𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞│ʰˣʰ

thirteen ; heaven's arena

thirteen; heaven's arena

"WELL THERE'S ONLY FOUR OF US NOW," GON started, looking around at the group. "What are we going to do now?"

Y/n and Killua exchanged a glance. "Well, dear Gon, you won't even be able to get near the clown in your current state," Y/n said, her voice light as she kicked into the sand, purposely toward Killua's shoes.

Killua rubbed his temples, clearly annoyed at Y/n's antics, (not because he was hiding his smile,) "Alright, let me break it down for you," he said, drawing with a stick across the sand. "This is Hisoka," he said, sketching a rough figure. "And this is Hanzo." He traced another, though Y/n immediately tapped the star on Hisoka's cheek, adding detail with her nails. "Cute sketch." She giggled.

"Wait, who's Hanzo?" Y/n interrupted, before gasping dramatically, clearly offended by Killua's disregard for her when he ignored her to continue drawing.

Killua smirked, running a hand through his puffy white hair. "The difference between you and Hisoka..." He walked a long distance before pausing and turning to Gon. "The gap is at least this wide."

Scaramouche, watching from the sidelines, scoffed. "You're being too nice to him. The old man isn't even close to Hisoka's level."

Y/n immediately agreed, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "Correct!" she screamed, drawing stares from a few people nearby. Scaramouche glared at them, making them quickly look away.

Gon crossed his arms, looking confused. "Are you guys trying to get me mad or something?"

Y/n grabbed his shoulder, shaking her head. "Oh, Gon, realistically speaking, you wouldn't even last a second against him. But don't worry, darling, I'll be here to-"

"Do you guys have any money?" Killua interrupted, his tone blunt. (He'd prefer Y/n to speak more toward him, thank you very much.)

Y/n gasped. "What a personal question!" she exclaimed, while Scaramouche answered for her, "No money at all."

At the same time, Gon answered, "I don't have much left." He emptied his pockets for proof.

"Well, we're all broke here," Killua said cheerfully. "But I know a place where we can get some practice and money. It's called the Tower of the Celestial Tournament-also known as the Heaven's Arena."

"So, there are 251 floors?" the maiden asked, her voice dripping with excitement. "What if I pushed you off the top? Do you think you'd survive?"

Scaramouche stared at the massive tower, his expression thoughtful. "I should be able to," he said after a moment of silence.

Gon and Killua exchanged nervous glances, unsure if she was joking or not. Usually Y/n was, but it was hard to tell if she wasn't.

Y/n grinned mischievously. "You guys probably won't survive," she added, turning to them. "But don't worry, we can always try again when you get stronger." ('Is that an invitation to see her again later?' Gon thought)

Killua, irked, smacked the back of Y/n's head. "I'm stronger than him," he muttered, though even he wasn't entirely sure of that himself. Whatever.

"Wow, look at that queue!" Gon exclaimed, pointing at the long line of fighters waiting to enter the tournament. "The higher you go, the stronger the fighters are. It's like heaven for barbarians," Killua explained.

Scaramouche glanced at him knowingly. "You've been here before, haven't you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Killua shrugged, nonchalant. "Yeah, my dad left me here when I was younger, six years old."

Y/n cut in with her yell. "Scara! How many years of fighting experience do I have?" She was filling out the form for registration, and it seemed like she was having trouble filling in the first question.

Scaramouche gave her a deadpan look. "Too many to count."

"Thanks, Scara," Y/n said happily, grinning at him.

Killua grumbled under his breath, clearly irked at her lack of attention toward him."Dumbass," he muttered, though Y/n heard him perfectly.

"Excuse me?" Y/n snapped, her voice laced with mock indignation.

Scaramouche just helped her fill out the registration form, fully aware she would put "100" for every category, which would confuse everyone.

Once inside, the group was met with a series of arenas, each featuring a different battle. "Gon's number's up," Y/n pointed out, lifting a finger toward the screen that displayed the fight list. "Good luck, darling!" she cheered, sending him an exaggerated wave, who waved back.

Killua leaned in toward Gon, his grin devious. "Hey, Gon. You opened the door, didn't you?"

Gon's eyes widened in realization. "Ohhh, good idea!"

"What? What did you say to him?" Y/n asked, feeling a little left out.

Killua smirked, "You wouldn't understand why the strategy works even if I told you."

Y/n huffed. "I'll have you know, I'm very strategic."

The referee's voice rang out, "Candidates in the ring, please!" Gon's opponent, a towering man, was twice-no, maybe six times-his size.

"Oh, a kid!" someone from the crowd remarked.

Y/n rolled her eyes. "What are they going to do? Prey on him?"

Killua chuckled darkly. "I heard there's some guy named PD around here. No kid's safe near him."

The referee cleared his throat. "We're on the first floor, where we evaluate candidates. You'll have three minutes to show us what you can do."

Y/n's eyes lit up as Gon, with his agility and quick thinking, managed to push the large man off the square. "Yes, Gon!" she cheered, wrapping her arms around both Killua and Scaramouche in excitement. The two of them struggled to get away from her unexpected hug.

Next, it was Killua's turn. He made quick work of his opponent, impressing the officials. "I see you've already reached the 200th floor," one of them said. "What you did just now was extraordinary. Go up to the 180th floor."

"The 50th floor is fine for now," Killua responded, glancing at Gon. "Gon's going to the 50th floor."

A voice from the crowd cackled, "Another monster kid has arrived!"

Killua turned to see a young boy with thick eyebrows, wearing a uniform, heading toward the same floor.

Y/n turned to Scaramouche with a smug look. "How far do you think I'll go?" she asked teasingly.

Scaramouche smirked. "The 251st floor."

Y/n's magenta eyes sparkled. "If killing's allowed," she added with a smile. "But I do want to collect some eyes. Like that one," she said, her gaze locking onto Scaramouche's indigo eyes, a playful gleam in them.