The disclaimer is on my profile.

Author's note

[Edited 18/11/17]

We all hate A/N's so I'll get straight to the point. This is a Hunter x Hunter fanfic with an OC (non self-inserted). The events will deviate from canon starting from the Exam's Third Phase (aka Trick Tower), but I will be writing Whale Island and Greed Island Arcs, possibly Chimera Ants too.

*Memory Refresher*

Nen - Aura, power usually shown to hunters that grants almost supernatural abilities

Ten - Shroud surrounding the user prevents their aura from leaking away from their body

Zetsu - Conceals Nen, Stops it's flow through the user's body so they become imperceptible

Ren - Basically a blast of aura around one's body.

Hatsu - Nen ability, A person's individual use of Nen, Each person has their own particular way of using their Aura

They were two hours into the First Phase of the Hunter Exam, which consisted of running non-stop for tens of kilometres on end through the long Zaban Tunnel. Many participants had already dropped out. Others were closely behind the examiner, following him with confidence and showing no sign of slowing down. Some were running with difficulty, an example of that being Leorio. He was already sweating bullets when a spiky-haired boy happened to...

Glide past him. On a skateboard.

He did the one thing that seemed logical to him; he snapped.

"Hey! Wait up, kid!"

A few meters in front of them, a small, hooded girl's ears perked up at the commotion. Pearl coloured ribbons were tied around her wrists, ribbons from which four round silver bells- two on each wrist- were attached, jingling rhythmically to her running. A slender hand lifted to cover her amused smile when the child asked innocently 'Why?' at the man's accusations of cheating. The movement caused a slightly louder chime.

Every five seconds, a wave spread around her in a circular shape before returning to her, wave that was imperceptible to everyone but four people; #44, #301, the examiner and of course, herself.

"This is an endurance test!" The man clamoured.

"No, it isn't."

The girl blinked when a boy with impossibly spikier hair said the phrase at the same time as she had. Is his hair even affected by gravity?! Are they reverse gravitational or something?! He was wearing boots that seemed uncomfortable to run in and carried a fishing rod. She stopped running, letting the bickering participants catch up to her. She dubbed them Skateboard boy, Fisher boy and Suitcase dude.

C for creativity, E for effort.

"Whose side are you on, eh?!" Suitcase dude yelled, probably feeling very betrayed.

She started running again when Fisher boy reached her right side and she tilted her head in confusion when Skateboard boy slowed down so that he was right beside them.

"Hey, how old are you?"

"Twelve years old."

She blinked again at their simultaneous answer. He did the same.

Skateboard boy made a 'hm' sound, then flipped the skateboard beneath his feet and launched it up so that he caught it as it fell, simultaneously falling into a fast jog.

"Woah! That was cool!" Fisher boy beamed at the other.

"I'm Killua," said Skateboard boy.

"I'm Gon," Fisher boy replied.

Two sets of eyes, one sky blue and the other amber gold, turned towards her, expecting an answer. After hesitating for a few seconds, she reached for her hood and pulled it down. She had long lilac hair tied into a thick French braid. Two feathers were hanging from the back of her head, feathers the same shade as her indigo eyes.

"I'm Aika. Nice to meet you." She stated with a smile.

"Nice to meet you too."

The boys blinked at their simultaneous reply before all three of them chuckled, realizing how in sync they were.

Meanwhile, Leorio cursed inwardly, thinking they were making a fool out of him.

XX - HxH - XX

Two hours later, Gon stopped running to look back at Leorio. In contrast to Killua, who stopped momentarily, Aika did not stop running. Killua clearly hesitated between staying with Gon and keeping up with Aika and the rest, eventually turning around and catching up to the group. Both he and Aika were surprised when the man suddenly shouted and became torn between laughing and cringing when he yelled out his convictions of becoming a hunter. Aika's hands covered her ears as Leorio shot past them cursing the world.

Gon smiled and used his fishing rod to regain the man's poor, poor forgotten suitcase. Killua seemed impressed.

"Cool!"

Gon caught up to them. He ran up to Killua's right while Aika slowed down for a heartbeat so that she was running slightly behind them.

"Let me try that later!" Killua gestured towards Gon's fishing rod.

"If you let me try your skateboard, okay?" Gon replied.

Aika asked from behind them, "Can I try them too?"

Both boys looked back at her, tilting their heads sideways in a similar manner. Gon eyed her hopefully whereas Killua did sceptically.

"Do you have anything we can try?" They inquired simultaneously,

She hummed in wondering, then, without a word, she shot forward, putting distance between them. While sprinting, she rolled up her sleeves, revealing that her ribbons circled up her arms in x patterns, only stopping right below her shoulders. Gon and Killua stared at her in confusion.

Then, without any warning, she grabbed the ends of her ribbons with practised ease, turned around and shot her hands forward, launching the silvery-white stripes towards the boys. By reflex, they ducked to the side, but with a small tug on the strings, the ribbons changed directions, wrapping themselves around their arms. She then planted her feet firmly on the ground and pulled them to her sides.

They were yanked into the air and landed on their feet if only stumbling a little. Their mouths stretched into grins and they made exclamations of wonder.

"How did you do that?!" Killua exclaimed as he examined the silk ribbon, unwrapping it from around his wrist.

Thanks to Nen, but I can't say that.

"It's a hunter trick," Aika cheerfully declared, "So you need to pass in order to find out!"

"Eh?! That's not fair!" Gon pouted. Killua glared at her in scepticism.

"How would you know a hunter trick if you're not a hunter?!"

Aika merely pulled her tongue at them and started sprinting, using Nen to accelerate. She ditched the boys behind as they cried out in outrage.

XX - HxH - XX

The boys eventually caught up to her, deciding not to ask her the same question lest she ditches them again.

"Gon, Aika, wanna race to see who finishes first?" Killua asked, eyeing their fellow participants and the accelerating examiner.

"Sure!" She replied,

"The loser has to buy dinner." Gon suggested, sending a determined stare towards the stairs.

"Okay, you're on!"

"Ready… Go!"

All three children started sprinting towards the stairs.

Some distance in the front, Leorio and Kurapika were having a heart to heart. Aika tried to eavesdrop, but before she knew it, they had caught up.

"See you at the goal, Kurapika." Gon exclaimed cheerfully.

"Catch you later old man," Killua smirked.

"I'm not old! I'm a teenager, just like you guys!"

Aika tripped, face planting as she heard Killua's 'Eh?!' and Gon's 'No way!'.

Gon and Killua briefly stopped to pull her back up while Leorio muttered something that resembled suspiciously 'I hate you kids'.

XX - HxH - XX

Their trail was littered with bodies. Participants were dropping left and right, passed out from exhaustion.

"I'm impressed you can keep up with me."

She scoffed while Gon asked 'Really?', seemingly flattered. They ran past a struggling participant.

"Or maybe it's just that everyone else is too slow."

"Nah." She stretched out the 'a', waving her hand up and down. "We just have more energy than a bunch of old dudes."

And I just have my aura to boost me.

Gon and Killua laughed at her remark. Killua started complaining about the exam, which in turn led to Gon questioning him about why he wanted to become a hunter, which in turn led to Aika's discovery of Killua's carefreeness and Gon's innocent intentions.

"And you, Aika? Why do you want to become a hunter." Gon asked as Killua seemed to question his reasons.

She cocked her head to the side, then bluntly admitted, "For the money."

Gon and Killua both almost tripped.

"Don't tell me you have the same motivation as that old geezer!" Killua sounded incredulous.

"Well, my mom took care of me my entire life and she worked hard so that both of us could survive. I want to repay her somehow." She shrugged, then frowned. "And to be honest, I have two other reasons, one of which is personal and the other being that my teacher 'highly suggested' I take the exam when I turned twelve." Both Gon and Killua lifted their eyebrows. "Highly suggested, in this context, translating to 'you must take it, or else...'" She trailed off.

"You said you want to repay your mom, but what about your dad?" Killua gave him a smack across the head, scolding him for being insensitive. She shook her head at Gon's question.

"Never known him. My mom probably doesn't know who he is either." She seemed embarrassed before continuing, "I was pretty much an 'accident'."

"What do you mean you were an accident?" Gon was confused.

"Ah, just- nevermind..." She replied in a hurry. He's still innocent about those kinds of stuff, let's leave it at that

A series of relieved exclamations brought their attention back to the front, from where a bright light indicated the exit of the tunnel. All three of them smiled and shot forward.

A few stairs below the exit, she gathered aura on the soles of her shoes, stomped her feet down, and leapt over the examiner, crossing the threshold as the boys did the same on each side of Satotz. She landed in a crouch behind the two as they slowed down to a stop and dusted off the dirt on her hands from her landing as the boys started arguing about who was first.

She joined the argument and they kept bickering back and forth until Gon had the idea of asking the examiner who was faster.

"I believe that the girl crossed the threshold slightly before the both of you boys did simultaneously."

"What?!" They both cried out in disbelief. Meanwhile, Aika looked quite smug, having at least the decency to not sing-song 'Told you~' as she wanted to. Gon sighed in defeat.

"Aww man." He and Killua sighed. Killua looked up at her. "Does that mean each of us has to buy you dinner once?"

"Or we could just eat somewhere and I don't have to pay." She suggested, fingers lifted in a 'V' for victory.

As Gon asked Satotz if this was the location for the Second Phase, Aika sniffed the air.

It's humid, probably foggy. A lot of grass and the sound of leaves and birds. A forest? No… A swamp

After some time, she heard the laboured panting of Leorio and Kurapika.

"Hey, Kurapika!" She and Gon chimed,

Said blonde waved at them, "Is this our destination?"

"No, it isn't." Gon replied, Aika stood up and took a few steps away from the group. Over her shoulder, she heard Kurapika state that the fog was lifting up. She faintly registered the participants voicing their awe as the surroundings became clear to them.

Aika sighed at the view.

It remained what she had always been seeing ever since that damned accident.

Black all around her, complete darkness.

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