The x Zoldyck x Daughter | Hunter x Hunter

Chapter 3 | A x Surprise x Attack

"It takes a mere second for treasure to turn to trash." - Hisoka

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"You're the real one." The clown licked his lips like a predator. His back was still turned away from the 4'10" girl who looked down at three pink cards that lay at her feet. Her breaths were heavy and uneven. Despite being an assassin's daughter, she barely saw it coming. Killua's rage was noted by the clown, but Michiko put a hand on his shoulder. A Nen shield the girl was not even aware of had appeared in enough time to block the man's surprise attack. Michiko looked over at the dead imposter with cards lodged in his chest. Her curiosity about her newly discovered ability outweighed her concern for her safety.

Satotz cleared his throat as he casually tossed Hisoka's cards to the ground. "Shall we continue? You must successfully follow me through the swamp. Be careful to stay close because if you lose sight of me, you will never make it to Phase Two."

Satotz's warning did not help break the tension among the applicants. Killua and Gon ran fast leaving Michiko, Leorio, and the blonde male further back, and close to #44. After running for a bit, Gon yelled to the three that he and Killua wanted to move forward. As Gon put it, they could smell the danger in the air. However, Michiko was following her own instinct, and it told her to go after the pink-haired magician.

Michiko looked over at the feminine looking male who had been wearing a blue tabard decorated with an orange hem, "I don't think I ever caught your name."

He looked back at the small girl running next to him, "Oh, I apologize for that. I'm Kurapika, it's nice to meet you."

Her mind froze for a moment as she felt that she had heard that name at least once before, many years ago. Her thoughts were soon interrupted by a shocking sight. The dense fog made it seem as if applicants' heads had been ripped off in front of them. As Leorio panicked, Michiko began to wonder if she could summon her Nen shield that had been used before. The group's fear only grew as mysterious strawberries seemed to float around them in a circle. People were being snatched left and right, and the trio were alarmed as they witnessed a man being eaten by a tortoise who had the peculiar strawberry like objects on its shell. As the three stood in the circle frightened, Michiko wondered if that was the moment she would begin to regret her decisions.

The violent tortoise swung Leorio around as he desperately grasped a log. Michiko knew that it was not the time to have regrets as she grabbed a small dagger that Zeno had given to her as a gift for completing her first mission. She and Kurapika seemed to have read each other's minds, as they both leaped high into the air each stabbing one of the tortoise's eyes before quickly running away.

The group ran for minutes that felt like hours until Michiko finally laid her eyes upon her target. She did not understand why, but something deep down told her that the clown man knew something that would be important to her in the future. Unfortunately, she then noticed a group of applicants surrounding the man. Michiko sighed knowing that they were to soon meet their fates. Before she could decide whether she should save the men or not, the magician killed the group of cowardly men with the Four of Spades.

"Care to participate in my little game?" he slowly turned around before flashing his smirk that could be seen from a mile away.

"Listen, he is far too experienced for us to waste our time trying to fight. When I say so, we each run in a different direction." Kurapika thought of a plan despite the intense atmosphere. The three nodded, but when Kurapika yelled out, only he and Leorio had run away.

The young Zoldyck stared at the man. Never before had she experienced so many different feelings at once. A small part of her wanted to run, another told her to fight with her unknown Nen abilities, the other said to interrogate the man. But only one option would get her out of the situation alive.

"My, my it's you again. Did you enjoy my little trick earlier?" His voice was smooth and deep.

"I never caught your name, #44." Michiko looked him in the eyes. Fear crept up on her again, but she knew showing any sign of weakness would mean an unfortunate death for her.

"It's Hisoka, and yours...hmm, I think I heard it was Michiko? What a pretty name...." he trailed off, "...but I suppose we shouldn't get off topic. Do you intend to fight me, little girl?"

"Only if I must. I seek informat-" Michiko could not finish her sentence before a red fish bobber hit Hisoka's forehead. Michiko sprung back instinctively before realizing it was Gon's fishing rod. Unfortunately for Gon, his level of ambition did not match his level of fighting skills. The girl cringed slightly as she watched her new friend lose to Hisoka. She watched as the clown lifted a kicking Gon up by his neck. Before she could stand anymore, she raised her hands up and soon dozens of rocks were aiming at Hisoka's head. He dodged them as Michiko anticipated, but it forced him to let go of Gon.

"Gon, take Leorio and catch up with the others!" This was the first time he had seen her so serious. Slinging an unconscious Leorio over his shoulder, Gon ran away.

"So, you got me alone. Now what will you do, Michiko?" Hisoka asked, licking his lips.

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Leorio's head was pounding. As he woke up, his friends Gon, Killua, and Kurapika were with him under a tree.

"Oh man, what happened?" he rubbed the red spot on his cheek that would certainly ache for a few days.

"Michiko saved me and then told me to bring you here. She stayed back in the forest for a while, but she's over there now." Gon pointed to the girl who sat on the other side of the large road. Her new friends nor her brother had heard her conversation with the clown, but they could tell she was deep in thought. The magician did not show interest in a battle, but instead left her with a proposition that would possibly scar her worse than any fight could.

A/N: Hello, thank you again for the support! I appreciate the support all of you have been showing my story so far. I understand that this chapter perhaps got a bit confusing, but it wouldn't be fun without a little mystery right? Again, feel free to leave feedback and if I use any of your suggestions, you will get credit in the chapter. [Edited 7.26.17]