Fearsome monsters... Exotic creatures... Vast riches... Hidden treasures... Evil enclaves... Unexplored lands... The world "unknown" holds magic. And some incredible people are drawn to that magic. They are known... as Hunters!
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Ayami walked through the long hallways of her home trying to get to her room. The dimly lit hallway was stone cold and had a slight breeze coming from seemingly nowhere. She heard the steps of her mother and Kalluto in the distance knowing she'd run into them.
"Ayami! My little star, you've returned!" Kikyo said hugging her.
"Hello, Mother..." she said trying to get out of the death grip embrace. She seems happy... Kikyo finally let go and sighed. Kalluto grabbed Ayami's hand and looked up at her. She patted his head gently and didn't let go of his hand. "About Killua..."
"It's getting late so why don't you rest now? Tomorrow we can discuss how your little trip with Illumi to get your license went. I'm sure your grandfather will be happy to hear it. He even took the liberty of ordering the gardens to be fixed since he knows how much you enjoyed them." Kikyo went on. Ayami looked at her and smiled and her eyes seemed to grow a darker shade of blue. She's avoiding talking about it, huh? Kil's probably being punished badly.
"Where are you headed right now? Maybe I can accompany you two." Ayami carefully worded.
"We're headed to see your brother, Killua. I'm sure you have come to terms that he needs to be punished accordingly... I suppose you can see him after you've rested!" She added with a hesitant look.
"Alright mother. Rest well. Goodnight Kalluto..." She said patting his head and walking away. Kikyo and Kalluto walked away in silence as they turned the corner. The two quietly walked to the torture room until they reach the doors.
"Kalluto-chan, open the door." Kikyo whispered. He pushed the door just enough so that she could enter and stood beside her once he entered as well. "Kil, have you learned your lesson yet?"
The room was dark but had dim lights to offer some light to see. Killua hung from the chains on his wrists that were suspended by a machine. His body was covered in bruising and his head hung low. Milluki stood slightly aside from him with a whip in his hand.
"It's no use, Mama. He isn't even the least bit sorry. We need to make him suffer more." He said sweating and angrily clutching the whip. Kikyo loudly slammed her fan against her hand making him flinch.
"Milluki! Shut your mouth!" She yelled. Milluki scoffed and looked away as Kalluto looked up at her when she continued. "Kil, stop being so stubborn and say that you're sorry. The sooner you do, the sooner you'll get to see Ayami."
Killua didn't react to her words and kept his head down. Milluki stared at him and smirked. "Oh, right. That friend of yours... Gon, was it? He'd be better off just leaving, but it sounds like he wants to try the Testing Gate."
Killua slightly lifted his head. "Gon is here..."
"You're talking to much!" She scorned Milluki. She turned around to Killua and made her voice sweeter. "Listen to me, Kil..."
"You didn't even tell me?!" Killua shouted before getting whipped in the face by Milluki.
"Don't yell at Mama!"
"I told you to shut your mouth, Milluki!" She yelled at him changing her tone once again. "I didn't think I needed to tell you, Kil. I thought you'd be happy with just Ayami here... Since it's impossible for your friend to open the front gate."
"He'll do it."
"What?"
"Gon will open it. I'm sure that's why Ayami didn't let them in herself."
"Oh, I see. That is nice. But he'll still never make it here..." Kikyo said nervously.
"Gon will. He'll do it. He will definitely make it here." He said with a shine in his eyes.
As Ayami finally walked into her room, she noticed all her books scattered around and opened just the way she remembered she left them after arriving. The room was free from dust so she knew they had taken the liberty to clean while she was gone.
"Shower first. Then I'll rest." She went into her bathroom and bathed for about an hour with a book at hand until someone came knocking at her door. "Who is it."
"It is Tsubone, master Ayami. I came with the dinner you have requested." She said from outside. Ayami grabbed a robe and entered her room to unlock the doors.
"Come on in, Tsubone. How have you been?" Ayami asked as she grabbed the piece of bread and dipped it in the soup.
"I have been well, thank you for asking. And yourself?" She said with a warm tone.
"I guess I've been well. The Hunter Exam was easy so Illumi and I passed." Ayami said before looking away. "Killua, how is he?"
"I'm not at the liberty to say so you should see yourself, though I would suggest you to rest for tonight. You're still rather thin so you need to heal. I'll get going now, master Ayami." Tsubone said bowing before leaving.
"Alright." Ayami said quietly as Tsubone closed the doors. She breathed in and sighed. Too bad I can't talk to Illumi right about now. Oh wait... She dialed Illumi's number on the phone and laid on her bed looking at the ceiling. After a few try's of no answer, she gave up. "What the hells the point of giving me a number if you're not going to use it!"
She threw the phone against the wall knocking a painting down and turned her lights off before closing her eyes. She sighed thought about her twin. After all, they were the first ones to be tortured and trained. But it was normal. In their eyes, this was a normal thing, being poisoned and trained to endure pain. I wish our training came in handy back then. I only lasted a couple months before not being able to endure... it. Then 5 years pass and now I'm back here. It feels that this is the better life. Gosh Illumi, I wish I could talk to you.... I need to distract myself from remembering. I wonder what's going on with the three and Zebro at the servant's quarters...
Morning came all too soon and Ayami grabbed black baggy pants with pockets, a white tank top, and threw on a dark green jacket with a golden zipper. Before putting on the jacket she examined the symbols on her arms. One crescent, one circle, and another circle but filled in. The three symbols were mirrored on both of her wrists. Six symbols. It changed. Or did it? I can't remember...
She grabbed some small knives and shoved them into her pockets just for good measure. She combed through her hair and tied it hanging low with a golden ribbon with a few strands loose and put some black combat boots on. Suddenly, a knock came from her door. There goes my plans on seeing Kil. "What is it?"
"I'm sorry to disturb you Master Ayami, but Master Zeno and Master Silva want to see you in the meeting room." The butler said.
"Alright." She answered back. She took a deep breath in and opened the doors. Ayami headed to the kitchen on her way grabbing toast. Once she finally arrived to the meeting room entrance, some servants opened the door for her. As she stepped in, she smiled when she saw the two playing a strategy board game. "Hello Grandfather, hello Father. I hope both of you are well."
"Agh, Ayami. What have I told you before? You make me sound so old when you greet me as Grandfather..." He said smiling.
"Sorry..." She smiled and chuckled. He looked at Silva as he approached patting her head. They all sat down and were poured tea.
"How was the Hunter Exam, Ayami? Tell me about it." Silva said staring down at her small frame.
"It went well. It was easier than Illumi and I had expected so I didn't gain much training from it. I think I made a new ally though. He's a rather difficult man to get along with but Illumi seems to have some trust in him. I'll probably head to Heaven's Arena to get back my strength. Once I'm confident in my skills, I'll continue doing assignments. But right now, all I wish is to see Killua and his friends."
"Interesting. You said Killua's friends?" Silva questioned.
"Yes. I was surprised too. Killua is certainly different from all of us so him making fiends is new. As much as you might have your own opinions, I think I can say that I trust these friends. Especially Gon. He might be good in Killua's development. He's.... Already grown so much."
"Hm. And you think they can get to Killua?" Zeno said with a curious look.
"Yes. He's a strong headed child who has an appreciation of Killua almost as much as us." Ayami said smiling. She closed her hands into fists and hoped to here a positive answer.
"Then I think it would be a good idea to consider lessening his punishment, don't you agree Silva?" Zeno said putting a hand to his chin while Silva nodded.
That went well. I at least got to Gramps... Ayami thought.
"Ayami. Putting that aside, Illumi called me telling me you were having problems with your Nen. Explain." Silva said.
"You can snitch but can't even answer my calls..." She muttered before sighing loudly. "I've already learned to control it because it was unstable. But I do have one small concern."
"What is your concern?" Zeno asked.
"Um... As you know, the people who kidnapped me did experiments on me. Since I've come back, well, I noticed my Nen has also taken affect. It no longer reacts to needles. In fact I've had some issues controlling my Nen. I showed Illumi and I unknowingly somehow released a large amount of Nen to the point where he couldn't move. There is another thing that appeared. These marks." Ayami said taking off her jacket to show her marks on her arms. "They've changed too. I need help on figuring out what to do next..."
They both stared at her and her arms in silence. "Can you show us your Nen right now? We need to see it." Silva said standing up.
"This way we can come up with a plan for you." Zeno said getting up and giving a hand to Ayami to help her up.
"Alright." She stood back and breathed in feeling her Nen activate. Her arms grew itchy and she closed her eyes concentrating to not lose control. The room grew heavy with her dark Nen making Zeno and Silva glance at each other. The atmosphere made it hard for them to move as she continued. The symbols on her arm started to darken in color as the room itself darkened. The shadow she cast began distorting and moving like a serpent approaching them. Zeno caught sight of this and his eyes widened.
"Enough!" Zeno yelled putting his hands behind his back. Ayami immediately stopped and fell to her knees from exhaustion. Silva rushed to her and held her from collapsing.
"It requires a lot of attention from me to keep it in moderate control. But I still can't figure out what's happened..." Ayami said bowing her head. Her father gently placed her on the floor to sit.
"Your Nen type has altered. You've probably gained a specialist ability but to confirm I want you to go to someone I met many years ago." Zeno said with a lowered voice. Silva looked at him and furrowed his eyebrows.
"She's a dangerous individual. I won't allow Ayami to go alone." Silva said raising his voice.
"There's no need for her to go alone. I'll accompany her. After all, they've made it particularly difficult to locate herself because she's constantly traveling. However, I've gotten word that she's in this Republic. So we'll go tonight." Zeno finished.
"Tonight?" Silva asked and sighed. "Very well."
"Ok. But who is the person your talking about?" Ayami said confused.
"She goes by Dr. Niets but that isn't his real name. She's a mad woman but she has extensive knowledge on Nen." Zeno said opening the doors to lead Ayami and Silva outside. "Niets is rarely in a mentally stable condition but I'm confident she can help you."
"Gramps... I'm not doubting you. I hope they can help me. At least, so I can can continue being an assassin." Ayami said looking at the new plants in the garden. A black bird cawed from above and landed on a branch near the three.
"Good. It's not like you have much of a choice." Zeno smiled at Ayami. She nodded and looked at her father.
"Um. Since were done, may I visit Killua?" Ayami asked as the black bird cawed and flew down.
"You can visit him tomorrow. Right now, I'd like you to train with me so we can be prepared for tonight." Zeno said putting his hands behind his back.
"I understand. Then, let's not waste anymore time. I'll see you later Father." Ayami stated and Silva nodded. She walked away with Zeno into the mansion into the training room. The room had a tall ceiling and was round with spaces to store weapons. The light lit the room well enough to see the dried blood stains in the stone from previous fights. "First we focus on your physical strength. Let's begin."
The two faced each other in the middle. Ayami made the first move and moved in a zig zag jump while Zeno chases after her. She went to kick him in the back of his knees and he struck her arms. She stumbled but managed to make him lose his balance. She threw a punch at his ribs and he moved just in time making her smash her fist into the ground create large crack. She smiled and looked up. Zeno charged at her and laughed. She jumped up and used both her hands to push his back sending him away. After a couple of hours, the sun began setting and the light dimmed ever so slightly. Ayami was covered in scratches, bruises, and sweat. Her red face looked up at Zeno who was slightly sweating and tired but nowhere near hurt.
"You need to improve your reaction time. You focus to much on getting the next hit that you leave some places open to attack. Let's get going now. We'll be on foot to find Niets." Zeno said opening the doors. She got herself cleaned a bit with the towels that had appeared. The blue sky with the orange tint marked the hour. They headed down the road and through the gate. Ayami looked around to see if she saw the three somewhere but concluded that they were most likely in the servants quarters. Zebro and Ayami walked for hours through the forests of The Republic of Padokea. Ayami felt the air crisp as the moon shined in the dark starry sky. "Here we are."
She looked up and saw a cave like structure up ahead. "Is that where she'll be?"
"Yes. Hopefully we've come at a right time." Zeno said before they heard something shatter in the distance. "Let's go."
As they approached the cave, noises like glass breaking and things spilling were heard. A woman in the inside laughed maniacally as she looked at a round globe. She threw a knife she held to a painting and looked at the two with a Cheshire grin. "Welcome! Welcome! Care for tea? Or are you the eyes and bird type?"
"Hello Niets." Zeno said staring at the man. She had mixed matched clothes with noticeable stitching to fix or add onto it. She wore round glasses and had a scar going across her face. Her grey hair was mainly dominated with his strands of white hair and her smile didn't falter. Ayami noticed the crazed and desensitized look in her eyes.
"Oh!? The little snake wants help to slither in the flower fields, eh? Or perhaps it wants a mouse as a snack?" She asked looking at Ayami.
"She needs help in determining what has been happening with her Nen." Zeno said looking at Ayami.
"Well well well well well, I can help if I get ONE thing from her..." Niets yelled and grabbed two purple stones.
"What is it?" She asked standing closer.
"Oh! Well how about a piece of your sanity? Or maybe your feelings? I do something that corrupts and takes a bit of you to help me with my experiments and you get your information in return. It'll only last a couple seconds..." she said rubbing her hands together. Her eyes widened as she stared back. "It's really nothing. I could ask for your hands or a couple of ribs..."
She looked at Zeno and nodded. "Fine..."
"PERFECT!" He yelled and he took the stones and put them on each side of her head. He began reciting something and looked her dead in the eyes, "Try hard to not let the madness take over for too long! They like being in control..."
Ayami's eyes rolled back as the stones glowed with a bluish purple tint. A smile contorted on her face and she started laughing. She collapsed to her knees and continued laughing with her eyes turning black.
"What's going on?!" Zeno yelled seeing her in this state.
"Fray not, dragon. The little snake just needs to find her way back." They said smiling putting the stones in a large pot. With a large clank they fell in and Zeno rubbed his forehead.
Ayami felt cold as she looked around. It was dark. An empty void with shallow murky water filling the place. Hello? She looked around and saw a tree in the distance. She walked up to it and saw snakes on the tree. The three snakes were white and whispered things to themselves. Who is she? What does this one want? How dare she be in our presence? The snakes travelled down the tree and onto her body wrapping themselves tightly. One snake wrapped around her neck cutting her breathing.
Wait! I came here to find out what's wrong with me... What are you and what do you want? She yelled. The snakes loosened up and stared at her. The quiet voices continued chatting to themselves until one of the snakes spoke again.
We are part of you. Your subconscious includes us. We're only here because you have black poison within you. Now you are able to call upon us in the physical world. The snake said showing her image in the water. We are here to lend powers to you. All you have to do is call upon us.
Why are you here? Ayami asked.
Another snake answered. When you were with those humans who took you and injected you with those syringes. They had a component derived of us that they had been experimenting on. Those humans have been trying to make things have power made from us. The problem is we are separate from you. Our power is not yours. The ultimate goal would be an unnatural human fusion. Once we've been summoned, you'd have control of us. But right now those humans are in the process of fusing us to humans. We aren't naturally supposed to be together. It might be hard for you as a human to understand that we have no choice being here.
We're willing to help you as long as you let us to use your vessel. We are like spirits, so we have no definitive form. The only reason we can be injected into humans like you was the ability of the scientists Nen. They summoned us enough to be formed into some type of thing to become poison.
I think I understand. But what are your names? Are you different than one another? She said looking at the three moving down her legs and arms.
We have no names but you can decide what to call us by what we represent and can offer you. I can give you the ability to paralyze and possess with constant sight. The other can be used to spy or to follow and you'll see what they see in your eyes. And the last is only useful to you. It can regenerate and protect your body with the poison within you. Together, the three of us become a large serpent. We poison the person we hold within our grasp when we bite them. We can also move around multiple people to release a mist that will have the same effect as the poison. The poison is yours and there is no cure so they will degrade and die slowly and possibly quite painfully.
Then let me name you. The first one will be Medusa. The second one will be Exploratorem and the last one will be Asclepius, god of medicine. When I need you all together, I'll call out Akhys, the goddess who symbolizes the mist of death.
Alright. Than, it would be useful to tell you to leave now. When you summon us, we can talk to you. Just concentrate on one of the marks on your arms.
Human, it is time for you to leave. You shouldnt stay in this realm for longer. Or else your sanity will falter.
Okay. How do I leave this place? She asked as the snakes slithered back into the tree.
Go into the water and keep swimming to the bottom. There will be a light after a while. It will become harder to breathe but you must keep going to get out. Now, go!
Ayami dove into the water which had suddenly grown deeper and deeper. It felt that she was swimming for ages to the bottom. Se felt the needle like tingling against the icy cold waters as she dove deeper. Her eyes began to burn and her vision blurred. She neared a bright white light and swam faster and harder than before. As her fingers touched the light she gasped for the crisp night's air.
"Seeeeeeeeee? It was only...... 57 seconds! Quite the record for being in the unconscious mind..." Niets said staring at a clock drawn in black chalk on the cave's wall.
"What did you find out?" Zeno said helping her stand.
"I know how to control it. Or them. I can summon snakes. They have they're own abilities to be my Nen. Also... Why are my cheeks hurting so bad? It feels like I've been smiling or something..." Ayami said massaging her face.
"Ah. That's... Not important." Zeno said. "Let's head back. Our business is done here."
"Beware of the butterflies and the crow! They eat spiders! And like shiny unique things!" She yelled as they exited. The trip was quiet as they walked to their mansion.
"Ayami. Stay in this forest for five days. After the five days, you can return home. During this time, use your Nen and learn to use it." Zeno said stopping in the middle of a dense forest.
"Yes. Thank you for taking me to Dr. Niets. I'll see you in five days then." Ayami bowed and climbed a tree as Zeno left. Five days?! Shit. She sighed and closed he eyes. "I'll begin in a couple hours I guess."
The morning sun rose ones again and Ayami went to the ground. "Hah... Okay. Summon them and practice..."
She went to a clearing with less trees and concentrated on her Nen. She focused on the crescent marks and yelled. "Medusa!"
Ayami felt her Nen surge through her body and released a shadowy glow from her eyes. An average black snake appeared out of no where and wrapped loosely around her neck. You've called on me human. What do you with to do?
"I need to practice using all of up you and you're first."
I understand. To use me, your ability to paralyze and possess will come from looking into people's eyes and saying my name. Once you look away, your ability and I will disappear as well.
"So that's how it works. Okay. Let's practice on some animals since there's no people around to possess." Ayami looked around and found a small squirrel. She swiftly took it in her hand and looked into its eyes and paralyzed it. The snake just quietly looked on from her neck. This process continued on well into the night with other animals she ran into. She practiced focusing her Nen to paralyze the animal without having to physically restrain them. The next day, she sat down on the plain grassy patch and breathed in and out concentrating on the circle.
"Medusa..." she whispered as she held onto a rabbit she found in the forest. The snake appeared again and wrapped itself around her as it gently hissed at the rabbit. It froze and she set it aside not looking away. She blinked and looked away unfreezing the rabbit when she heard a noise.
"A human!" She followed the man who looked like a Hunter for a while. Let's hope this works.
She popped out in front of the man and held onto his wrists." Medusa!"
The man froze and couldn't move anymore. "Hahaha! It works!"
She let go of the man and thought about what she could do or say to manipulate him. "Hmm. Jump!"
As soon as she waved her hand and gave the command, the man jumped with fear in his eyes. Ayami smiled and swirled her hands around while she thought of what she wanted the man to mimic. He moved everywhere and tried saying something but only some noise came out. She Kept her eyes on him the whole day until the sun started to set. She finally gave one last command to jump off a cliff to a deep ravine and and the man, shaking trying hard to stop his body from moving on its own, fell with a piercing scream. She looked down finally left the area yawning and the same had vanished once again. As she fell asleep to the noises of the forest, she thought of how her Nen had progressed so much in a few hours. The sun rose again, hiding behind clouds making the sky grey. Ayami started to meditate and focused on her Nen to summon the second snake. A snake suddenly formed from her shadow as she concentrated.
"Exploratorem..." she breathed out opening her eyes. The snake was thin and definitely smaller than the first averagely sized snake.
Human. To use me, all up you have to do is think of a person so I can follow them. I'm only visible to people who use Gyo in their eyes. I can also go to a place instead of following. My eyes will show you what I see, so your eyes will become like a serpent's eyes every time you call me. I can travel quickly however I can only travel by land. Once I've accomplished your command, I'll contact you to show you what is see. Also, as soon as you say my name I'll show you what I see. Tell me you are finished, then I will disappear. I will be with you again the next time you summon me.
"Hm. Ok." Ayami closed her eyes and focused on her brother, Killua. She would want to do Illumi, but they're was a greater hands he would be far. "Exploratorem."
She opened her eyes and they turned into elliptical glowing green eyes. She looked into a puddle near her and saw her glowing eyes. Agh. I should get glasses to hide that. The marks on her wrists gently darkened showing that she was using her Nen.
She groaned and sat on a large rock. Asclepius is in charge of healing me with poison, so do I have be injured in order to summon them? She took out one of the knives from her pocket and took off her jacket. She placed the jacket on the rock and stood up. Ayami lifted up her shirt and breathed in. "Gosh I hope this works..."
She took the knife in her hand and stabbed her abdomen. She groaned when she saw the red blood dripping down onto her pants. Good thing they're my black ones. She took the knife out and focused on her Nen and the symbol with a filled in circle. "Asclepius?"
A dark mist surrounded her body as a small black snake no bigger than her finger slithered out from the wound and started to turn the blood black. Let me heal you, Human.
"Woah! You're here. But, you're so small. So tiny..." She added in a whisper. The snake seemed to be biting her wound but she felt nothing. She only saw the wound lessening in size.
I'm small yes. Your wound is also small. When your wound is bigger I will appear larger, or if you have multiple wounds I will multiply myself. Your blood will turn black every time I heal you. I can only heal you to a certain extent. By no means are you immortal or immune to the consequences for injury. Also, I can only help you, for the main reason that you are compatible to the poison. If anyone else were to be healed by me or come into contact with your blood when it is black, they will die. One last thing. You'll feel as if your energy is low so you need to rest for a short period of time. It's best if don't summon me while using the others.
"Alright. I'll keep that in mind." Ayami said. The snake had finally finished mending the wound and went through it before disappearing. She felt heavy and decided to close her eyes feeling her energy slip out.
Back at the Zoldyck estate, Kurapika and Leorio had been trying to push through the doors.
"Okay. One!"
"Two!"
"Three!" They yelled together as Gon watched besides Zebro while Seaquant headed inside to the guards room. They pushed the door with all they had and managed to open the first doors just a crack before being pushed back and fall. They all gasped as they layer on the floor.
"Leorio! Kurapika!" Gon yelled running to them smiling. They slowly got up and looked up.
"It moved." Leorio said gasping out of breath. Zebro smiled at the three while Seaquant secretly stared at them from behind the guard room's door before closing it. Nighttime quickly followed and Seaquant decided to make a phone call to the main servants quarter.
"What?" Gohtoh asked. "The Testing Gate?"
There was a brief pause of silence on the phone and Gotoh rested his elbow in his hand. "And?"
"Oh, well... I just wanted to let you know." Seaquant said nervously through the line.
"Very well." Gotoh said before hanging up. Seaquant looked at the phone and furrowed his eyebrows.
"He's always so cold." He muttered to himself.
A day passed and Ayami had finally woken up. "Ah! My head is pounding. Damn snake didn't tell me short meant a whole day."
She went around the forest and found a small creak with water. She drank some by scooping it into her hand. She saw her eyes were still glowing and snake like in her reflection in the water. She than walked around the creak to find berry bushes around though she wasn't sure of the taste. After eating some, she went back to the clearing and relaxed. Halfway through the day, Exploratorem contacted her.
Human. This is what is happening.
She saw through its eyes the dark room where her brother was suspended in the air by chains. Kil... "That's enough for now, Exploratorem."
The vision disappeared and her eyes became normal again.
"There's just today left... I guess I should ask Akhys how to you them." She brushed the dirt off her and focused and surging her Nen.
The shadows from the trees and the forest cast down as the sun rose high. She felt a strong itchy sensation across her arms as the symbols grew more noticeable. "Akhys."
As she whispers the word her whole body glowed a dark purple for a brief moment before a large white serpent appeared in front of her. The shadows of the forest started moving and a dark mist appeared from them. Human. We are here to serve you.
"How does this work?" Ayami asked as the surroundings became darker and the mist made everything hazy.
Say our name again and tell us who and how you want us to kill.
"That's it?"
Yes... the serpent said facing her.
"Then that's all. You can go since I don't need to kill a bunch of animals to prove a point." Ayami said. The serpent looked like it bowed before disappearing. The shadows and the surrounding had become normal again as if nothing had happened. "Time to head back..."
At the gate, Kurapika and Leorio were still pushing as hard, this time opening the door a bit more though not big enough fo them to fit. They had taken off the weighted jackets off but it still wasn't enough.
"It's no use... It won't move any further." Leorio grunted as they pushed. "Ayami sure made it look easy enough."
"I guess that means you'll take her seriously now?" Kurapika breathed out as they continued.
"Definitely! And she's an older woman..." Leorio said smirking and falling because the pressure of the wind from the doors slamming shut.
"Gross..." Kurapika said as he panted and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"What's gross?"
"Master Ayami!" led and forced Seaquant to bow. Ayami smiled and waved at the group.
"Where'd you go Ayami?" Gon asked as he ran to hug her. He's just like Kil...
"I went on a... mission of sorts. Personal stuff, you know?" She shrugged.
"You mean like, assassin missions or something else?" Leorio asked curiously.
"Huh? Oh no it's something else, I would've just said I needed to kill someone if that were the case." She smirked. She failed to notice the small blush Leorio formed on his cheeks. "So you guys are still at the gates, huh?"
"We're really close to opening them! We just need a bit more strength..." leorio said scratching the back of his head.
"Let's go again!" Kurapika yelled. They got up on they're feet and stood in front of the doors.
They pushed at the same time opening the door slightly. "One last push, Leorio..."
Gon undid his arm sling as Leorio yelled in a shaky voice. "Got it!"
"Gon...?!" Kurapika said looking at Gon who had gotten in between the two.
"Why are up you using your left arm?" Leorio asked.
"It's okay. My arm's healed now." Gon smiled. Ayami looked at his arm and saw no bruising.
"Healed?"
"Are you sure, Gon?"
"How interesting... To heal that fast with no help..." Ayami muttered to herself.
"Yep! Anyway, we have to push together, right?" Gon asked.
"Right, let's push!" Kurapika said.
"Here we go!" Leorio shouted.
"One!"
"Two!"
"Three!"
They pushed and finally the doors became more mad more open. Gon fell threw and landed facing the ground. "Oww.... It opened!"
"Yes!" Kurapika and Leorio yelled cheerfully high-fiving each other. Ayami smiled and chuckled on how the three were so excited.
"You guys did it!" She said clasping her hands together.
"Uh-huh!"
"Agh! The doors! They're closing!" The three rushed in leaving Ayami, Zebro, and Seaquant standing outside. She couldn't help but laugh at how cute they were.
"Stand back you three!" She yelled hoping they would hear her. She pushed the fourth pair of doors open and they walked in.
Zebro congratulated the three for making it through. "Master Ayami can lead help you to the mansion now. You just follow the path and head for the mountain. The mansion should be somewhere up there. I'm ashamed to admit that even though I've worked here for twenty years, I've never been up the mountain. Sorry I wasn't much of a help."
"No, that isn't true. You've both been a huge help and now Ayami's here two. Thank you for everything!" Gon said bowing making the old man smile. The three headed for the entrance of the path.
"I'll catch up to you three in a second." Ayami waved them off as they started walking. She faced Zebro and smiled. "I'm sure he already knows but please inform Gotoh I've returned."
"Yes, Master Ayami." He said nad they both bowed once she turned her back and joined the group. "Those kids really are something. Even Master Ayami can tell. Im sure they might make it to the mansion."
"Heh. Won't happen, they'll just get themselves killed."
"Speaking from your personal experience three years ago?"
"We were wiped out by an apprentice butler. That made it painfully clear that I wasn't on their level."
"So you decided to work here." Zebro said smiling.
"Sorry, but the masters and servants are all monsters. Once you step into their territory..."
Near the gazebo by the mansion, Kikyo and Gotoh were speaking of the recent events. "The Testing Gate opened?"
"Yes ma'am." Gotoh answered. "Master Ayami has also returned."
"This is a critical time for Killua. We cannot allow those unnecessary 'friends' near him! Do you understand?" Kikyo asked twirling her umbrella in her hands.
"Yes ma'am."
So. It's been a month since my last update. I'm really sorry, for that, so here's a 6300 word chapter! I know, I know. Why so long? I did try making it shorter by cutting out some things but it was still long. And I didn't want to mess with the order of the chapters too much. So it's a lengthy chapter. Updates will hopefully be more consistent but school has been hard to keep up with considering this is my senior year. I hope your guys enjoyed reading so far and remember to vote and comment! I love all of you guys cause you keep me motivated! Stay safe❤️❤️