A/N: I can't move my face and it's all your faults! I can't stop smiling :D because of your reviews! XP. The idea of 'Hisoka teaching Kumi how to fight' couldn't be missed in your reviews. BTW. Ryuu is a he ^^,. Thanks and sorry for everything. Please also read rubyparker93's "Death: My New Beginning" and "Adventure of a Lifetime" :] I liked them.
~recap~
The Second Exam is about to begin. We're all waiting for the huge doors to open. There was a loud noise coming from inside. I know that everyone's wondering what it might be.
"It's almost time." Gon said.
"Are you all getting nervous?" Kurapika asked.
"Yeah, we don't know what kinda guy is gonna come out." Leorio answered. "We could suddenly be attacked, too."
"You sure like fighting, don't you, Leorio?" I asked him. We waited for the clock to strike twelve. 10 seconds left… 6… 3… 2… 1… And the door opened.
~end recap~
My stomach growled as the doors opened. I rubbed my belly. I'm getting hungry. We finally saw what's inside the warehouse. There was a woman sitting on an orange couch. She had pink hair and nice curves ^.~ (you know what I mean). And there was a guy sitting behind the couch. He wasn't big at all… he's GINORMOUS! with an exclamation point. And he had curves, too, but in a different way ;].
"Thanks for waiting." The woman said and looked up to the GINORMOUS! guy. "Hey, have you gotten hungry yet, Buhara?"
Then, a growling sound was heard. "The noise says it all. I'm really hungry, Menchi." Buhara said.
"So.. We, Epicure Hunters, will be in charge of the Second Exam." Menchi announced.
"Epicure Hunter?" Leorio repeated.
"What's that?"
"An Epicure Hunter is a Hunter that scours the world for all sorts of ingredients." Kurapika explained. "They also try to create interesting new flavours. Of course, the Hunters themselves are first class chefs, too."
"Hmm…" The bald ninja rubbed his chin. "That means the topic is gonna be…"
"Yes. The topic for the Second Exam is cooking." Menchi finished.
"Cooking?" Almost every examinee repeated.
"I thought it was gonna be eating." I mumbled.
"Geez. Why do we have to cook after coming all the way here?" Todo complained.
"You there, if you have a problem, go home." Menchi pointed at him. "If anyone else has a problem with this, you can go home now." Looks like someone haven't eaten their lunch yet... Who's that? It's me, Buhara, and Menchi! There was a moment of silence after that. "Looks like no one has a problem."
"So, what kind of dish do we have to prepare?" Ninja guy asked.
"First, you'll prepare the dish I specify." Buhara replied.
"Anyone who passes that can prepare the dish that I specify." Menchi continued. "That means, if both of us say it's good, you pass the Second Exam."
"That's not fair!" Todo complained again. "What tastes good varies between people."
"Even if it tastes good to us, we're finished if it doesn't satisfy you examiners." Amori brother (197) said. Other examinees started complaining, too.
Menchi stood up and clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Ok, ok, calm down." She put her hands on her hips. "Listen up. Like I said before, anyone who doesn't want to take the exam may leave. Bye bye."
"Bullsh*t!" Leorio shouted. "We can't go home after coming all the way here." Other people agreed to Leorio and started to complain again.
"It's because you started complaining that this became so complicated." An examinee grabbed Todo's shirt.
"You guys are annoying." The ninja shouted. "Seriously, the people who're complaining should go home!"
"Excuse me, but could you continue your explanation?" Gon asked Menchi.
"So you pass if you can make us both say it's good." Menchi said. "The exam ends when both of us are full."
"Damn it. I've never cooked in my life." Leorio said.
"We have." Gon said.
"It's hard to imagine it from your looks." Leorio said. "What can you make?"
"There's a lot, but the dish we're good at is… raw egg over rice." I replied.
"E-egg over rice?" Leorio stuttered. O.e I crossed my arms and nodded :].
"W… well, that is a dish." Kurapika stuttered, too.
Leorio laughed. "But still, it's gonna taste the same regardless of who makes it."
"That's not true. Mito-san complimented me before." Gon disagreed.
"Ahh, fine. Let me try it someday." Leorio said.
"Me, too." Kurapika added.
"Ok then." Buhara announced. "My menu is… barbecued pig." He drooled as pointed his index finger upward.
"Barbecued pig?" Bald-ninja guy repeated.
"My favorite. The world's most violent pig that lives in this forest, Great Stamp!"
"Great Stamp?" Everyone repeated. A second later, the ground shook. Pigs started to run to us sending many examinees flying into the air. We ran for our lives. Each examinee was chased by a pig the size of a couch.
"Leorio!" I heard Gon shout. "Hit its head! The head is the weak point!" Thanks for telling Leorio first, Gon! I ran towards my pig and jumped on its back. I quickly pulled out my sai and used the handle to hit the pig's head really hard. I jumped off of it and hid my sai back to my arm warmers.
"Ryuu! Cooking time!" I shouted. Ryuu appeared over the pig and jumped onto my shoulder.
///Later///
Buhara burped after eating the last pig. He patted his stomach and licked his lips. "I'm full, I'm full. I can't eat anymore."
Menchi hit the gong. "The end!" She announced. "Seventy barbecued pigs completed."
"He-he's a monster." Ninja guy said.
"Hunters are really amazing people." Gon said.
I put my hands around Gon's ear. "But you don't wanna look like that, do you?" I whispered.
"Well, they're amazing in a way." Killua said.
"This is weird." Kurapika said. "It's odd. It's clear that the amount he ate is greater than his body weight."
"Umm, I don't think you have to worry that much." Leorio advised.
"You…" Menchi called Buhara. "You're gonna say that all the pigs you ate are good? That won't make it a test then!"
"Come on, we were able to decrease the numbers." Buhara replied. "It's not a test to judge the taste."
"You're too easy on them." Menchi said. "One who is an Epicure Hunter must be honest about taste. Oh well, it can't be helped." She hit the gong again. "Barbecued pig test, seventy people pass!" She announced.
"I'm not as easy as Buhara. My judgements are gonna be strict!" She put her hand to her hips as she walked. "My menu is… Sushi!"
Sushi? What's that? [raijuuxo6: I can't believe you, Kumi! That's my favorite Japanese food! You should know about it!] Everyone's repeating the word Sushi and wondering what it is.
Menchi smirked, "Looks like you're all troubled. Well, it's no wonder you don't know. It's a cultural dish from a small island country. I'll give you a hint!" She shouted. "Look inside here." Everyone ran inside. "You're gonna cook here. The minimum requirements of tools and ingredients are here." She explained. "And we even provide the rice needed for the sushi. And the biggest hint…" she pointed her finger upward. "I'll only accept pressed sushi. Now it's time to start. The exam ends when I'm full. During that time, you can make as much as you want." She shouted.
"I wonder if we just make it with the rice." Gon asked.
Killua looked at the knives. He threw it up and caught it. "When I look at these tools, they can be used for something else."
Leorio stared at the rice as he rubbed his chin. "Pressed, eh? I have a general idea of a shape, but I've no idea on the most important aspect—the ingredients."
"Pressed sushi." Kuapika said. "I don't know the exact shape, but I remember reading it in a document. It said, 'It's a dish with rice mixed with vinegar and seasonings, topped with fresh fish meat'."
"Fish?" Leorio shouted. "We're in a forest!"
Kurapika threw a spoon(?) at Leorio's forehead. "Your voice id too loud! There's fish in ponds or rivers!" Kurapika shouted. There was a moment of silence and after that, every examinee rushed out the door and headed to fish.
"FISH!" All of us raced to the river.
"You must be glad, Gon." Killua said. "Fishing is your specialty." Gon nodded. Each and every one of us had different styles of fishing.
I took out my shoes and arm warmers. Just like Leorio and Hisoka-sama did, I will dive into the river. I floated over the water. "Ryuu! Can you swim too?" I shouted to him. He dove into the water and followed me.
///Fishing Time is Over///
After swimming into the water, I decided not to change my clothes because even if my chest isn't inflated yet, I am still a… g—girl.
"I'm confident about this. Adding fresh fish to the rice, then pressing it creates this." Leorio added something. He went to Menchi and said, "I'm done. I'm the first to finish. It's called the 'Leorio Special'. Now, please eat it." Leorio put the plate on to Menchi's table.
"Let me see…" she took off the cover and saw a fish with rice around it. A second later, she threw the dish away. "I can't eat this!"
"Hey! You didn't have to throw it away damn it!" Leorio complained.
"What?" She pointed her finger upward. "You wanna fail? Hurry up and go back." She shooed Leorio away. Leorio's face fell down and he slouched as he walked away. "Listen. The shape is important." She announced. "Any thing not shaped as pressed sushi won't even be sampled."
Gon was done making his sushi and headed to Menchi. "You're at the same level as number 403!" Menchi threw Gon's creation away. Gon's face fell down as he came back to us.
I patted his shoulder. "Don't believe her, Gon. You're not the same level as Leorio. If you are, then that means I am, too… you know why? Because we're twins. Now, please excuse me… I have to kill myself." I said and then left the warehouse with Ryuu. I sat on a tree, watching the people's food get rejected. I saw Satotsu hiding by the door. Two human-faced monkeys were behind him. Oh, Killua's turn now. Menchi threw it away. I guess no one would pass this year's exam. I saw Hisoka walk out carrying his food. Ryuu and I followed him to the river.
"What are you doing here?" He asked me. How did he know I was here? I stopped hiding behind one of the trees.
"W-well, I… I saw you walk out from the warehouse a-and I wondered what's wrong." I stuttered.
He looked at me but I didn't feel any danger from him that time. "I know that's not the real reason."
"Well, I was wondering if you could… uh… t- t- teach me… how to… f-fight." I stuttered.
///Back in the Warehouse///Kurapika's POV
"Come on, I haven't even tasted one yet." Menchi shouted. "Are you starving me to death?"
I rubbed my chin. I have no idea about the shape. So, from the data available here, I have to go about this logically. 'You can make as many as you want. The shape is important.' From her statement and from the name pressed sushi, I can guess that it's a typical shape like a croquet or hamburger steak. And the item she has, and the plate with the seasoning in it… if she holds the sushi that dips it in the liquid,the size is similar to an egg, maybe smaller. And if I add fresh fish meat to it… "I got it!" I made it super fast and put it onto Menchi's table.
She took the plate and threw it. "You're the same level as the first guy!" I-I'm the s-same level as L-Leorio? It- it can't be! My life's ruined! I know now what Gon felt earlier.
"Is that such a shock?" Leorio asked as he pointed at me.
"Damnt it, all of you! Observation skills… attentiveness… You have no sense at all! I hate this!" Menchi made a ruckus.
"Looks like it's my turn." The bald ninja said. He took off the cover of his food. "How's this? This is the real sushi!"
"Finally, something that looks normal came out. Let's see." Menchi ate the sushi. "Nope. It's not good." She gave the plate back to the ninja. "Redo it."
"w-what? To make pressed sushi you press rice into a rectangular shape and make it into a mouthful size. On that, you put wasabi and sliced fish meat. It's an easy dish!" He shouted. "There's no difference in taste regardless of whoever makes this crap!" He stopped and looked at everyone.
"Easy? This crap?" Menchi's face was full of anime veins. "No difference in taste?" She grabbed the ninja's shirt. "Don't fool around with me! It's said that you need 10 years to prepare pressed sushi properly!" She looked scary now. "Even if you amateurs can make the shape look similar, the taste is very different. IDIOT!"
"Then don't make it the topic for the test!" The ninja replied.
"Shut up!" She started to push and pull him. "Got a problem? Huh? Wanna die?"
"Menchi kinda reminds me of Kumi." Leorio said. "Speaking of her… Where is she?"
"Kumi?" Killua repeated. "Who's that?"
"Oh, nothing. Nothing!" I laughed nervously. "It's just Leorio's imaginary friend. Right, Leorio?" I eyed Leorio and punched his arm lightly.
"Oh, yeah. Sometimes I forget she's not real." Leorio scratched the back of his head.
"Can I borrow Leorio for a moment?" I said and pulled him away from Killua. "What are you doing?" I whispered to Leorio. "We're gonna be dead if we told somebody. Now come on. We have to make sushi!"
"Next challenger, come up." Menchi shouted. Everyone ran to her. She tasted Gon first but he failed. The next is the gray-haired boy from earlier and then, the pincushion man, then, Tonpa. They all failed… we all failed.
///Later///
"Sorry, I'm full now." Menchi scratched the back of her head.
"So what does this mean?" The ninja asked.
"So, just as I said earlier, no one passes. Come again." She waved her hands goodbye. She stopped and looked at everyone.
"That's not fair." …
A/N: Thanks for reading! :] Do I still need to remind you to review? Hehe. I hope you like it.
