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| CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX |
Blocked
" this is what a gentleman
does for a lady on a date. "
" only if we can stop
for hot chocolate. "
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》* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • 。* 。° 。* 。 • ˚《
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Hisoka turned around.
Of course, he held a smirk. He wore his usual makeup and his hair was gelled up. Everything about him looked normal, but felt so different. Something in him changed.
The boys and I sweat dropped.
"Hi- Hisoka," Gon whispered.
"But what are you doing here?" Killua asked for the three of us. Our movements were frozen. Honestly I don't even know if I'm breathing.
"It isn't that strange, is it? I love to fight and this is a temple devoted to the craft," he answered in an odd pose. "The real question is why are you here?"
He faced us fully and spoke using his normal cooly self. "Juuust kidding... This meeting is no mere coincidence. I've been waiting for you." He looked over at me directly. "All of you."
I tried to gulp, but there was nothing to- from my dry throat.
"B-but why?" Gon asked.
"Remember how you ordered your tickets for the airship over the internet? With only a little effort on my part, I was able to find out exactly when you would arrive."
Killua looked ready to fight at any moment, while I on the other hand wanted to just walk away.
Hisoka didn't come to us for me. No, instead he came for Gon and Killua, to fight them. He would never put in too much effort as to come to me, no matter how much I'd hope. Just like with the Hunter Exam. I had been there to find him, but he seemed to have forgotten me completely.
I kept my head down.
"Well, in any case, I knew you would come here eventually. And so... as your senior," he gestured to me, "and brother. I have a little bit of a wanting for the three of you."
We all shifted, still uncomfortable with how the scene was unraveling.
"You're still not ready to set foot on this floor. Even you, Y/N."
My eyes widened and I looked up. It's been forever since he said my name.
"Not by a long shot." He flicked his fingers up, pushing the two boys back with his ren. I, on the other hand wasn't too much affected. I'd gotten used to his Nen, even his Ten.
"When you will be depends on your efforts." He turned around. "For now, leave this floor. It's far too early."
"Wait, what?!" Killua grumbled, "that's stupid! We just got up here!"
Hisoka sat against the wall then reached out his hand. "I won't let you pass. But it's not like you could anyway."
Then, he let out a large amount of his aura. Our feet slid back from the force immediately.
Hisoka had used to practice me, but he only used a small amount of aura, so I'd get used to it. But this was different. This time he made sure we wouldn't get past.
I had been the first to give up and walk out of that hallway. The boys though, kept trying to take steps forward.
"Don't be reckless," Wing said, taking us all by surprise. I hadn't even noticed him and Zushi standing by me.
Hisoka's aura stopped from the sudden words.
"Mr. Wing," Gon realized.
"What he's saying is true. You have no defense against his Nen," Wing said.
"Nen?" Gon asked.
I felt a stare placed on my, causing me to look up and make eye contact with Hisoka. He had a questionable look on his face. It's like he was asking me, 'you didn't tell them about Nen?'
I shook my head slowly.
Then I looked away quickly, trying to pay attention to Wing.
"Right now, you are like someone standing naked in a blizzard, wondering why it is cold. If you continue to strain your bodies, you may die."
"So this is Nen?!" Killua asked pointing to Hisoka. "Can he stop us from moving forward just through using willpower? You liar!"
"Yes, I was lying," Wing admitted. "Though technically, I wasn't lying completely. I will teach you three the truth about Nen. So, retreat for now, like Y/N seemed to do right away."
I looked down, shame crossing my face. I wasn't one to normally back down, or feel threatened, but this was Hisoka. My brother.
"Excuse me, receptionist lady," Gon asked the lady, who had been standing there the whole time just watching.
"Oh, yes?"
"What happens if we don't resister for a fight today?"
"Gon and Y/N, you would both start again from the first floor. However, Killua refused to register once before. So, if he fails to register again, his commitment will be questioned and he will be banned from participating."
"Huh?" I mumbled.
"Hey, Mr. Wing," Killua spoke harshly, "if we back down now, will we be able to return here by midnight?"
Wing thought for a minute, then came up and answered, "that all depends on you."
Good answer.
- Timeskip -
We were back at Wings house, sitting in the same room. Just earlier we were here to learn of Nen, but he lied the last time.
This time we would be hearing the truth.
"Simply put, this is Nen," Wing started. "Nen refers to the ability to control of manipulate your aura that is emitted from your body. That's called life energy. Every person possesses a small amount of life energy. But in most cases, it simple leaks away. The ability to build up that life energy is knows as Ten. Using Ten, you can make your body tougher and considerably slow the effects of aging. Then comes Zetsu, which shuts off the flow of aura. It's quite effective for concealing your presence from others and recovering from fatigue."
Wing had been writing the signs for these words on the whiteboard, while we all watched and listened with full concentration.
"Which brings us to Ren, it enables you to produce more aura," Wing stopped. My skin suddenly tickled from a wave of some sort. "Can you feel that?"
"Yeah. It's like pressure..." Killua said.
"But it doesn't feel weird or creepy," Gon said.
"Yeah, it feels kinda cool actually." I smiled.
"That's because I have absolutely no malice," Wing explained then went deep into thought. "Aura is an energy dwelling within all humans... which makes it very effective against other humans. For better or for worse. If you attack a helpless person with malice, you can kill using aura alone."
The boys were shocked, but I wasn't, once again. I've seen that exactly happen, so I wasn't all too surprised.
Wing walked over to the other side of the room. "Only one thing can protect you from a Nen user. You must learn to use it yourself and use Ten for defense. Block the other persons aura with your own. Otherwise..." He placed his hand on the wall, emending a small aura off him.
Suddenly, all the pressure he built up inside him let out, and cracked the wall completely.
"Woah!" I gasped.
He turned back and looked down at us seriously. "Your body will be shattered beyond all recognition." He put simply.
The boys gasped, sweat forming on their foreheads again.
"Nen users who've mastered their gifts are treated like geniuses, or even as though a superhuman," Wing explained.
"A power that dwells within everyone?"
"Yes. And there are means by which to awaken this power." He rose two fingers. "But only two. Either slowly and carefully or by force. Zushi opted for the slow and careful path. Not only was he a quick learner, but he was tireless in his training, so he was able to master Ten in a very short time. About six months."
We gasped. "But that's way too long! We need to learn Ten and pass Hisoka and we've gotta do it before midnight!" Exclaimed Killua.
"Then... it seems force is our only choice," Wing spoke with uncertainty.
"But is that gonna be fast enough?"
"Exactly how long it takes will be up to you and how well you learn to contain aura in that short time. So, let's get right to it, shall we?" He rose his arm creepily. "I will begin your training by transmitting my aura in your direction. This is Hatsu, which you saw earlier. Of course, it goes without saying that because I wish you no harm, I'll go easy on you. But this method is a drastic one. In other words, I'll attempt to shock you into awakening."
"Shock us into awakening?" I repeated slowly.
"Yes. I will rouse your sleeping bodies with a jolt, making it so that you can preform Ten easily. The reason I say 'sleeping' is that your aura nodes are currently closed, preventing the free flow of aura. And so-"
"A-actually, Mr. Wing," I spoke up quietly, averting all attention onto me. "I... well my aura is already awaken."
Killua and Gon looked over at me with gaped mouths.
"Huh?" Gon wondered.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you two... it's just-"
"Oh I understand perfectly," Killua spoke with venom, "you and your brother have been working together, haven't you? Have you been tricking us-"
"No!" I shut him down. "No, never! Listen, Ten was something I had to use in the past. I don't know all too much about it, but I know my aura is awakened and how to use it only a tiny bit."
The room went silent. Obviously, Wing and Zushi were quiet because they weren't involved, but it had driven me crazy how Killua and Gon weren't speaking.
"So..." Gon started, looking over at Killua innocently. "I don't see the big deal over it if she did know it."
"Huh?" Killua asked, "what do you mean?"
"Well, she chose to not tell us for a reason. I'm sure we all have got our secrets, so what makes this one any different?" Gon asked, taking me off guard.
Maybe Gon had pitied me when I told him about my past, or maybe he even understood somehow. Whatever the reason, I was truly grateful.
Killua looked down, thinking about it.
"Ahem," Wing coughed, "well now that we've got that figured out, I'll continue this with only Killua and Gon. I will transmit my aura through you, I'm hoping to jolt those nodes into an open position. Under normal circumstances you would spend your time training, in meditation, learning how to sense your own aura that surrounds you, slowly and carefully allowing those nodes to fully open. Even a natural talent like Zushi here, required three months. But considering your abilities, you could've accomplished it in a week or less."
"Huh?" Both boys wondered. In the corner of my eye, I seen Zushi twitch. I'm sure he's upset with how they could learn it much faster than him.
"That's why it's unfortunate that we are being forced to use the drastic method."
"I don't really get it," Killua remarked cooley. "What's the problem? I thought faster is always better, isn't it?"
"This method is a cheat and is highly frowned upon. We are skipping the proper steps. If I was inexperienced or bore any malicious intent, I could kill you." Wing glared over.
"Yeah, but you aren't inexperienced or malicious. So, we're safe with you. Right?" Gon asked with no worries.
Wing sighed.
"And that's why I've been wondering... what made you decide to teach us the real Four Exercises?" Killua asked.
"Because you are very close to getting it... well, how about enough talking about it, and we get straight into this. I'm trusting my instincts that you will both hold up," Wing said, then looked over to me. "You may choose whether you'd like to stay or leave."
I looked down in obvious shame. Here he was going through all this trouble, but I've just lied to get here. I know Killua is mad, so it'd be best for me to leave anyways.
I peaked up to look at Killua; maybe he'd tell me what to do.
He wasn't looking at me though, and instead his eyes roamed around the room, obviously intending to avoid my gaze.
I sighed and nodded, "I don't want to see them in pain, so yes, I will leave."
Wing nodded then looked down at Zushi. "Go with her Zushi. It's better for both of you to be together. Also makes sure the both of you are back in an hour or so."
"Yes," Zushi agreed then walked to the door, holding it open for me. I stood where I was, unsure of what to make of his actions.
"Tsk," Killua mumbled.
"What're you waiting for?" Zushi wondered, "this is what a gentleman does for a lady on a date."
My brows rose from that. I was never treated like a lady unless it was some small protective action from Killua or Hisoka. I was mostly surprised by the fact he just called this a date, though.
My cheeks were tinted pink as I nodded, making my way over to the door. I knew my face had heated up slightly and I also knew why. It wasn't because of Zushi, or because of the kind gesture. It was because even though Zushi had done such a kind yet simple act for me, I somehow wasn't able to think much of it.
Instead, I wished it was Killua opening that door.
I felt a harsh stare on my back as I left, but I chose to ignore it.
Once I stepped out onto the stone pathway, a rush of cold air hit against my skin, sending a shiver down my spine. The door clicked shut, and small footsteps had been heard approaching behind me.
"It sure is cold," Zushi said, now being right next to me.
I nodded, staring out to the moon. That big shiny bulb in the sky had reminded me of something.
"Well, since we have a bunch of time, wanna grab something to eat?" Zushi offered happily, leading the way to who knows where.
"Hmm? Only if we can stop for hot chocolate," I joked.
"O-of course we can! Anything you want!" He whipped his head up and down aggressively.
I nodded but then added, "also, Zushi... I hope you know that this is not a date."
(Note: 40k views. How. I can't even comprehend this. I'm just gonna keep saying thank you, because at this point that's all I can really say.
PS: This book is ending soon and I absolutely want to keep making more stories. I'm stuck in between a LevixReader or a HangexReader... thoughts?)
WORDS | 2458
PUBLISHED | 3/7/21