Killer in Hunter x Hunter

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***

POV Risotto

The time was 22:30.

Risotto was in the central city hospital in Yorkshire. He stood leaning against the wall directly opposite the window of the ward where Kurapika was now lying unconscious. There was nothing threatening his life now.

At the moment, however, Risotto had a far greater cause for concern.

'Why... Why did things turn out this way? Could it be fate? Who knows... But still... The one I wanted to kill. Someone I almost killed. Fate has brought me back together with Diavolo. And if he's here, does that mean someone killed him? But who? Could it be Buccellati and his crew? It's possible. But still, why did I meet the Diavolo again? Hmm, maybe... Maybe it's a test. We screwed up that time. No... That time, it was as if fate itself was against us, making sure we lost. That time, even when we were incredibly close to winning, it was as if by some evil fate, we suddenly lost. So could it mean that this time, fate took mercy on us and allowed us to prove ourselves? Or-- Or was it fate giving him a second chance? Maybe fate has allowed him to start over and we're just an obstacle in his way? If that's the case, I won't put up with it! If this is fate, then I will break free from its chains!'

While he stood thinking, Formaggio came up to him.

- Well, what do the doctors say? - Risotto asked Formaggio.

- It's a miracle he's alive. The doctors say that for his hands to heal properly it is necessary to wait at least a month, and preferably two. There's no way to save the eye, of course, you realise that. And he's lost a lot of blood since we brought him here. But as they say, 'It could have been worse.'

- I'll give you that, it could have been worse. By the way, you said there's something very important I need to see, what is it?

- Not here. Let's go somewhere else. We should get the others too.

Gathering all together in the hospital canteen, they entered Illuso's looking-glass, deeming it the safest place for the moment, and sat down at the table.

- I have no idea what's so important since we had to enter the looking glass. What is it? - Prosciutto asked impatiently.

- You'll see everything. - Formaggio answered him.

Formaggio put the box on the table and opened it. Inside were many folded pieces of paper.

- What is it? A plan to reboot the universe? - Melone tried to make a joke.

Formaggio remained silent and began to spread the paper out on the table. When he finished, everyone except Illuso and himself were shocked at what was on one of the papers.

- This is... Really! - Exclaimed Gyaccio.

- Y-yes, it can't be...' said Prosciutto with difficulty.

- That's a surprise... - Melone's eyes bulged.

- That's... - Pesci was at a loss for words.

- Is it... Is it really her?! - Risotto exclaimed.

Right in front of them, on one of the papers, there was a picture of a golden arrow decorated with various patterns. To be more precise, it was a photograph of a drawing of an arrow that had been made on some ancient stone wall.

- This is it, that arrow! - Risotto said loudly, -Where did it come from? Where did it come from?

- Indeed it is, - Said Prosciutto trying to recover from the shock, - It's the same arrow that Polpo had, right? But where did they get the drawing of it? Well... I'll have to think about it.

Before they could recover from the shock, they all fell silent and thought. They were silent for about a minute, after which Risotto spoke:

- There is no doubt in anyone's mind: it is the same arrow that Polpo had. We all took his test, and we all remember this arrow. This is definitely it.

- But how did they get a picture of it? What if they have the arrow itself?! - Formaggio was worried.

Risotto was silent for a few seconds, then replied:

- I doubt it. If they had an arrow, we would have met other people with stands long ago. So far we haven't met a single stand user, with the exception of Diavolo. And we all know very well that stand users are attracted to each other. So that option is probably off the table. But I have another suggestion.

- What is it? - Everyone else asked.

- I think that someone excavated some ancient tomb or something like that, and on one of the walls found images that told the story of an ancient tribe, and among these images was a drawing of this arrow.

- But what makes you think so? - Illuso wondered.

- Well, you take a look for yourself.

Risotto pointed to some other papers that had more pictures on them that no one had noticed at first. These pictures showed the ancient walls of a tomb, covered with drawings that seemed to depict the history of an ancient tribe. Surprisingly, the drawings were in colour and were quite well preserved. One of the drawings depicted people stabbing other people with an arrow and making them have superpowers. Also on one of the drawings you could see a picture of a strange humanoid.

- Wait! Are you saying that some ancient tribe of this world possessed stands? - Prosciutto asked in surprise.

- Yes, it seems to me that this is exactly so. But it seems that as a result of some catastrophe the tribe was destroyed, along with all the stand holders. That's why you don't meet any stand holders today, only Nan holders. But as we can see, their drawings have survived to this day and someone found them.

- So they didn't find the arrow itself?

- No, they didn't, but look over there. - Risotto pointed to another piece of paper that had some kind of cipher on it, made up of letters and numbers. - They may not have found the arrow, but they found a clue as to where to find it. That's why they wanted to auction it off. They wanted to sell all this information to anyone who wanted to find such an ancient and powerful artefact. And it looks like the Devil himself wants to find this arrow now.

- Indeed! - Formaggio said, 'When I took the treasure from the Spiders, I noticed that the box containing the arrow was already open. That means the Devil has found out about the arrow and will be looking for it!

- That's exactly right. That's why we have to find it first.

- What?! - Everyone exclaimed at once.

- We all know how powerful this arrow is. If it falls into the wrong hands, it's hard to imagine what could happen. That's why we have to get it first.

- What if the Devil kills us before we get the arrow? - Pesci asked.

- It's possible, but he probably won't risk eliminating us first. He'll want to get the arrow first, and then he'll take care of us. At least that's what I'd do if I were him.

Everyone was silent for a few seconds and then Gyaccio spoke:

- But where do we start?

- Mafia. - Answered Risotto.

- Mafia? - Everyone asked again.

- Yes, the Mafia. They're the ones who were going to sell all this information, which means they might know something else. There's a chance that after selling this information, they were supposed to give the decryption of the cipher to the person who would buy it.

- So, are we going to press the mafia? - Giaccio asked with a smile.

- Most likely. We'll do it tomorrow evening. In the meantime, we should keep our eyes open. I doubt that the Diavolo will want to attack now, but we can't be too careful. Now we need to rest.

Exiting the looking glass, they headed towards the wards that were closest to Kurapiki's room. It was decided to spend the night in the hospital for his safety. The hospital management had given permission for this after they had 'politely asked' them to do so.

Melone, Illuso, Formaggio and Risotto went to bed while the others remained standing alert in case of an enemy invasion. In the morning, they must take their turns.

Kuroro/Devolo's POV

Left with almost no strength left, Kuroro wandered the dark streets of the outskirts of the city.

'No strength left at all. I need to find somewhere to rest or I might pass out right on the street.'

Soon he entered an old but still residential high-rise building, located in a rather poor neighbourhood. He silently snuck into one of the flats and just as silently killed the occupant of the flat, who was some old drunkard.

'This place will do. I need a rest, as I can barely stand on my feet anymore. But what worries me most is my head... Why does it hurt so much... It's unbearable...'

As he managed to reach the bed and lay down in it, he passed out.

***

'What is this? Where am I?'

Suddenly, Kuroro woke up in a strange place.

He was standing in the middle of a fairly wide intersection. The surrounding area was full of buildings with architecture unknown to him. He looked back and saw a wide stone bridge leading to a rather old castle on the other side of the river. The bridge itself was decorated with statues of ten angels.

'What is this place? It looks like some sort of city... But if it's a city, there should be people here. But why are the streets empty? Why does it look like everyone just suddenly picked up and disappeared?'

Suddenly he heard the sound of footsteps from down the street. He saw a man emerge from the alley, whose appearance could not be seen due to the shadow of the building he was standing in.

- Who are you? Show yourself! - Shouted Kuroro to him.

The man slowly stepped out of the shadow of the building and Kuroro could see him clearly.

It was a man with a lean and semi-muscular build. He was dressed in a black mesh tank top, purple trousers with a yellow belt, and purple shoes. But what stood out the most was his long pink hair with black spots like a leopard.

- Beautiful, isn't it? - The man spoke, 'Now we are in Rome, and right behind you is the famous "Bridge of St Angel". It's just a pity that all this beauty is only a memory of mine. Right on this spot, near this bridge, I was once defeated by a wretched boy. However, I don't know how, but I have a chance to return to the top of the world, albeit a different one.

- So this is what you are like, Diavolo... - Said Kuroro with a little anger in his voice, - I've been waiting for this meeting for a long time. You ruined my whole life! All my people died because of you...

- Don't talk to me about ruined lives. You have no idea what I went through before I was trapped in your body. I wasn't alive, but I wasn't dead. I was between life and death. But fate had mercy on me and took my side so I could climb to the top of the world again! And you... You were only one step on the way to the top, and now it's time to move on to the next step!

After saying that, the Devil summoned his King Crimson and headed towards Kuroro. The latter in turn materialised a book in his hand. Opening it to one of the pages, he put a bookmark in it and closed it, after which signs resembling the sun and moon appeared on the backs of his palms.

- What is the meaning of this? - The Devil came closer and closer, - In this world only the results are important, but not the means! So what's the point of your actions if I'm going to win in the end!?

Kuroro tried to grab his enemy, but King Crimson swiftly shattered his arms with a swift kick, then chopped them off with an equally swift kick, and finally punched Kuroro in the chest.

He didn't bleed, and experienced almost no pain. Instead, he began to slowly turn to ash, like a vampire burning in the sun.

- How ironic,' said the Devil, 'A man named Lucifer dying at the hands of a man named Devil. But it was bound to happen sooner or later. Two demons in one body, after all. There can only be one king of kings, and that's me! But... Even though you were just another stepping stone, you had good potential. To have such power... How many more abilities do you have in this book? That's something I'll find out soon enough.

In response to Diavolo's speech, Kuroro only smiled slightly and said:

- Do you think that fate is on your side? That may be true, but it doesn't mean anything. Fate is unpredictable... Today it's on your side, and tomorrow it turns its back on you. Some people are led to the top of the world, some to the abyss. Some humbly obey her, and some fight against her with all their might and eventually break free from her chains. Remember: You will never reach the top of the world... You will never reach this reality.....

After these words, Kuroro turned into a handful of ashes, leaving behind only his materialised book, which was picked up by Diavolo.

***

Opening his eyes abruptly, Diavolo woke up on the same bed where Kuroro had passed out.

'I did it! I did it! This body is mine now!'

He walked over to the mirror and looked at himself.

The physique of the body had changed to Devavolo's usual physique. The colour of his eyes had changed. Everything had changed except the colour of his hair, which was still the same black.

'I'm back! Now I will ascend to the top of the world, and nothing will stop me! Except... Risotto Nero... You have to be careful with him. He's quite a dangerous opponent, and even more so with his team... And as I guess he already knows about the arrow. Should we eliminate him first and then start looking for the arrow? No, that's too risky! Even with the power of my King Crimson, I might have a problem. I need to go in search of the arrow as soon as possible before he gets ahead of me!'