Disclaimer: The characters and events in Hunter x Hunter belong to Yoshihiro Togashi.

"Grayscale" Chapter Four

Fan-fiction for: Hunter x Hunter / Killua Zaoldyeck

Begin.

"You're shaking," Killua whispered, watching Karasu closely as her body quivered. She ignored him and stared up at the large clock above the warehouse door as the second hand ticked, ticked, ticked.

There was no alarm or loud noises when the clock struck Twelve, but the doors did creak open. As all the Hunter Hopefuls made their way inside, practically mauling anyone who got in their way, Karasu hung back and waited until she would be in the very back of the room, closest to the door. She wanted to have the comfort of a quick escape.

Before everyone, there was a large man. His stomach swelled in front of him, and Karasu smiled as she heard more growls fill the air. She'd been right; the loud rumbles that had filled the silence outside had been made from a human stomach. Carefully, she inched toward the door.

A young female voice made its way to Karasu's ears. "You hungry, Buhara?"

"Famished," the large male replied.

"Good," the girl said. Her voice rose in volume. "We are Menchi, and Buhara. We will be the examiners of the Second Phase of the Hunter Exam. Your goal is to make something for Buhara to eat, and if he is pleased with your work, you will make something for me to eat."

A ripple went through the crowd. Karasu crept backwards, listening intently for the command to go.

"What do you want, Buhara?" Menchi questioned.

The man's eyes seemed to sparkle as he lifted his hand into the air, his index finger pointing up. "I want whole roast pig. Any pig on this island will do. Go!"

Karasu burst out of the doors before anyone had the chance to turn around, and she was far into the outer lying forest before she heard anyone's footsteps on the packed dirt. Her sense of hearing was advanced, and she tilted her head slightly when she heard snuffling and grunting.

She screeched to a stop before turning and heading off in the direction of the odd, piggish sounds. And that's where she found the herd of Great Stamps. Their noses had adapted into curving bone to protect their incredibly sensitive foreheads. Karasu smirked to herself.

Like a predatory wild cat, she lowered her body and stalked around the perimeter of the clearing. Her eyes swept over the large round bodies until she found the perfect pig.

It was fairly large, with cold glaring eyes. Its soft brown body was covered in battle scars. Karasu couldn't help but notice how the other Great Stamps kept their distance from it. It was vicious.

Without a sound, she lunged, her hands rigid and claw-like. Her fingers sunk into the ample flesh of the pig, and it released a pained cry before whirling around and bucking in an attempt to get the offender off its back. Smirking, Karasu kicked herself forward, landing in the curve between the Great Stamp's forehead and shield of a nose. She held onto its nose with her right hand, and with her left she cocked her arm back, and placed a hard punch in between its eyes.

The Great Stamp staggered, and then toppled over. Karasu leaned into its stomach, hearing no heartbeat and feeling no pulse. It was dead.

The other Great Stamps in the clearing didn't even turn to look at the spectacle that had taken place, and Karasu dragged her prize away. She pulled her knife from her boot, and proceeded to gut the animal. While the inside dried out, she built a fire, speared the Great Stamp, and held it over the flame. Rotating it for a consistent cooking, her ears picked up the sound of running.

Her nose wrinkling in annoyance, she stomped the flame out and ducked back to where the Examiners were. With ease, she drifted through the forest, avoiding people and making it to the warehouse, presenting the roasted Great Stamp to Buhara.

As the large man gave an excited squeal and then proceeded to devour the large pig, Menchi let out a low whistle. "How'd you finish off this pig so fast, Thirteen?"

Karasu shrugged absently. "Great Stamps aren't too bright."

"But they're vicious. They don't hesitate to attack," Menchi continued, eyeing the girl down.

"Yeah but... I'm a far more lethal... far more dangerous predator than the Great Stamp." She smiled ruefully, and brushed her bangs away from her face.

Menchi smiled coldly. "I see..."

"It's delicious!" Buhara thundered, and the two girls looked up at him. "You pass!"

"Woot," Karasu cheered her voice monotonous.

At this time, the rest of the Hunter pool came pounding through the door, crowding around the examiners.

In the end, after Buhara ate way more than he should've been able to (Kurapika explained that, based on body mass, such a feat was practically impossible. Leorio told him not to hurt himself by thinking too hard) 71 examinees passed.

A loud hollow crash echoed through the room, and the 71 Hunter Hopefuls turned to stare blankly at Menchi, who'd just struck a small gong in the corner of the room. She smirked at the examinees, and then gestured for them to follow her. Karasu was wary immediately, and slowed visibly so that she was at the end of the great mass of people.

They were led to a large shiny building, which when opened revealed many cooking stations. Frowning, Karasu tilted her head ever so slightly.

"Alrighty," Menchi called, settling onto a couch with a table in front of it. "I want you to make me sushi. Use the stations in front of you to the best of your ability - you have until I've eaten enough to be full."

Karasu approached a station slowly, running a hand over the sleek steel surface and raising an eyebrow. She turned her attention to the examiner, who was sitting expectantly with chopsticks in her hand poised over two small dishes of something.

"You have any idea what we're doing?" Leorio questioned, looking down at his station.

Karasu sighed and shook her head, looking between Kurapika, Killua, and Gon.

"I think I've read about this dish," Kurapika said quietly, "its rice mixed with vinegar and… raw fish."

"Fish! In a forest?" Leorio exclaimed, eyes widening.

Around the five applicants, every other person had heard the exclamation and was heading for the door.

Karasu's eyes narrowed at him. "Good going, you loudmouthed idiot."

And to the surprise of the other four, she had practically disappeared into the forest.

"She's fast," Gon muttered, running with the others.

"Yeah," Killua agreed, frowning, "but that's not necessarily a good thing."

Gon looked at him in confusion, but Killua did not elaborate.

Meanwhile, Karasu was glaring into a bit of secluded lake. She'd managed to cut herself away from the group, and was now trying to cool herself down. Anger wasn't going to get her anywhere in this situation. She kicked off her boots, looked over both her shoulders, and then removed the rest of her clothing. With another glance behind her, she dove into the water in search of fish.

On her fist and second attempts, she found nothing. She burst through the surface, gasping loudly and trying to even her breathing. By this time she no longer cared about her surroundings, and dove back down without looking around. This time, she spotted a relatively large fish that was drifting below her, propelling itself forward with powerful lashes of its tail.

Her eyes narrowed, and she knew with an unexpected certainty that this creature wasn't about to come quietly. She sunk lower, getting as close as she thought was safe. The fish's eye swiveled to her, its gills fluttered slightly, and then spines stiffened all over its body. Karasu backed off the slightest bit, and she scowled beneath the water. She wasn't out of breath yet, but she knew it wouldn't take much longer.

Not many creatures would've been able to see the thing forming in her hand, and the fish was no exception. She did not swim any closer, but she flicked her wrist at the fish, and then braced herself.

An explosion echoed through the forest, and many of the Hunter Hopefuls looked around in confusion.

Karasu coughed, sitting on the bank in the nude, with the dead fish beside her. She sneezed several times to expel any leftover water from her nose, and then she smirked at her prize. It was a long fish, but it looked quite different from when she'd gazed at it underwater. Some of its spines were gone, having been blown off, and some of its tail was missing as well. She smirked at it, and then moved to get dressed.

She became frighteningly aware of her surroundings when a low chuckle reached her ears. Her head turned slowly to look behind her, and her naked body tensed visibly.

Hisoka smirked at her, his hands folded behind his back.

For a moment, Karasu had no idea how to react.

"That was an interesting technique you used," the clown hummed, not making any move to approach her.

Her eyes widened and then narrowed, "Don't tell a soul, or you'll be experiencing it firsthand."

He chuckled, smirk turning into a smile. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"What are you even doing here?" she snapped, fists clenching at her sides.

"The explosion piqued my interest. I came to investigate, and imagine my surprise when I see you on the bank, completely undressed," he replied.

If it had been anyone else, she probably would've blushed furiously and tried to make an excuse. As it was Hisoka, though, a chill went down her spine and her skin began to crawl.

He turned to go, and then paused. His tongue darted out past his lips for a moment, and then he stated, "Very interesting scars, by the way. Especially that one on your shoulder blade."

Her entire body went rigid, and she glared after him as he disappeared into the brush. She dressed quickly, tugging her boots on last and then stomping over to her fish. Her body was soaked, and it grew no better when she threw the fish over her shoulder and headed back toward the shiny building to make sushi.

She was one of the last people to begin making sushi, and she ignored the glances she got from Killua, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio. When Hisoka leered at her, though, she sent him a hateful look and flipped him off. He chuckled while the others flinched, watching as she took a large knife and chopped off the head of her fish.

It was apparent that she was working on auto-pilot. When the others tried to strike up conversation with her, she blatantly ignored them in favor of slicing up her fish. When the creature had been reduced to rectangles that were smaller than the palm of her hand, and stripped off all scales, she began to mold rice. They watched her work with something close to admiration.

Her finished work looked far better than theirs had, even after number two-ninety-four blabbed about the correct way to make Nigiri sushi. She stared at it for a moment, her fists clenched on the working station, and then she threw down the knife she'd been using and stalked toward the proctor.

Menchi raised a brow at her, and then picked the food from off the plate and popped it into her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully for a moment as all the other examiners stopped to watch with bated breath. A sigh went through the crowd as she began to shake her head. "No good, Thirteen."

Karasu shrugged, turning back as Menchi reached for her tea mug.

"That's it!" the pink-haired proctor exclaimed, "I'm full."

The entire crowd tensed and the same thought floated through everyone's head.

But… no one's passed…!