Leorio didn't sleep like others on the airship. He did doze, no doubt so did Illumi and possibly Hisoka. But truly drift off, he did not. So he was painfully aware when Gon and Killua felt comfortable enough to flop their heads on his arms. He stiffened at the two's flop. Neither of them noticed. He was certain Illumi did.
On the one hand, it was really cute to see Killua being such a cuddle bug. The down side was Illumi's protective brotherly nature. He was unnerved to see the face Illumi wore smile at him. Perhaps he didn't know what the assassin was thinking. He didn't know if it was comforting not to know what he was thinking.
Soon enough, morning came, eight am and at the next location of their exam. They were ushered off of the airship, atop a pillar of some sort, far from the ground below. Even without the announcment to the challenge, Leorio figured only two possible challenges. Last one standing, or dive to the bottom.
At least dive to the bottom would be theoretically safer.
He watched as one person insist he could rockclimb to the bottom.
Leorio was skeptical. Not of the man's skill, but of the simplicity of rock climbing to the bottom. His suspicion was well justified when a large airborn creature swooped in and plucked the man off the tower. He felt bad for the screaming man, but he was the one who decided not to think things through. How someone could be so cocky after the chaos of the first two challenges. Well, other than those he knew were using nen.
He was ashamed that his intelligence or observational skills were not what told him how to advance to through the third phase. It was a playful shove, his shoe getting caught on something, a near invisible crack of some kind, and keeping up a butler trained appearance that had him stomp on a tile, making it flip. He felt himself falling for a brief moment, before landing on his feet below, a bit disoriented.
He looked around the room and was glad to see no one was around to see his rather ungraceful landing.
"Please attach one of the bands."
The voice was matter of fact. Leorio didn't react to the voice. He did look over to the bands. Given the voice and the fact they were the only thing in the room, they were probably a key to moving on. He walked over, and placed one of the bands on his wrist. Not seeing a change, he leaned against a wall. He sent out a pulse of his nen. He felt a swell of chaos making it difficult to see or navigate. He could understand there were many paths and many people, far more than just the competitors.
He heard a click and opened his eyes. Appearing gracefully before him was Hisoka. Leorio felt a small twinge of fear, half wondering if Hisoka being here with him was somehow Illumi's fault.
"Well, I wasn't expecting to see you here."
"Likewise," Leorio responded.
Another click. Hisoka didn't move a muscle, not from fear, but from disinterest it seemed. Leorio decided that this was Illumi's fault. He had little doubt Illumi somehow knew how to end up in this kind of situation.
"Gittaraker, you and Hisoka need to put on a band to continue," Leorio spoke trying to seem disinterested and not afraid like he knew he was. He was thankful for Gotoh's intensive emotional training.
"Oh?" Hisoka practically purred. Leorio was not okay with the clown. He hoped that whoever else would be joining them would get in the room soon.
Thankfully, both Illumi and Hisoka put the bands on without arguing. Neither one spoke to the other, but both were staring at him. He wondered if this was how Killua felt when his mother was watching him. He would ease up on his tormenting of him regarding her if it were true. There silence was unnerving, and he was not going to initiate conversation.
He was thankful that after an hour of tense silence, a new click occurred. Leorio looked over to the drop site of the next individual. A slight swell of giddiness grew in his mind as he recognized Tonpa as their fourth individual. He landed on his feet, his skills as a veteran of the exam shining through.
"Welcome to the wait around group Mr. Tonpa," Leorio greeted with false hospitality. "Please put a band on while we wait for our fifth."
He would have to appear unassuming if his plan were to work as he wanted. Making this Tonpa's last exam would certainly make his exam extra sweet.
"Well, it's nice to be welcomed. I don't believe we've met yet."
"My apologies. I heard Killua talking about you giving him juice earlier. I recalled your name from the conversation."
"No worries. So what's your name?"
"Leorio," he answered honestly. Since Killua already knew he was here, there was no reason for him to hide anymore. His smile however, hid his plan. It looked like Tonpa bought it. His smile appeared equally warm and welcoming, and he even waited next to Leorio. Given his options being Hisoka or Gittaraker, Leorio knew he was objectively the safest choice to be near in the room. Leorio couldn't disagree that for Tonpa, he was the least dangerous. He knew Illumi was an assassin. He had been forced to grow near the budding killer. He knew some of what Illumi was capable of. He didn't have the foggiest clue about Hisoka, but he knew he was dangerous.
Tonpa picked up on the silence the group was favoring, and waited quietly for their final partner.
It took a while, but there soon was a final click.
Zoldyck's Doctor has a spin off guys!
Zoldyck's Doctor AU! Short Stories by Yamgeta1406. Check it out guys.
Who's ready for some major chaos? Who will be the fifth member of this hell group?