In the blink of an eye, Sanguis disappeared from your line of sight, only to appear once more right in front of you with his blade held high. Your eyes widened, as you instinctively guarded yourself with your arms, focusing most of your aura onto it.

His blade easily overpowered your aura, sending you flying backward. You clenched your teeth, trying to regain some balance in the air. As soon as you had this, you jammed your feet on the ground, forcing you to slow down and stop right by the edge of the ring.

"Clean hit!"

The audience cheered once more. Slowly, you lowered your arms, noticing a long, yet shallow cut from Sanguis' scimitar.

You had every reason to be pissed. After all, no one in the 200s was able to deal you this much damage in a single strike. Yet for some reason, a smile made its way to your face instead.

Letting your arms dangle to your sides, you look at him with a slight tilt in your head. "So you're an Enhancer, huh?"

"Hm...?" He looked at you curiously for a second, before bursting into mirthful laughter. "Enhancer? Do you seriously think I'm like those idiots?"

You frowned. "You're not? Then what's with the technique? Only Enhancers can pull off a Hatsu that strong," you replied, pointing at his bloodied blade.

He chuckled, before giving you a broad smile. "You're right, only Enhancers should be able to do this," he states, brandishing his blade. "But if you set certain conditions for the technique, anyone who's not an Enhancer could do it."

'Conditions?'

"So... when you cut yourself–"

"That's right! I knew you were smart!" He cut you off. "Hurting myself with my very own weapon is the condition I set to make the technique stronger."

You gulped, narrowing your eyes at him in a glare. 'Using a technique that's not even under his Nen type? What's his deal?'

"Well then, now that we have that settled..." he says, giving you a slow smile. "Can you keep up?"

Despite your uneasiness, you smiled back, taking a step forward. "No, can you keep up?" you state, before lunging straight toward him while discreetly reaching for your dagger.

He only shrugged, casually steadying his scimitar in front of him just in time for your weapons to clash. Sparks flew between the two blades as you clenched your teeth together, focusing as much aura as you can to your dagger.

However, despite all your efforts, you were overpowered. Dust and debris clouded the air as you staggered backward, trying your best to regain footing.

_ _ _

Among the audience, Killua could only watch in horror as you took another blow. He flinched as you clutched your wounded side, stumbling back.

"Clean hit!"

A clear-cut frown formed in his face. "Tch, why is (Y/N) trying to prolong the match?! Is the idiot trying to get herself killed?!" He exclaimed, clenching his fists together as he stood up from his seat.

Wing, however, grabbed his arm before he could do anything rash. Killua whipped his head to look down at the seated man, eyes clouded with murderous wrath. Wing merely shook his head at him, gently pulling him back to his seat.

Killua complied, albeit reluctantly. He slumped back down, crossing his arms and legs together in irritation. "If that bastard knocks her out, I'm gonna kill him," he states, voice dripping with bloodlust, as sparks of bright blue electricity start to flow from his body.

Meanwhile, you charged at Sanguis once more, deftly dodging his blade despite your numerous injuries. However, as you reached him, he dealt you a punch to the jaw with his free hand. You winced, staggering back, and clutching your jaw in pain.

While you struggled to get back up again, Sanguis ever-so-slowly approached you, a cynical smile touching his lips. "Is that all you can do?"

You were panting heavily at this point, as the exhaustion began to seep in. Shakily, you got up on your feet, ready to try again. However, you felt a broad hand rest on your head. Your eyes widened as a silent gasp escaped your lips, stopping you from all movement.

"You've done well to entertain me," he smiled, yet his eyes held something sinister in them.

'He's... patting my head... just like–'

You inhaled sharply, dropping your head as your body trembled slightly. A sullen expression seemed to overtake your features, as a strange feeling boiled up inside you. Shakily, you lifted a hand towards the top of your head, enclosing it firmly around Sanguis' wrist as he patted your head.

"Stop it."

His hand finched under your grasp, yet you gripped his wrist even tighter. Looking up once more, you glared at him with dull eyes, before finally letting out tremendous amounts of aura you didn't know you had.

His sinister eyes soon turned to one of interest once more. "Oh? I didn't know you had more up your sleeve–"

Suddenly, you jerked his wrist away from you, forcing him to lose balance and lean forward. You used this opportunity to deliver the fastest kick to his jaw, sending him flying despite his solid Nen protection.

"Critical hit!!"

The crowd roared, with some even standing up and raising their fists in the air. Killua and the others stared at you in astonishment, watching your shoulders rise and fall erratically as you wiped a bead of sweat off your brow.

"FINALLY, (Y/N) HAS DEALT SOME DAMAGE!! WILL SHE BE ABLE TO CATCH UP TO SANGUIS' SCORE?!" The announcer exclaimed in excitement.

Eventually, Sanguis landed on his feet. He chuckled, clutching his jaw, before setting his eyes on you. A small smile touched his lips. "It seems I was very wrong about you."

You managed a smile, all the while struggling to keep yourself up and stabilizing your sudden burst of aura.

"I'll admit..." Sanguis chuckled, suddenly appearing in front of your vulnerable state. Slowly, he reaches for his scimitar once more.

Meanwhile, Killua tensed up, shifting over to the edge of his seat. He watched with bated breath as his blue orbs widened considerably. 'If he uses that, (Y/N) will–'

Almost as if Wing sensed this, he placed a hand on Killua's shoulder. "Don't worry, just watch," he says, giving him a knowing smile.

Back at the ring, Sanguis was about to unsheath his blade, preparing for the final strike. You gave him a sharp glare, shakily reaching for your own blade and maintaining your Ten defense, despite your struggle to even move.

Sanguis' eyes wavered for the slightest moment, before sighing and putting his scimitar away. Instead, he gave you a swift punch. "...It would be such a waste to end you here. You're special, (Y/N). I like you," he mumbles, giving you an oddly friendly smile as you staggered back.

"Clean Hit! Victory goes to Sanguis!"

You blinked in surprise, clutching your cheek where he punched you. 'He... held back?! Why?' You frowned deeply, watching him wave a hand at the audience, a charismatic smile touching his features.

"VICTORY GOES TO SANGUIS!!! THIS BRINGS HIS RECORD TO 10-2, GIVING HIM A RIGHT TO CHALLENGE A FLOOR MASTER!!!" The announcer cheered, along with the deafening cries of the audience.

Your face fell. "I... lost," you mumble. Your breaths were uneven, and your vision started to blur. Despite that, you shakily tried to step away from the ring. However, you felt your knees give out instead, causing you to fall forwards. You closed your eyes tightly, bracing for the impact.

Instead, you felt 2 strong arms circle your body, preventing you from falling.

Your eyes widened, as you turned your head to look behind you. There, you saw the familiar fluffy, silver-white hair, and deep blue orbs stained with worry.

"Killua?! How did you get here?! This is the fighting ring!" You exclaimed in bewilderment, before clutching your jaw in a grimace, enduring the pain.

"Geez, stop talking. You'll only get more hurt," he sighs. Very gently, he placed an arm under your knees, and the other around your shoulders, carrying you bridal style. "The match is over. Let's go."

"W-Wait, you don't have to c-carry me like th– Woah!" You were cut off, as he suddenly jumped in the air and out of the ring, holding you close to him.

You were forced to circle your arms around his neck to secure yourself. 'He jumps so high...' You thought, looking below at the ring where Sanguis stood. However, it seemed Killua didn't go unnoticed, as most of the audience stared at the both of you leaving the arena.

"Killua, people are watching us..."

"I don't care. We need to get you treated. Fast," he spoke. His voice was laced with cold urgency. But strangely enough, you found yourself smiling anyway, as a warm, fuzzy feeling spread over your chest. You allowed yourself to relax, feeling the adrenaline fade away as you leaned your head on his broad chest.

'Strange... we only saw each other an hour ago, so why do I already miss you so much?'