ANIMOSITY | hxh

fourteen

After Gon was promptly knocked out, they removed him from the area to have him treated as soon as possible. That was when everything went downhill.

After the match, Hanzo wanted to make sure that Gon could truly not deny his license. Once the chairman confirmed Hanzo attempted to make his way to the side of the arena, but was stopped with a sudden question. "Why did you let him pass?" Killua asked, steeping forward with furrowed. Tsuno blinked at his hard expression, surprised by his confrontational demeanor. Hanzo turned to him, quirking a brow. "Let him win?" He echoed, Killua only narrowed his eyes. "Surely you could've found a way to make Gon surrender without killing him. Given your skills." The ninja stared for a few moments, before turning to gully face Killua. "When I torture someone, I expect that person to hate me for the rest of their life. It helps to cope with my actions. Usually, when a person experiences pain, they look to the cause of that pain with rage and hostility. Not even the most extensive of training can hide that rage well enough for it to be completely undetected." He explained, before pointing to his own eyes with a thoughtful expression. "But Gon didn't share that look. Unbelievable, isn't it?" I had broken his arm and beat him senseless for a long period of time. But it was almost as if he had forgotten all of that. I suppose he won me over, does that satisfy you?" Killua had his mouth agape.

Hanzo didn't say anything more and continued on his way, but Killua didn't move an inch. He was confused, almost in wonder. He couldn't comprehend what that meant, or how it happened. It felt so knew and unfamiliar. The albino was dragged out of his thoughts by a soft tug to his sleeve. He looked out of the corner of his eye to see Tsuno. Her golden eyes shined with curiosity as she asked him, "What was all that about?" He didn't answer, simply tugging his sleeve out of her grasp and shoving his hands in his pockets. Tsuno frowned, growing a bit agitated with his distant behavior. "You're not gonna keep brushing me off." She hissed under her breath, leaning closer to him. Killua tilted his head up spitefully, "Or what?" She growled, making choking motions with her hands. "I swear—!"

She was interrupted by the call for the next match, causing Tsuno to huff and turn her head away dramatically. "The net match is Kurapika vs. Hisoka!" Masta called out. The two fighters walking into the arena. Kurapika cautiously kept his eyes on the clown, but out of the corner of his eye he saw and Tsuno and Leorio giving encouraging gestures. Tsuno grinned when his eyes fell to hers before slowly mouthing 'be careful'. Kurapika smiled at her before nodding subtly. The blonde focused his eyes back onto his opponent before Masta finally gave the call to "Begin!" He shouted, and almost immediately the two of them began their battle. It lasted a few moments but suddenly with a speed faster than when they begin, Hisoka sped right up to Kurapika and leaned down to whisper in his ear. No one heard what he said, not even Tsuno. But the suspicious part was how Hisoka ended up surrendering. Leorio attempted to ask Kurapika about what happened when he came back, but no response.

And suddenly it was time for the next match, it was Hanzo vs. Pokkle. Unlike Gon, Pokkle didn't have the determination to withstand a broken arm and receded easily. Hanzo completely won the match.The following match went just as easy. Hisoka vs. Bodoro. The elder gave all of his might to sustain of a chance of defeating Hisoka, but it was all for naught. The clown beat him to a pulp and once again whispered into his ear. Only this time, Bodoro was the one who admitted defeat. Next was Pokkle vs. Killua. Tsuno was confident that the archer didn't stand a chance, but even more when Killua gave up almost immediately. The excuse being, he simply thought it'd be too boring. Tsuno looked bewildered as Killua walked back to her side. "Are you joking? That was an easy win!" She crossed her arms. The assassin merely shrugged. "I didn't want an easy win." The golden-eyed girl gave Killua a teasing look. "You sound like Gon." And thus, more bickering began.