Sakura grunted again in pain as her treatment for her injuries finally came to an end, the scratches had been disinfected and bandaged well; her broken arm was set right and put in a cast. She didn't bother to treat her own injuries, and other than the occasional grunt of discomfort or nod for confirmation every time she was asked if she was okay; Sakura hadn't reacted since. When her treatment was finished the people that attended to her left the well-decorated room.
Sakura was sitting in one of the chairs at the table in the center of the hotel room, one half of her neck felt cold, losing its pink coat that shielded her skin. But her uneven hair wasn't even a concern at the moment. Her eyes fixed alone on the boy sleeping on the large single bed, tucked in the corner near a window. Gon was laying upright, his left arm and a small bandage on his forehead where Hanzo had pointed his blade.
He seemed to be resting well.
Inhaling deeply, Sakura stood up and knelt down at the end of the side of the bed resting her upper body on the mattress. Silently, she placed her hand on Gon's forehead, healing the wound before turning to his damaged arm. She couldn't just mend broken bones miraculously, even less so when she was this injured, but she would at least be able to save him from some discomfort. When she finished, she noticed that the boy seemed to instantly grow more lax.
'What a reckless boy you are Gon,' Sakura brushed her hand over his forehead one more time before moving away.
Her mind was drowning with the thoughts of her fight with Hisoka. She had fought against many opponents, but none were able to make her feel the way Hisoka did. It wasn't strength she was measuring or raw power, no-it was something that they all lacked.
'If only I knew what that was,'
With her good hand, Sakura gripped the fabric of the cover, her fingers aching under the threads. When she closed her eyes, she saw Hisoka standing in front of her, ready to fight. It was like he had burned himself into her memory, leaving a scar even she couldn't heal.
Bloodlust.
That was the feeling that was coming to peak within Sakura, but somehow she always managed to keep it at bay before it reached that point. When Sakura used to fight, that feeling she had never reached her completely, it was like placing a pot of water over a low flame, but then she had come to encounter Hisoka who was oil poured onto the fire and just like that, the water boiled over the pot.
The passion she fought with, was something completely different to the times she had battled strong opponents but was still lit with fear she always had to push pass.
There was still so much she had wanted to do in that fight, but she wasn't able to, because Hisoka decided that he was finished playing around. She may have left an impression on him, but she wasn't anything more in his eyes than a new toy for him to play with. If he had wanted to; he would've killed her instantly if he decided she wasn't worth sparring. And that really infuriated her.
'Dammit,' her jaw clenched, causing her pain. This fight alone had shown her so much of what she lacked still, despite her progress from where she had come from. Hisoka wasn't able to use chakra, but he still managed to render her like this in the end. She wanted to know how. There must have been many more ways to gain power, and for as long as she was in this world; she was willing to look for it.
'Even if it means staying here a little longer,' While the thought of prolonging her stay in this world would have washed her with a wave of homesickness in the near past, when she looked at Gon, followed by flashing images lashing of Killua, Leorio, and Kurapika in her mind, she felt nothing of the sort.
Sakura rested her head against the mattress, listening to Gon's soft breathing. The stress of an extreme battle and the physical fatigue finally seemed to reach Sakura. Her mind grew heavy; the weight forcing her eyes to slowly close and her body to feel lighter in a haze.
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..
Gon woke with a start, broken out in a cold sweat. He had been running up a large flight of stairs towards a silhouette, when he was close enough he could disclose it as his father Gon reached out for him, but the staircase crumbled underneath him and the last thing he felt was the sinking feeling in his stomach when falling. His dream ended there.
When the mist of sleep disappeared, Gon was able to take in everything in front of him and the first thing he noticed was Sakura's head just barely resting against the mattress with one of her arms across on top of his legs. Her hair was chaotic, it was as if she had run a blade through one side and left the other. There was also blood stains on her top, running in a short straight line on her shoulder. In short, she looked terrible.
"Sakura?"
And when heard a light snap of a book closing, Gon realized that they weren't alone. In a chair at the table in the middle of the room sat Satotz.
"Ah Gon-kun, you're finally awake."
"Where am I?" was all Gon had been able to pick out and voice from his thoughts.
"In a waiting room, next to the arena for the Final Phase," Satotz told him, then noticing Gon's baffled gaze. "She came to the room straight after her match and fell asleep at your bedside. She was rather adamant about seeing you,"
Gon blinked, staring at her, and then at his broken arm. "Right, we were in the middle of the Hunter Exam."
Satotz lifted his chair and placed it near the side of Gon's bed, mindful of Sakura already beside it. "Your arm will heal quickly. The break was clean, in fact, it will be even stronger once it's healed."
An image of Hanzo flashed through Gon's mind and he recalled everything that happened, up to the point where he was knocked out. His head hurt just thinking about it.
"In any case; congratulations on passing the exam." Satotz held out his hand for the young boy, but Gon just stared at it.
"Satotz-san I…
"You can't," Satotz said before taking Gon's hand and placing it in his own to give a small shake, "Just as someone who fails can no longer pass, someone who passed the exam can no longer fail. The rest is up to you. If you feel you are unqualified to be a pro, you are free to destroy or put away your license. You can even sell it. However, as a person who passed the exam, you cannot take it again."
Gon remained with a passive expression that mimicked a curious puppy,
"Professional Hunters are treated well, largely due to our predecessor's efforts. Hence there are many who harbor ill intentions." Satotz reached out for one of the two files that were laying on the side of Gon's bed, "If it weren't for them, we would accept every person who applied."
Gon flipped open the file, and in the rubbery booklet, there was a small card placed in the middle with the Hunter association symbol on it. Satotz told him that most hunter's considered this card more valuable than their lives yet no more than a worthless scrap of paper at the same time.
"The important thing is what you accomplish once you've become a Hunter." Satotz held the card out to him, "Gon, you can decide for yourself when you're ready to use this card."
Gon took the card, smiling for the first time since he woke up. "A lot of people helped me reach this point. Especially….."
Both males glanced over at Sakura, who was lightly snoring and Gon's smile widened.
"I'll use this once I returned the favor."
The covers pulling around Gon's waist and soft noises averted Gon and Satotz attention to the rising girl at the side of the bed. Sakura yawned loudly, attempting to stretch out her arms but winced when she realized she was still wearing a cast.
"Damn, not a nightmare."
"Sakura!" Gon called, giving her a fright and causing Sakura to jump a little before she realized who had called her and smiled.
"Gon, you're awake!"
"Yeah. What happened to your arm?"
Chuckling, Sakura rubbed the back of her neck, "Well um, I kinda broke it during my fight with Hisoka."
Gon gasped, "Oh yeah, how'd your match go!?"
"She passed," Satotz stated, "It was a remarkable display,"
Again Sakura chuckled, "Well, I don't know about that. I mean I wasn't even sure I would get him to surrender."
Gon gasped again, "You got Hisoka to surrender? That's amazing Sakura!"
Sakura shrugged. She didn't think she had personally forced Hisoka to surrender, rather he had chosen to on his own. And it was right when he had been at the peak of winning.
"Not my proudest moment, considering all the damage I did to the hotel rather than my opponent….."
"But it was an incredible fight," Satotz chided, taking the second file on the bed and holding it out to the kunoichi. "Congratulations, on your passing as well Sakura-san."
Sakura flipped open the book, taking out the card that was her hunter's license. While she didn't think it should have meant as much to her as it would to the other applicants, Sakura felt a sense of pride for having made it to this point. "Thank you Satotz-san. By the way, how is everyone else doing?"
"Oh, that's right." Gon chided, "Are they still fighting?"
"Actually, the exam's already over," Satotz told the two; they had been resting nearly the entire day and had actually slept through the Final Phase. "The ones who passed are currently completing a brief orientation. You both will have one as well."
Deciding to ask the question that was weighing on both of their minds, Sakura spoke,
"Who failed then?"
There was the briefest moment of hesitance, as Satotz drew out his words. "It was…..Killua."
Out of every answer they were expecting, that one wasn't even listed in their minds.
"Why did Killua fail?" Gon asked immediately.
"How?" Sakura asked shortly after.
"First let me fill you in on what transpired,"
And with that Satotz started explaining to Gon and Sakura what had happened while they were unconscious. He started right after Gon had been knocked out and what Hanzo had said regarding him. Then what occurred in the second match with Sakura fighting Hisoka-and surprisingly enough Gon was very quiet while Satotz relayed the match to him-not in any more detail that Sakura would have wanted. The next match after was between Hanzo and Pokkle, where Hanzo had been able to get Pokkle to surrender by threatening to break his arm as he had to Gon.
"The next match was between Kurapika and Hisoka." Satotz could practically see how concentrated the two were when hearing about their friend and Hisoka. "They fought for a while, but Hisoka conceded after whispering something to Kurapika."
"What did he say?" asked Gon.
"I don't know," Satotz admitted. They had been too far at the time to hear anything, but whatever was said had certainly impacted Kurapika. "Then it was Killua and Pokkle who were scheduled to fight, but Killua walked away. Confidently, he declared he wasn't interested in fighting him and seemed very confident he could defeat his next opponent."
He was certainly confident in his skills. That much was clear to Sakura when she had first met Killua. But it wasn't without justice. Killua had obviously been trained for a long time.
"Following after was, of course, Hisoka versus Bodoro; the match was very one-sided but Bodoro refused to surrender. That was until Hisoka whispered something to him, and he conceded right after."
Bodor was a martial artist and he had been looking forward to fighting Hisoka, even more so after he witnessed his first match. However, it had proved to be a fatal mistake as he couldn't foresee the massive difference between the two.
'I nearly did the same,' Sakura shuddered recalling her match. There were moments when she just wanted to get out of Hisoka's line of vision, leave the fight and then there was another pull that was keeping her on the battlefield.
"Then it was Killua and Gittarackur who was set to fight; however….." again Satotz stopped wanting the two to take in their "That was when Killua made a fatal mistake."
Sakura already knew that Gittarackur was hiding his appearance from what she had read previously but she didn't think much of the reason why he would hide it. However, after Satotz explanation, it made sense. Gittarackur had disguised himself for the sake of keeping one of the applicants from recognizing him. That applicant as Killua.
"You see, Gittarackur is actually Killua's older brother, Illumi who was under the alias."
Sakura frowned, her mouth slightly gaping as she attempted to swallow the information. "Killua's brother?"
Satotz nodded, "Yes…."
Killua struggled to breathe, he could feel the beads of sweat on his face as he stared up at his brother, watching him with completely blank eyes. Illumi told him that their mother was worried about Killua leaving home and had asked Illumi to check up on him. It turned out to be a great coincidence that Killua decided to take the Hunter's Exam because Illumi wanted to get a license for his next job as well.
"I had no idea you wanted to become a hunter."
Killua looked down at his shoes, "I don't really want to be a hunter. I just felt like taking the exam,"
"I see, that's a relief. Then let me give you some advice….."
The air around Killua became almost nonexistent now, as he looked back at his older brother. The presence made Killua feel like his heart had stopped beating as fear seeped through every fiber of his body that it actually hurt.
"You're not cut out to be a Hunter." Killua gasped softly at his brother's words, "You were born to be….a killer."
Sakura covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes starting to burn, while Gon remained passive although his standing on the situation was at the same end as Sakura.
"Is that really what he said? Killua mentioned his family before, but they sound crazy…."
"He wasn't finished yet," Satotz said.
Illumi continued to watch his younger brother, "You're a puppet of darkness, without passion. You don't want anything or wish for anything. As one who lives in the shadows, you can only feel pleasure when people die. That's how dad and I raised you. What would you accomplish by coming a hunter?"
Killua, who had been silent the entire while his brother spoke, clenched his first, swallowing with a dry throat, "True, I have no desire to become a hunter. But…..I do have something that I want," The sweat began to gather at the tip of Killua's chin and drip, his turtleneck felt like a chain tightening around him.
"You don't,"
Illumi's deadpan response to Killua's desire had given him a small shock of courage to raise his voice and take a shaky step forward, "I do! There's something I really want!"
"Tell me, what it is that you want," Illumi demanded calmly.
Blinking frightfully, Killua looked back down again, trying to find his voice.
"There's nothing you really want is there?"
"That's not it!" Killua clenched his jaw taking in a breath after raising his voice to his brother again, "I want to be friends with Gon.....and Sakura." Killua spoke, completely dispatched from the audience observing them, "I'm sick of killing people…..I want to become friends with Gon. And Sakura. She already called me her friend. That's what I want, and I also want to live a normal life."
"That's impossible," Illumi stated, causing Killua to flinch, "You'll never be able to make friends. Your only concern when you meet someone is whether or not you should kill them. That's how you were trained. You just don't know how to classify Gon because he's too dazzling for your eyes and Sakura…..she's a lot like us. Which is exactly why you can't ever be friends with her and is probably why you were drawn to her in the first place. You don't want to be friends. The same applies to Sakura. She does not want to be your friend,"
"You're wrong," Killua breathed, trembling as he looked into his brother's eyes, for any sign of deception but found nothing as usual.
"If you stay with Gon, you'll end up wanting to kill him one day. The same goes for Sakura if you try to be friends with her. You'll just feel threatened by her power because you can't control her and she's more powerful than you. You'll want to kill her. Because you have the soul of a killer. What's more, she might try to kill you someday,"
Leorio tried to step forward when another examiner came up and warned him about intervention. But that didn't stop him from yelling to Killua that he should just ignore everything Illumi was telling him and just beat his brother in this fight.
"Don't listen to him!" Leorio yelled, his veins throbbing under his forehead. "You want to become friends with Gon and Sakura? Are you daft?! You already are friends!" Leorio pointed at Killua, "Remember what Sakura said to all of us at the Tower?! She called all of us her friends. She'd never betray you! I'm sure that's how Gon feels as well!"
Illumi looked to the side, "Really?"
"Hell yeah!" Leorio screamed back, "So don't go making assumptions idiot!"
Holding his chin, Illumi appeared to be in thought, "Mmm that's no good. They really think of Kil as a friend…." then Illumi snapped his fingers, "Okay then, I'll just kill them,"
Killua became even more rigid, as Illumi drew out his needles between his fingers, but still, he couldn't move or retort back to his brother.
"A killer doesn't need any friends. They'll only slow you down…..where are they?"
With that, Illumi turned around and began making his way through the door Sakura went through after her match, one of the exam proctors tried to stop him, but Illumi threw his needles into the man's face and asked where the two were. The man responded as his face twisted and contorted from the needles that pierced his skin before collapsing.
However Hanzo, Kurapika and Leorio stepped in front of the door with determined faces, preventing Illumi from proceeding.
"This won't do. I need a Hunter's license to do my next job. But if I kill them I'll fail and Kil will pass automatically. Oh darn, the same thing will happen if I kill Gon and Sakura." Illumi tapped his head, "I know, I'll kill them after I pass the exam."
Ilumi then asked the chairmen if he could kill everyone after he passed and still keep his license, which was blankly confirmed.
"Did you hear that Kil?" Illumi asked, turning back to face Killua. "You have to beat me if you want to save them. Will you fight me for your friend's sake?"
Illumi stalked closer towards Killua, an overwhelming force weighted on him, turning his body to stone and that only grew the closer his brother got to him.
"You can't do it. Because you're more worried about whether or not you can beat me," Killua gasped frightened, "And you already have your answer."
Slowly, Illumi brought his hand out towards Killua, "I'm not strong enough to beat my brother….Never fight an enemy you can't beat. I drilled that into you…"
Killua was about to take a step back when Illumi warned him not to; for if he moved Illumi stated he would assume the match has begun and if their bodies made contact, he would also then assume the fight started.
"There's only one way to stop me…." Illumi said as he continued to draw his hand nearer over Killua, but this force was still gripping Killua as he found himself unable to think of any way to react with the ultimatums his brother had given him. "But don't forget; if you don't fight me; your dear Sakura and Gon will die."
Leorio once again tried to assure Killua he could fight and that neither he nor Gon or Sakura would be killed by Illumi but Killua couldn't hear him through the cloak of fear his brother had wrapped around him. As Illumi's hand drew closer, Killua closed his eyes and spoke,
"I surrender,"
Illumi's expression suddenly changed, his mouth turning upwards into a smile. "Oh that's good, then the battles over,"
He then patted Killua's shoulder, "By the way, I was lying about killing Gon and Sakura. That was just a little test, but now I have my answer."
Killua stared blankly at the ground as his brother touched the top of his head, leaned down and whispered to him enough so everyone could hear. "You don't have the right to make friends. Nor do you need friends. You should just listen to Dad and me and do your job as you always have."
"After that, he was reduced to a shell of himself," Satotz said, returning to the present after reviewing the memory to Gon and Sakura. "Leorio and Kurapika tried to help but nothing they could say would sway him. After that Leorio and Bodoro's match started but Killua stepped in and killed Bodoro. The committee disqualified him and he left right after without a word."
As Satotz finished his explanation, he saw Sakura was shaking in anger, her jaw clench so tightly he could hear her teeth grinding against each other; he could even make out the distinction of a vein on her forehead, but her eyes were glossy with un-shed tears and as for Gon….?
"Gon-kun?"
Gon removed the covers from himself and jumped out of bed, heading for the door, "Where is everyone?"
"You need to rest more." Satotz insisted.
But Gon had already thrown the doors open and was heading out; Sakura following shortly after him but not before she looked back at Sakura. The tears visible on her face, but no more would run from her eyes.
"How can anyone rest when you're in danger of losing a friend?"
..
..
..
..
Kurapika, Leorio, Hanzo, Hisoka, and Pokkle all turned their heads from where they were sitting within a long row of desks set for their orientation as Gon and Sakura pushed open the doors heavily but their eyes were trained on one person sitting in the front. Sleek black hair facing them. Wordlessly Gon and Sakura make their way down the stairs. Kurapika and Leorio attempted to call out to them, but it was obvious that the two had only one thing on their minds right now.
Not that they were expecting anything less, but they took into account that both were still injured.
Until they were directly next to Illumi; who was staring blankly ahead of him as if the two didn't exist.
And Gon was the first to speak.
"Apologize to Killua!"
The examiners of this year's Hunter exam were also right in front of the room, watching them quietly. Killua and Sakura waited patiently for Illumi to response, which wasn't too long.
"Apologize? For what?"
Gon frowned, his fist clenching tightly, "You don't know what you did wrong?"
"No,"
The genuine response only succeeded in infuriating Gon and Sakura further. But unlike Gon, Sakura continued to hold back on her thoughts, until she was ready to unleash them. If this was the kind of family Killua had, then she was really able to understand why he would turn away from them like that. She didn't really judge him because he was an assassin, but she hadn't made many assumptions on his family either.
As a ninja who heard talk of her livelihood giving no meaning to those who practiced it aside from the title of 'tool'; it didn't bother her mainly because she had been oblivious to the concept in the beginning. It was a part of her daily life, and therefore normal and assassination was a norm for Killua but that didn't mean there weren't those who questioned the practice in different aspects.
"You don't have the right to be his brother!"
"Must I earn the right to be his brother?" Illumi commented.
Gon grabbed Illumi's arm, hoisting him into the air, and without flinching Illumi landed on the opposite side of Gon and Sakura.
"He doesn't need to earn the right to be my friend either!" Gon exclaimed before clamping his grip on Illumi's wrist. The pale skin contorted with veins as the bone snapped and that had a short change in Illumi's expression. But it didn't last long.
"Don't bother apologizing, just take me to see Killua."
"What will you do then?"
"We're going to bring him back with us," Sakura stated. Although she and Gon hadn't said a word to each other after the explanation on what happened to Killua, both were running on the same track of thought.
"You make it sound as if I kidnapped him," Commented Illumi, "He left on his own,"
"But it wasn't by choice!" Gon stated. "He was being manipulated by you people. It's the same thing as kidnapping him,"
The room went silent again, but tensions were higher than ever. Netero decided to step in for that moment to break through that barrier surrounding the applicants.
"We were just discussing the matter," Netero told them, "Leorio and Kurapika have lodged complaints."
Before Sakura and Gon had entered, Netero explained that the committee had been discussing the fairness of Killua's disqualification. Kurapika's argument had been based on Killua's behavior after his match with his brother. There had been a change in his psychological state and believed that Killua may have been hypnotized into committing murder. Albeit it would be a loose case to say something like that when it wasn't possible to hypnotize someone to kill (as far as they knew) taking into account Killua's family dynamic, murder being a part of their daily life could have been the result in a lack of ethical restraint. At least that was Kurapika's argument.
Leorio's was based that Killua had killed Bodoro while the match between him and Leorio was taking place; therefore it could have been seen as a sign of assistance and as Leorio had been warned before when he wanted to intervene with Gon and Hanzo's match; that should have been grounds for Leorio's disqualification and not Killua's.
"Killua was not in control of his own actions. Therefore he should not be disqualified." Kurapika stated strongly.
"But it doesn't matter because it all just sounds like speculations," Sakura stated; calmly-almost coldly as she turned back to face the committee, "Doesn't it?"
"There were no clear signs of manipulation. In fact, I would question, the claim that he's been hypnotized." Netero made his way back around the desk, "I agree with the fact that the incident occurred after the battle between Leorio and Bodoro began. At that point, both opponents were evenly matched. Bodoro had more experience but in terms of raw combat ability, Leorio was stronger. There was no need for Killua to interfere."
Of course, Sakura realized this already and that's why she was pressing for a close to this whole conversation before it spiraled.
"From what we were told, there was a lot that happened during the other matches as well. From the start, this phase was odd and therefore resulted in some odd victories and losses as well. But at this point, it doesn't matter. That includes arguing against Killua's disqualification." Sakura stated strongly.
"What are you talking about Sakura!?" Leorio exclaimed, "Killua is your friend right?!"
"Of course he is, but he's irrelevant to matters revolving around this exam right now because it's finished. He failed and we passed, as simple as that. If anything…." Sakura's eyes flashed sharply, "It would be better to finish up this orientation and no longer prolong what needs to be done after. For Gon and I…..that's getting Killua back. Everyone else can decide for themselves what they want to do from here. We're not applicants anymore,"
"That's right," Gon said keeping his eyes averted from everyone despite all of them now falling on him. "It's pointless to argue over whether someone should have passed. If you aren't happy about passing, keeping working until you're satisfied. If Killua takes the exam next year he'll definitely pass. It's unfortunate that he failed this time, it is what it is."
Gon then squeezed Illumi's wrist again, feeling the cracked bone under the skin, "What does matter; is that you've been forcing Killua to kill against his will, all this time," Gon glared at Illumi, "I'll make you pay!"
Illumi looked blankly at Gon, "Make me pay? What exactly will you do?"
"Nothing," was Gon's surprising response, but he followed up shortly after. "Once we rescue Killua; we'll make sure you never see him again!"
What seemed sudden, as if a doll had come to life, Illumi reached his free hand out towards Gon but before he could touch him and before Gon could jump back Sakura stepped between them and slapped Illumi's hand to the side quickly, the sound echoed softly through the room. Illumi stared silently at the pinkette, to which she returned the stony gesture but the two did not utter a word to each other.
Netero then cleared his throat and broke the silence once more. Illumi, Gon and Sakura broke away from each other and listened. "Is everyone finished? Gon and Sakura are absolutely correct. You must decide for yourselves if you were worthy of passing. You may complain about the results all you like but we will not be changing our minds. Killua has been disqualified and the rest of you have passed the exam."
The orientation was brief. Bean gave an explanation on the Hunter licenses that everyone had earned and Sakura found that this little card was like a key to the world she found herself in. One would be able to enter 90% of the countries that limit immigration and 75% of the restricted areas in the world. Free access to 95% of public facilities; and a line of credit rivaling most public facilities. They were warned to be careful when taking care of their license since they wouldn't be able to replace it. So their first challenge would be protecting their card. Netero then declared the eight individuals of the exam, Hunter's.
Despite getting this far in the story; Sakura had already realized a while back that it was far from over. But this time, there was more keeping her present in this world than that.
When everyone was dismissed from orientation and prepared to take their leave, Gon and Sakura immediately followed after Illumi. And Gon showed his impatience by stepping in first.
"Tell us where Killua is,"
Illumi looked back at the two, "Are you really going to take him away?"
"That's what we said," Sakura stated.
"I think it's a bad idea."
"I don't care what you think!" Gon declared boldly, "Killua is our friend, we're taking him with us."
Glancing behind Gon and Sakura, Illumi watched Kurapika and Leorio, to which the two only realized were present once it was pointed out. "Do they feel the same way?"
"You bet," Leorio stated. Though Kurapika didn't say anything, he nodded reassuringly to Gon and Sakura confirming his feelings.
Illumi took a moment to consider what he should do. If they came for Killua, his brother would probably go back with them, however, it was a matter of reaching him that would prove to be near impossible for them. Then Illumi glanced at Sakura, remembering her fight and her strength. He wanted to show Gon that he and Killua came from two completely different worlds, but he was hesitant for the simple reason that being Sakura's presence. It was a mystery right now where she came from. Because it definitely wasn't from this world. At least not the one that shone in the light.
'Although…..'
"Fine," Illumi said, after a few more moments of contemplation "Killua went home. To Kukuroo Mountain. Our family lives at the very top."
"Kukuroo Mountain." Gon repeated, "Got it, thanks,"
Sakura, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio turned their backs to leave when Illumi called back out.
"Sakura,"
The pinkette halted, looking over her shoulder. "What is it?"
"If you really want to be with Kil; you should just kill someone."
That stopped Gon, Leorio and Kurapika in their tracks, and while all three were ready to retort, Sakura held up her hand to hold them off.
"Why do you say that?" Sakura asked eerily calm.
"Because there is a darkness inside of you as well. I saw a glimpse during your fight," Illumi held out his hand, "One day, it'll swallow you whole-when that happens then you'll only be able to stand by Kil's side."
"Weren't you the one who told Killua, I might kill him one day?"
"Yes, but it's different if you decide not to be friends."
Sakura narrowed her eyes, barely lifting her feet from the ground all Kurapika, Gon and Leorio felt was a light breeze as the pinkette vanished from their sight and materialized in front of Illumi. The older Zoldyk was taken aback at the pinkette's speed. She was certain fast during her fight with Hisoka, but this was something different than before. He almost couldn't see her.
Gripping Illumi's top with her good hand, she spoke in a deadly calmed tone. "You know, hearing you talk like this makes me realize what Killua must have endured his whole life. It makes sense why he would want to leave."
Tightening her grip, Sakura pulled Illumi down to her height and he couldn't move out of it. "I'll be with Killua on my own terms. And understand this right now…." There was a sliver of bloodlust slipping through her demeanor that made Illumi's eyes widen slightly.
"Then maybe I can't really approve of your relationship with Kil."
"I don't care! I don't need your approval. I'm not going to let someone I care about be taken from me! Even if the person taking them is as thick as blood!"
With that Sakura shoved Illumi back and stormed back to her friends and she didn't stop even as Illumi spoke,
"You know; one day you might really try to kill Killua."
Sakura stopped again, but she didn't even turn to look at Illumi this time, "I'd rather let him betray me before that day comes."
Leorio and Kurapika were giving each other wary side glances, their bottom lips curled into their mouths as they held off from telling Sakura they had picked up on what she and Gon had obviously missed during the conversation with Illumi. It might have possibly been due to their overwhelming rage towards Illumi that was rendering them incapable of decoding the 'subtle' hints.
"You don't think he meant….?" Leorio trailed softly.
"I'd rather not guess," Kurapika stated.
Illumi watched as the four left. He really wants to kill Gon to prevent him from taking Killua, but he knew that Hisoka would not allow him to do that since Gon was declared his prey. As for Sakura…..
'I better send a message to home,'
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"I swear Sakura you're insane. First Hisoka, now that guy," Leorio whistled. "What are you, just suicidal by instinct?"
Sakura scoffed softly, flexing her fingers, she was getting better at handling those types even when she was terrified of them. Illumi was no exception, but her rage had kept her stable, as well as reckless.
"So," Sakura trailed, looking back and forth between the three males as they gathered at a bench in the gardens of the hotel. "Does anyone know where Kukuroo Mountain is?"
"Never heard of it before," Gon shook his head,
"Do you know where it is Kurapika?" Sakura asked, but when she looked back at the Kurta, he seemed to be present but not all there.
"Kurapika?" Leorio called.
The boy finally looked up, "Huh? What is it?"
"The mountain, do you know where it is?" Leorio asked.
"No I don't, we can look it up online."
Sakura tilted her head slightly; "Kurapika, are you alright?"
Kurapika didn't respond and Sakura couldn't press for an answer, because Hanzo had spotted the group and was coming up to them. Gon and Sakura greeted Hanzo in a welcoming manner.
"Hey,"
"Hanzo-san!" Gon called.
"It was a short, yet seemingly long acquaintance but I had fun."
"Yeah fun," Sakura mumbled doubtfully.
"So did I," Gon said; although none of his friends were really understanding what was so fun about being tortured for three hours straight.
It was clear that Hanzo had come with a purpose, as he handed them cards with the location of his home country. "If you ever visit my country let me know. I'll show you the best tourist spots."
Sakura raised her eyebrow, taking the card, "Thanks."
"And Sakura," Hanzo straightened himself before bowing to the pinkette, "As a fellow ninja, I hope to see you again in the future."
Sakura stilled, glancing at Gon, Leorio and Kurapika who were giving her the same curiously odd expressions before their eyes widened in realization. They gasped, pointing to her.
"You're a ninja!?"
Sakura just laughed pathetically, "Surprise?"
It would have probably been more of a dramatic discovery if it hadn't been for the battle they witnessed against Hisoka, as well as the slow revelation of Sakura's abilities. Although they were offended, it wasn't so much the fact that Sakura had kept the fact from them as much as that she told Hanzo she was a ninja but continued to play an enigma with them.
"You didn't tell your friends?" Hanzo asked,
"Well….."
"No, she didn't," The three males grumbled.
Hanzo waved deciding to take his leave quickly, "Well, I wish you four the best of luck and hope to see you again,"
Leorio, Gon and Kurapika all turned heads to the pinkette after Hanzo left, but they weren't able to bring up their gathered thoughts because Pokkle made an appearance almost immediately after Hanzo.
"Hey guys," Pokkle waved, "Are you all getting ready to take off?"
"Yeah," Gon replied.
"I just wanted to wish you guys good luck from here."
"Thanks," Gon then looked at the device Pokkle was clutching, "Ne, what's that?"
"Oh, this?" Pokkle held up the tablet, "You can use it to obtain all kinds of information. Is there anything you'd like to know? I can look it up, on the spot."
Gon held in his chin in thought, "Can you look up a Hunter named Ging Freecs?"
"Sure,"
Pokkel opened the plastic covering and Sakura saw a flat screen light up with icons she couldn't place. She had already deduced that this world's technology was a lot more advanced than back in her world.
"Who is this Ging guy?" Pokkle asked, frowning at the screen as he stopped tapping his fingers on the screen, "All information relating to him is behind a tight security system that requires a bunch of different accesses."
"In other's words, that information isn't attainable?" Sakura asked.
"Not easily at least. This person has some serious influence even on a national level."
Gon seemed taken aback, "Huh really? Forget it then,"
All that was made clear to the group then was that Gon's father must have certainly been someone special, though Gon didn't seem all that interested in the fact. Pokkle then gave them his e-mail address so that they could stay in touch with each other before leaving after a brief greeting.
It was amazing how energetic everyone had become after finally passing this exam. As if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders. Meanwhile, Sakura was still carrying hers and only adding more to it.
Leorio then slumped, realizing that they should have asked Pokkle to look up Kukuroo Mountain's location while they were at it but Kurapika assured him that they could do that themselves since they were all Hunter's now, they had access to all kinds of information.
"Hey while we're looking that up," Leorio turned to Sakura, "Sakura, do you think you could tell us what was going on with-
"Gon-kun, Sakura-san"
Satotz stood on the stone path in the gardens near the four. He was holding the binders with Sakura and Gon's license.
"You forget these."
"Oh," Sakura and Gon went up to Satotz, accepting the binders and thanking him.
"Gon, do you have a moment?"
Gon looked back and forth between Leorio, Sakura, and Kurapika all three nodding at him to go on ahead. It was obvious that Satotz had something important to discuss and no one minded being excluded.
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"So you're a ninja-like Hanzo, Sakura?" Leorio said, rolling up his sleeves.
Sakura nodded hesitantly. "Yeah... I guess."
Leorio continued a hint of admiration in his voice. "Well, now that your crazy power makes sense. I mean, that Hanzo guy had to endure some serious training. I'm guessing the same goes for you, huh?"
Squirming in her chair, Sakura adjusted the towel tucked around her neck, stealing glances at Leorio, who held a sharp pair of scissors in his hands. When they had left Gon to talk to Satotz, Leorio had casually pointed out that her hair looked terrible, as if she had lost a fight to a pair of safety scissors. Leorio had then rummaged through the waiting room and found a pair of scissors to cut her hair.
"Oh, will you just relax!? There's no way I can make it look any worse than it is right now," Leorio reassured her, attempting to make small talk to distract her.
Sakura swallowed, feeling the comb brush through her hair, and listened as Leorio commented on how uneven it already was. Without a mirror in front of her, she couldn't see what he was doing.
Meanwhile, Kurapika sat at the table with them, holding back laughter every time Sakura mouthed 'help' while Leorio prepared to cut her hair. The current state of her hair was already terrible, with uneven sections and a disheveled appearance.
"You don't cut your hair do you?" Sakura asked just as the scissors grew closer to her hair.
"What's wrong with my hair?!" Leorio retorted defensively.
Sakura leaned forward in the chair. "Nothing—nothing at all! It looks great on you, and I don't care how my hair turns out. I just don't think I can pull off the look you're going for."
Amusement flickered in Kurapika's eyes as he imagined Leorio with pink hair. He covered his mouth to stifle a snicker, while Sakura stared at Leorio in disbelief. "At least someone's enjoying this," she thought.
"Seriously, you can take on Hisoka in a fight, but you're scared to have your hair cut?" Leorio exclaimed.
"Well..." Sakura shrugged, stretching her bottom lip. "I don't want to upset you while you have a pair of scissors near my head. But yes, I'm kind of scared, especially considering the length you want to cut."
"Well, it's the only way you're not going to look like you have constant bedhead or lost a fight to a machete!" Leorio stated bluntly.
Sakura's short and choppy hair had resulted from her neglect to maintain it properly. She had only given it the basic attention required for hygiene, disregarding any effort to style or take better care of it.
When she was twelve, she had wanted to grow out her hair as long as possible to impress Sasuke, based on a rumor that he liked girls with long hair. The memory of her childish foolishness brought a wave of embarrassment to Sakura each time she thought about it. Later, she enjoyed having shoulder-length hair as it reminded her of the first time she felt like a true ninja. It symbolized the moment when she had found her courage and strength, fighting against an enemy to protect her friends. Those were the experiences that mattered to her, not the length of her hair.
Leorio's remark about Hisoka's attack brought Sakura back to the present. It reminded her of everything she had gone through in this new world, the friends and allies she had made and the enemies she had faced. She had stood up to Hisoka and protected her friends, feeling a surge of excitement in a battle that she hadn't experienced before. It was a newfound eagerness and strength that she held onto dearly.
Sakura reached behind her, running her fingers along the back of her neck, trailing them down to her throat, a small smile forming on her lips. She had faced death and come out stronger, and that gave her the confidence to face any challenge, even a haircut.
"Alright, Leorio, go ahead," she finally said.
Leorio let out a relieved sigh, running his fingers along Sakura's hair to gather the tresses together. "Here we go."
Sakura didn't flinch as she heard the first snip of the scissors.
Kurapika observed Sakura silently as she endured her haircut. He had been in awe of her display of power during her match with Hisoka, but amidst all the events that followed, he hadn't had the chance to address it with her. He wanted to know what kind of training she had undergone to become so powerful. Despite Hisoka's greater combat experience, Sakura had held her ground, and Kurapika desired that same strength. He believed it would be crucial in facing the Phantom Troupe.
Lost in his thoughts, Kurapika failed to keep track of time as Leorio put down the scissors and removed the towel from Sakura's neck.
"Alright, you're all good, Sakura," Leorio declared.
Sakura huffed, feeling the tips of her hair tickling her forehead. "I told you bangs don't suit me."
"Well, these do. Now, stand up," Leorio instructed.
Sakura grumbled softly but followed his command, shaking off the pink strands that had fallen onto her clothes. She couldn't help but admit that Leorio had cut off more hair than she had anticipated.
"Oi, Kurapika," Leorio called out to the blonde, realizing his friend's distraction.
"Huh? What is it?" Kurapika asked, his thoughts still lingering elsewhere.
Rolling his eyes, Leorio pointed his thumb toward Sakura. Kurapika's gaze followed Leorio's gesture and landed on the bashful pink-haired girl standing in front of them, her hands folded in front of her, squirming.
"What do you think?" Leorio asked a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Kurapika felt a blush creep onto his cheeks as he admired Sakura's new haircut.
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Satotz knew of Ging. That's what he wanted to talk about with Gon when he asked for some of his time. They sat on the bench under the shade, where Satotz told Gon about his specific work as a hunter, which was the finding and restoration of ancient ruins. In the beginning, all he had focused on was the glory of the discovery but after watching a particular hunter at work, he felt ashamed. Seeing the Hunter discover new ruins, spends his own money to restore and preserve them. Satotz was impressed by his dedication and ability to lead rather than the beauty of the ruins. That was Ging. While Satotz had wanted to learn more about Ging, it turned out that the man was indeed not only elusive to his son. But to most of the world.
Satotz seemed like he wanted to say something just before he parted ways with Gon but withdrew himself just as quickly
Gon searched the quiet lobby for his friends, but couldn't see them anywhere. He had assumed they would be by the computers, not no one was present. A minute later he heard them calling, as they came down the other hallway into the lobby. Gon smiled widely, running up to them. He looked at Sakura.
"Ne, Sakura what happened to your hair?"
"Leorio cut it,"
The twelve-year-old smiled widely, "It looks really good on you!"
With a light pink forming on her cheeks, Sakura grinned back bashfully. "Thanks,"
Albeit she had been a bit anxious about letting Leorio cut her hair, the results were satisfactory. What it lacked in length was made up for in style; while it was a bit boyish ending right above her neck, it was charmingly fitting. Though she didn't want to admit that to Leorio who was already taking pride in his task that was supposedly, 'near impossible'.
"Okay, let's look up Kukuroo Mountain," Kurapika slid into the chair in front of one of the computers. Gon, Sakura, and Leorio stood right behind him as he searched the internet for Kukuroo Mountain. Almost instantaneously getting results. A few images of the mountain with a long list of information appeared, including the location. It was in the Dentora region of the Republic of Pakodea.
"Where is this exactly?" asked Leorio,
"Hang on, I'll bring up a map," Kurapika said, typing quickly. Sakura watched a little too fascinated; wanting to know how to use a computer here as quickly as possible since she could use it to look up any information-especially now that she had her Hunter's license.
However when they looked at the map, it was clear they weren't going to be able to walk there, in fact, the republic was located on another continent. Kurapika said it should be fine to enter since it allowed regular tourists.
"That's where we'll find Killua?" asked Gon.
Kurapika raised an eyebrow, holding his chin in thought. "It'll take about three days to reach by airship,"
"Three days?" Sakura gaped. That place was further than she thought and Killua already had a couple hours head start on them, so he'd already be back at home by the time they got to Pakodea.
"That's right. When do you leave?"
Gon immediately chided, frightening Kurapika, "Today, right now!"
Leorio nodded, "Yeah, no objections from me,"
"That goes triple for me!" Sakura stated determinedly.
"Alright then!" Kurapika said, hyped. "Let's go,"
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Kurapika had ordered the tickets for them online and then after they left the hotel and called a taxi that would take them to an airport. Sakura tried her best not to look at the vehicle as if she hadn't ever seen one before in her life (which she hadn't); transportation in her world was limited to caravans and such. Though she quickly found that this mode of transportation wasn't as reliable as she thought, especially when there were so many on the roads at one time. The cars were lined up as far as the eye could see, the sun had already started to set and it wouldn't be long before their flight was scheduled to leave.
Sakura shifted a little, being seated between Leorio and Gon. "Are we even moving?"
"We haven't been moving for over an hour," Leorio stated.
"This won't do," Kurapika said over the back seat, "We'll miss out flight."
Gon held his face in thought while Leorio tried asking the driver if they could move any faster, of course, that was clearly impossible. That's when it clicked.
"In that case…..we'll just run!"
Sakura snickered, feeling the wind against her skin as she ran along the side of the road where you could see the ocean immediately to your left; ignoring the expressions of the onlookers in their vehicles Gon, Leorio, Kurapika and Sakura continued to make their way past them.
"Gon, do you realize how far the airport is?" Leorio called,
Gon turned around, with a bright smile on his face, "I want to rescue Killua as soon as possible,"
That statement was enough to put an extra jolt in Sakura's steps as she caught up with Gon, "That's right. And besides, doesn't this kinda remind you of the Hunter Exam?"
Kurapika smiled at the memory that had been a great hurdle they had overcome. "You're right."
"This is nothing compared to the Hunter exam!"
What was a simple trip to the airport had suddenly become a race. The moment putting smiles on the friend's faces, yet they weren't able to forget the real reason they were running.
'Don't worry Killua, we're coming!'