Chapter Text
The third phase is finally about to start, the airship leaves us on the top of what Beans called the « Trick Tower ». We must reach its base within the time limit of 72 hours to clear this phase. That sure is a lot of time... I walk to the edge of the Tower to see just how high it is, it's impossible to go down unless you're some professional climber. I doubt that's what they want us to do so I go back to the center to think about it, just then I hear a scream and turn around. I just have the time to see a man flying around, tightly trapped between the claws of some kind of huge bird before the ground opens under my feet. A hidden hatch? I wonder as I look at the ceiling from which I just came through. I'm in a dark room barely lit by candles but a screen turns on almost at the same time as I notice it.
« The two of you must get to know each other better or time will run out. Secrets and lies will be punished, honesty will be rewarded. » The panel explains, on the small table in front of it are two stopwatches with a Yes and No button. I guess I need to wait for someone else to get here before I can get started. Still I wonder what this 'getting to know each other' thing is all about. I decide to sit in a corner of the room where it's unlikely someone will fall on me if they find the remaining hidden door. It takes ten more minutes before I hear the noise of stone rustling against stone again. Someone falls and lands on their feet in a feline way I immediately recognize : Hisoka. He straightens his back and take his usual graceful stance, his eyes first land on the screen but he doesn't read and immediately turns his head my way, of course he noticed me straight away. This guy is really sharp...
« What a coincidence... » He says, I shrug as I get on my feet.
« I don't believe in coincidences. » I tell him and he hums.
« Do you mean to say this is destiny ? » He asks playfully.
I smirk, « I mean to say you followed me. » I answer him and he chuckles.
« Me ? Never~ » He says as he takes the stopwatch and read the panel. « Get to know each other, huh ? » He repeats out loud in a voice that shows a bit of interest. He puts the stopwatch around his wrist and as soon as he does a hidden door opens only to reveal another door on which a screen is displaying our first question.
Have you ever... Oh boy, this is gonna be fun!
Meanwhile Gon, Killua, Leorio and Kurapika notice the number of examinees has been reduced by half and they eventually find four hidden doors that leads them all in the same room. However, they need to be five for the road to open so they patiently wait for someone to find the remaining door. After a certain amount of time someone finally falls in the room and its none other than Tonpa, who somehow got his hands on some antidiarrheal during the race and did his best to stay as far from Himiko as possible ever since. So much that she herself failed to notice he was even there during the cooking phase... (You all know what happens next with the 'majority rule' and all.)
Hisoka and I are walking through dark corridors dimly lit by candles, everything about the atmosphere seems to have been made in an attempt to make us feel ill at ease and paranoid. I don't mind I like dark places but I don't let my guard down in the presence of that magician. We reach the end of the long corridor where another question awaits us, so far they have been quite boring but something irks me : how do they now if we tell the truth or not?
Have you ever killed someone?
Yes, I have. I don't really wonder what Hisoka's answer will be, it's pretty obvious already he has. The questions started nice and easy but the farther we go the more personal and weird it gets. I can tell whoever wrote those questions intended to make us grow wary of each other. Like 'Oh my god I'm alone with a killer!' or ' I can't believe he did that' and stuff like that. It could have worked on different people but I think we're both too deranged to find any of these answers scary or shocking, haha... As I expected Hisoka answered yes and didn't really react when he saw I answered yes as well. The screen shows the text it always does when we answer truthfully: Honesty is rewarded. The door then makes an approval sound and opens before us.
We start walking once more, the field gets a bit more dangerous with some traps and holes here and there which we easily avoid and pass through. I catch Hisoka looking at me a few times though he doesn't really try to be discreet nor does he look away when I notice him. I can tell he is curious about me but he doesn't ask anything nor does he speak at all not even to comment on my answers. It's not an uncomfortable silence but I admit I was expecting this to be more interesting, like some action or something and the fact we have no conversation makes it kinda more boring.
Have you ever taken pleasure in killing someone?
« Oh come on, who's in charge to write these things? » I complain to no one in particular. I give Hisoka a sideglance and he smirks creepily, yeah he's definetly the kind of guy to have a blast killing someone. Well then, I won't lie... It was really satisfying to kill some of these assassins hunting me down. Yes I have.
Honesty is rewarded
The door opens after displaying our answers and this time Hisoka looks my way. He chuckles as we resume walking. The place is a real labyrinth but the voices help me and I end up taking the lead of our little duo. To my surprise Hisoka follows my lead and doesn't question how I even know the right path, though he does stare at me with squinted eyes. We enter a pitch black room but as soon as the door closes behind us, a row of candles lit up in green flames all the way up the stairs on our left.
« I've been waiting for you, Hisoka. » A guy who is sitting cross-legged against the opposite wall speaks. « I'm not here as an examiner this time... I'm here for revenge. » He says with a wide smile. He isn't an examiner this time? Could it be the examiner Tonpa talked about, the one Hisoka nearly killed before getting disqualified? The man stands up and takes a knife out before telling Hisoka he has been obsessed with killing him since what happened last year and that he trained hard for this opportunity. He doesn't even glances my way...
Why am I always being ignored in Hisoka's presence? Uh, well this fight doesn't really concern me.
« Today I'll get payback for those scars! » He says with confidence mixed with anger.
« Those scars merely show your incompetence as an examiner. Don't blame me for your inadequacies. » Hisoka says, twisting the knife in the wound.
«Prepare to die ! » The former examiner yells as he takes a second knife out and starts making them twirl. However he doesn't stop there and throws his two blades in the air before taking out two more knives. « Infinite quad wielding. » He says. Hah, did he actually name it? Was that supposed to be impressive? I sigh and walk away in a corner of the room to leave the two of them enough space to fight. At last I get to see some action! The guy throws two knives in Hisoka's direction, he dodges them with a graceful spinning jump. The blade wielder immediately goes in to attack him with his remaining two knives and Hisoka jumps back to avoid the blow. However the two blades he previously sent his way are coming back like boomerangs and he fails to dodge them in time, one cuts his side and the other his shoulder. The wounds are superficial and given Hisoka's unimpressed face I doubt he is in any trouble. He is assessing, observing and... learning like a predator. Hisoka keeps dodging the never ending flying knives that come his way from all sides, totally composed, while the man laughs maniacally.
« Dodging my infinite attack waves is impossible ! » He shouts at Hisoka with pride.
« Looks easy to me... » I say out loud while I'm holding my head in my hand, bored, this fight is not as interesting as I hoped. This guy doesn't even realize he has already lost. He seems to finally notice my presence or at least he acknowledges it for the first time and turns to me with a slightly mad expression.
« I have no grievance with you but you better watch your mouth. » He says as he grabs the flying knives and throws them again in Hisoka's direction without looking.
« You're so stupid. If you really want to take revenge on someone you have to do better than that... Revenge has to be carefully planned.» I explain him, one year is not enough if you really want to surpass someone. It should be common sense... besides the longer you wait the sweeter the taste.
« Don't say I didn't warn you! » He yells angrily and throws one of his knives my way. I don't have to dodge, I've been playing with knives since I'm ten years old I can handle one knife. I catch the rotating blade in my hand without bothering to stand up. The look of shock on the man's face is priceless, more worth it that the whole fight I've witnessed to be honest. He gasps and mutters inintelligible things.
« Man, I can't believe it took you half a year to master catching these blades... How bad can you be ? » I say making fun of him.
« H-how do you... ? » He stutters wondering how I know about his training. The voices told me of course and I fully intended to disturb him with that bit of information.
I smirk and point behind him, « You should watch your back, you know. » I tell him reminding him that he is in the middle of a fight. He turns back around only to see that Hisoka has also caught the blades in his hands, he is making them spin the same way the man was doing earlier as if he had done it all his life.
« Oh, it's easier than I anticipated. » He says making fun of his ability too. If this guy doesn't die here, his ego sure will. « I appreciate your futile efforts. » Hisoka says with a twisted smile. Defeated, the man yells one last time out of anger and frustration before Hisoka beheads him. The distant sound of a door opening can be heard, we cleared this stage but neither of us move. The atmosphere is heavy, I can tell this battle got Hisoka a bit excited since I can feel his bloodlust has yet to disappear. But it's only when he looks my way I realize just how dangerous he is right now and it's not because of his fight with the man. He looks at the blade in my hand with a huge smile on his face and I grip it tighter. I take a fighting stance out of reflex, ready to defend myself if need be. The fact that I managed to grab the blade is a dead give away of my true abilities with knives and it's clear Hisoka likes this bit of information. I steel myself and get ready for a fight, it's him or me. However the tension suddenly drops when Hisoka takes his head in his hand and starts chuckling uncontrallably with his shoulders shaking. I relax my body and wait for him to explain himself while I look at him, confused. He finally exhales in a way that reminds me of someone moaning before fixing his gaze on me, his hand still hiding most of his face as if it helped him keeping his cool.
« You are full of surprises~. Did someone teach you, or did you learn by yourself? » He asks genuinely curious. I know he isn't asking me if I was taught to grab a rotating flying knife but rather who taught me how to fight with knives.
« By myself. » I answer him. A dagger, it was the only weapon I have ever had with me, the easiest to replace, the cheapest, the easiest to hide, the lightest... The best option for a homeless little girl. No one taught me, I had to learn in order to survive. In the end it's all the people I've fought and survived against who taught me things. He hums as if satisfied with my answer and simply turns his back before starting to walk to the next room. I follow behind him but at a safe distance, at least until I feel like he has completely calmed down. Hisoka doesn't glance behind him, nor does he engage in any conversation, it's as if he tries to forget about my existence and right now I don't mind. I would enjoy fighting against him, I know that. What I also know is that it would likely be my last battle and I do enjoy life as well. I wonder if there's anyway we could fight one day without having to kill each other? We arrive at yet another door and I read the question in my mind.
Have you ever wanted to kill the person next to you?
Hah, for once Hisoka's answer is obvious. As for me, while I did think about killing him if need be, I've never actually wanted to do it. So I guess saying no in this case is not a lie. I look at Hisoka's face but he is unreadable. I answer no without hesitation but Hisoka takes his time. He looks deep in thought and I really wonder what takes him so long... He finally pushes one of the buttons, however, the screen bips and becomes red indicating that one of us has not been honest. Both our answers display on the screen : Hisoka's answer which is a No written in red and mine which is a No in green.
« What the... » I wonder out loud while Hisoka frowns slightly. « Why the hell did you have to lie ? » I berate him and he looks at me seriously.
« I wanted to see what happens if we lie and also if it could tell the difference. » He explains pointing at his watch.
« Dammit we were almost there! » I say frustrated. What's in store for us now?
« Hm, I wonder how they know... » He mumbles to himself. The floor starts shaking... The screen shows a new text : Liars are punished.
« Your watches are equipped with a lie detector. » A man's voice explains through the room's speakers.
Hisoka hums, « I see ~ »
I roll my eyes, « Happy now? I think it's pretty obvious to anyone who has eyes that you wanted to kill me earlier! » I exclaim angrily. If he wants to lie to test things why not, it's fine, but why doing it on the most obvious answer?! And so close to our goal! Hisoka can't help but chuckle which annoys me even more.
« If I were you, I'd move from here... and quickly! » The man advices us through the speakers cutting off our argument. I can hear something coming our way at high speed. Uh-oh...
Turn left ! A voice tells me and without thinking I grab Hisoka's shirt and start running to the left before whatever is coming our way reaches us. Hisoka looks slightly surprised but follows me anyway, we keep running through corridors turning left or right depending on what the voices tell me. This time the path is ridden with much deadlier traps than the previous ones. The floor suddenly collapses under me, revealing sharp spikes ready to impale us should we fall. Long blades come out of the walls and rotate nearly cutting our legs when suddenly the path ahead crumbles, leaving behind nothing but an unstable platform. If we want to cross we need to both walk at the same speed on each side of the platform to keep it from tilting to one side, which would cause one of us to fall and die. I risk a look behind to see what is coming our way and it happens to be a huge ball rolling and crushing everything on its way to us. We manage to get across rather easily, teamwork seems to come to us naturally which really surprises me since neither of us are teamplayers. We go all the way down a slopping corridor, however we reach a dead end. I look at the wall with a blank face, wait what?
Did I miss something? The voices couldn't have been wrong... right?
Trust us. Martha's reassuring voice echoes in my head and I decide to listen, it's not like I have much of a choice now but either way the voices have never lied to me. I trust them. Hisoka -who had been staring at me with a smile during the whole race- is now looking at the wall with a frown. He can't destroy it, it's too thick for bare hands. Even with tools it would take hours... The ball would be powerful enough to break it but it would crush us before hitting it, we can't avoid it since the ball is exactly the size of the corridor. There's no space for us to dodge it.
Fine, let's do this! I walk in front of him and with both my hands I push him against the wall, « Trust me. » I say as I look into his eyes. I go next to him and put my back against the wall as well, trying my best to flatten my body against the wall as we wait for the ball to finally reach us and hopefully not kill us. Hisoka looks puzzled but pleased at the same time as if he enjoyed me taking the lead. How can he smile in such a situation? His life is on the line and in my hands yet he... enjoys it? The ball arrives towards us at full speed and I brace myself for impact as I hold my breath. However the ground starts crumbling down under the ball's weight, it manages to roll all the way down stopping only inches from my nose before the ground finally gives in under our feet and we start falling. I can't hold back a scream of surprise as we fall with the ball. Unfortunately it reaches the ground before us and breaks through the floor. We'll die if it keeps breaking through floor after floor like this! It was without thinking Hisoka could actually do something about it. Before we could reach the hole and go down even further, he grabs me by the waist and somehow pulls us out the way. He was so quick to do it I failed to see exactly how or what he did. I saw him do some movement with his arm and then I felt like we were pulled by some cable... that can't be right, it's obvious he has none. Is this one of the magician's tricks?
We land on a safe, solid ground and I burst out laughing. « Hahahaha, that was amazing! It was the funniest thing since the beginning of this exam, hands down! » I exclaim and Hisoka chuckles at my good mood.
« Applicant n°44 Hisoka and n°1 Himiko are the first ones to pass the third phase. » A robotic voice says through speakers much to our surprise.
« Yes! I knew it, you guys are the best!! » I exclaim out loud, thanking the voices and making a little victory dance under Hisoka's confused gaze. He must think I have offically gone nuts.
« Total time: five hours and seventeen minutes. » The bot specifies. Looks like we took one hell of a shortcut! I look around the room and notice it's an oval with rounds of closed doors surrounding us, it's likely through one of those doors we were supposed to arrive. Apparently it's not a requirement since we passed anyway, they probably never expected something like this to happen. The voices new the ground wasn't solid enough in that area to hold the ball's weight and it was right above the goal room! That explains why they led me there instead of making us run all the way. I look behind us to see the damage the ball caused, it made a hole in the shape of an almost perfect circle. I take a look in the hole to see that the ball has stopped it's descent on the level just below ours. I guess that fall wouldn't have killed us but definetly could have injured us.
Aaaand now it's just the two of us, for god knows how long. I glance at Hisoka who is taking in our new surroundings, I can see his wounds better here with the light and I decide to take a closer look. As soon as I step next to him he turns his head my way curiously while I look at the wound he has on his side.
« Does it hurt? » I ask him, not really concerned but curious.
Hisoka raises an eyebrow, « Do you want to kiss it better? » He asks playfully.
I laugh at his joke, « No, but I can cut it deeper if you want.» I offer him with a mischievous smile and he chuckles. Just like that the conversation is over, Hisoka is much like a cat it's when he wants and how he wants. I don't mind though, I'm independant and used to be alone. Hisoka sits some place he found to his liking I guess and I decide to sit as well and get comfortable, we'll be here for a while after all. I take my tarot cards out and start doing random readings just for fun, after a few hours I'm so bored I start doing games such as trying to guess which card I'm going to pull out next before I see it and stuff like that. Finally something happens, I can hear distant noises and one of the door opens to reveal Guitaraku.
« Applicant n°301 Guitaraku is the third to pass the third phase. » The bot announces as the man steps in the room, his gaze goes to me and then to Hisoka, he decides to go sit next to the Magician much to my surprise. Do they know each other? I don't see any other reason why someone would so casually walk up to Hisoka.
« Total time : twelve hours and two minutes. » The robotic voice goes on.
« I figured you had already arrived. » Guitaraku says to the magician with a trembling jaw that reminds me of a marionette for some reason.
Hisoka grins from where he sits, « Some lady's luck... » He says as he sneaks a glance at me and I flash him a smile, proud of my previous perfomance.
“Oh? How interesting...” Guitaraku whispers, he sounds slightly surprised. I can't tell if it's because he didn't expect me to be of any help or if it's because I spent hours with Hisoka and didn't get myself killed. In any case, Guitaraku sits not too far from Hisoka but at a correct distance as to leave him some space and silence settles in the room once more. Twenty-five hours.... Twenty-seven... Twenty-nine....
“AAARGH, I can't take it anymore!” I exclaim as I raise to my feet, it's so boooring. I gather my cards and sets them back in my pouch hanging from my pant's belt.
Hisoka looks at me with an amused face, “Bored already?” He asks “You really are impatient...” He berates me though it kinda sounds like he likes it more than anything else.
“I liked it better when we had to run for our lives... This is just boring.” I say as I pout like a child.
Hisoka chuckles, “Care for a game of cards then?” He offers and a smile spreads on my face. Now that's an activity I like!