Kira ~
I woke up to the morning sunlight filtering through the sheer curtains, casting a gentle glow on the unfamiliar, but rather spacious room. This was clearly not my own bed, the pillows were too soft and the blanket too heavenly, but I was so comfortable that even the strange smell of cologne seemed somewhat comforting.
But as the sleepiness began to wear off, I began to remember last night's events. My initial reaction was to check for my clothes and then my knives. Thankfully both were left untouched. Then the embarrassment kicked in. How could I have let myself pass out like that?
I also became acutely aware of the throbbing headache in the back of my head. Strange, I didn't usually get hangovers. And I didn't really drink that much. I rolled over lazily and glanced at the clock on the wall.
4:40.
Oh, shit. It wasn't the early morning light that was streaming through the window, but rather the late afternoon glow announcing the end of a day. I was out for over fifteen hours. How is that even possible? Thanks to my training, I had never required much sleep.
But somehow I had slept through an entire day, while I still had a fight scheduled at 6:00 in the evening. I just under an hour to prepare, before I had to be backstage. Damn it. Why didn't the clown wake me?
However, Hisoka didn't seem to be around. As I scanned the room, I noticed that he had left a note on the nightstand.
I'm out running errands, don't miss me too much, Sweetheart.
Don't worry, I'll be there for your fight. I'm sure it will be electric.
~ H ♡
P. S. Remember to eat and drink water.
As if I would miss him. I tossed the note aside. Nothing of actual worth, as usual. The contents held no useful information for my upcoming fight, though the word choice was interesting, and the note itself contained no Nen. I quickly freshened myself in Hisoka's bathroom, which smelt strongly of cotton candy and roses, before leaving his room. I hope he doesn't mind.
Soon, I was hurrying down the corridor towards the warmup spaces. This was my first match on level 200 and I had no idea what I was up against, but strangely, it made me feel a tinge of excitement. My pace quickened with eagerness.
I could feel myself smiling. How did Hisoka describe it again? "Electric". I was about to be one step closer to my goal. I had to win this fight.
Hisoka ~
Kira was still asleep when I left in the morning. How convenient.
Her fight was scheduled at 6:00 pm, so if nothing were to go wrong, I should be able to make it back in time. I considered warning her about her opponent's abilities, but that would spoil the surprise. Instead, I decided to give her a little hint and left a note on the nightstand. I just wasn't good at keeping secrets.
With that, I left the arena and headed to the meeting point, careful not to be followed. Scanning my surroundings, I turned down an alleyway. The job was simple enough and shouldn't up too much of my time. Feitan had instructed me to deliver a sealed letter.
He had specifically warned me not read its contents, but he only succeeded in peaking my interest. I examined the envelope, which didn't seem to be infused with Nen. I could easily open it up and then reseal it seamlessly with Bungee Gum and Texture Surprise. No one would ever notice.
But why didn't Chrollo send someone else? He should've sent another member of the troupe if it was an important matter. After all, he had already gone to the trouble of sending Feitan and Phinks. Therefore, assigning me the task wouldn't have been a simple matter of convenience, unless the two were already occupied with jobs.
I knew for a fact that Chrollo didn't trust me. Perhaps he was trying to test my loyalty. Perhaps the letter contained no significant information and was merely his way of evaluating my allegiance to the Phantom Troupe. Sure, the spider needed legs to operate but the head would much rather sever a useless leg than keep it as a liability.
I idly traced the seal on the envelope. Ah, what a dilemma. I was painfully curious. But I would land myself in a bad position with the boss if I were to indulge in my curiosity. I needed to earn his trust and maintain it, at least until I get the opportunity to fight him.
When I arrived at my destination, the other party was already waiting. A masked man approached me and spoke the password. I nodded and handed over the letter.
As I watched the figure turn and walk away, I expected my interest to dull, but it only increased. By letting that man leave, was I robbing myself of valuable information? What if the letter contained a clue to Chrollo's movements? In the end, I couldn't bear the thought of passing by an opportunity as such.
But I had to be cautious. Masking my aura, I followed the man as he got in his car and drove away. He was merely a messenger, therefore, to fully understand the situation, I had to find out who the letter was meant for. This could take longer than I had originally planned but hopefully I would still make it back to Heavens Arena in time.
For half a day, I tailed the messenger, who had driven in loops through the city before he finally drove into a rather run-down suburban district. I immediately realised where he was going. We had entered the turf of the Ritz Family, one of the largest Mafia clans, under direct order of the Ten Dons. What business did Chrollo have with the Mafia?
We soon arrived at our destination. Well, rather, his destination. The man parked his car outside a large building and continued on foot down a side alley. He was undoubtedly heading to one of the many branch headquarters. There would likely be several more stops and transfers before the letter made it to its recipient. I couldn't spare the time nor the effort to track it all the way. I had to intercept it now.
Following the man into the alley, I let him walk a few more steps, enjoy breathing for a little longer, before I attacked. With a flick of my wrist, I sent a card straight into my target's spine, severing it with a clean cut. He dropped to the ground, unaware of what had killed him. Poor thing, he was only a messenger.
I removed the envelope from the man's dead body and carefully slit it open along the seam. I regret nothing. With that thought in mind, I unfolded the letter, revealing its contents. However, upon reading the first line, I froze.
You are too predictable, Hisoka.
I trust that by now you have figured out the "recipient" of this letter. He is your target. I need him dead. A member of the troupe will make contact with you shortly with the details of the task.
C. Lucilfer
As the realisation sank in, I couldn't help but laugh. Predictable? I liked to think of myself as anything but predictable. Yet Chrollo had predicted this too perfectly. He had managed to hit two birds with one stone; confirmed that I could not be trusted and assigned me another task at the same time.
Ah, he got me good. I felt my body convulse in fits of unrestrained laughter. How could I have expected anything less from the leader of the Phantom Troupe? I had underestimated him and gotten played as a result. I have to fight him, I simply have to.
Kira ~
Hearing my name announced on the speakers, I entered arena. This wasn't like the other levels. For starters, I was momentarily blinded as I stepped out, due to the excessive stage lights. There were considerably more spectators, cheering and shouting and placing bets.
I scanned the crowd, full of people who found entertainment in unmotivated violence. From this distance, I couldn't see very clearly but no one stood out to me. I couldn't see anyone dressed like a clown. He's not here yet?
I could see my opponent, the wheelchair-bound one, entering from the other side. Riehlvelt. I wondered what his ability was. Hisoka knew. He probably expected me to figure it out on my own. No doubt he wanted me to test the waters and learn to swim, or rather, see if I would drown. All weapons were permitted at this level so I had to be prepared for anything.
As we gathered at the centre for the referee to explain the rules and scoring system, I took my time to get a closer look at my opponent. From the waist down, Rielhvelt seemed to be completely paralysed, so he would have to rely purely on his wheelchair for movement. Is it safe to assume that he won't be jumping? No, the wheelchair might be able to...
Before I realised it, the referee had blown the whistle and commenced the match. Riehlvelt immediately reversed to the edge of the ring. That wheelchair of his could move surprisingly fast. From that alone, I could assume that he relied on long-range attacks. Nen projectiles? Or some other hidden gadget?
My questions were answered shortly. From the back of his wheelchair, he pulled out two whips, tipped with fanged serpent heads. He charged them with his aura and they began to writhe like real snakes, covering the area in front of him, as well as the airspace above, in rapid whip lashes.
"No one has ever gotten past my Serpent Duet," he gloated as he slowly advanced.
This must've been his main strategy, to force me out of the arena. It served as both an attack and defence. "You're somewhat clever, I'll give you that."
"Somewhat? I hope you'll take that back soon," he said, getting closer. He also enjoyed talking during fights, much like some clown I knew. Where is that clown, anyway?
Never mind. Why was I getting distracted? I should be focusing on the task at hand, which was figuring out how to get past his whips. From what I could see, there was a pattern to their movement. But I couldn't be sure. Drawing a knife, I shot it at him through an empty space. Immediately, one of his whips changed its trajectory and deflected the blade. So they react to motion...
Damn it. That is immensely annoying.
My frustration must've shown on my face because Riehlvelt laughed in response. "Stop trying, it's useless."
Yes, it was useless. I had no other choice but to rely on speed to get through. I had endured similar training in the past. His aura wasn't too strong so if I got hit, I guess I could just tank the damage. Though, I really wished I had gotten the chance to warm up properly. My limbs were stiff and my head was still clouded from being hungover. Stupid Hisoka.
Nevertheless, I launched myself forward at full speed. My best bet was to take Riehlvelt by surprise and delay his reaction. Dodging his whips, I reached him quickly and landed as many strikes as I could before retreating to catch my breath. Did I feel bad about hitting a man in a wheelchair? Perhaps a little, but he asked for it.
"Three clean hits and a critical by Kira," the referee announced. "Five points."
The crowd cheered and I smiled, seeing my opponent's face contort with anger and shock. That was quite successful, considering I had only taken two hits from the whips. One hit me on my arm and the other scratched my leg, none of which could be counted as points. And they barely stung.
Now I just had to do it again to win the match. Bracing myself, I charged in again, hoping I could avoid getting hit at all this time. I was about halfway to Riehlvelt before I felt a whip come into contact with my left leg. No matter, just tank it.
That was what I thought until a searing pain shot through my entire body. My instincts made me retreat immediately to the edge of the ring. Did he just... electrocute me? I looked up and saw that his whips were now sparking with live electricity.
"Electric".
So this was what Hisoka had meant. I didn't know whether to be mad at him or at myself for not realising sooner. But how was I supposed to figure it out from a single word? Why must that clown play word games instead of actually warning me?
"There it is!" The commentator exclaimed and the crowd went wild. "The true snake is revealed: the Thunder Serpent!"
I could still feel my muscles spasming from the shock. I had gotten careless and focused my Nen on attacking, neglecting my defence. The electricity had left a burn across my calf.
"Critical hit and down. Three points to Riehlvelt."
I turned to the referee in protest. "That hit my leg! And I wasn't completely down, I'm only crouching." But he simply shook his head, dismissing my complaints. This had to be rigged.
Riehlvelt laughed and taunted. "You know you can surrender the match, right? You'll only be taking more damage from here on."
"What do you mean? That was hardly anything." I replied, getting on my feet again. "I was feeling drowsy earlier. Thanks to you, I'm more awake now."
The electric shock brought considerable pain but it was tolerable, as long as I minimised contact. Now that I was prepared for it, I would still be able to keep moving even if it hit me.
I had to get past him, preferably without his whips touching me at all. I charged towards him, determined to break through. I had almost reached him when I felt a sting on my left leg again. Ignore it, keep going. But this time, the whip coiled around my ankle and the snake's fangs dug into my skin.
Fuck.
So much for minimising contact. The pain was more intense than last time. My whole body convulsed at the shock. Fighting against the pain, I quickly drew a knife and cut myself free, before retreating again. This time, I was properly on the ground, as I struggled to catch my breath.
"Critical hit and down by Riehlvelt. Three points."
He was now in the lead. The first shock must've made me slower. At this rate, he would rack up enough points to win. I tore the snake head off my ankle and immediately realised it was a bad idea. Great, now I'm also losing blood.
It became apparent that I couldn't kept charging at him. I needed another plan. I needed one quickly. I couldn't even use my knives to deflect the whips because metal conducts electricity. What would Hisoka do in this situation?
He would probably occupy the whips with his Bungee Gum to create an opening to attack. Or he'd perform some utterly pointless magic trick that is equally as distracting. I had to find a way to do that. Not the magic trick, I mean occupying the whips.
Or perhaps I could pull an underhanded trick, an illusion. I turned to the referee. "Say I accidentally damaged the arena, would I have to pay for it?"
He looked a little confused but shook his head. Good. As much as I appreciated the pristine stone floors of the arena, it was time for some remodelling.
I pierced the centre of a tile with a knife, exerting enough force for it to crack into several fragments. Then I kicked up the rubble, directing it at Riehlvelt. At that speed, he shouldn't be able to react. He would have to rely on his motion sensors.
As expected, the whips deflected the projectiles, but the electricity caused them to break into more pieces, scattering in the air. Believing that I was hidden amongst the dust and flying debris, his attention was focused fully to the front, ready for an attack. Now that his whips were occupied, I circled around behind him, careful to mask my aura.
Ignoring the pain in my left leg, I reached him as fast as I could, latching onto the back of his wheelchair. By the time Riehlvelt felt my presence, it was too late. Illusion.
I pressed a knife against his neck. "You know you can surrender the match, right?"
~~~~
Fight scenes are so hard to write and for what reason. This is one long chapter, please enjoy.
I just rewatched HxH and that has renewed my motivation to write.
~ krypto