Sitting atop of a tree, Kirahki devises a plan to get her target's tag. She knows someone is watching her, they've been tailing her since she departed from the ship.
A gentle breeze blows around the tree, rustling its leaves. It blows through my hair and allows me to sense the intentions of the person who has been trailing me. I don't feel an overwhelming sense of alarm, which means they don't intend on killing me yet. It's only the first day... that would make things pretty boring. I'll let them think they have me until they change their mind. It will also help keep me on my toes.
I hear a disturbance coming from below. Someone's not too far off. It sounds as if something is chasing after them. Keeping myself hidden, I prepare for what's coming.
A female runs past my tree below. A gigantic wild boar is rushing after her. Well, I'm probably not her target since someone else is tailing me... so I think I'll help. I leap from the tree and land directly on top of the giant boar. It freaks out, trying to buck me off. Good I have its attention. I force it to run into a tree and it knocks itself out. I hop off rubbing my hands together. Piece of cake.
"I had it you know," the girl looks a little annoyed. She's the one with the minty green hair.
"Only trying to help," I shrug. "You looked like you needed it."
"Not really, I set a trap." She takes out a metal container and opens it. Some kind of gas comes pouring out. I pull my shirt over my nose and cover it with my hands so I don't breathe in the fumes.
"What is that?" I ask as she puts it away.
"Sleeping gas. It would have knocked that thing out cold. I was planning on making it my dinner, but now it seems that I owe you. Care to join me?"
My stomach grumbles answering her question for me. She smells strangely like honey. I haven't really been thinking about eating, but since she mentioned it... "Sure sounds great."
"But first I have to be sure I'm not your target."
"Same goes for you. Though if you were my target, I probably wouldn't have helped you out with that boar. Show each other our cards anyway?"
She agrees and we each show our cards. Hers has the number 103 on it. "Now that that's settled let's cook up this monster," she says kicking the boar.
We build a fire and roast the wild boar. "Mmmmm it's so good," she says taking another bite.
"Yeah, we should have teamed up in the Second Phase. Maybe Menchi would have enjoyed the food more," I joke.
"Yes definitely," she nods and rubs her stomach satisfied. I grab more to eat and soon enough, the boar is pretty much gone. *She sweat drops.* "You sure can eat a lot."
"I was hungry." I stretch my arms. "What's your name anyway?"
"Oh I'm Ponzu. What about you?"
"Kira," I reply handing her one of the flasks of water I kept.
"Thanks... umm do you think we could team up? Just for the night, I'm pretty tired and I don't want someone to sneak up on me while I'm sleeping."
"Huh? Yeah sure I guess. I'll take first watch if you want." The sun is beginning to set so I put out the fire before it can draw more attention to us. She leans up against a tree and tries to get some sleep.
"What do you think of it, the Hunter's Exam?" she asks me.
"Humm... it's been interesting so far. I've met some really cool people too."
"You're always hanging out with those four guys, right? Are you interested in any of them?"
"Yeah," I answer casually. "Well except for Leorio. He's not my favorite, but I guess we're still friends."
"No, not like that," She giggles. "I don't mean as friends. Do you actually like any of them?"
I can feel the heat rising to my cheeks as she studies my reaction. "Why would you think that?
"Well you've been with them this whole time, right?"
"Well," I try to explain. "One of them is my brother."
"Really, which one?" she asks curiously.
"Gon, the one with the spiky black hair. He wears a lot of green."
She takes a moment to consider what I'm saying. "Okay then, so which one do you like? It has to be one of them. The blonde maybe? Or is it the kid with the silvery white hair?"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about," I stutter, not meeting her gaze.
She laughs at me. "Well I like Pokkle. He's number 53." She rolls over and settles in. "I just had a thought... your target is my target's number backwards," she mumbles and she's sound asleep. Well that was an interesting last thought. I think to myself. I don't really 'like' him, do I? Is that what it is? I look up in the trees. The person targeting me is still there. Nothing's changed, they still have no intention of attacking me yet.
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I wake up to the smell of Ponzu making breakfast. The sun is just beginning to rise. I notice we're not in the same spot as when I fell asleep. "That smells delicious. What are we having?" I ask, yawning.
"Bacon and some eggs I happened to find."
"Any trouble last night?" I question.
"Nope, it was pretty calm. Well, you did start sleepwalking but I just kind of left you alone." She hands me a plate of food.
"Damn. Sorry I forgot to tell you that would happen."
"Don't worry about it. I'm not really sure where you were trying to go, but I made sure to keep a close eye on you."
We keep talking while we finish the food she made. She tries to get out of me which one of the guys I like, but I still don't answer. "We're just friends," I insist. Afterwards, we exchange information and then part ways. It's nice to hang out with a girl for a change.
"Okay back to finding 301," I say aloud. I wander into the forest wondering where he might have hid himself. It'd be easier if I knew who his target was.
I freeze feeling someone's bloodlust emanating from behind me. Immediately my stalker's mood changes and they're ready to kill. I anticipate someones arrival so I ready myself. A shot rings out and dirt flies up next to me.
"I'll be the only one to kill her," An unnaturally emotionless voice says. It sends shivers down my spine. The woman with red hair and dark shades falls to the ground. She's dead. It looks like someone snapped her neck. Another person jumps down from the trees above. It's my target. So he came to me...
"Good I found you." His bloodlust is seeping from every pore. "You're going to get yourself killed like that, before I even get the chance."
"You were the cause of her apprehension," I say coldly.
"You shouldn't be trying to make friends with Kil. He doesn't need friends. If you insist on doing so, I'm going to have to kill you." Kil? Is he talking about Killua?
"Give it your best shot, pin head," I say through clenched teeth.
He stares at me and tilts his head. There is no expression in his eyes. "Oh what are you going to do to stop me?" My eyes turn their special shade of scarlet. He'd probably be surprised if this nutcase could show emotion. "Hisoka will be very displeased if I kill you. Oh well, it can't be helped." What is he babbling about Hisoka for?
"How do you know Killua?" I ask ready to attack.
"I'm going to kill you and that's all you care about? It's of no concern to you. You won't live long enough for it to matter."
He throws four of his needles flying my way. I'm able to dodge them easily enough. He sends another batch my way, in quick succession. I manage to evade them too. "You're agile," he states blankly. The next second his face is right in front of mine and I jump back a few steps. He's fast. But can he keep up with me? He's right in front of me again but I sidestep moving out of the way. I aim to punch him in the face, but as soon as my fist would have connected, he disappears into the darkness. My eyes dart around looking for him. He appears beside me holding a needle to my forehead. Blood trickles down my face.
"Now that I have your attention... for Hisoka, I will give you a choice. Either you stop trying to be friends with Kil, or your life will end here."
"Not a chance," I say with all the intensity I can muster.
"Strange. You can't win, yet you insist on fighting. You have no right to be Kil's friend. You're from different worlds. You don't qualify to be his friend."
Rage flows through my veins. I grab his arm that's holding the needle to my head and toss him, sending him flying. I propel myself forward, rushing after him and punch him several times in the chest. He reacts as if I haven't affected him at all, like I'm not really dealing any damage. That can't be it... He reaches out one arm, grabbing a fist full of my hair, and lifts me off the ground.
As I'm struggling against his grasp, several cards are thrown in our direction. One cuts across his cheek, another across the arm that's holding me in the air. While his attention is on the person who threw them, I make my move. "Oh it's you," the pin head says devoid of emotion. He releases me and I drop to the ground.
"Gittarackur, I still need her." It's Hisoka. He's leaning against a tree, shuffling his deck of cards. "After I'm done with her, you are free to do as you please. Although, I ask that you do leave me at least one of my toys to play with."
"You don't need so many toys. Allow me to take this one off your hands." He gestures to me. Hisoka shows his own murderous bloodlust to let him see he's serious. "That's a long time to wait," Gittarackur says unemotionally. "But I suppose I've known you long enough. What about the other one? There's no need for him." What other one? If he's talking about my brother I'll...
"Can't you wait for the fruit to ripen?" Hisoka asks. "It's much more fun that way."
"Is Kil one of your little play things?" Gittarackur asks distantly.
Hisoka's tone is almost mocking, "Now, I know better than that, don't I?"
Grittarackur stares soullessly at him. "If the boy becomes a problem, I will eliminate him."
I glare daggers at the damned pin head. "You'll have to get through me first," I growl.
"She's so spirited," Hisoka looks at me with desire lining his every word. "Don't let that go to waste."
Hisoka and the pinhead turn to leave. "I didn't need your help," I call to Hisoka furiously. "And what the hell do you need me for?"
He shrugs. "You'll find out soon enough. Oh, and nice job getting his tag." He winks at me and chuckles before disappearing. I'm left alone with the body of the woman Gittarackur killed earlier. Hisoka still had his tag on. I guess that means Gon hasn't gotten to him yet.
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I'm back up in the trees with one arm resting behind my head and one leg dangling off the branch. I spin the tag with the number 301 on my forefinger. I keep playing the scene over and over again in my mind. "He doesn't need friends. You don't have the right to be Kil's friend." How does he even know Killua? Killua didn't seem to know him.
As I'm thinking to myself, I hear the ex-assassin's voice somewhere below. "You're wasting your time. I'll never give you an opening to attack," he's calling out to someone behind him. A ways back I can see one of the Amori brothers hiding in a bush. "Man..." he sighs. "If you're not gonna show yourself, I'll come after you." He starts walking towards the Amori brother who tenses up. "What a pain..." Killua says to himself. I chuckle up above and Killua looks up at me. Damn he's seen me. He continues like I'm not there, "You're only worth one point to me." He's so calm it freaks the other guy out. His brothers show up behind him.
"Bro!" he says seeing them... but I don't think he's too happy about it.
"We ran into some trouble."
"You're done, right?" They both look at Killua, who's just casually staring back.
The first one kicks the brother. "You idiot!"
The second punches him. "You can't even beat a little kid?"
"You got it wrong, Amo!" He says holding up his hands in defeat.
"What do I have wrong?"
"I didn't want to hurt a little kid," he says nervously. "So I figured I'd take it while he slept."
"You're lying through your teeth!"
"Fine! If you insist that leaves me no choice." He glares at Killua. "Time for a beat down." The brother slowly approaches him. I just watch from above. Killua will be mad at me if I interfere. It's not like he couldn't handle these guys. "Hey, kid. Just give me your tag. Do as I say, and I won't hurt you."
"Stupid," Killua replies, boredom clearly lining his words. The brother kicks Killua right in the middle of his stomach. Keeping his hands in his pockets, he's airborne and lands on his back. He looks up at the sky, still with a blank expression on his face.
"Aw, don't say I didn't warn you," the Amori brother mocks him.
One of the others laughs, "Right in the gut."
"Must hurt like a bitch."
Killua swings his legs up and jumps back up to his feet, never removing his hands from his pockets. The kick didn't even affect him. The three guys stare at him in disbelief.
"What? Did you go easy on him?"
"You're too nice, Imori."
"Yeah..." Imori replies with his eye twitching.
Killua takes a tag out of his pocket. "198, it is."
"What? No way..." Imori checks himself over.
"Since it's only a number off from the one I'm after, maybe 199 is one of your two buddies?" Killua toss the tag up and down in his hand.
"Umori... get in formation," the first brother says. "Time to get serious. This is no ordinary kid." They form a triangle around Killua. For a moment no one makes a move.
Then, Killua disappears from sight and is behind Amori within a second. He kicks the back of his leg making him kneel on the ground. He grabs the guy's neck and puts his hand next to his throat. His nails have grown into their killer shape. "Don't move. My fingers are sharper than knives." Blood drips from Amori's neck, even though Killua is barely touching him. "Let's see... you're 197? He looks at the last brother. "Hey. Are you 199?"
"Yeah..." He replies uneasily.
"Hand it over."
Umori tosses his tag over to Killua. "Thanks. Now, for the tags I don't need..." He glances at me and then launches one of them through the air. "And the other one goes this way." He sends the other one soaring. "You still have three days. Good luck finding them. See ya." Killua disappears out of sight. I jump down from the tree, startling all three of the Amori brothers. I ignore them and run off in the direction Killua went.
When I catch up to him he sighs, "Man, that was boring. I wonder what Gon's doing."
"Hopefully he's already got Hisoka's tag," I reply.
"What about you? You have the one you need?"
I show him 301's tag. "I got it yesterday." Killua looks satisfied. I stop walking, remembering what Gittarackur said to me. He looks back at me confused. "Killua..." I pause. He continues to stare at me, awaiting my response. "You know I consider you a friend right?"
He looks away trying to hide his blush. "Let's go."
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Killua and I come to a river flowing through the island. He bends down next to the stream to throw some water on his face. I check to make sure nobody else is around, and sensing no one, I push him into the brook.
"Baka, what was that for?!" He yells seemingly irritated. "Man, now I'm soaked." He sounds a little disappointed. I chuckle at his dismay, while I'm still safely on the river bank. You think it's funny?" He flashes a cheeky grin and pulls me in the water after him.
I splash around in the stream pretending to sink. "I c-can't sw-swim."
"Seriously?" He asks unimpressed, easily lifting me out of the water.
"Nope," I smirk, splashing him with more water.
He drops me back in. "I'll get you for that." He splashes me as well and we go back and forth having a splashing contest.
Before long, we wade in the water looking for cool rocks and other such things. I sit down at the edge of the river with my feet still dangling in. I lean back with my arms behind my head, looking up at the sky. Killua sits down next to me. He's still dripping wet. I shiver from the touch of the cool air on my skin.
"You're cold," Killua notes.
"Aren't you?" I ask.
He shrugs. "It doesn't really bother me." He stands up and takes off his white t-shirt, followed by his blue turtleneck...
"What are you doing?!?!" I ask in bewilderment turning my head to look away.
"What? My clothes are still wet," he says harmlessly as he drapes his shirts over a low hanging tree branch.
"You can't just start stripping!"
"Baka! It's just my shirt," he replies coolly.
"W-well still..." I can't help but blush.
He narrows his eyes at me. "Does it bother you?"
I have yet to actually look at him. "I guess not,"I say softly. He sits back down next to me. Refusing to look at him, I start drawing pictures in the sand. I can feel him watching me, curiously. Then he starts drawing something in the sand as well.
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The sun has already set. I yawn, having not slept since the first night. "Killua have you slept at all since we got here?"
"Not really, why?"
"Well, is it okay if I get some sleep?"
He raises an eyebrow. "Why do I care what you do?"
I sigh. "Can you just make sure I don't drown in the river or something?"
He ignores my question. "It's probably going to be cold tonight," He replies without looking at me.
"I thought it didn't bother you?" I ask narrowing my eyes at him.
"I meant for you. If you fall in the water, you'll probably freeze to death." Gee... thanks for your concern.
"Whatever." I lie down next to him. "If you're cold just ask." I snuggle up next to him.
"What are you doing?" he looks down at me.
"You're warm," I answer simply with my eyes closed. For someone who doesn't have a problem stripping in front of me... He doesn't pull away or push me off of him. He just lets me lie there until I fall asleep.
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I wake up next to a sleeping Killua. I peer over at his face. He looks so peaceful when he's sleeping... it's so cute. Maybe Ponzu was right... His eyes flutter open.
I get up in a hurry, stammering out some words, "I-I'll make breakfast."