Shuffle The Deck

Chapter 13 - Two Zoldycks

"Round two! Kurapika versus Hisoka. Begin!"

They stared at each other for a little while, and Hisoka made the first move. They dodged and threw punches, avoiding each one perfectly. The smile on Hisoka's face never left as he went head-to-head with Kurapika. They threw left hooks, high punches, and even roundhouse kicks. Kurapika narrowly missed a fatal injury to the shin and recovered quite well. Lilah watched in anticipation.

After another five minutes of combat, Kurapika was grazed on the chin by his long fingernails. In a split second, he appeared by his ear, and whispered something into it, too quiet for anyone to hear. Kurapika's eyes widened as his face went white, and he closed his eyes with a frown on his lips. But instead of Kurapika admitting defeat, the opposite happened.

Hisoka stepped away from his ear and raised his hand. "I lose this one," he cooly said, a smirk on his lips.

Lilah was incredibly confused, but still congratulated Kurapika on his win. He was silent and didn't acknowledge her or anyone for more than five minutes.

"Ms. Delilah. Excuse me, Ms. Delilah?"

She picked her head up quickly and met eye contact with the referee. "Oh,  apologies. I spaced out," she nervously began. Instead of moving, she stayed in her spot, still struggling to understand what was supposed to happen.

"Are you going to fight me or not?" Hanzo's voice said, clearly very irritated.

She shivered and nodded quickly, speed-walking to her position. He stared at her menacingly, his face twisted into a frown. The referee raised his hand and brought it down in a flash.

"Round three! Delilah versus Hanzo!"

Lilah stared at him curiously, not positioning herself in any fighting stance. "You may begin."

Hanzo charged at her, and she dodged narrowly. As he chopped her in the back, she slid across the floor on her feet and quickly turned around. "You're strong," she blankly said, brushing off his chop from her back. He stared at her, confused, and zipped back near her body. He prepared to land a punch to her side but didn't move a single bit.

"Don't move," she drew out cooly.

She had an ice spear pinned to the back of his neck, ready to gouge into his flesh. He smirked and managed to get away from it like it was nothing. In an instant, he caught her in a headlock. She struggled for breath but didn't resist. He kept her there silently until she raised her hand limply.

"This round is yours," she hoarsely called out and was released from his grasp.

Hanzo sighed in relief and shot her a small smile. "That's quite some power."

"Thanks," she said, adjusting her neck. She walked back to Kurapika and Leorio with a deep breath

"Nice try, I really thought you had him," Leorio said, a bit disappointed.

"She did. Couldn't you tell Lilah let him win?" Killua blankly stated, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Kurapika nodded, agreeing with Killua.

Leorio was frozen, and nervously scratched the back of his neck. Lilah chuckled and placed a hand on Killua's hair. "Glad you noticed. I really can't wait to fight you," she said with a heartwarming smile.

"You'll finally see how much I've improved!" He shot her a grin.

Lilah admired his enthusiasm and stared at the next two competitors.

Hisoka and the old man from before were up. Hisoka showed not a single emotion and just had a plain look on his face. However, the old man looked as though the round before him was life or death, preparing his fists.