The Second Task, Part Two
On the other side of the forest, Yuki was faced by two young peoples. Both looked deceptively young and had an aura of evil. One of them was his classmate Juuzo but he couldn’t tell which. He’d been relying on his future diary thus far, and it had successfully helped get to here, the first hurdle. Out of the three contestants, he’d gotten to this obstacle first but it had stumped him.
“For the first obstacle, you have to tell us apart. In each of our envelopes, there’s a clue. Choose Juuzo to receive the right one. Choose wisely.”
“The other one is called Q,” the smol boi piped up. His hat was at a joint angle on his head. Most would already have distinguished this smol child as Q himself, but Yuki was too dumb.
“Wait, how do I tell you apart?” asked Yuki, tears glistening in his eyes.
“We answer yes or no questions,” replied the taller of the two.
Yuki glances down at his future diary. ‘I ask a few questions. DEAD END.’ What? That couldn’t be right – he hadn’t even done anything yet! In his panic, Yuki asks a random question. “Um which one of you is in my class?” Yuki tried, crossing his fingers, hoping they wouldn’t notice it wasn’t a yes/no question.
They both just stared back at him. They thought they had been prepared for his dumbness, but this was more than they expected.
This was the point at which Yuki couldn’t hold it in anymore. His nose started running and he couldn’t stop himself. He had a ‘Dead End!!!’ He started bawling, nose running, eyes puffy, gasping for breath.
Just then, Yuki’s phone binged with a text. Was this it? He wondered. Had his future changed - had he asked the right question? He pulled out his future diary-slash-mobile. He sees that rather than a change to his future he has received a text. He was hoping it was Yuno with one of her sexual photographs, the sexy ones, the ones that made him want the secc. He needed one for the road of death. Unfortunately they weren’t pictures of his naked beau, but rather an unfortunate message from his service provider Vodaphone.
‘Your current plan has expired. You no longer have data or service, inclusive for future diary users. Please call the number below to reinstate your contract:
XXX-XXX-pwease-hwelp-me-sanpei’.
Yuki’s phone trembled in his palm. His future diary was at risk?? How else would he tell these two bois apart? He needed to change his future diary, to change it from ‘Dead End’ to something more promising. If Yuki didn’t win the tournament, he would bring shame onto the school.
Juuzo yawned, covering his mouth with a gloved hand. Beside his mouth were three stitches. Was it Juuzo who had the scars, or the other person? Queue? Sweat beaded on his forehead. He tried to check his future diary, but Vodaphone was telling him the truth. He had no option but to call the sanpei helpline. He turned his back to the psychologically turnt bois.
“Hello, this is Silva from Vodaphone. How can I help today?”
“H-hi, you’ve cancelled my phone plan – and I need it, I need my future diary -”
“Ah yes, Yukiteru Amano. Unfortunately you have not been making payments toward your phone.”
“Oh no – my parents died – n-no one’s been paying my phone bill!” Yuki started sobbing again, walking about in circles like a caged rat. Juuzo stood in the background, picking at his arm to lengthen his arm of stitches. Q was playing with his cursed doll.
Silva went through the Vodaphone phone plans offered. They were all over his budget.
“Then how am I supposed to use my future diary?” Yuki panicked. Q and Juuzo were watching him. Their presence intimidated him and Yuki couldn’t stop himself crying even harder. Where was Yuno when he needed her?
“We don’t have time for customers that can’t pay. My only suggestion is to bring your parents back.” Silva hung up.
“No!” Yuki cried. He tried to call back the sanpei helpline but he had been blocked. He would have to ask Yuno to set up a connecc with Ufone or EE when he got back to his love.
Out of options, Yuki looked back towards the pair of indistinguishable students. What would Yuno do? One of the pair was stitching his skin together; the other was playing with a doll. The latter seemed more vulnerable. He saw a sharp stick nearby in a bush, and knew what to do. He ‘snuck’ forward, picked up the wooden weapon and jumped at Q, holding the ‘weapon’ at his throat.
“Give me the right answer or this child will perish at my hand!” Perhaps Yuki’s words would have sounded more magnificent, had he not stumbled and said ‘Paris’ in the place of ‘perish’.
Q and Juuzo exchanged a look. Juuzo started cackling wildly. “He’ll PARIS, will he? PARIS him right up, Amano!” His body folded in two with his laughter.
“Oh do you want to play with me?” he smiled a wide Cheshire cat smile. “Okay let’s play.”
He revealed a barbed-wire wrapped hand out of his pocket and tapped Yuki on his shoulder. “Tag. You’re it.”
-
Leorio stumbled around in the darkness, unsure of where he was going. He wished Kurapika, Killua or the dead Gon was with him, they always knew what to do, and Leorio always followed them. But this time Leorio couldn’t rely on his friends to help him. He had to do this alone.
Finally, up ahead he saw two figures. Gripping his suitcase tighter, Leorio jogged over to them.
“One of us is your husband Kurapika,” they said. “For the first obstacle, you have to tell us apart. In each of our envelopes, there’s a clue. Choose Kurapika to receive the right one. Choose wisely.”
Leorio looked between them. One was a beautiful boi with blonde hair, the other, unbeknowest to Leorio was Sasuke; dark lengths of raven hair messily framing his face, sharp, intense eyes – strong jawline and lax posture.
“You can only ask yes or no questions.”
Leorio nodded in understanding. This would be easy! Kurapika is his husband after all. “Has your clan been massacred?” Leorio asked confidently.
“Yes,” they answered simultaneous, rage simmering behind their eyes.
“I will avenge my clan!” the blonde said seriously.
“My only goal in lyfe is revenge!” the black haired boi said.
Leorio gulped. This was harder than he had thought.
“Can you turn your eyes red?”
At that the pair responded by activating their powers, their gleaming scarlet eyes luminescent in the dark forest.
Leorio dropped to his knees. There were no other questions he could ask. A massacred clan and red eyes were the only things that made up Kurapika’s personality. And they look so similar- the gleaming eyes with the need for revenge! He felt despair fall over him. Then an idea popped into his head. A perfect plan!
He stood up and gripped Sasuke’s collar, and leaned down to kiss him. If this boy wasn’t his husband then he would know by how he responds to the kiss. Sasuke easily pulled himself out of Leorio’s grip by taking a step back, and pulled out his sword, pointing it at Leorio’s throat. “Touch me again and I’ll kill you,” the boy said in a monotone.
Leorio’s heart leapt. That’s exactly how Kurapika would respond!
“It’s you!” he screamed. “You’re my husband! There’s not a doubt in my mind! Only Kurapika would threaten me if I tried to kiss him!”
Sasuke threw a confused look at Kurapika next to him, who shrugged back, clearly he assumed this would happen. Wordlessly Sasuke handed over the envelope that contained the wrong direction.
Leorio ripped it open, cheered and ran off.
Sasuke and Kurapika rolled their red eyes at his stupidity, and knew they would be in for a long wait for Leorio’s return for the correct envelope.