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Killer's Got a Soft Spot

Preview: "Why do you want to be a hunter Leorio?"

"Money."

"Awesome."

The gates for the Second Phase started opening. "Will all applicants who passed the first phase please enter?" A woman with green haired tied up to look in three ponytails that resembled starfish requests. "I'm Menchi the Second Phase examiner." A massive man behind her smiles. "And I'm Buhara the other examiner."

Suddenly the Buhara's belly rumbles, the noise reminds Saffron of a whale. "There you have it Phase Two will involve." Cue tense silence. "Cooking!" A few applicants vocalise their complaints "Your challenge or the Second Phase is to produce a dish that will satisfy our palate. We are Gourmet Hunters." And cue everyone laughing.

Buhara stands up. The ground shakes slightly under his weight. "The required ingredient is pork. You're free to use meat from any specie of Biska Forest pigs. You must use the cooking facilities here to prepare pork. And you can only pass if we both find it delicious."

The name of the animal sounds familiar to Saffron.

"And we will evaluate more than just the taste." Menchi adds. "Don't underestimate the intricacies of cooking. Got it? When we both have eaten our fill the exam will end." Buhara raises his hand. "The Second Phase," he slams his hand on his belly, "Begins!"

"Catch a pig and cook it. This is way easier than the First phase." Leorio comments.

"I doubt that that's all there is to i.t" April pipes in. Saffron has a suspicious feeling she knows what type of pigs they'll be dealing with.

Gon jumps and slides down a grass hill. The rest all follow, not the smartest idea. April crashes into Gon, Saffron collides with April, Killua smacks into Saffron, Leorio hits Killua and Kurapika slams into Leorio. April leans back and pushes Saffron backwards making her practically lie on Killua. April cheekily grins at her while Saffron dares not to look at him.

"Found them." Gon claims gaining everyone's attention. There are pigs munching nonchalantly on bones, yep these are the ones Saffron thought of. The pig's line of sight switches to the group and it growls, steam blowing out of its nose, it charges and the rest follow.

"These pigs are crazy." Leorio yells as they all sprint away.

"They're called the Great Stamp!" Saffron informs, Venuri once gave her a book about all kinds of species, these pigs happen to be one of them. "Watch out for their snouts!" Saffron runs from the group and to a tree. A pig follows her, she darts up the tree, once high enough she pushes off and slams her foot down on its forehead and it's out old.

Saffron leans against the pig, scanning the area to make sure no other pigs are charging for her. "Their foreheads are they're weaknesses."

Kurapika nods in understanding, respectfully taking in her words despite her being quite young. "Strong noses in order to protect their soft foreheads. How do you know this Saffron?"

April answers in her place. "She's an animal enthusiast. Saffron reads stuff about animals all the time!"

Everyone rushes back with their pig and quickly turns on their BBQ.

With uncertainty Saffron begins cooking the pig. It saddens her to see animals being wasted. Saffron has always had a for love animals - even the ones that try and hit her with their snouts so they can munch on her bones. To add to that, she deems herself as the worst cook ever.

Clueless, she continues to spin the roasting pig.

"Know what you're doing?" The smirking white haired boy beside her questions, he probably noticed her dumb expression.

"Of course." Note the sarcasm. Spinning the pig back and forth, Saffron wiggles around thinking that it could pass off for a dance. He snickers.

"Can't anyone satisfy me?" Menchi complains impatiently, obviously outraged by this groups lack of skills .

April's head pooped beside Saffron's. "Does she mean with the food or sexually as well?" Stroking her invisible beard, her thoughts took over.

Shaking her head and laughing softly Saffron answers. "I'm pretty sure it's just the food part." And she shoves April's face away as she tries to lean closer.

Okay, so they're being judged by not only taste but appearance.

'Hmmm….what can I do to upgrade the visual appeal? '

"IS THIS SOME KIND OF JOKE!?"

Saffron decided the best way is to shove a branch in its forehead. She then flips the table almost hitting Menchi with the pig.

"Suffer! This is what you get for stuffing your faces with food – wasting them! When there are people out there who could really use this food!" Shaking her fist at Menchi, they have a glaring competition.

Buhara hums happily and holds up the circle. He liked it. Saffron pinches the bridge of her nose in disbelief, it probably tasted like shit.

April and Saffron cross paths – she shoved leaves in the pigs nose. April seems pretty proud of herself too, her pig does smell nice.

"ANOTHER JOKESTER HUH?!"

Uncrossing her legs, Menchi stands up. "No one passes. We're done here."

And everyone starts complaining – completely baffled. They shouldn't take an exam so lightly, just because you think cooking isn't a valuable lesson in becoming a hunter. April and Saffron lean against one another, shoulder to shoulder as Menchi argues with a couple of the applicants.

One of the applicants is smacked into the building by Buhara. "Good riddance" April mutters, pursing her lips and resting her head against Saffrons'. Killua sees this and can't help but be jealous of their bond.

"It would be excessive to fail every single applicant." A familiar voice booms from a Hunter air ship above the applicants. An old man jumps down, creating a small crater in his landing. The smoke clears.

"Uuoh? It's old man Netero."

"Menchi, you failed all the applicants because you disapproved of their reluctance to try new things?" he inquires.

"No, I lost my cool when one of them insulted gourmet hunters. And I made the exam harder than necessary," She admits in a soft tone.

"In other words you're aware that this exam is unacceptable."

Menchi tries to resign as an examiner which he rejects and instead provides a better solution. "You must participate in the challenge exam you propose."

She agrees, "The new challenge will be boiled eggs." She announces. And they're taken to Mt. Split in half, a fitting name, in the air ship.

Saffron leans over the edge excitedly with April and Killua on either side. She's heard of these eggs! They're meant to be delicious.

"Oi, you're drooling" Killua points out.

"Eh?"

Using his sleeve his wipes the corner of her mouth, mumbling a small 'idiot'. Grinning Saffron inwardly scolds herself for being such a dork. "Thanks~" She sings, smiling sweetly. He says nothing but presses his lips together to form a line, hiding his emotions and quickly returns to peering over the edge but Saffron can see his embarrassment. He glares back at her when she snickers.

Menchi does a demonstration for everyone. Everyone gasps when she is brought back up by the air. The four of kids admire the sight, impatiently waiting for their turn to have a go at the fun.

Following Gon's lead they all jump down. Some people jump early and they all know what happens to them. The web starts to break. They all still wait for Gon's 'go ahead'. "Now!"

Everyone snatches an egg. April cackles obviously enjoying the feeling in her stomach.

"Weeeeeeee-hahaaha." Saffron's laugh echoes in the crack of the mountain. The wind draft has sends them flying.

All eggs are boiled together.

"This means my egg won't taste bad cause I'm not cooking it~"

April pouts. "Did you already it all yours?!" Leorio exclaims seeing the girl empty handed.

"But it was so nice." she reasons.

"Ne, here April have mine." Saffron throws her egg to April, which she devours immediately.

"Oi." Bright blue eyes lock onto Saffron's green ones. "You were literally drooling for one and you give it away?"

She shrugs. "She really liked it, didn't want to see her so sad." Half an egg is shoved into her face. Saffron smiles gratefully and removes the egg from his hand, he puffs out his cheeks before returning the grin.

"What about you Kurapika?" Said boy hums in question and faces Saffron. "I didn't hear why you want to be a hunter."

"To avenge my clan, the Kurtas. A group of criminals that go by the Phantom Troupe stole our scarlet eyes and wiped them out." He pauses after noticing the way Saffron's face contorted into a look of distraught. "Do you know them? Anything about them?" He asks hastily, his eyes burning.

She shifted, uncomfortable under his intense gaze. "I don't have any information to give you. Sorry."

Kurapika, realising his actions, takes step back. Saffron is only a child, he shouldn't expect her to know much about them or wish her too. "That's okay, but how-" He is cut off by Leorio.

"Oi, you didn't ask why I want to be a hunter!"

"Why do you want to be a hunter Leorio?"

"Money."

"Awesome."

"Allow me to introduce myself to the forty-four remaining applicants. I am Netero, chairman of this year's Hunter Exam Selection Committee."

"I'm his secretary, beans."

"Frog man!" April and Saffron whisper in harmony.

"You are free to do as you please until you are contacted." Frog- Beans informs.

Killua faces the other three. "Oi, Let's go explore the airship." Agreeing enthusiastically, the four take off leaving Kurapika and Leorio to their own doings and in astonishment at their boundless energy.

The four of them lean up against the window sill, gazing at the world lit up below. It is truly beautiful. Gon brought up families, and asked Killua about his parents.

"Hmmm they're alive. Probably." He answers simply, as if they topic isn't really of much importance.

"What do they do?" Gon pries.

"They're assassins."

"Huh? Both of them?" Gon asks.

With innocent curiosity Saffron adds. "Have they been in that line of business long?"

"Does it pay well?" April inquires.

Killua's little burst of laughter surprises them. "That's you guy's reactions?" In sync they tilt their heads in confusion. "You guys are the first people to have a serious reaction."

"Why wouldn't we? You are telling the truth." His eye dart to Saffron's for a moment. The other two nod.

"How would you know that?

Gon answers, "Just a hunch."

"You guys are weird." They all sit down on one of the benches. "I come from a family of assassins. So they're all assassins. And my family has really high hopes for me." A small smirk sketches onto his face. "But I can't stand it. Who wants to have their life planned out for them? When I told them I wanted to do my own thing, they snapped!" He exclaims outraged. "We ended up fighting, so I stabbed my mother in the face, my brother in the side and ran away from home." He then went on of how he wants to capture his own family when he becomes a hunter.

"Ne, April, Saffron what about your families?" The two boys looked to the girls, curiosity burning.

April speaks first. "I have a mother and Father – they're divorced though and four brothers. Two older ones – twins – and two younger ones who are also twins." she smiles fondly at the memory of her family. "My mother owns a flower shop."

Resting his chin on his palm Killua asks, "Why did they divorce?"

She rubs the back of her head. "Ahhh, my mum refuses to tell. Maybe it just didn't work out?" She wonders, the boys echoed small 'ooohs'.

Gon looks to Saffron. "What about you Saffron?" He chimes happily.

April casts a concerned look her way for a split second, almost unseen. "Well, my father is alive. I'm an only child and my mother is most likely still on life support at a hospital." She tries to sound casual while playing with the hem of her shirt. "B-but April and I are living with these two other women and have been for a few years – the ones who are mad at us."

"Their names are Minori and Venuri." April adds. "We're kind of like a family!"

Gon runs over what's been said in his mind while Killua listens with interest. "So what happened to your mother?" The brown eyed boy asks as softly as he can manage.

Saffron shifts in her seat. "She was attacked one day." The atmosphere becomes tense and uncomfortable and the subject is dropped.

There's a sudden aura and they all go on alert. Netero comes from the other side. His eyes locate Saffron. "Oh, Saffron I thought I saw you here."

She grins. "Hey Net, long time no see huh?" He returns the smile.

"Indeed it has been. How's Minori?"

"Crazy as usual."

"Wouldn't have expected any different." He directs his attention to all of them. "Would you four like to play a game with me?"

'Oh no, ooohoho no. I'm not going through this again.' Saffron thinks bitterly.

"If you're able to beat me I shall let you be hunters." An offer they can't refuse. The boys and April agree. Saffron on the other hand, already been through his trick, declines.

"You guys have fun without me. If you need me I'll be napping here." Hopping onto the surprisingly comfortable bench she waves them off and closes her eyes allowing sleep to overtake her.

Saffron's eyes immediately snap open and she's on high alert when her wrist is grabbed. She makes no movements but analyses who is in her personal bubble. One man she's unfamiliar with and the other is the one she knocked out back at the room where the first phase began.

He smirked. "Well if it isn't the little girl." His grip tightens, as if he were trying to hurt her. He'll have to do better than that. "Do you think it's safe to be out here alone? Maye you should come with us." he yanks on her arm.

Saffron removes herself from his grasp. "Hands off." And smacks his hand away. She crosses her ankles and rests her arms behind her head. He roughly grabs her shirt. "Oi!" Saffron grist her teeth. "I said hands off!"

"You shouldn't take us so lightly." He sneers in a dark tone. That is last thing he'd ever say.

He releases his grip, eyes roll into the back of his head and he slumps to the floor, completely lifeless, his friend follows only milliseconds after. Saffron props herself up on her elbow and looks down at them shocked and startled.

Glancing up she sees Killua. The veins in his hands throb and his nails have elongated. His hair has created a shadow over his eyes. The blood lust radiating from him has a minor effect on her. Saffron is somewhat used to it - Minori gets in this mood too.

Attempting to pretend the ordeal hasn't frightened her, Saffron hums happily offering him a crooked smile. "Thanks. They were annoying." His mood doesn't change. "You okay Killua?" She asks softly, getting to her feet and standing in front of him. Tilting her head down, Saffron places a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't look at me like that." He whispers. "Don't look at me with that caring and innocent look." He raises his head slightly. "You should be afraid."

Saffron's eyes dart between his and she roles them. "Idiot, why would I be afraid? Because you've killed people? You're not the only one." This made him perk up with interest. Cupping his cheek and softly rubbing circles with her thumb she says. "Plus we're friends now right? There's nothing you can do to get rid of me now." And she gives him a closed eye smile.

She takes both his hands in her own and pulls him along. While walking backwards Saffron hums a merry tune. "Let's go take a nap!"

"You just had one." He says, slowly returning back to himself.

Saffron ponders. "True. Do you want to go steal chocolate and other snacks from the kitchen!" She suggests, smiling cheekily.

His eyes light up and he nods with enthusiasm while quickening his pace. Holding tighter, he drags her along. Their laughter bounces off the walls of the air ship. Saffron is loving this exam more and more as time goes by.