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

"Grayscale" Chapter Eleven

Fan-Fiction For: Hunter x Hunter / Killua Zaoldyeck

Begin.

After three days of traveling, the Hunter Hopefuls arrived at the site of the next phase. The blimp they'd been riding in landed on the top of a committee run hotel, and Netero led the ten of them to a large empty meeting hall.

"Alright," the Chairman called, standing in front of all the applicants, "the final exam will consist of a one-on-one contest arranged in a tournament style competition."

To the side of him, he revealed a large board which had the match-ups painted on it. Karasu furrowed her brows. Her first match would be number 53, and if she won that she'd fight either Gon or number 294. She scratched the back of her neck and sighed.

"Now, while this may appear daunting, you only need one win to pass."

"So the losers move on, and it's the winners that drop off?" Kurapika questioned, eyeing the board.

"That's correct!" Netero exclaimed. "So the final round will leave one winner and one loser."

"So, what you're saying is there will only be one loser?" number 294 questioned.

"Yes, which also means all of you have more two chances at winning. Are there any other questions?"

"Why are the match-ups so off-balance?" The question came from number 191.

"The matches reflect your exam record. Basically, the one with the best record has the most chances to win."

Killua scowled. "I'm not convinced. What else is involved?"

"Not telling."

Karasu burst out laughing at that, and Netero waited for her to quiet down before continuing.

"You're ultimately judged on three things: physical ability, mental ability, and overall impression. Because all of you have reached the finals, the first two categories have little to improve on. What we're looking at now is impression, and that is what can't be explained by criteria. We judge the potential of all of you as hunters, and the match-ups reflect that."

From the corner of her eye, Karasu could see Killua clench his fists and jaw.

"Now," Netero began again," there are a few rules. You may use any weapon you desire, and you win when your opponent admits defeat. On the other hand, if you happen to kill your opponent, you will be immediately disqualified. That will end the exam, everyone will pass, and you will fail. Let the final exam begin!"

A man dressed in a suit and sunglasses approached from the side, holding his hands out. "The first match will be between Hanzo and Gon. I am Masta; I will be referee and witness."

"So we meet at last," Hanzo greeted. "Did you enjoy watching my fourth phase?"

"You knew, then."

"Of course. Examiners followed all the applicants during the fourth phase. You weren't hard the miss; I bet others noticed as well."

Gon and Leorio shared similar expressions of surprise. Karasu dropped her head in shame.

"You didn't notice?" Killua asked, eyeing her as Hanzo continued to talk to Masta.

"I was too caught up in Kohaishin to notice anyone. I probably could've been approached by Hisoka and I wouldn't have known it."

The two turned their attention back to the competitors as the match began.

Gon dashed from side to side in an attempt to confuse Hanzo, but the man kept up easily and landed a hard blow to the back of Gon's neck. Killua huffed and rolled his eyes as Karasu gave a low whistle. Hanzo sat Gon up, speaking to him before smacking him upside the head. Gon threw up, coughing loudly as Karasu wrinkled her nose.

"Say you're beaten."

Gon shook his head, "Never."

"Gon, he's not fooling around! Just give up and try again next round!" Leorio shouted.

"Leorio, if it were you, would you give up?" Kurapika countered, frowning.

"Of course not!" he snarled. "But it's not me, it's Gon!"

Karasu leaned over to Killua as the two continued to argue. "I wanna point out that no one here is going to be fooling around."

"Agreed," Killua hummed. He held his hand out to her. "If you lose and we end up in a match together, you're still not gonna fool around, right?"

She took his hand and shook it. "Just as long as you're not gonna be fooling around either."

They lapsed into a three hour silence as Gon continued to be beaten to a pulp. Leorio lunged, "Y'need someone to pick on? Try me on for size, ya slime ball!"

Masta blocked his way. "Any interfering from an outside party will not be tolerated. If you insist on intervening, Gon will be disqualified."

"It's okay, Leorio," Gon huffed, standing up. "I'm a little bruised, but I'm still going strong."

Hanzo sent him a glare and smacked him to the ground. He pushed the smaller boy onto his stomach and sat on his back, jerking his left arm back.

"I'll break your arm. I mean it, just give up."

Gon gritted his teeth. "No!"

A loud snap echoed through the silence. Karasu leaned toward Killua again. "That was a pretty clean break. Gon lives through this and his arm'll be better off."

"You think he'd really kill Gon?" Killua asked in return, raising a brow.

Karasu shook her head. "I'd believe he's killed people before, but I don't think he'd put his Hunters License at stake. Besides, if he did kill Gon, I'm sure Leorio and Kurapika would take care of him." She gestured to where the two were talking, looking livid.

"I am a Shinobi, in order to master the skills of ninjutsu I've been training since birth. I have not once broken training in the eighteen years since. I've killed by the time I was your age." As Hanzo spoke, he went into a one armed handstand, slowly decreasing the number of fingers he was using to hold himself up.

Killua snorted. "Took him that long?"

Karasu gave a sad smile. "Lucky guy."

"There is no way you can take me in a fight. Admit defeat."

Gon stood, his left arm limp, and nailed a hard kick to Hanzo's face. He hissed in pain, falling back down. "You talk too muh-much."

"That's right, Gon! Put the hurt on - murder 'im!"

Kurapika gave Leorio an irritated look. "Why, so he can be disqualified?"

A moment later, Hanzo revealed a blade and offered a deal to Gon. "Fine. If a break won't do it, I'll amputate. Give up, or you'll lose a leg, got it?"

"I don't want to lose my leg, but I don't want to lose either," Gon told him, frowning. "We'll have to find another way."

Karasu chuckled into her hand, a small smile worming its way onto her face. "He's gonna win this one."

"There's plenty Hanzo can do to make him forfeit," Killua remarked.

"Yeah," she agreed, "but he won't do it. This match is Gon's."

And, just as Karasu had predicted, Hanzo admitted defeat only moments later. She gave Killua a grin, and he scowled at her before looking to the Shinobi.

"Why did you decide to lose?"

"Decide to…?"

"Killua, I don't think it would be that simple," Karasu mumbled.

Killua pointedly ignored her. "There's tons of things you could've done to make him give in without killing him."

"Maybe," Hanzo agreed. "When I torture someone, I know that he'll end up despising me. But, I didn't see any of that in Gon's eyes, like it didn't matter to him. Really, I kinda like that kid now."

Killua grunted as Kurapika and Hisoka approached the circle. They fought for a moment before Hisoka whispered something to the blonde, after which he conceded defeat. Up next were Hanzo and Pockle, which quickly ended with Hanzo emerging victorious. Following them was Hisoka and Bodoro, and while Hisoka once more whispered something to his challenger, he was victorious.

It was then Karasu's turn.