After a night spent inside the blimp of Hunter association, morning greeted the applicant that will soon be followed by a new test carried by the hunter exam for the day.
With the anticipation hung tight with everyone among the examinees, our red cloaked heroine have long since been waiting at one of the benches outside of the blimp's hallway for their arrival. Killua pretty much went to get Gon and ate breakfast with him, thus leaving her on her own to mull in nothingness.
She may have spend the next hour alone if it weren't for another presence she didn't expect to appear to her at that time. She turn at her sideways, and there stood one of her proclaimed big brother right from their meeting.
"Onii-san." She called out with a small mumble. Leorio wouldn't have heard her call him if it weren't the already silent hallway they were in. With how quiet the place has been, even Leorio himself wondered if she could hear his panicked clattering heart beat at his over so nervous attempt to talk with her already-adopted-in-mind younger sister.
After his small talk with Kurapika yesterday at night, Leorio couldn't sleep that much at the thought of his imouto eating up in his mind. Should he just ignore what have transpired with Killua earlier? Should he have addressed the issue right in the get go at that very moment? Or should he just forget everything that have happen and dump all his feelings over the problem he so wanted to answer?
It was the very next morning that he woke up that he had made up his own mind of what he should- would- will do for the sake of his inner turmoil to find peace and make up with his imouto even with no single clue of what he has been thinking of, the reason being he has been discretely (poorly so) avoiding the young girl.
And with the help of Killua who he had abruptly bump at a turning- was he able to find his imouto.
He opened his mouth yet his tongue curled in denial to speak, his voice unable to word what he wanted to say. Cold sweat slowly clammed his body, his body stilled as ice.
Seeing of his older brother's nervousness, a distance he kept from her in between them with the reluctance to come forward, she took a page from a book she had read once at these kinds of situation.
"Onii-san." She called out Leorio in a much louder voice than before to take his mind off whatever he was wrapped in. When Leorio turn his eyes back at her, she gave him a small smile, one that she hoped would give the smallest comfort to him.
"Have you eaten yet?" She continued as she stood up to where she was seated, "I've already eaten. They had chicken and pastas in the canteen. There were a lot of desserts there too. They taste very good, I tell you."
"Uh- I- I already did..." Leorio's shoulder were tensed.
"That's great! It would be a problem if you haven't cuz I'm sure both Gon and Killua would have wolfed down all the delicious food from the canteen!"
At the small image of both teen actually wolfing down the foods straight out of a huge plate they had pilled up with assorted food, he couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of those two brats. Surely, the chef and other participants would be giving them the stinky eye once they've both cleared the foods for anyone else to help themselves into.
The red cloaked girl softly sigh in relief at seeing Leorio's shoulder finally relaxing from their tense position. He was chuckling and she marveled at the sight of his older brother's eased form.
'Yep, that's more like him. Tense and stiff body doesn't fit him, neither were his fallen crescent face is.'
She slowly breathed, "That aside, were you going to say something, Onii-san?"
Leorio's chuckle halted and in turn his lips closed. Awaiting for his speech, she didn't expect to be apologized.
"I'm sorry."
Her eyes widen at seeing him smile, one that of calm and serene she hadn't seen him wear before. She was taken aback at this. It was as if he had given up of something and that unsettled her.
He took a deep breath, "I- may not know of everything about you, and there might be a chance you might not ever see me as your big brother. But that does not change I consider you as my little sister. So whatever troubles you in the future, come to me."
She raised a questioning brow.
"I'll always be your big brother, and I'll make sure to be there for you."
Wonder played over the lighten eyes of the young girl. A warm overflowing invasion stirred her inside, her heart seemingly to have soar in the sky. She doesn't know of the reason why he was telling this to him. However, what bothered the girl was how Leorio had assumed she does not consider him as her brother- related or not. Perhaps it may be connected to why he was avoiding her yesterday- or it might not- but she was sure it did.
She may not know of why Leorio came to think of it that way, but she was damn sure to proclaim clear of any kind of misunderstanding that brought such insecurity and doubt over to his big brother. And this angered her.
Her brow narrowed, "Onii-san." Her voice were strained in an unusual twinge.
"What's wrong?"
She bit her lower lip, "Was this about why you were avoiding me yesterday?"
"A-AvoiDing?!" Leorio's voice went to a higher pitch at being found out. "I- No! I wouldn't do that!" His denial however only proven the girl's suspicious.
'So he was really avoiding me...'
"Uso damedayo."
"Lying is kind of- it's not like I was- but-"
"But what?! You were still avoiding me and I-" She clench her chest, "It's weird... Yesterday you started ignoring me and now you just suddenly appear out of nowhere, say that you'll always be my big brother and be there for me, yet you tell me that I may not see you as my big brother? That does not add up! To- to anything or- and unless something happened yesterday that made you think that way and I- And I don't even know what it was..." Her voice broke.
And at her strained voice, shock- guilt immediately found their way inside of Leorio's heart.
"D-Did I do something wrong...? Did I said something you didn't like? Is that why?"
"N-No, it's nothing like-"
"If so- I'm sorry... Please forgive me..." Her eyes blurred at staring the floor, her back hunched from clenching her breaking heart. "I'm sorry..."
"No-" He whispered. He gritted his teeth, "Don't apologize!" Leorio yelled, "You shouldn't- Why would you- It should be me who's apologizing to you." He bowed his head, "I'm sorry... You didn't do anything neither did you said something wrong. It isn't your fault. Everything is all my fault."
She sniffled, "Then tell me... at least tell me why were you avoiding me."
Leorio seems to hesitate at that part as he stuttered, "I- I- it's just-" He sigh in resignment. He look up at her.
"The truth is I- I don't feel like any of like a brother. But it's not like I don't see you as my little sister. In fact, I'm more than happy to have you as my little sister..." He quieten. "It's just that, I know nothing about you. Hell I don't even know your name, or- or any of your likes or your dislikes. I don't know any of them.... And that enough disqualifies me as a brother to any!"
He gripped his arms, "That time when I couldn't find you back at the second phase, I couldn't- I couldn't even call out your name. It just felt so- so- frustrating that even though your now my imouto, I- I wasn't there by your side. And I felt anger by myself that I feel like I don't deserve to be your brother." He bowed his head, "I'm sorry."
At Leorio's every word he had let go. At his every confession he had made. She finally understand. She had finally found out that it wasn't entirely Leorio's fault, because in the end, it all came back to her. It was her own ignorance- her own stupidity and idiocy that had set his brother to grow in doubts.
She sprinted over Leorio and enveloped him with her arms, "I'm sorry!" She cried out taking Leorio off guard.
"Wha-?!"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry Onii-san! It isn't your fault, nothing is your fault. It was my own lack of knowledge that was my fault so- so you don't have to apologize for what you didn't know!"
"Wait- I already told you it isn't any of your-"
"No!" She buried herself to Leorio's stomach, "It was my fault and it's final!" She stubbornly said, "And- And I'll tell you everything. I'll tell you my name, my likes, my dislikes, all my life, I'll tell you everything so- so please don't think yourself as undeserving as my brother. Don't disqualify yourself as one. Please don't say you are not my Onii-san."
Leorio sigh in resign. He rested his hand on her head, "Ok. I won't. I'll listen. And let's make up, so you can stop crying now, okay?"
She brought her head up and look at Leorio. With her teary eyes, joy leaped through her lips as she smiled widely.
"Mn."
With the remaining time they had left, she told him her name, her past she had only remembered, her condition of having amnesia, and the tragedy her named family had suffered. All of it, she didn't hesitate to tell to him unlike the first time she did with Gon and Killua. And telling this to him made her so incredibly happy! It was liberating and gave her so much relief.
It felt like the people who really understood her increase tenfold and she could rest assured to lean on them. And little did she knew, her trust seem to grow much larger than before.
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The intercom beeped in the quiet hallway they were at. There's only one reason for it.
"Everyone, I'm sorry for the long wait. Please be ready to take off and be prepared for the next hunter exam location. I repeat.-"
"It seems like we'll have to go now..." Freyja told to herself in murmur beside Leorio who was sitting beside her in the bench.
Leorio stood up, rubbing his blood shot eyes, "Let's go, imouto."
She smiled taking in Leorio's hand, "Mhm!"
"Ah- Onii-san, would you like me to take some ice before we depart?"
"That- that wouldn't be necessary..." He look at her redden eyes, "On second thought, you might need it..."
"But your eyes are also really red!"
Leorio's cheek turn red, "I-" He turn his head away, "Let's just go stop by the kitchen in the way out..."
"Ok!"
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Trick Tower. To pass, one should reach the bottom of the tower before 72 hours are up.
The group was looking for a way out when both Gon and Killua had found passageways. There was 6 of them. Presumed at least one of them was a trap, everyone toughen through to follow in at one of the passageways for the exam.
"No hard feelings okay."
"I guess this is a farewell for now."
"Good luck." Saying, they too gave the girl a good luck before counting into 3 and falling in their 5 chosen tiles.
While four boys met once more at an empty room, the little girl found herself alone in a different empty room.
She stood up and went to a table with a paper plastered at the wall, "Welcome. Please wear the watch provided and proceed to pass the doors." She read aloud.
"Welcome, new contestant!" A static voice suddenly came out of no where.
The girl looked around the small four cornered room until she saw a camera at one of the upper corner of the room with a blinking red light.
"You have chosen the dungeon of questions. You are now given the task to answer all the questions for you to pass through the tower. If you are able to answer the given question and answer them correctly, the path closest to the end will open for you. However, if you have answered the question incorrectly, the path farthest to the end, full of prisoner needed to knock out and traps to avoid, will instead open for you."
So basically, she had no choice but to answer the questions to reach her goal quick.
Humming, once she strapped the watch in her wrist, a door rolled off to open an entrance.
She entered and a question appear before her.
"How many continents are currently recognized in our world?"
She look at the surveillance camera and told the examiner her answer.
The stony door opened beckoning her to enter. She walk at the dark tunnel with only small lights from bulbs above the ceiling, each a meter away to light her path.
The question and answer portion continued, and for some time, she was able to answer them correctly. It was but a pleasant walk with few measly traps here and there that could be avoided easily.
It was until she encountered a question much more within her grasp however, that she stopped in her tracks.
"What do hunters call to the unexplored world?"
Her brows creased, "How would I know the answer to that when I'm not a hunter myself yet?" Yes she was taught, but as a civilian, not as a hunter. It was the same sole reason why she knew a lot about literacy but doesn't know what the word 'assassin' meant.
Though, it wasn't because she doesn't have a large vocabulary that she failed to know of what 'assassin' meant, it was because she wasn't able to categorize the word 'assassin' as a synonym word for a 'killer' which was a much easier word transition she could have understand.
She looked at her watch. She had spent a total of 4 hours inside this tower without rest now.
Sighing, she pressed the option 'X', a choice given to her to surrender voluntarily.
A door from the other side of the room opened and a cloak man in a cuff in his wrist appeared. The door closed and a click resounded, the cuff on the prisoner's wrist dropped in the floor.
The prisoner took off his cloak revealing himself with a muscled body. He smirk and without any warning, he lunged at her. She took the hit, too late to see the sudden attack.
And it was too late for her to realize that this prisoner was a thief, a skilled pick pocketer at that. She had only discern the impending situation she had led herself into when the man jump back, his hand clenching on an oddly familiar dagger. Her dagger.
It was a surprise he didn't take the sword picking out her cloak all this time. He must've been a meticulous and prideful man, doubting the sword as the real thing with a young girl like herself carrying it out. Thus, gambling on to pickpocketing her in attempt to steal a hidden dagger inside her cloak with a skill of his own.
Smart enough. She had only been meeting meat headed people from the beginning of the hunter exam. Quite skilled they are, they don't use their brain, degrading their skills even more.
She hid a smile behind her hood, "Dear sir," She pulled out her rapier with one hand and she stood straight, "Do please entertain me."
With a glint, both lunged at each other, fighting with weapons at hand. It seems like he also took the dagger as it was his specialty with how skilled he was using them. Was he looking for a good fight for all the unspecified years he had stayed in this prison tower? Whatever it is, the young girl was also looking for a good fight for some time now.
After many crossing sword, they pulled themselves from each other. She had been warming herself before taking it seriously. And it seems like the man before her was doing the same. It is a common courtesy to test each other out if one's enemy are worth to waste their time with after all.
The little girl decided that she had come to like this man's strength who was able to keep up with her for more than half an hour. She was by no means strong like the people who had trained her. However, since he had exited the wilderness, the longest she had crossed swords with someone has been 15 minutes most before ending them to their own death.
Soon they cross each other again, this time more strength added at their fight with punches and kicks being exchanged along with their weapon.
She was enjoying it, not until her foot slipped. Her small mishap was taken advantage of by the man who was able to successfully had stabbed her. Blood soon spilled, dripping by the floor.
The man took out the dagger, leaving the cloak girl bleed in her knees. He turn at the camera which was watching their fight since the beginning, blinking in red, his back turned from the girl.
"Hey, I can kill this brat, right?" He flung the dagger around his hand in a mocking way.
The examiner was quiet.
Taking this as a 'Yes', the man smirk widely, flinging the dagger into the air before catching it in his hand.
Before he could turn his feet around, however, a coppery liquid made their way out from his mouth, coughing at it. Confuse, he look down at his chest where a sword had pierce him. Before he could comprehend of what had happened, the sword was taken away from his chest. He turn back to look at the hooded girl, standing just fine without hearing any labored breath from her or a trembling body to pass it on her sword, a liter of blood spluttering their way out of his body's hole.
He wobbled down the wall covering his wound chest to stop the bleeding, "H-how-" He managed to utter.
"You don't need to know mister. Now I'll give you a choice, bleed painfully to death or end your life right here?" She look down at him, towering him above. Her voice didn't waver and the man found it weird.
He stabbed her, she bled. How come she could still stand?
He held his injured chest and noticed the placement of where he was stabbed. Neither was it straight to his heart nor is it pierce to any of his vitals. Have it been to any of them, as soon as she pulled her sword, he could have died straight away from severe blood loss within 5 seconds. But she didn't do it. Was it an accident or a-
He look at her with those emotionless eyes behind her hood. Those eyes that seem to look at him like a piece of meat in a market, inspecting the meat of it's own worth. Those eyes that wouldn't careless anything or anyone in front of them whether they're dying as of the moment. He knew those eyes very clear. Those dull hazel eyes. Those-
A glint from the small bulb light shadowed her eyes.
With a firm grip of those eyes that stared of him- her eyes chained his will to- 'Stop'
And those eyes-
Ah... Those eyes- yes- he knows them too well-
He met them once- He had seen them- Fought with one- Fled from them-
Those eyes are the eyes of a merciless trained-
By the time he drew the conclusion of everything that's happened, he knew that he has no more of a chance to live after being cornered by their likes.
"K-" A cough of blood, "Just-" A labored breath, "Kill- me-"
Without any seconds more, she beheaded him with her rapier, his head flying above the air, his blood spluttering in the stone.
She wasn't a fan of killing with all this blood even when chopping animal meat. But with all the blood staining her clothes, her attire inside her cloak at that, she's quite pissed that she didn't care anything anymore.
The sole reason why she wore a dirty red cloak over her attire is to avoid getting blood over her clothes inside them. In addition, any spilled blood wouldn't be that noticeable to her cloak, thus enabling her to leave it as is without washing them for days. But since the blood was from the inside of her cloak, she didn't very much had a choice. She was quite ticked and wanted to vent it to what was in her very sight at that moment.
"Now I have to wash my clothes all over once more..." She pouted having experience to wash a clothes with dry blood that almost took her half the day at the past if considering she'll need to wait for approximately 2 more days for a source of water to come by.
She soon heard the rolling of another door from the right side to open, "A pity I would say." The voice said, "Behind the door in your left is the door that leads to the end. However, as a part of punishment of choosing the 'X' choice, you are supposed to be led in a route longer than 30 hours. But, you have violated yet another rule, resulting for your punishment for a much harsher one."
This took her notice. She violated a rule?
"Which rule?" She abruptly asked the voice, "Which rule had I violated? You said nothing about any rule there is other than the routes."
"Hm?... You must be mistaken. I have told you of it the first time after you have stepped foot inside the labyrinth. Didn't you hear it?" The girl tried to remember his words. Nothing came to mind.
"Then for you, I repeat myself.
'You have chosen the dungeon of questions. You are now given the task to answer all the questions for you to pass through the tower. If you are able to answer the given question and answer them correctly, the path closest to the end will open for you. However, if you have answered the question incorrectly, the path farthest to the end, full of prisoner needed to knock out and traps to avoid, will instead open for you.'
"There was nothing said for you to 'kill' nor to 'behead' someone. Only the word, 'knock out'."
The girl frown behind her cloak. This cunning examiner.
"But I must admit that I have not clarified the rules to you. I'll lighten your punishment in exchange and have you spend an unspecified hours in a room instead. Please proceed unto the door I will be opening in your right side."
"An unspecified hours?" She lifted her brow at her question, "What do you mean?" She face at the beeping red camera.
"It means, I would need to take a draw from a box for how many hours I should take from you. And while I do so," She heard a small rattling within the speaker and had assumed the examiner is drawing a random number in a box.
Then the rattling came into a halt, "Oh?" There was a moment of silence from the speaker before a mutter was heard of, "-yes, this will do." She heard a clicking noises from the camera until he spoke again. "For your punishment, you are to spend a total of 50 hours in a room. Please proceed unto the door."
A door opened at her right side by then, "Please beware of the traps before you until you reach your prison."
Sighing in defeat she walk through the door only to find a tunnel up ahead, "How childish..." She muttered.
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"The countdown will start as soon as your new companion have arrive to spend the same 50 hours punishment inside this same room." The examiner had reminded the group of five people who had just arrive in their punishment room.
"Your companion is to be expected to arrive for 1 minute. However, if they haven't arrive at the time given, every second spent will be added to your 50 hours." He added before a beep was heard
"A new companion?" A green bean had asked, "I wonder who will it be?" He excitedly ask, pump at meeting a new participant.
Killua pulled both his hand at the back of his head, "Doesn't matter. Must have been another stupid cretin capable to put themselves into this kind of punishment." He rolled his eyes.
"Don't be too mean Killua."
"I mean, who's stupid enough to actually spend the same 50 hours punishment with us? You don't know, they might be another pervert like a certain someone there." He did not just called out Leorio.
"I'm sure they won't be that bad. And whoever they are, I hope their kind enough to be my friend!" Gon happily exclaimed.
Killua only rolled his eyes dismissing the conversation with a mutter in his breath of, "Whatever."
"Oi, oi, aren't you all missing the point that if that person doesn't arrive in time, our punishment time will be added?!"
"Yeah right." The silvernette boredly said. Either way, they are to spend their time inside the room. What's there for more? He called out to Gon, "Gon! Let's go explore!"
Nodding, both Gon and Killua took off their belonging to explore the somewhat small room.
Leorio look lost at the two teenage boys, "They didn't even consider the possibility..."
"Just leave them be." Kurapika commented as he walk straight at the sole shelf of the room full of books.
3 minutes had passed and the door of the entrance finally opened, catching the attention of the 5 people inside the room. There stood the cloak girl they had been with since the beginning of the exam- with Blood dripping down from her!
Her head was down low even after sensing the presence inside the room, not in the slightest interest of seeing the people she'll spend the next punished hours.
'That guy did not mention anything about spending with other people.' She muttered lowly in her mind as she entered the room, the door behind her closing.
Second passed with the count down started ticking by, Leorio was the first to stand up from his chair quickly running to the cloak girl, "B-B-BLOOD! there's a blood! Y-you're bleeding! Are you okay?!" He frantically went to his case to take out his massive reserve of bandages for the little girl.
Blinking, the girl look up to see the four men, totally ignoring the fifth one. With wide eye, her mouth let out a questioning noise, "Eh?"
"You're bleeding! Are you hurt?" Gon went to her side earning a chop from Killua.
"Baka, of course it would hurt. She's bleeding a lot of blood!"
Kurapika went to her, "What happen?"
Still quite confuse, she answered them, "Don't worry, these blood isn't mine." With that single sentence, the panic that had been rampaging quieted down.
Proving them it wasn't hers, she took out the object where the blood came oozing out, "Their just blood packs I kept inside my cloak. They were stabbed while I was fighting so it spilled."
Releasing a breath, they step back now knowing she wasn't hurt that much. Leorio have collapsed with the many bandages and medicine at hand after knowing the truth. Killua let out a small sound of clicking his tongue before roaming his eyes at the small 4 corners of room.
"I'm glad your okay! I thought you'd die!" She looked at Gon, her eyes visibly softening.
"I won't die that easily."
"Beside that, why are you even carrying a blood pack?" Kurapika asked.
She faced him, "For my acting. To trick my enemies." They nodded in understanding, still trying to recover from their initial shock. The little girl then changed the subject.
"Is there a bathroom here? I want to wash off the blood in me." She ask.
Gon led her in the bathroom which she thank him for. She entered inside the bathroom and saw how small it was. It didn't matter to her much, but what this bathroom came across to her as odd was how well clean it was considering this must be for prisoners.
She opened the many other cabinets the bathroom could offer and it seems like it has all the necessary toiletries a person would need. They even have many disposable toothbrush and many variety of soaps, body wash, shampoos and conditioner in there.
There's even a separate toilet bowl and shower room inside with two opaque glass panel in between. Turning at the separate side from the two glass panel, she saw a square shaped washing machine, soup and detergent at the side.
Woah, this tower of prisoner isn't really missing budget to provide this for every prisoner it jails. Or maybe this was only cleaned solely for hunter exam? Either way, it was a win-win situation for her.
She lock the door of the bathroom as she took out her cloak, immediately putting it in the washing machine, followed by her attire.
Her weapons, herbs and other things she had been keeping inside her cloak by ~magic~ was kept at an extension of table from the sink. She took out her blood packs and put it in the sink itself.
She stared at the dripping blood pack. It's scent hitting her sensitive nose.
She gulp, licking her dry lips. She took the already open blood pack and sipped the left overs inside it. Her thirst for blood just appearing right in time. Savoring the drink, she lick her hands that had been stain by the blood. Still thirsty just drinking small portion of the leftover blood, she opened another pack to drink it again.
After she was done quenching her thirst, she lick at her lips stained with blood. She took a second to realize that she had made a mess with all the blood that dripped in the floor. Thankfully, there was a mop and other necessary cleaning utensils she had found to clean them up.
Once she was done cleaning. she putted all her used utensils back to where it was and finally took a bath right after to clean herself next.
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And another secret unraveled~ Though, not much of a show to be seen to be honest compared to the next upcoming reveal for another how many scenes to pass by, I'd say there must be theories already rocking in your minds!
Let this Little one see for themselves what it is and look forward if someone have figured out a truth~!
A/N
I suffered for 2 months agonizing how to write the first part cuz the argument between Leorio and Killua were not really planned and was suddenly added by my stupid hand. X^X
I hope it's a satisfactory resolve for both siblings, I know how horrible it was written _ _'
And no worries, her relationship with Kurapika-nii-san will not be forgotten!
Sorry for forgetting you these past chapts my baby qwq
P.S.
So far this is now the longest chapter ever made with more than 5000 words (The second being Chapter 3 Mount half-in-split with more than 4500 words)
Should I start adding much more hundreds every after 3 chapters for fun? Lmao, all would depend to the fate itself tbh.
See ya~
-Don't make her for a fool. You may irate her. Especially a blood in her clothes. That would be a no go...