Heya! sorry for the wait, and um more notes at end of chapter!

Also, a quick thank you for any and all reviews! Y'all are darlings!


"Please…"

One would think that, after having spent all this time leading up to this very moment, I would have found the right words to say.

But nothing comes to mind. My brain is blank, smooth as a glass, and I can't conjure up a single word. I simply stand there, frozen, eyes darting back and forth from each of the boys in the train car.

There's only two words that I have to say.

Just say it, Bella!

I've taken too long, and Killua breaks the awkward silence, irritated. "Are you going to say something or not?"

Meanwhile Kurapika looks at me kindly, waiting patiently for me to speak, and Leorio's got his attention on me too.

I take a shuddering breath. Just say it already.

"Don't leave, alright?"

When the words finally escape my mouth, they hang in the air, and I'm met with silence from my companions.

Kurapika is the first one to look away. "I can't do that."

"Huh? Kurapika? Bella? What's that mean, anyway? 'Don't leave', whaddya even mean by that?" Leorio looks from me to Kurapika, clearly confused. "Hello? Bella?"

"It means… I want you to stay with me…" My heart is sinking as I watch the expressions in the train carriage change. The atmosphere takes a drastic shift.

Killua holds a hand out protectively towards Gon. "If you mean you want to hang with us until the auction, then I'm not gonna let you. Gon and I are going training together."

Gon looks to Killua, but he doesn't make a comment.

Leorio leans back in his seat, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, yeah, come to think of it… I should be studying since I have my license now. I want to get into medical school. Sorry, Bella."

"And my time here is done." Kurapika says calmly, avoiding my glance. "Now that Killua is safe, I'd like to be employed as a Hunter and get some money to participate in the auction."

My bottom lip trembles heavily. Everything is falling apart.

"Bella, do you have somewhere to go?" Leorio finally looks at me again, concern in his eyes.

I shake my head. Come to think of it, I really do have nowhere to go. I literally spawned into this world on that ship that day. I have no history, no family… nothing here.

"There's no one." I say quietly. "So please, don't leave me alone."

Leorio clears his throat. "If there's nowhere for you, you could always come back home with me?" He says it like a question, as if he himself is unsure of what he's offering.

With that, a new future flashes in my mind: a future of me and Leorio, studying for an exam, eating together, working, far away from the drama of this world. The offer is tempting… but it isn't what I want.

"No, I don't want it." I shake out the dream from my head. "I won't accept it."

Leorio looks away awkwardly. I can feel my grip on these four slipping away with each passing second. What do I do now?

"A compromise!" My mind flounders. "That's right, let's compromise."

"On what, exactly?" Kurapika asks.

"One year. We stay together for one year only. How does that sound?"

They shift uncomfortably in their seats.

"Killua." I address him sharply. "You're going to Heavens Arena, correct?"

"What? You-how do you know?"

"Take us with you. Me, Kurapika, Leorio."

"Bella, what are you saying?" Leorio grumbles. "I told you, I need to study-"

"Well, you can do that at the arena! And Kurapika-you can make plenty of money there. Lots, especially with your skill. So-"

"Hey, you." Killua addresses me crudely, and I can tell that he holds little respect for me, a blow that hurts worse than the one he delivered to my abdomen weeks before. "When did I ever say you could tag along?"

"You didn't, but…"

"Why do you want us to stick together so desperately, Bella?" Kurapika asks. "You must have a reason, right?"

Wait, what is my reason, exactly? Uh...

"It's… a very, very, super-duper mega-important reason." I say. "Um. Yeah."

Kurapika waits expectantly, but I'm unable to provide any other answer. I'm not quite sure how to explain this feeling that I have, the feeling that so desperately wants to keep this group of shonen anime protagonists together.

When it becomes clear that I have nothing else to add, Kurapika speaks.

"One year, Bella?" He asks me.

I flinch at being addressed, and nod. "Yeah, a year." I think, since that's when Chimera Ants is...

"The revenge of my clan does not wait a year." Kurapika says, and although he says it softly, his entire body goes rigid in the seat. I've somewhat forgotten how dramatic and emo Kurapika can be.

Thump. Ba-dump. Thump. Ba-dump.

My heart slams against my chest. I may not understand Nen and aura just yet, but the feeling that emanates from Kurapika right now is one that I do not want to mess with.

"That being said, I cannot take on the Phantom Troupe as is." Kurapika holds up his palms in front of him, inspecting them. "Heavens Arena, you say?"

I nod, just slightly. I'm a little scared of him at the moment, to be honest.

Kurapika turns to look at Leorio. "I've heard of Heavens Arena before. It seems like we can make a lot of money there, if we try. And for me, it's a training opportunity. I must become strong enough to crush the Troupe."

His slim hands ball into fists.

"Bella, I cannot promise to stay for a year, or even for half. But until the auction, I will stay with you." He gives a grim smile, determination set in his clear grey eyes. "Leorio?"

"But-" Leorio's voice falters a bit. He, too, has detected that stream of malice coming from Kurapika, and has safely decided not to mess with it. "Well, I guess I can study anywhere…"

"Still, I never said you guys could come along!" Killua says this, sounding more like a whining child than anything. "Gon and I were going to go together."

"It's okay, Killua." Gon says, finally saying something. He smiles at me warmly. "WIth everyone, it'll be lots more fun!"

Killua pouts a little, but then twists it into a smile. "Yeah, you're right. Besides, Porty probably can't make it past the first floor."

"Porty?" I yelp, aghast. "My name is Bella, you idiot!" I wave an arm at him.

And then Leorio starts laughing, Kurapika smiles, and suddenly I'm giggling, too. With that, all of the nerves have evaporated out of my body.

I think things will be okay.

"Don't leave." I whisper into my hands, and smile to myself.

I did it… they didn't!

xXxXx

And before I know it, we're inside the green airship that chugs away in the sky, headed towards Heaven's Arena.

Leorio brings over a tray of soda cups, and we each take one. I drink in small sips as I clutch at the paper cup, letting the bubbles in the carbonation soothe my jumping nerves. This is the first major step out of canon territory, and I'm terrified at what's going to happen next.

"So, what exactly is this Heavens Arena place?" Leorio asks, drinking his own cup of soda and taking a seat.

"Well, Gon needs to train before he can land a punch on someone like Hisoka. So I thought, we can't train by normal means. That's why we're going to Heavens Arena." Killua explains. "We can train and make money at the same time."

"By doing what, exactly?" Leorio mutters. "I don't want to do anything but study-"

"You can study all you want after you make it to the 100th floor." Killua says. "That's when you get your own private room. That is, if you make it that far."

"Wait, I still don't get it?" Leorio rubs his head, confused. "What kind of place is this?"

Kurapika clears his throat. "Then I'll explain. Heaven's arena is made up of 251 stories…"

I place my mostly untouched soda in a cup holder and gaze out the window as Kurapika explains. Now that we've made it past the first major hurdle, I should start thinking about what's coming next.

I've only secured Leorio and Kurapika until the auction… and even I have not a clue what will happen then. Surely Kurapika's decision to stay with us instead of go off and work for the Nostrades will have some impact on the plot, and I am unsure how that will play out.

And Heaven's Arena itself… I suppose I'll have to participate if I want any sort of security. I have no Hunter's license… no money… literally nothing to my name except for a couple of tampons.

And by the way, I haven't even had my period in this world yet. Maybe Bella's a late bloomer. Either way, it makes the tampons completely useless. I should've just asked for money.

"But what I'm worried about most is… you, Bella." Kurapika's mention of my name makes me startle in my seat and I turn to face him.

"Huh? Why?"

"Aren't you still injured from Killua?"

My hand flies automatically to my stomach. "...No!"

"Are you quite sure?"

"...yes…?" I mumble.

"I know Gon, Killua, and I can take care of ourselves." Kurapika says, and then raises an eyebrow at Leorio. "Him too, even."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leorio scowls.

"But, Bella, you're still injured, and you haven't been taught how to fight. How do you expect to survive at Heaven's Arena?"

Well, I don't, actually, expect to survive. But Kurapika raises a good point…

"Still injured, ha! I did a good job." Killua sharpens his nails and sticks his tongue out mockingly at me.

"You didn't do such a good job if you were trying to kill me, you moron." I mutter, clutching loosely at my side. I mean, it's mostly healed. Like Leorio predicted, there's now a long scar that stretches across my abdomen, and it stopped openly bleeding a while ago. But the pain is constant, and I can feel it even now.

If Killua hadn't such a pretty face, I doubt I would have forgiven him so easily.

"I think I've been relying on you guys enough. I want to train myself at Heaven's Arena." I say. Perhaps I can learn Nen, too. "That way I'm not a burden to have around."

"If you say so."

The fact that Kurapika doesn't deny I'm a burden hurts a bit, but I try not to let it bother me too much.

What I should be doing right now is celebrating my victory. My victory of changing the plot, that is. I feel as if I should be relaxing now, but knowing what's coming makes me feel more uneasy than not.

Heaven's Arena, I'm ready to take you on.

xXxXx

Heaven's Arena lives up to its name, as a tall, oddly-shaped tower thing made of stone. It's massive, way too much to take in all at once, and yet we're forced to as we join the horrendously long line which wraps around the base of the building.

At the front of the line is a little kiosk, where a woman in a pink uniform pushes some forms underneath the glass partition. "Welcome to Heaven's Arena. Please fill out this form."

I stare at the form for a moment, trying to comprehend what it says. This world has a weird writing system, and I haven't actually tried writing anything in it yet. This will be… new.

"Your handwriting sucks, Porty." Killua jeers when I finish, mocking the wobbly words decorating my page.

"It's BELLA." I remind him yet again, shoving the form back to the woman with a humph. Really, why couldn't I have chosen any other name?

Once all of our forms are collected, the woman types a few things into her computer keyboard. "Killua Zoldyck, you are 2054. Gon Freecss, you are 2055. Portabella Mushroom (I cringe), you are 2056. Kurapika Kurta, you are 2057. And Leorio Paladiknight, you are 2058."

She continues. "They'll call your number on the first floor of the arena, so make sure you remember it. Now, please go ahead."

That's all for registration? I guess so.

Killua leads the way into an open and noisy arena. There's hundreds, if not thousands of seats that rim the battle area, which consists of several raised platforms. My stomach turns at the sight of all the clearly strong individuals tossing each other around on the platforms. That's what I'll have to do, very, very soon.

Am I up to it?

The correct answer is: not in the slightest.

We slide into some empty seats. Gon and Killua seem relatively unbothered.

"Man, the place hasn't changed at all." Killua says.

"You've been here before?" Kurapika asks him.

"Yeah. For training, when I was six. I wasn't allowed to go back until I cleared the 200th floor. It took me two years." He says it with an amount of pride in his voice.

"That's insane! You were so young!" Leorio says.

Killua shrugs.

"Well, if we want to fight people at Hisoka's level, we'll have to climb even higher." Killua says.

"I don't want to spend two years here…" Leorio grumbles.

"We won't." Kurapika says, with calm assuredness. "We'll climb it sooner. Much sooner. No, we'll go to the top."

"Number 1973, Number 2055." Calls the announcer, "Please enter Ring E."

"Hey, that's me!" Gon jumps up and slides off his little backpack. "Oh, I'm kind of nervous now!"

"Good luck, Gon." Leorio says, but he looks even more nervous than Gon does.

"Gon." Killua settles back and grins. "You got through the Testing Gate, right? So, all you need to do is… push."

"What kind of advice is that?" Leorio grunts.

"Hmm…" Gon ponders it. "Okay! See you later!"

I barely have time to settle down and watch Gon's fight, because the next thing I know the announcer is calling out a new set of numbers.

"Number 2056, Number 2032. Please enter Ring A."

I fumble for a second as the eyes of my group pan towards me. Shit, that's my number!

"Bella! You know, you don't have to go!" Leorio calls. "You can always drop out!"

"I'll be fine." I muster up every drop of courage that I have (it's not much) and stumble to the stairs. "Don't worry. I've got this!"

Or so I say. In reality, I'm crapping my pants as I shuffle down the steps.

"Ring A, Ring A…" I mutter under my breath. "Ah…."

My opponent is already standing in the ring.

Looks like I'm in trouble.

Shit.


So yes, it has been two months... ah! And I'm terribly sorry it's such a short chapter!

I'd planned this to be a double upload because this chapter is really just a buffer to move between the first part of the story and the second, but the holiday season got in the way and well... you know. There's a LOT going on right now and there's especially a lot going on in my personal life, so I'm glad I even got this chapter out. I hope it, ahem, lives up to expectations... It's actually one of the shortest chapters so far, which I didn't plan for, but... It's definitely not perfect. Maybe a little rushed. Ah, well. We're getting to the good stuff now, completely off of canon! Bear with me for a bit.

Good news, the next chapter is already written and is awaiting editing. The tentative title is "I get beat up at Heaven's Arena" but that could change as I edit. I hope to get it up before the new year. Hope to see you there!