Zevil Island part 2- Predator to Prey

Hello everyone! I hope you've been having a good May, and I hope this chapter will make it better. Things have become a little more hectic that usual as we're now entering flu season wehre I'm from. I've already had to take two family members to the doctor in one week, and I haven't been enjoying the chilly mornings.

Anyway! It's time to finally come back, I have startd on a lot of my new projects that I hope to share with you all, so don't forget to follow me on Tumblr for updates. Speaking of, the new schedule post for the rest of May and June will be up on my tumblr blog too.

Just type in my name if you want to find it. Or check out this link: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/katsura369

Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Kurapika didn't expect to draw Sakura's number out of all the applicants. He hadn't known whether to count himself fortunate or unlucky. With this, he would be aware of his target's identity and her fighting style. But the familiarity had reached a personal degree which gave grounds for inner conflict.

At first, he thought it best to find her, and simply ambush her as it was the best method of attack for this phase but he realized a few things from observing her. She was likely on another level of ability than him, and he wanted to earn that badge. Call it pride or foolishness, that's the conditions he was willing to set for himself.

For two day's Kurapika scouted the island in search of the girl until he finally found her with Leorio.

Leorio jumped back after hearing Sakura's statement that she was Kurapika's target, "Say what? Is she really your target Kurapika?"

"Yes," Kurapika exhaled, clenching his fists at his sides.

Sakura cocked her head to the side, "You know, there were smarter ways to go about this than directly confront me? You could've kept your presence hidden, while Leorio and I traveled and waited for me to go to sleep before stealing my badge-or you could've pretended I wasn't your target and attacked me when my guard was down."

Kurapika remained silent and Sakura's smirked, her eyebrow raised, "So; why did you decide to confront me directly?"

"Because; I don't believe in resorting to trickery. I'd rather fight you fairly, simple as that."

Sakura didn't miss the twitch of annoyance Kurapika gave when he strained to say that. It made her curious and a little mischievous. Reaching into her pouch, Sakura pulled out her tag number and held it up. "What if I just offered it to you?"

Both Leorio and Kurapika stared at the girl in disbelief as she held out her arm with her tag on the end, clasped in her gloved hand.

"W-What?"

"Sakura, what are you doing?" Leorio asked. He knew that Sakura had her six points from capturing her target (unaware of the extra-three points she now had) and while he wanted Kurapika to succeed, he didn't want Sakura to fail. Ever since Sakura and Gon's display of faith in the group, he had been hoping that they would all make it to the final phase together.

"This isn't a trick; I'm willing to give my badge to you if you want Kurapika," Sakura said, she threw the badge to Kurapika and watched him catch it.

He looked down at the badge in his hands, his mouth was open but he struggled to find the words. A minute later Sakura held out her hand as the badge was tossed back to her aggressively.

"I don't want to obtain the badge like this. I don't want you to hand it to me; I will earn it." Kurapika stated, his face seemed to hold hostility, but Sakura could tell that was just wounded pride at the gesture.

It hadn't been as a means to insult Kurapika, but it was clear to Sakura that he was. And there was only one way to remedy her mistake.

Sakura put the badge back in her bag and then unhooked it from her waist, throwing it at Leorio's feet before pulling back the end of her gloves.

"Okay then, if you want to fight for the badge I guess I'll oblige,"

"Are you two out of your minds?!" Leorio exclaimed, "Kurapika, do you even remember seeing her smash through a solid wall with one punch!?"

Of course, he remembered. Kurapika hadn't been able to forget that display of power, but it made him realize that this was the sort of people the Hunter exam attracted and if he couldn't keep up with them, then he wouldn't be able to make it as a hunter.

Sakura meant to keep her abilities concealed, and she had more experience than she led people to believe. Which had been another conflict point in him receiving her tag number as his target.

Despite Kurapika's petite build, he was more powerful than he appeared, something both he and Sakura had in common...

"Alright then, how's this going to go?" Sakura asked.

Kurapika held up a finger, "One-strike match, whoever gets hit first will lose. It doesn't count if the attack is blocked."

"Alright, let's go," Sakura nodded, bringing her one leg to the front and crouching down slightly, holding her arms up. Kurapika mimicked her movements and got into a fighting stance. Leorio swallowed heavily before taking a few steps to the back.

Several seconds passed and neither moved from their defensive positions. A light breeze rustled the leaves around them, and their clothes, yet neither showed their irritation to the brush of the hair across their faces.

Then Kurapika moved. Launching from his position, drawing his fist back until literally within arms-length before attacking. Sakura blocked his attack, followed by a kick aiming for her side. Evading the attack by jumping back, Sakura waited for Kurapika to come to her. Again they engaged; Kurapika was consecutive this time in his attacks.

Sakura held up her arms to block the oncoming assaults, while she and Kurapika began moving back.

'He's not half bad,' Sakura thought as she continued to evade Kurapika's attacks. They were fast in normal terms, but for Sakura, there was a difference with her adjusted point of vision that had become accustomed to unusually quick attacks.

Grabbing Kurapika's fist easily, Sakura continued to hold on while Kurapika threw his other fist to her side, and ducking her left arm under her right, she grabbed his other fist. Kurapika tried to pull back, but Sakura was using chakra to keep him anchored.

"You're going to have to do better than that," Sakura said, smirking.

Kurapika narrowed his eyes, as he crouched down and sprung up, raising his leg in threat to hit Sakura's head. He was pushed back, quickly regaining his equilibrium and holding his gaze on the kunoichi.

"I wouldn't let your guard down if I were you, Sakura," Kurapika warned.

Getting back into a fighting stance, Sakura ran towards Kurapika, a little chakra added to her feet to give her an extra boost to her step. Kurapika held his arms up when he saw Sakura raise her fist, he leaned back as it neared his face, but then Sakura ducked down and swung her bottom leg out to trip him and in the position he was in with his upper half leaned back, Kurapika didn't have time to counter and was knocked off his feet.

'Got him!' Sakura smirked, but it was short-lived when Kurapika threw his body back and held his arms straight out to catch himself in a handstand before pushing onto the ground and standing straight.

'Or not,'

Leorio felt his forehead sticky with sweat, as he watched Kurapika and Sakura's fight commence. Both seemed to be on par with each other, but Sakura was yet to display her strength and Kurapika hadn't even drawn his weapons. While the two were taking their battle seriously, he wondered if they were attempting to keep from injuring one another.

'If it wasn't for that one-hit rule, I doubt this fight would end.'

Ten minutes passed and Sakura was yet to launch a full assault, the majority of her energy was spent on blocking her opponent's attacks. Kurapika was growing frustrated, he would have assumed that by now the Sakura would begin to feel fatigued from fighting and moving around this much, but she didn't show any sign of sweating. Constant movement at the pace they were going and yet barely a glimmer of change. There was a clear difference in stamina here. Of course, seeing as she was on par with Gon and Killua during the First Phase, that was apparent.

'Still, I have to win!' Kurapika thought as he vigorously attacked. He was trained well in hand-to-hand combat, but Sakura also held exceptional skills in these terms. He just didn't know the extent.

Sakura continued deflecting Kurapika's punches and kicks with her hands, she didn't even need to use her chakra against him. This was nothing more than pure taijutsu without any chakra to enhance the ability. But she didn't want to show Kurapika.

After dealing with her male teammates, Sakura learned that some guys just had a stubbornness of pride that would force them to endure the worst cases just for its sake. They called it being men, Sakura called it stupid.

Kurapika wiped the sweat from his chin, attempting to calm his breathing. "Why-why are you holding back?"

Sakura replied calmly, "Because I want to,"

Of course, the likeliness that Kurapika was going all out crossed Sakura's mind as well but she didn't voice it.

If she used her full abilities, Sakura was certain she'd end the match in an instant, but Kurapika seemed offended enough by her short statement so she chose to keep the rest of what she considered fact to herself.

'I'm not going to beat her like this. I'm already sweating and she looks like she can keep this going for hours,' Kurapika drew in a breath, clearing his thoughts and assessing what was present. He had to win this match, all it took was one strike, one solid hit and he would win.

Kurapika's eyes opened wide, as he reached an epiphany.

Sakura suddenly strengthened her stance when she saw the sharp light in Kurapika's eyes and the change in his expression. She assumed he was getting ready to strike again.

'At this pace, he might not be able to land a hit,' Sakura thought, 'Maybe I should just let him win?'

Slip-ups were not uncommon in battles even the most skilled fighters would have a moment to drift. If she was caught, there would be no chance of her repairing the damage. Little ever tolerated being underestimated, and she already admitted not fully exposing her power in battle.

'No,' Sakura thought, watching and Kurapika drew nearer. She slowly lifted one of her feet from the ground as he threw his fist towards her, preparing to side-step after blocking but then his fist blurred out of sight.

'What?'

Sakura felt Kurapika's arms wrap around her shoulder and under one of her arms and then both her feet were off the ground as the blonde lifted her.

'He feigned his punch to catch me off guard and throw me!' Sakura thought before wincing as her head shook from the impact of her back hitting the ground. She felt a weight on her lower half and Kurapika's form blocked the sun from her face.

'Crap!'

Sakura clenched her teeth, quickly moving her head to avoid Kurapika's punch before grabbing that wrist. Then she had to repeat the process when Kurapika used his other hand in an attempt to reach her. She felt him struggle against her grip, but she held on. 'There's no way he's going to be able to hit me like-AH'

Sakura shut her eyes tightly, a hard force hitting her forehead and she realized that it was Kurapika who had head-butted her.

"Ah Damn!" Sakura grimaced, feeling a headache coming on, still gripping Kurapika's wrist. "I didn't think you'd use your head to win this fight literally!"

Kurapika panted softly, feeling his forehead ache a little from the impact. "I-I realized I wasn't going to be able to get you off guard in a conventional battle. At least not long enough for me to hit you,"

Sakura chuckled, "Really, it took you ten minutes to realize that?"

Kurapika frowned at the sarcastic tone, "So I thought to adopt other means,"

"Gotta admit, that was a pretty smart move. I used to do these things as well,"

Whenever Sakura found herself facing an opponent she was outmatched in terms of skill and strength, she knew to be clever about her approaches to securing victory. She had to do that a lot as a genin.

"Uh," Leorio interjected, his eyebrow twitching as he looked at the position the two were still in. "How long are you guys going to stay like that?"

Kurapika and Sakura looked at each other and realized that Kurapika was still stacked on top of Sakura and she was still holding his wrists, anchoring him. Quickly Sakura shot up without thinking and the two ended up bumping heads again before Kurapika pulled back holding his forehead.

"Sorry!" Sakura grimaced patting her head.

"N-No, I-I'm at fault for not moving," Kurapika attempted to remedy, although he was having some trouble with that when he could barely think straight.

Leorio just shook his head, smiling to himself. "Kids…"

"Leorio, pass my bag please," Sakura called and the older teen did as she requested. Catching her pouch, Sakura dug out her badge and held it out to Kurapika "Here you go. You earned it,"

Kurapika took the tag and placed it in his bag, "Thank you. So what are you planning to do now?"

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked. After their episode, she went to immediately hand her badge to Kurapika. "Before you showed up, Leorio and I were going to team up and look for his target,"

"Yeah, but that's when you had six points Sakura. Now you've only got three-four if you include the badge you took from that guy who stole mine" Leorio stated.

Giggling, Sakura rubbed the back of her head with a bashful expression. "Actually….I already have six points."

"HUH!?"

"Yeah," Sakura chuckled, "I got two badges from these guys I ran into on the first day."

Leorio looked ready to pull out his hair, "You should've said that when Kurapika demanded your badge, you idiot! We could've avoided a fight amongst friends!"

"Because I sincerely doubt Kurapika would have taken the badge from me anyway," Sakura shrugged, watching Kurapika flinch. "You heard him, he won't accept it from me, because he probably still doesn't think of me as a friend. I was actually hurt by the impersonal decline."

Kurapika winced, "I-I didn't mean to make you feel that way! I simply didn't want to get your badge without earning it fairly, because I thought that this would be the only way you wouldn't resent me!"

Sakura and Leorio because still and looked at the Kurta with wide eyes, Kurapika realizing what he said looked away with a clear blush.

Leorio snickered, "Wow, Kurapika….you're being bashful."

Glaring at Leorio, Kurapika huffed. "Let's just get going. We shouldn't stay in one place for too long. We've already made quite a commotion."

"You two are the ones who made the commotion," Leorio grumbled but otherwise followed after Kurapika with Sakura.

..

..

Traveling with Kurapika and Leorio meant Sakura was taking the low ground, and that made them all the more vulnerable. She had been able to collect her tags because she was moving quickly through the forest, her stamina ensured she could hold up for days if she wanted to. The same couldn't be said for her companions. There were not that many candidates who stood out to her, aside from Hisoka. But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

The moon was full that night, contrasting against the dark sky and complimented by countless stars, yet there was no time to stop and admire the view or it could be the last thing seen. Sakura, Leorion, and Kurapika were aware they weren't the only ones hunting, and some of the worst predators might be nocturnal.

"Keep your guard up." Kurapika told the two, "Night provides the perfect cover for someone to attack their target,"

"Right," Leorio nodded.

"Don't have to tell me," Sakura muttered.

While night provided the perfect cover, Sakura preferred attacking during the day for the same reason, because while others would hunt at night, they would be exhausted during the day, and hide out-it was only a matter of finding them after. She could do well with either, but her sight wasn't as sharp in the dark and she would have to rely a lot on her senses.

"Whoa!" Leorio exclaimed as he slid down the rocky hill, Kurapika held up his finger.

"Shh, Leorio,"

"Sorry, I slipped" the older teen grumbled, picking himself up from the ground. Unlike his friends, he wasn't equipped for wandering the forest.

"Let's keep moving, I don't like being this out in the open," Sakura said anxiously looking around.

Continuing down a near cleared forest path, they were confident no one else was present. As they hadn't sensed anything.

"I know who my target is not, but how am I supposed to find her on this huge island?"

Sakura gave a deadpan expression, "Leorio, you're taking the exam to become a hunter-you have to hunt for her."

"I know that! But isn't walking around aimlessly a waste of energy?"

Kurapika looked at Leorio blankly, continuing to walk ahead. "Constantly whining and complaining is an even bigger waste of energy,"

"You both already have the six points-so you're finished." Leorio trailed, "But if I don't find my target…

Sakura was going to comment that they would simply find three other applicants and take their badges instead but her thoughts flashed away in an instant when she finally noticed the sudden fear on Leorio's and saw him stop. She then looked back at Kurapika and saw that he had stopped walking. Further ahead of them, leaning against a tree with a card in between two fingers was Hisoka.

"Hey,"

It was like her heart dropped to her stomach when she saw the magician. She kept her guard, but somehow he managed to sneak in this close to them.

"Imagine meeting you here," Hisoka stepped away from the tree, causing everyone else to take one step back when he neared.

"Somehow I highly doubt that this is a coincidence," Sakura spoke before she could stop herself.

Hisoka smirked, "You see, I need three points. Would you mind giving me your tags?"

"What was that!?" Leorio exclaimed, "Screw that! I'm not gonna-

"Leorio!" Kurapika silenced his comrade; for fear of what might happen if he didn't. He looked back at Hisoka, keeping a straight face. "You said you needed three points, which would imply that neither one of us is your target correct?"

'What are you playing at Kurapika?' He was the only possible target along with the three badges Sakura had collected

"I'm the one asking the questions here," Hisoka held a smile as he spoke. "Will you give me your tags?"

Kurapika looked at Sakura; she was the only one holding tags worth one point and if one of those turned out to be Hisoka's…

Sakura understood this as well, she didn't know how likely this fact would be but at the same time, she knew that Hisoka was short on tags because he would have been demanding only two hadn't it been for the fact she had drawn #80 and got the tag first.

'Even if we attempt to negotiate with him, what are the chances he'll let us go with just one tag?'

"No," Kurapika stated, "We will not surrender our tags,"

Hisoka licked his lips, and his ill intentions were seething. "Very well, if you won't hand them to me, then I'll just have to take them,"

Leorio and Kurapika drew their weapons, but they were trembling already as Hisoka drew nearer. Sakura was the only one yet to assume a defensive position.

"If you want a fight, you're gonna get one," Sakura said.

Kurapika and Leorio were unlikely to be able to stand against Hisoka, her instincts just told her this but against her…

Now Hisoka seemed more eager than ever, in fact, he had a sudden expression of delight in his eyes that made Sakura's hair stand up. This wasn't just a look for murder, and that was even more disturbing when she realized what it was.

'What the hell is wrong with him?' Being eager for battle was one thing, but to a perverse nature just didn't sit well in her stomach.

Then she remembered the Chunin exams, and a lesson she had learned from her worst enemy but one she hadn't forgotten. When being hunted and in the sight of a predator, it was common to surrender something more tantalizing to distract the predator so that the prey could make their escape.

'But I'm not prey,'

Hisoka's voice was deep when he spoke, licking his lips as if he was ready for a feast. "If that's your proposition….."

"Wait a minute," Kurapika stepped forward and Hisoka ceased his advance.

"What are you doing Kurapika?" Sakura asked.

"Trust me," Kurapika didn't take his eyes off Hisoka. "We have seven tags-those including mine, Leorio's, and Sakuras. Then there are three others worth one point to us. Amongst them, only four could be your target."

'So that's the way you want to play this Kurapika,' He wanted to avoid a fight with Hisoka, but Sakura wasn't deterred by the idea of fighting him.

Looking at this from the perspective, Hisoka had three targets, Sakura would have to fight and protect to keep Leorio and Kurapika safe.

Choosing to resign for now, Sakura took out her badges. "Since I have given my badge to Kurapika, I've needed to claim three other tags worth one point. I'm willing to put up two of them and no more than that. I still want to pass this exam and you shouldn't have a problem getting one more. But we won't give up any of the tags worth three points to us."

Leorio spoke up, "Wait Sakura if you do that then you're going to be two points behind."

Kurapika held out his arm to stop Leorio from continuing, he understood that this was the best thing if they wanted a greater chance of escaping with their lives and avoiding a fight.

Sakura strengthened her stance then, her eyes becoming hard. "If you can't accept that offer; then I'm willing to play pretend just this once and see how well you qualify to be a hunter."

Kurapika and Leorio were watching Sakura's back cautiously now. For a moment, they felt as if they were being defended from one predator by another.

Hisoka remained silent far longer than anyone was comfortable with. Something was burning in his eyes after she finished speaking.

Hisoka covered his face with his hand and began laughing, his shoulders shook as if he had heard something that gave him the best laugh. His entire body trembled and each cackle sent a new shiver down the spine. Through the crack of his fingers, Hisoka looked at Kurapika.

"Out of curiosity, what is your number?"

"#404." Kurapika was surprised his voice was so steady even when he could barely feel his tongue right now.

Hisoka put away his card and placed both hands on his hips, "Very well, you have yourself a deal. I'll take the two tags."

Sakura stepped back without turning around and placed the two tags she had chosen in the crevice of a tree trunk. Leorio and Kurapika were close behind her watching Hisoka in case he changed his mind or this was a bluff.

"Don't worry, I'll stay right here until you're out of sight," Hisoka assured them. He watched as Kurapika, Leorio and lastly, Sakura took a turn into the thicker part of the forest.

..

..

..

Gon was stunned. He could not believe the risk Sakura had taken in confronting Hisoka as she had. While he was hiding and waiting for his chance to strike, Gon had been conflicted for a moment as to what he was going to do when he found out that Hisoka was targeting his friends. He decided that if it turned into a fight he would abandon his plan and help them, he was grateful to Sakura and relieved that the tags she gave up weren't Hisoka's target.

'I only have one more chance,'

..

..

With no time to set up camp, Kurapika, Leorio, and Sakura found their own patch of ground to lay on, under a tree and barely saying another word to each other fell asleep-or so it seemed. Within half an hour, Leorio was snoring loudly, and Sakura starring up at the canopy of trees attempting to see the stars in vain. She wasn't the only one still awake.

"That was a risky collaboration," Kurapika stated, crossing his arms. He leaned back on one side of the trunk of the tree, but he knew that Sakura hadn't fallen asleep yet.

"You were the one who wanted to bargain, not me," Sakura reminded him. Kurapika knew that she was prepared for a fight.

"I don't know if I'm qualified to judge your strength but it wasn't just you at risk back there,"

Sakura sighed, her arms folded across her stomach. "That's true,"

"So, what do you intend to do now?"

"Well, I've got to get two more badges for myself," Sakura said casually. She was certain Kurapika understood what she was implying.

"When are you leaving?"

"At first light," Sakura told him.

Kurapika closed his eyes, "We'll see you on the last day then?"

"Mmm…." Sakura trailed, "Actually if you can't find Leorio's target you should go and wait near the checkpoint. It's a common tactic, I'm sure other applicants will do the same thing if they can't get their six points too. Though the last day's a bit too risky, maybe the sixth…"

"That makes sense. You'll be there on the sixth day?"

"Hope so," Sakura said. "I need two more tags."

Things went quiet for a while and Kurapika contemplated something, "What if….I gave you back your tag?"

The answer was swift and like a kick to the Kurta's gut,

"I won't accept it,"

"Why?" Kurapika asked almost too quickly, hissing softly when he remembered Leorio was basically in between them.

"Because you already earned my tag and you shouldn't underestimate me, I'll get back the points I lost," Sakura stated haughtily, although she was smiling now. "Also it took effort on my part just to get you to take the badge, no way I'm letting you give it back to me. Now it's your turn to be patronized,"

"I wasn't trying to patronize you or anything of the sort,"

"Listen; there are only a few people that are going to make it through this phase. And I'm willing to bet you, Leorio, Gon, and Killua are meant to pass this phase. I'm not going to jeopardize that,"

"But why?"

Sakura turned on her side, giving no response other than, "Goodnight Kurapika,"

Kurapika wanted to ask her more questions. He wanted to know what made this girl so adamant about believing that they should be the one to pass this phase.

"Goodnight,"

When Kurapika woke up the following morning with Leorio, Sakura's side was already empty.

That's all folks!

So like I said there's been a bit more work going on my end, with new projects you can look forward to seeing soon. For updates, including the story schedule for May and June, just going to my Tumblr, but here's the current chapters available and upcoming posts for the 30th May.

MEMBERS NOW: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/lKatsura369/membership

-Kunoichi amongst Heroes chapter 44, 45, 46

-Kunoichi amongst Pirates chapter 12, 13, 14

-Through the Looking Glass chapter 13

-Through the SpyGlass chapter 1 , 2

Public Posts 30 May

-Kunoichi amongst Heroes chapter 44

-Kunoichi amongst Pirates chapter 12