Glass Girl [KilluaxReader]

Fear the Shattered Rose

(Y/N) POV - 875 words

All the applicants who passed the Fourth Phase are standing in the reception area of a hotel, listening to Chairman Netero explain our situation.

"Well, gentlemen—and lady. Everyone rested up? Good. Now then. The Hunter committee runs this hotel. So I want you all to make yourselves at home until the battles have concluded. For the Final Phase of the Hunter Exam you'll be competing against each other in a one-on-one tournament," he says, pulling the tarp off the board which was just wheeled in. On it is a bracket, the very bottom is covered so we can't see who we're fighting yet. 

"You only need one win to pass this phase. So it's the winners who will drop away and the losers who will advance to the next round. Which means the person who finishes at the top will not pass. Make sense to everyone?" Netero's really optimistic about this year, then. Only one person will fail the Exam.

Everyone waits with bated breath as the Chairman reveals the bracket. Everyone's inevitably searching for their own faces among the bracket, but I'm looking for Killua and Gon. I'd hate to have to fight either of them, and it would be a cruel twist of fate if Netero had simply asked who we least wanted to fight, in order to pair us up together. 

I survey the board. Kurapika vs Hisoka, the winner of the match vs Bodoro, the winner vs Leorio. Gon vs Hanzo, the winner vs Killua, the winner vs Illumi. Hisoka won't kill Kurapika, I see something lurking beneath the surface of his gaze, Kurapika still has purpose for Hisoka. Hisoka won't hesitate against Bodoro, though, which means it's Leorio vs him. I've never seen Leorio fight, come to think of it. 

Gon will most likely pull through, and if he doesn't, Killua won't want to fight him. Either way, Gon wins. Killua won't fight Hanzo, either. I don't think it would be a very challenging fight, anyways. What I'm most worried about is Killua and Illumi. I'm absolutely positive Killua doesn't know his brother is here, and I don't know what effect that'll have on him. I just hope he doesn't do anything he'll regret later on. 

Then, my picture, it's not a really flattering one. I'm against the last person, Jora. I look at Netero who gestures to Jora and I. We walk over and he begins speaking, "We weren't able to line up the brackets in a way which would involve you two, so whoever loses will fight against whichever person is on the chopping block in the end."

I nod, "I understand, Chairman."

Jora says nothing, walking back to the others.

"What was that about?" Killua whispers to me.

"Whoever loses the match between Jora and I, will have to fight against the loser of all these matches. It's a throwaway battle," I explain. After, I tune out until I hear Netero yell.

"I can explain the criteria we used," he says. I'm confused, but go along with it anyway. Netero continues, "We start with the basics. There are three categories. There's physical strength, mental acuity, and lastly, overall impression."

He goes on to continue explaining, but I don't care to listen. I feel Killua tense beside me, something's upset him enough to get his mental gears turning. 

"Are you okay?" I murmur. He nods, shaking his head.

"Wait," Gon says, "What does that mean for (Y/N) and Jora? They're not really on the bracket."

"Oh," Netero smiles sagely, "They're the highest and lowest, respectively. I didn't really have anywhere else to put them."

He laughs, rubbing the back of his head. This man is less put together than he lets us believe.

"Isn't that kind of cruel?" Leorio asks. I raise an eyebrow at him and he elaborates, "I mean, for the strongest and the weakest, one of them will be pulverised."