Phantom Troupe's Web

Chapter 18.

The Hunter Exam concluded after Killua ended the life of Bodoro. After the Final Phase, the successful applicants sat scattered around inside a classroom, the examiners of the exam and the chairman stood at the front of the room. The room was silent since no one didn't want to speak about the event that happened prior, however, the eldest Zoldyck felt an approaching presence. She knew it had to be Gon coming to confront her brother who sat beside her, staring ahead at the professional Hunters. The young boy, with a stern yet determined gaze, walked down the stairs of the fairly large classroom and stopped by the twins.

"Apologise to Killua!" he demands.

Turning to look at the boy, Illumi stares emptily at him. "Apologise? For what?" he questioned confusedly.

"You don't know what you did wrong?" Gon asked, agitated by the older man's carefree tone. Beside him, Illuki who remained in her magenta hair and emerald-eyed disguise, gave the child an apologetic smile for her twin's lack of emotions. "You don't have the right to be his brother," Gon continued.

Facing the front, Illumi remains calm in his seat. "Must I earn the right to be his brother?" with his uninjured arm, Gon gripped the assassin's arm and pulled him out from his seat. The black-haired male lands safely on his feet while his sister stared wide-eyed at the child, amused by his strength.

"He doesn't need to earn the right to be my friend!" his grip tightened, breaking Illumi's arm, a furious gaze on the tall assassin, walking slightly ahead and facing the siblings. "Don't bother apologising. Just take me to see Killua," Gon demands.

"What will you do then?" Illuki hummed, catching the boy's attention.

"That should be obvious. I'm going to rescue Killua!" by his tone, the female could tell Gon was highly determined in succeeding such an ambitious mission to rescue his friend, though it was near impossible in the twin's eyes.

"You make it sound as though I kidnapped him. He walked away on his own," Illumi told him.

"It wasn't by choice. He was being manipulated by you people. It's the same thing as kidnapping him!" he accused the assassin.

Interrupting the tense moment was the chairman who walked up the take charge of the issue. "We happened to be discussing this very subject, Gon. Kurapika and Leorio have both lodged complaints. The committee has been discussing the fairness of Killua's disqualification," the elder informed.

Standing up from his seat, Kurapika speaks up. "Killua has been behaving in a strange manner during and since his battle with the man who called himself Gittarackur! I believe that he was hypnotised into committing murder," he reasons. "Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to use hypnosis to induce a person to kill. However, as Killua was raised in a family of assassins, murder was part of his daily life, so it's natural that he would lack the ethical restraint of most!"

"I want to mention that the attack happened during the match between Bodoro and me. It's possible that he was trying to help me. Given that, the one who should be disqualified is me," Leorio added, standing up from his spot behind his blonde friend, pointing to himself.

"In any case, Killua was not in control of his own actions. Thus, he should not have been disqualified!" Kurapika finished. 'Are they stupid? I understand trying to defend Kil, but there's no way of proving he was hypnotised' Illuki snickered under her breath. As much as she adored her little brother, the lack of proof was what bit Leorio and Kurapika's statements, which the chairman agreed with.

An elf-looking participant, Pokkle as Illuki had learnt, turned to look at the Kurta survivor. "There was some other funny business happening. Like when you fought Hisoka. Back then, what did he say to you? Neither of you seemed particularly tired. But Hisoka whispered something into your ear, right before conceding. That's pretty strange," he scrutinised. "I'd understand surrendering after your opponent whispers something to you, as happened with Hanzo and me, or Bodoro and Hisoka. Because he was under considerable pressure, but in your case, the exact opposite happened. I have to wonder if you struck some sort of bargain. If you're going to question anything that seems odd, your own victory was quite odd, indeed."

The strain between the applicants increased as Pokkle scrutinised Kurapika into telling the group what Hisoka had whispered to him during their fight, which engaged the petite Zoldyck to investigate the matter as well. She disappeared from her seat and appeared beside Hisoka, her face uncharacteristically close to the magician's pale-painted face. "Yes...I too am curious about that incident. Care to explain~?" she hummed with an innocent smile.

"Don't worry about it, Darling~," Hisoka smirked, turning his gaze over to where Gon was standing. The woman leaned back, humming with a slight frown before disappearing back to her original seat, an elbow resting against the desk and her cheek in the palm of her hand with her head tilted towards the commotion.

"None of that matters! It's pointless to argue over whether someone should have passed. If you aren't happy about passing, keep working until you're satisfied. If Killua retakes the Hunter Exam, he'll definitely pass! It's unfortunate that he failed this time, but it is what it is," the child said, breaking the accumulating tension and silencing everyone. He glares at the ground, gripping Illumi's even tighter. "What does matter...If you've been forcing Killua to kill, against his will, all this time, I'll make you pay!" his head snapped over to the twins, scowling.

"Make us pay? What, exactly, will you do?" Illumi questioned.

"I won't do anything. Only once I rescue Killua, I'll never let you see him again!" Gon declared, jumping back when the black-haired assassin reached out a hand, stillness in the air with tension lingering about.

The chairman cut into the situation, going on with the orientation to the group's achieved hunter license. His secretary, Beans, stepped forward and presented a small plastic card. "The cards I've passed out are your hunter licenses. This card allows you to enter 90% of the countries that limit immigration, as well as 75% of the restricted areas in the world. This card also provides free access to 95% of public facilities and a line of credit that rivals large corporations. If you sell the card, you'll have enough money to last 7 lifetimes. And if you keep it, you'll still be living in comfort. So take extra care that your license isn't lost or stolen. You won't receive a replacement," the suit-wearing green blob explained.

"According to our estimates, 1 in 5 Hunters lose their cards within a year of receiving it. As a Hunter, your first challenge is to protect your card. The rest is up to you. Rise above challenges, believe in your own strength and fulfil your dreams," Chairman Netero continued from his secretary's explanation, grinning at the group before dismissing them.