Part 12: Unacceptable X Death X Threat

SECCO RASVIN

"The Fourth Phase of the exam has ended. All applicants must head back to the shore for the Final Phase. You will be given an hour for extra time."

We heard this announcement near the seashore so Killua and I both rushed towards it. We made it back to the starting point with no serious encounters with any participants.

Most of the applicants are here, waiting for the one-hour extra time that the examiners gave us. Killua just sat in one of the trees in the shore while I walked around the applicants, checking for someone, for Gon and the others, but I can't see them in the small crowd.

Hmm... that's strange. They're not here yet. I wonder if they're in trouble?

I decided to walk back inside the island to check them. I can't help myself to be worried about them, especially to Gon. His target was that creepy clown who has some interest in him, and I can't take that!

I was about to give myself a headstart towards the island when suddenly, Killua grabbed the back of my shirt and lifted me in the air. I moved myself to get away from his grasp on my shirt but no avail.

"What are you doing, Killchi?! Let go of me!", I shouted at him with my fierce eyes at him while he still didn't put me down on the ground.

"Shut up!", he said to me with his eyes fiercer than mine. I feel a hint of fear on my heart and started to cry. He finally put me down in the sand and I can't help but kneel down and cry out loud.

"Hey, stop crying! You're making me a bad person!", Killua shouted at me angrily and started to punch me in the head with his fist over and over again. I shouted in every punch.

"Idiot, what did you do that for?!", I shouted back with an angry face and wiped the tears on my eyes."I was worried about our friends!"

"Will you stop worrying too much about them?! You'll look like a mother and grow old quickly if you do that!", he said, showing an irk mark on his forehead.

"You can't order me around because we're not friends yet!", I shouted and all of the applicants started to turn their heads on us and watched us fight, word by word.

"Then fine! I will not scold you, old hag!"

"You're starting to call me an old hag right now?!"

"Yeah! Because you really look like one! Bleh!", and he gave me a tongue out.

We ended our conversation with a staring contest and who has the deadliest glare among us wins. Until I saw a glimpse of Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio, coming from the island and running towards the direction of the other applicants.

My eyes were not fixed on Killua anymore, and a feeling of happiness grew around me as I rushed towards them, especially when I see Gon.

"Gon! Kurapika! Leorio!~", I shouted at them while running, as I waved my hand to get their attention. They all looked at me simultaneously and they all smiled at me.

"Secco!", Gon also waved his hand on me. When I finally made it to them, I gave Gon a big hug and he hugged me back, wrapped his hands around me. My eyes became wet again and I started to cry in joy.

"I'm glad you're all safe!", I shouted as I take some sobs and cries. I grabbed Gon's sleeves and used it as a handkerchief for me to cry on. I can't help but cry in front of them. Killua followed me and made it to us with his cool face. I saw him glared at me with his eyes but I didn't care.

"Secco, you're acting like a mother.", Gon suddenly said to me with a smile. My joy started to fade away and I let myself dropped on the ground. Do I really look like one?

"Told you.", Killua added and it made me sadder. What if it's true? If I keep worrying about them, I'll look like an old woman. That's scary!

An airship the same as the one we rode before, was shown in front of us and Khara showed up. She started to check the applicants' badges to identify which passed the fourth phase of the exam. Next, it was my turn to let her check my tags. I grabbed my tags out of my bag and showed him the number 406 and number 80.

"Secco, number 406 and... number 80...", Khara muttered, checking my tags in the pad of paper she was holding. "... Okay, you've passed!"

"Yay!~", I shouted and Gon gave me a high five, which I accepted.

After some minutes of checking the tags, it turns out that there are only ten applicants passed the phase. I can't believe it. In the first phase, there are over four hundred applicants joined the exam! And now, there are only ten left, including me and my friends! I couldn't believe that I've come this far.

All of us stayed in the same room, discussing what would be the final phase of the exam. Hmm... it would be good if it's a test of deduction! If it is, then I will win and passed the exam with no problem!

Gon, Killua, Kurapika, Leorio and I sat in a circle, discussing the matter.

"I'll buy some juice. Who wants one?~", I said cheerfully to my friends.

"Me, me! Buy me an apple juice!", Leorio shouted first with a very large smile on his face. A sweat dropped on my forehead.

"Me too.", Kurapika said to me.

"Orange juice for me!", shouted Gon as he raised his hand to caught my attention.

"Same here," Killua said coolly.

I nodded to all of them and moved out of the room, towards the canteen. When I'm in the corridor, I felt that someone is watching me from afar.

Then, all of a sudden, I felt that something is rushing towards me with incredible speed from behind. To avoid being hit, I leaned over to my left to dodge that thing. But since I'm not fast enough, it left me with a bruise on my cheek and I found out that it was a yellow pin with a sharp, pointy edge that someone stroke at me.

I looked at my back and saw a man whose body and faces are full of needles, with his head ticking like a clock creepily. Wait! It's the pinhead! What was his name again?

I became alert and ready to protect myself from any attacks from the pinhead. I know he's dangerous. He's been with Hisoka since the third phase of the exam so I'm sure they're friends.

"Good job on dodging my needle.", he spoke, along with some applause. I just shut up in my position as I slowly grabbed my small knives out of my pocket.

"What do you want from me?", I said to him with my serious face.

"I was just giving you a warning.", he said as he walked towards me at a normal speed, so I stepped back in his every step. His bloodlust is started to wrap around my heart, I can sense a murderous aura around him. My heart started to beat so fast. "I know Kil doesn't consider you as a friend yet. But if you insisted to be his friend, I'll kill you with my needles."

Kil? Does he mean... Killua?

"Kil didn't deserve to be friends with you all, he didn't even deserve to have friends. His life was to kill people, his life was to become an assassin, not a friend, not a hunter.", Wait! How does he know that Killua is an assassin?!

Because of what he said, I felt like I'm not scared of him anymore. Actually, I'm upset, really upset."You have no right to do that! Killchi has the right to do what he wanted!", I shouted at him with my fierce eyes.

"If you insist, then I have no choice. I have to kill you, even that boy..."

The boy? Does he mean Gon?

"Say that again!", I shouted back and grabbed the knives out, getting ready for battle. "I will protect them from your dirty fingers, even that costs my life!"

I know what I said was really sound stupid, and I'm still scared of him. But I can't take it when someone wants to abuse or hurt my friends, now that I've got some.

He was about to attack me with his needles when someone threw a deadly card towards him, resulting in his left cheek to bleed and wounded. The guy who threw the card showed up and it turns out to be Hisoka. Great! Now I'm in trouble!

"Stop it, Gittarackur. I'll still be needing her.", Hisoka said to the pinhead with a serious face. Oh, so his name is Gittarackur?

"Where would you be needing her, Hisoka? She has no potential on anything.", Gittarackur answered. Well, that kinda hurts.

"You may not know. She may be raw right now and ripen late, but that's what made her so delicious.", Hisoka said. D-Delicious? What are they talking about? It's so creepy!

They stared at each other for seconds, leaving me behind, spaced out and confused, until they turned around me, with the pinhead putting down his readied needles. Hisoka smiled at me like it was so warm but it's really not.

"Sorry for the trouble, Secco. You can go ahead.", he said to me. I looked at him with my serious face and then with fierce eyes to Gittarackur.

"Next time, I'll make sure you're gonna regret attempting to kill us!", I shouted with all my courage and ran away as fast as I can towards the canteen. I took short breaths as I hide from them. My heart starting to beat so fast. Where did that come from? I just said a stupid thing to them! I'm sure they'll haunt me forever! I can't help it, they're attempting to kill us.

I bought the juices that my friends were requesting earlier and went back to the room. I approached them and gave them the juices that I bought. I stared at Gon and Killua for like minutes, thinking about what happened earlier.

Kil doesn't deserve to have friends...

I have to kill you, even that boy...

I gritted my teeth, still mad because of the threat that pinhead gave to me. I must protect Gon... and Killua from that guy! Acting like he knows Killua better than us!

"Secco?", Gon said to me which made me back to reality."Are you okay? Your cheek is bleeding."

I wiped the blood on my cheeks.

"...Yeah, this is nothing..."