Hunter x Hime: Chapter 9

Hunting and Hunted

...

The boat eventually arrived at Zevil island, and the examinees got off one by one. They examined the area as they got off, and thought of possible ways to snatch the tag off their targets.

"You will stay here for one week. During that week, you will have to hunt down the person with the number you got. You will need six points to advance to the next round. The tag of the person with the number you drew is worth three points and any other tag is worth one and your own tag is worth three points. I will now call you one by one in the order you completed the Trick Tower and you will enter the forest one after the other with ten minutes in between."

"So basically the people who go in first will have an advantage," Gon pointed out.

"But then again, if you don't get the tag of your opponent you can still pass by getting three others," Himeko thought looking at Gon, "That means that he doesn't have to risk facing Hisoka again. I'm sure he is smart enough to figure it out himself, but maybe I should remind him just in case..."

Her thoughts were cut short once the announcer woman started the timer and told the first examinee to enter the forest. Hisoka entered with an eerie and unsettling expression on his face. The fact that he was up first and had a clear advantage over everyone else was worrying, especially since he can go around and kill as many examinees as he wanted for a whole week now. Alone in a forest full of monsters, what an unsettling thought. One by one, the examinees were called up and sent into the forest. Soon, Gon's team was left at the starting point as they were the last ones to complete the Trick Tower. After Killua, Gon and Kurapika have gone in, it was finally Himeko's turn. After wishing Leorio good luck, she confidently entered the forest and casually walked down the path, knowing that there could be traps all around the forest, so she had to be careful.

"So I have a week to stalk eighteen people and find out who my target is," she began constructing a plan in her head, "For someone like me it would take four days to find my way around this forest which leaves three days to actually find my target and take the tag off them." Himeko sighed and kept walking. She wished she had a map with her although that wouldn't help her much. For now, it was smarter to look around for food and water and stock up before moving deeper into the forest. Besides, the other examinees would definitely be further inside the forest by now, so it was safer lurking around the outskirts.

After a couple of hours of aimlessly wandering around, she has finally found a couple of trees with edible fruits and river with clean water. She knew not all of the fruits were safe to eat, and unfortunately she wasn't Gon to be able to distinguish the good ones from the bad ones. However, she did recognise some of the fruits and berries from books she read back inside the room in Trick Tower. She left the ones she knew were definitely good and ignored the others, not knowing whether those could kill her. After filling up her water bottle, she settled down to eat.

During the time searching for food, she came across two examinees. She didn't want to waste time and energy facing them and fighting, so instead she just snuck around them and tried to get a glimpse of their tags. Unfortunately, her genius plan of sneaking around wasted more time than saving it. However, she did figure out that those two examinees were not her targets. That meant that there were sixteen suspects left now, and one of them must be her target. So far, everything was going smoothly for her. Everyone apart from Gon was pretty much in the same situation as Himeko. They were aimlessly wandering around the forest to find their targets. Gon on the other hand was trying to find a way to snatch Hisoka's tag off him, which left him as clueless as the others. He knew that Hisoka wasn't an easy target, and he had to find a way to trick him without getting his attention.

Three days past and Himeko narrowed down her list to four people. During these days she had also encountered the person with her number whom she managed to beat up before continuing. Although she managed to trick him, and tie him to a tree leaving a bottle of water and some fruits for him to survive on, she couldn't be sure that he hasn't found a way to escape. When she suddenly heard voices coming towards her, she stopped walking and climbed a tree high enough so she couldn't be seen. This was something she did throughout the three days; you could say her tree climbing skills have improved quite a lot. She didn't want to waste time picking pointless fights, so she ended up going undercover for the past couple of days.

Once she found a good spot to keep an eye on the nearing candidates, she quietly sat there waiting for them to appear. Luckily, it was someone she hadn't encountered before, so in a way she was quite happy. This time, it turned out to be the Amori brothers; or the stupid trio as Himeko liked to call them. She watched them talk amongst each other and hiding as someone else approached the trio. It was another examinee, but she couldn't make out who it was yet.

"It must be one of their targets," she thought, trying to get a glimpse of who it was, "This is the perfect opportunity to check out their tags while they aren't moving." Her eyes travelled from one Amori brother to the other as she checked their tags, but unfortunately none of them were her targets and that narrowed down her list to just one person who was left on it. She still had four days left to find him, so she decided to wait and see how the brothers were going to take down their target. "This could be interesting. Those three don't look like much individually which is why they heavily rely on teamwork," she thought, "I wonder who their target is." The brothers all hid well, while Himeko was anticipated to see who their target was, but she was disappointed disappointed when he came into view. Unfortunately for them, one of their target turned out to be Killua. "I feel kinda sorry for them. Maybe I should warn them before they provoke him."

But it was too late as one of them jumped into action, and managed to land a direct hit, sending Killua flying back. Himeko squinted her eyes to clearly see what was happening, and she spotted Killua getting back on his feet with little, to no effort. The other two brothers were rushing in to help out, but Killua managed to hold one of them hostage, "One more step and I'll cut his head off," he warned, and seeing this, the two stopped moving. Killua looked at his tag. It was #198, it wasn't his target. If Himeko remembered correctly, Killua's target was number #199. "If this guy is #198, one of you two might have #199. Go on, give me your tags. If not…" he gave them a sadistic smile before his claws lightly pierced his hostage's skin, warning them that he wasn't messing with them. The pair gulped, seeing blood drip down their brother's neck and hesitated no longer before throwing their tags to Killua. He released the hostage to pick up the two tags lying on the floor in front of him.

"What did you say your number was again?" He asked out loud, knowing that Himeko was up somewhere watching them. She was quite high up in the trees, but Killua still managed to sense her presence and eventually spotted just a slight movement coming from there, confirming his suspicion. The three brothers looked at him in confusion as they haven't noticed Himeko yet, "Stop hiding up there like a stalker, you are really bad at hiding yourself."

"He actually knew I was here all this time..." Himeko thought to herself, looking at Killua casually putting his own tags away now that he had found it. She thought she did a good job, but clearly Killua just proved her wrong. Eventually, she decided to climb down from the tree, "Yo!" She greeted the brothers with a smile, and the trio looked very surprised to see her popping out of no where, "None of them were my targets unfortunately."

"So you don't mind me throwing them away?" He asked her, giving the brother's a mischievous smile.

Hearing this, the three brothers just hoped he was joking. But seeing how he started to stare at the two unwanted tags, they knew he wasn't, "Ehh?!" they yelled in disbelief.

"Not at all," Himeko shrugged, returning that same mischievous smile, "Throw them as far as you want, actually, I dare you to throw them as far as you can!"

Seeing how one of these children was crazier than the other, the brothers' eyes travelled back and forth from Himeko to Killua, noticing that the pair were on the same page about this. They shouldn't have picked a fight with kids in the first place; at the end of the day they were still kids and loved to pull pranks. Killua just shrugged too before he threw the two tags in opposite directions.

"You have four days left. You can try and find those two tags if you still want to, but I sensed someone else who is after them, so maybe you should hurry up," he kindly informed them, leaving the three Amori brothers looking around the forest again, hoping to spot whoever he was talking about.

"Someone else?" Himeko asked herself, looking up at the trees. Just then, she saw a quick flash move by, but she couldn't make out who or what it was, "Was someone else watching?" She was surprised, whoever that was must have been there before she even made it there and she didn't sense or hear a thing. If she turned out to be his target, she would have just lost her own tag. The Amori brothers ran off after hearing the news of someone being after their tags, while Himeko and Killua remained behind watching them run off like three buffalos.

Now that they were out of sight, Killua started to wonder how far Himeko had gotten with this challenge. It clearly looked like she hasn't acquired her target's tag yet, but nonetheless, Killua decided to ask. "Have you found your target yet?"

"No, I found everyone else but my target," she answered, "but at least I know who my target is now. There is one place I haven't searched yet, which is the mountains, so I guess I'll check there next."

"Need help?" He offered, knowing that she would more or less reject his offer. She still seemed to be cautious of him, but he couldn't help but feel bored not having anything to do for the next three days, "I'm pretty much done now," he let her know.

"No, I'll be fine," just as he predicted, she rejected his offer immediately. "Go back and chill or help Gon and the others. I don't need your help!" She knew her choice of words made her sound rude and ungrateful, but she knew that Killua wasn't exactly trying to help her in the first place. Sure, he provided her with crucial information about her clan the other night, but in a way he did it for his own amusement and he didn't even do it for free. He told her to stay awake in return and hold a conversation with him so he doesn't get bored. In a way, she thought it was the same case this time around. Killua was friends with Gon, but she didn't know what he thought of Kurapika and Leorio. She knew in fact that he didn't view her as a friend, but more of an acquaintance after she bluntly told him that she didn't trust him at all. She concluded that his sudden acts of kindness were actually to keep himself occupied with something while Gon wasn't around. Whether it was following her in silence, watching her fight or just arguing with her, he would still be preoccupied with something.

Without further ado, Himeko set off to get find her target and acquire his tag. It was only day three, so she had a couple more days to go and at least she knew who her target was now. "Um.. the mountains are the other way," Killua pointed out, seeing her walk off in the wrong direction. Himeko stopped walking and rushed in the opposite way.

"I knew that!" she laughed embarrassedly, before proceeding to walk towards the mountains, "I was just testing you!"

"Don't tell me that she has no sense of direction," he thought, seeing how she had no clue on where she was heading, "Whatever, I'll go back to the boat."

Himeko kept going down a path she found, and she made sure she was going in the right direction by climbing trees to check whether the mountains were straight ahead once in a while. As she got closer, she could see the mountains much better. Hours of walking later, she found her target knocked out. She checked whether there was anyone else around, checking whether the coast was clear. She moved closer towards the unconscious examinee to check up on him. Since there was no movement, she went closer and knelt down besides him to check the pulse on his wrist.

"No pulse." He was dead. His body was stiff, suggesting that he had been dead for a long time now. "He was probably killed by someone who wanted to get a closer look at his tag. What a horrible way to die."

She felt a little guilty looking at the dead corpse in front of her, but she had to get his tag in order to pass. Before taking the tag, she made sure to shut his eyes and paid her respects. She spared the corpse another glance before deciding to head back.

After aimlessly wandering around for a couple of days, she only had one day left before the fourth phase was over. She didn't know where she was, all she knew was that she had to walk in the opposite directions of the mountains. She hoped to get back in time, and if not, she could kiss her Hunter license good bye for a year. If she did fail, she could use the year to practice reading maps and being able to get her way around places. But for now, she decided to lie down in a safe place and get a bit of rest before continuing her journey.

...

"Himeko-sama? Himeko-sama, it is your turn to be 'it'!" The voice belonged to a young girl who was clearly younger than her but had very similar features. You could tell that they were related.

"Sakura, you should ask Himeko-sama if she wants to be 'it' first!" It was a slightly older boy who had the same black hair and blue eyes, "If she doesn't want to, then I will take her turn for her."

"Seriously you two, stop calling me Himeko-sama," Himeko ended up interrupting their conversation, "It's Himeko! Plain, old Himeko is fine!"

"Mother will scold us if we don't address you properly," another one said. "Although your older brother Hakuryuu-sama will become the heir, we have to address you with the same amount of respect."

"Cut it out you all!" she continued to try and convince her cousins, "I'm your cousin, so Himeko is fine. If your mothers scolds you, just tell them I told you to call me that."

"Himeko-sama, if you want I don't mind taking your turn to be it," another one of her cousins offered. By now, every single one of her cousins had offered to take her turn if she'd rather hide than seek, but she found that unfair on them.

"No, I'll be it. It's only fair that way. Besides, it's Himeko!" She repeated. The five year old Himeko was playing 'kick the can' with her cousins. It was a game she had read about in a book where the characters were all playing the same game. She told her cousins about it and they ordered one of the servants to bring them an empty can to play with. "I'll start counting so you all hide!"

Himeko placed the can down and closed her eyes before she started counting. As soon as she started counting, her cousins all ran around the yard trying to find a place to hide. Most of them hid in places so it was easy for Himeko to find them. It was something they all did when Himeko had to find them, although she never really liked it. When it was her turn to hide, they made sure to look for her last and when it was her turn to find everyone, they made sure to hide somewhere where she could easily find them. It was as if she was spoon fed while playing a simple game that was supposed to be fun.

After she finished counting, she opened her eyes and began wandering around their yard to find her cousins. But when she walked past the hallway, she heard voices approaching them.

"Your lecturer will be here in ten minutes. After the two hour class, we will bring you your lunch. You will have half an hour to eat before the next lecturer arrives. Afterwards, your archery teacher has rescheduled tomorrow's class for today. Your martial arts teacher will also be visiting you this evening to have a three hour training session with you in the dojo." the servant stopped talking as soon as he saw Himeko. "Good day, Himeko ojou-sama!"

"Good day," Himeko bowed back before her gaze was averted to her brother. At this point, he was thirteen; the oldest out of all the children in the clan. He was also the only one who would never participate in their little games for obvious reasons. Math, science, literature, geography, history, archery, dance, martial arts, swordsmanship, this, that, he was way too preoccupied with all these classes to have any time left to enjoy himself. "Hakuryuu nii-sama, would you like to play 'kick the can' with us?"

Hakuryuu didn't say a word and only spared his little sister a quick glance, knowing that he didn't have enough time to waste talking to her. It was the sad reality, but very true. If he attended this lecture late, he would end up delaying all of his classes and waste the time of all of his teachers.

"Himeko!" A sharp voice echoed through the hallway, footsteps approached them at a fast pace. It was their mother, "Your brother has better things to do than play your silly little games with you. Sebastian, take Hakuryuu to his study room. He shall not be late to his lecture."

"Very well," Sebastian bowed before he obediently left with Hakuryuu to the study room. Himeko and her mother watched them leave and once they've left, her mother turned to her.

"Listen my dear," she started off, "I know it might be tempting to fool around at your age, but you should realise that you are different from your cousins. You are smart enough to understand your position in this clan. I have explained a few times already that you will have to grow up to be just as smart and talented as your brother. You will have to support your brother when he becomes the head of the clan as his wife." In her opinion, Himeko at age five should be mature enough to understand how much responsibilities she would be carrying in the future. At the age where she would start to learn how to properly write and read, she already knew how to write long, well structured essays and somewhat make sense of a couple of journals with the aid of a dictionary.

"But mother, I don't want to marry him. I just want him to play with us."

"Nonsense! He is the heir for our clan, he has no time to be playing games and as for you, you better sort yourself out sooner or later," she snapped at her, "Why do you think we gave birth to you? I married your father when I was just sixteen and we are both first cousins. We simply didn't want any conflict when picking a bride for your brother so we prayed for a girl and luckily, you were born as a girl. The Inoues are nobles that do not wish for their blood to be dirtied with the blood of commoners."

"I love brother as a brother."

"That's fine, no one told you to love him. When marrying, love isn't what we look for, we simply aim for the best to marry the best. You will learn to look past your sibling relationship once you get married." Her mother said her final words before she walked down the corridor until she wasn't to be seen anymore, leaving Himeko behind. Whether her mother actually realised this or not, she made Himeko feel completely useless. She made it sound like there was no significant meaning behind her existence, she was a mere tool to be used for the clan's future, to avoid any further conflict between clan members. She didn't even feel like a human being, but just like an object, a trophy to be given to her older brother once she was old enough. Thinking about it this way, it was sickening. Neither of the siblings had romantic feelings for each other. Himeko looked up to Hakuryuu, seeing him as someone she should aim to be like. Hakuryuu viewed her as the younger sister he had to protect for the rest of his life.

...

"Oi!" Himeko felt someone lightly poking her arm with what appeared to be a stick, "Wake up, you won't be able to pass this phase if you sleep through it!"

Himeko slowly woke up to see Killua next to her. She looked around and suddenly remembered that she was still taking the Hunter exam. It was just a dream, but she had noticed that lately she has been having a lot of dreams about her clan; especially after Killua had told her about the possibility of her brother being alive.

"Thank god, Killua you are here. I got lost for two days!" She immediately bursted out in joy, "I thought I wouldn't be able to get back and fail the exam!"

"What are you talking about? The meeting spot is just around the corner."

A/n : One more chapter and then it's the Zoldyck arc. I can't wait to write and publish the arc after that since I brainstormed a lot of ideas.

Also, let me explain the marriage thing in the Inoue clan since it sounds pretty messed up (although it's meant to sound messed up). The members in the clan marry within the clan so no one changes their pure noble blood they carry. Also, I should have mentioned this in the story but I didn't get a good point to put this in. Himeko's mother and father are first cousins and the mother was only able to marry the father since he did not have any sisters. It caused conflict between some members with potential brides since they all wanted their daughters to marry the heir. To avoid this, Himeko's parents hoped for a daughter and thus luckily for them, Himeko was born. And no, Hakuryuu won't be a love interest before anyone assumes that!

Anyways, thank you for all the positive feedback. Thank you to all the people who've subscribed and followed and reviewed but also to everyone who has simply taken the time to read.

P.s - yes, their servant/butler is called Sebastian. Black Butler anyone? Although, the butler in this isn't one hell of a butler...