ꕥ

Loud and boisterous cheers echoed through the stadium, which was filled completely to the brim with people.

'We've got a thrilling match for you today, everyone! First up is Gon, who managed to zip straight to this floor in no time at all!'

Loud cheers echoed around the room as Gon's face was shown up on the large screen.

'His opponent will be Gido who currently holds a respectable record of four wins and one loss!',The woman exclaimed.

Sitting beside one another, Killua and Valentine stared down at the arena and while the blonde was shifting around in her seat, the silverette remained unbothered as he watched.

Starting to stretch from where he was, Gon hadn't taken his large, chocolate brown eyes off of the man and his eyes gleamed, determination filling his being.

'And.. begin!',The referee yelled out.

Just as the man had thrown his hand down, Gido immediately went into action and started throwing tops in Gon's direction.

Watching as they spun at an impossibly quick rate, Valentine rose her hand and bite the tips of her fingernails.

Seeing that he was in a defensive stance, golden eyes studied his stance and realized that while his arms were protecting the front of his body, nothing was protecting his back.

Watching as a top sprung up, leaping towards his back, Valentine quickly sat up and her eyes widened as the top hit him with a large amount of force.

'Gon gives off a hit! One point to Gido, he's sure not wasting any time! Gon's off to a rough start'

Standing to his feet, Gon turned around and clenched his teeth tightly together.

'I can use Nen to keep these tops attacking you for hours',Gido stated,'The attack pattern is so incredibly complex that no one knows what they'll do next. Not even me!'

Looking around at the tops, Gon tried to figure out a plan and let out a groan of confusion.

Watching as Gon jump away, Valentine noticed that the tops followed wherever he went and she harshly bit down on her lip.

Another top sprang up and hit Gon in the back, a cry of pain leaving his lips and Valentine's leg shook, her hand tightening on the chair which caused Killua to look at her.

Seeing the worry on her face, Killua went to reach forward, but change his mind at the last minute and put his hand in his lap, turning back towards the match.

'It looks like he's in big trouble now, because he's just been surrounded by the dancing tops!'

Turning each way, low pants left Gon's lips and he watched as they rushed towards him from each side, before one sprang up, hitting him in the face.

Another cry left Gon's lips and he was sent flying back, his body crashing to the ground.

As the man was award two points for a clean hit and knockdown, Gon immediately jumped up and scowled.

ꕥ

Figuring out that Gido wasn't directly controlling his tops, Gon confidently charged forward but then immediately stopped.

Sitting up straighter, Valentine watched with wide eyes as he focused on his aura and she watched as his aura shrunk.

'Gon',Killua gasped out in shock.

Watching as his aura shrunk even more, Valentine and Killua worriedly looked at one another, their eyes screaming with worry for their friend.

No longer being able to sense Gon's presence, Valentine placed her chin on the palm of her hands and held her fingers over her mouth, her body shaking with nerves.

What was he thinking?

Gon was going to get himself killed.

Watching as Gon made this irrational decision, Killua leaned forward and a bead of sweat fell down his face.

'You idiot, what if you get hit by another Nen attack?',Killua shouted,'Without protection, that'd totally mess you up!'

Ignoring Killua's words, Gon closed his eyes and focused on the tops.

With a harsh laugh, Gido immediately sent a barrage of tops towards Gon and they quickly sped towards him, spinning with such velocity that Valentine didn't know if he'd be able to dodge them.

As two tops sprang at him, Gon leaned to the side and they smashed into one another, being thrown across the ring.

'Amazing! That's the first time Gon has managed to evade an attack!'

Continuing to dodge each top one by one, it was clear to everyone that Gon was confident that he would be able to keep this up, but Killua and Valentine could only wonder how long he could continue this.

If he made one mistake, everything would be over.

One after one, top after top, Gon managed to dodge every single one of them.

Everyone watched in shock and anticipation as Gon dodged every single top, moving from side to side as he tried to keep away from them.

Off to the side, a certain clown-like individual smirked at the scene in front of him and lustfully licked his lips, before his hand quickly grabbed his shoulder as his body twitched and shook.

Watching as Gon jumped the wrong way, Valentine's golden eyes narrowed and a sharp gasp left her lips as she stood up.

"Gon, no!",Valentine shouted,"That's the wrong way!"

At the same time she had shouted that out, Killua stood up and shouted something similar.

'No, not that way!',Killua shouted.

Opening his eyes, Gon watched as a top sped towards him and it's aura tauntingly grew.

ꕥ

'Your right radius and your ulna were both broken',Killua listed.

Stepping up beside him, Valentine frowned and observed her friends bandaged up state, her eyes slightly tearing up.

"A fractured humerus, three broken ribs and, not to mention, twelve other fractures",Valentine listed with Killua, her teary eyes looking up at Gon.

Seeing her water-filled gaze was locked onto him, Gon looked down and frowned, disappointed in his actions.

'It'll take four months to heal',Killua said.

Sheepishly smiling up at the two, Gon sat on his bed and anxiously scratched the back of his head with his uninjured hand.

'You moron',Killua said, an angered look in his face.

'Sorry..',Gon apologized, looking down.

'Well an apology isn't going to help!',Killua exclaimed,'Don't you have any brain cells in there? Didn't you see what happened to all the guys who went through it? The Nen initiation?'

Flicking his forehead, Killua watched as Gon let out a small yelp of pain.

'One wrong move and you would've ended up like them!',Killua said,'It could of been a lot worse, so you're lucky. Man. How come you think Four-eyes was training us in the first place?'

Letting out a low and nervous chuckle, Gon looked between the two and knew that they'd both react differently to what he had to say.

'But still, I had a feeling that it'd be okay',Gon reassured and Killua stared at him, his face deadpanning as his stare was almost deadly,'I mean, sure, I took a couple of hits, but he missed my vital spots. So, it's no big deal'

Laying back, Killua propped his feet up and dug the heel of his foot into Gon's sling, pushing on his injured arm.

Rasping out in pain, Gon waved his arm around and let out small shouts, while Killua only watched with a small smirk.

With wide eyes, Valentine sprung forward and her knees landed on the bed as she placed her hands on Killua's shoe and tried to pull his foot away, but the latter only put more of his weight into it, causing Gon's shouts of pain to get louder.

"Ahh, Killua stop!",Valentine exclaimed, turning towards him as she placed one of her hands on his shoulder and the other on his arm,"You're only going to make it worse!"

Eyes that were not quite yellow, but as gold as a ring on someone's finger and the sun hit her eyes like a bullet, the way she looked at him made him melt when they connected with his; his eyes were shining like an ocean in the summer sun, like summer sky without a single cloud.

'Well, if he were more careful, then I wouldn't be doing this, Val',Killua explained, a light smirk spreading across his lips and slowly shook his head, before pulling his foot back.

A knock echoed throughout the room as Gon let out a sigh of relief as the pain and pressure had ceased, sending Valentine a grateful smile.

'Come in!',Killua called out, standing up from the bed and walked towards the door, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Seeing Mr. Wing at the door, Killua's eyes widened slightly in shock and he opened the door wider.

'Oh! Four-eyes!',Killua said and his eyes widened at his slip-up.

The disordered man made his way past the boy and walked across the room towards the injured boy, not even sparing Valentine a glance as he walked past her.

As the man stared down at Gon, it was clear that the boy was growing uncomfortable under his burning gaze.

'Uhh, I'm sor—',Gon started as he nervously mumbled.

Watching as Mr. Wing slapped Gon across the face, Valentine stepped forward with a small gasp and her eyes pinned in shock before she stepped forward, staring at the red spot that was slowly beginning to shade his cheek.

'Apologizing to me isn't going to help! What on earth were you thinking?!'

Hearing an angered, protective and loud screech, Valentine hurriedly turned around and watched as Zeus flew from his pedestal on the table, across the room. Racing forward, she reached up as she tried to grab at him, his claws harshly digging into her skin as he bit at her, causing light trickles of red to trail down her hand.

Trying to calm her bird down, Valentine couldn't snap him out of his protective-filled rage and watched as Killua came towards her, his hands grabbing at Zeus as he repeatedly scratched and bit.

'Hey! Cut it out, you flying rat!'

Pulling the hawk away from Valentine, Killua held the bird close and kept Zeus's wings against his body, feeling as he struggled, angered noises leaving his beak.

'Didn't you see what happened to all the guys who went through the Nen initiation? You could easily have ended up just like them!',Wing exclaimed, ignoring the commotion that was going on behind him.

"Stop it.",Valentine stated, staring Zeus in the eyes as his struggling came to a stop and all that was heard was angered chirps.

Making sure that the psychotic bird was calm, Killua let the hawk go; watching as he flew back to his post, before the silverette walked towards Gon and Valentine slowly followed after him.

'Yeah, I just told him the same thing',Killua stated, referring to what Wing had said.

Letting out a sigh, Wing reached forward and placed his hand on Gon's shoulder, causing the boy to slowly look up at him.

'Honestly.. I'm glad it wasn't any worse',Wing admitted.

Looking down in shame, Gon frowned at the look in his teacher's eyes.

'I'm sorry Mr. Wing',Gon apologized,'I really am'

Letting a small smile fall upon his lips, Wing's expression quickly changed and an irk mark appeared on his forehead, his glasses shining with a glare of light.

'I'm not letting this slide',Wing stated,'Killua, Valentine. Do either of you know when Gon will be completely recovered?'

'The doctor said it'd take two months',Killua stated and even though it wasn't necessarily a lie, he knew that it would take Gon only a few days probably less to heal.

'I see..',Wing said.

Standing up straight, Wing's back was to Killua and the white haired boy turned towards Valentine, giving her a mischievous smile.

Letting out a small laugh, Valentine lightly shook her head and looked towards Zeus, who kept a heated stare on Mr. Wing.

'In that case, I won't allow you to participate in any matches for two months',Wing stated,'Nor will I allow the study of or training in the use of Nen. If you chose not to abide by these conditions, then you will never receive instructions from me again. Understand?'

Slowly nodding, Gon agreed to Wing's terms.

'Yes sir, I'll do as you say',Gon said.

Holding out his hand, Wing stared at the boy expectedly and his glasses glistened in the light of the sun.

'Your hand',Wing requested.

As the man wrapped something around Gon's pinky, Valentine leaned forward and gazed at the cyan colored thread with strange symbols that littered the odd material.

'This is a promise thread',Wing said,'It's purpose is to remind you of the promise you made'

Nodding his head, a hard look formed on Gon's face and he stared at the thread.

No matter what, he wouldn't break his promise.

Turning his head, Wing gazed at Valentine and Killua.

'Killua, Valentine, a word',Wing requested.

Looking over at the man, Valentine and Killua looked at one another, confusion masking their faces.

ꕥ

Sitting on the bench outside, Killua and Valentine looked up at Wing.

'So tell me, what is the true goal the two of you and Gon are pursuing here?',Wing questioned.

Gesturing between himself and Valentine, Killua shook his head.

'Well, we don't really have an objective',The silverette explained,'Before running into you and Zushi, I just wanted to earn some quick cash. Gon's here to train hard so he can defeat a guy named Hisoka, and Val..'

Trailing off, Killua turned his head and looked at Valentine, watching as her opalescent golden eyes looked up at him, glistening in the sun.

'I think she just tagged along to train or something',Killua guessed, his glistening blue eyes staring at her for a moment longer before he looked up at the man,'But, that's it. Everyone on the 200th floor just wants to reach the top floor. The Battle Olympia, right? Yeah, I'm not too interested. But Gon, though.. well, I'm not so sure'

Seeing that Wing was still staring at them, Valentine began to wonder if he was catching everything they were saying and spoke up.

"Gon says that he doesn't care about what happens, as long as he gets to fight Hisoka",Valentine stated, causing Killua to nod in agreement.

'But after yesterday's match, I don't know',Killua started,'I get the feeling he just enjoys the thrill'

Watching as Gon jumped the wrong way, Valentine's golden eyes narrowed and a sharp gasp left her lips as she stood up.

"Gon, no!",Valentine shouted,"That's the wrong way!"

At the same time she had shouted that out, Killua stood up and shouted something similar.

'No, not that way!',Killua shouted.

Opening his eyes, Gon watched as a top sped towards him and it's aura tauntingly grew.

Holding up his arm, Gon tried to counter the force of the blow and shield his side from being hit.

'That situation could very well have costed his life and he was enjoying it?',Wing questioned, baffled by what he had learned.

Killua lightly nodded.

'Yeah and I would know, I've felt the same way before myself',The silverette stated,'But at least I pick and choose my battles. Once he's in the zone, he loses sight of everything else'

Noticing Wing's expression, Valentine lightly nudged Killua, causing him to look up and noticing the look on his face as well, he perked up, sweat falling down his cheek.

'Oh! But he's not the type to break the same promise twice, so don't worry',Killua reassured the older man.

Noticing the regret pooling in Wing's eyes, Killua stood to his feet and pulled Valentine up with him.

'It's too late, we already know all of the facts',Killua said, his icy gaze piercing into Wing's entire being,'If you regret teaching us and want to back out, we'll find somebody else. Or we'll simply learn it ourselves. You don't have to feel responsible, my brother can use Nen. Hisoka can, too. So, the three of us; and Zeus, I guess, were bound to find out about it eventually'

Gesturing for Valentine to follow him, Killua turned around and began to walk away from the man.

'I understand and I intend to finish what I started',Wing called out, causing the two to come to a stop and look over at him,'There are so many more things that I have yet to teach you'

Turning his head a bit more, Killua intensively listened to what the man had to say.

'Zushi is waiting in my room, the two of you could train with him if you'd like',Wing suggested.

Turning his head away, Killua looked at Valentine and she looked at him, their eyes connecting as they seemed to have a mutual agreement.

They didn't have to speak any words to know what the other was saying.

'Nah, we'll pass',Killua stated and continued walking, hearing Valentine's footsteps as she walked close behind him.

"Thanks for the offer though. We don't want to leave Gon behind"

'If he can keep his promise, we'll train together'

Staring at the two as they walked away, he watched as they pushed one another and the blonde childishly blew a raspberry at the snowy-haired boy, causing Killua to let out a yell of disgust, rapidly wiping at his face.

'Ew, you're disgusting! Why would you do that, idiot?'

Letting out a low sigh, Wing pushed up his glasses.

'Give him a message for me then! Tell him I will let him practice the other Nen, the flame!',Mr. Wing called out,'And tell him to work on Ten daily!'

Lifting his hand, Killua waved at the man and continued to walk forward, glancing at Valentine out of the corner of his eye as a small smirk pulled at his lips.

Reaching forward, Killua gently pushed the girl and heard as she let out a small squeak; similar to that of a mouse.

Her gentle shout filled Killua's ears and this caused a light chuckle to leave his lips.