As we climbed up the floors, we defeated many foes. It was honestly quite easy, oddly enough.
"Your prize money has been deposited into your accounts" the attending lady said. "You were right...I've never seen so many zeros before" gon said. "Me too, I didn't even know this much money exists." I said, equally as shocked as gon.
"I'm a little annoyed." Killua said, out of the blue. "Huh?" Gon asked. I turned my head to him, curious. "My first time here, it took me two months to reach floor 150. Meanwhile you-" Killua was cut off my gon. "You were only six though." He said "he has a point. It was around four years ago so quit being jelous." I said, irking him as he glared at me.
"Oh that's right, I saw Zushi on tv earlier." Gon said
I perked up. "Oh? Did he climb up too?" I said hopful. "Tch, why do you care Kuzuko." Killua said, obviously still annoyed. "Huh? He's our friend right?" I said, confused.
He didn't say anything as we kept walking. "Anyways. I did too. He's still on the 50th floor." Killua said. We suddenly stoped "I wonder what that ren was, the thing that creeped you out." Gon said, looking at killua. "Im sure whatever it is, we'll figure it out somehow." I said, placing my hand on gon and killuas shoulder.
Killua looked away from me, embarrassed. Killuas old composure came back as he spoke. "Hmm, maybe when we fight opponents higher up-" Killua was then cut off by gon. "Wouldn't it be easier to just ask Zushi?" Gon blankly said.
-
"Ren is one of the four exercises." Zushi stated. I was starting to listen but then eventually tuned everything out. Totally confused with this whole ren thing. "Zushi. Are you qualified enough to teach others?" Wing said. Walking twords us. I had realized killua was up in Zushis face, so I pulled him backwards, making him stumble.
"Kuzuko!" He whispered, getting in my face. "Gon, Kuzuko, Killua." Wing said. "There is an odd proverb that warns "a smattering of knowledge may leave one willowing in greater ignorance" wing explained. I only sighed as I didn't understand any of that. I'm not great at interpreting things..
Killua saw my confusion. "So a little knowledge is a dangerous thing?" He said, talking to wing but also helping me understand."but I want to learn this now." Killua said, looking down. "I'm convinced it's the secret behind my brothers power." He said, concerningly.
Suddenly a serious face appeared on wing, taking me aback. "So your brother can use nen?" Wing said. "I need to know what ren and nen even mean!" Killua angrily stated "I want to understand it fully, rather than getting it half way!" He yelled. The tension between the two rose as my confusion escalated. There's no way I'll be able to understand ren. I barely got an education in that orphanage, making easy things way harder.
"I understand. Let's head to my room." Wing said, turning around. 'Oh we're leaving?' I thought as I saw wing start walking.
We got into wings room, I'm guessing this is where they teach this nen thing. I just wonder if it's a food...
"Do I have your attention?" Wing said, teaching us. I was totally lost. I didn't understand anything wing said. "Nen, or flame, is a power that inflames our soul." Wing explained. 'Soul? What's that?' I wondered.
Wing must've noticed my confusion, rephrasing it. "In other words? It is the strength of your will." He explained. I was still lost. Isn't nen a power of some sort? Why is it a will?
"And the four exercises, are apart of a training curriculum to strengthen your will." He explained. I was still so lost that I just tuned out completely. Maybe gon or killua can explain it to me better..
"Now killua, I will kill you." I heard, making me snap out of my trance. "Hm, not like you could." He arrogantly stated. Suddenly, a huge presence hit me, it reminded me of my old owner. In a panic, I jumped away, also feeling the terrible aura. I jumped on to the sofa, hiding behind it as I shook.
As soon as the I aura was there it disappeared, making killlua and I shook up. "That was ren." Wing explained. I was to scared to move behind the couch, so I stayed put. "With enough strength and focus, it will function as action, or hatsu." Wing stated. I slid out from behind the couch. "Huh? Kuzuko you felt it too?" Gon asked. I said nothing as I stared at wing with pure fear. Killua jumped down from the wall, glaring at wing. I tuned out wings whole explanation, staying put where I was.
Killua walked over to me, grabbing my arm. The action startled me, so I fliched violently at the contact. "Let's go, Kuzuko. Gon." Killua said, pulling me up from behind the couch.
We walked out of the house, that aura still fresh on my mind. "Thank you very much!" Gon said as he caught up to killua and I.
I had a feeling wing was lying, and it seemed like killua did too. "He was lying." I said, trying to make conversation. "He was?" Gon said. "Yeah. The explanation made sense. And wing is clearly very strong." Killua explained, backing up my reasoning. "But it didn't cover some things." Killua explained.
I raised a brow, that's how he found out? I could just tell because it made no sense. "Zushis toughness." Killua said. "He kept getting up after I knocked him down. I was getting annoyed so I got a little assertive at the end." He said. "What's assertive?" I whispered as no one heard me.
"You punched him?" I asked after killua told us what happened. He only nodded at me, a slight guilt in his eye. "Strength of will alone didn't keep him standing. He's hiding something else." Killua explained.
-
We were now on the 190th floor, where a huge match was occurring with all three of us. "I wish I could watch thier matches.." I said as I sighed at the TV in the arena. "Hey, little girl." A voice said, catching my attention. I looked at my opponet to see a fairly old man, maybe in his 30s. "Sorry, but I'm a karate master. Your dumb kicks won't work." He said bluntly. I only sighed as I got into a fighting position. "Yeah. Whatever." I said, totally not in the mood. "Hey! Don't disrespect me!" He said.
My breath hitched as memories of that exact sentence came flooding back into my mind. I didn't realize it, but he was now charging at me, he hit me on my legs, making me fall. "Oh! Kuzuko is down!" The laid said.
I gritted my teeth in anger, now full of nothing but pure hatred. I jumped into the air, grabbing my staff from my pocket and smacking it into him, sending him back a few feet. "Why you...!" He said as he charged at me agian, trying to hit me. I only sighed as I did a trick to make him lose his balance, I jumped in the air as I pressed a button on my staff, making a large knife appear at the end of it. I slammed it into the ground, puncturing his hand.
He screamed out in agony as his hand had been stabbed. "Don't ever talk to me that way. Understand?" I said with pure malice and anger, making him pass out from the fear and blood loss.
"I-... Kuzuko wins!" The lady said, completely shocked at the performance. I walked up to the referee, "he isn't dead, just knocked out. I'd get him an ambulance." I said as my staff folded back into pocket size.
I met gon and killua outside the venue, where they were waiting for me. "Ah, Kuzuko! Over here!" Gon yelled as he saw me walking twords them. Killua didn't say anything as he just looked at me, weirdly. "Hey, your match. What happened?" Killua said, crossing his arms.
"Hm?" I asked, not sure what he meant. "I saw the end of your match on the tv. Something bothered you, what was it?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at me.
Killua had been suspicious of me since forever, but never actually saying anything about it. "Oh, I just got annoyed." I said, lying. "Tch. We'll talk about this later." Killua said, huffing. "For now, let's head up to the 200th floor." He said. "Talk about this later? What does he mean?'
We were in the elevator, I felt killuas eyes burn into me as he tried to figure out what happened. 'Should I tell him? He doesn't seem like the type to leave..' I sat in thought as memories came back, once more. I had decided not to for now.
"What's the 200th floor like?" Gon asked, placing me out of my thoughts. "Beats me, I've never been up here before." Killua said. "I bet it's awesome, with awesome beds!" I explained as I fantasized about the soft beds.
Once we arrived I immediately sensed a presence. "There's someone here." I whispered, no audible enough for anyone to hear. "Where's the receptionist? Is it this way?" Killua asked, turning to the right.
We approached a dark alley way, I then jumped back in shock as i realized a dark aura, the others did the same. "Cmon, we gotta try!" Killua said, stepping forward. We all stepped forward and pangs of anxiety ran threw me as we got closer. I couldn't handle it anymore, right when I was gunna back out and run away, killua yelled, making me flinch at the loud volume. "Hey! Who's there?! Show yourself!" He yelled.
The receptionist suddenly walked out, as the bloodlust stopped. "Killua, gon." She said before she continued "and Kuzuko correct?" She said, looking right at me at the last part. "The receptionist desk is right over there." She stated. 'Did that come from her?! Such malice...' "so please register for a floor 200 match today." She continued. 'Really? Already?' I thought as we just got done with a match. "You won't be able to register after midnight, so please be careful." She said. I looked at the clock behind me. "20:12.." i quietly said, earning a glance from killua.
"By the way, there are currently 173 contestants on the 200ty floor." My eyes widened. 173? That's so many people! I tuned everything out, not paying attention. All I could think about was her aura. It was so..dangerous.
Suddenly, a card was flown into the ground, catching my attention once more. I lightly gasped as I saw hisoka. I saw out of the corner of my eye gon tense, that's right, this can't be good. "H-hisoka, what are you doing here?" Killua asked, just as afraid. "It's not that weird. I love to fight..and this is a temple for fighting" he explained.
I only took steps back, not liking a presence much stronger than me. "This was no coincidence, I've been waiting for you" hisoka said, looking at us. "Remember how you ordered airship tickets over the internet? With a little effort, I was able to find out when you'd arrive." Hisoka said. I felt disgust in my stomach, feeling sick. He stalked us? What a creep!
"As your senior, I have a warning for you." He said, looking mainly at me, I took offensively. "Your not ready...to step foot on this floor" hisoka said, lifting his hand up. I had a gut feeling something bad was gunna happen. So I instinctively jumped out infront of gon and killua, sheilding them.
A large wind gust hit me, flowing my hair back. I wasn't able to cover all of my numbers on my neck, so itvwas definitely visible. "Leave for now, it's too early." Hisoka said, sitting down.
Suddenly killua stepped beside me. "That's stupid! We just got up here!" He yelled. I shoved my hand out infront of him, stoping him from proceeding.
"I won't let you pass. Not like you could anyway." He said, as that same aura form before came back. I was shocked to see gon trying to push through it. Whatever this is, it's too dangerous. "Gon!" I yelled as I tried to stop him, but the aura was too thick for me.
"Don't be restless!" The aura suddenly stoped as I slowly turned around, seeing wing there. "You have no defense agianst his nen. Right now, you are someone standing naked in a blizzard." He said, trying to make sense for me.
"If you continue to strain, you may die" he said. My breath hitched, we could die? That means I would've failed at my goal of protecting them. I shook as thoughts rampaged through my mind. Killua was beyond angry. "This is nen?! He can stop us from moving forward through will power?! Lier!" he said, frustrated.
"Yes, I lied." He said, catching my attention. "Thank goddess he actually lied, so I didn't actually need to pay attention" I silently said as a small wave of relief washed over me. "I will teach you the truth if nen. So let's withdraw for now" wing said
We were told that if we didn't register tonight, we'd have to start all over, and killua would be banned. Killua looked away. "Hey, Mr wing. If we withdrawal for now, will we be able to make it back here by midnight?" Killua asked, looking at wing as heads of sweat rolled down his face.
"That all depends on you." He said as the clock struck 20:30.
I don't want killua to get disqualified, then he wouldn't be able to join gon and I. So no matter what I will learn nen. Even if I don't understand it