A month had passed.

"Well then, I better go get ready for my match today," you get up, waving to Killua and Alluka, who were hanging around in your room.

"Good luck Onee-chan!" Alluka waves back, a big, encouraging smile plastered on her face.

"Thanks!" you say, giving her a wide grin along with a thumbs up.

Killua glances over at you. "What's your plan? Please tell me you at least developed a Hatsu technique or something," he asks.

You sweatdropped, scratching the back of your head sheepishly. "Well... I just trained for the advanced Nen techniques..."

"HUH?! Are you serious?!" Killua exclaimed, wearing an exasperated look on his face, before sighing deeply. "I thought you were smarter than this..."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" You narrowed your eyes at him, placing your hands on your hips.

Killua sighed once more. "Nothing, nothing. At least remember what I told you about him," he said, waving a hand dismissively at you as he stood up. "We'll be watching your match with Wing and Zushi. See you at the arena," he cracks a small smile, before turning to his sister. "Let's get going, Alluka," he says, leading her to the door.

"Okay! We'll be rooting for you, Onee-chan!" She smiles, before disappearing behind the door as it gently closed shut.

You sighed, staring at the closed door where Killua just left. "Even if I told you to let me handle it, you still had to find a way to help, didn't you?" You mumbled to yourself, a fond smile tugging at your lips.

--A few weeks ago--

"Oi, (Y/N)?" Killua called, poking his head out from the doorway and peering inside while you trained your Ren.

"Yeah?" You replied, momentarily deactivating your Nen.

Killua approached you, hands resting behind his head in a relaxed manner. "I was able to dig up some info on Sanguis, so listen up."

Your eyes widened momentarily. "You did?"

"Yeah, and this isn't good news either," he pauses, giving you a serious look. "Despite having a record of 9-2, he's never really lost a match."

You felt your eyebrows jerk upward. "What?! Then where did his 2 losses come from?!" You exclaim, a bead of nervous sweat rolling down your forehead.

"He simply didn't show up, so he lost by default," he states. "Not only that, but he always approaches his opponent first at the start of every match," he sighs. "Talk about confidence..."

"No way... do I even have a chance of winning?" You mumbled as you bit your lip nervously.

"Huh?! So now you're starting to doubt all this?" Killua narrows his eyes at you, leaning closer until his face was mere inches from yours.

"W-What? No! Of course not," you reply, suddenly aware of how close he was. However, you made no move to step back.

He places his hands on his hips before leaning back once more. "Good. Don't you dare back down now, especially since you went through the all trouble of ignoring my warnings," he says, irritation clearly laced in his tone.

You smiled anxiously at him. "Seems like I made you really mad, huh?" you mumbled, quiet enough so he didn't hear. 'But thanks, Killua.'

Taking a deep breath, you looked at him directly, fierce determination evident in your eyes. "Don't worry Killua, I'm never gonna back down. I can do this!"

For a while, he seemed taken aback by your words, before scratching his head in annoyance. "You better! Geez... you're seriously starting to sound like someone I know," he says, mumbling the last part.

Playfully, you roll your eyes at him. "Yeah, yeah... Now get going so I can continue training!" You say with a small smile, pushing him out the door.

_ _ _

--Now--

"WELCOME TO THE LONG-AWAITED MATCH BETWEEN SANGUIS AND (Y/N)!!!" The commentator screams out, prompting another deafening scream from the already loud audience.

You were already standing on the ring, along with your opponent, Sanguis. A whimsical smile played at his lips: a gesture which you gladly returned.

'I'll just treat this like any other match... and have fun,' you thought, as a crooked smile slowly took over your features.

"Begin!"

Even after the referee's word, you didn't move an inch, and neither did he. Your eyes were locked together, trying to discern what the other was gonna do.

Your heart was thumping loudly in your chest, as you watched him in anticipation. You've never felt this way before. It was different from when you first walked in as a fighter on this floor, or when you've fought anyone in general. This time it was almost as if... as if you couldn't wait for everything to unfold.

The smile never left your face, even after Sanguis started strolling towards you. Heightening all your senses, you quickly activated Gyo.

He chuckled. "Smart move."

Your eyes widened. 'There's nothing! So this really is just one big reckless move?!'

Your smile grew wider at this. "Thanks," you uttered, before disappearing from his sight.

Even Sanguis was taken aback by this, as he let his facade melt away for a split second. He quickly whirled around to check behind him. There was nothing.

"Above, huh?" He mumbled, glancing up. There you were, right above him with your fist in the ready, along with the strongest Ko you could muster.

'I'm not an enhancer, but this should do.'

You punched him square in the face before he could even react. The force of it twisted his neck, as he flew to one side of the arena along with a surging gust of wind. He smashed loudly against the wall, denting it beyond repair. Wincing in pain, he closed his eyes shut, before slumping to the ground as dust and debris drifted from him.

"Critical Hit and Down! 3 points to (Y/N)!"

The crowd was dead silent for the first few seconds, before erupting into loud, deafening cheers. You softly landed on the ground, barely making any noise. Glancing at the wall, you stared intently at Sanguis for any signs of movement.

It didn't even take long for him to get up. In fact, he stood up leisurely like he was getting out of bed during a calm weekend. He sighs, cracking his neck back into place and dusting off debris from his coat.

'So he did protect himself with Nen after all...' You thought, narrowing your eyes at him.

"WOAH!! IT LOOKS LIKE SANGUIS GOT BACK UP ON HIS FEET WITH NO PROBLEM AT ALL!!" The commentator exclaimed, leaning closer to take a closer look.

"That wasn't bad. Good job!" He gave you a close-eyed smile, walking casually to the ring once more. You immediately activated Ten, ready for whenever he decides to make a move.

You chuckled, playing along with him. "You think so? Thanks!"

He steps into the ring once more. "It would be unfair if I fight you like I usually do. It would be an insult to your strength," he says, giving you an inquisitive look as he tilted his head to the side, a slow, broad smile touching his lips.

Your chest was filled with excitement. "Oh yeah? You think so?"

He chuckles. "I know so, (Y/N)," he says, unsheathing his scimitar and letting it gleam under the numerous lights surrounding the both of you.

You went and grabbed your dagger as well, ready for whatever he was about to throw at you. Yet as you watched him, you found yourself frozen in your tracks, eyes widened considerably.

'Wait, what is he doing?!'

Sanguis rolled up his left sleeve, exposing his wrist, before slitting it with his scimitar. his blood lightly coated the blade, as his wrist started forming a seamless, crimson line, where blood flowed out in drops.

Suddenly, it was as if his presence changed. Immediately, you activated Gyo. Narrowing your eyes, you see his Ten activated. His blade was surrounded with aura as well, yet it had a stronger aura with a faint glimmer in it.

"I'll let you have a taste of one of my abilities, (Y/N). It's only fair," he spoke, intrigue and interest laced in his tone.

You couldn't help but smile at this. "Bring it on."