The Two Jokers
Ch. 1

Running With Magicians

I stepped under the shower's warm stream, sighing happily. My bloodlust was sated for now, the water was relaxing, and the fun was about to begin. I scrubbed my hands and feet of the red substance, moving on to my face soon after.

'That was a little… messier than usual. Oh, but I guess it couldn't be helped…'

I giggled, remembering the look on the men's faces.

'What fun, what fun~ I can only hope the hunter exam will be as entertaining.'

I brushed my uneven bangs out of my eyes and pulled the bone out of my hair bun, letting the waist-length mane tumble free. I washed it and stepped of the shower, not bothering to wrap a towel around myself.

'It's not like anyone is around to barge in…'

I picked up my playing-card-sized thigh pouch and pulled out a hairbrush, facing the mirror. I inspected my face, a light smile on my lips as always. Two blood-red, chin-length strands framing my face, uneven bangs of the same color slightly parted over my right eye, and onyx eyes I knew would turn whitish grey when I got a little too exited. I went to work on brushing my long hair, which was black with red strands mixed in. Once satisfied, I put the brush back and then coiled the mess into a tight bun and poked the bone back through, holding it in place. Realizing I was still nude, I waved a hand over my clothing, making the bloodstains disappear. I slipped on the custom-made leotard, adjusting the turtleneck until it hung perfectly.

'This is probably the one thing I would regret ripping...'

The fabric was black with red sparkle thread woven through, which made it shimmer faintly with every move. Not that most people stared at the fabric. The holes that had been cut into it were usually more of an eye-catcher. A heart-shaped hole on the chest, the top at my collarbone and the bottom revealing about an inch of cleavage. A spade-shaped hole on the stomach, about an inch and a half above and below my navel. A club-shaped hole in-between my shoulder blades, about 6 inches from top to bottom. And finally, a diamond-shaped hole starting 3 inches below the club and ending on my tailbone. I slipped on a pair of black jean booty shorts, buttoned it, and pulled out my makeup from the same playing-card-sized pouch as earlier. I lightly underlined my eyes with red eyeliner, extending the line into a ¼ inch cat-eye. It might've looked weird on anyone else, but I pulled it off perfectly. Grabbing black eyeliner, I did the top of my eyes and drew the thumb-sized symbols on my cheekbones. A for "Ace" under my left-hand one, the circled star of the joker under my right-hand one. I put the makeup back in my pouch and strapped it to my thigh, my light smile curling at the edges. I stepped out the hotel bathroom into the bedroom, carefully avoiding the blood puddles as I made my way to the door. I shut it gently behind me, skipped to the front desk and smiled at the man, my eyes closed. "Cleanup in room 633. Prepare a mop."

I left the building, wagging my fingers as a goodbye. I then walked to the small restaurant that contained the entrance to the exam. The owner looked up as I stepped in, smiling slightly. "Hello there, what can I get you miss?"

I smiled back, giving the man a knowing look. "I'll have the steak combo."

He nodded, returning my knowing look. "And how would you like that cooked?"

I took a few steps in, moving closer to the counter. "Grilled over a low flame, if you wouldn't mind.

The man smiled and pointed at a door. "Of course. You can go sit in the back, we'll be right with you."

I nodded and sat down in the small room to wait. Someone, not the owner, came in after a few seconds, holding a white disk. He handed me the badge, which has a black 13 on it. "Welcome to the Hunter Exam. You are applicant number 13. Please stick the number plate on your chest, in plain view."

I pressed the disk to the top of my left-hand breast, the adhesive band sticking to both my skin and clothing since it was on the edge of the heat-shaped hole. The man nodded and left, bidding me good luck. The room stared moving as soon as the door closed, rattling the chair I was sitting in. I got up when the elevator/room stopped, and then stepped out into the tunnel-like area where 12 other contestants were waiting. I didn't pay any attention to them and sat down against the left wall, closing my eyes. I heard three other men come out, each louder than the one before. The last man, number 16, walked up to me. I opened one eye slightly, looking at him. He was short and slightly overweight, with a friendly smile on his face. "Unlucky number 13, huh? I feel bad for you… I'm Tonpa, number 16. You're a rookie right?"

I nodded, not really interested in him. He smiled wider, crossing his arms. "I could tell. I've already taken this exam 35 times, so I know all the returning applicants. What's your name, if you don't mind me asking."

I opened both eyes to narrow cracks, smiling my permanent smile at him. "My name is Joker. I'm from the Loste family."

He made a weird face, half scared and half friendly. "J-Joker, huh… You remind me of Hisoka…"

I straightened, curious. "Hisoka?"

He nodded, a little drop of sweat rolling off of his temple. "Hisoka the magician. He would have passed last year, had he not attacked an examiner he didn't like. Killed 20 other applicants while he was at it. He'll probably take badge number 44."

I giggled, getting a bloodthirsty gleam in my eyes. "A magician? I can't wait to play with him~"

Tonpa took a staggering step back and excused himself, muttering something about "not crushing this one". I giggled again, leaning against the wall and closing my eyes once more. I was feeling a bit stiff by the time applicant 56 had come out, so I got up to stretch. Another contestant shoved me out of his way, making me crash into someone else. I growled at the man's retreating back and turned to face whoever I had collided with. He had baby-blue hair spiked back, a green star under his right-hand eye and a pink teardrop under his left-hand one. He wore loose white pants with purple shoes and an unusual shirt-like thing with the four card houses on it. A white disk sporting the number 44 covered most of the spade. I bowed in apology, smiling again. "Sorry for bumping into you."

The man chuckled, turning to face me. "Oh? But it's not your fault, is it? The one who should apologize is the man who shoved you, correct?"

I straightened, meeting the man's grey eyes. "People should apologize when they bump into someone, whether it's their fault or not. But that man does owe me an apology. I'm Joker, applicant number 13."

His eyes widened in the slightest, his smile stretching. "Oh? What an unusual name…. I'm Hisoka, applicant number 44. It's a pleasure to meet you."

I shook his hand, my own smile growing. "Likewise. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go collect my apology."

'He does indeed seem fun~ I can't wait for the exam to start~'

I easily found the man from earlier, who was now laughing with his buddies. I approached the group, a closed-eye smile on my face. "Excuse me gentlemen, I believe one of you bumped into me earlier. An apology would be appreciated."

The four burst out laughing, trying to tower over my 5' 10". "This is the Hunter Exam! It ain't the circus. 'Tis not a place for little girls like you. Go home!"

I tilted my head to the side. "I take it you won't apologize…"

They laughed again, cocky smiles on their lips. "Damn right! Go home, clown."

I opened my eyes, which were gleaming coldly with bloodlust and hatred. "Too bad…"

I pulled out a card from my thigh pouch and showed it to the man who had shoved me earlier. "The ace of spade~ My favorite card."

I put it between the index and middle finger of my right hand, still smiling. In one smooth slash, I cut a through both his eyes and the bridge of his nose. In sudden pain, the man dropped to his knees and clutched his newly blind eyes. I licked the sole drop of blood from my card, enjoying the taste, and smiled at the injured man. "You really should've apologized… And not to be confused, I am a joker. Not a clown."

I put my bare foot on to of his head and transferred all of my weight onto it, crushing his face into the ground. I then walked back to my original spot against the wall, frowning ever so slightly.

'That was rather disappointing… All he managed to do was re-awaken my bloodlust.'

I sighed and closed my eyes again, going to sleep. A man screaming brought me back to consciousness. "H-help me! Somebody help me!"

I stood up, looking at him. He was halfway into the wall, screaming his heart out. A playing card embedded itself in front of his face, and Hisoka walked up to retrieve it. He held up the joker card between his index and middle fingers, smiling with his eyes closed. "Remember, apologize when you bump into someone. I really shouldn't have to tell you, seeing what Joker did to number 53…"

I giggled, smiling at the blue-haired man.

'So he's a real magician, huh? Not only is his makeup similar to mine, but so are his skills. I might want to keep an eye on him~'

He turned and smiled back knowingly, putting the card back in his pocket. A ringing sounded through the large chamber, making all of us turn towards the source. A man in a red tuxedo was pulling the tongue of a blue, ball-like, thing, descending from above. He let go of the tongue, and the ringing stopped. "As of this moment, the exam is closed to any further applicants. I would like to officially welcome everyone here to the hunter exam."

'At last, we're getting started.'

The mouth-less man started walking, continuing to talk. "Please, come with me. Let me take a moment to remind you all that the Hunter Exam is extremely demanding. If you're unprepared, or unlucky, you may be very injured. Maybe even killed."

The man stuck halfway into the wall took this as an opportunity to scream. "Someone help me! Please!"

The examiner paid no mind and kept walking. "If you're alright with accepting those risks, you may continue following me."

The mass of people in the room started moving forward, footsteps echoing. The tuxedoed man took a look back and kept walking. "Very well. The number of applicants is 4 hundred and 3. At least for now."

He started walking faster a few minutes later, picking up the pace. "Sorry for the delay, but allow me to introduce myself. I am Satoz, examiner for the first phase. I am also the one who is leading you to the site of the second phase. Some of you may have already realized it, keeping up with me until we reach the second phase, is in fact, the first phase."

The speed finally reached the end of the mob, and I started running. 30 minutes passed of nothing but boring jogging. Well, on my part anyway. The people around me were running and sweating, looking straight ahead. I got bored and moved up to run behind Tonpa, who was starting to talk about the other applicants. "… 103, Bourbon, the snake charmer. He never, ever, forgets an enemy. And that guy over there is number 76, the great martial artist, Cherry. No one can beat him in hand-to-hand combat. Number 255 is Toto the wrestler; he's really strong and a lot smarter than he looks. Numbers 197, 198, and 199 are the Amori brothers, and they fight as a team. They keep getting better every year. Let's see… Ah! There he is! Number 384, the princeman, Geretta, he can take down any creature with a blowgun and a club. It's amazing!"

Geretta heard him and turned to smile. Tonpa shrugged, looking at the kid running next to him. "And that's about it for the regulars. But there is that one rookie you should watch out for… Ah, where is she…"

He looked around, scanning the other applicants' faces. I chuckled and put my head between the kid and him, smiling as usual. "Are you looking for me, Tonpa?"

He yelped and jumped to the side, taken by surprise. "Y-Yes. And this is number 13, Joker. I don't know much about her…"

'Aww, look how scared he is~'

I chuckled, looking at the chubby man through narrow, although smiling, eyes. "If you wanted to know more, you should've asked."

The small boy to my right smiled at me, a fishing pole on his shoulder. "What's your name?"

'Hm? I guess I might as well, I really have nothing else to do… And besides, it's always fun to play around~'

I smiled back, my eyes closing completely. "Joker Loste. What about you?"

He closed his eyes too, grinning widely. "I'm Gon Freecs! And this is Leorio and Kurapika. Say, is Joker your real name?"

I nodded, opening my eyes. "Mhm. It's not the name I was born with, but it's the name my parents gave me. The Loste clan names its members after cards, no matter the gender. Generation will have 14 people, no more no less. The firstborn is Joker, and the lastborn is Ace, but if we beat an older sibling in a contest, we can take their name."

He gave a wide smile, curiosity clear on his face. "What name were you born with?"

I put a finger to my lips and winked. "Secret~"

He pouted, but bounced back almost immediately. "What does your clan do? What kind of people are they?"

I laughed softly, looking ahead. "We're circus people!"

He smiled widely again, excitement in his voice. "Really? What are kind you?"

I looked at Gon, smiling. "I'm an acrobat and a magician. But I want to be a blacklist hunter."

'Well… That's a half-truth. Buuut~ he doesn't need to know the other half.'

A kid with white hair suddenly skated through, passing between Gon and me. In all his ADHD'd glory, Gon looked at him and got exited again. "Wow! That's cool!"

The man next to Gon, Leorio I think, shouted angrily. "Hey! You, kid on the skateboard! That's not fair, you're cheating!"

Gon ran up a few steps, ignoring Leorio. "Hey, what's your name? How old are you?"

The kid turned his head, looking at Gon's glasses-wearing friend. "So, what makes you think I'm cheating?"

'Oh? He's not like Gon. His eyes… I think he's an assassin~'

Leorio glared at the boy. "Well, duh! It's an endurance test!"

Gon looked back at his friend, no longer smiling. "Well, not exactly… The examiner said to follow him, but he didn't say how."

Leorio got even angrier, turning his glare onto the small brunet. "Gon! Who's your friend? Me, or him?"

I sighed and picked up the pace, moving towards the front.

'I see where that's going. I have absolutely no interest in their meaningless squabble.'

I ended up next to Hisoka, who was jogging comfortably. He turned his head, opening his eyes a bit to look at me. "Oh? It's you."

I nodded, my usual smile back in place. "Indeed. Say, did you know there's an assassin among the rookies?"

His eyes opened wider. "Hm? So you noticed~ I'll have to keep an eye on you."

I looked at him from the corner of my eye, the gleam returning in them. "I'm flattered, Hisoka. I'll be sure return the attention."

His smile curled at the corners, amusement in his grey orbs. We both turned to pay attention to what was in front of us, the conversation dying out into comfortable silence. I could hear applicant 294, a bald man, tell some story and complain about how hungry he was, making me giggle a bit. A lot of time passed, and the contestants around us started dropping like flies. Then all of the sudden, the tunnel started shaking. Satoz stopped and turned to look where bright orange cracks were beginning to appear on the wall. It then burst, leaving a large hole, and out came the white-haired kid, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio.

'Ah? It's those guys…'

Satoz looked at them, the wind from the explosion ruffling his hair. "What exactly is going on here?"

Gon, who had landed on all fours, rubbed his head and laughed awkwardly. "Uh… Hehehe… I'm sorry, but we had to break through the wall."

The examiner turned to face the front again, looking as thrilled as a tuna salad. "I never said you couldn't destroy the walls. But tell me, how is it that you survived after wandering down the tunnel of hallucination? I'm quite impressed."

Tonpa staggered a bit, shock clear on his face. "I don't understand it! Where'd they get the rookies from this year anyway? First that girl, now them?"

Leorio started picking a fight with him, so I turned to Hisoka. "We might want to keep track of them too."

He looked at the four of them, then back at me. "That is a possibility."

I walked back towards Satoz, who had started to wander off. "No, it's a probability."

Hisoka chuckled under his breath, following my example. Pretty soon, we were running again. After a few minutes, the examiner turned his head to look at us. "Well everyone, we're almost into the final stretch. I'm going to pick up the pace."

Groans, cries, and "what?!"s echoed around us. I chuckled and sped up from a jog to a run. Suddenly, Gon's voice echoed in the tunnel. "Hey! It's the exit!"

And indeed, I could see the bright light from the exit.

'Finally. I thought I was going to die of boredom in here.'

We exited into a wide, open, space overlooking marshes. I breathed in the fresh air, looking around. The examiner started talking, drawing my attention to him. "These are the Numere Wetlands. Known to many as the Swindler's Swamp. We've got to make it through there in order to reach the site for the second phase. There are many creatures unique to these wetlands; they are crafty, and voracious. They'll try to deceive you and make you their next meal."

The door to the tunnel started closing, trapping man who was laying on the steps. Satoz turned towards us and shook his index. "Follow me and stay focused. If you are deceived, you're as good as dead."

Leorio, who had lost his shirt at some point, spoke up. "That doesn't make much sense. How can they deceive us if we already know that's what they're trying to do?"

A voice came from behind him, loud but tired. "He's lying! Don't listen go him!"

A man came out from the corner, holding a monkey-like thing in a tarp, and pointed at Satoz. "He's not an examiner! He's an imposter! The real examiner is me!"

Hisoka and I let out a giggly chuckle, if that makes any sense, and smiled wider. Groans and questions erupted around us, almost everyone doubting who was the real deal. Leorio stepped forward, facing the new man. "Hey, you. Are you making this up, or what? Can you prove this guy's an imposter?"

The man threw his tarp down, revealing the rest of the monkey. "Take a look at this."

More shouts of doubt rose up, and the man nodded. "Yeah. That's right. It's a man-faced ape, one of the creatures that live in these wetlands. They disguise themselves as humans in order to lure in and trap their prey. This guy's no examiner; he's one of them! He wants to kill and eat every single one of you! That was his plan all along!"

Leorio turned to Satoz, angry and confused. "What the-?!"

The bald contestant, 294, narrowed his eyes at he. "Come to think of it, he does look like one! But it's hard to tell for sure."

Leorio piped up, agreeing. "Yeah, and down in those tunnels, his stamina was inhuman! We were dying and he barely broke a sweat!"

'Speak for yourself, I barely even warmed up.'

All the other applicants moved towards Satoz, using a mob mentality. I looked out to the marshes, vaguely listening to Kurapika talk about hunter licenses. They started arguing again, even more doubt surfacing. I got sick of listening to them talk and pulled out two card, throwing one at Satoz and one at the pretend examiner. Only, the pretender fell with two card imbedded in his head. I looked at Hisoka, who was shuffling a deck of cards and we both chuckled. "I see, I see~"

He pulled out the ace of spades, showing me the card and smiling at Satoz. Leorio gasped and turned on us. "What'd you do that for?!"

Hisoka looked at him from the corner of his eyes. "Much faster than arguing about it. Don't you think?"

He looked past Leorio to the monkey, and threw the card. It embedded itself in the ape's back, cutting his escape attempt short. We both turned back to Satoz, smiling our constant smiles. "I guess that settles it. You are the real thing, examiner. Anyone worth of being a hunter would have no problem dodging attacks like those ones."

Said examiner held up the two cards and threw them to the side. "I'll take that as a compliment. But from now on, any attack directed at an examiner will be considered insubordination, which is grounds for immediate disqualification. Do I make myself clear?"

Hisoka and I nodded, still smiling. "Of course."

My blue-haired companion left to talk to someone with pins in his face; and I sat down, looking at my bare feet. They were black from running through the tunnel, but otherwise looked fine. I curled my toes experimentally, then stood up in one smooth move. Satoz led us down the hill and into the marshes, then started speed walking again. Thick fog surrounded us almost immediately, and I felt my smile grow larger.

'This is when the fun begins~'

I noticed Hisoka jog up to me, his eyes more open than I'd ever seen them. Gon called out to his other two friends, telling them to move up. The fog got thicker, and I felt excitement coil in my stomach. A mass of moths came towards our little group, and I sliced any that came near me. I tapped the card, ridding it of the moth's dust, before putting it back in my thigh pouch. Several people fell behind me. Giant turtles appeared and gobbled up a few others. Four tried to run and were swallowed by a frog waiting underground. Three more were exploded by claymore mushrooms. Then cards embedded themselves in most of the remaining ones. I caught the three aimed at my head and chest, admiring them. "Hm~ So, your backs are blue? They're pretty good quality~"

Hisoka came out of the fog, letting out giggly chuckles. "I was hoping you would catch them. Well done, Joker, you pass~"

Leorio clutched a cut on his arm, looking at the magician. "That's brutal! He didn't have to do that !"

Hisoka kept walking closer to us, shuffling his cards. "I'm just playing examiner! I thought I could control myself until at least the second phase, but I found myself getting bored."

He drew a card out, the joker, and resumed speaking. "The examiner really has his work cut out for him, so I thought I'd give him a hand. And seeing as he isn't around anymore, I'll decide if you have what it takes to become a hunter."

I lightly threw his cards back at him, grinning excitedly. "Can I help? After all, there are always two jokers in a deck of cards~"

He easily caught them and put them back with the rest, shrugging. "Why not. You did pass."

I clapped happily, giggling. One of the contestants shouted out, smirking for some reason. "You freaks! Who'd you think you are? It's 'cause of this fog! That's the reason we're lost! The examiner is out there, at the front of the pack. It's impossible to catch him!"

He pointed at us, his smirk getting wider. "So then, if we fail, you fail too!"

Hisoka quickly slashed his throat with the joker card, looking at the man with narrowed eyes and a smile. "How rude of you to compare yourself to us. Oh, and one more thing before you depart; for magicians, nothing is impossible."

The other contestants spare Leorio, Kurapika, and some kid, circled Hisoka with weapons drawn. "Why don't you shut up? You have no right to call yourself a hunter! After I'm through with you, you'll wish you never heard of this exam."

Hisoka pulled out the ace of spades as he spoke, his voice dripping with amusement. "Is that so? I'm reasonably sure I can take you all out. With just one card~"

The mob charged him, all attack and no defense. "I'd like to see you try!"

Hisoka got on his left foot, right thigh parallel with the ground, and drew his left arm back like he was going to punch, holding his right arm out, card in hand. "Lady and gentlemen; may I present Hisoka, the greatest magician of the century, in an exclusive performance. Please enjoy~"

He giggled and started slashing man after man, looking so graceful one might think he was dancing.

'Greatest magician of the century, huh? Well… I do have to admit his performance is quite the sight.'

He straightened with a chuckle and ran after three escaping men, laughing like a madman. Once they were down too, Hisoka looked at his victims. "All of you, have failed."

He turned to the last three standing, Leorio, Kurapika, and applicant number 53. "It looks like you are the only three that managed to survive."

Leorio hunched forward, still clutching his shoulder. "Damn you!"

Hisoka looked right at him, his bluish-grey irises showing almost entirely. "I guess, you're up next."

Leorio gulped as the magician walked towards him. The three started talking about something, then suddenly broke off in three different directions. Hisoka stopped, putting a fist on his hip. "Oh, I get it. That's a wise decision. As a reward I'll give you a ten-second head start. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Now, which one of you should I go after first?"

He started walking again, then stopped when Leorio came back out of the fog, wielding a branch. "Hm? You."

Leorio made a weird face, shrugging. "I couldn't do it after all."

Hisoka cocked his head to the side. "Does this mean you surrender?"

The other man pointed his stick at him. "No, just the opposite. I'm not the kind of guy who runs off with his tail in between his legs. And certainly not without a fight!"

He charged and swung the branch, which Hisoka easily jumped over. When Leorio charged again, the magician pulled out a card and sliced the branch in half. He punched the other man in the stomach, then picked him up by the jaw. "Haha~ Such a handsome face. I like how the shadow of death has replaced the firery spirit in your eyes. Positively spine-chilling! Joker, come see~"

I walked over, taking in the expression on both of their faces. I giggled, the cold gleam coming back into my eyes. "You're right, it's breathtaking. I rarely see this in my prey's eyes. Beautiful."

Hisoka nodded, never taking his eyes off of Leorio. "Indeed~ But now, this is the end for you."

He whipped out a card, pointing it at the man's forehead. "Farewell."

A red ball suddenly appeared out of nowhere, striking Hisoka in the temple. He straightened his head, looking at where the hit came from. "Oh~ That's pretty good for a boy. A fishing rod for a weapon? Interesting…"

He started walking towards Gon, smiling softly. "You wouldn't mind if I took a look at it, would you? I promise I'll give it right back. Come on."

Leorio recovered, holding up a fist. "Listen, clown! Your fight is with me!"

He charged Hisoka jumping up a bit to hit him. I ran over, getting in-between the two. I punched Leorio in the face, breaking his glasses and sending him flying. I licked the blood off of my fist, looking down at him with a smile. "Not to be mistaken. We are jokers, not clowns. And it's not a fight if only one side can land a hit."

Hisoka looked over his shoulder and chuckled. Gon took this as an opportunity to run up to him and attack. Hisoka evaded it and grabbed the boy by the throat, putting his face close to his. "Ohoho, did you come back hoping to rescue your friend? What a nice kid."

Hisoka's evil smirk morphed into a happy smile. "I'd say you pass."

He let Gon go, turning to Kurapika, who had just arrived. "My goodness. Did you come to the rescue as well? I'm impressed! It must be nice to have such good friends."

His cell rang, and he answered it right then and there. "Yes. Okay, I'll be right there."

He walked over and picked up Leorio, causing Gon to shout his friend's name. Hisoka put him over his shoulder and stood up like he weighed nothing. "No need to worry. She hasn't killed your friend. After all, he passed as well."

Gon glared at him, his fishing pole still in his hands. "What are you talking about? Put him down. Right now!"

Hisoka looked over his shoulder, smiling as always. "If you really want him back, you'll have to catch me first~"

He took a few steps, then turned to look at me. "Are you coming?"

I nodded, running towards and past him. He started running as I passed him, and we quickly got out of there. I pulled out a few cards, slicing through animals that tried attacked us as we ran. "I told you we might want to keep an eye on them."

He nodded, looking at his baggage. "Indeed you did. They all passed, so we can still observe them."

I cocked my head to the side, tapping a card on my lower lip. "Come to think of it, I didn't actually get to play examiner…"

Hisoka chuckled, pulling out cards of his own. "My apologies. I got caught up in the moment."

I licked my lips, beheading a feral wolf. "But the performance was worth it. I just hope I'll get to do my own soon."

He opened his eyes a bit, grey meeting onyx. "I look forward to it."

We quickly reached where Satoz and the front-runners had stopped, slicing and dicing through the wildlife. I quickly suppressed the little bloodlust seeping into my aura before stepping out into the open. Most of the contestants were panting and wiping their sweat, some giving us weird looks. Hisoka set Leorio down against a tree, then went to talk to pin-face. I stayed toward the middle of the group, arms crossed, assessing the remaining applicants. I felt my bloodlust coil in my stomach again, and dug my nails into my biceps to try and subdue it. Hisoka came back to stand next to me, chuckling lightly. "What's the matter? You seem stressed~"

I licked my lips, my eyes roaming hungrily over the other contestants. "I want to kill them… But the good ones aren't ready yet… I mustn't kill them before they mature."

Hisoka chuckled again, his eyes as hungry as mine. "All of their guards are down, just begging to be taken advantage of… But we mustn't, not at this phase anyway. We have to be patient."

I sighed, finally under control, and released my arms. Hisoka crossed his, returning to normal as well. Or as normal as we could be. Gon and Kurapika ran into the clearing as Satoz fired his gun, signaling the end of the second phase. The examiner put it back in his pocket before speaking. "Okay, that's it. You've all done very well. This, is the Visca Forest Reserve. The site for the second phase."

Gon and Kurapika were looking around, probably for their friend. Hisoka pointed at where Leorio was sitting, and they immediately went there. Satoz spoke up again, his arms behind his back. "At this point, I'd like to offer my congratulations to each and every one of you. All those who stand before me have officially passed the first phase of the exam. I'd like to wish you all the best of luck in the second phase. "

On this, the examiner left. The doors to the building behind us creaked open as the clock sounded 12:00, indicating the second phase was about to begin.

Author's Notes:

1. This is one of the two reasons why I haven't updated my other stories in a while. Sorry about that, I hope the new story and it's fist chapter's lengh made up for waiting so long.

2. Hisoka is so hard to write AND keep in character D: So is Joker, they're both a pain in the ass. Literally. You have no idea how much time I spent just sitting there, editing and re-editing things. And I still think it sucks. Oh, but I still love them beyond reason.

3. Fun parts coming up in a chapter or two~ And poor Tonpa getting picked on every chance I get *evil laughter* In the genre, I said Adventure & Romance. Neither will fall in love, more like falling in lust. It'll take a couple chapters.

4. I don't have much else to write on here, so I'd like to dedicate this story to: Hannah B. (my real-life friend who introduced me to HxH and sat through me ranting about characters during class) and Amaya . rawrz (my twin/best bud/spazz partner, with whom I flipped shit over Gajeel and Hisoka). ENJOY IT.