The Second Task, Part Six
At the very same time as Atsushi’s moonlit walk, after a whole day of running around and the moon now reaching its zenith, Leorio encountered a centaur. The man had two arms, four legs, strong muscled arms and a ribbed stomach. He had a scowl scrunching his face into wrinkles of skin.
“Hello,” Leorio introduced himself, “My husband gave me directions to come here. I’m trying to get to the next phase of the Triwizard Tournament.”
Bane’s scowl lessened. His own husband had betrayed him so? He remembered his last love, Aragog, who had betrayed him in death. He knew exactly how this man was feeling. Even though he was smiling, sweating and shirtless – still brimming with energy – Bane knew how betrayal from a loved one felt, and knew the man must have been overcompensating for his pain.
In reality, Leorio was too dim-witted to realise he was running in the wrong direction, and was prepared to run the next week the same way ‘Kurapika’ (AKA Sasuke) had directed him.
“I shall take you there,” Bane rumbled in his deep, earthly tone. “Ride me.”
Leorio hesitated, unsure if he should go against his husband’s direction, but couldn’t help but want to appease the clearly lovely centaur. After all, he had been running in this direction for a day already, and was getting slightly bored and unfocussed. Plus, he would love to take a break by riding someone.
Leorio tipped his head down in appreciation. “Thank you, Mister Centaur. What should I call you? I would like your name before I ride you.”
“Bane.”
“I am Leorio.” He kicked his leg up and threw himself onto the back of the centaur, who gave him no opportunity to settle down. They were heading to the next challenge soon after.
-
Ging was waiting for him, dressed as a sphinx. He wore a scowl, pissed that he had to wear such a ridiculous costume. He never dressed as a boar for the zodiacs unlike those other furries he was constantly surrounded by. It was like him and Pariston (his bff) were the only normal people around.
Leorio finally emerged from the mist. At the sight of Ging, Leorio was filled with joy. He hadn’t seen his father recently, and this was another chance to bond after so long apart from each other.
“Daddy! I’m here!”
“Hey Gon!” Ging replied. “I have a riddle for you.”
Unfortunately Leorio was having problems solving it. Another reason why he missed Kurapika. He wasn’t smart enough. Ging offered to give him the solution to help his son along, but Leorio refused. “I want to prove that I’m strong enough by myself!” he had insisted.
He spent a day mulling it over, then finally he got it!
“I think I know it! Something that’s black and white, and red all over! It must be a newspaper! Because it’s read as in reading, not the colour!”
Ging was proud of his son. “Well done! That must have been very difficult for you!”
Leorio was filled with joy at his father’s praise. He was sad to say goodbye to him, but he knew he had to finish the task. As long as I’m not last, he thought, then it’ll be okay.
He reached the tree within an hour, thanks to Bane giving him a lift. Climbing the tree was easy for Leorio as well. He had nen to strengthen his muscles, and was already strong from his training to open the Testing Gates at Killua’s house.
He picked up the flip knife, which teleported him to the finish line just like Nekozawa. Less people were there than when he had started, but there was still a few students there to cheer for him. A cannon sounded to signal his finish, and Sebastian announced him as second with the time of 49 hours and 32 minutes. He went to Kurapika for a victory kiss, who slapped him away angrily. Leorio smiled- his husband was the same as always.
Now all that was left was to prepare for the Yule Ball and the final task.
-
Yuki collapsed in the forest. He was no longer sure how long he’d been trapped in the forest. The task had taken so long; he was sure he was losing his sanity. HE was so thirsty. How long was it until he reached the next phase? How far away was the next checkpoint? He would cry but he was too dehydrated. He had already cried away almost all the liquids in his body by the third night and had been slowly dying since. Licking the dew off the plants in the morning had sustained him until this point, but now he couldn’t even move his tongue enough to do that.
What Yuki had forgotten to the hallucinations and insanity was that Shanks had been using the stars and predicting when Yuki was on the brink of death, and to prevent the health and safety hazard he had been visiting Yuki in his times of crisis and desperation to give him food and water.
Out of the shadows a shadowy figure appeared.
Yuki wasn’t sure whether or not it was a hallucination.
His body had betrayed him. He couldn’t move. He lay there as the figure got closer. Yuki squinted and tried to distinguish which form his hallucination was taking, but he couldn’t.
“P-p-p-p-pirate?” Yuki would have wet himself but alas he could not, for he was too dehydrated.
“Hey Yuki. It’s me again.” Shanks sat on a log beside Yuki’s head. “How have you been?”
Yuki gasped into the grass, slowly dying.
“I know how it feels, kiddo.” Shanks didn’t, but he was trying to sympathise with the pathetic sack of flesh. He threw some sticks into the firepit he had made on his first visit and lit them. Yuki, for some reason, had been circling around the same area for the past two weeks without noticing.
After getting some food and drink into Yuki, who was largely unresponsive, Shanks sat him down by the fire and wrapped some fleece blankets over his shoulders and gave him general updates on the happenings of Oxbridge.
“The Yule Ball happened last night,” Shanks mentioned. “You might want to know your girlfriend was drugged and restrained by Akise to prevent her intervention in this task. She’s getting kinda psycho now you’re not around.” Shanks tried not to mention that Yuno had always been psycho. Yuki was tender. “Sebastian and Atsushi went together. I’m proud of him for finding a friend.” Leorio went with Kurapika rather than Sasuke. Sasuke had finally been forgotten by Leorio as his husband’s double. Perhaps it was something to do with Sasuke knocking him unconscious as soon as the battered Leorio left the Forbidden Forest.
“Now, I have spoken to the other tutors and they sympathise with your plight,” AKA they were bored of waiting for Yuki and all wanted to go back to their respective schools, “So we have decided to give you a hint on the next phase of the task. There is a tree,” Shanks pointed in its direction, a shivering Yuki’s gaze following his finger, “A ten minute walk in that direction. Can you see where I’m pointing.”
Yuki nodded.
“Now, just to make sure, I’m going to take this red rope and tie it along the route you have to follow. So when you’re up for it, take hold of the rope and just walk. Okay?”
Yuki nodded.
“Okay. Goodbye, Yuki.” Shanks really hoped he wouldn’t have to see Yuki again in the Forbidden Forest. Unfortunately that would obviously not be the case.