章節 9: Chapter 9
They were outside now. All plans of going to the arcade vanished. The park they were in was large and densely planted. Eva tried to keep as much distance between her and them as they would allow.
When they had left the shop, things neatly packed into white paper bags, Killua's face had been terrifying. She was sure that when it first happened that he was going to explode. She could almost picture his hands around her neck as he demanded answers. He hadn't looked at her like she was human.
But that wasn't what had happened. He'd instead placed himself between her and Gon. His eyes cold and she'd wisley stayed silent as he ordered the clerks to pack up the stuff. The clerks immediately went to it. Sensing the change in mood. When the register had popped up the total amount Eva was sure she was going to faint. But Gon hadn't even flinched as he handed over the card. At this point she had tried to say something, a thank you perhaps, but Killua cut her off. She could heard the two walking softly behind her in silence.
Killua wanted to punch himself. The moment his nen had disappeared he had panicked like an idiot. It was as if he'd gone blind or lost a limb. The memory of the cold metal made him cringe as he felt the fear swirl for a moment. He never wanted that to happen ever again.
His nen had reappeared moments later and he had been flooded with relief, immediately summoned it around him, feeling the ebb of it around his body. His thoughts immediatley turned to protecting Gon. He didn't know what might happen next but he knew he had to keep Gon safe. He was his number one priority.
Killua no longer talked as he abandoned his original goal, focused on getting out. He hadn't needed to speak to Gon. They both understood what had just happened. Now, as they walked among the dense trees he could think a little more calmly. Eva hadn't retaliated. Or tried to escape. Of course, that didn't necessarily mean anything.
He looked around for a spot to stop at, figuring they'd gone in far enough. They couldn't talk back at their room. It wasn't secure. But more importantly, he wasn't sure Eva would go back without a fight and he wasn't sure what she was capable of.
From Gon's point of view things had gone from great to terrible in a matter of seconds. He realized that Killua was onto something with the bracelet and he was furious with himself for not realizing it too. He snuck a glance at Eva. Her silver bracelet was still on. He and Killua both had analyzed it with Gyo several times since the incident but neither could find anything that suggested it was anything other than a simple bracelet. All they knew for now was that upon contact a person's nen would disappear momentarily. Gon didn't know what to think, but Eva looked terrible. She was typically silent but now her silence was laced with fear.
Once Killua had figured that they had gone deep enough he silently held up a hand to stop Gon. Eva also instinctively stopped, at the disappearance of footsteps. *She's well trained. Better trained than some random gang member.* thought Killua. *Who trained her? And was it before or after she joined the gang?* It was his turn to cross his arms as she turned towards them. He looked her up and down subconsciously looking for weapons, "Consider yourself lucky you're not already tied up. You've been hiding that," he said pointing to the silver bracelet, "from us. What is it?"
Eva hesitated, not knowing where to start. Killua's eyes narrowed impatiently, "And don't you dare lie." A chill went up Eva's back. This was like the Killua she first met. She remembered the nails against her neck.
"You both should know that there are a limited number of people who can use nen. Bringing up its existence is dangerous if you don't know the other party well."
"Mm," said Gon, "We know. That still doesn't explain why you didn't tell us."
She nodded, "I know, " Eva continued slowly, "As Killua already found out, this bracelet surprises nen for a short time upon contact. It is no different for me."
*As I expected. Those markings is like the promise thread Wing gave Gon.* thought Killua, "But why are you wearing it. What benefits does it give you? *A restriction
perhaps?*
"It doesn't, the only thing this bracelet can do is suppress nen. It can't do anything else."
Gon eyebrows creased, "but then why are you wearing it?"
Eva sighed, " It's not by choice. I can't take it off. When I first joined the local gang it was as a main fighter and they taught me nen. Quite a few of the local gang can use it-though not well. I'm sure your friends noticed it back when they first helped me." Killua nodded.
Eva continued, "It wasn't until they found I was a fairly skilled herbalist that I was transferred to a different branch. When they did so, they forced me to wear this," she said pointing to her bracelet. "It was too risky to have a subordinate that was both a skilled fighter and deadly poisoner.
Gon's voice was low when he spoke next, "So they were controlling you."
"I was young. I didn't really get it at the time. Beside's It's not like I had a lot of options."
Gon's fists clenched and unclenched subconsciously. *It sounds so similar to Killua and his fucking parents* Gon thought. They had given him and Killua so much crap over the years constantly making them be on the move. *They even killed Alluka.*
Killua looked over to Gon, he could feel Gon's hostility growing. *He's losing his head again.* he thought. *I'll have to take it from here.* But Killua wasn't the only one who could feel Gon's hostility, so could Eva, and she didn't understand that it wasn't aimed at her.
She was panicking inside her mind. *What should I say? They know about the bracelet, but, they still don't who I am. Can I trust these people? No, their priorities are each other's well being. If I tell them who I am they'll kick me out and any chance I have of getting on that airship will be gone. I can't tell them. I still need to use them. Telling them-whether they kick me out or not won't help me. I just have to ride it out.* Eva had failed to realize that Gon's hostility was not directed towards her. Killua understood but decided not to intervene.
Killua placed his hand on Gon's shoulder, bringing him back to the real world."Uh, gomen Killua." He looked at Eva. His eyes determined. He would definitely protect her. He didn't care if he didn't know everything or if she was still lying about some things. *No one deserves to have their life controlled.*
"This is the last time I'm asking you," spoke Killua, "Why didn't you tell us about the Bracelet?
Eva laughed, "What would you have done if you knew?"
"That doesn't matter! You purposely hid your abilities." he snapped.
"What abilities? I can't use them. If I had told you, you would've just asked questions that I didn't want to answer. I know you don't want me around Killua! Why would I make it easier for you to throw me to the wolves when you were already keeping such a good watch on me!"
Killua stopped talking for the first time since the conversation had started, "You could still sense our nen."
"Yea, you guys thought you were being so discreet."
*No wonder she was on pins and needles* thought Killua.
"That doesn't change the fact that you should have told us."
"Based on what? We're not friends, I barely know you. As soon as I get to Mimbo you guys will dump me. You'll make sure of that Killua." She said sneering his name.
Killua's eyes darkened, "Your right. I will, but from the moment our friends helped you we had a right to know what we were getting ourselves into."
Eva stared at him coldly. *The only right you have is to make sure I get on that airship.*
Killua realized that they were getting nowhere. He knew now about how the bracelet worked and he could detect that she wasn't lying about it - though he wasn't sure about the rest. While it bothered him that she was still likely holding out on information at least he knew that she wasn't hiding abilities that could threaten him or Gon.
Gon looked up sensing his chance, "How do you get the bracelet off?"
Eva looked at him, surprised. *What is he thinking? He doesn't seem angry anymore…* She glanced at Killua, but he didn't say anything, so she told him, "It's similar to popping a breaker. You have to create a power surge of nen to break it from the inside."
"That's not so bad," said Killua. Eva relaxed slightly hearing that his voice had calmed down.
She shook her head, "The principle is simple but there's a catch. The longer the bracelet is on the more nen you need to remove it." *My brothers both tried just over a year ago but neither could manage it.*
"How long has it been on?" Killua asked.
Eva hesitated, "Three years, I know some people over by Mimbo who have the skills to undo it. That's why I'm heading there." *Even though it is missile ready to launch with it being so close to home.*
Gon, "Hold at your hand"
Eva took a step back, "You can't do it recklessly. You'll get a backlash if you're not careful. Someone else tried once and lost his nen for two months."
Gon, "That doesn't matter."
Killua stepped in, "Gon, remember Mimbo? Now's not a great time to go losing your nen. We have a deadline."
*Mimbo? Why did they need their nen for it?* She had been so caught in what she needed to do once she got there that she never wondered why Killua and Gon were going. *Its probably nothing* But she couldn't help but wonder.
創作者的想法 
taro2190
taro2190 Just thought I'd let you guys know that tomorrow's chapter is freakin awesome. If you've been waiting for some skin to skin and genuine feelings then this is your chapter! :)
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