ANIMOSITY | hxh

nine

Leorio's match had gone down in the dirt. He'd lost for his own selfish reasons and forgotten that they were supposed to work as a team. He walked back pitifully, obviously ashamed. "Sorry guys. I was confident in my rock-paper scissors ability." Tsuno scoffed from beside Gon. Leorio glared down at her, "What? You got something to say?" Tsuno glared back, "You're an idiot." She stomped closer to him. "What kind of match was that?! You sacrificed 50 hours of our time and one of our wins so you could touch a woman! And then let yourself get completely played in that rock-paper-scissors match!" She yelled in his face, weighing him down with her stare. 

Leorio only clicked his tongue, having no energy to retaliate. He turned his back towards the group without saying a word. Tsuno huffed, before looking at Killua. He was their last hope if they wanted to pass this phase. "Hey," She called. His bright blue eyes shifted to face her. A small smile grew on her face. "Give 'em hell, yeah?" He stared at her for a bit before looking away. "Yeah." Tsuno nodded satisfied, but then the sound of stone crumbling caught everyone's attention. They looked forward to see the final prisoner's huge figure as he destroyed the wall with his bare hands. 

He ripped off his cloak, revealing a rugged face. With blonde hair and dreary, slanted blue eyes. Leorio straightened at the sight of him. "Killua. Don't fight him. We should just take the loss." Gon looked up at him curiously, "Do you know him Leorio?" 

Leorio nodded sternly. He explained, "That's Johness the Dissector. A serial killer. He's had 146 cases, all of which were random. Men and woman, children and elderly, every single one brutally murdered with his bare hands. His case is the most famous in Zaban's history." Leorio stood with clenched fists. Tsuno and Gon stared at Johness, the prisoner. They could that he was different from Kurapika's opponent. He was a genuine cold-blooded murderer. 

Killua stayed silent but walked straight for the arena. Leorio called to him in warning, but he didn't respond. Tsuno didn't say anything as she stared at his back. She should have confidence that he'll be okay, that he'll win. But she couldn't manage it. Two sides of her fought for control of her emotions. One side carried her pride and selfishness, determined to not let these unnecessary feelings distract her. The other carried her worry and concern. Her foot began to tap on the ground unconsciously. 

Why did she feel this way? How did he feel when she walked up to her match? Was he nervous, was he concerned? Did he think she could handle it too? Tsuno was snapped out of her daze by Gon's voice. "Oh right, you guys don't know. Killua's from a family of assassins!" He said with the same light tone, showing that this fact didn't faze him. Tsuno blinked, looking at Gon before shifting her eyes to Killua, who was standing confidently in front of Johness. 

Assassins? Was Killua really that strong? Tsuno eyes glimmered. She remembered what happened after her match. He helped her feel lighter. She remembered feeling warm. She felt the tension release from her body. Tsuno wants to do for him what Killua did for her. She didn't need friends, but now she owes a debt. And she's not the type to go back on her word. 

She lightly slapped her cheeks, now focused on the match in front of her. "Contest? You must be misunderstood. This will be a one-sided massacre. I have no interest in the Hunter Exam or reducing my sentence. I only wish to hear your screams of agony." Killua stared blankly at his grotesque monologue. 

"Okay. Whoever dies loses?" The young boy proposed. Johness seemed stunned for a moment, but then held up his large hands towards Killua's head. "That's right.  I'll tear you apart.. with my bare hands." He declared, but in the moment he blinked, Killua was already behind him.  Everyone present gave kids gasps of horror as they watched Killua hold the man's heart in a small cloth from Johness's rags.  The blonde man turned around slowly, watching as Killua teased him with it.  His eyes widened as he placed a hand against the hole in his chest. "I feel so cold.." He said shakily.  "Give it back—that's mine.." He slowly stumbled his way closer to Killua who didn't move an inch, a morbid smile on his lips.  It wasn't long before Johness stopped, his dead body falling to the floor just in front of Killua.