The Otonari's Last (Hunter X Hunter Fanfic) [Indefinite Hiatus]

XIV - the Audition

The door suddenly bursts open, revealing six hooded figures wielding swords. I nod at Kurapika and he nods back. In one fluid motion, I swing my bag off one shoulder, unzip it, pull out my dance ribbon, and drop the bag on the floor. I concentrate, allowing my aura to flow into the ribbon. Kurapika releases the chain attached to his ring finger as I move to stand with my back to his. Three more figures appear in the doorway, these ones with guns. They begin to fire, and Kurapika swings his chain in a circle before us, catching each and every bullet fired in our direction.

When Kurapika's chain stops moving, I jump out from behind him and whip the Nen-strengthened ribbon toward our assailants. It slices through the swords of the enemies closest to us. I notice that the figures don't drop the blades, even though they no longer have any use.

Kurapika gestures up to the small second level and I nod, letting him know I understand what he's implying. I lash out with my ribbon again when one of the attackers with a gun gets closer to me, conveniently cutting the weapon in half. Planting my left hand on the floor and swinging my legs toward the figure, I land a strong kick directly to their side.

My eyes widen in realization and I circle my legs back around to the floor.

They're made of Nen... Who is controlling them? They have to be close by because of the number and size of the figures... I glance up at Kurapika as he jumps off of the chandelier above us. Did he figure it out? Kurapika lands behind the man with swirly sideburns, holding a switchblade to his throat.

"Stop them," Kurapika orders. "I'll give you three seconds. One... Two..."

"Okay," the man chokes. "I get it." The Nen figures drop to the floor. I relax the hand clutching my dance ribbon.

"What's going on?" the woman with pink hair questions.

"Then they really were made from Nen," the larger-statured man with brown hair notes. "I could tell when I landed a punch that I was hitting aura shaped like a human... However, I didn't realize it was his Nen."

"How did you know?" the culprit asks Kurapika.

"You were always careful to stand next to others for camouflage, but when I observed from above, everything was clear. You were the only person not under attack," Kurapika explains. "I realized something was wrong when assailants appeared on the second floor. After I jumped on the chandelier, they just stood there, swords swinging in a futile attempt to reach me. I assume they received the following order -"

"'Attack the nearest enemy,'" I interrupt, snapping my fingers after putting two-and-two together. "They were given simple instructions to follow, so their attacks were also simple. On the other hand, it would take a skilled Nen user to control -" I glance up at the balcony were Kurapika was to see two piles of black clothing, " - eleven human-sized auras at the same time. They would most likely be a Manipulator because of the requirements. Given the size of the auras, the Manipulator had to be within a few meters - which means that the Nen user had to be one of the people within this room."

"You both nailed it," Swirly-Burns admits. "My name is Shachmono Tocino. I'm actually a Hunter. I work for the boss here, so I will have seniority over you. Now that everything's clear, could you drop the knife?" Kurapika lowers the blade from his throat and takes a step back. Shachmono plops down into a chair, eyeing Kurapika and I. "Judging by those chains and that ribbon, you must be Manipulators... Well, I hope you won't hold a grudge. I was just following orders from the boss. 'Test them by trying to kill them.' I never expected for you to pick up on me so fast. Well, the five of you together should be able to escape this mansion."

"Five?" the short woman next to me repeats.

"Is there another plant in the room?" the large man questions.