ꜱᴛᴜᴄᴋ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ- ᴋɪʟʟᴜᴀ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ [OLD]

71- 𝘕𝘦𝘯

"Zushi." Wing walked forward, seemingly out of nowhere. "Are you certain that you're sufficiently qualified to be teaching others?"

"Ah, fuck, it's this guy again," I whispered. "I don't like him." This earned an elbow nudge and a glare from Gon. "Sorry, sorry." I chuckled.

"Now, Gon, Killua, Y/n." Wing smiled. "An old proverb warns; that it is possible a smattering of knowledge may not reduce one's ignorance, but increase it."

"So you're saying a little knowledge is a dangerous thing? Thanks for the tip, but I really wanna learn this. Because I'm convinced it's behind my brother's powers." Killua's hands remained in his pockets.

"Besides, if it's not you who tells us, I'm sure we can find someone else to teach us Nen. We are hunters after all." I smiled, hoping to manipulate him into telling us with a minor threat. Well, it wasn't exactly a threat, more of a bluff.

"You say that your brother is able to use Nen?" Wing looked up.

"Hey, don't ignore me!" I huffed.

"I need to understand what Nen and Ren even mean!" Killua frowned. "And not just halfway. I need to know it! If you're willing to teach us, we won't try and figure it out ourselves."

"We?" Wing asked.

"Well, Y/n and me. And Gon too." Killua explained.

"Me?" I walked forward a bit.

"Would you wanna? Learn Nen with me, I mean." The pale boy in front of me scratched the back of his neck nervously as a light blush spread across his face. "Don't feel obligated to though."

"Of course!" I giggled, leaping into his arms and giving him a tight hug. "I'd be happy to. But first, we gotta convince this guy to teach us."

"I know, I know." Killua chuckled, most likely out of embarrassment.

"Wing, we need to know this. Obviously, it's something used for protection. That's what Zushi used it for anyway. If you could teach it to us, we'd be at least a little bit safer." I reasoned.

"You wouldn't want us to go out in this wild world without any form of protection, now would you?" Killua smirked, setting me down gently.

"Well, in that case..." Wing's mocking smile was replaced with a grimace. "Let's adjourn to my room."

"We did it!" I whisper shouted, grabbing Killua's arm.

"No, you did it. I just built off of what you said." He grinned. "Now let's go!" His pale hand intertwined with mine, making me feel even happier than before.

~~

We arrived at a small cabin and entered Wing's room. The atmosphere was cozy as the light orange-tinted lights filled the room, causing a comfortable contrast to the cold nighttime environment outside. Killua and I were still holding hands, making me feel a bit more secure.

"Paying attention?" Wing asked. "Nen, or flame, is a power that fires our souls. In other words, it's the strength of your will. And the four exercises is a training regimen that strengthens your will."

"Okay, makes sense so far." I hummed.

"Strengthens your will?" Gon repeated.

"Training?" Killua's eyebrows furrowed.

"So, think of your will as your own physical body. If you train, for example, by fighting others or by I dunno, working out or something, it'll grow stronger. I'm assuming the four exercises do something to our spirits to make our willpower grow. Is that correct?" I offered.

"Yes, that's a good example." Wing nodded.

"Oh, I get it." Killua smiled.

"Me too!" Gon held a thumbs up.

"Ten; focus the mind on a single point, reflect on the self, and determine the goal." Wing pointed to the drawing he made on his whiteboard. "Zetsu; Stop the flow of life energy and increase it in another area. Ren is to intensify your will. Hatsu is to release it into action."

"Okay, makes sense so far." I put my finger up to my chin.

"See, Zushi tempered his "refusal to lose" during his battle with you, Killua." Wing continued to explain as Killua's eyes widened, recalling the event. "Now, allow me to demonstrate. Killua? For this demonstration, I would like to kill you now."

"Hey, what the hell? No way!" I shouted, getting in front of the boy, as though that would protect him. "He's my best friend, I'm not letting him die, no matter what it'll teach us! Killua, let's leave!"

"Hey just calm dow-" Killua started, but was cut off by my shouting once more.

"He intends to hurt you. I can't live with that. Let's go." I gritted my teeth together, grabbing his hand.

"Y/n, please come back." Wing said calmly. "I won't actually kill him, it's simply a demonstration. Nothing will happen to him, I promise." I glanced at Gon's face, as though it would change my decision. Sure enough, it did.

"Fine, but if there's even a scratch on him by the end of this I swear to god I'll...I'll stab you!" I slumped back over to the spot we were standing in previously, Killua in hand.

"You really can't be so protective." Killua chuckled.

"Sorry, I just got a bit alarmed is all. I really, really care about you." I felt a bit embarrassed and kept my eyes glued to the floor. Killua stayed quiet until I heard him let out a tiny gasp.

"I...I really care about you too. A lot, actually. But, now's not the time to delve into all that." He squeezed my hand twice and let go of it, but still had a small and warm smile on his face. "Now then, go on ahead and try to kill me. It won't work." He turned to Wing.

"Let's do this in order." Wing smiled, holding up a finger. "First, Ten." He squatted down and held his fists by his kneecaps. "I focus my mind on a single point. Zetsu; Express your desired intent. Either mentally or verbally." 

I gazed back down to see my dirtied-up shoes, not wanting to look or hear what was about to happen. With all the dreams I had been having, I grew more and more anxious every day. Especially the one about Quinn. All I could think of was death. There was no good, no bad, just a solemn and dreary end. I hated it.