Gon: Wait for Me, Killua

Gon opened his eyes and yanked the IV needle from the back of his hand.

Satotz's voice still echoed behind him, but he could no longer hear it. The same words kept repeating in his mind—Illumi had revealed his true face. Illumi Zoldyck had utterly crushed Killua with his words, and then Killua had lost control during the following match and killed Bodoro.

Traces of fighting and blood still remained in the arena. The examinees were gradually leaving, and the electronic screen had already gone dark. Gon pushed through the crowd, walked straight up to Illumi, and grabbed his left arm.

"Apologize to Killua!"

Illumi looked down at him, his eyes devoid of any unnecessary emotion. "Apologize? Why?"

"You don't deserve to be Killua's brother!" Gon's voice was hoarse but resolute.

"Do you need qualifications to be a brother?" Illumi's tone was as flat as if he were brushing aside an object in his way.

Gon's fingers clenched beneath the bandages, his nails digging into his palm. "You don't need qualifications to be friends either! I don't care about an apology. I want you to take me to Killua!"

"And what will you do after you find him?"

"I'll bring him back!"

Illumi looked at him. "My brother left of his own accord. He wasn't kidnapped."

"You're lying!" Gon tightened his grip. "You kidnapped his heart and controlled him!"

A crisp crack of breaking bone rang out. Illumi's left arm snapped in Gon's grasp—not through Nen, not through martial arts, but because a twelve-year-old boy used every ounce of his will to grip a bone and refuse to let go.

The entire arena fell silent for several full seconds. Hanzo's fingers remained pressed against his sword hilt, forgotten. Leorio's eyes widened. Kurapika raised his head from the shadows of a corridor pillar. Pokkle took half a step back.

Hisoka leaned against the wall, idly spinning playing cards in his hand as his golden eyes slowly narrowed. He did not interfere. A fascinated smile merely curled at the corner of his lips as he stared fixedly at Gon. The boy's bandages had not even been removed, yet blood was already seeping from his right arm again. Still, the fingers gripping Illumi's wrist did not loosen in the slightest. A low chuckle escaped from deep in Hisoka's throat, and then his gaze swept coldly toward Illumi—that unripe fruit could only be left for him to patiently await its ripening. No one else was allowed to destroy it carelessly.

Illumi lowered his head to look at his broken left arm. There was no fluctuation of expression on his pale face; he did not even furrow his brow. He pulled his arm from Gon's grasp and let it hang at his side.

"None of that matters anymore. You all passed. Only Killua failed." Gon's voice sank. "But I believe he'll definitely pass next time. But if you're the one responsible for turning Killua into an assassin—I will never forgive you!"

"And what will you do?"

"I'll take Killua away from you, so you'll never see him again!"

Illumi extended his left hand, his fingertips glinting coldly as he approached Gon. Gon immediately released him and stepped back. Illumi's voice remained calm, but every word was chillingly clear. "If you corrupt Killua and make him stray from the path of an assassin—I will kill you."

Gon did not retreat. "I won't corrupt him. I'll become his best friend."

Illumi withdrew his hand. He looked at the boy before him, both arms wrapped in bandages, his face covered in blood, yet still standing straight. After a moment of silence, he said, "I advise you not to go."

"He's my friend. I have to bring him back!"

Kurapika and Leorio walked up behind Gon. Kurapika said nothing, merely planting his feet firmly. Leorio pushed up his sunglasses. "We'll go with you."

Illumi looked at the three of them, and the corner of his mouth seemed to twitch faintly. "Fine, there's no harm in telling you. He should already be home—our home is at the summit of Kukuroo Mountain, the Zoldyck Family estate. But—" His tone paused. "Even if I tell you, there's no way you can get there."

Hisoka pushed himself away from the wall and walked over to Illumi's side. "Why did you tell them your family address?"

Illumi did not turn around. "It doesn't matter. That place isn't a secret to us at all. It's a famous tourist attraction in the area."

Gon pushed himself upright against the wall. Fresh blood spread across his bandages, running from the crook of his elbow down to his wrist. Kurapika and Leorio hurried to his side. Hanzo also walked over, bent down to look at his arm, and frowned. "The bone was already broken, and you just used too much force again." Pokkle stood several steps away, hesitated, then moved closer as well.

"I'm going to bring him back," Gon said.

Leorio's hand paused as he adjusted his sunglasses, then he nodded firmly. Kurapika was silent for only a moment before nodding as well. Hanzo released the hilt of his sword. "I still have unfinished business, so I will not travel with you. If fate allows, we will meet again." Pokkle also slung his bow over his back and followed Hanzo toward an exit in another direction.

Satotz walked up to Gon and fell silent for a moment. He told Gon that twenty years ago, he had also served as Ging Freecss's examiner. Ging was the finest Hunter he had ever seen. Looking at Gon's bandaged arms, he said slowly and distinctly, "The Hunter Exam isn't over yet. Your Hunter Exam is only truly beginning now."

Gon pushed himself upright against the wall, nodded hard, then headed toward the airship with Kurapika and Leorio.

Saitama stood beside Netero and watched everything from beginning to end. When Illumi left, Saitama glanced at the arm hanging at his side—the bone really was broken, yet that needle-faced freak had not even frowned. "There's something wrong with everyone in that family," he said. Netero turned to look at Saitama and asked why he was still standing there. With both hands in his pockets, Saitama started toward the airship. "I have nothing better to do, so I might as well come along."

Outside the arena, beside a cliff. The sea wind blew in from the direction of Glasses Island, and the sound of waves crashing against the reefs could be heard below the cliff face. Illumi stood at the edge, his left arm broken by Gon hanging at his side.

Hisoka emerged from the edge of the dense forest, playing cards silently flipping between his fingers. He stopped several steps behind Illumi.

"He's corrupting Killua." Illumi did not turn around, his voice as flat as if he were delivering a mission report. "Killua was raised from childhood to be an assassin, but now he has begun to long for friends. That longing will only make him stray from the family's path." He paused, his tone without the slightest rise or fall. "If you corrupt Killua and make him stray from the path of an assassin, I will kill him."

The moment he finished speaking, Hisoka's Nen pressure surged. Pink aura spilled from his fingertips, thickly wrapping around the cards as all his killing intent bore down on Illumi in an instant. His voice was low, each word seeming to squeeze out from between his teeth. "Illumi. That child is my prey. I won't allow anyone to touch him before I pluck him. Including you."

Illumi turned around and looked at the row of coldly gleaming card edges between Hisoka's fingers. After a moment of silence, he said, "I understand. The benefit of killing him does not outweigh the downside of becoming your enemy. For now." He stepped away from the cliff and headed toward the airship. His gait remained stiff and even, his broken hand hanging at his side and swaying slightly with each step.

Hisoka put the cards back into his pocket and licked his lips. That creased card was still at the very bottom of his pocket—the mark left by the glow of Nen on the first evening. He stood there for a while, not turning toward the airship until Illumi's figure had completely vanished among the shadows of the trees.

The airship passed through the sea mist they had crossed on the way here. The two lakes of Glasses Island could no longer be seen outside the window.

Gon leaned against the porthole, his bandaged hand resting on his knee. The blood that had seeped through the bandages had already spread from his elbow to his wrist, but he did not lower his head to look at it. Kurapika sat across the aisle with his eyes closed, resting. Leorio repeatedly examined the Hunter License he had just received, muttering about whether the thing could really get him free bus rides.

"It can. The Chairman said so himself. Buses, subways, trains, and ships are free all over the world," Saitama answered from the other side of the aisle.

Leorio opened his mouth wide, looked down at his license, then at Saitama. He could not say anything for a long while. After quite some time, he finally forced out, "What about taxis?"

"Apparently those are free too. The Chairman said he rode free taxis his whole life."

Leorio pressed the license to his chest and took a deep breath, his eyes slightly red.

Saitama took a neatly folded sausage wrapper from his pocket—there was only one left. The hot pot was gone, the cumin had been used up, and the only souvenirs from this exam were these wrappers and an empty bottle of sesame paste. He turned the wrapper over, folded it again, and put it back into his pocket.

In front of the television, Genos picked up the last grain of rice and put it into his mouth, then set down his chopsticks. On the screen, his teacher leaned against the porthole, holding a neatly folded sausage wrapper. He pulled up information on Kukuroo Mountain—an elevation of 3,722 meters, private territory of the Zoldyck Family, and a giant dog named Mike at the entrance. The notes beside it read: tourist buses available, first bus at six, last bus at twenty-one, passing through the central station of the Republic of Padokea. Teacher's exam arc was over, and the next stop was Kukuroo Mountain—the world's highest sightseeing bus. He scooped the remaining rice from the cooker into a lunch box, put the lid on it, and placed it in the refrigerator. Then he added a line to the final page of that worn Hunter Exam guidebook: The Zoldyck Family front gate has dragon-shaped reliefs carved on it. The correct way to knock is to grip the base of both dragon horns at the same time and turn them half a circle counterclockwise. Note: Teacher will push it open.

The airship's next stop was the Republic of Padokea. Kukuroo Mountain lay directly ahead on its route. Gon leaned against the porthole, his bandaged hand resting on his knee. The blood that had seeped through the bandages had dried into dark red stains. But he did not lower his head to look. His gaze remained fixed ahead along the flight path. The mountain had not yet appeared on the horizon, but he knew it was there.