Alright, I'll start by saying Killua wasn't what I expected "shadow boy" to be. First of all, I didn't even know if it was a boy, though I secretly hoped it wasn't a girl. Second, I thought he'd be much older. Like. At least 20! Third... I didn't expect him to be such a brat.

As we entered the city, I tried to make small talk with him, but he was being so difficult...! Arms behind his head as we traveled, he didn't offer anything but sass.

"You seem so young to be taking the exam, how old are you?" I asked, glad to have someone to talk to. He stuck his nose in the air.

"Hm. I'm waaay younger than you. I'm twelve. And you might call me a genius, so age isn't an issue." He said, not bothering to look at me. I gave him a twitchy, strained grin.

"I'm only thirteen, you little brat..." I said through clenched teeth. He looked at me then with wide eyes.

"Ohhh, not bad. You look ancient for your age!" He said, marveling. I detected a taunting gleam in his eye. But I restrained my irritation and smiled.

"I'll take that as a compliment, short-stack." I grumbled. "So why are you trying to take the exam anyways?"

He hesitated at that, and I took full notice. He looked away, arms behind his head again. I wasn't sure if he realized he pouted when he was distracted.

"... I just want to. It sounds like fun." He said finally. I stopped and stared at him. What?

And then I laughed. Hard. So hard, that if we weren't the only ones on this street, people would have stared. Or called the authorities to handle me.

"HAHAHA, you think it's fun?!" I laughed, doubling over. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh.. what?!"

He looked off put, glaring as he shifted from one foot to the other. I must have embarrassed him. "Yeah. It's something challenging. It can't be too hard."

I grinned up at him, hands on my knees. "This exam could break you. It could destroy your mind, take your body and leave it in tiny pieces. For a couple dozen people a year, that is a reality." I stood and wiped my eye, giving him a grin.

"But that won't happen to us, right?" I jabbed his shoulder, which he didn't seem pleased about. "I saw you move in the forest. You've got what it takes to be a hunter."

He abruptly turned away, probably hoping I wouldn't notice him blushing. But I could definitely hear him pouting through his voice. "Yeah... it's you that has to worry about passing."

"Hey!" I shouted in outrage. He looked over his shoulder with a grin.

"So what's this crazy plan of yours, and what's so dangerous about it?" He asked, resuming our walk and folding his arms behind his head again. I bit my lip at that. And shuddered. I really didn't want to think about what I was planning on doing... the thought of that man really made my skin crawl in all the worst ways.

"I... know a man." I said, chewing on my thoughts as I spoke them. "Who definitely knows how to get into the exam."

Killua looked at me then, but I didn't meet his eyes. The more I thought about this endeavor, the less I liked the way it sounded...

"And we could follow him." I said.

"Uhuhhh?" Killua said, urging me on.

There was just one tricky thing that I'd left out... "But I don't know where he is."

"Whaaaaaat?" Killua complained. My head started to ache. Okay, maybe I left out two tricky little things.

"And, we can't get caught by him."

"Right... and why not?" Killua said, irritated. My stomach churned at the thought of interacting with that man.

"Becaussssssse, he's creepy, and a murderer and most of all probably a sexual predator, and I really, really, REALLY, don't want to have to talk to him." I blurted out hastily, feeling the weight of this plan falling on my shoulders as it ran through my head and out my mouth. Oh man, this wasn't going to be fun... Killua stopped walking silently, he stared into space with a slack jaw. I stopped and looked back at him, piteously.

"I said it was risky." I said apologetically. He shook his head thoroughly and a grin appeared on his face.

"I'm still in. This sounds like fun." He said. I smiled, feeling his excitement through his faint aura. A breeze passed, and he smelled like mint. "What does he look like?"

I hesitated at that, laughing nervously. "Well.. you might not believe me... but he looks like a jester."

Killua's smile staled. "Like... a clown?"

My shoulders sagged, feeling his judgment weighing down on me. "Yeahhhh, he's a mass murdering, pedophile clown that could get us into the exam." See? That sounds credible.

Killua gave me a blank look. Turned on his heel and walked away with a wave.

"Hey wait, I'm telling the truth!" I shouted, chasing after him.

"I'll find my own way into the exam, I don't need a crazy thirteen year old to get me in." He said, ignoring my tugs at his shirt with ease.

"Noooo! There's no way I'll find him on my own in just one day!"

"I'll pass. Your problem. Not mine."

"Please!"


Next morning, Killua and I were seated in a cafe. The sun was up, the streets were full of happy shopkeepers and eager shoppers. We were sitting silently, while he was lazily spooning a chocolate cake into his mouth for breakfast. I quirked a brow at his choice but admired his bravery. I had a chocolate and banana crepe in hand, so I really wasn't much better.

"So what's the plan for finding this magical jester?" Killua asked, waving his spoon with an unimpressed expression. I chafed at his disbelief, giving him a weary look. But honestly I couldn't blame him, the man in question seemed so... unbelievable. Some kind of make-believe creature. So I held back my animosity. He'd understand when he saw him. If we ever found him.

"Well. He stands out pretty easily. So that shouldn't be too much of an issue..." I said thoughtfully, propping my chin on my hand. The real problem is staying hidden once we do... "We should split up. You have a phone, right?"

Killua hesitated before shaking his head. I raised my brows. "Why?"

He looked away, embarrassed and pouting again. "... I... didn't bring much with me."

Huh. He didn't have time to plan this out, did he? I wonder what are his real circumstances are... either way, that didn't really matter.

"Well, you go buy one and I'll give you my number. Call me once you get the phone. From there, we'll split up and hunt him down." I said, already pulling the pen and small notebook from the inside of my jacket. It hung around my neck on a black rope. I could sense Killua's surprise at the strange item, but he didn't comment. "Do you have money for a phone?"

He shifted uncomfortably. And I rolled my eyes. "I can lend you enough to get a simple phone. Don't expect anything fancy."

"Hey, don't think I'm poor! I just..." He said, flustered and embarrassed. I smiled at his pout. "... I don't have access to it right now, alright?"

I wagged a brow with a mischievous smile. "Alright, alright, box car kid, don't get all defensive." Ripping my number from the book, I pulled out a couple dozen jenny and laid them on the table, rising to leave. I winked at him. "Call me."

I heard him make frustrated noise and scowl, grabbing up the items, probably with a blush. I smiled at that.

I was basking in the sun atop a building ten minutes later, carefully scanning the crowd when Killua called. I answered without looking away from the shifting shoppers. "Yo!"

"Alright, we've got phones now. How are we going to split this city up?" He asked, sounding crabby. Probably because I bought something for him. I rolled my eyes at his childishness.

"I'm taking the east side, fluffy. You take the west." I said smirking.

"Fluffy?!" He exclaimed, but quickly restrained his outrage and returned to his pouting. "Fine. You take east I take the west. What does this guy even look like?"

I hesitated at that and laughed nervously. "Ahhh... other than looking like a clown, his other noteworthy traits are blazing blue hair, stilettos, and symbols painted on his cheeks..."

There was silence on the other end. I felt my heart pound in my chest as the moments ticked by. God, I sounded so unreliable. Damn it, why are you such a freakily dressed guy...?!

Then he sighed, resigned to his fate. "Fine. Clown, blue hair, high heels."

"And a murdering pedophile." I added brightly. On the other end there was silence, but I could feel him glaring daggers over the line. I hastily ended the call before he could change his mind. "Alright, call me when you find him! Happy hunting!"