only if you force me to," He said with a shrug, "And besides, I only need to take her alive…" His eyes adopted a dangerous glint as he pressed the card against her cheek. "Accidents might happen in the meantime…" He dragged the card down her face, giving her a small cut and making her grit her teeth in pain
Seeing this, Killua almost—almost—saw red, yet he was able to keep himself in check. He looked at the others and saw them in a similar position; all of them glaring hatefully at the clown, yet glued in place out of fear of what he might do to their friend.
Killua gritted his teeth. He ran many scenarios on his mind, Godspeed wouldn't work Hisoka would turn his whole aura into his Hatsu to not only make his electricity null but also stuck him to it, giving him yet another hostage. Now, even if the Digimon wake up, it won't amount to anything, Hisoka has everything on his favor, both in skill and on the situation. 'Damnit! There has to be something, we can't let him get away!'
Kari for her part gritted her teeth in frustration. Why? Why was this happening? What did this man wanted with her? He was the previous Anomaly; he was Killua's predecessor, why was he doing this? What could he gain from all of this and who was this 'benefactor'?
And why couldn't she even defend herself?
It was illogical, she would admit, but it was unfair that after all they've being through, after all the training they received from Killua, and yet they weren't able to do anything against this man. The most logical part of her mind tried to remind her that this man was like Killua, but with obviously far more experience, of course they weren't a match for him, not even their leader was.
But it was still frustrating. Frustrating that she wasn't able to help herself, or her friends out of a situation somehow caused by her presence, frustrating that she had fallen into his ability and given him an advantage over her friends, and now… What could she do? How could they get out of this situation?
It was frustrating.
"Indeed, as well as unexpected."
The sudden voice made her pause, her head jerking up as much as she could on the grasp of the man. Her eyes scanned the area, but she only saw her friends and all the snow around them. She gasped when she felt the man calmly backpedalling, likely walking towards the edge of the plateau with her. 'Who is it? Who's there?'
"Don't you remember me, Child of Light?" The voice said on a warm and patient tone. "It's okay. I came to help. After all, I am the one who looks after the balance for this world… Please, allow me to help."
Those words were familiar to Kari; heck the presence itself was familiar to Kari. She flashed back to five years ago, and she felt relief and hope fill her. 'Alright… Thank you.'
Killua was this close to snapping. They had to do something, they had to! Hisoka slowly inching back to the edge of the plateau, and Killua knew he already had a way out of the isolated area to get away with their friend. Hisoka would react immediately if they tried to do anything, even if he used Godspeed Hisoka would just shroud himself on the aura of his Bungee Gum to isolate his attacks and get him stuck to him, giving him another hostage! Or worse, he could react by hurting Kari, even if he didn't intended to hurt her he could make her suffer.
He couldn't let any of that happen, he just couldn't!
Hisoka grinned as he saw the expressions on the children's faces. They had showed promise, it had been entertaining, and the Digimon all were fun to play with—maybe weaker than he remembered them, but that could just be him growing stronger over the years, or them not being on a high level like the Dark Masters—but he decided to just get this job done and go back home.
He had a date with dear Chrollo that he's been waiting for a long time~
"Enough, Hisoka," A commanding voice interrupted his thoughts; the man looked down at his hostage in surprise, while everyone else stared. Kari's body started glowing, not quite like when she used Nen, it was like her whole body was irradiating light.
Both Anomalies' eyes widened at the sudden change on the girl's demeanor, rapidly recognizing who was behind this. "Homeostasis…"
Kari's hand gripped Hisoka's arm and the light emanating from her increased, actually making the man flinch, while the others took a step back. "You're presence here is unwanted, and it's upsetting the balance of this world. You do not belong here, nor do the forces that sent you."
Hisoka's eyes narrowed at her with contempt. "I see, so this girl is the same as… Maki, huh?" He mumbled as he tried to free his arm from her grip.
"Hisoka," Kari, or rather Homeostasis, placed a hand on his chest and the light encompassing her body extended to him. "Get out."
Hisoka barely let out a strangled gasp as his whole body seemed to slowly fade out of reality, until there was nothing but an empty spot where the jester once was.
The Digidestined were stunned at this anti-climactic ending, their sudden opponent just vanished out of thin air just like that, with barely any effort from this entity that was now possessing their friend. Homeostasis sighed, a conflicted look on Kari's eyes that didn't belonged to her. She turned to look at the Digidestined and gave them a reassuring smile.
"Digidestined, Anomaly, it is a pleasure to meet you all," She greeted, in spite of already meeting the child of Hope and the current Anomaly.
Davis blinked as he stared at Kari with confused eyes. "K-Kari?"
"No," Killua said, eyeing the entity calmly. "But she's not an enemy either."
"For those of you who don't know me, allow me to introduce myself, I am Homeostasis. Currently I have borrowed the body of the Child of Light to aid you, but do not fret, she is safe and was willing to do such action," She reassured with a calm smile.
"Okaaaay…" Yolei said, still looking nervously at the entity. "B-but why are you here?"
"To protect the world from a force foreign to it," She responded, looking at the spot where Hisoka once stood. "However, there's little I can do to permanently get rid of it."
"You mean he's still alive?" Killua asked, crossing his arms.
"Indeed," Homeostasis nodded. "Hisoka was sent here by forces that threaten this world. Forces that shouldn't be able to interact with this world… Yet with the damages the boundaries are suffering, their influence seems to be getting stronger."
"It's because of the destruction of the temples, right?" T.K asked, looking at the entity with more calm than his teammates.
"Correct," Her gaze went to the debris of the recently destroyed temple. "There's two temples left, if they fall the barriers between worlds will get weaker and events like the ones from five years ago might repeat themselves."
"The worlds would merge," Killua said, remembering how the Digital World was visible on the skies of his friends' world.
"Correct," Homeostasis nodded.
Davis frowned at her. "Then why can't you do to Arukenimon and his pet the same thing you just did to that guy!"
Homeostasis looked down. "Despite their nature, those entities were born in the Digital World; it would require more power than the one I currently possess to send them off from this world."
"So Hisoka is just back to our world?" Killua asked, hoping for it to be the case.
"…" Homeostasis seemed in conflict before she sighed. "I'm afraid not… I currently not possess the power to access that world, not under the current state of the Digital World," She looked at Killua. "Otherwise I would give you a way to return to your world through the artificial gates, Anomaly," Then she sighed. "And even if I could, to send him back to his world would prove futile since the forces that sent him here could do it again so…" She looked at the Digidestined with apologetic looks. "I sent him to your world"
"WHAT?!"
"Are you kidding me?!" Davis exploded, looking scared at the prospect. "That sicko is on our world?!"
"What are we supposed to do then, we couldn't do anything against him!" Yolei panicked.
Killua clenched his fists in anger and frustration, but he forced it down. He could understand her position and reasoning, no matter how much it angers him, if Hisoka could be sent here once it could be sent twice or thrice. And as much as she wished to go back to his sisters right away, he understood that for now it escapes her capabilities.
He sighed. "Then what are we supposed to do?" He asked her.
"I know the situation is less than ideal," Homeostasis said with a frown. "But in your world you'll have all your allies, capable of reaching the Mega level, and will be prepared to face him again." She smiled. "I will do my part in helping as well, making sure you have allies here too."
"How so?" Ken asked.
"By awakening those who slumber in the temples, the remaining Harmonious Ones," She explained. "I've been working on waking them from their slumber ever since the presence of the Dark Masters vanished, but the when the towers appeared, my influence became weaker and weaker."
"How long would it take for them to wake up then?" Cody asked. If the Harmonious woke up then their task to protect the temples would be fulfilled.
"I'm not sure," She responded. "Hopefully soon enough so your task to defend their temples won't be necessary anymore."
The Digidestined all processed the information, their task would be done and it would be a problem less to worry about, but that still left their most recent problem.
"What about Hisoka?" Killua asked, frowning. "Do you know who sent him?"
"I do and it is a place you know well, Anomaly," She said, looking at Killua gravely, "and so does the Child of Light."
It clicked instantly on Killua's head. "The Ocean…" He mumbled. "That's why Hisoka wants to take Kari…" He clenched his fists in anger. 'How much longer is that place going to haunt her?!'
"The Ocean," Yolei mumbled, hearing Killua, "That place again?! What's its deal with Kari?!"
Homeostasis frowned in thought. "That place is a source of darkness… It won't come as a surprise that they are seeking a source of light, like the chosen of light herself, for some nefarious purposes."
"That ocean, just hearing about it makes me feel sick," Davis grumbled, he hasn't been to that place like his teammates, but for what he's heard the place is a nightmare.
"Then how can we stop them, or at the very least Hisoka?" Cody asked the entity.
"The reason why the forces of that place had been able to send an agent over to this side is due to the boundaries between worlds getting weaker with the destruction of the temples," Homeostasis explained. "By keeping the temples safe, and keeping the remaining integrity of the boundaries safe. That way I could send Hisoka away without the ocean meddling to bring him back."
'That if I don't find a way to get rid of him,' Killua thought. He wasn't going to let the man get away with this, he knew the task would be titanic considering whom he was up against, but there was too much at risk. "Speaking of which, where did you sent him?"
"Sadly, the places where my power reaches your world are limited, but I made sure that he isn't near the district in which most of you live—Odaiba," Homeostasis explained.
"That's good I suppose," Killua said. "Might give us time to prepare us," For the first time he can actually prepare for Hisoka's… Presence, which was something neither him nor Gon could do before when crossing him.
"Is there anything else you need to know before I give the Child of Light control over her body?" The entity asked patiently.
"You won't happen to know who the mastermind behind Arukenimon's plans is, do you?" Ken asked, hoping she would have an answer.
Sadly, Homeostasis shook her head. "I do not, whoever it is has done a good job covering their tracks, setting these artificial gates and using agents to do their job. If I knew who they are I would gladly tell you."
"Figures…" The purple haired boy said, slumping down at the answer.
"Okay then, back to the man of the hours: Hisoka. Is he really the previous Anomaly?" Killua asked, crossing his arms.
"Yes," Homeostasis nodded.
Killua exhaled sharply at the reply. "Why? How? How could someone like him be chosen to protect and guide the previous Digidestined?"
Homeostasis frowned. "When I observed your world, he caught my attention due to his age and skills with his Nen, and because he did something else—something that made me decide he was the right choice… I didn't expect him to turn into the man he is now."
While curious about what he did to mark such an impression on her, Killua let it slide and decided to go on another question. Something about Hisoka's presence that called his attention, "If Hisoka is already an adult, then how long ago were the first Digidestined chosen? With the time dilation in my world and all that," he asked.
Homeostasis shrugged. "Fifteen years ago," She said, the answer baffling Killua. "The time dilation in your world is a result of Apocalymon's resurgence five years ago, before that those three worlds shared the same time flow."
Killua hummed in response at that. So the same amount of time between generations happened in both his world and his friends'… That meant that the first generation of Digidestined could still be alive and be around Hisoka's age by now.
That's something to look out for later.
There was one final question, one weighing on his mind after their recent confrontation with their enemies and now with the jester's appearance. "Blademon… Why was he…" He looked at her with a confused look. "I mean, why did I have a partner when Hisoka didn't have one? Why was Blademon made when there was no guarantee I would come back, or that the Digital World would be in danger at that point? Heck, if it wasn't for my sister I wouldn't have been able to come back."
Homeostasis smiled again, this time glinting with a bit of regret. "The Digimon you know as Blademon was created from the data that was left adrift from the bracelets made to analyze you," She explained. "You could say he was created 'just in the case' that you and the rest of the Digidestined were needed back, this time with an extra help from him or if that wasn't the case then he would have simply being given the same task as the other partners of the Digidestined. With them guiding him around the Digital World," She explained.
"So… In some way Patamon and the others were supposed to be his mentors?" T.K asked with a small snort. "That's hard to picture now…"
"Instead of all of that, Arukenimon and her mysterious boss took him and turned him into another puppet…" Killua said bitterly, the hate he feels for the spider woman and the mastermind growing at robbing them all of the chance of what could have been. He looked back at Homeostasis and nodded. "I think that would be all, there's nothing else that we can put together by ourselves."
Homeostasis again gave them all a reassuring smile. "I know the task at hand seems hard, but so was the threat of the Dark Masters, yet your predecessors and some amongst you were able to come up top. I'm certain you, Chosen of the Digimentals, will triumph as well. Just follow your hearts as you've done up until now, and your true potential will shine."
The words help somehow in easing their worries. It didn't magically fix their problems, but inspired to do their best, at the very least.
Homeostasis focused and lifted a hand. From beyond the plateau, one of the TVs flew to them before settling on the debris of the temple. "Here's one of the artificial gates, it will sent you back to your world for a deserving day of rest," She closed her eyes and exhaled, with a relaxed smile. "Good luck."
The light around Kari dispersed, and her body collapsed forward. Killua moved fast and caught her before she impacted with the floor. He looked down at her with worry, remembering the toll it took on her the possession of the entity five years ago, "Kari?"
She stirred on his arms and gave a small nod. "I heard… All of it, she let me…" She felt a bit of heat on her cheeks at her position on his chest before sighing and mumbling tiredly. "Can we go home?"
As he helped her straighten, Killua looked around to the face of the rest of the group. Despite Homeostasis words of encouragement, it was clear the day had taken its toll in all of them, and Killua would be lying if he said he wasn't tired as well.
"Yeah…" He said, smiling down at her, "Let's."
The warm of the classroom was a welcoming change for the Digidestined, the only one absent was Ken, the Digiport returning him to wherever he accessed the Digital World. The welcoming feeling however wasn't enough to forget the events that transpired that day.
Killua flopped onto a chair, while his friends all cradled their unconscious partners on their arms. He sighed and massaged his forehead to ease the light headache he received from the stress and probably from some of Hisoka's attacks, not to mention BlackMetalGarurumon's. 'If it wasn't already white, I'd have grown grey hairs by now…'
"Killua," He looked up to see T.K standing in front of him with a troubled look, the others doing the same.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Could you tell us more about him? Hisoka, I mean," The blonde's face grew serious. "If he is here, in our world then we might need to learn more about him to know how to respond."
"He got the drop on us," Davis said with a lopsided grin. "But if we are ready next time, then things might be different!"
Killua almost snorted. Being prepared for Hisoka? He wished. "The only thing actually going for us is that we know he's on Tokyo, at the least," He said. "But to be ready for him… We're all years too young for that, me included."
If that didn't settled the mood for what he was going to say, he didn't knew what would. He leaned back and closed his eyes in thought. "Hisoka is a pro Hunter like me, but that's the only thing we have in come on. He likes to fight… No, that's an understatement, he lusts for fight," He said this with a grimace. "I've seen… How he gets when he sees someone with potential…"
That day when Gon, Bisky and him all found him on Greed Island taking a bath… He knew he wasn't the only one scarred for life after that.
"It can't be that bad… Can it?" Cody asked, pressing the snoring Upamon to his chest.
"It's worse," Killua deadpanned. "That's about the only thing I've figured out about him. I know nothing about his background, or what would he gain by taking Kari to that ocean. His goals are always circumstantial, there was a time where we teamed up only because we had the same obstacle in our way," He explained, remembering their game against Razor.
"Well, damn I didn't see that one coming," Davis said, scratching his head. "But then… How do we stop him?"
Killua was quiet for a while, before he sighed. "We don't," He said flatly.
"Eh?!"
He sighed. "The guy is dangerous, and this coming from a former assassin and professional Hunter," He leaned back, folding his hands behind his head. "His skills with his Nen abilities are impressive, he's far more experimented than any of us, and to top it all up I'm pretty sure the guy is a genius." He looked back at the group with a more serious expression. "That's why the best we can do is what Homeostasis said; protect the temples until the balance is restored and then she can send him away."
"But what if he attacks us… Here, in Tokyo I mean," Kari asked, knowing that she specifically is the target.
Killua frowned. "Hisoka might be lost for a while. He isn't here in Odaiba, and I doubt he's in Tamachi either, and just like me when I arrived he won't know how to read kanji, and even if he does Tokyo is still a big city, it'll take him some time to find where we are, so that gives us some peace of mind. I'll send Ken a message about it to explain this to him."
He stood up and gave them a serious look. "If by any casuals you find him, or he finds you, engage him until to gain time until we all arrive; always be with your partners so they can send us all a message about where you are. That or find somewhere to open a port and escape to the Digital World, he won't reach you there. Understood?"
"Osu!" They all chorused.
Killua gave a satisfied nod. "Good. Then go home, and see you tonight. Training is going to increase now that we have someone else to deal with."
He said all of that earlier but… Could they do it?
As he laid on his futon, staring at the ceiling of Tai's room, Killua's mind kept wandering to all the events that happened on that day. So much happened and it was a bit hard to process it all.
"Hey," his head turned to the side to see Tai emerging from the bathroom, a towel on his shoulders and wearing a fresh set of clothes. "Bath's free."
"'Kay," The Hunter mumbled, still lost on his own thoughts.
Tai frowned at his thoughts and leaned forward with a worried look. "Kari told me everything before dinner, you all had a busy day, huh?"
"You could say that," Killua said with a sigh as he sat up.
"How're you holding?" Tai asked.
Killua shrugged. "We already talked about what to do about Hisoka, basically keep doing the same until we can kick him off this world."
Tai nodded. "I see, but I meant how are you doing?" He asked, looking at him intently. "With everything I mean, Kari told me you know the guy and… Also about your partner," he added, carefully looking at the boy.
Killua looked down and sighed heavily. "Today, along with… everything that happened, I confirmed that Blademon is the baby kidnapped five years ago, and my partner. And now he's trapped in that ocean, same ocean that decided to send Hisoka after us…" After Kari, was left unsaid. "I swear every recent problem seems to steam from that ocean… Won't be surprised if the guy behind Arukenimon has something to do with it as well," He said, scratching his head.
That brought yet another conflict on the table—yay—how to get his partner back. He hoped that there was a way to bring Blademon back, to convince him to be on their side, to start the partnership they should've had from the start… If he was willing to do so and left behind the idea of ripping his head off.
But to do that he'd have to go to that place, that stupid ocean that just seemed keen on making their life hard as of late. And when brought up the idea to Kari she said they would follow him if needed.
But now… Now he wasn't so sure about that. Not when the ocean seemed to be getting more dangerous, to be point of bringing someone from his world—Hisoka of all people!—to drag her there.
It was dangerous, more than he believed at first, especially for her. Maybe he shouldn't rush it, not now.
"I'll deal with everything else first. Hisoka, the temples, that spiderwitch, and her dog," Killua listed, growing more tired as he realized all the workload they have. "Then… Then I'll see what I can do about Blademon."
"Can" being the key word.
Tai gave him a reassuring smile. "That should do for now then," he said, leaning back on his bed. "And if you ever need help, remember that there's another team of Digidestined to cover your back."
Killua turned to Tai with a blink and then he smiled with an almost amused expression. 'Yep, they're definitely siblings,' He thought. "Yeah, I know."
"And…" Tai's expression turned more severe. "Let's give our best to keep Kari safe."
Killua returned his expression with a nod. "Damn straight we will."
Again, she lay awake on her bed.
Again, the events of the day kept her from falling asleep.
'At this rate I'll never be able to sleep again,' Kari thought a bit sourly as she pouted at the ceiling.
Everything… Was too much, it was already a bit stressful dealing with Arukenimon's constant attacks at the temples, and BlackWargreymon being a loose cannon whose side was unclear. Now another problem was added to the table in the form of that man—Hisoka.
Sent to them to kidnap her, to get her to that ocean that seems to have it out for her for no apparent reason, other than her being the Digidestined of light, she gripped her bed sheets out of fear and frustration.
She thought she would be over it by now, that the fear she felt for that place would go away thanks to the help of her friends, to her new skills as a Nen users. Yet that place found a way to ignite those fears again, sending someone that was not only superior to them, but to even Killua himself.
She wasn't so naïve as to think that Killua was invincible or something, no one was and she saw him injured before—gravelly injured too, like on his fights with BlackWargreymon and with Blademon—which was another can of worms she knew had to be open at some point.
So… what now? That was the biggest question at the moment. Killua had provided them with an answer, as expected from their leader, but aside from that, she didn't thought fixing the temples and boundaries will be the end of it.
That ocean has been a problem before the temples were in danger; her first two encounters with it showed that, so who was to say that it would stop when they stop their most frequent enemy. She knew her friends would help her to keep her away from that world but… She just wished that world would just leave her alone.
She might not know how to do it in the long run, but she knew how to do it now. By sending Hisoka away when the boundaries were fixed, and then… What? Keep being protected by her brother and friends?
As much as she loved them… She didn't liked the idea completely. She asked Killua to train her all those months ago, before any of their friends did, exactly because she was defenseless against the ocean's first attack.
That didn't meant she was going to head on to attack Hisoka or something like that, just… stand up to him with far more resolve if he tries anything again. Or rather when he tries anything again, considering the circumstances and all that.
"Can't sleep either?" She sat up to see Gatomon jumping on her bed, her eyes meeting hers with a look of understanding.
"Just have a lot of things in mind," Kari responded with a smile and a shrug.
"Me too… Today wasn't exactly my most stellar moment," Gatomon said, her ears dropping as she remembered the fight against Hisoka.
"Gatomon…" Kari said, looking worriedly at her.
"I… I don't want that man to ever get near to you again, Kari," Gatomon said, remembering the look that the jester was giving to her partner. "But after today, I'm not sure how I can match up to him."
The girl reached out and picked the cat on her arms, stroking her head. "I was thinking something similar. I'll admit that it is scary all that happened revolving around that man, and the ocean," She said. "But we can get through this. I mean, we will get through this, once the temples are safe and he's sent back to his world, we can find a way to deal with that ocean."
Gatomon looked at her curiously. "Do you know how we'll do that?" She asked.
Kari scratched her cheek with a chuckle. "No, I actually don't…" She admitted sheepishly. "Not yet at least, but once Arukenimon isn't a problem anymore we can think of something." She looked at her hand and let her Nen flow briefly before clenching it into a fist. "In the meantime, let's get better so we can always give our best."
If this problem was because of her, in some way at the least, then she wasn't going to just stand behind and let the others protect her. She was going to be there, in the front with everyone else. 'I can surpass this, that ocean is not going to win. And I still have a promise to fulfill related to it.'
She had told Killua that she would help him if he decided to go to that place to search for Blademon. She couldn't back down, even with the apparition of Hisoka into the battlefield.
Does the idea of going there scare her? Yes.
Does she trust that she and her friends could get through it? Also yes.
Gatomon blinked as she saw Kari's expression, she was almost glowing with resolve at the moment. The feline Digimon smiled at her partner, "I think you are already giving your best, and staring to get even better."
Kari looked down at her in slight surprise. "Oh!" She giggled, "You really think so?"
"Yup!" She purred as she cuddled on her lap, causing the girl to giggle a bit more.
From outside her room, Killua stood. He was about to knock so they could go meet with the others on the Digital World for the training when he heard the small laughter.
He blinked, before he smiled himself. A bit relieved that she was taking the situation far better than he'd expected, remaining positive even during a hard time.
'Welp, guess she is the Child of Light for a reason,' Killua thought, that kind of attitude remind him of a certain someone. He shook his head fondly as he knock on the door. 'Those two would get along… Who am I kidding? They all would get along with him… That's just how you are, Gon.'
As he entered the room and saw her smiling, Killua knew what the true priority was.
To prevent protect another light from a world of darkness
When he saw a sign he knew he wasn't home.
The characters were very different from the alphabet back home.
Hisoka looked at the busy street around him with a pondering look. He wasn't in his world, nor in the Digital World, then that only meant one thing.
He was on the Digidestined's world. The same world where his human comrades and those children accompanying dear Killua come from, it was similar yet different to his own world.
Now… What to do? He had to locate the Child of Light his patron sent him to find so he can go back home, but how? When he can't even read the simplest of things? He would need a guide.
A light bulb went on over his head. Maybe, and just maybe, he knew where to find a guide, but how to find one of them?
He looked around and noticed an alleyway where some gentleman doing a… interesting transaction of business.
Hisoka grinned. If you wanted to know about a city, ask the rats.
A/N:… Hisoka… He's a hard character to write, and I hope I make him justice. That's my only excuse over why this chapter took so long.
Aside from that, I'm trying to give my best girl Kari some development, I hope it doesn't feel forced or fake.
I'm gonna try and uptade a Fallen Knight so check that story if you want more from me—Your boy Axel.
And also sent help Hisoka won't leave my room.
Hisoka: Hoh~?
GET OUT!