Hello everyone! I can't believe we're already this far into 2023. A lot's been happening in the world of One Piece, and I'm over the moon excited! I've mentioned that there are some other projects in the mix and soon you'll be able to follow me up on them.
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Hope you enjoy this chapter!
"I swear if I ever get the chance, I'm going to get that psycho and kick the crap out of him," Sakura muttered, leaping through the forest.
She hadn't stopped scouting for applicants since this morning after leaving Leorio and Kurapika. She could only hope that they would find Leorio's target before the deadline. Taking only one break that day, Sakura had kept a strict pace but even so, the number of applicants would be expected to decrease even if it was only the fourth day.
She realized only later that she wasn't so much as looking as she was blowing off steam. Hisoka's words were like nails to her brain.
He was stretching her sanity slowly and she didn't know how much longer it would be before she snapped. Looking down on her, even though he didn't realize her real power, and she was confident that she could throw him.
Sakura stopped on a high branch and brought a hand to her throat, her fingers dancing across her skin and her heart started beating rapidly.
'What is this?'
Vigorously shaking her head, Sakura slammed her palms against her cheeks thrice before stretching out her limbs. 'Come on Sakura! Get it together.'
She reminded herself of her objective; to finish the book, compared to that this phase was nothing more than a side quest in achieving her goal.
Sakura deflated, sliding down the branch. "Damn, minor task or not finding two more applicants at this time isn't going to be easy given the limited number and method people can use to get these tags." Sakura rested her chin on her knees. 'Can't fate cut me some slack just this once?'
In a moment, Sakura heard something whizzing past the trees, it was light but it was loud enough to catch her attention and allow her to see something flying past at a short distance. It was small and white.
Jumping up, Sakura leaped through the trees at top speed until she was nearly in front of the object and extended her hand, grabbing it in mid-air. Landing on the ground, Sakura looked at the item to confirm her suspicions. A wide smile broke across her face when she saw the tag in her hands; the ID tag that had literally come flying out of nowhere!
"#197 huh?"
Sakura looked back at the forest she had come out of. It was one of the thickest parts, with the biggest canopy; so she figured it would be one of the best places for applicants to hide or plan an attack. However, she didn't think a tag was going to come flying in her direction. The chance was so slim, she had to look up at the sky and mouth 'thank you' to whoever might still like her up there.
"Alright, just one more tag to go!" Sakura punched upwards.
She knew that this badge belonged to one of the Amori brothers and Killua was targeting one of them.
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Sakura chose not to dwell on questioning how that tag had fallen into her possession and took it as a great blessing of being in the right place at the right time for once. While she was curious, she didn't turn to the book; her determination to find her last target that day was at its peak. However, the rest of the day was a slow one as it seemed a miracle was only going to present itself once.
She kept on the move the entire day without encountering a single applicant; although she wasn't distraught over only regaining one tag. The only issue that continued to dwell on her was Hisoka. Her mind was constantly drifting in its free time to her short encounters again.
Sakura sighed, taking a stick she had left by the fire, impaled with a fish she had caught. She blew away the steam coming from the near-whole fish. One of the few things she knew how to make and ensure it was edible.
She set up camp near the riverbank on the outskirts of the forest, a lot more out in the open than she would initially opt for, but her caution and guard felt slack. Encountering Hisoka had brought her senses to their peak, and once she was out of his presence, they collapsed.
'I shouldn't be thinking this way,' Sakura thought.
Holding up the book with her free hand, Sakura stared at the letters of the title, the flickering fire giving her the light she needed to make out the depictions. She had only been in this world a few days, but her stomach still churned when she thought of home. It wasn't comparable to being out on missions, because she wasn't usually alone and secondly, she was in her world.
Sakura opened the book, 'I just have to keep my eye on the goal,'
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Zevil Island was the perfect location to host the Four Phase given its elements. It tested the skills of applicants who had to track their targets as well as the evasive skills of those being targeted and the area they had to accomplish all of this was secluded but large enough to grant everyone equal opportunity or deter them.
Sakura was finding herself on the latter end.
'I'll probably find someone else right?' Sakura reassured herself, leaping to the next branch of the fourth tree in front of her.
A flash of light reflected by the sun caught Sakura's eyes and that moment of blindness made her quickly realize that she was being followed; and that she probably hadn't been alone for a long while now. She drew her kunai, and in that instant throwing stars came straight toward her.
Sakura quickly evaded by leaping to another tree and that's when she caught sight of the flashing black and red in the distance within a darker part of the forest.
While running along the branches, she saw someone moving through the trees, keeping close pace with her. When they came into the sunlight, Sakura saw a man, he was bald with narrow dark eyes and feather-like eyebrows and she recognized him as the applicant Hanzo.
'He moves, kinda like me.' Sakura thought offhandedly, keeping her eyes focused on Hanzo while jumping through the trees. Throwing stars were tossed at her again, and this time Sakura deflected them with her kunai knife. She then threw the knife at Hanzo who deflected it with his kunai then!
'And he's fast too!'
Hanzo hadn't initially planned on targeting three people during this trial; in fact, with the head start he had been granted for his target, he was in the perfect position to retrieve his target's tag and he had been carefully shadowing him and waiting for his chance. He also knew quite a bit about his target, that he was one of the three Amori brothers, and that they worked for a team. Although there had been just one problem.
He was duped.
When one of the youngest applicants, Killua was being targeted by #198 and when he confronted him, the other two brothers appeared to help get Killua's tag. However, the boy seemed to be looking forward to this and it turned out that one of the Amori brothers also happened to be his target.
So Killua got all three tags and threw away the two remaining tags that he did not need. Hanzo had been watching from a distance and went after the tag, what he had thought to be #197, however, ended up as #198 and realized then that Killua was aware of his presence the entire time.
Therefore he had to target two others to reach the quota before the deadline; it was better than aimlessly searching the island for his targets tag. He already took #89's tag and had been searching for one more target when he encountered Sakura.
Both Sakura and Hanzo continued to maneuver through the forest while avoiding each other's attacks. When they reached a clearing leading to an open field, both were forced to leave the treetops now enduring a standoff.
Hanzo held out his hand, "Look we can do this the easy way. Just hand over your tag and this will be finished. If you have more, don't worry, I only need one, after that you can be on your way."
Sakura narrowed her eyes at Hanzo, holding up her kunai knife, "Funny, I was going to say the same thing to you,"
While assessing Hanzo from where she stood, Sakura was able to see the experience and training behind him. However, her frustration in giving Hisoka the tags she had taken before already had her stubborn nature draw a line.
Hanzo narrowed his eyes at the weapon the pinkette was using. "That's a kunai, right? What are you a ninja too?"
"Too? Wait a minute," Sakura pointed at Hanzo, "Are you implying that you're a ninja?"
Hanzo puffed out his chest, smirking "Of course! I come from the Hidden Cloud village in Japon. But that's a secret."
"If it's a secret, why'd you tell me?" Sakura deadpanned, but Hanzo ignored her snide remark and continued.
"So, are you a ninja as well?"
Sakura cringed, pondering what she should say; she was surprised to hear that there was a Hidden-Cloud village in this world as well, but she was still wary about answering these types of questions. "…I'm not obligated to answer that question."
Hanzo pulled a face but nodded, "Alright then, returning to the matter hand-will you give me the tag in your possession?"
Sakura shifted her stance immediately before answering, "No,"
"Then I'll have to use force. I apologize."
In that split second, what few feet were apart from Sakura and Hanzo was covered as the male appeared beside Sakura ready to strike. However swiftly, the move was predictable who understood what said ninja was planning she quickly shifted her position to turn around and protect her neck as Hanzo brought his arm back to chop at her neck and knock her out.
Hanzo moved again, but Sakura anchored herself with chakra just as he came in again for another attack, the same one. Sakura threw a punch at Hanzo's chest. However, when Hanzo suddenly felt a heavy breeze pushing against him he jumped back before Sakura could hit him.
He placed a hand on top of his chest, 'Was that just the wind or actual force from her punch?'
Sakura activated her chakra to strengthen her body making her form far more durable. It had taken some time, but she was able to do this at quick speeds. The strength she would receive was also enough to hold her in a fight, at least against someone who didn't use chakra. When she fought Kurapika, she hadn't used any charka and was only relying on straight-up martial arts but in this case, circumstances were different.
'These guys won't hesitate,'
No personal attachments.
Sakura shifted on her feet and then sprung forward, reaching into her pouch, she pulled out throwing stars and threw them at Hanzo who easily evaded them. Then the kunai of both opponents clashed; the metal sparked against each other. Hanzo held himself, but he could feel the strength put behind the pinkettes attack and when he felt the ground under his feet break from the force, he jumped back.
"You're stronger than you appear," Hanzo said.
"I get that a lot," Sakura replied, keeping an offensive stance in case he attacked.
'I probably shouldn't play around too much though. I still need to find Gon.'
Hanzo closed his eyes, a moment longer than necessary before opening them again. "You should know, I've trained since birth in the art of ninpo. Eighteen years of training without rest."
'And I went to an academy for that,' Sakura thought haughtily.
She learned over the years that different villages had different customs and ways of cultivating ninjas. Few were more vicious than others and she had a feeling that Hanzo's training must have been brutal to result in the physical strength and ability he honed without chakra.
'That doesn't mean he has the edge,'
"The point you're trying to make is I cannot defeat you," Sakura stated.
"That is correct," Hanzo stated. "I'm still willing to simply negotiate and have you hand me a tag, instead of having to fight you and take it by force."
Sakura exhaled, lowering her head "Perhaps if I was twelve again; that arrangement would sound very appealing to me. But unfortunately, regardless of who my opponent is, I've given up on giving up. So make all the threats you want, but know that it's not going to get you anywhere. And you should know….I've fought opponents far more intimidating than you."
When she looked back up Hanzo felt a sudden change in the air. Sakura's eyes were glaring hard, shining like emeralds themselves. It spoke volumes. Of someone who may have endured and been enduring more than he could understand.
Hanzo knew then what had to be done; holding out his arm from under the bandages wrapped around them he drew out a single blade. "Alright in that case; I shall not hold back,"
"And I'll do the same," With that Sakura charged forward, pumping chakra to her feet to take a single leap and appear where Hanzo stood. He swung his blade at her, but Sakura ducked; she hadn't spent nearly two and a half years training to evade attacks that could crush her bones for nothing.
'I will not lose!' Sakura jumped into the air and directed a kick at Hanzo's head. Hanzo held up the blade so that Sakura would hit its surface.
'Too slow,' Hanzo thought, however before he knew what was happening, he was knocked off his feet and skidding across the field. His head rang from the force of Sakura's chakra-enhanced kick.
While this would have allowed Sakura to strike, she couldn't help but take the moment to admire her craft. For those enemies who always underestimated her, it was the most satisfactory and perhaps also a bad habit of her, to take in her success in bringing an opponent down.
Hanzo quickly got on his feet, disoriented after that kick. He looked at the Sakura who was still holding an offensive stance, ready for a counter. 'I was right; she is stronger than she appears.
Hanzo ran towards Sakura, instead of taking a defensive stance she lowered her guard, jumped back in the air, and raised her arms forming quick hand signs, but other than that made no move to counter his attack. Hanzo drew his fist forward, hitting her as she came down but when he made contact with what he thought was her stomach, there was a puff of smoke and in Sakura's stead was a log.
'Is this?!-
"CHA!"
The shock that overtook Hanzo left him open for Sakura to attack his side. Hanzo held up his arm to defend against the punch again, but he was stunned when he watched the blade shatter like glass when Sakura's fist made contact and that had her landing a clean blow to his face with a punch that sent him flying straight across the field and near the forest where he crashed into a tree and went through it; this went on three more times before he finally stopped. A trail of dust followed the places he had landed, quickly clearing.
"How was that?"
Sakura pulled back her gloves; from where she stood she could still see Hanzo; he was slumped against the remainder of a tree trunk. While she hadn't been all for using her chakra-enhanced strength against anyone because it appeared that they weren't able to use chakra and she might end up fatally wounding or worse killing them; Sakura found that she had also underestimated the people here.
Sakura began stepping in the direction Hanzo had landed and she continued until she was nearly right in front of him. Her sensei had been wary of her punches because of the force she had behind them, and that hadn't even been at full, otherwise, she was certain Hanzo would be the one unconscious. "I knew you'd be able to handle that attack."
Hanzo coughed up blood; his lungs ached when he attempted to take in a breath. "T-That technique was-was-replacement jutsu?"
Sakura stiffened but nodded nonetheless. "Yes. You were right in your assumption. I am a ninja, a kunoichi."
"I've never seen that technique be performed so-so flawlessly before." Hanzo wheezed, "Usually, I could see through it."
However similar the techniques seemed and how familiar Hanzo may have been with them, Sakura's suspicions were confirmed then.
"We might both be ninjas, but I think it's safe for me to assume there's a big difference between us."
"That's clear," Hanzo stated, "All it took was that single punch and who knows what you might have done to me at your full strength…."
With a defeated sight, Hanzo held out his hand revealing one of the tags he had gotten. "You only need the one correct? I'm allowed to keep the one I captured and my own?"
"Yeah, I only need one,"
Sakura leaned down to examine the tag, before taking it from Hanzo. Still wary in case he should choose to attack; though she doubted he would. He wasn't without honor, and so far, Sakura couldn't sense any malice either when she looked at him. If anything, he was looking at her with respect.
"#198 huh?" Sakura paused, looking at the tag and then back at Hanzo. Intuition edged on her sharp mind. "Hey, why are you looking to get three tags instead of your targets? You were only the third person to set foot on the island, so you had the advantage to shadow your target."
"I did." Hanzo told her, "And I was waiting for my chance to get his tag, however, he often worked in a team with #199 and #198. See, #198 was following this kid #99-
'Killua,' Sakura thought.
"When #99 went to confront his stalker, the other two showed up and I was hiding in the shadows during the time. The three ganged up on #99, but he subdued them easily; took his own targets tag and then tossed #197 and #198 tags in different directions. I followed after the tag I thought was my target, but as it turned out; the kid knew I was there so he switched the tags at the last second."
Sakura covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing. She had to commend Killua for his little prank. "I-I see….hmph!"
Hanzo frowned, "It might seem funny but it's really not!"
However, Sakura was still trembling with laughter when she thought about it. "Sorry, sorry; I shouldn't be laughing," Reaching into her bag, Sakura pulled out one of the tags, glancing at it first before tossing it in Hanzo's lap. "How's about a trade? I'll take #198 for…#197!"
Hanzo's jaw dropped as he stared at the tag; so she had found the tag.
"I caught it yesterday when it was flying through the air," Sakura explained, smiling. "That gives you the six points you need right? Take it as an apology on behalf of my friend; he's the one who tossed your tag."
"I-I don't know what to say,"
"How about thank you?" Sakura suggested crouching down in front of Hanzo. She removed her glove before resting her hand on his injured cheek; it was swelled to the point where it covered the lower half of his eye. Chakra soothed the injury and the swelling went down in less than a minute. Again, Hanzo was stunned, watching as she pulled back, he touched his cheek. He had been taught to endure pain, but it was completely gone now.
"You're not injured anywhere else right?"
"No. Thank you….uh, what's your name again?"
"Oh, Sakura-Sakura Haruno," She held out her hand for Hanzo to take and he accepted, giving a firm shake.
Dusting off her clothes, Sakura turned around, "Well I should get going. I'm on the lookout for another friend's target. Oh, yeah you wouldn't have happened to see a girl with teal hair? Wears a big yellow hat? Applicant #246?"
Hanzo paused, "Yes actually I did. I believe her name is Ponzu."
Sakura gasped, "Really where?"
"While I was shadowing my target, I saw her at a distance going into a cave." Hanzo rubbed the back of his neck, "Out of all the applicants, she's one of the few who didn't seem to carry any weapons on her; so I assume she specializes in chemicals to fight."
"How can you be so sure? She could just be hiding her weapons." Sakura pressed; she wanted to get as much information as she could report back to Leorio and Kurapika.
They had set a meeting place; in case the two were unable to find Leorio's target, but there was no guarantee something else wouldn't happen to them. This manhunt was beginning to thin out and with the deadline approaching, there would be a lot of desperate applicants round about this time.
"Well before she went in, I saw her using some kind of container that emitted gas. So I'd assume she was tracking her target, the probability of her still being in that cave is close to zero though."
Sakura knew that much, but it was still a great lead. "Do you know the direction exactly?"
"Should be east of the island, when coming from the starting point," Hanzo told her.
"Thanks, I appreciate the help."
"Least I could do," Hanzo said standing up, "After all; you could've just taken the tag without giving me my targets."
Sakura shrugged, "What can I say? I'm generous-besides we have a sort of kinship as shinobi."
Hanzo nodded, "Well I'll see you around, Sakura Haruno."
With that Hanzo leaped into the forest, Sakura turned around and headed in the opposite direction.
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Frustration, anger, humiliation, disconcerted; all these feelings were stirring inside of Gon. Simmering at the surface and ready to boil over at any moment. The air was musky of wet grass and mud; a nostalgic scent for him; who had spent most of his childhood playing in the forest. He remained curled with his face buried in his knees. His pride was wounded deeply.
After all his planning, and finally getting a hold of Hisoka's tag, he was shot down instantly by another who was targeting him. He had felt such accomplishment for capturing Hisoka's tag all the while remaining undetected that he hadn't even been aware he was being observed as well.
What's worse, the person targeting him could've caught him off guard thousands of times over with all the openings he had given. It was only admiration for his diligence that Gon was allowed to attempt his plan. Then just when he thought he was finished, Hisoka appeared and regrettably assisted Gon by giving the tags that were stolen back to him.
Gon didn't think it was possible to suffer this type of humiliation, but this single event had him reflecting on everything that had happened throughout The Hunter Exams and suddenly he felt….useless.
'Have I done anything on my own?'
It had been so unbearable, Gon was barely able to sleep the other night; he hadn't eaten in days aside from the bark of the tree he was in, but that was so that he could expel the poison from his system quicker. It didn't make for a pleasant meal or experience, on top of which he was still a little stiff in his movements and knew he couldn't go out now. If someone spotted him in his condition, he wouldn't be able to resist.
And what's worse, now he was indebted to Hisoka.
There was a noise from outside, and the wind carried a familiar scent to his nose. A faint sweetness, mixed with the earth, but not at all unpleasant. He knew this scent.
"S-Sakura?" Gon called out carefully, waiting just in case this person wasn't who he assumed it to be but then he heard it.
"Gon! Gon, is that you?"
"Sakura!" Gon called, beginning to crawl out of the hollow bottom of the tree. A figure peered down, hands came under his arms and he was pulled out by Sakura. Gon winced as his stiff muscles were forced to move after hours of remaining in the same position. His cheek stung being exposed to the cold air.
Sakura nearly fell out of the trees when she heard someone calling her name, but that subsided when she realized it had been Gon.
"Look at you!" Sakura exclaimed.
There was a foul smell coming from Gon's clothes and she realized it was vomit and had become stagnant. His cheek was swollen with a dark purple bruise. She put him down in front of her, holding onto his shoulder so he wouldn't have to support his entire weight.
"I'm okay…" Gon trailed, although he winced when Sakura placed her hand on his cheek and began to heal him. He silently watched as the soothing energy calmed his irritated flesh and the swelling vanished. When Sakura pulled away, the warmth vanished as well.
Gon touched his cheek, "Wow…."
"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Sakura asked checking him for further injuries but Gon shook his head.
"No," Aside from his wounded pride.
Gon moved stiffly trying to get up, but the sudden movement caused him to stagger a bit. So Sakura grabbed his shoulders and had him sit back down. "My muscles are just a little stiff,"
"Why do you smell like vomit?" Sakura asked, slowing her breathing so she didn't have to take in the odor.
Gon laughed humorlessly, "Um, I was hit with these poison darts,"
"Oh, so you emptied your system to expel the poison."
Sakura finished digging through her bag when she found what she was looking for. A small vile of anti-toxin that she carried around in case of emergencies.
'Only one,' Sakura took off the cap of the needle.
"Where were you hit?"
Gon craned his neck, where Sakura could see a little visible mark from where the drug had been inserted, and directed her needle there. Gon barely made a sound when the ice-cold needle hit his neck. Sakura healed that area as well.
Gon was already finding it easier to move his body now. He moved his arm steadily before standing up, wavering just for a second before catching himself again.
Sakura watched him cautiously through the silence, observing Gon in his recovery. When he looked at her, she turned her vision to the side.
"There should be a river somewhere near here." Holding out her arms behind her, she gestured to Gon. "Let's go,"
"I can walk-
"I wasn't asking Gon," Sakura said in a gruff voice, shooting the boy a warning glare. He quickly climbed on her back.
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Gon silently stared at his distorted reflection in the water; although all of his wounds were healed, he didn't seem to be feeling any better than before.
Sakura stood on the edge of the water, holding the makeshift spear she intended for catching dinner. As she began to walk toward the water, her gaze fell upon Gon, who appeared to be lost in thought. His distant expression was unmistakable, and she knew that he was trying hard to conceal his emotions.
"Gon," she called out to him, but he didn't move from his spot. Sakura's pout deepened for a second before she flashed a mischievous grin and stepped onto the water's surface, walking toward him.
"Ah! You're-You're-you're-" Gon stuttered, pointing at her with an incredulous expression.
Hands-on her hips, Sakura leaned down to him, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
"What?" she asked, feigning ignorance.
"You're walking on water!" Gon exclaimed, looking up at her with amazement.
Sakura giggled and bounced a little on the surface. "That's right. It makes fishing a little easier," she replied, smiling.
"But-But-how do-" Gon stuttered again, struggling to find words.
Sakura winked at him and placed a finger to her lips.
"Secret," she teased.
"Aw… please, tell me!" Gon begged, his eyes pleading.
"Sorry, not happening," Sakura replied with a chuckle.
She kicked up some water playfully, watching Gon splutter as it hit him. When he had calmed down, he glared at Sakura, and without warning, he grabbed a handful of water and threw it at her. The pink-haired girl grinned back at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"It's on now!"
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The kindle crackled, and the smell of smoked fish was strong in the air. After kicking the first splash, Gon wouldn't let Sakura leave the water until she also had to huddle near the flames for warmth and to dry her clothes.
Gon sneezed stiffly and rubbed his nose before a cover was tossed over him. He looked at Sakura with a questioning gaze. She was already halfway done with her second fish.
"Don't go catching a cold now. There's still one more phase to get through."
The straight-lipped smile told Sakura that Gon was reminiscing again.
"Um, Sakura…." Gon pulled back a little when he met the pinkette's eyes, "T-Thank you,"
"Don't mention it," Sakura leaned back on her hands, looking up at the sky; catching the last ray of light before the sky turned dark.
"Do you have all the points you need to pass?" Gon asked.
Sakura nodded, "Yeah, I had some real luck after a lot of bad."
Gon stared back at the flames, but this time, Sakura was determined not to allow silence to envelop them.
"And did you get all of your points?"
"Yeah," Gon nodded, though his solemn expression returned.
"From Hisoka....?"
Again he nodded.
Sakura gasped, "Are you serious Gon!? That's incredible!"
With a wry smile, Gon looked away, back into the flickering flames, "Not really. After I only had it for a few minutes before it was taken from me….
Gon proceeded to tell Sakura what happened the last few days. How he trained to prepare to steal Hisoka's badge and stalked him waiting for the right moment when he would be at his most vulnerable. Ironically, that moment was when Hisoka was on the offensive with his bloodlust raging, about to strike down a target. It had taken a lot of waiting for the opportunity to present itself, but Gon managed to grab the tag using his fishing rod straight from Hisoka's shirt.
As he told the story, Gon didn't spare a chance to kick himself when he told Sakura how he had thought he had everything planned to perfection, only to forget to watch for anyone who might be after him.
"Hisoka came and handed back my badge and his," Gon stilled, as if he had turned to stone but spoke with such sharp emotion it cut straight through her. "He said that I owed him and when I tried to give it back….he punched me and left. Laying there completely helpless; it was the worst feeling…."
Sakura kept quiet, listening to Gon as if he were grieving over a great loss. In this case, it was his pride.
"Then I thought…." Gon began to tremble, his voice lost for a few seconds before he was barely able to speak. The tears ran down his face in a stream, his eyes tightly shut with disdain. "I thought…if I'm this weak-then-then maybe I don't have what it takes to be a hunter…that I should quit"
It was difficult for Sakura to counter, not because she thought he was right it was the exact opposite because she had just witnessed for the first time a side of Gon that showed how greatly he despised losing.
A thought struck her. A cruel-yet seemingly kind one.
"Oooh, you think so?" Sakura put a finger to her chin, "Then I guess I'll be quitting as well."
"Wha-What?"
Sakura shrugged, throwing her arms up, "Well if you say the exam is too hard then there's no way I'm passing."
"What do you mean?" Gon asked his curious gleam back in his eyes. "Of course, you can pass Sakura. You're super strong, really smart and you're always helping everyone."
Sakura just shook her head, "No way, no way, if someone as determined as you can't even see this through to the end then I don't have a chance. I only came here because I was curious. They say that motivation and drive are what makes a person achieve, so if someone like you who has a reason for taking the hunter exam wants to quit, then I'm gonna do the same."
Gon stood up quickly flailing his hands around, "Okay, okay, I won't quit, so don't you give up either Sakura!"
She stopped for a moment, allowing silence before looking up at the boy with a grin stretched wide with mischief.
"Okay!"
Gon looked at her in disbelief before pointing accusingly to the pinkette, "Hey wait a minute! You were faking!"
She winked, pinching her forefinger to her thumb and holding it up to Gon, "Bingo."
"That's just mean!"
"Hey, you're the one who was beating yourself up in the first place."
"I'm allowed to."
"No, you're not."
"Well, I didn't do anything on my own for this exam." Gon pointed out.
"Neither did I-I was always with you, Killua, Leorio, and Kurapika." Sakura countered. "Therefore your excuse isn't good enough, so I'm blackmailing you with responsibility. If you quit then I'm going to do the same."
"Mmm, you're so mean." He pouted.
"How so? I was trying to make you feel better."
"Well, now I can't give up because of you."
"You're welcome."
With his cheeks puffed, Gon turned his head away brashly crossing his arms.
A minute was lost to Gon completely as if it were a second because he hadn't been able to register when he felt the warm (if not slightly damp) weight pressing against his back. An arm wrapped around his shoulder, the other across his torso, rendering him immobile. Though that didn't bother him as it wasn't the kind of hold he felt like escaping from. Sakura rested her chin on top of the boy's head, speaking softly.
"Listen to me Gon, right now you might think that this humiliation means you aren't good enough, but that's not true at all. It just means that you're going to have to find a way to get stronger. A defeat today can lead to a victory tomorrow if you decide to learn from it. So don't say you're giving up on the exams when you have a reason to become a hunter."
Gon hadn't entirely listened to Sakura's words, but he didn't want to lose this sudden warmth he was feeling. He leaned back and said what he hoped would prolong the moment of comfort that he especially needed after the recent events he had endured.
"Thank you, Sakura."
..
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..
..
After informing Gon of the problem Leorio was having to find their target and the meeting place Sakura had set with Kurapika, the two left on the sixth day to get back to the starting point. They waited up in a tree together and sure enough, Leorio and Kurapika arrived. The two males were discussing what they should do next as they haven't found Leorio's target yet. That's when Sakura and Gon decided to drop down from above and in front of them. Both Kurapika and Leorio stood up from their hiding place, which gave them a clear view of the boat they had arrived on a few days ago through a thicket of bushes.
"Sakura! Gon!" Leorio exclaimed.
Sakura waved at the two, "Hey,"
"Gon, did you find your target?" Leorio asked,
Gon nodded, though with a distant expression. Since confessing the event to Sakura, it hadn't been trudged up for the duration of their journey, until now. The wound to his pride hadn't completely healed, but he had hoped that finding his other two friends and helping them might speed the process.
Kurapika looked at Sakura, "Sakura, did you….?"
"Yeah, and I got some information on Leorio's target,"
Gon, Leorio, Kurapika, and Sakura were crouched down to avoid being spotted by the other applicant's Gon and Sakura had seen from above. Listening to the information she had gathered regarding Leorio's target. Sakura told them what Hanzo had said to her regarding Ponzu, including the weapons she supposedly used, as well as the last place she was seen.
"Although he told me she had gone in a cave, I doubt she's still there."
"There are four possibilities we can consider," Kurapika held up his hand straight while explaining, "She's in good shape and still has her tag. She's in good shape but lost her tag. She's out of action and still has her tag. Or she's out of action and doesn't have her tag."
Though Leorio questioned the likelihood of her still having her tag when she was out of action, assuming that to achieve that status, there would have to be a confrontation with another applicant, he hadn't taken into consideration the elements that they were up against aside from the other exam applicants.
Gon thought for a moment, "Sakura, you said that Ponzu uses chemical weapons right?"
Sakura nodded, "Though I'm not sure how accurate that bit of information is, why?"
"Because I might be able to track her scent," Gon said, reminding them that he had an incredible sense of smell which he was able to use to track and place all of them.
"That's right!" exclaimed Kurapika, "Some drugs have strong scents,"
"Well, Gon?"
"I'll give it a shot."
..
..
..
Gon started by returning to the highest point, a large tree, and climbed right on top where he could catch the scent that was carried by the winds. Finding a strong scent that was distinct from some sort of chemical, he led the group through the forest. Although Gon was able to track the scent, it had been scattered but Sakura had informed them of the information Hanzo had given her regarding the last place Ponzu was seen. And after traveling through thick fields of grass, crossing over streams, and trampling in the softest soil, they finally came to a cautious halt.
The sky was already a bright orange, soon deepening when the four were staring at the mouth of a cave inside a rocky hill with trees, its vines visible around the opening which gave the cave an eerie appearance.
"In there Gon?" Leorio asked.
"No doubt about it,"
Sakura narrowed her eyes, "Hanzo said that he saw Ponzu heading into the cave after she sprayed something in it."
"That could imply she was targeting someone," said Kurapika.
"Exactly, so why would she stay in the cave?" Sakura asked, "If she was going after her target and that person was in the cave..."
"What is it?" asked Gon,
"It could be that she defeated her target and took the badge, but decided to stay in the cave to wait out the deadline-or she was defeated by her target and was killed. There could be nothing but a body in that cave,"
It wouldn't make sense for a person to pass up the chance to take a badge if they were lacking or to thin out the competition.
Leorio watched the cave for a moment, before he set his briefcase down, picked up a stick, and started making his way towards the entrance. "I'm going in. I want you guys to wait here."
When he got to the front of the cave Leorio only prodded at the corners and perimeter within his reach to check for traps and when he believed there weren't any, he returned to the group.
"I'll head inside, wait until I give the okay-then you three can come in."
Kurapika held up three fingers, "If we don't hear from you in thirty minutes, we're coming inside."
Leorio immediately rejected the arrangement, "No way, if you don't hear from me in that time. Leave."
"We can't do that," Kurapika stated. "We've allied."
Leorio turned around sharply, "Then this alliance is over."
"Leorio," Sakura called but he kept walking.
"I won't know for sure what's going on unless I check for myself, but I can't have you guys carrying me through things all the time. I appreciate everything you guys have done for me, but I've got to do this alone."
It wasn't offensive to hear. It was clear then that Leorio needed to assure himself, that he would be able to get through this phase and make it to the final. He was beginning to feel like he was being carried and having learned from experience the agony, Sakura couldn't say anything against his decision.
Although Gon didn't stand on that same perspective, "No way."
Leorio turned back to them ready to state again that with the alliance severed there was no need for the three to remain behind for him, but Gon didn't heed him.
"We're staying here because we want to. Is that a problem?"
Sakura closed her eyes, her eyebrows raised high, 'That's a stubbornness that cannot be deterred.'
And Leorio understood that as well since he relented before proceeding into the cave cautiously. A lighter in his hand and his switchblade close in his pocket. Leaving his briefcase with them.
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..
Time went by silently on both ends of the cave. Sakura, Gon, and Killua were yet to hear anything from Leorio and they hadn't stopped anxiously watching the imaginary clock in their minds for the deadline.
"He's taking too long," Kurapika said finally breaking the silence.
"Is Leorio okay?" asked Gon.
"I hope so," Sakura murmured.
There was an echo through the cave then, it was Leorio's voice, screaming towards the entrance. "Gon, Kurapika, Sakura, don't come in here!"
While the warning was heard, it was not obeyed. The three immediately charged forward without a moment's hesitation. The tunnel was wide leading to the back of the cave, and there hadn't been a need for light either since the journey to the back of the cave was short or there was already a light being produced at the end; however, dread-filled them when they saw the state Leorio was in.
Laying on the ground, flat on his stomach, visible red indentations in pairs littered his body. Leorio was twitching in pain but it was more than that. Around him, there were also several severed heads of snakes-vipers.
Leorio looked up at them, "You idiots, why did you enter the cave?"
Sakura covered her mouth, before swallowing back her fright and leaning down towards Leorio to heal him. Her hands trailed along the open wounds, but there was one issue.
"This is bad. He needs an antidote."
They weren't the only ones in the cave. Leaning on the wall was Bouban-the snake charmer as Tonpa had introduced him. He was completely still, seemingly in a trance on the right wall of the cave there was Leorio's target, Ponzu, watching the three inept.
Kurapika and Gon kneeled in front of their friend. "Leorio, do you have any serums in your bag?"
Leorio began to tremble, though he was already in a cold sweat. "If I did….I could've saved you guys."
Sakura pulled back after healing the last of Leorio's wounds, "Although he's healed, the poison's still in his system. I don't have any antidotes. We need to leave right now."
Moving quickly and carefully, Sakura hoisted Leorio onto her back and stood up. Gon and Kurapika moved to step out of the cave as well when Ponzu spoke.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she said, "You can't leave this cave."
Kurapika asked the reason for this, but Sakura didn't need to hear it. S chill run down her spine as she watched the cracks and crevices of the cave with unblinking eyes, completely overwhelmed by the number of snakes that began slithering out around the exit of the cave.
Sakura did not have the best experiences with snakes and even now she preferred to keep her distance from them. It wasn't just that they made her skin crawl. They were a trigger for very unpleasant memories.
"Bourbon the snake charmer set this trap. If anyone tries to leave, the snakes attack them." Ponzu explained, "If you're bitten, you'll end up like your friend, paralyzed and then-
"Death," Sakura finished, taking a shaky step back.
Kurapika turned back to Bourbon. "You're looking for tags, right? We'll give you all of ours if you let us out!"
Ponzu sighed, "Don't bother. He's already dead."
Upon closer inspection, they could see that the blue-haired woman was telling the truth. Bourbon hadn't moved since they entered the cave, and when they looked at his unblinking eyes they saw that all signs of life had been snuffed out.
After setting Leorio on the ground and leaving Gon to watch over, Sakura and Kurapika looked a little closer, there were large, purplish bubbles on his hands. Sakura knew what this signaled.
"Are you…..carrying bees on you?" Sakura asked, looking back at Ponzu.
Kurapika attempted to reach for Bourbon; he rationalized that if you were going to use snake venom to fight then it would make sense to have an antidote on hand in case. However, just when he was about to make contact Kurapika had to pull away when more snakes appeared from Bourbon's clothing, hissing and snapping their fangs at the two. Sakura took a jumpy step back.
"Afraid of snakes huh?" Ponzu observed. "Those snakes are trained to attack anyone who gets too close to their master, as well as anyone who tries to leave the cave."
"Even though their master is dead, they're still trained to remain with him huh?" Sakura narrowed her eyes, looking back to Bourbon "He must've died from anaphylactic shock right?"
Gon asked then, "Anaphylactic shock?"
Kurapika nodded, "When a bee stings a human, the human produces antibodies to fight the venom. But if a human is stung again by the same bee, then they'll experience an allergic reaction."
"That's right," Ponzu stated.
"So you used bees to kill him?" asked Gon.
Ponzu told them that Bourbon had been her target. She managed to track him in the cave they currently occupied. "After confirming he was in this cave. I sprayed sleeping gas at the entrance before entering. When I found him, he was out cold, but he already set his trap."
The sleeping gas Ponzu had used didn't reach into all the cracks in the cave, such as the roof where dozens upon dozens of snakes were set and lying in wait.
"I jumped back in time and avoided being bitten, but that's when my trap triggered." Tapping the giant yellow hat on her head, everyone watched as a swarm of bees came out of the fabric. This image reminded them a lot of an actual beehive. "When I scream, they attack any nearby humans. I didn't expect him to die. How could I have known he was already stung once?"
Despite what Ponzu said, she didn't sound the least bit remorseful, "And I couldn't help him because of the snakes." Raising her finger, Ponzu made an eight in the air and that was the signal for her bees to return to her hat which they did with no issue.
"The problem now is that he's dead. We can't disarm the trap or look for a way to disarm it." Ponzu told them. "I've already given up, we just have to wait for the examiners to come and save us."
Sakura tilted her head a little, "How can you be so sure the examiners will get us out?"
"Our ID contains a tracking device. The examiners can locate each applicant. If someone hasn't returned by the deadline the examiners will look for them."
It would have been a lightning thought if it wasn't for Leorio's condition. While he was calm after Sakura's treatment, he was still unable to move because of the poison that was running through his system.
"The best course would be to give up this year and wait for the examiners to get us out."
"But Leorio doesn't have that sort of time," Sakura stated, glaring at Ponzu. "He won't make it through the night."
"The examiners won't move until the deadlines are met though." Ponzu countered, "If you don't have your tag, you'll be left for dead."
Sakura bit her bottom lip hard, she looked at the entrance of the cave. It was completely out of the question to try and force her way through with all her friends present. The snakes would go into attack mode. She couldn't try and take down the walls either because that would probably trigger a rain of snakes that would go after anything that moved.
Then another thought came to mind.
'I wonder….' Sakura looked back at Bourbon. She felt her throat tightening and her stomach quiver as she stepped closer to the snake charmer. 'If I'm right….he should have an antidote on him but if I'm wrong or if he used it…..but…..it's the only way…..I can….
With a trembling hand and tears gathering in the corner of her eyes, Sakura reached towards Bourbon, his snakes watching her with harsh yellow eyes but then another slapped over her own and pulled her back. She looked back at Gon.
"Gon what are you-
"You don't have to force yourself Sakura," Gon said, letting go of her hand. He stepped towards Bourbon.
Sakura's eyes softened, "Gon….don't tell me…but if I don't then Leorio will-
Instead of responding, Gon took a breath before throwing his hand forward. Ignoring Ponzu and Kurapika who were calling to him. The instant Gon touched Bourbon, the snakes charged with their mouths open, fangs flashing in the light of the oil lamp.
Dread filled Sakura as she watched Gon's form vanish under dark scales pattered with red. The vipers surrounding Gon slithered and without a doubt were injecting their venom but Gon persisted. A few seconds later, Gon raised his arm, his hand visible through the coils revealing a bottle and two syringes.
"Found it! Sakura!" Gon tossed the bottle and needles her way. Sakura managed to catch them, but her concern was still averted by Gon. She watched as he fell back, and landed on the ground. The cloak of snakes slithered away. Gon lay with a weak smile, one of his eyes swollen purple from a bite, while the rest of his body was also covered.
The image quickly broke Sakura from her fearful grip and she drew out the antidote in the syringes, handing one to Kurapika. "Give this to Leorio quickly."
"Right."
"Dammit," Sakura then went to Gon, injecting him professionally while inspecting his wounds. After that, Sakura then proceeded to heal the bites as she did for Leorio.
Ponzu looked on in awe, crouching down in front of Gon and Sakura, "I can't believe he jumped in a nest of poisonous snakes to search for an antidote he didn't even know was there."
"Neither can I" Sakura hissed, clenching her jaw. "Though the odds were in his favor. When using poison like you or Bourbon, you'd often have an antidote as a bargaining chip. Though it takes a lot of courage to..."
Sakura ran her hand along Gon's face, ensuring that all of his wounds were healed again. She then looked back at Kurapika to see how Leorio's condition was. The Kurta gave her a reassuring look that he was fine.
"You guys must be really good friends," Ponzu said, smiling genuinely. It surprised her the lengths that these four were willing to go to for each other. While it was common to form alliances for this phase, there wasn't any need for comradery or loyalty. It was merely a mutually beneficial agreement that wasn't expected to be prolonged.
'They couldn't have even known each other that long,' Ponzu assumed.
Gon opened his eyes and began lifting himself, he looked at Ponzu. "Hey, do you have any sleeping gas left?"
The question triggered everyone's curiosity.
"I do."
Gon reached into his pocket, bringing out a badge. He held it out towards Ponzu, "Will you trade it for this?"
#103, Bourbons tag. Gon had managed to find that as well when he was looking for the antidote, all the while he had managed to come up with a solution to get the group out of the cave of snakes without relying on the examiners and failing the phase.
"Wait, what are you going to do with the sleeping gas though?"
"Put all the snakes to sleep so we can escape," Gon stated.
Ponzu's face dropped, "That would be effective if I were spraying it from the outside. Within five minutes the entire cave will be filled with gas and the snakes will fall asleep. But it'll take five minutes! We'd be put to sleep as well! No one can hold their breath that long!"
Sakura closed her eyes, "I can hold my breath long enough to get us out, and I have a resistance to poison as well,"
"Nine minutes and forty-five seconds," Gon said, standing up. He started to stretch his muscles which had become a little stiff after being injected with venom. "That's my record for holding my breath."
Sakura caught on, "Gon and I can carry all of you out of here."
Ponzu frowned and looked away, "I can't trust you. You might escape without me."
Kurapika then interjected, "Do you think they'd do that? When both were willing to jump into a pit of vipers to save their friend?"
That seemed to settle Ponzu's suspicions and the women brought out a small chamber holding the sleeping gas. She set it down and looked at Gon and Sakura. "It's ready."
Gon looked at Sakura and nodded before giving a thumbs up to Ponzu, signaling for her to release the gas. She unscrewed the cap and a cloud of gas was released.
Sakura and Gon stood still, watching as everyone fell unconscious along with the snakes there were hiding in the walls of the cave. Sakura kept herself from cringing when she felt some of the snake's bodies hit her own when they fell or making any unnecessary movements so as not to lose count for the five minutes they needed to escape.
'Nearly time,'
Then when the time was up, Sakura and Gon moved to pick up the unconscious individuals. Sakura picked up Leorio and Gon picked up Kurapika and Ponzu, tossing them on his back before the two made their way to the entrance of the cave.
..
..
Sakura gently placed Leorio down next to where Gon placed Kurapika, both were still unconscious, as was Ponzu. Gon had set up upright against a tree, going through her belongings before placing Bourbon's tag in her lap but then Sakura saw why he was searching her bag in the first place.
Gon held up Ponzu's badge, "A small fee for carrying her out."
Sakura stared for a moment before her shoulders shook from laughter, and joined in with Gon.
"It looks like, we're all going to the final phase together."
That's all folks!
Remember to check out my tumblr if you want to see the schedule for future chapters or if you're interested in joining the membership, or writing commissions the links are available there.
I am also going to start posting some voice over specials that will be on my tumblr.
HERE'S THE LINEUP
MEMBERS NOW:
-Kunoichi amongst Heroes chapter 48, 49, 50
-Kunoichi amognst Heroes movie part 1
-Kunoichi amongst Pirates chapter 16, 17, 18
-Through the Looking Glass chapter 15, 16
-Through the Spyglass chapter 1, 2, 3
-Crossroads of Fate chapter 12, 13
Public post 15 August
-Kunoichi amongst Heroes chapter 48
-Through the Looking Glass chapter 15