Raphael experiences the aftermath of the battle against Genthru.

Raphael was filled with anxiety, it had been well over an hour at this point. His hands ran soothingly over the baby dragon, stroking the malleable scales. It was to be expected, since the creature was a baby…

It's probably a limitation set by the Game Masters, a glass cannon with immense powers.

Still, it was perfectly matching a baby's mannerism. Constantly reacting to his touches, like trying to bite his fingers playfully, or trying to curl up into his hands like a cat trying to fit into any surface. The cute noises they would make even resembled a child that doesn't speak, other than trying to converse with an adult via gibberish.

It bit his finger, the boy casting a gentle gaze over the beast. He playfully booped its nose, causing them to release his finger so they could bite the other. But he was much quicker, pulling it into his lap when it turned to reveal their stomach.

He gave into the request, giving scratches across their belly. It made pleased little noises, their tail and wings slapping him across his legs.

"Aren't you a happy little cheeky dragon."

"EeeEe…"

He chuckled at the sound it made, now running his fingers back over its head where it promptly tried to snatch his little fingers, "Someone is hungry for some finger food."

"EeeEe…"

He couldn't help but give a genuine smile at the response, "I wonder if you can get hungry?" Or are you naturally playful?

The beast didn't respond, instead rolling around in his legs. Eventually it started to climb his shirt, tiny claws digging into his skin until it came to rest on his shoulder. He stroked the underside of the chin until the beast fell asleep on his shoulder.

"They must like heights…"

The beast rested like this for a while, Raphael still left to his thoughts. That was until something clicked. What if they couldn't get in contact with him because he has his pet dragon? Would that mean he can't do the same with Asta?

His question was answered when the book popped out before him, scaring the beast on his shoulder, "A player has used Contact to reach you." He caught the dragon before it could fall and hurt itself.

"Killua? How did it go?"

"We have good news, and bad news. The good news, we beat The Bombers…"

"The bad…?"

"It's better if you come in person, because someone decided to deviate from the plans…" Since Gon didn't respond, he could only assume it was him at fault. The boy was being awfully quiet about the situation, "And SOMEONE can't be targeted by Accompany cards."

"Oops…"

"Yeah, so get your butt here."

Raphael offered a short apology, pulling out one of his cards to utter the boy's name, "Accompany on. Killua."

"~"

Raphael was greeted to a devastating sight. If someone expected him to predict what he was about to lay his eyes on, this was the last thing he'd expect to happen to Gon…

The boy was blind in one eye, his throat mangled, part of one arm missing… and the other had a hand that had been completely blown off.

"H-How?"

"Like I said…" Killua levied a glare at Gon, "He didn't stick to the plan."

Gon tried to offer another apology, but he instead broke into a fit of coughs. It was devastating to watch, especially when the one person who could save him was out cold.

Genthru probably wasn't waking up anytime soon, given the damage. His chin was heavily bruised, and chest suffered major wounds. He probably took the full brunt of Gon's overpowered punch.

"You idiot!" Raphael finally screamed at the boy, making him wince in the process.

"No need to yell, between Bisky and I, we already gave him an earful. Now all we can do is wait for sleeping beauty to wake up."

The teen approached the boy, glad to hear that. At least he wouldn't need to yell at him for being reckless, the others had already got that covered. But he still needed to say something. He couldn't just openly stare at the damage Gon had gone through.

So he approached the boy carefully, wrapping his arms around his friend. He was glad he was still alive, "I'm sorry…" Killua bristles from the two hugging, now openly glaring at them.

But neither of them had noticed. It was here where Raphael let his true feelings out, "I should've been there to assist you." Gon tried to open his mouth to speak, but his throat not only hurt, Raphael also hushed him, "You shouldn't agitate your throat. Just listen. I should've joined the three of you, instead of worrying about Tsezguerra's cards. I should've been there to make sure you didn't get hurt… at least at the last second, so I could've minimised the damage you suffered. Not only that, but I had a feeling even if there was a plan, you'd deviate because that's just you. You have a goal in your mind you wanted to play out… a crazy goal."

Gon was too busy sobbing, a combination of the pain, the hug and the confession finally hitting him.

When he pulled back to look at Gon, the dragon on his shoulder crawled over to Gon's. He could only smile as the others now looked confused. "This is baby Aduzla, the dragon that stopped you from teleporting to me."

Gon went to go play with its chin, but the next thing happened so quickly, nobody had time to react. A loud shrill followed. Without warning, like an actual lizard, it unexpectedly jumped from Gon to Killua, crawling all over him.

Killua went to shake his clothes, trying to get the monster off him, but all that did was make it tighten its grip on Killua as it navigated the boy'd body. Gon's shoulders bopped between broken wheezes, Raphael only howling in laughter.

"What the fuck! Stop laughing and help me! Get it OFF!"

Raphael had to run, grabbing it before Killua could think to punt the creature like a soccer ball across the field. The creature only meeped in response as it was grabbed, Raphael forced to trap it in his palms before it jumped back onto Killua.

It seems like all their noise disturbed another, Bisky being the first to point out that the man had finally woken up "He's awake…"

The others turned, Raphael placing the tiny Dragon back on his shoulder. Killua took several steps away from him, out of the dragon's line of sight so it wouldn't jump on him again.

The boy moved closer, kneeling in front of Genthru "Let's make this easier. Summon your binder."

Bisky let out a huff, "And we want you to return all the cards you stole from the people you backstabbed."

"Yeah, that ain't happening anytime soon." Raphael kneeled on the other side of Genthru, the man now turning to face the other, "Goreinu already told me the full extent of how Genthru obtained his Accompany cards. How many players did you kill exactly, hmm…?"

The man didn't respond, instead turning to look at the sky.

"Too many. If there's anyone still alive, the majority of his cards don't belong to them…" Both Bisky and himself could think of one they couldn't name since they would be outing that he's somehow still alive, despite setting off all the bombs.

There was also Asta and her teammates, someone they still needed to alert about Genthru's loss.

But that would come soon, since they still needed to empty out the man's binder. With that, Raphael stood up, "And the cards he did steal from people he hasn't killed, he's probably already used them."

"You're right…" Genthru closed his eyes, "There's probably no one alive for me to return the cards to, that I haven't already used."

The man had to think about a possible solution, a way to still fulfil the request anyway. Considering what happened to Bara's face, it's safe to say the little girl is stronger than she looks, "I can think of a compromise, on one condition…"

The man turned to gesture to his friend, "Use one of my Breath of Archangel, to heal Bara."

"We have a Clone card." Bisky smiles triumphantly.

"Wouldn't work since I'm holding a series of vouchers, waiting to be transformed. So as soon as you use his cards, I'll have them. But what Tsezguerra doesn't know about, won't kill him…"

Raphael then frowned. He doesn't like the idea of healing any of Genthru's team members. But since Bara is the only condition, he'd agree to that… and only that compromise "But we should only heal Bara, and nobody else from his team."

Killua looked from the man to Gon, then to Raphael, "No can do. We only agreed to heal everyone, because Gon was absolutely stubborn about it. He said it wouldn't be fair if we used all his cards to heal ourselves."

Raphael let out a long sigh, of course Gon would've said that. He shouldn't have even bothered trying to argue against the idea.

Turning back to his friends, he made his own condition, "Alright. But it's Gon first, given his grievous wounds. Second is Bara, then Killua. If you can at least agree to that, I'd gladly hand over the rest of my Breath of Archangel as I get them. Deal?"

Gon gave a nod, "You won't object, Genthru?"

"No objections. As long as Bara is healed, I couldn't care less what the order is." The man offered a smile, "Book…"

Bisky drew the first card, "Gain!"

A white angel floated above them, long glowing hair flowing in the wind. Even though she was naked, she had no distinguishing human anatomy. She was nothing more than a blank canvas.

Her eyes peered towards the group, waiting ever so patiently "What is your wish?"

Killua pointed at Gon, "We need you to heal his hands and throat. Scratch that. Can you heal all his injuries?"

"Easily done. Then I shall heal his body." She bent down to the boy's level, releasing a breath of air over the boy's frame.

Gon looked at his body as the aura weaved around his body, blackened skin being repaired before his eyes. The hand he lost appeared like he hadn't lost it, able to move every individual digit seconds after having regained it.

But that's not all…

Every opened wound, the damaged hand burned to the bone, his crushed throat…

All of that was repaired within seconds of being engulfed by the breath of the Archangel.

Gon let out a small hum, surprised to hear his own voice.

Killua and Bisky were enamoured by the revitalised Gon. But not for Raphael, it was expected. Everything healed like Gon had chugged an elixir of full health.

It was something found in most games, usually a potion that heals all wounds.

This one just had extra steps in order to be used.

"I'm healed?" Gon cheered loudly with his own voice, happy to have everything he lost returned to him "I'm healed!"

"Then, farewell." The archangel vanished without a trace. But she'll be back when they have to use another card.

Raphael was glad to see the joy, to see Gon finally healed.

But there was just one problem. His book didn't let him know he had gained a new card.

Maybe Goreinu had kept one as a precaution, just in case they lost. He made no signs to show any of his concerns, just in case the game doesn't alert you when you gain the Breath of Archangel.

Bisky happily handed over the next card, "Okay, here's the next one." Gon took the next card, re-summoning the archangel.

She showed no signs of annoyance, accepting the fact she had been summoned once again.

Still, his voucher hadn't transformed or at least alerted him of having transformed.

Gon directed the archangel to heal Bara. When he was healed, and the second the Archangel vanished, his book opened before his eyes.

"You have been awarded a Breath of Archangel. Congratulations!"

So it did alert the player.

"Wait, why didn't we hear it the first time we used the card? What gives?"

"Goreinu probably kept the first voucher just in case we lost. Or it was more to make sure we got Genthru to use one of his cards. We'll keep going until he contacts us. Alright, next up is Killua."

Raphael held out the third card, about to summon it, "Ga-"

The book flipped over to the back page, "A player has used Contact to reach you."

"Yo!"

"Hey Goreinu, it seems like you have one of the Breath of Archangel."

"As a precaution, you know. Just in case Genthru tried to make a copy if he won."

"You have that much faith in us?" Raphael was quick to mock the overcautious man in a sarcastic tone.

"Actually, more like a safety net. Speaking of which, why can't I target you with a Return?"

"That would be my little pet dragon. Give me a minute to step away from Gon so that you can target him. We'll let you know of the plan."

"~"

Goreinu found himself getting frustrated with the teen, "If I knew you were going to go with their plan, I would've kept all the vouchers. These guys are murderers… filth that rampaged all over Greed Island, killing whoever they felt like. I can't in good conscience let you heal them."

Hearing this, Killua stuck a thumb in his direction, "But you're cool with me, right?"

"Of course…" Goreinu raised an eyebrow, unsure what the boy was hinting at, "It's not like you murdered anyone in this game, right?"

"Game, no…" Killua gave a cheeky smile, "But, I have assassinated hundreds of people… probably thousands if I'm being honest."

Raphael burst into laughter, "Next you're gonna tell me you worked with the mafia."

"Probably…"

"Wait, you're serious?!"

Killua turned to Gon, playfully punching him the shoulder "See, nobody believes me. Only you did."

"But, you look like a radiating ball of sunshine."

Killua choked on air, caught completely off guard by the compliment, "Ar-Ar- Aren't you talking about Gon?"

Raphael looked at Gon, then back to Killua, "Okay I'll give you that one. Well, damn, that not only explains the claws…" The teen gestured to the boy's hands, then to the rest of his body "And your genetics."

Killua felt flustered once more. Thankfully Gon wasn't adding to that, "Well, as enriching as your commendation was, the fact is I'm a trained killer who has buried more people six-feet under, than Genthru has done in this entire game."

Killua crossed the distance, once more kneeling before Genthru's feet, "Each player in this game risks their lives one way or another. While it doesn't make it okay to kill others, the sad thing is the people I have killed weren't nearly as prepared to die as the players on Greed Island. In other words…"

Killua found himself looking up to Goreinu, "I'm a monster in comparison to these guys."

"No, you aren't like them." The man cut the kid off, "I like you, but I hate their guts."

Killua found himself getting irritated, rather than flustered from Goreinu's admiration of him "That is the dumbest excuse I've heard, and Gon says a lot of dumb shit."

Gon pouted.

"It's not dumb. It's a fact. I don't need a reason to justify why you're better than them. What counts is how I feel."

"And what you feel is incredibly stupid…"

"Alright, alright…" Raphael got between them, "This argument is leading nowhere. We get it, your argument is Killua is good in your eyes, therefore healing him is more justified than healing Genthru. And Killua's argument is that he's killed more than Genthru, therefore his stained hands do not justify why he should be healed, and Genthru shouldn't…"

The two nod at the fair judgement, "But I have the rest of the vouchers, and Genthru's Breath of Archangel. I'm like you, against healing Genthru…"

"Then you-"

"But Gon and his team agreed to this. It's three against two, we lost the majority rules."

"But you have the cards! Are you going to betray Tsezguerra?"

"Yes, I do have the cards. No, I won't. I made a deal and I plan to keep it. I'm not losing out on a couple of extra Jenny, but I'm not going against Gon either. Friends help out friends, no matter how incredibly stupid their idea of healing the one guy who happened to blow off his hand in the first place, is…"

"Well said…" Bisky invited herself into the conversation. The man held the woman's gaze, "Just because we hate them, doesn't mean we should let them die. In battle, both sides risk their lives, and are prepared to kill. But once the fight is over, that rule no longer applies for multiple reasons."

"I'll never forgive him for all those players he killed…" Gon agreed, "But we agreed before the fight, that we'd make sure we have enough cards to heal everyone. There's no reason, or logic behind it. It just felt like it was the right thing to do…"

"And if you lost…? Would they extend the same courtesy to you?"

"Probably not, but Killua is smart." Killua looked away, flustered by his friend's comment out of nowhere, "We wouldn't have lost."

"Whatever…"

"But you are. Had I stuck to the plan, we could've used the first Breath of Archangel on you, not me."

This didn't help the boy's situation, "Yeah, well you did. There's no point arguing about mistakes you made. All's well, ends well. Raphael, you have the card."

"I do…" Raphael ripped out the card once more, "We're healing Killua, then Sub next since Killua gave him a makeover…"

"Use it on Genthru before me…"

Genthru was shocked by the request, "Why?"

"I'll be fine… that's why."

"Noted." Raphael held up the card, "Let's get this show on the road. Gain!"

The angel appeared once more, "Heal Killua's wounds!"

Killua looked at his hands, the numbing feeling now gone, like Gon hadn't punched his hands into oblivion. Unravelling the binding showed no wounds, let alone scars, "That's amazing."

Killua punched the air a few times, testing how well his hands had truly been healed. There wasn't a residual feeling of phantom pain… well, more like a mild feeling of numbness.

A second voucher transformed in Raphael's book, "Two more to go."

One after another, everyone's wounds were healed, Raphael still having two more Breath of Archangel, along with two more vouchers, "Alright, that just leaves the deal we made with Tsezguerra. Let's make a copy of Wild Luck Alexandrite, so you still have-"

"Wait!" Goreinu interrupted the teen.

"Hey, I'm not letting Gon had over the only copy-"

"There's been a change of plans. Tsezguerra didn't want me to tell you just in case they lost, but he and his team decided to pull out of Greed Island."

"Huh? Why? What about our deal!"

"Tsezguerra told me about your deal, and he's not nullifying his end of the agreement. Battera gave up, the reasons are unclear. But, he has decided that Raphael will get to keep all the cards… and we'll be getting a chunk of the winnings, courtesy of Mr Battera. I got about… seven billion. Three is to go to Raphael."

"HUH?!" Bisky grabbed the man by his shirt, pulling him down to her level, "What are we getting, scraps?!"

"The rest of us are getting one billion each, don't worry."

"Oh…" Bisky let go of the man, dusting the wrinkles out of his shirt, "I'm sorry. Thank you for the reward."

"What do you mean, thank you, none of us would've been able to beat on our own? Raphael worked alongside Tsezguerra, as well as Gon, Killua and you, Bisky joining us to beat the game. It's only possible because of you guys…"

"I can't believe how…" Bisky held the man in her arms, hugging him tightly, "You're such a nice guy!"

"R-Right…" The man turned to Raphael, offering an awkward smile, "You can keep the cards. Or you can give them to Gon… Whatever works for you."

"We should give them to Raphael, he worked the hardest for this."

"Actually, you should get all the cards, Gon. You have a reason to beat this game."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive…"

"In that case!" Goreinu pointed a finger to the sky, his hand slowly falling to point at the young boy, "You must be the first players to beat this game."

Killua and Gon agreed.

"Alright, but before I hand over my cards, Killua, can you get in contact with Asta to tell her to come here? She needs to clear herself of Genthru's bomb."

"On it!"

A/N: Leave a review, it helps inspire me.