ꕥ

After the matches had ended for the day, the three headed to the 50th floor by the elevator and Gon's eyes brightened as he stepped inside, tightly gripping the straps of his backpack.

'The 200th floors are divided into classes, each containing ten floors. So, if someone defeats an opponent on the 50th floor, then they advance to the 60th floor',The woman explained,'Lose and they automatically drop down to the 40th floor'

Gon nodded in understanding.

'So that's how it works'

'Also I've heard that once you get all the way up to the 100th floor, they comp you your very own room!'

Hearing a voice speaking up from behind them, the trio turn their heads and blink in surprise. They all locked eyes with the very same boy from before, the one who had knocked out his opponent and stared at Valentine.

Of course, only one of them had added that definition of him in.

'Oh! I'm sorry, how impolite! Osu! My name is Zushi and you?'

Fully turning around, Killua stared at the boy and shoved his hands in his pockets.

'I'm Killua'

'My names Gon'

"And I'm Valentine!"

Staring up at the blonde with his mouth agape, Zushi blinked in shock and observed the girl.

She was very pretty.

Beautiful, in fact.

Noticing the boy's stare, Killua frowned and cleared his throat, causing Zushi to blink out of his daze, looking between the three.

Hearing a small and loud chirp, a small noise of confusion escaped the boy's lips as his eyes turned to look at the girl's shoulder, seeing a small bird perched there.

A harsh bite squeezed at Valentine's neck and she let out a sharp cry, her hand flying to her neck as she tried to sooth the pain, gently rubbing the spot.

"Ow!"

'Hey!',Killua shouted, his eyes glaring daggers into the small bird's body,'That was uncalled for, you jerk!'

With a frown on her lips, Valentine gently rubbed her sore neck.

He was just grumpy since she hadn't introduced him.

'And that little cry baby with the beak, is Zeus',Killua said, introducing the small bird.

Letting out an angered chirp, Zeus turned his gaze towards Killua and the two had a small stare-off as everyone in the elevator could feel the tension in the air.

If you looked close enough, it was almost as if lightning were passing between the two.

As they walked out of the elevator, Zushi praised the three.

'Oh, I watched your fights earlier! You guys are amazing!'

'What are you talking about?',Killua questioned, looking down at the young boy as Valentine walked between him and Gon,'You made it up here with only one match, too'

'He's right!',Gon agreed.

Letting out a huff of a laugh, Zushi held up his hand and shook his head.

'No, no, I still have a long way to go',The young boy stated,'By the way, what discipline do you practice? I study the Shingen-ryu technique'

Confused, the three looked between one another and each shook their heads.

None of them had a discipline.

'A discipline?',Killua questioned,'Don't have one'

'Nope..',Gon answered.

"Me neither"

Looking at the three in puzzlement, Zushi's mouth gaped open and he jumped back in shock.

'You're kidding!',The boy exclaimed, causing the three to stop and look at him,'You guys are that powerful with no formal training?'

Bowing his head in shame, a drop of sweat trailed down Zushi's forehead.

'I'm humble to be in your presence. I have a long way, but I'm not finished'

Hearing clapping fill the air, golden eyes turned towards the source and Valentine tilted her head.

'Zushi, you did well',The man stated, causing the boy to turn around.

'Thank you, Master!'

Master?

Was this man Zushi's teacher, then?

'I'm very happy to see that you stuck to my teachings',The man stated.

The man wore square glasses and a light pink shirt, his black hair was slightly disheveled.

'Osu! I am honored. But Master, your shirts untucked'

Looking down in shock, the man chuckled nervously and tucked in his pink shirt and then, his gaze wandered towards the three children that were wandering with Zushi.

'Who are they?'

'Oh, this is Killua, Valentine, Zeus and Gon',Zushi introduced them.

Looking at the three, the man gently smiled at them and then, noticed the small bird that was perched upon the girl's shoulder.

Ah, there were four of them.

'Pleasure to meet you, my name is Wing'

'Osu!'

'Osu!'

"Osu!"

Chirp.

The three exclaimed in unison; with Zeus letting out a small chirp, and the three copied the stance Zushi had done.

'I really wasn't expecting to see any other kids here besides Zushi',Wing stated, before asking,'So, what brings the three of you here?'

Lowering their arms, Killua, Valentine and Gon all glanced towards each other, before looking back up at Wing.

'Uhh, we— well, we want to become stronger',Killua explained,'But we're also pretty broke, so we're making money at exactly the same time'

'Yeah, Killua's been here before, sir'

'That right? You must be quite talented or else you wouldn't have made it to this level. Even so, pay close attention to your opponent's body and your own'

"Osu!"

The three exclaimed in unison, doing the same stance as before once again.

ꕥ

The four had made their way towards the counter and exchanged their floor tickets for money, in return, the four received an envelope that contained their prize; money.

Dumping the money into their palms, Gon, Valentine and Zushi counted the coins.

'152 Jenny..',Gon counted.

Walking towards the vending machine, Killua used all of his prize money and bought himself a drink.

'On this floor, you make just enough for a juice, win or lose',Killua explained and popped open the can,'But on all of the other floors here, a loss gets you nothing'

Staring at the snowy-haired boy as he explained, Valentine, Gon and Zushi were all silent.

'Winning on the 50th floor earns fifty thousand. The hundredth floor, I think you get a million'

Eyes widening, the three looked at one another.

A million?

'Once you're past the 150th floor, you get ten million'

'Ten million!',Gon exclaimed and his eyes were wide in shock,'Didn't you make it to the 200th floor before?'

A noise of shock left Zushi's lips as he glanced at Gon and he looked towards Killua, his eyes wide.

'How much do you get for winning on the 200th floor?',Gon questioned.

Taking the drink away from his lips, Killua looked at the three and shrugged.

'To tell the truth, I don't actually know that',Killua told them,'Because I quit pretty much as soon as I qualified for it. But when I won on the 190th floor, I had about 200 million in total'

'Two.. hundred..'

'Where's that money now?',Gon asked.

'That was four years ago, so it's long gone by now',Killua explained,'I spent all of it on snacks'

Looking towards one another in shock, Gon, Valentine and Zushi's mouths dropped.

'That much on snacks in four years?'

'What kind of snacks were they?'

Throwing the can into the trash with a clang, Killua walked towards the three.

'Hey, let's head up to the waiting room. We got through our matches unscathed on the first floor, they'll probably give us another one today'

Turning around, Killua stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked ahead, causing the three to hurriedly follow after him.

ꕥ

When Killua opened the door, there were a bit of intimidating figures in the room, but not enough to make any of them back away in fear and one of them held a weapon that reminded Valentine of Kurapika.

Wooden swords.

Slowly walking in, the three followed after Killua and sat down.

'Well, if these guys are our opponents, it'll be a cinch',The snowy haired boy stated,'So, just take it easy'

Knowing that Killua was pretty good at knowing other's strengths, Gon and Valentine looked at one another, giving each other a nod.

They got this.

'Killua!',Zushi exclaimed,'Quiet! They can hear you'

A low grumble left the man that was sitting beside Zushi and the young boy shrunk back, a drop of sweat falling down his forehead.

'2054, Mister Killua'

Momentarily looking up, Killua looked back towards his friends and hummed.

'Hey, I'm already up'

'And 1963, Mister Zushi'

Looking down at the young boy in shock, Valentine begun to feel bad as a nervous and terrified look made it's way onto his face.

'Please head to Arena A on the 57th floor'

'Okay',Killua calmly stated, looking down at Zushi.

'Osu! I am honored to face you'

'I bet',Killua stated,'Well, you can't win 'em all. Better luck next time, right?'

Standing to his feet, he began to walk away and feeling a soft hand gently gripping his, Killua froze in place.

Looking down, his eyes were of an icy lake through a broken prison wall; the color of a perfect raindrop on a blue aster; the color of a river hurrying to join the great ocean.

They were a brilliant electric blue and they connected with gentle eyes that glistened like the sun had caused her to pause and had been encapsulated into a state of mystification, flecks of gold scattering through her iris.

"Be careful",Valentine said, smiling gently.

Even though he thought it was offensive at first that she was telling him to be careful, once he saw the gentleness within her eyes that opinion soon changed and Killua realized that the reason she had said that is because she knew that he was going to hold back, but use just enough strength to end it quickly.

And she didn't want him to get hurt if he held back too much.

'I always am'

Watching as their friend left the room, Gon turned towards Valentine and she turned towards him.

'He didn't have to act like it was such a done deal',Gon said, a small wince on his face.

Feeling bad for Zushi, Valentine nodded in agreement and winced lightly.

"He could've definitely worded that differently",Valentine stated and Gon nodded in agreement.

ꕥ

'Alright, everyone! This is the event you've all been waiting for! A unique match-up between two young boys who've both got something to prove!'

Watching from their seats, Gon and Valentine were sitting at the edge of their seats as they watched, their eyes glued onto the sight before them.

Looking around, Zeus lightly chirped as he looked at all of the new faces and then, looked down towards the arena.

'But don't underestimate these fighters! Both had strong showings in their first rounds and now, they've jumped all the way up here to the 50th floor!'

There was a screen that showed both Zushi and Killua's faces and everyone had to vote on who they thought would win.

Zushi had scored a much higher rating than Killua and was thought to win by many, causing Valentine's eyes to widen in surprise.

And it was clear to her that this had made Killua very angry, judging by the look on his face.

'All the bets are in and we have a clear favorite, Zushi! Maybe his knowledge of martial arts has given him the edge!'

Noticing Killua's enraged face, Zushi's eyes watered and a terrified look made it's way onto his face.

It looked like he wanted to dig a hole and bury himself alive.

The poor boy was doomed.

'Three rounds!',The referee announced,'Three minutes per round decided by points or K.O.! Begin!'

Going into a fighting pose, Zushi washed away anything that gave away that he was scared and Killua stood there with his hands in his pockets, his facial expression blank as he remained unbothered.

Studying the boy's pose, Killua was thinking for a moment and then, a smirk made it's way onto his lips as he shrugged, before slowly walking forward with a straight face.

He wasn't bothered or intimidated one bit.

'Wow! Killua is walking boldly toward his opponent!'

When Killua was just an arms length away, a drop of sweat fell down Zushi's forehead and his fist swung forward, expecting to land a hit as he attempted to punch the icy-eyed boy.

But, his fist had connected with nothing but air as in the blink of an eye, Killua stood behind Zushi and swung his hand forward, whacking the boy in the back of the neck.

Slowly, the young boy fell forward and a look of shock was on his face at the pain that spread through his body.

'A clean hit!',The referee stated, holding up two fingers and awarded the boy two points.

'Killua has laid out another opponent with a single blow! A clean hit and a knockout earn him two points!'

Walking back to his original spot, Killua watched as the referee checked up on Zushi, before his eyes wandered towards the crowd as he looked towards where Gon and Valentine were sitting; ice blue and opalescent gold connecting, the sound around the two disappearing.

It was as if it were only them there in that stadium.

A small smile made it's way onto his lips once he realized she was looking at him and realizing she was caught, Valentine tore her gaze from his as she embarrassedly looked down and gently bit her lip; her teeth ripping through the gentle skin of her bottom lip.

Looking away with a cocky smile, Killua looked back over at Zushi and crossed his arms, looking as if he were deep in thought.

What was he thinking about this time?

Surprising everyone, Zushi suddenly got up and Valentine blinked in shock, her lips parting.

'He got up! Zushi will continue the match!'

Once again getting into a fighting position, Zushi stared Killua down and felt as sweat began to build on his forehead.

'And begin!'

Boldly walking towards Zushi once more, Killua leaned to the side as the boy immediately started throwing punches straight at him and he easily dodged them all, before going behind him and whacking the boy in the back of the neck once again.

This time with a bit more force than the last.

'He's taken another hit!',The commentator spoke up,'Zushi is down! But he's getting back up before the referee even reaches him, meaning Killua won't be awarded the point!'

The angered look on Killua's face grew and he grit his teeth, a low growl of anger leaving his lips.

Performing different martial art tricks, Zushi concentrated completely and stared Killua down, his whole demeanor changing.

Jumping away, Killua confused everyone and they hadn't noticed the change in Zushi at all.

'Uh oh, what's happening! It looks like Killua is on the run!'

As a harsh feeling swept over her body, her senses buzzed as a harsh gasp left her lips and Valentine hurriedly stood up.

"Killua!"

'Zushi!'

The shout that just barely drowned out Valentine's wasn't any normal yell and the young blonde winced, while other's slammed their hands over their ears.

Everyone looked towards the source and saw Zushi's master standing up, his face full of anger and disappointment.

Feeling a gaze on her, Valentine turned her eyes; gold and ice blue connecting and she knew that Killua had heard her call his name over the loud shout.

Looking down, Zushi seemed disappointed in himself and stood straight, the feeling from before fading away, causing both Killua and Valentine to relax.

The room was dead silent.

'So.. a very loud and overly enthusiastic spectator has temporarily interrupted the fight, but let's see if we can get it going again! Come on folks, what do you say?'

ꕥ

The three had each won their fights and at the moment, Valentine and Gon were waiting for Killua as they sat on the bench.

Gently holding Zeus in her hands, the young blonde checked his ears to make sure that the loud yell from Mr. Wing hadn't damaged the young bird's eardrums.

Hearing the elevator ding, Gon and Valentine looked over and saw Killua walk out.

'Oh, hey Killua! Over here!'

Standing up, Gon made his way towards the snowy-haired boy and once Valentine had made sure Zeus's hearing was okay, she stood up, walking beside Gon.

'Check it out, Valentine and I both got 60,000!',Gon stated with a smile and took out the small envelope of money, before putting it away,'How about you? It took you longer to get here than I expected'

'Yeah, I ran into some trouble'

Following closely behind Killua, Gon and Valentine studied him.

'So, was Zushi pretty strong or what?',Gon questioned.

'No way. No',Killua answered immediately,'He has potential, he'll be strong one day. For now anyway, he's just target practice for me. Punches that weak, I could knock him around easy'

As Killua came to a stop, Valentine looked at him in shock and slowly stopped as well.

'But I couldn't beat him'

Eyes wide in shock, Valentine and Gon glanced at one another, before looking towards Killua.

'I won the match, T.K.O by points, but still..',Killua trailed off, staring ahead,'I just couldn't knock him out. Also, when he changed his stance, I got this real creepy feeling. Like when I faced my brother'

Turning around, Killua's eyes locked with Valentine's.

'And I know you felt it too, I heard you call my name',Killua stated, his eyes staring deeply into her own,'Even through his master's shout.. I heard you'

As his eyes deeply stared into her own, Valentine lightly gasped at the intensity shining within his gaze.

'I don't know what it was',Killua explained, his eyes still locked with Valentine's and Gon looked between the two, his eyes full of confusion,'But, it felt.. dangerous. It's gotta be some kind of technique. I heard his master call it 'Ren'.'

ꕥ

ʜᴇʏ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ!

ᴛᴡᴏ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ɪɴ ᴏɴᴇ ɴɪɢʜᴛ?! ᴡʜᴀᴛ!

ᴀɴʏᴡᴀʏ, ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ sᴏᴍᴇ ɴᴇᴡs!

ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ғɪɴᴀʟʟʏ ғɪɢᴜʀᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴠᴀʟᴇɴᴛɪɴᴇ's ɴᴇɴ ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ @polarris_ ᴏɴ ᴡᴀᴛᴛᴘᴀᴅ ᴀɴᴅ @Dont_show_uernames_ ᴏɴ ʀᴇᴅᴅɪᴛ ғᴏʀ ʜᴇʟᴘɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ғɪɢᴜʀᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴏᴜᴛ.

ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ɪ ᴍᴀʏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴅɪғғɪᴄᴜʟᴛ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ'ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ɪᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴜʏs!