Part 15: Taking X What's X Lost

SECCO RASVIN

I opened my eyes lazily, only being burned by the sunlight so I closed it immediately. I found out that I'm lying, staring at the ceiling, so I got up from the soft bed and looked around the room. The bed was actually big and king-sized, the windows are large, with curtains tied up, there is also some other expensive-looking furniture that you usually see in some bedrooms. There's no one else in the room except me.

When I turning around, I felt my shoulder suddenly in pain. So I touched it to feel its texture and found out that it was covered with bandages. Hmm... I wonder what happened...

Until I remembered that Killua was the one who disqualified and left the hotel building.

"Killchi!" I shouted with all my might. Looks like my throat is recovered fine, but I still in irregular tone.

I quickly removed the blanket that's been covering me and got out of the bed. I rushed to the door and opened it, seeing the wide corridor of the building.

"Killchi!" I shouted again and looked at every side of the corridor, hoping to see at least one person.

"Oh! Secco!" I heard a familiar voice not far from where I was standing, so I turned around to see it and found out that it's actually Gon, with Satotz beside him.

"Gon!~" I smiled at him widely and jumped at him to give him a bear hug which he didn't resist. "You're alright!"

I let go of him from my hug and begin to look down with my guilty face. "Sorry, Gon... I... I tried my best to make him stay but... Killchi..."

When I said those words, he tucked me on the shoulder with his right arm since his other arm was injured during his match.

"Don't worry. I'll find a way!" he shouted, resulting in me nod as an agreement.

"And... are you alright?" he pointed my injured shoulder which he noticed because some bandages showed up.

"Yes, I'm fine..."

"By the way, Miss Secco." Satotz started talking and approached me, lending me a license card with the symbol of the Hunter Association. At first, I didn't accept it and just examining it for a while.

"Here is your Hunter license. Congratulations on becoming a Hunter!", he said with no mouth and smiled at me. I identified him smiling by reading his eyes.

"W-Wait! I don't deserve it! I didn't even win! In fact, I didn't have a match with anyone yet!" I yelled at him, trying to convince him.

"Killua was the one who disqualified, resulting in the remaining applicants to passed, including you. That's the rule," he said.

Still, with doubt, I accepted the Hunter license with both hands and looked at it for seconds. I wanted to be a Hunter to become stronger to protect my loved ones. But... I got this license with no sweat. In conclusion, I've just become a good-for-nothing Hunter. I couldn't protect anyone at that time, not even Gon, not even Killua.

I remembered what I just shouted at Illumi the other day.

"I will protect them from your dirty fingers, even that costs my life!"

I swore I'll protect them, both Killua and Gon. But earlier... I couldn't do anything.

"Let's go, Secco! We'll be joining their lectures." Gon said to me. I just nodded and followed him towards the room where all the applicants that became officially Hunters.

Gon opened the door with a bang, making the people inside turned around to see us, and stared at us.

I turned around to see Gon's face and he was really angry, looking at Killua's brother, Illumi, who doesn't have any expression at all.

Suddenly, Gon rushed towards Illumi, leaving me behind the door and making me chase after him. "Gon!"

I know what he'll gonna do...

When he finally made it to Illumi, he gave him a deadly glare and grabbed his hand.

"Apologize to Killua!" Gon yelled at him with his deep voice, still holding his arm.

"Why do I have to? He's my brother." Illumi asked with his emotionless face, making the former even mad. I just stand there, watching them exchanging different glares.

"You don't have the right to be his brother!" Gon pulls his arm to the air with a great amount of force, making Illumi throw through the air but still landed safely with his feet.

"Forget it." Gon spoke at him, still wearing the same face. "Tell me where he is."

And their conversation continues, with Illumi didn't answer his question and saying that Gon making it sound like he kidnapped his brother, which the former states true by explaining that Illumi manipulated him.

Until then, Netero interrupted their conversation as the meeting also focuses on Killua's situation. Kurapika said that he was acting strangely during his match between his brother, making it like Illumi was hypnotizing him to kill other applicants. Leorio also defended Killua's state by explaining that he was just trying to help him by killing Bodoro, in other words, Leorio should be the one who disqualified.

The chairman gave them his point that Leorio has the advantage of the match so why did Killua have to help him. Pokkle also interrupts and questioned Kurapika's win, by asking him what did Hisoka whispered to him. Kurapika refused to answer it and also questioned his win.

Gon interrupted them all and said that there's no need to question everyone's win in the tournament, what matters is all have passed, including Killua, but he didn't.

"Once I will rescue Killua, I'll never let you see him again!" Gon shouted at Illumi pointing his index finger towards him.

Netero agrees on Gon's idea about everyone passing the exam, and stopped the matter about the problem. Then, he looked at Mr. Beans and signaled him to continue the orientation.

"Mr. Illumi, Mr. Gon, Miss Secco, please take your seats," Mr.Beans told us and with no choice, we obeyed him.

Gon and I decided to sit in the nearest seats and listened to the introduction of the Hunter license. Based on what we've heard, we can use the Hunter license to pass any restrictions, and receive any information, just like what Kurapika said before.

Then, if I use this, I can gain information about my arm, limitlessly. I'll be able to know about it, where it came from and such.

"Then, I'll declare all you, eight examinees, as Hunters! Congratulations!"

***

After that orientation, Gon and I decided to go out, looking around, searching for Illumi.

We looked for him for minutes around the hotel building. Woah! This hotel is really huge!

Until we saw him in one of the corridors and rushed towards him. When he sensed us approaching him, he turned around to see us, still wearing the same face as before.

"Oh! It's Gon. And... Secco, right?" he said to us. We both glared at him that our eyebrows were almost meet their ends. How dare he speak our names...

He looked at Gon and then stuck his eyes at me. "Looks like you failed to protect him.", he said to me, making me grit my teeth and want to punch him anytime, but I know that's my ticket to death. So I hold myself up and calmed down.

"Tell me where Killua is." Gon spoke.

"Are you really going to take him away?" he asked, still emotionless. "I think that's a bad idea."

"I don't care what you think!" the former shouted.

"Killua is my friend," he added. "I'm taking him with us."

"Oh... but... do they feel the same way?" Illumi lost his attention to us and looked at our backs. We also turned our heads and it turned out that it was actually our friends we left in the room.

"You bet," Leorio said with his serious face. Kurapika nodded in agreement with him. We turned our heads back to Illumi, waiting for his answer.

He left us there for about a minute, and finally, let out a sigh. "Kil went home."

"Home?" Gon and I both asked simultaneously.

"To Kukuroo Mountain. Our family lives on the top." that was his last words and finally left, lost him in our sight.

We started to search for Kukuroo Mountain but even the most knowledgeable among us, Kurapika, didn't know about it. So we started to research it from the internet.

Then all of a sudden, Hanzo approached us.

"I apologized for what happened back then.", he bowed to Gon while the latter accepted his apology immediately. I understand what Hanzo feels and intentions at that time. He just wants to end the match and passed the exam, the same as all of us here. But still, I'm so upset because he went that far from breaking Gon's arm.

"I will go back to my country. If you want to visit it, I'll tour you to our best tourist spots.", he said as Gon nodded. I wonder what is his country looks like? Are all people there bald? "Now, bye!"

"Bye!"

Pokkle also walked towards us, apologized to Kurapika for bringing his victory strange, the latter also apologized for doing the same.

He showed us a book full of information on it.

"Is there anything about Ging Freecss?" Gon asked. Ging Freecss? That must be his father. We all joined, searching for his father's name on the book.

"Hmm... there's nothing here," Pokkle said.

"Your father is really mysterious," Leorio said, resting his chin on his fingers.

"Is that so? Then, thanks." Gon said and Pokkle bid us goodbye and left us in our position.

Suddenly, Satotz is the next one who approached us. He lectured us about a man he knew that discovered forgotten ruins. That man's name was Ging Freecss, Gon's father. I was amazed! Gon's father was actually a really great Hunter! But it's strange that his name was not written in those books Pokkle gave us, maybe even in other books. Satotz also said that he wanted to find Ging, but he couldn't. I wonder how will Gon search for him.

Kurapika also found the Kukuroo Mountain and he said it's located in the Republic of Padokea.

After that, we bid goodbyes to the remaining applicants in the hotel, and also to the examiners, and left the hotel building.

We rode in a taxi to go to the nearest airport in the city, for us to go to the said republic. But as Lady Luck is not with us today, we got in traffic and have to wait there for hours.

Then, Gon suddenly opened the taxi door and went out of the vehicle. I followed him as he started to ran on the side of the streets. Kurapika and Leorio followed.

"Hey, Gon!" Leorio shouted. "Do you know how far the airport is?!"

"I want to rescue Killua as soon as possible!" he shouted back. I showed a warm smile as I stared at him, still smiling after the troubles we faced in the exam.

While I was running, I turned around to see the two guys running behind me. "And besides, this is more fun!~" I yelled and gave them giggles.

I saw them smile and just run. I rest enough earlier so I was really full of energy today. If my path of becoming a Hunter is more than what we did in the exam, then this will be nothing to me, to us.

Few hours left to reach the airport.