"You seem like a bubble gum type, if I find everything that you might like I let ya know" she gave him a sly grin before leaving the man's side.

chapter 2

She moved to the outer edge of the wall and waited for the way to be clear. The head of the group reaching the middle of the stairs before she was able to move, she stayed low moving fast on the skates going diagonal across the tunnel. As she reach the stairs and the edge of the wall, she jumped. Her momentum and angle, causing the female to climb the side of the wall. Reaching out towards the pipe she griped it, before flipping onto the mental work.

Safe.

She continue along the pipe, speeding pass fallen competitors on the steps. Within a few seconds, she had made it to the end of the main pack. Choosing to continue on, she sped past; not taking much notice of the group's heavy breathing as many wouldn't make it any way.

She spotted the red hair of Hisoka bobbing up and down as he ran. He thought her a toy, but little did he know that she thought the same to him, she let out a giggled at the thought. He would defiantly be entertaining, and he was strong she could feel it in her blood.

There was still a long time before they reach the top from what she could tell of the little light and breeze. She smirked, taking in her surrounds. The ceiling was curled and there was an identical pipe on the opposite side of the tunnel. An idea popped into her head.

She sped up, before placing the skates onto the wall her momentum taking her. Crossing upside down over the ceiling below her the competitors ran oblivious to the girl staking across the ceiling. The wheels never leaving the ceiling as she flew. Blood rusted to her head, gravity trying to pull her down but her momentum kept her going. She smiled arms spreading out wide behind her, hair madly swaying. She felt like she was flying. Like she was free. But as all good things.. it must come to an end. Her skates touching back down on the pipe at the other side of the tunnel. She repeated the process – entertaining herself on the dull run.

Completely unaware of a pair of golden eyes watching her.

She looked down and notice the pair of boys, it seems that they had hit it off. Killua and Gon ran side by side, just behind the mustache man. It seemed that without realising it she had gotten to the font of the group.

It was the same thoughts of Gon, the spiky haired kid, as she listened to the conservation they were having. It was cute, they would make a great pair, and she knew it - even if Gon was a bit naive. She kept pace with them, completely unnoticed by the pair as she listened in.

The pace quicken and the exit came into sight and it turns out the pair where having a race. She followed, amused at the boy's race. They were full of energy, these two.

"Goal!" both shouted gleefully as they jumped thought the exits.

"Yay, I win" shouted Gon a fist in the air

"What are you talking about?" killua counter, "I was faster…"

"I was" Gon pouted

The boys about to argue as she skated besides them as they turned towards the moustache man, "hey, who was faster?" Gon asked

"I believe that you crossed the finish line simultaneously" he responded watching the pair.

"What! No I was defiantly faster" killua pouted.

"Nah, you both crossed at the same time" Mari commented from where she stood.

The boys jumped slightly surprised written on their faces, killua quickly covered his face with a mask of indifference while Gon looked at her with a heartbroken expression. "Then who's going to buy dinner…"

She chuckled before suggesting, "You can buy each other's dinner?"

"Yeah!" Gon face brighten, "killua I buy yours and you can buy mine!"

She looked around, they were stood in the middle of a forestry area, she could hear animals thought the fog, she needed to get out of her skates - she didn't want to ruin them, "hmm, what to do?" she mutter moving closer to the examiner.

"Hey, Satotoz-san" oh so that's what his name is she thought as she listened to Gon.

"Is this where the second phase of the exam takes place?"

"No we still have quite a way to go" the man responded.

Yes- she was going to have to take her shoes off just great, she thought sourly. Even if she only borrowed- never planning to return- she had grown attach to the roller skates. She waited a few minutes, more people making it onto the little platform, some out of breath while others like magician-san and pin-man where perfectly fine.

"Hey, miss. I'm Gon and this is killua" Gon introduced himself and killua. Killua looked annoyed and distrustfully at her, oh she liked him. Her smile seemed to annoy the boy even more.

"I'm Mari, nice to meet ya. This your first time?" she asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes, I'm looking for my dad who's a hunter. Is this yours?" he asked innocently.

God, this kid really is naïve! She internally commented gleefully, her smile unchanging. "Yeah, my first time too, though I'm doing it for fun" she lied. Well partly lied she did need a licence but it was mainly for her know entertainment.

"That's the same as killua!" the boy commented as killua's faced soured.

"Gon!" he hissed, but was intruded by heavy breathing of the man with glasses, now shirtless making it to though the exit. The blond boy following close behind, they looked around.

"Hey kurapika!" Gon called, he looked and waved, still breathless.

"Is it our destination?"

"No, it isn't" Gon responded.

"I see," kurapika spoke looking forwards he commented, "The fog is fading"

She watched as Gon jumped to his feet staring out towards the fog as it clear. She had been right - a forest was spread out before them, birds flew overhead. It was a beautiful sight, and felt oddly similar.

"The Numere wetlands..." satotoz-san started to speak, "…we must cross to get to phase two"

She internally groaned, he continued to talk, warning about the creatures that lived in the forest. She moved away from the boys closer to Satotoz-san, this was a forest that anyone not following correctly would get lost in and probably die a painful death. She would earn a profit during this phase. The stench of death lingered in the air.

"If you let them fool you, your dead" the man finished, as a mechanic sounds came from behind them as the door to the exit closed, leaving anyone inside, trapped. Satotoz-san continued giving more warning about the creatures living and how they deceit to get food. She was about to move when a shout came from behind them.

"Don't let them fool you!"

She turned along with everyone else, but unlike everyone else she continued to move closer to the examiner, until she was stood almost next to him.

"He's lying to you!" the newcomer accused. She snorted under her breath. The newcomer looked worn, his clothes were ripped and he had a limped. He held something in his left hand but she couldn't see due to people being in her line of sight. She looked him up and down, frowning.

"He's an impostor!" the man accused again. "He's not the examiner, I'm the real examiner."

Around them people gasped, at the comment looking in-between the pair. She rolled her eyes, "impostor my ass" she mutter under her breath. She heard Leorio speaking but did brother to listen to the male.

"Look at this" the newcomer commented, pulling a monkey the looked similarly like satotoz, par one main difference. The monkey had a mouth. She chuckled at her internal joke, earning a side glance from the examiner who had been keeping an eye on the girl since exiting the tunnel. But he quickly turned back to the problem at hand.

"It's a man-faced ape, one of the creatures that dwell in the Numere wetlands!" the newcomer explained. "Man-face apes love the taste of fresh human flesh. However, their limbs are long and thin, so they're quite weak. That's why they disguise themselves as humans" some of the group shivered, the man continued, "they trick humans into following them into these wetlands, where they team up with other animals to kill and devour them"

Some of people had already turned towards satotoz-san, preparing to attack him, believing the newcomers words, idiots. She smiled slightly putting her hands in her hoodies single pocket. Watching, her eyes narrowed and a playful smirk forming. "He intends to trap every signal applicant!" the newcomer concluded pointing of at satotoz-san as the clogs turned in the contestant's heads. She could hear murmurs of doubt from many of them.

Suddenly cards flew. Imbedded themselves into the newcomer's chest and head. He was dead before he hit the ground. Cards flew towards satotoz-san, who easily caught them in both hands, brows knitted together in a frown.

She looked towards Hisoka, cards playing in his hand a smile across his face, "I see, I see..." the man comment with a chuckle, "that settles it, you're the real one." His golden eyes staring at satotoz-san, interesting, she thought watching his playfully movement.

Satotoz-san dropped the cards, as Hisoka started to explain in his playfully but deathly manner, "examiners are hunters. Selected by the committee to perform this duty without pay. They need to be able to handle something like that"

With everyone's attention of the red headed magician, she observe the man. His pale skin, red hair painted face and flamboyant clothing, she could really use the man. She licked her lips.

"I shall take that as a compliment" satotoz-san besides her commented, oh right she needed to do somethings. "However, should you attack me again, for any reason, I will report you for turning on an examiner and you will be immediately disqualified. Are we clear?"

"Sure~" the red headed agreed

Birds swooped down towards the dead body, as satotoz commented, "he was attempting to confuse the applicants, to lure some of them away…." The man talked as the birds dug into their next meal, causing some participants to lose the contents of their stomachs, "….do you understand? If you lose sight of me in the Numere wetlands fog, you will never reach the exam's seconds phase. Do bare that in mind and miss?"

His head towards her, "what are you doing?" some people gaped not realising she was there in front of them.

"Taking off my skates, they don't like the mud" Mari commented indifferently.

"I understand that, but do you need to lead on me?" the man asked.

She was stood beside satotoz, a hand resting on his shoulder. As she undid the zip of one skates, she was stood perfectly balance on one foot as she took off the thigh high roller stakes. Leaving her legs and feet bare, "support" she commented off-handily. Going to the other skate. She bent over, hair falling pass her face, covering the small devilish smile reflected on her face.

"She can lean on me any time" she heard someone snicker. Taking off her other shoe, she let go of satotoz-san. Who looked at her with an thoughtfully expression before shrugging it off "then let us be on our way"

They began to run into the forest, she watched ignoring some of the comments directed her way. Time slowed as her eyes locked on to a pair of golden eyes, she gave a sly smile before looking away. She waited for the majority of the contestants to leave before squatting down unslinging her backpack. She opened it and quickly placed her skates inside.

Standing she stretched like a cat, back arching arms above her head. After feeling the bones pop she swung the bag back onto her back. She leaned forward on the balls of her feet a hand above her eyes, as she tried to make out the contestants. No such luck the fog had descended again covering the swamps in every direction.

"And this is way I think ahead" she signed.

What she had actually been doing under the cover of taking her stakes off was putting her aura onto the examiner's shoulder so that in the case of getting lost, she would be able to locate him at any distance and location. It was great for tracking people and was something she had developed along the way, not that she knew or understood any of her abilities. Or was ever taught how to use them.

She set off at a quick run, it the direction her sixth sense was sending her in. She knew she was on the right path from the smell of blood. Obviously, someone had ignore the examiners warning about the creatures living here.

She stopped a few times picking up anything with value, including the organs of the dead before there eaten, with the scalpels she had hidden under her jumper on a thigh straps. But she would explain that another time.

Blood lust.

She could sense blood lust, it made her sides tingle in the direction she was following. She went to it, knowing who it belonged to. Animals crept away from the location, their insists telling them to run, as she jumped into the trees towards the source. Wanting to watch the scene play out.

Hisoka stood with a circle of man stood around him, closing him in, or so they thought. She watched with a slight smile. Oh she was making a lot of money during this task. She sense two people run up below her perch. "Stop...over there"

She looked down. It was the glasses-man and the blonde, pointing towards Hisoka, she turned back as someone started to speak. "….saw you last year, I knew you weren't hunter material."

"We'll spare you if you swear not to take the hunter exam again" she snorted at the comment,

"Oh boy.. These boys are why out of their league" she murmured a grin spread across her face, this should be fun.

"Sure~" purred Hisoka unfazed by the group, "I'm passing the exam this year, so I won't need to retake it."

"Passing? Idiot!" one of the group argued, "look at this fog! It's impossible to determine which direction the main pack went!"

"Meaning we've all failed!" another one shouted, holding his weapon high.

Hisoka chuckled, it was honey to her ears, "so that's why. Having already failed, you wish to play examiner. Hunters require prey, why don't I play examiner and judge whether you are hunter material?" Hisoka gestured turning the talk around. He held up a card.

The group tense preparing its attack, as one running forwards towards the red headed magician. In a signal swipe of the card he cut a circle around himself, hitting everyone the line of fire. She shifted position in the tree as she watched the group fall to the floor as one. Oh he was good, definitely showing off.

He turned slowly speaking, to the last man. "Now, then..." the badge 76 on his chest heaved - his breathing quicken, panic over taking his control as he fell to the ground and started to crawl. In a feeble attempted to get away from the murder.

The man shutter for help, before a card implanted itself into the back of his head. She licked her lips at the sight of Hisoka pulling the card out, blood dripped away before he brought it up to his mouth. It was beautiful. Her eyes glittered, the blood lust growing inside of her. Hisoka turned an eye towards the pair below. "Now, care to participate, in my little game of examiner?" he man purred to the frozen pair below.

Hisoka moved forward. She hope that the man wouldn't kill the pair, they had so much potential.

"Leorio," the blonde whispered, "on my signal, we run in opposite directions."

Oh so the blonde had a plan, it's a good one considering who they fighting, She thought with a smile.

"What?" asked Leorio.

"He is vastly more experienced in real combat. The two of us won't stand a chance against him." The blonde continued as the magician came closer, "we cannot afford to squander time in a pointless fight!" he concluded.

Hisoka was nearly a foot away a smile on his face, card out ready when Hisoka stopped. Kurapika using that pause to shout "now!"

The pair slit off, heading in different directions. Well that was boring, she thought, but as least they didn't get killed. She looked as Hisoka smile deeper, "I see, a wise decision" the magician chuckled.

She was about to move away when the brushed below her moved, "I just can't do it…" Leorio growled.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that" she whistled in an undertone.

"This may not be my fight," he had stopped a large stick in his right hand and a determine look on his face. She couldn't tell whether he was foolish or brave. "….but I won't close my eyes and make a break for it!"

He attacked. Hisoka stood still watching the man run towards him, "mm, I adore that look on your face"

The stick sung down and hit smoke, "what?" Leorio said in surprised, he had thought he hit his target straight on. But now Hisoka was stood behind him, the magician moved to grab the man with his sharpened nails.

Out of nowhere a red ball attached to a line appeared in her line of sight, hitting Hisoka on the temple. She blinked. Hisoka's head snapped towards the shadow of Gon, who was breathing heavily having ran all the way here. She blinked again, a Cheshire smile growing on her face.

Oh this kid was good.

It seems her thoughts matched Hisoka own, if not less perverse. "Not bad, little boy."

Gon clutched his fishing rod tighter, as Hisoka talked. Hisoka started to walk towards him, she didn't move just watching as the scene play out. The boy was cute and honest to fault but way too naïve for her liking, like he hadn't seen the true world like his sliver haired quick toughed friend of his.

"Allow me a closer look." Hisoka gestured.

"Your fight is with me!" Leorio behind him bellowed running towards him. But before he could even land a hit. Hisoka turned round punching the man in his face, knocking him out cold. She raised an eyebrow; as behind him Gon sprung.

Again Hisoka turned to smoke, appearing behind the boy. Gon turned round, "you came to rescue your friend?" a voice called from behind the boy. He spun. Hisoka kneeled behind him a hand on chin a smile spread across his face as is surprised Gon jumped back.

"Such a good boy" again Hisoka appeared, knelt down behind the boy but instead of fleeing he attacked swinging his rod to hit…to hit thin air.

"And that expression…" Hisoka appeared to the boy's right.

She watched, eyes following Hisoka every movement, it was graceful to watch. She smile he would be fun to play with. Gon in a desperate attempted swung his rod, aiming for long distance attacked. Hisoka dodge them all with his eyes closed, then Gon something different. He changed the direction of the hook, hitting the ground causing dirt and mud to raise. She nodded in approval at his thinking. Gon sprung up behind the distracted man to hit the man from behind, to no such luck.

Hisoka grabbed the boy in mid-air, a hand around his throat. Gon struggled trying to pry the hand away. He was losing breath, "how wonderful~"

She was about to interfered, the man grip was tightening and his blood lust was ensnaring her own to play. She gritted her teeth trying to control the lust that was consuming her. The man dropped him to the ground. She relaxed a little. "Do not fear, I will not kill your friend. He passed" Hisoka smiled.

She frowned watching the scene. She couldn't feel Hisoka blood lust anymore and it seem that time was running out and it didn't look like everything else was going to happen. She hopped down quietly, heading in the direction her aura sent her. It seemed the main pack had stopped moving so she had better hurry.

She sprinted like the wind feet barley touching the ground towards the second testing site for the exam.

to be continued...

hey all,

feel free to comment and i hope you all enjoying the story so far :)