Chapter 20

"So... who'd you guys get?" I asked, leaning against the edge of boat next to the other two. "Not telling~" Killua teased, taking a seat by Gon. "How about we reveal our cards on the count of 3?" Gon suggested.

Oh yeah... did they do that originally? Probably. Just imagining the scene in my head felt familiar. "3..." I started...

"2," Killua followed up...

"1!" Gon finished, and the three of us turned our cards around to reveal the numbers written on them.

I sighed in relief after scanning the other two's cards. "Good. None of us have each other, or Kurapika and Leorio."Gon also sighed in relief, looking as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Aww, he'd been worried about getting one of us? How cute.

I had number 293, Killua had 199, and Gon had... 44.

"Hold on, Gon isn't that... Hisoka's badge number?" Killua asked incredulously, staring at Gon's card, which read number 44 on it. "He's right... 44 is Hisoka's number. Gon... are you gonna be, um... alright?" I asked nervously.

Gon only stared down at the number with a determined gaze, clutching it tightly. What am I saying? He's the protagonist. Protagonists don't die, at least not this early in the show. But still... that doesn't mean he can't hurt, or come close to the verge of death...

"Besides that, who did you guys get?" Gon asked. "I wasn't really paying attention to everyone's badges so I don't really know. I'm sure I'll find them at some point though," Killua said, tucking the badge away in his pocket. "Same here," I said sheepishly. Especially since everyone hid their badges after the challenge was announced.

***

The boat slowed to a stop in front of a large foresty island, setting down a plank for people to cross over. "You will be leaving in the order you passed the third phase," a woman announced.

"Good luck Aki!" Gon cheered as I stood up, stretching. "Don't die out there," Killua said and gave a little wave. "As if," I retorted. "Killua, I know you'll be fine, but Gon... please be careful with Hisoka," I warned.

"Don't worry... I will," he said with a smile. Returning the smile, I waved goodbye to Leorio and Kurapika as I walked onto the island, disappearing into the thick trees.

We have a week to find either our target or enough badges to amount up to the number of points we need to pass. If I don't know who my target is, it must be someone relatively unimportant or weak since I only bothered to memorize the stronger badge numbers.

So taking him out won't be a problem. What will be is the short amount of time I have to find one person on this huge island. On top of that, I have to avoid whoever's going after me and anyone else who decided to go for the extra badges instead of their target.

Which means that I won't have much time to sleep so that I can be on guard more often... god, this is so much more troublesome than I thought it would be.

I hope those other four are doing okay...