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| CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE |
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" being with you just
makes me happy. "
" i like someone! "
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》* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • 。* 。° 。* 。 • ˚《
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It was now night with everyone standing in the small room. A whiteboard was exhibited in front of us with Wing and Zushi standing side by side. The younger boy always seemed most confident when he was by Wings side.
"Paying attention?" Wing asked, about to start his explanation of nen. I knew of nen already, but clearly hadn't known of the foundations. It's something I knew how to use when I needed to, but not by choice.
Nen shows a sense of power within someone, and that's what I hated most. It changes people.
"Nen, or flame, is a power that fires our souls. In other words, it's the strength of your will. And the four exercises is a training regimen that strengthens your will."
"Strengthens your will?" Gon repeated.
"Training?" Killua went on.
"Exercise?" I ended, not wanting to exercise. It's not that it wasn't easy, I'd just rather sit at home and eat chips.
Wing wrote on the board, "correct. Ten: focus the mind on a single point, reflect on the self, and determine the goal. Zetsu: to put into words. Ren: to intensify your will. Hatsu: to release it into action."
"Ten. Zetsu. Ren. Hatsu."
"The four exercises."
"See," Wing gestured to Zushi, "Zushi tempered his 'refusal to lose' during his battle with you, Killua."
Killua's eyes popped out a bit, probably thinking back to the battle.
"Now allow me to demonstrate," Wing said looking straight at Killua. "For this demonstration, I would like to 'kill' you now. Is that all right?"
"Uh..." I muttered while we all looked at Killua.
"Sure. Why not. But you won't be able to," Killua said cooly.
Wing rose a finger. "Let's do this in order. First, Ten." Wing squat down into an odd position and put his arms out. "I focus my mind on a single point." He looked up with a now stern face. "Zetsu; Express your desired intent. Either mentally or verbally." He closed his eyes then spoke, "I will kill you."
We all watched and waited for what was to come.
A small aura chilled my skin, and I'm guessing everyone else's as well, from the small gasps heard.
He wasn't as good as Hisoka, that's for sure, and he was only using a small amount. A very small amount. He looked up, then boom. Now, he expressed an aura in the room that showered with 'I want to kill you'.
Killua and Gon looked about to be blown away, yet I still stood there, with an expression that shown little surprise.
The more I looked at Wing, the more I wanted to laugh. It was like his face had zoomed in, allowing his wrinkles to truly pop.
(AN: I'm sorry but can we just take a moment to appreciate this.)
I looked over and seen both Killua and Gon grunting, along with their faces showing looks of terror. Killua jumped back in fear, leading my attention over to him with sadness.
Now that I stopped to think about it, this would probably be really hard for Killua. His brother had used nen against him, and so it's no surprise that this'll be tough for him to master; without thinking of his brother.
Suddenly, the ren stopped completely.
"That was a taste of ren. With enough strength and focus, the will functions as actions or Hatsu." Wing adjusted his glasses; A smirk held on his lips. "With a strong will your opponent will back down. A more familiar term would be 'Bluffing'."
Killua walked forwards- with a look I can't exactly place together.
"Ren hardens that which is soft and you suddenly find that you've lost your ability to correct an incorrect idea. Therefore, until your soul has fully matured, avoid using Ren. As it stands now, you four should really focus on training your souls."
I seen Killua squint from the corner of my eye. He then looked up to Gon and I, saying, "let's go." He walked past us- heading to the door.
"If you truly wish to learn about Nen, set your sights on mastering Ten first," Wing explained, stopping Killua, then he went on, "if you master Ten, you no longer feel the pressure of an opponent's will."
Killua took a breath and his footsteps once again indicated his leaving.
"Well we've better go, it's getting dark," I said. Gon and I both bowed. "Thank you very much!"
After excusing ourselves we quickly ran to catch up to Killua.
"Wait up, Killua!" Gon called out.
"Man, I shouldn't have drank so much soda," I grumbled, already out of breath.
We finally caught up to Killua- who hadn't even looked back at us before saying, "he lied."
"He lied?" Gon repeated.
"What he said was true, far as it went and his power is the real deal, too. But, there are a few things it doesn't cover."
"Like?" I questioned.
"Like how tough Zushi is. In our fight, he got up every time I knocked him down. It was annoying. And that's why I got a little pushy with him at the end."
I looked away, attempting to cover a squinted face, then whispering, "a little?!"
Gon gasped, thinking back to when Killua full blown punched Zushi in the stomach, even causing blood to cough out of his mouth.
"It wasn't just strength and will alone that kept him standing that whole time. There's gotta be something he's hiding," Killua said deep in thought.
I stopped walking completely, catching them both by surprise. With my head down, the boys must've felt my saddened expression.
"Y/N?"
"I- I..." I started, looking at the ground ashamed. "It's just-"
"Hey, spit it out already," Killua urged.
I gulped down harshly. No matter how much I wanted to tell the two everything I knew about Nen, I just couldn't form a sentence. Nen had been something in my past that I never wanted to experience again, really. It's something that reminded me of Hisoka, and with- no who, he learned it from.
"N-nothing," I muttered, releasing my fists from a tight grip- that I hadn't even realized I was holding.
- Timeskip -
"It's time for the biggest match of the day!" The announcer spoke over the speakers.
Gon, Killua, and me were all standing in the center of the arena, spotlights once again shining brightly at us.
"Three rookies advance to the 190th floor without losing a single fight! Gon, Killua, and Y/N!"
Cheers and hollers seemed to be echoing from wall to wall. I glanced up and seen Killua with a bored look while Gon was smiling.
Their expressions caused me to let out a giggle. That giggle wasn't because of their faces or anything, it's just, you can tell what kind of person someone is just from looking at their face.
"Will they be able to clear today's match in one shot, too?! Okay, everyone. Get ready to press your wager buttons!"
Gon was first up, so Killua and I had managed our way to a front row seat.
Looking up, I once again let out a laugh. Gon's opponent had looked like Einstein and Johnny Lawrence had a child.
Killua looked over at me then rolled his eyes. "What're you always laughing for?"
I smiled over to him. "I don't know really... lately it's been for the most tiniest reasons." I looked back over at Gon with a gleaming face. "Being with you just makes me happy."
Realizing my mistake, I quickly looked back over, correcting myself hastily, "I-I mean, uh... being with both of you makes me happy. Not just you, of course! Ah- well you do make me happy, but-"
I stopped from seeing Killua looking over at Gon's match with a red face and his face tucked into his palms. I gulped again from my now dried out throat, and tried my hardest to focus on the match.
Both our faces were probably steaming.
- Timeskip -
I couldn't stop laughing from just seeing my opponent.
"Y/N can't seem to stop laughing!"
He held a smirk, and had the most ridiculous costume on. It was like he was cosplaying as 'Captain Underpants', along with his captivating speeches.
"Bow done to the face of your defeat, little one!" He spoke in a deep voice, puffing his chest out.
"HAHA!" I grabbed my stomach yet still managed to point at him. "Y-you- HAHAH!"
"You laugh in the presence of your superior?!" He questioned, lifting his eyebrows. "Mock me, little one, but understand your future defeat!"
"Begin!"
'Captain Underpants' charged at me full speed, aiming directly to my stomach- screaming in the process.
"Die, you-"
Boom
I smiled from the practical steam coming off my knuckles.
"Fist bump!" I cheered, pointing straight at his body, which now laid on a ceiling light, dangling.
"Wow! Critical hit! It seems Y/N adjusted the direction of her 'fist bump' causing her opponent to go flying!"
I smiled brightly over to Gon and Killua's seats, but it died down when noticing how they were talking, not even paying attention.
I clicked my tongue then muttered, "you were the one who told me to do that, Killua."
- 3rd Person POV -
"You admitted it earlier, why not now?!" Gon argued.
Killua looked away, rolling his eyes in the process. "I never admitted anything."
"Liar!"
"Not!"
"Yeah huh! Just now you couldn't stop smiling from seeing her laughing," Gon finally resorted
Killua glared over. "Yeah right, she looked like a maniac, I was just..."
"Just what?!"
"Just let me finish my sentences, stupid!" Killua yelled, throwing a fist in the air.
"I don't like her-"
"Like who?"
Both boys froze, slowly and robotically looking over to the girl who was now standing next to them. She held a look of confusion from not hearing the full conversation.
"You like someone?" Y/N asked quietly.
Killua and Gon gulped in unison.
"Uh- well, ya see..." Killua rubbed the back of his neck, then looked over at Y/N- who was looking back with sadness. He stopped and stared back with wide eyes. She held an emptiness in her eyes.
"I like someone!" Gon yelled, once again causing two people to freeze.
"Ehh?!" Y/N rushed over. "Who, who, who?! You've gotta tell me!"
With her death defying stare, Gon glanced over at Killua, who took a breath of relief.
- Timeskip -
- 1st Person POV -
The elevator dung, announcing the opening of the doors. Once opened, we all walked out.
"Wow! The 200th floor," Gon awed.
I couldn't even focus on the luxury, with my mind still wondering as to who Gon liked. He definitely told Killua... but why not me?
"Where's reception?" Killua wondered, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Hm?" I looked over to a different hallway. "Maybe this way."
We started walking over.
"We finally made it," Gon smiled.
"Yeah."
"Felt like it was forever-" I spoke turning into a different hallway, but immediately shut my mouth. We all bounced back from the dark aura leaking inside the hall. It felt like monsters had been crawling up our skin.
"Let's go, we can do this," Killua said, walking forward.
While we slowly continued our steps, there was only one thought in my mind. I felt this before. I knew I've felt this deathly feeling before, but I just can't place from where.
"Can you feel that bloodlust?" Gon barely managed to say, grunting in the process.
"Alright, that's enough!" Killua yelled out, "who's there?!"
Where would I have felt- Hisoka.
But then, a woman in a uniform popped out. She looked half dead, maybe from being so tired. She looked over to us with an empty look.
"You must be Gon, Killua, and Y/N. The reception desk is this way, so please register for a 200th match today. Be advised that your eligibility for this floor expires at midnight, so please don't delay."
It was silent for a moment before Gon finally spoke up. "Did that feeling come from her?"
"I can't tell," Killua answered.
"By the way, on the 200th floor, there's currently 173 contestants. And from this floor up, all weapons are allowed in all matches. So, please feel free to use whatever you have. Also, you will no longer receive prize money. Now your fight is only for honor. Please keep that in mind while you participate."
Suddenly, a magician's card was placed next to her. With a confused look, the woman rushed away-
Revealing my brother.
(Note: lately I haven't been able to find as much time to write, which I apologize for. I don't want to make excuses, and so I won't. But, I've decided that no matter what I will be finishing this book, so thank you very much for reading it!)
WORDS | 2152
PUBLISHED | 3/3/21