Killer in Hunter x Hunter

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***

Kurapika Kuruta.

Someone once told me that people change... and the changes that happen to them cannot be called right or wrong, good or bad. Often these changes are simply there and that is a fact. They're necessary to survive. And when it comes to survival, there is no such thing as good or bad. You don't change, you don't survive. There is no right or wrong - only the necessary.

Right now there is a man standing in front of me who has changed so much that when I compared him to what he was before, I didn't even believe it was him at first. Yes, this man has changed a lot. I remember how he was in the recent past, how he was in the relatively distant past, and how he is now. Comparing him now and then, it really seems like they're different people. When he was a kid, he was a carefree kid who just wanted to see the world. Then he became a much darker and withdrawn young man who was obsessed with revenge. And now... I haven't quite figured out who he is.

He's changed a lot, and it's hard to miss. But I'm wondering if the changes he's undergone are really what was said earlier. Is it? And is that judgement really correct? Because as far as I'm concerned... some changes may not go entirely in one's favour. After all, there are times when a person cannot bear all the hardships of life... all the trials that fate sends him... and then a person breaks down. Such changes are not necessary. Could it be an exception? Or is it not?

The man standing in front of me now... what changes have happened to him? Is he worse or better? Is he stronger? Or has he broken?

I would like to believe, and most likely I do, that this man has not really broken. He's stronger, better, more experienced. You want to believe that he's on the right path. And he probably is.

This person-- This person in the mirror-- This person is me.

***

It's been evening for a while now, and darkness has fallen on the city, only broken by the lights of the many buildings that dot the city and can be seen through the window. It's cloudy tonight, so alas, the stars won't be lighting up this city... and that's a shame. I love the starry sky, I love the bright moon that shines in it, but today is not the fate.

Despite the fact that it's already dark enough and I should turn on the lights, I don't do it. To be more precise, all that lights up my room is a table lamp. The usual lamp that I have on the desk I'm sitting at right now, which is strewn with a lot of different documents. But still... it's missing some more papers that should be on it soon. In the meantime, I'm forced to sit still and listen to the ticking of the clock, which is getting pretty annoying.

Half an hour... it's been half a fucking hour since he was supposed to be here. No, I wouldn't say it was so urgent that he had to act quickly, but I just... I don't like tardiness. I prefer a man who's punctual.

Why can't you get things done on time? I didn't ask for anything so complicated. It seems simple enough, but he's still late.

Knock, knock, knock. There was a knock on the door. Yeah, and there he is, apparently. Finally, I've been waiting.

- Come in. - I said loudly.

There was the sound of the door opening, which immediately changed to the sound of footsteps. A few seconds later, the one I had been waiting for came into my room.

- You've been waiting for me?

- You're half an hour late, Illuso. - I say in a slightly annoyed voice. - You know I don't like that and you're still late.

- I'm sorry, but your request was a bit sudden and abrupt. It's the kind of thing you have to ask for in advance. And besides, paperwork is not easy and requires a lot of fiddling.

- All right. So, you got it?

- Yeah, here it is, just like you asked. Dossiers on all the members of the Elimination Squad.

Illuso put a folder on my desk with not all but enough information about every member of the squad. At least it should have what I need, and the rest doesn't matter.

- Tell me, if it's not a secret,' Illuso said to me. - Why do you need it? Why did you need information about them?

- Hmm... Why? I'll tell you later, but for now...

It's time to familiarise myself with, or rather remind myself of, these guys. Who they are, what they can do, and various other details.

Well, here we go.

Alan Lake:

Age - 20 years old.

5'10'.

Weight - 80kg.

Hair colour, blond.

Eye colour - green.

Special notes - always wears a short-sleeved shirt decorated with flower patterns.

John Bellew:

Age - 25 years old.

Height - 184 cm.

Weight - 86kg.

Hair colour - brunette.

Eye colour - grey.

Special features - not available.

Greg Gunn:

Age - 22 years old.

Height - 176 cm.

Weight - 63kg.

Hair colour - russet.

Eye colour - brown.

Special features - not available.

Mike O'Jim:

Age - 28 years old.

Height - 188 cm.

Weight - 87kg.

Hair colour - black.

Eye colour blue.

Special features - wears all black, pale skin.

Huxell:

Age 24.

Height, 186cm.

Weight - 81kg.

Hair colour ash.

Eye colour blue.

Special features - an avid smoker, due to smoking looks noticeably older than his age.

Okay, well, those were the physical and external characteristics. Nothing remarkable here, and I don't really need any of that. Let's move on.

Yeah, abilities. That's more interesting.

Abilities. Hatsu type.

Alan Lake - unknown, presumably Specialisation.

John Bellew - Manipulation (?).

Greg Gunn - Manipulation, good Materialisation ability.

Mike O'Jim - Transformation.

Huxell - Extraction.

Hmmm... now this is getting pretty interesting.

- Illuso, tell me, um...

- If anything, I've detailed everyone's abilities in the next few pages.

- That's not really what I mean. It's just that there's something unusual here. Tell me, what about Alan Lake? Why isn't his type known?

- It's not that simple with Lake.

- What is?

- Not only does he try not to show his abilities in public, at least not in a way that can be monitored, but his abilities are obscure. It has been noticed that he is able to use different abilities that are different from each other, and the type of abnormalities are also different. That's what's strange about him. I'm assuming he's a Specialist, though I still haven't been able to figure out his true ability.

- So we can't expect a lot of details about him?

- Yeah, he's weird. But I got everything I could in there. You'll see in the details.

- Hmm. That's it? Interesting... What about John Bellew? There's a question mark at the end of his like, a question mark. What does that mean?

- He's a little more clear, but not completely. At first glance I thought he was a Manipulator, however... his abilities are quite unusual. It's hard to put them down to manipulation alone, and I'm not even talking about his additional ability of materialised teeth on his hands, which only complicates things. Anyway, it's a bit murky, so I put a question mark at the end.

- It's a shame we couldn't find out more. I guess you didn't follow them enough.

- I'm sorry, but it's not easy to follow them and sniff them out. It doesn't happen very often, and the times it does, it doesn't always pay off. Alan Lake... it's like he knows he's being surveilled and tries to use his powers as little as possible, and when he does use them, it's like I said before. Anyway... it's not as simple as you think.

Yeah... they've been serving Passion for quite some time now, and we still don't know everything about them. They're complicated bastards. Maybe even...

- By the way, Illuso, about the Specialisation Squad...

- Well, you didn't ask for anything and I didn't bring anything. So I don't have a problem with that.

- But you still collected information on them and looked into their files?

- Well, yes.

- Tell me... if you compare them and the Elimination Squad... who's stronger? Who has better abilities? Who's who?

- Who's who? Hmm... it's pretty complicated. The Elimination Squad is quite strong. I'd say it's too strong. It's the first time I've seen such нен users... who can easily compete with booth users. And the stands of the Specialisation Squad... those guys are very interesting.

- Hmm?

- Starting with Christopher Bellamy, I'd say he's the weakest in the squad, even though he's the leader. His stand is certainly strong, but... it's too situational. To use it to its full potential you need the right conditions, which, as you realise, can't always be created. Then there's Steve Glover. He's definitely strong, although no interesting abilities have been discovered. And besides... as a person he... because of some peculiarities of his personality he can't realise the stand completely. Well, he's strong, yes. Then Patrick Hughes, and he's really incredible. He doesn't show his stand very often, and I didn't watch him much, but what I saw... it's just unimaginable. His stand is incredibly powerful. I wouldn't want to face him in close combat. However... he's not the reason for my interest in this squad at all.

- Hmm, then what is?

- Trey Evans. I still haven't been able to figure out what his stand is and what his ability is. Either he's hiding it so carefully or something else, but I still haven't seen it. I haven't seen his booth. But one thing is for sure, anyone who has fought him has lost without a chance. Everyone... everyone who fought him... during the battle could do nothing. They were like little children compared to him. Like punching bags. It's... certainly frightening. A person you can't do anything against... what's that like? What did he do? I couldn't figure it out. That's why... that's why I called the Specialisation Squad so interesting. All because of Trey Evans.

I'll have to do some research on the Specialisation Squad later. What kind of people are they?

All right, let's get back to the sheep and go through this file.

Yeah, here it is. The thing I hate about them.

Reasons for imprisonment:

Alan Lake, mass murder, arson.

John Bellew - Mass murder, terrorism.

Greg Gunn - Burglary, murder.

Mike O'Jim - Intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm, torture, murder, robbery.

Huxell - Intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm.

Reading a little more detail about their offences reminded me again what kind of people they were. I knew this long ago, when they first joined the organisation, but every time I remind myself of this I am filled with anger and hatred.

- Tell me, Kurapika,' Illuso said to me. - What is the reason for your hatred of this squad? What have these guys done to you? Out of all of us, you can't stand them. You're the one who mostly tries to make their lives as bad as possible. Why?

-Why? You're asking me why? Those bastards don't deserve to be treated any differently. You know what kind of crimes they've committed. They deserve to be treated this way. No, I'm the one who's nice to them.

- But we're criminals too. We've also committed various crimes, among which there are quite a few murders.

- Nah~t... these guys are a completely different matter. We kill mostly rivals, Mafia members like us. And we've killed people before, and not only that, much worse. I know all of you and what you're capable of. But what these guys did, I can't get my head round it. They're nothing like you. They're so much worse. What they've done is completely unforgivable. I don't even know who's worse, them or the Spiders.

- They don't fit your principles and morals, am I right? But still... you're being cruel to them.

- I don't need you to tell me how cruel I am. You yourself once executed a Specialisation Unit.

- It was a necessity. They were close to rebelling against us, but that execution calmed them down, and now they're very amenable.

Well... that's true in principle, too. We need to keep order in the organisation, even if it's by brutal means. They're all right, though.

- By the way, I was wondering,' Illuso asked again. - Who in the Elimination Squad has hated you the most? Who and why?

- Ha, what a question! They're all pretty badasses over there.

- But still?

But still? That's a question you're gonna have to answer. I've seen a lot of bad people. I've seen a lot of brutality. And even though I wasn't in their shoes and I don't know the circumstances, what they did... I would never do that under any circumstances. It's just beyond my comprehension. It's unacceptable.

- I guess...' I answered after a moment's thought. - Huxell's probably the best of them all. He just inflicted severe injuries and didn't kill anyone, though if what they say about him is true, then... it was pretty brutal. Nothing special about Greg Gunn either. Stealing and murder, that's not uncommon, although it doesn't make him a good guy. Mike O'Jim, on the other hand, is a scumbag. A sadist who enjoys seeing others suffer. He doesn't care about anyone but himself.

- Yeah, and then there's the ones you dislike the most.

- Exactly. John Bellew, that's the bastard. What he did.

-... You can't get your head round it, can you?

-Yeah, it does. And Alan Lake, he's a bastard, too. I don't even know which one's worse.

- Yeah, I see. Well, I can agree with you in principle. To do something like that, I don't know.

Huh, looks like Illuso finally agreed with me. That's right, people like them don't deserve compassion. If it were up to me, I'd have killed them all a long time ago.

Okay, enough of this, I've got to get back to studying their files.

***

So, after a little more time I finally studied their dossier in detail and learnt all the necessary information. Now I can draw conclusions and start taking action.

- Hey, Kurapika,' Illuso said to me. - Tell me, why did you even need a dossier on them?

- I had to learn as much information about them as possible. At least to remind them. Now that I've done that, I'm ready to act.

- What do you mean? I don't quite understand. What do you mean?

- I mean that our plan is moving forward. It's not my decision, it's Risotto's. He gave me the order to do it.

- What about him? Why didn't he tell us?

- He and Prosciutto went away on some business and left me in charge after giving the order. It was only a short time ago, so you haven't learnt anything yet.

- Oh... and what was the order?

- We're going to openly confront the Hunter Association.

- What's that?! - Illuso was startled by my news and almost jumped on the spot. - This isn't a joke?

- No, it's not a joke. You must have known this was going to happen sooner or later, so why the reaction?

- Yeah, I knew it, but the reason for my shock is a little different. I just suddenly realised why you wanted the dossier on the Elimination Squad. I mean, you're--

- Yes, I'm going to send them to fight the Association. That way we can kill two birds with one stone. Why are you surprised?

- No reason... it's just that there's a chance that we'll only get to kill one rabbit.

- А?

- I mean, the Elimination Squad can take out the whole Association by itself.

- Oh, really? Are you kidding me?

- No~ No, I'm not joking. I have my reasons for thinking that. These guys are stronger than you think.

- I think you're overestimating them.

- Ha, then listen to me. - Illuso sat down on the sofa nearby and after being silent for ten seconds, he spoke. - These guys are... too strong. I didn't think there were such users. They're a real phenomenon.

- And why is that?

- I don't remember if I told you or not, or maybe you heard it but forgot, so I'll tell you. About a year ago, we received an order from the government. They asked us, Passione, to handle a case. Did you know that somewhere on the Yorbian continent there happens to be a city called Meteor City?

- No, I didn't. - I replied, listening with interest.

- So, according to what I learnt later, it was an almost unknown dumping ground, where all sorts of scum of society lived, who were not accepted by the rest of the world. No one would have known about it, but at a certain point in time, various human settlements, including cities, began to be attacked by strange creatures, which, as it turned out, were ants-chimeras. People were in a panic and the government decided to find out what the cause of all this was. And they did. As it turned out, all of these things were crawling right out of Meteor City. It was certainly very strange, because in that city live people who do not like to contact with the outside world. Fearing that soon an army of these monsters might come out of that city, the government decided to deal with it somehow. At first they turned to the Association, but those hunters who were sent there were destroyed without any problems. So they turned to us. Passione demanded less for this assignment than the Association, which was not against this arrangement. The criminals are less pitiful than the hunters. So, we took the assignment... and we sent the Elimination Squad.

- Ahem. - that made me gasp for air. - One squad against an entire city of chimera ants?!

- At first, we sent them there for a simple reconnaissance to find out as many details as possible, because the people of the government and the Association didn't know much. However... they did things differently. The Elimination Squad decided to deal with the problem themselves without waiting for help.

-...And what happened? - I didn't say it right away, because the more Illuso told me, the more interesting it became.

- Hehehe...I didn't believe it at first, but it turned out to be true. The Elimination Squad cleaned up this town on their own.

- Ahem... and for how long?

- Two.

- Two days?

- No, two hours.

At that point, my eyes bulged and my mouth dropped open.

- What?! Are you serious?

- Absolutely. It's been confirmed by them and the government people. All that's left are the corpses that littered the city..... I wrote all that stuff in my file for you, by the way.

- What?! You did?!

- Yeah, but you probably thought that was enough information and decided not to read any further.

-...

- Anyway, here goes.

..... If it's true, it's fucked. Although...

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! I don't believe it. Those things that populated the city were probably weaklings, like ordinary soldiers who didn't need much strength to deal with. Yeah, that's probably true.

What else did Illuso say? They can destroy the Association by themselves? Ha, that can't be true! The Hunters are also strong enough, at least the Zodiacs, so it won't be a simple battle.

- All right...' Illuso said and got to his feet, then slowly walked towards the exit. - If you ask me, it's a waste of time for you to try to mess with strong guys like this squad. Think what you want, but I think they're strong. Of course, it's possible I'm just overestimating them. But that's all I'm saying. If you don't need anything else, I'm out of here.

- Yeah, goodbye.

After saying goodbye, Illuso walked out the door, leaving me alone with the file. Yeah, well... I'd have to read the whole thing. But that doesn't change the fact that the Elimination Squad will be fighting the Association. Destroy the Association? Fine. Get killed? I'll be glad. Either way... it would still make the plan go further.

Hmm... will have to ask for the Specialisation Squad dossier as well.