Part 23: Do X Or X Die

"We've arrived at the dock!" shouted the captain of the ship that I rode. He has an insanely long beard and almost looks like the Captain except that he has black hairs instead of white.

I was about to get out of the ship when suddenly, he shouted my name because of interest.

"Where are you going all alone, little girl?" he asked and drank all of the beer he was holding on his hands.

"I'm going to see my friends. I won't be alone for too long!~" I shouted cheerfully. Since the time Gon told me to meet them at Yorknew City, I couldn't help myself but be excited. It's been days since I last saw them in the train station in Dentora region.

The captain laughed out loud all of a sudden, drawing the attention of the workers and even the passengers of the ship.

"Well, good luck on your journey, and be careful."

He smirked widely and I nodded to him to show that I will follow his advice. I finally got out of the ship and started to walk away from the port.

Because I met a ship captain earlier, I already missed the Captain and my fellow workers on the ship. I wish I would ride on their ship once more so I can see them again. I wonder if they still working for him or not anymore.

After hours of walking in the streets of the unfamiliar town, I finally found my destination which is a cafeteria. I suddenly remembered entering a restaurant with my father when I was a kid. It was my price for being the honor student of our class at that time, so I could eat anything that I want.

I can't help myself but miss my father. Even though he did that to me, I still love him. And I'm still angry about what he did to me. It's like I'm stuck in the middle of the rope, didn't know first I'll go to the left or to the right. I guess I'll follow Gon's advice of talking to him and asked him why did he do that to me.

"Secco!"

I came back to reality when someone shouted my name. I raised my head while I'm still standing at the entrance of the café and first saw Gon with his happy face. Killua was standing beside him with his arms crossed and I can see in his eyes that he doesn't like to see me.

"Gon!~" I shouted excitedly with a wide smile on my face. "And Killc—Killua too."

I almost shouted Killua's nickname but since my master told me that I'm being childish and annoying when shouting nicknames, I tried to stop calling him like that.

I ran happily towards their table when all of a sudden, on my first step on the floor, I slipped and fell down with my head crashed on the floor with a great force, causing it to hurt so much.

"Ouch!" I shouted in pain as I massaged my head to remove it.

"Secco!" Gon shouted my name and ran towards me, with Killua following him behind, still had the same glare displayed. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," I said to him, with an unsure smile on my face.

"Geez, why are you so clumsy? Your one-month training is completely useless." Killua bashed me all of a sudden with his fierce look at me.

I just smiled widely at him and all of a sudden, I saw his cheeks grew red like a tomato and turned his head away.

When I looked at his shy blush, I remembered the night at the Cantaran City where I realized that I have feelings for him. I also felt my cheeks started to get red and I hid my face from Gon.

Gon, who has no idea what happened to us, looked at both of us and ended up not knowing how to react to our behavior.

After what happened, we went to their table and they started to discuss what they have been talking about earlier, to me. They also told me their experiences while they were having their training at the Heaven's Arena.

They also met Hisoka on the top floors of the tower and successfully returned the badge to him. I didn't know how to react to what happened. Should I be happy because they returned the badge to him? Or should I be frightened because Hisoka did something to them?

"We want to buy a game called Greed Island to find some trails of Gon's father," Killua explained to me.

Wait. Greed Island? That's also the game that I'm looking for.

"Perfect timing!~ I also want to find that game! My master told me that the right person I must talk to is inside Greed Island." I also said my intentions to them so we can work together.

"Then, come with us, Secco! Together, we will play the game.", Gon suggested with excitement. I nodded as an agreement and we cheered for the perfect plan. I noticed Killua immediately react to what he said.

"Gon, w-what are you saying?!" he shouted at him.

"Is there a problem, Killua?" Gon asked him innocently using his big bright eyes so Killua just stopped shouting and looked away.

"I-I.... Oh! J-Just never mind!" he stuttered with a cold sweat dropped on his face.

When I think about it, Killua acts very much like Archi. And I also remembered Killua when I first met Archi.

After finding that sudden idea funny, I giggled in my seat, causing them to hear it. Because of curiosity, they both stared at me with their eyes turned into slits, curious why I was laughing out of the blue.

"Sorry, it's just that... when I trained for a month in Cantaran City, I met a boy who looked like he has the same age as you two. And he acts similarly to Killua!" I said to them.

All of a sudden, I saw Killua's face turned pale and turned his head towards the window beside him, looking uninterested in what I said earlier. "Is that so?"

He spoke with his same cold voice I heard when we were having the final phase of the Hunter exam. It was shivering, it sends chills down to my spine. I wonder if he is mad at me because I mentioned someone who they didn't meet.

While on the other hand, Gon became excited about my story. "Really? What's his name?"

"I-It's Archi. He's my master's full-time student and he's been with me when I'm having my training. He's sometimes got mad easily and rude but he's still kind to others if you know him well."

The conversation about Archi took longer than I expected because Gon always asks some more questions about him, and I answered excitedly right away.

But the storytelling ended when all of a sudden, Killua stood from his seat with an irritated face and moved out of the table.

"Killua, what's wrong?" Gon asked him with a worried face. I noticed his hands formed into fists and turned around to see us.

"I forgot to tell you. You don't have a phone, right Gon?"

When he said that to Gon, we immediately left the café towards the nearest shopping district to buy some new phones. I decided to buy one too since my phone is so old. The Captain gave it to me when I started working on the ship so in case I need a lift, I can call him even though the distance on the deck and outside of the ship is so short.

When we were about to buy some phones, we met Leorio on the streets and helped us to look for some more helpful phones than those that are just using for entertainment and games.

After that reunion, we decided to find a place to sleep and finally found an inn near the shopping district.

"Hey, Secco," I heard Killua called my name all of a sudden. I turned my head towards him and tilted my head.

I noticed his face became red as he stared away from me, not wanting to see my face.

"I-I've got something to tell you. Come with me." he stuttered in his words and started to walk outside of the inn.

Since Gon and Leorio have some work to do, I just followed Killua's instructions and moved out of the inn out of curiosity.

When I got out of the building, I was being greeted by the cold free wind as it touches my body. But the town is not dark at all. The streets were filled with lights of multiple vendors selling different products.

"It's so beauti—"

"No time for this. We have to move." Killua didn't let me finish my sentence and grabbed my hand forcefully to keep me walking.

As he walked on the streets, holding my hand to guide me towards our destination that I didn't have a clue where it is, I felt my cheeks grew red and lowered my head to hide my embarrassment.

"What's wrong?" he asked me and even I couldn't see his face, I know he's irritated.

"N-Nothing!" I suddenly shouted at him. I can feel him that he was surprised by my sudden action but he didn't mind and continued dragging me with his hand.

Being this close to Killua... And even holding my hand... It feels...

"You're acting weird lately." he suddenly said to me as we walked. I can see his cheeks grew red as he rubbed his right hand behind his head. "I—I mean—W-We're worried."

After I heard that, I don't know if I'll feel bad or glad about it. I'm happy that Killua is worried about me but I'm also guilty that I made them worried. Is it because of these strange feelings I felt for... Killua?

"I-I'm fine. There's nothing to worry about." I told him with a smile but I knew he never bit it. He knows that I'm really not good with lies and he still sees through them.

"Oh. We're here," he said and we stopped at an alley away from the large streets of the town. It wasn't very dark in here because of the lamp posts on every edge. This alley seems familiar to the basketball court near our district where the other kids used to play.

"Why are we here, Killua?", I tried to ask him but he didn't answer for a while and walked towards the center of the alley. He turned around to see me and looked at me with his straight face. And then, he pulled a small coin out of his pocket and played with it in the air.

"You said you wanted to become my friend, right?" he spoke.

I didn't answer directly because I'm not sure. At first, I wanted to be friends with him because he's amazing and cool. But when I got closer to him, I felt something strange, especially when I looked at his blue eyes. It actually feels like him. I want to know about it.

"O-Of course!" I said stuttered in my words.

"Then you have to fight me."

"Eh?"

I couldn't react properly because of what he said which I was just trying to absorb in my mind. W-What does he mean by fighting him?! It's the complete opposite of what I wanted to have!

"No! I refused to fight you, Killua!"

And besides, he is too strong for me. Me, once a ship worker, fighting the son of one of the most famous assassins of all time? I'm sure I'll die.

"Hey! Don't think too much, you idiot! What I wanted to say is... You have to steal this coin from me for five seconds. After that, you won." he explained to me and now I greatly understood it.

"Now, shall we start?" he asked and I nodded as a response. I already prepared my battle pose and concentrated. I can feel my heart in my chest beating so fast, and I don't know if it is because of excitement or nervousness. It's my first time facing Killua in a challenge. I have to get ready.

"Then, go!"

As I heard the trigger, I ran towards Killua at my faster speed and I increased my agility to move on his back. I gathered all of the lessons I learned on my training and all of the tips my master told me.

I was about to grab his hand where he was holding the coin but he suddenly disappeared out of my sight.

"You've improved", I heard his voice one of the edges of the alley and he showed up, still holding the coin. "But you can't still catch up with me."

I moved out of my place at a faster speed than before and I went beside him to kick his legs. I caught him off guard because of what I did and was about to fell off the ground but his movements got quicker and instead, I'm the one who fell on the ground as he used my back as a support for jumping.

"It's just starting though."

I got up immediately and this battle ended up for almost an hour and my body started to reach its limit. My feet got tired of running to attack. My hand got numb because of his defense. And I'm already exhausted.

"Is that what you've got?" he shouted at me as I was about to drop my whole body to the ground and tried to rest, but I suddenly remembered why I accepted his challenge. I want to be friends with him. I don't want to be treated like a burden anymore.

I know I cannot do it anymore since I'm at my limits but if I give up now, it's like saying goodbye to Killua. I want to be friends with him and get close to him. I want to freely talk to them.

So I decided to give all of my remaining energy to this final big blow. I tried to remember how my master taught me about Nen, about Aura, and everything that relates to them.

I closed my eyes to feel the energy surrounds my body. It was a layer of blood that flows around my body, defying the gravity of the ground as my body acted like a magnetic field.

It's time to show what I've got.