word count - 4539
The destination you were taken to was indeed a secluded cave, located deep in the woods. you became itchy from the atmosphere of it, and the breeze smelt like something was decomposing.
Bara and Sub let go of your arms, pushing you down onto the rocky ground. they gave you dirty looks before walking off
the men didn't bother to force restraints. The bomb would still go off either way. all you could do now was silently think of a way to deactivate it.
dusting off, you sat upon a decently sized rock in the far corner of the cave.
you thought about killing genthru first, then deactivating the bomb. however, you weren't sure if it would still work. what if his ability required him to be alive? how would you distract or fight off Bara and Sub in the meantime?
or maybe you could kill Bara and Sub, then deactivate the bomb from genthru. but then the question came back; how can I fight the three of them off at once?
think, think, thinkkk. it felt like your head was going to explode before the bomb got to it. every outcome you reconstructed failed. Fighting Genthru, Sub and Bara was like fighting three Hisokas.
you then thought of distracting one, and fighting off two while the third was away. Or maybe instead of distracting them, you could knock them out?
your success wasn't guaranteed, but there was a possibility. But how could you get one of them alone? and which one?
"Don't even think about trying to kill one of us." genthru said. he stood a fair distance away with his hands in his pockets, eyeing you down.
"I'm not," you lied.
genthru chuckled. "We've been watching you for quite a while now. we're not stupid." he shuffled closer. "we know how you kill, when you want to kill, who and what you've killed.. and most importantly what cards your friend has."
you gave the silent treatment. just because you were stuck here did not mean you had to entertain him.
the grin on his face disappeared when he realized you weren't reacting, but then it reappeared "AMLEO!" he called out to someone
you heard the settled footsteps of someone approaching. it was dark beyond the moonlight shining into the cave, so you couldn't see their face. finally the person stopped beside gentrhu.
confusion immediately crossed you. it was that boy you saved. the boy that these assholes were picking on. expect this time, he didn't look scared. he was perfectly calm.
gentrhu swung his arm around the boy. "recognize him?" he asked patting his back.
you had no words at the moment. all you could do was stand up as if that would help the feeling of shock rushing through your chest.
"Ah!" genthru held his arms out responding to your facial expression. "I knew you'd remember him! You see y/n, Leo here never needed your help." he fixed his glasses. "That whole 'ah please don't hurt me I'm begging you!' was fake. the blood? fake too."
"I helped you." you mumbled "I helped you, YOU BASTARD!" the boy gave a displeased look, then stared at the ground. he didn't have a verbal reaction. but his body language said plenty. he didn't want to be there.
he then looked back up with a blank stare as if he switched personalities. you glanced between him and genthru. these mother fuckers are insane.
While Amleo stood there, genthru went on in a monologue.
"we've been watching you from the beginning. at first, it was you that we wanted. But now? it's your little boyfriend." he walked closer to you but continued.
"And I know you might be thinking 'Oh but why would you want him?'" he mimicked in a female voice. "we just want his cards. nothing more."
you kept listening while he retraced his steps back to Amleo.
"That clown has collected more cards than us in two weeks, while we've been here for over five months" he gritted his teeth. "we all want the same thing, right? To clear the game, and earn our rewarded money."
he put his hands on his hips, making his way back to you again. "You're here because there is no other way to attract the bastard. We confirmed that the night you helped Leo here." he gestured toward the boy
"so I'll make him a deal; your life, for his cards." he was now standing close enough that you could feel his breath.
"let's find out how much he cares for you. And if not?" he shrugs "Then you'll die, and we'll find our next victim," he said casually.
what the hell is wrong with these guys?
your plan of luring one of them away was possible, but the chances were lower. it was now four against one, and you still didn't know what ability Amleo possessed.
Even so, you still had to try. you had to. it was your only possible chance of getting out of here. you weren't going to sit and wait like a princess locked up in a tower for her prince. you had to do something.
"you might as well get comfortable for the next.." he leaned down to the timer on your stomach "46 hours!"
you wanted so badly to punch him square in the face, but you resisted the urge and allowed him to walk away. Amleo followed closely behind him like a puppet.
approximately an hour had passed before you decided to grab someone's attention. I need to get out of here.
"I have to use the washroom," you announced to no one in particular.
silence.
"hellooo? I have to pee?" you said louder
"Shut up?" bara said
"But I really have to go." you pushed
"piss there" Bara pointed to the opposite side of the cave at a corner.
"no thanks."
"then hold it," he said
You sighed. "I'm on my period. so unless you assholes want blood-"
"-dude!" Sub budged in
"Alright! fuck." bara stomped over to you, grabbed your arm, and pushed you in front of him. "walk."
"thank you." you said
"make it quick," he said as you were led to some bushes nearby.
you ignored his comment and pretended to crouch behind the plants. what now?
you observed the scene. Sub was still watching the area. just as you wondered where gentrhu and Leo were, they made an appearance from behind the cave, next to Sub.
Bara was still visible to the men, but he was far enough. if the others did see, it would take a moment for them to reach you.
running was no use, and if you used nen, the bloodlust would spread too far and alert them. you had no choice. you had to do this now.
you scattered the ground for a weapon of any kind. anything that wasn't too obvious. a sharp stick, a rock, maybe even a puddle to drown him in. Then you remembered, you still have your book. it's the only thing they can't take from you.
"what the hell are you doing over there woman?"
"give me a second! I'm uh- wiping!" you blurted an embarrassing lie.
if I can get rid of these assholes now, I'll still have time to get a few more cards and meet hisoka in Aiai. "book" you whispered, still crouching.
not having enough time, the item that you impulsively selected was a rock. it wasn't large, but it was big enough that it required you to use both hands to hold it. you converted it, then held it slightly underneath you on the ground.
"done!" you said to him with your hands behind your back.
he only turned to lead you back to the cave. once he was no longer looking, you took the opportunity and slammed the rock against his head as hard as you could. immediately, he was out cold.
"hey!" sub shouted
swiftly departing to a tree above, you watch as Sub, genthru, and Leo look every which way for you. "she won't go far" one of them said
you watched and waited for a perfect opening to attack the next.
gentrhu stomped towards the cave thinking you might've gone near there, which gave you an opening that you didn't pass up.
Jumping down and landing on Subs' shoulders, you squeeze your legs around his neck and swing down. this move caused him to do a half-flip, landing on his back.
nen radiating from your body was prepared to fight off Leo until you froze. you couldn't figure out why, but everything went black.
doing a quick diagnosis, you could still hear and comprehend your other senses. then, you accepted that your vision was stolen. did you hit something?
not being able to figure out why or how you went blind, you panicked a bit. blinking hysterically to confirm your eyes were still wide open, you quickly realize that this was someone else's doing. It was amleos ability.
"give me my sight back" you demanded, eyes wandering for an opening.
you heard the clear footsteps of genthru approach beside you. "he won't be doing that"
you couldn't see a thing. all you could do was imagine what the situation looked like right now. Bara was most likely regaining consciousness, Leo had somehow stolen your vision in front of you, and genthru was preparing to speak while Sub was on the ground
you couldn't move, think, or barely breathe. you felt utterly hopeless without your sight.
"my best man here can make anyone see anything he wants" he spoke acknowledging amleo. "in this case, he made you see...well, nothing. but I'm sure you've already figured that out"
not wanting to give up just yet, you used Nen to the best of your abilities, shooting your hand in the direction of gentrhus voice. he quickly dodged, making the force strike a tree behind him.
you heard the tree collapse with genthrus voice following behind, confirming your failure. "I admire your effort. I do. but it's annoying."
suddenly, you felt a grip on your right shoulder and a pop. It was just dislocated. your voiced reaction to the sudden pain made you feel bad for yourself. you grabbed the bone as if it would heal it, and squeezed it in pain.
"Try something again, and we'll break your other instead of dislocating it." genthru threatened
being blindly escorted back to the cave, there was now no choice but to sit there and hope hisoka would show.
time passed at a turtle's pace now that you had no sight. you were starting to lose your mind as you pictured figures in the darkness, and listened to the same droplets of water deeper in the cave. it was the only thing you could do.
you hadn't eaten, or drunk water in a while. it seemed the more you sat quiet, the worse the cravings became. thinking about thirst made your bladder move, so this time you honestly needed to go relieve yourself. but of course, they didn't believe you.
the pain in your shoulder was now bearable, but it still hurt like hell. you've already attempted at trying to pop it back into place, but it only made it worse.
you sat on what you assumed was the same rock from before, trying to anticipate a new plan. you wondered how long Amleo's nen would last on you, as it's now already been two entire days.
You guessed it had to be nightfall again by now. the cool breeze rushing in made it obvious.
"so are you ever gonna give me my sight back?" you asked amleo who stood across from you on the other side of the cave
he ignored you, which was expected.
You scratched your head. "How does your ability even work anyway? you a transmitter?"
"do you ever shut up?" he responded
"Maybe."
you heard him sigh, then sit down.
at this moment, you weren't trying to get anything out of this conversation. you were just bored and trying to prevent yourself from going insane. Not to mention the crippling anxiety due to the timer running out that you were trying to dismiss.
"how long have you known him?" you said indicating gentrhu
"What's it to you?" he snapped
you shrugged and looked down as if it would make a difference in what you could see.
Leo sighed again, then said "Three months. he found me here."
"genthru means well, alright?" he continued "He's just lost it. that's what being on an island for too long does to you."
"Clearly." you whispered
you could tell that Leo knew this was wrong. he felt bad, but he wasn't able to voice that opinion freely. almost like he was being manipulated for far too long.
"how old are you, kid?"
"I'm 18," he answered truthfully.
"I thought you were younger than that." you chuckled "So are you gonna tell me what an 18-year-old boy is doing working for three older men?"
he paused.
for a minute all you could hear was the breeze ruffling through the leaves near the entrance, and the faint voices of bara and sub talking outside.
"I have no choice." he mumbled
"Everyone has a choice"
"so that means you do too right now? You can't just walk out of here free either." he bickered
you adjusted your seating position after being humbled. "Leo?" he didn't respond, but you continued anyway "If I get out of here, I promise I'll take you with me."
Amleo gave a small smile that you couldn't see. He didn't have hope of escaping anytime soon. that wasn't possible. he then stood up and left the cave, leaving you alone.
not being able to see the timer on your stomach, you guessed it had to be close to the end. just when you were about to lose it and make a stupid attempt to fight, you heard a conversation brewing outside.
steadily getting up, you walked along the wall of the cave near the entrance to listen.
"look who decided to join our tea party! finally, we've been waiting for almost two days. You know, it's not very nice to keep others waiting" genthru went on
"I believe you have something of mine? ~"
hisoka!
"of yours?" genthru looked at his partners and laughed, they copied and laughed with him.
you leaned against the cave, silently listening. anxiety peaked in your stomach again. you knew this was going to end in a brawl.
"tough crowd." he said acknowledging hisokas loud silence. "tell you what. you get her back when you give up a few of your cards"
"and if I don't?" hisoka poked, already knowing the answer
"Then she dies." genthru shrugged, pointing to the cave behind him
Hisoka was aware of Genthru's games. he had encountered many assholes like him before in his lifetime. he's had enough experience to know that everything genthru was saying, was lies. Whether Hisoka gave up his cards or not, genthru still planned to kill you and him.
"what if I just kill you all instead~" hisoka suggested. you could practically see him pulling out a card from feeling his aura spark
the men but Leo just laughed. suddenly you felt a pull on your injured arm, luring you out into the open.
it had to have been the boy's hand judging by the grip it had on you. it was aggressive, but not enough to further injure your arm.
along with the cold wind, you felt hisokas eyes immediately lock on you.
there was silence for a brief moment before genthru spoke up. "Aw don't worry, she's fine. just a few minor injuries"
Leo pushed you down to the ground, forcing you to rest on your knees.
"Now I'll only ask once more. the cards?" genthrus tone was no longer sarcastic, and the tension in the air made it difficult to breathe. chills ran across your body after internally sighing.
another period of silence ran by until Sub blurted "What!- where'd he go?" you realized he was talking about hisoka, no longer feeling his aura nearby
"No way, did he leave?" bara doubted
trying to study your surroundings to find out yourself, you didn't sense him.
in an instant, there was a panicked yell. shortly after, a body collapsed beside you. only this time, you could see again.
after blinking a few times being thankful for sight again, the body met your peripheral vision
beside you was Leo. he was dead. nearly nine cards were embedded into the back of his head. the body stared right at you, eyes wide open as if it was still conscious and mouth gaping.
your heart paced, captured by the image. you wanted Leo to live. "amleo.."
you reached for the body until your attention was drawn by Bara and Sub sprinting at you.
Reality snapped you back. you were able to dodge them, immediately heading for genthru instead. if you didn't deactivate this bomb, it was over.
genthru ran in the opposite direction to escape. while chasing him, you took a look at the timer "00:07:17s". shit
looking back, you noticed Hisoka fighting off Bara and Sub. he seemed confident enough to be left on his own, so you weren't worried.
before you could redirect your focus, genthru swung around a tree and landed a kick straight to your face. if your jaw wasn't broken, there was sure to be a bruise on it later.
your back met the ground skidding through dirt.
"This is where you'll die y/n," he promised
one thing you've noticed about genthru is that he talks too much. you've heard enough of his voice, so you retaliated immediately attempting to blow his head off with the force of your nen. he blocked it.
but..how? the only way someone would be able to block that is if -
"if their nen was the same as yours?" he finished your thought aloud
"What?" you backed up a bit
"I bet you thought two people can't have the same ability. you're sorely wrong. our abilities might not be the same, but they are very alike. which makes me able to defend myself against you." he looked up through his glasses
experiencing denial, you threw another attack. this time aiming to break his leg, but your nen only bounced off his and rushed back toward you. only two times stronger. your reflexes helped you miss it by a millisecond.
his force was powerful. and it seemed that you only fed into it. his red aura obeyed him so easily with no regret or resistance. it was like it was completely natural to him.
just when you were about to scream to send him flying, your body strained.
you knew what it was. he was holding you. holding you with his nen.
it felt like something was inside you, pulling all of your muscles inward. veins shook, while your body began to float off the ground.
you've done it to others before, but you couldn't have imagined it felt like this. genthrus was tighter. heavier.
you felt it in your bones. they were almost snapping. the only thing holding them together was the power of your mind. the pressure was digging into the brawny spots of the body, eventually turning it entirely weak. it got to a moment where all you could hear was ringing.
"Do you have any last words, y/n?" you heard his voice echo
you didn't see a way out. he was holding every inch of your body hostage. you couldn't move, could barely breathe or hear anything. your eyes became visibly bloodshot, making everything blurry.
the wind carried a leaf above your head, drawing focus to the night sky. you reminisced over how beautiful the moon looked with stars complimenting it.
it wasn't an appropriate time to do so, but your mind began to race through things you've loved in life.
you loved your parents even though they were no longer in your life. you loved your new friends, loved autumn, the troupe, morning tea, and sunrises.
sunrises.
everything paused.
you loved sunrises because that's when kurapika was buried.
you remembered every detail about that morning. the way the sun rose over his grave while you and leorio watched. the butterflies. fresh grass. it was almost like seeing him reborn.
you liked to think it was his way of telling you everything was ok, and that he was safe.
he appeared in your dreams the next few nights telling you so himself.
Uvogin. Even though you pushed it down, you killed Uvogin for him. one of the most powerful troupe members. you were able to take him down.
if you had that in you, why didn't you have it now? it was always there. maybe acceptance was needed.
time resumed. your body was shaking, but it was no longer difficult to look at your opponent. your eyes locked onto genthru who had one of the evilest grins you've ever seen. it soon disappeared when he realized you weren't struggling anymore.
the pain you once felt became natural. you focused every ounce of nen you had on his body while the adrenaline boosted your confidence.
letting out a throat scream, you sent him stumbling back. "yeah," you finally responded to him
you felt your aura transform into something new, yet familiar. you didn't feel like yourself, but you didn't avoid it. a new power radiated off your skin, shaking the trees and alerting anything nearby.
the nen reflected in genthrus glasses. it was a bright red, and you owned it. it was yours. he watched you in shock, slouching on the ground from the recent impact.
walking over to him, you put out both hands. aiming each at his arms, and snapping them simultaneously. he screamed out, trying to grab them for comfort but not being able to.
you took your time approaching him, carefully controlling the aura.
now being close enough, you placed a hand atop his head "I caught the bomber." you finished. the bomb withered away, permitting to kill him.
the blonde kneeled on the ground, holding in a few whimpers. even now, genthru refused to give in. he was tough, there was no doubt there.
"you fuckin' bitch" gentrhu struck his aura out attempting to injure you in any way possible, but missed. he then threw a punch with his broken arm, which you jumped over.
he threw another that hit you in the stomach this time. you coughed in response, then grabbed ahold of his blonde hair, punching him square in the face. once, twice, then three times.
he spit out some blood and a few teeth. with a fistful of hair, you forced his head up to look at you. "do you have any last words gentrhu?" you mocked him
he was scared, but quickly masked it with a laugh. his eyes wandered to the magician behind you, who had already finished off his opponents. both of them, lying on the ground.
gentrhu laughed hysterically "fuck.." he huffed "..you. fuck you."
he knew this was the end, and you did too. "I hope you rot in hell."
"I'm sure I'll see you there soo-" he was interrupted by nen captivating him.
aiming an arm at his throat, you focused almost all of your energy on his adams apple. he gasped for air until he couldn't anymore. you pulled your hand back, and the body part came with it. His adams apple was now torn out, and blood followed closely behind.
he choked to death on blood. his face turned pale as he tried his best to inhale some oxygen. he did what he could with his broken arms, miserably trying to grab his neck.
soon enough, he grew weak and collapsed on the ground. it was over. he was dead. they were dead.
feeling safe enough, you allowed yourself to relax. you couldn't help but feel slightly disgusted at the situation afterward. you didn't come here to kill. but they had forced you to.
you didn't want Amleo to die either. but Hisoka couldn't have known that.
after everything you felt disgusted because you somewhat felt accomplished. was this the same power you released when you killed uvo? or was that worse?
Chrollo was right. maybe now it was time to consider unleashing that side of you more often.
you wiped tears of stress from your face feeling full consciousness greet you again.
observing the dead body with you, hisoka studied your body language. he knew exactly how you felt. but, he wasn't bothered enough to reassure you.
"you were supposed to meet me in Aiai," he said
annoyance immediately greeted you "Oh gee." you said sarcastically "Kind of hard to do when three men hold you captive don't you think?"
with no warning, Hisoka grabbed your injured shoulder popping it back into place as a response. you clenched your fists to replace the area of pain, and breathed in harshly "fuck!" you said looking at him.
he looked like he wanted to apologize, but didn't. hisoka said nothing. only walking away to his destination, which you assumed was still Aiai.
he was mad, but what about? you didn't understand it, and you didn't have the mental capacity to want to understand it right now. so you just followed behind him, eventually taking a leave card to the city.
the city fits its description. it made you a bit uncomfortable. everywhere you looked it was pink and red. there were overly handsome NPCs trying to flirt with you, couples making out in the middle of the streets, and romantic offerings around every corner.
you wondered who came up with the idea to make such a city and why. you just didn't see the point of it, especially here in Greed Island.
funny enough, hisoka also fits in here. physically that is. he wore the colours for it. you were about to make fun of him until you remembered he was pissed for some reason.
hisoka didn't talk at all. he wouldn't even look at you. the smirk he always had on his face was no longer there, his body was tense, and he looked exhausted. you've never seen him like this before
did something happen between Bara and Sub? what's his problem?
entering a hotel, hisoka gave his name to the receptionist and took off to the room, leaving you behind. what the hell?
you were about to follow him when the receptionist called after you "Oh! miss!"
"yeah?"
"Here is a keycard for you as well. enjoy your stay!" she winked at you with a smile
awkwardly taking the keycard, you took the nearest elevator. the buttons were all shaped in bright pink hearts, the wallpaper was white and red, and the floor was glitter. you cringed the entire ride until the doors opened again.
arriving in your room, there were two full-sized beds and a large bathroom, which the door was currently closed to. did he book us the same room?
you plopped down onto a bed when you heard the bathroom door open.
it was hisoka.
fuck.