Title: The Path of a Predator

Chapter 2: The X Sweet X Trap

"Argh! Come on! Why won't you miss when I need you to…" With a sigh, I restarted the console, viewing the title screen and chapter selection that would haunt me in my dreams. Once again, the archer unit that of course was halfway across the map died before I could move my units in to protect him from the literal army that spawned around him. Since I been the one to choose the 'hard mode' difficulty option, I guess I only had myself to blame…

But really, game? A twenty-five percent chance of missing, and the enemy unit still hit him. And on top of that, landed a critical. Well, the latter part was mostly because of the item the unit had equipped – the one that increased critical hits but, of course, this enemy didn't seem to drop after I defeated him.

Seems the RNGoddess was just not on my side in this map… And while I did have a horse-riding unit in my roster, I tended to power-level the small group of classes that I liked and would use over those that would only drain the experience points my favoured units sorely needed in this higher difficulty mode.

The only reason I wanted to recruit the archer was simply because I liked to have the full roster of units when I completed the game. It added to the challenge… but also wanted me to tear my hair out in frustration sometimes.

This was of those times.

As I started furiously mashing buttons to get through the opening cutscene which told you exactly what you were doing, again, and normally had some 'we've gotta save those people quickly!' lines in it, even there wasn't any real rush to do so. The now-familiar 'ding!' sound of the elevator's arrival drew the eyes of the crowded tunnel towards the opening doors. I lifted my eyes from the screen to do the same, hiding my own stare within the numerous others.

Noticing that there were three figures exiting the elevator this time, a hum of interest rumbled in my chest. The only other people who had come in as three people were numbers one-hundred-and-ninety-seven through one-hundred-and-ninety-nine: the only ones who were standing much closer together than everyone else after they joined the crowd of shadowed figures. They could've just been a trio of friends, but brothers were more likely: they all had the same markings under their eyes, and I didn't think friendship would last long here. I could admit that it was a good tactic, though.

Having three people against the other applicants who would mostly be going solo.

But the three new people? They bore no resemblance towards each other.

While many came in groups, after being dealt out their number by the green guy in the suit, they all split up and went their separate ways without another word to each other. Goodbyes and good lucks, if any, would've been exchanged in the ride down. But these three, after being handed their numbers, stuck close together.

Number four-hundred-and-three, the tallest and oldest looking of the group, had spiky black hair and a dark blue business suit. He carried a red and black diamond-patterned case with him, resting over his shoulder as his eyes looked out at the other examinees over the glasses that rested low on his nose. He looked young, probably in his twenties somewhere… But nothing to worry about combat-wise: a suit was a rather difficult thing to move in when fighting, and those slick black dress shoes might not give him the support needed to stabilize himself when trading blows. A man of appearances, nothing more.

Number four-hundred-and-four seemed to have dressed himself better. A full-body training suit lay beneath the strange blue and red lined garb that had no sleeves and left his sides open to reveal the plain grey clothes underneath. I hadn't seen it before, and I made a quick note to myself to tell my mom about it when I saw her next. She always liked having lots of different outfits for different occasions, and she liked that sort of style. Shaking the thought from my head as I realised I was getting sidetracked, I focused back on the blond-haired man. The fine blond hairs tumbled messily down his face and covered part of his eyes from my view as he glanced around at the attention the trio received. Once the assumptions had been made, they would be left alone. A satchel bag much like Tonpa's hung from his shoulder. He had a pretty-looking face, a stark contrast to the one of the older man beside him, and an even starker one to the excited kid that was practically bouncing on his other side. But, before I moved on, I noted that he stood with purpose, and according to the way he held himself, he reminded me of Lance: cautious, calculating, but slow to act. He knew exactly what he could do, and what he couldn't. Knowing your own limits was a very useful thing when up against others who might not be able to make the same call.

"Excuse me…"

Number four-hundred-and-five started to raise a hand, perhaps in greeting, but as he noticed that the others had already lost interest, he trailed off half-way. He was young, with spiky black hair that had a tint of green in it that seemed to defy gravity with the way it sprung from his head. His outfit was all green: green boots, green shorts, and a green jacket with red trim. He had a small backpack, and some sort of metal rod… Wait, was that a fishing pole?

I lurched up from my slumped position: legs dangling around the pipe as my back pulled itself away from the stained walls. My hands found my knees as I squinted down at him through the darkness, trying to determine if the shape I saw on his back was really what I thought it was. Upon closer inspection, I couldn't think of anything else it could be. Not when that shiny red sphere was attached to the top of it – the bobber? The floater? Ah, whatever it was called: the thing that was pulled under when a fish tugged at the bait.

…Well, it could be an antenna or something that you could find in sci-fi movies or Lance's workshop.

Oh! Or maybe it was one of those blinking red lights on top of the radio towers I always saw when flying overhead in the night!

I set my game aside gently, carefully making sure it wouldn't slide off of the pipe, and pulled my legs up from over the rounded curve of the metal. Folding them over one another, I placed an elbow on my knee as my palm found my chin, observing the kid that seemed to be around the same age group as me.

The innocent face was vastly different from the one number ninety-nine had: comparable only because of how close we seemed to be in age. The next youngest age-group seemed to fall in range with what I guessed to be Blond-Lance's. After that, it was reaching into adult years and beyond, which is the age group most of the participants fell into.

So far, the three of us seemed to be the youngest. But, the latest arrival seemed to be the preferred option for teaming up: gullible, trusting, and friendly.

Number ninety-nine's eyes were far too sharp to be of use as an unsuspecting cover. They pierced through the crowd as soon as he walked through the elevator doors, not needing even a second before they adjusted to the change in light. He seemed to dismiss the other contestants one by one quickly, and even glanced up my way when the gazes of the crowd were still on him. He was also far too casual, the red and yellow skateboard that was tucked against his side as his hands were hidden by his pockets and he made no sound as he moved. His pale skin stood out with the dark blue turtleneck with a lighter coloured and baggy shirt thrown over it. His hands were firmly stuck in the pockets of his baggy dark grey shorts, and only were removed to accept the poisoned drink Tonpa had offered him.

And, speaking of which, Tonpa the rookie crusher was handing out the same drinks to the newcomers as well.

I had heard the title from the chubby bowtie and suspenders – number one-hundred-and-eighty-seven. He was typing away at his computer, sitting on the pipes that ran just above the ground far below the one I sat on. Long story short, Tonpa's offering had been rejected as the computer-typing man had called him out on his ploy.

…Sharp-eyes had come back numerous times to Tonpa, faking childish innocence as I often did, and while I caught the words exchanged between the two, the pale boy had claimed he was immune to toxins.

That's all I needed to confirm my thoughts as the evidence added up: the way he didn't make a sound as he walked, the immunity to toxins, the sharpness of his eyes… the bagginess of his clothes (a tool that I was also using to disguise the effect years of training had on my small body). The first, walking without making a sound, was an assassination trick. My family had learned it to combat those skilled in it, and it was useful in all sorts of other areas as well. The immunity to toxins? That's a lot of training to go through – and my siblings and I only had the same immunity because of mom's worry that the Hunter line of work would draw in enemies who were paid to deal in such methods. She was right, and as I had eaten the poisoned food without question – not yet able to detect it by smell – and without harm, the housekeepers my family had employed weren't so lucky. What a mess that was.

Sharp-eyes knew his way around fighting and bloodshed, at least. And those skills had to be taught.

While he seemed to be playing nice now, and having such a skilled person as a cover would hide my similar strengths nicely… He would no doubt see right through me. Or, at the very least, be more aware of my attempts. Especially because he was so skilled: he would no doubt want some sort of equal to follow him around – something that wouldn't really help in hiding my abilities until the last possible moment.

Leaving my thoughts of Sharp-eyes behind as I watched the Green-boy spit out the drink Tonpa had given him and causing his two companions to do the same. The young boy claimed innocently that it had expired and explained that he was able to tell because he had sampled all kinds of wild plant life. My lips twitched into a smile as I made Green-boy my target for drawing the attention away from myself.

"Aaaaaaaaagh!"

My eyes instantly focused in on the source of the loud scream.

The cries of the man wearing gladiator armour drew the attention of everyone in the tunnel, and we all watched as his arms started to just… transform… into a shower of little red flowers. Over him stood Joker, number forty-four, with his arms folded across his chest as he watched the man slump to his knees. The tight gathering of examinees had parted, creating a large circular stage for the two.

"Oh, how peculiar…" His voice easily overpowered the man who was still screaming in pain, and his face held only amusement as he continued, "His arms seem to have become flower petals."

It became eerily silent. The man had fallen over, dead or unconscious, I wasn't sure.

"No smoke and mirrors here." He spread his arms to the side, enjoying the spectacle that had been made, "Do take care. When you bump into someone, you really should apologize."

Was that Nen? Was Nen different for everyone, or could I do that as well? Could I turn arms into flower petals? Could I erase bodies without the use of acids, and get rid of any evidence? Was that a possibility? What else could the Joker do? Is that the most Nen can do, or were there even more dangerous abilities to be learned?

Deadly ones, not like the one my sister had created to disguise me with?

Cursing myself for missing the interaction between the Joker and the other man, not being able to see the signs or steps he had used to cause such a reaction, I found myself getting pulled in by the power Nen could provide. Neireniet had known about it and had taught me the bare minimum before basically shoving me out of the house. Why couldn't she tell me more before I left? If she knew about Nen, then my other siblings knew, too. Which means that they could probably use it as well. Why hadn't they told me about it before? Why hadn't mom and dad started training me to use this awesome ability?

After I passed the Exam, Neireniet said that I'd learn more about it… Did Ren mean that she would teach me? Or would the Exam teach it to us? Or would mom and dad teach me after? Was learning how to use Nen the 'real training' that mom and dad were supposed to teach us when we turned thirteen?

If it was such a useful ability, why the hell would they wait so long?!

Watching as Joker turned and walked away from his kill, I quickly found myself hoping that he'd reveal more of his abilities soon (and hopefully not on me). Noting the traces of bloodlust in the air since that display, I knew it wouldn't be long before the greatest threat here would perform for us again.

A loud ringing noise drew my attention away from Joker's lanky figure, and it seemed to come from beyond eyesight in the darkness. As a low rumbling echoed through the tunnel when the ringing stopped, I took it to mean the waiting was finally over. With eager fingers, I quickly packed my game away after giving the loading screen I had failed to move past the harshest glare I could muster. That level would be conquered, if I had anything to say about it: it would soon see why it shouldn't mess with a Luchia, especially a competitive one. The RNGoddess has been warned.

Happy now that I had threatened my gaming console, I placed it back in its special place in the black bag: the small attachment that held the handheld snugly, with a latch to ensure it wouldn't bounce around too much between all the candy. Not that it really mattered, since I had another at home (this one was a hand-me-down from Melu, the younger twin of Ren, and put in use for when I was on jobs and had some time to kill), but it was still my precious baby, and I cherished it even though it sided with the vile RNGoddess more often then not.

With a slight tug on the latch to make sure it was held in place and giving a slight nod to myself when it didn't budge, I then revealed the secret hidden beneath the pile of lollipops (which I made sure to take a handful of to restock my sweater-pocket supply). Said pouch was pretty spacey, as it held my two favourite daggers and the straps that would attach the sheaths to my belt (which my sweater could normally still conceal pretty easily) and the attachable roller blades Lance had given me for my last birthday.

Deftly placing my real weapons on my body, relieved to feel their weight on me once more, I chose a few different flavours of lollipops to refill my pocket-supply while choosing an orange-flavoured one to ease my sugar-craving for now. With a happy pat to my full pouch that matched my grin as the sugary sweetness appeared in my mouth, I jumped from my lookout and landed on the ground – making sure not to give into the habit of doing so completely silently.

Noticing that the other applicants had made their way further up, all appearing to be crowding in a semi-circle, I quickly strapped my sneakers into the roller-skate frames. The ground in here wasn't soft enough for them to get snagged, as my finger was unable to dig up the packed dirt without a lot of effort. I released a puff of air, grinning at the thought of being sent flying by my brother's contraption. While it would be quite the sight, righting myself before I hit the ground would not match up with the disguise I was going for. And giving the ground an unplanned hug was not on my list for today.

Zipping up my backpack and slinging it over my shoulders, I skated up to the crowd to see what was drawing their attention. But, as the adults were far taller than me, I couldn't quite see over their heads. Because they were packed tightly together, I couldn't see through them, either. With a pout, I peered over their heads anyway, noticing that there seemed to be more red lights on the tunnel wall than what I had seen before.

…Did the tunnel get longer?

I had thought that the tunnel had just curved abruptly up ahead, which was why I couldn't see the beady red eyes shining in the dark… But maybe the rumbling was the tunnel being opened up further: the red lights did eventually follow a curve, but it was a smoother path than what I had previously assumed.

"I apologize for the wait." Oh good. The voice was loud enough that I would've heard him from where I had stopped to put on my skates – I didn't miss anything, "The entry period for Hunter applications has ended."

I could barely contain the loud shout of triumph that built up in my throat. It had been such a long wait for this to kick off: I had to pull out my game to stop myself from dying of boredom as I waited for the next applicant to come down in the elevator. There was such a looooooong wait for the next one that even reading silent conversations wasn't enough to keep me interested in waiting around.

I scoffed, and I was worried I was going to miss the start of the Exam before I came down the elevator…

"The Hunter Exam will now begin!"

A rustle came from the crowd, everyone shifted at the mystery-man's words and started to prepare themselves. I took a moment to stretch out my legs, getting ready for the long-awaited moment as I carefully scanned the crowd for Green-boy. But instead of finding Green-boy, the sooner I could get him as cover the better, I instead found the figures I had cemented into my memory as people I should keep an eye on throughout the Exam.

There was of course, number forty-four: the Joker. He looked… happy…? to see that the Exam was starting up. But, I couldn't be too sure: I hadn't gotten enough time to study his facial expressions to figure out what he was thinking. And his body-language was no help either: he was as calm and collected as a cucumber. With maybe a little bloodlust thrown in the mix.

The white hair of Sharp-eyes, number ninety-nine, peaked out at me from between the gaps of people. His back was turned to me, and he had been easily lost in the crowds because of his short nature so I hadn't the time to study him closely either. And while I could've just as easily blamed it on the fact that my attention had been divided between my game and the examinees, I preferred to blame it on the fact that he seemed to be a little more dangerous to my cause than the others. He had sharp eyes, after all. Not that Joker didn't, but I had a feeling he was more amused with me than anything (if the brief look we shared was something to go by). Sharp-eyes was far too familiar to me to be a comfort. What was it Emelinne talked about with her books? 'Kindred spirits'?

After all, I singled him out because we were similar. It was insulting to Sharp-eyes if I expected anything less of him. If I was wrong? It was always better to err on the side of caution when it came to these matters.

I had to make sure to tip-toe around him, in any case.

Old Man Zen, number one-hundred-and-ninety-one, was this incredibly old-looking guy who spent most of his time meditating. He kinda reminded me of my grandpa, the one on my mom's side, since the one I had of my dad's dad were hazy at best. Perhaps that was just the 'old-man-look' talking, though. Since mom's parents had nothing to do with Hunters or fighting. Anyway, Old Man Zen was someone to watch out for because… well, because he was old. Why else would an old person take the Hunter Exam if they weren't good at what they did? And he spent all of the long wait meditating. I mean, who did that? Only those crazy monks who trained under waterfalls and spent their time speaking in riddles to their pupils and whatnot. Movies weren't entirely accurate, of course… But this was Old Man Zen. And Old Man Zen definitely trained under waterfalls. The riddle part? I'd have to do more research on that.

Speaking of movies: Ninja-guy's bald head caught my attention from its sheen. Number two-hundred-and-ninety-four, while he didn't act like much (I'm pretty sure ninja's weren't going around telling people they were ninja's – thank god the movies got that one right), he did give off this strange… vibe. Like the one Ren had just before things got serious, except this time it wasn't as… dangerous. At least, it didn't feel that way. But it only came from him a few times, when he had a really serious look on his usually dopey face.

Mr. Pins and Needles, number three-hundred-and-one, now that guy was just an overall unsettling examinee. He had bright yellow pins sticking out of his face, and a tuft of blue hair sprouted out the top of his head like one of the weird plants mom studied. He had this blank look on his face, and just… vibrated whenever he walked. My face scrunched up as I looked at the tall man's back, the way his head, even when standing still, moved like a battery-powered toy that was trying to move when it was running low. Those forced movements and the sway his body took when making them, it made me more uneasy than Joker with all his power and bloodlust.

At least with Joker, I knew what I was looking at. With Mr. Pins and Needles? I honestly had no clue who he was or what his deal is.

And that was scarier than Joker's red disintegration flowers could ever be.

Number three-hundred-and-eighty-four was interesting, but not interesting enough to earn him a nickname. His choice of weapon: a long blowgun, was cool and all... But, his interesting qualities really trailed off after that.

With still no sight of Green-boy (how the hell didn't his green-ness stand out among all the dark colours everyone wore?!) or the Blond-Lance that accompanied him, I frowned to myself as the mystery-man started explaining more rules, "A final caution. If you are short on luck or ability, you could very well end up seriously injured or even dead."

Hmph. Not like that wasn't an everyday occurrence. Turns out – I'm not even safe from my own family!

…The joke would've been funnier if Aurelian – the oldest Luchia child – had been around to hear it. She always got my kind of humour. Now that I think about it, I hadn't seen her in a while… Maybe I should drop by Ipenard City soon. The city always had a lot going on, and I could probably catch a fight with her at Heaven's Arena. She did love her fights, after all.

"Those who accept the risks, please follow me. Otherwise, please exit via the elevator behind you."

How nice of them to offer a way out of the Exam for people who realized they're completely outmatched. However, after waiting so long to actually get this show on the road, did they really think anyone would back out now? My eyes scanned the crowd for Green-boy, seeing if he would move to leave and mess up my plans. He didn't seem injured when he came in, Blond-Lance and…

What was a good name for the other one?

I'll go with 'Suit'.

Blond-Lance and Suit also seemed to be pretty healthy.

As the seconds drew on, with no one moving an inch, mystery-man spoke again.

"Very well. All four-hundred-and-four applicants will participate in Phase One."

Well, seemed like the guy who got his arms turned into flowers didn't make it.

The crowd started moving, and I easily kept pace with the people moving ahead of me while I kept my eyes peeled for Green-boy. I might not be able to worm my way into the group he's formed in the First Phase, but I could at least figure out a way to do so in the next phase by studying him. I was content to stay in the back for now, as long as I had visual on Green-boy it didn't matter where I was in the group… But I would of course keep my distance as I did my scouting. I scoffed as my nose wrinkled at the thought.

Lance would be so proud.

The walk turned into a fast-walk, and then into a light jog before I had noticed: the roller-blades made keeping up with the crowd a lot easier than running with them. Before long, the pace had been set at a full-on sprint.

This was the First Phase, I realized. An endurance test, meant to not only test our stamina, but also testing how far we could keep going without knowing how long we had to go on. It would certainly weed out a lot of them, from my observations, but it depended on how long this phase actually was…

Not that it mattered. Even if I had been running, my family trained me hard enough that it would be days before I tired. I hadn't really tested it out, but the rough estimate was probably true.

"I neglected to introduce myself. I am Satotz, the Phase One examiner. I shall lead you to the exam's Second Phase." With the surprised mutters that spread across the crowd of running people like wildfire, Satotz clarified, "You must follow me to Phase Two. This is the Exam's First Phase."

A heavy air fell at his words. I could only smile in excitement, hidden at the back of the group.

The competition was underway. Now the real fun could start.

O

It had only been two hours since this running started. Two. And I already couldn't wait for it to be over. While I knew I was impatient, Lance and- well, all of my siblings reminded me of it constantly, but I could've sworn that it had been longer. Had the time spent waiting for the Exam to begin been a lot shorter than I thought it had?

I sighed, saddened by the fact that I couldn't count the red lights on the wall anymore: they had disappeared about half-an-hour ago. Now I was left with keeping track of how many people fell behind as I kept a safe distance between Green-boy and myself. So far there had been ten since I started counting, but I knew for a fact more had fallen before that.

…Being in the back of the crowd had been boring but being in the middle was even more so. While I successfully had resisted the temptation, I couldn't break any bones of those who had fallen behind even if I wanted to now. Someone behind me could spot me taking the time to ease my boredom easily. But what really drove all sorts of entertaining thoughts deep into my being was the fact that I couldn't trip anyone up and pretend I had nothing to do with it when they fell. I mean, I couldn't trip people in the back either, but still.

…Although, now that I think about it, it would probably be more amusing to do at the front and watch everyone try and avoid the human obstacle in their way. If they couldn't, they would only add to it.

I sighed, again. Like my game, I had chosen the 'hard-mode' difficulty to make the Exam more challenging. Unfortunately, this challenge meant I had to save up all my tricks and fun-making for later. The thought to move up and see what Joker was up to already had to be pushed down a few times, and I could sense that I'd have to do so again soon.

Green-boy glanced backwards in my direction, like he had done so many times before. And, like before, I easily saw it coming and sped up slightly to use another examinee to block my figure from his view with perfect timing. If there was one thing that I learned about Green-boy since I started tailing him, it was that he seemed physically unable to try and hide his intentions.

The sight of Sharp-eyes' white hair drawing closer had me dropping back again, widening the distance between Green-boy's group and me as they caught up to him on his skateboard. He was lazily shoving the rolling board forward, seemingly not caring where he was in the crowd.

"Hey! Wait up, kid!" Suit angrily called out to him, and it took a few seconds before Sharp-eyes realized Suit was talking to him, "You should show the Hunter Exam some respect!"

"What do you mean?" Sharp-eyes sounded confused, and so was I.

"Why are you using a skateboard? That's cheating!"

"Why?"

"This is an endurance test!"

I raised an eyebrow at Suit's statement. Sure, that's what it was supposed to be, but weren't Hunters supposed to be able to adapt to their situations and give themselves the best chances? There certainly wasn't any sort of 'code' when it came to Hunters: each played by their own rules. If Suit wanted to tire himself out by arguing – he had started to slow a little, and Green-boy and Blond-Lance kept pace with him – it didn't bother me. It's only putting him at a disadvantage because he couldn't adapt like the others or keep up.

"No, it isn't." I looked over to Green-boy, who had spoken up.

Suit didn't look happy with that comment, "Gon, what are you saying?!"

So Green-boy's name was Gon?

"The examiner only told us to follow him."

"Whose side are you on, Gon?!"

Well, it seemed like Green-boy wasn't as clueless as he looked. My cover kept getting better and better…

Sharp-eyes slowed down, leaving Suit behind as he stared Green-boy down, "Hey, how old are you?"

"I'm twelve years old." The straightforward and honest answer was refreshing, and also showed just how trusting and innocent he was. And, it turns out we were the same age after all.

After staring Green-boy down for another moment, he flipped his skateboard up, catching it mid-air as he hit the ground running without a misstep, "Guess I'll run too."

"Wow!" Green boy beamed and Sharp-eyes, keeping pace with him, "That was cool!"

…Okay, it would be wrong to not admit that the move was pretty cool. So, I didn't. It was cool. Very cool.

But that cool move was a problem. If Green-boy and Sharp-eyes were together, there'd be no way I could easily grab my distraction. Not without the chance that Sharp-eyes would pick up on my goal…

"I'm Killua."

"I'm Gon."

So, Sharp-eyes Killua and Green-boy Gon seemed to be becoming fast friends. Thanks, universe. You've been a wonderful help.

But, before I could curse the bad luck I was having today, Sharp-eyes sent a quick glance over his shoulder – one that I narrowly avoided but couldn't quite block with the person running just a little ahead of me. I could feel the tingle in my spine, letting me know that Sharp-eyes was looking at me, but just as quickly as the feeling had come, it had gone.

I kept my eyes trained to the front of me, picking a figure's back to stare at for a few long minutes as I waited to see what Sharp-eyes would do. He had no doubt figured out I was the one staring at him (although I was staring just over their heads and watched them in my peripherals, just as Lance had taught me… But, I didn't nickname him Sharp-eyes for nothing). After a few moments of silence, I thought that Sharp-eyes had considered me a non-threat.

My eyes drifted over to the pair again, careful to keep my line of sight a little farther away this time and spot them in the corner of my eye…

Only to see Green-boy looking back at me and waving his arms, "Heeeeeeeeey!"

With another sigh escaping me, I waited a second before looking over, pretending that the sound of his voice had drew my attention and that I hadn't already been observing him. As he noticed he had my attention, he gestured for me to join them – Sharp-eyes kept said eyes to the front – and with a brief glance at the backs in front of me to prepare myself, I slowly rolled my way over to them.

Green-boy was bouncing in excitement as I approached, his brown eyes sparkling, "Hey! Killua pointed out that you might be the same age as us – is that true?"

I gave him a laugh, my mind rapidly coming up with a new plan as I bought it time with playing to my strengths, "Well, I don't know… How old are you two?"

"Oh! Sorry! I'm twelve, and my name's Gon!" He sent me a bright smile and a wave, which I returned.

"I guess we're the same age, then!" He somehow brightened even more than before at that.

I felt Sharp-eyes looking at me again, but I blocked the sensation out for now.

"Really?"

"Yep! You can call me Kyra, Gon!" Gon nodded at me, and I turned my attention to Sharp-eyes, who had cool blue eyes, "I saw you jump off of your skateboard and catch it in midair! That was so cool! How'd you do it? Have you practiced catching it like that a lot?"

Sharp-eyes stared at me for a moment longer, causing Gon to look over at him as well before chipping in, "Yeah! How long did it take?" I had to hide the grin from breaking out on my face as Sharp-eyes eventually gave in as two sets of brown eyes stared at him, waiting for a response. The weight of his gaze lifted from my body as he towards Gon to answer.

Hmm… maybe Gon could draw attention not only from the other applicants, but also Sharp-eyes…

"It didn't take me too long, but I have good balance." His voice was somehow a mix of smug and modesty, only accented by the light roll of his shoulders as he shrugged. While I filed away Sharp-eyes' vague reply, Gon seemed to be even more impressed by it.

But, I wasn't sure if I had done enough to smooth over Sharp-eyes' potential suspicion… and I really hated leaving loose ends to worry me. He was still a kid, right?

I grinned to myself before I could stop it, and pulled out a lollipop from my pocket, unwrapping the red wrapper – showing that it was another strawberry type – loudly. I made sure to crinkle the wrapper for extra measure as I lifted the candy-on-a-stick from it, and I could feel the noise draw the attention of the two boys. I rolled up the red wrapper and buried it beneath the other lollipops in my pocket.

Popping the candy into my mouth, I waited an extra second before turning to look at the boys, as if noticing that they were still beside me. Blinking rapidly, my hand dove into the folds of the turquoise fabric and I revealed two more lollipops. With a glance down at the wrapping colour – orange and blue – I offered the sweets to them. After a moment, Gon accepted the orange one with a wide smile.

"Gee, thanks Kyra!"

Sharp-eyes eyed me for a second, but it seems like the call of candy was too much for him, and he ended up looking at the lollipop for much longer than he watched me.

"My parents taught me it was rude to use a name that wasn't given to you by the person in question. Would you mind introducing yourself to me?"

It was an offering: an exchange.

But his hesitance only lasted a moment longer before he gave in – quite an impressive show, in my opinion. Before I knew it, my fingers were holding air and the lollipop was already in Sharp-eyes' mouth. Gon was still having trouble with opening the wrapper, and seeing as he was trying to carefully unwrinkle every piece of the wrapper, I could see why it was taking him so long.

"That's weird."

I let out a chuckle as I focused my eyes back to the backs of the runners in front of us, "Mm, I guess."

Seconds went by, and as Gon finally was able to unwrap the lollipop and join us in enjoying the sweet taste, Sharp-eyes gave in, "If you really wanna hear it from me, the name's Killua."

I grinned again, and I could sense that Killua had seen it. He huffed, but said no more, shoving his hands into his pockets as we continued following the tunnel's path.

"So, Gon, what brought you to the Hunter Exam?"

"Well, you see-"

While I couldn't shake the feeling that I was missing something, I pushed the thought away for a celebratory pat on the back for still finding my way to my cover – even with Killua now hovering around him. I let out a silent chuckle.

No one could resist the charms of a sweet trap.

O

- Disclaimer -

The only thing I own are my OCs

*PLEASE NOTE*

For those wondering, while it will be explained a little later, the game Everly's playing is baaaasically a reference to GBA Fire Emblem. Aaaaaand the system she's playing on is baaaaaasically a GBA. They'll both had non-branded names coming up, but this is just to satisfy those curious cats out there!

O Reviews O

sarahmchugs: Hey man, thanks for liking it so far! I'm glad you appreciated the ability I went with to give her first - it was a real struggle to choose which one (out of the ones I tentatively have thought out so far), but the goal is, of course, to make sure she doesn't get overpowered.

O

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed, fireflies!

-Love, Ember ;3