Ponzu pt.1

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Third p.o.v
The small flame of his light flickers as he continues to walk in the dark cave. His footsteps echoes in the hollow cavity, sounding louder in the quietness. Leorio's eyes when he catches the sight of another light in the distance, beads of sweat slide down his face as he smirks and clicks the lighter out.
I have to go for it.....And he starts walking again, this time trying to be more quiet. He swipes the pocket knife out of his pocket, a determined expression on his face. Tension is filling the air as he starts coming closer, his nerves causing him to be highly alert and even a little jumpy.
He enters a bigger cave and then pauses as he catches the sight of a person he didn't expect to be there. The light in the middle of the room casts dark shadows over the walls. "Isn't that..." The other's eyes are hidden behind his headscarf. "Bourbon?"
"I'm guessing that I'm your target?" Leorio's head snaps to the side so fast, he vaguely wonders if he hasn't broken it, but it is overshadowed by thoughts of the high pitched voice. "Ponzu!"
"There's no point." Huh? He looks surprised for a second by her bluntness. "We gain nothing by fighting here." She explains simply. "I have everything to gain. It's just as you said...You're my target!" He brings the pocketknife up again. She sighs at his antics, like he is being unreasonable.
"Let's pretend that a miracle occurs, and you deafest me. You still won't be able to leave this cave."
"What?" He pauses as he tries to comprehend her words, "What do you mean?" The light in the middle of the cave flickers menacingly.

Akira p.o.v
I don't know what to do without being suspicious...My left fingers tap against my thigh, and I anxiously bite my lip. And I don't want to break the trust of Leorio with entering the cave before his call, but I have to do it, because otherwise he could literally die!
"He's taking too long." States Kurapika, startling me out of my thoughts. I nod, jumping from one leg to the other. "Yes, shall we take a look?"
"It's been nearly thirty minutes. Wait just a little longer." Almost. He is almost going to scream, and then I can go. Not even a moment later a loud voice echoes out of the cave.
"Kurapika! Akira! Don't come in!" Without waiting for Kurapika I take off, running inside the cave even if when I know what is gonna happen. I don't know how am I gonna do it, but I'll pull something off.
"Leorio!" I shout, skidding to a stop as I enter the bigger part of the cave, Kurapika als comes to a halt next to me. I already know what happened by watching the anime... I gulp slowly. It is very different when you experience it for real.
Snakes are cut into bits of pieces are laying around Leorio, who is bleeding with small bites all over his body. Bourbon is sitting there being a dead man and Ponzu is watching us with distrust in her eyes.
My knees land with a thud on the ground next to Leorio, and I check to make sure he is really breathing and alive. "You fools...." He mutters, lofting his head to look at us. "Why did you enter the cave?"

Kurapika (third) p.o.v
He has bites all over his body! If those snakes were venomous-
"They're vipers."

Akira p.o.v
Remembering Gon's words, I grasp Leorio's arm. "Their poison isn't that strong. But he's been bitten too many times." I concern myself later about the consequences, but right now I have to save him! I place my lips over a wound on his arm and start sucking like I've seen Gon do, and then spit it out as I feel something that doesn't as blood enter my mouth.
"S-Stop it! If you have any cavities or open wounds in your mouth..." I give him a wide grin. "Don't worry about it!"
"Leorio, do you have any serums in here?" Asks Kurapika, averting Leorio's attention to him. "If I did, I could have saved you guys..." His eyes slowly fall shut, and his body goes completely slack. "Leorio! Anyway, we have to stop the bleeding."
"Okay!"

This isn't looking good. I bite my lip as Leorio groans, sweat is pouring off of him. "That should do it."
"But why was he bitten so many times? I don't see any snakes here!" I exclaim, and stand up, walking closer to the exit. I need to make her talk, so nothing will happen to Leorio and Kurapika. "We have to worry about that later, right now, he needs a-"
"I would stop if I were you. You cannot leave." Gotcha. My feet hovers in the air as I'm about to take another step to the exit, I quickly set it next to my left foot.
"What do you mean?" Asks Kurapika suspiciously, still kneeling next to Leorio. "When someone tries to exit the cave," As if on cue sounds of something slithering over the stones come my way. Not something, multiple things. "snakes attack them."
With a yelp I jump back as I see, what feels like millions of snakes, skittering my way, only stopping as I back off.
"Bourbon, the snake charmer, set this trap. If you're bitten, you'll end up paralyzed like he is." She nods towards Leorio, who is still passed out laying on the ground. "And then you'll die." Kurapika whips his head around, facing Bourbon.
"Bourbon! You're looking for tags, right? We'll give you every tag in our possession. So let us out of here!"
"It's no use. He's already dead." I feel the blood leaving my face at her words. I've already seen enough deaths the last few days.
"D-Dead?" I try to swallow my dry throat, and feel a shiver over my spine as I finally notice Bourbon's dead eyes. "The one who set this trap is dead? How?" Demands Kurapika.
"I killed him." Her casualty about the fact she killed him gives me another shiver over my spine. I know it was technically an accident, but even though...
"I won't tell you how." She closes her eyes again, ignoring us further. What should I do? What should I do? What should-"Akira, look out for Leorio. Tell me if they're any changes."
"Uhm...Okay." I sit next to Leorio, where Kurapika sat a second ago and watch with confusion as he starts walking over towards Bourbon, even Ponzu looks surprised. What was he gonna do aga-Wait!
"Wait, Kura-" He already sticks his hand out with the intention to search for the serum. Not even a second later, snakes are slithering over his body, hissing towards Kurapika, who pulls his hand back, and just in time as one of them shows his teeth, almost biting him.
"It's no use. You won't be able to search his body." She glances at Kurapika before sitting back in her normal position. "The snakes are trained to attack the moment anyone tries to touch their master or to leave the cave."
He doesn't answer, opting instead to observe Bourbon's body. "So you used poison to fight poison." He comments all of the sudden very calmly, and Ponzu emits a small 'huh?'.
"Judging from his wounds, you must have used Neurotoxic Bees. He probably died from anaphylactic shock." He turns his head slightly to look at Ponzu. "What is that ana-anaphylactic shit?" He glances shortly at me before turning away from me again.
"When a bee stings a human, the human produces antibodies to counter the venom. But if the human is stung again by the same kind of bee, they experience an allergic reaction. An extreme allergic reaction is known as anaphylactic shock. Depending on the circumstances, it can be fatal."
She smirks. "You got me. That's exactly what happened."
"So you used bees to kill him..." She shoots me a look that is the closest you can describe as a glare. "Bourbon was my target. After confirming he'd entered the cave, I sprayed sleeping gas into the entrance, and waited till it was safe to enter. Bourbon was sound asleep, but he'd already set his trap." She pauses for a moment, "The sleeping gas didn't reach most of the snakes that were hiding in the cracks at the back of the cave. Well, I jumped back in time, so I wasn't bitten by snakes. But that triggered my attack switch."
She taps against her big, yellow head, and my eyes widen as I see the bees slowly appearing out of it. Holy shit.
"You keep bees up there?" Her eyes have a dangerous glance in them, and for the umpteenth time I feel a shiver crawling over my spine. "If I scream or collapse, they'll attack any nearby humans. I didn't expect him to die. How could I have known he'd been already stung once? And I couldn't help him because of the snakes."
A bit of tension in my shoulders is released as the dangerous glance disappears. "Well, it was beyond my control anyway." She waggles her finger. "You can come back now."
"The problem is that he's dead, but the viper trap is still active." She waves her arm, and closes her eyes, looking actually annoyed. "And we can't ask him or look for a way to disarm it. We're trapped with no escape."
My attention is brought back to Leorio as he groans, and I place his head on my lap, trying to think of something without being suspicious. "We have to hurry, he is getting worse."
"I've already given up. We just have to wait for the examiners to come and save us." We can't wait that long and...I'm not sure if I can grab the serum from the guy. The options are running out, and time is also limited. "The examiners? You're saying they'll rescue us from this cave?" She gives him a ridiculous look.
"You didn't know? Our ID tags contain a tracking device. The examiners can locate each applicant. If someone hasn't returned by the deadline, the examiners will look for them. Though this won't work if you lose your tag or if someone takes it from you. Fortunately, there's only one day left. The best course would be to give up for this year and wait for help."
"We cannot do that. Leorio's condition is worsening." He starts walking towards us again, and lays a hand on Leorio's back. "We must take him to a doctor immediately."
"The examiners won't move until the deadline passes. If you don't have your tag, you'll basically left for dead. It's his own fault. I warned him." I grit my teeth. There's only one option left...
"All you can do is pray that he holds out until help arrives." And even if I know how much I don't want to do it, I can't let Leorio, my friend, die. "Kurapika." Clenching my fists tightly, so I don't show any hesitation, I look at him. "Look after Leo."
"Akira?"
I give him my signature grin, and stick a thumb up. "I'm gonna grab some, I'm sure of it!"
"Akira..." I avert my gaze at Bourbon, forcing myself to take steps towards him. I will do it, even if there is a chance I will die!

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