Hi, everyone!
Back with the next story in my HxH Next Generation series. I don't think you have to read "Runs in the Family" first to understand what's going on in this one - but a brief summary is that when Aki (daughter of Gon & Killua) was six, she was taken by Illumi to the Zoldyck estate, where they performed a nen baptism on her. Gon and Killua got her back, but ever since that incident, she's wanted to become a hunter so that she can be strong enough to protect herself from anything like that happening again.
Italics represent thoughts. I don't own anything HxH related (except for Aki). Additionally, this story is all plotted out and should be roughly 6-7 chapters. I have a few written and need to go back and edit. It will be completed!
Big kudos to my SO who's read this half a dozen times to help me with the plot and character voices 3
Enjoy!
This is so boring, Aki thinks, not for the first time. She casts a glance over at Dad, sitting next to him, concentrating fully on the fishing pole in his hands and blissfully unaware of the torment Aki was enduring. When will he give it up already?
They've been perched on this tree for hours. First thing that morning, Dad woke her up and dragged her along to fish. Now the sun is beginning to set, and they're still waiting, empty-handed, for the Lord of the Lake. Aki likes to think of herself as a patient person, but even so, this is a little much.
She's no stranger to Dad's stories, or the tales from the other residents on Whale Island. When her dad was twelve, he caught the Lord of the Lake as per Aunt Mito's terms to go take the Hunter exam. And her grandfather also caught the fish when he was twelve before taking his exam. So the expectations of generations are resting on her. Great.
Dad hasn't said she has to catch the fish before her exam, or anything like that. But there's still something in Dad's eyes, some sort of belief, or assumption, that makes Aki feel that she too needs to catch the fish.
She really, really hates fishing.
"Dad," Aki says. "How much longer are we going to sit here?"
"Not much longer," Dad says absently, eyes trained on the water. It ripples, and he leans forward, movements sharp. "Focus, Aki."
Aki looks over at the water. The lure bobs, but soon the ripples slow and smooth back over. She sighs and sits back, scuffing the toes of her boot in the dirt.
"You have to sit still," Dad says, a small tinge of annoyance in his voice. "You don't want to scare it away."
"We've been sitting here all day, Dad," Aki says, revealing a sliver of her own frustration. "If it was around, shouldn't it have bitten by now?"
"I sat out here for a week waiting on it," Dad says. "You have to be patient, wait for the exact moment."
"We've been fishing before. I know that."
Tense silence resumes. Aki looks up at the sky, blinks at the small stars beginning to dot the sky. Or the fish is dead now, considering it's been around for over forty years.
Dad sucks in an irritated breath.
Oops, she didn't mean to say that out loud.
Dad is quiet for a moment more before starting to gather up his things. He doesn't say anything, except to ask Aki to gather up her own rod and bait.
Aki feels kind of guilty. It churns in her stomach, so as she follows Dad down the tree and back on the trail towards home, she turns to him and pastes on her best smile.
"Do you want to come back tomorrow and try again?" She tries to keep her voice as neutral as possible.
Dad turns back to her and smiles, but something like disappointment flashes briefly across his face. "That's okay," he says. "Maybe you're right. The Lord of the Lake has been around for decades now. It could be dead."
Aki turns her attention to the ground in front of her and follows Dad home.
"Check the mail on your way in," Dad says as they approach the house. He takes the poles and bait box from Aki and heads off towards the shed, whistling all the way.
Aki cuts across the yard and gets out the mail. Bills, bills, spam, a letter for Dad and Papa stamped from the Hunter Association, and then her own letter from the Association. Yes, finally!
She tucks her letter into her back pocket and runs up the sidewalk through the front door. Papa is sitting in the living room when she barges in, playing a game.
He tilts his head down over the back of the couch. "Catch anything?"
"Not today." She holds out the letter in front of his nose and waves it. "What's this?"
Papa snags it and sits up, slitting it open with his nail.
Aki bounces over the back of the couch and plops next to him, looking over his shoulder.
Papa makes a humming noise, obviously interested by its contents. "Gon! Get in here."
Dad sticks his head through the doorway. "What?"
"Leorio wants us to help proctor this year's exam."
Dad comes over to look at the letter himself. "Sounds like fun! I didn't think he wanted us to ever lead the exam again, after last time."
Papa smirks at him and holds up the letter, letting Dad take it to skim it himself.
"You can't proctor it this year," Aki says.
"Why not?"
She wants to play it off coolly, but she knows she's smiling too big to do that. She rummages around in her back pocket and pulls out her own letter. "I sent in my application to take the exam this year. I think it'd be a conflict of interest."
Papa tilts his head back to look at Dad. A silent moment of communication passes between them. "Well, alright then." Papa snags back the letter and crumples it up, tossing it to the side.
Dad shrugs and heads back out in the direction of the kitchen.
"Wait, that's all?" Aki wasn't exactly expecting fanfare, but she also wasn't expecting... this.
Papa shrugs. "I mean, I kinda expected this. Ging, Gon, and I all took it at twelve. Do you feel like you're being forced to take it?"
"No, I want to do it." Sure, there's some pressure that her family all took the exam at her age, but this is something she wants to do for herself.
"Then there you go." Papa juts his chin out at the envelope in Aki's lap. "Is that your letter of notice?"
"I haven't even opened it yet," Aki says, wrinkling her nose. She rips it open and pulls out the letter, excitement building in her belly as she reads. "It is! It says we need to meet in Jolla for the exam." She frowns as she gets to the end and flips the paper over. "But it doesn't say where, specifically?"
Papa looks like he's trying to fight a small smile. "The whole point of the exam is to see if you can find the location with minimal information. Though, I think you have to take a boat to Jolla."
"That's it?" She lets out a little huff of air.
"Gon and I've agreed in the past that we're not going to tell you any hints. That defeats the purpose of this being one of the most difficult exams."
"I wasn't expecting for you to help me cheat," Aki says, scowling. "I wanna do it on my own."
"I wouldn't expect anything less." Papa's face softens. "And it's okay if you don't pass this first time. Some people have to take it year after year."
"Thanks for that vote of confidence, Papa."
"I didn't pass it my first time," Papa says. "It was just a reminder."
Aki wrinkles her nose and looks at the notice once more. "First week of January," she says. "I only have a couple more months to prepare!"
Papa snorts. "I'd hope you've been preparing even before now. What've we been training you for for all these years?"
"Don't listen to him, Aki," Dad calls out, still in the other room. "Keep training. Focus on the physical."
"Tomorrow," Aki promises. She puts the notice back in her pocket. She'll start preparing tomorrow.
When the time comes for Aki to take the exam, she wakes up really early and packs her things quietly. The sun hasn't risen yet, and the earliest boat is leaving at dawn. She wants to sneak out without a long, drawn-out goodbye. It's not like this will be the last time she ever sees her parents, after all.
She's got a small backpack with some granola bars and water bottles tucked underneath a change of clothes. As she creeps downstairs, the light in her parents' room is off, and she breathes a sigh of relief.
Her chest is heavy. She's been away from home before - her brief stint with the Zoldycks (which she really doesn't want to think about), various trips and jobs with her parents, etc - but this is the first time for real, of her own choosing, all by herself. She's simultaneously excited and terrified, afraid if she sees them she'll cry, so it's just better to avoid a goodbye.
She pauses in the living room. She made sure she had money for the ship, and any food and lodgings on her way to the exam site, so she should be good to go. Her eyes fall on the small framed picture by the door.
It's from when she was a child, only around six, beaming at the camera with her parents. She remembers having the photo taken. They were heading on Aki's first vacation, a trip to Yorknew City, and Aunt Mito had snapped it for them in order to keep the memory. It feels like it's been a lifetime since then. Her hair's gotten a little more unruly, but it's still just as dark as Dad's is, the little white patches tucked behind her ears. One brown eye and one blue eye stare back up at her, excited for the trip to come.
She's walked past this picture every day for the last six years. There's a lump in her throat, and as quietly as she can manage, she takes the back off and slides out the photo. She puts it in her backpack gently, pressed against her back.
With one last look at the house, she slips out the front door, tightening her shoe laces and tugging on the backpack straps.
"Good luck," someone says suddenly, and she nearly jumps out of her skin. She turns. Papa's smirking at her from one of the rocking chairs on the porch.
"You got this!" Dad says from her other side.
Unnamed emotion swells in her chest. She beams. "Next time you see me, I'll be a hunter!"
Dad's glowing.
"Don't drink any juice strangers give you at the exam loading site," Papa says, standing up to circle around next to Dad.
She rolls her eyes. "Stranger danger, Papa, I got it." She grips onto her backpack straps and looks out to the front yard, towards the sinking moon. "Thank you for everything."
She's not sure if her parents were planning on saying anything else, because she takes off running, too embarrassed by the hot tears welling up in her eyes. When she gets to the road, far enough away where they can't see her face, she turns back.
Papa and Dad are still standing on the front porch steps, watching. Dad is waving wildly at her. Papa stands next to him, arms shoved in his pockets, but still smiling at her.
She waves back, one last time, then takes off. She doesn't look back again.
She's been on boats before. A ton of them, actually - it's the only way off Whale Island. But it's still a little exciting and terrifying to find which ship she's supposed to sail on and check in. By the time she finds it and boards, the sun is just starting to rise.
Not very many passengers are up this early, but the deck is overrun by sailors preparing for the day. She scopes out a quiet corner and watches the activity. When the sun fully rises, they sail, and Aki watches as Whale Island gets smaller and smaller in the distance.
Once they're officially on their way, the other passengers start to come up on deck, enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. She sits back to people-watch. Sailors rush back and forth, roaring with laughter and barking orders at each other. A couple of families and older couples probably going on vacation walk past her, but so do big burly men twice her size who she assumes are other exam applicants. Some don't even look twice at her, but others give her expressions that make her stomach twist in unease. A well-dressed couple, a man in a dark suit and a woman in a glittering purple dress, also walks by, giving her twin haughty looks. They walk to the railing opposite of her, huddled together and speaking quietly. A group of three walks up and sits a few yards away from them: two women and a man armed with gear and weapons. When they approach, the woman in the purple dress flounces off.
There doesn't look to be anyone else her age, she notices. She shouldn't have gotten her hopes up, but she'd silently wished that she would find some friends around her age in the exam - just like Dad and Papa, and their group with Leorio and Kurapika. This is only a small portion of applicants though, so maybe she'll meet someone else later.
"What are you doing with that?!"
Someone's shouting on the other side of the boat and she lifts her head. Two sailors are at each other's throats, faces turning a mottled purple from yelling. The well-dressed man who walked by Aki earlier with the woman stands behind both of them, an angry look on his face.
Aki creeps closer, behind a barrel nearer to them, curious. She's not the only one watching, either. The group of three watch on in open interest.
"What's going on?" Another man approaches, tall and thin, wearing a captain's hat. "Break it up!"
The men shove each other apart, panting. The well-dressed man pushes forward.
"Captain," he says dramatically, pointing at the two, "your sailors are thieves!"
One of the other audience members snickers. Her companions roll their eyes.
Aki looks at the accused sailors. They don't look like bad people. What happened?
"I'm sorry sir," the captain says, a hesitant look on his face, "but are you one of the hunter exam applicants?"
The man scoffs. "Do I look like a hunter to you? No! My name is Alistaire Albrecht. I am merely a passenger. I paid for a pleasant trip to not have to deal with any of these people." At this, the sailors bristle, and the captain raises a hand to calm them all.
"My apologies," he says soothingly, "what's missing?"
"My watch."
"Your watch?"
"I wouldn't expect people like you to understand. It's a family heirloom. My great grandfather received it from a diplomat on the Azian continent. It's very valuable. These sailors stole it!"
The captain nods and turns to the sailors, voice firm but not unkind. "Becker, can you tell me what's going on?"
"Thief!" The first sailor, Becker, spits. "I didn't take anything - it must've been Lanton." As he jabs his hand towards Lanton, Aki notices he's missing the first two fingers on his right hand.
"I didn't take anything!" Lanton sneers, face drawn up in fury. He's got a scar stretched across his chin, making it crease strangely as he spits. "Becker would've taken it, not me."
"Both of them are in on it together," Mr. Albrecht says. He points his finger at the captain. "I demand you throw them both overboard!"
Aki looks on, shocked. Overboard, seriously?
"Captain Katzo!" Lanton turns his full attention back onto the captain. "You can't do that!"
Becker curses, glaring at both Lanton and Albrecht.
"Mr. Albrecht, are you positive the watch is missing? Could you have misplaced it?"
Albrecht bristles. "You're accusing me of being reckless? This watch is more valuable than anything on this boat! It never leaves my person."
Captain Katzo sighs and removes his hat. He runs his hand through his hair, causing his bangs to tuft wildly. He puts it back on his head and turns back to the accused. "Have the two of you been the only ones around here this morning?"
"Becker and I were assigned to move the barrels," Lanton says unwillingly. "It's just been us two up here, besides Albrecht."
"That group hasn't moved," Albrecht says, pointing to the group sitting and watching. "It's just been the sailors."
"That's not true," Aki says, slipping out from behind the barrel. The sailors, Mr. Albrecht, and the captain all turn to look at her. "I've been up here all morning." She points behind her, near the wall she was sitting against earlier. "There were a lot of people who walked by this morning."
Albrecht scoffs. "What do you know? You're a child."
Aki narrows her eyes. "I'm not an idiot. I watched you and a woman walk by earlier and stop to talk over here. Then she left when that group sat down."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Albrecht says.
"The girl is right," one of the women sitting down says. She stands and saunters over towards the captain, eyes narrowed on them. Her group follows her lead. "There was a woman with him earlier."
Albrecht splutters. "Well, that was my wife. I didn't think it necessary to say that she was here. I trust her with my life - of course she didn't take anything. "
"Then why would you lie?" Aki asks. "Or leave her out?"
Captain Katzo looks at her, thoughtful. "What's your name?"
"Aki."
"Aki," he nods. "You have a point. And so does…?"
"Shenn," the woman says, a hand on her hip. "Except I'm going to do you one better, Captain, and tell you what exactly went down. This bastard here is trying to pull one over on you for the insurance claim."
One of her companions laughs, the second woman who's obviously the youngest in the trio, but still at least a good decade older than Aki. "Don't you see his clothes? If he's as wealthy as he's trying to appear to be, he wouldn't be wearing a suit that's three seasons behind. Also, see the repairs along the lining and hem of his pants? These clothes have been well used for a long time."
The last member steps forward, hair falling over his eyes. "See, we're all going to take the hunter exam. Shenn here is really good at reading people. In fact, she was a cop for a while, and knows all about getting to the bottom of things. Muro wants to be a cute hunter, but don't let that fool you - she's a whiz with fashion. If she can tell you're not who you say you are based on appearances, then you better believe her." He sneers at Albrecht, who is looking paler and paler. "And I want to be a jackpot hunter, and I can already tell you that you don't carry yourself like a man with wealth. You're lying. It's obvious."
Aki swallows a little. These are her competitors for the exam?!
"Don't brag, Warwick," Shenn says, a smug smile on her face. "Not a good look."
Mr. Albrecht looks shaken. "None of that is true…"
"You bastard!" Becker snarls. "You were trying to get us killed!" Lanton looks like he wants to join in on throttling Albrecht too.
Captain Katzo holds up a hand. "If we go talk to your wife, whose story will she corroborate?"
"Mine," Albrecht says, though his voice is still shaky.
Katzo narrows his eyes. "Or if we search your quarters, what will we find?"
"I will gladly search your wife's person myself," Shenn says, a glint in her eyes. Warwick leers from behind her.
Albrecht doesn't rescind his claim or apologize but instead stalks off, a little wobbly, though his chin is still held high.
Becker and Lanton jeer after him, cursing and making rude gestures. The captain watches him go, face unreadable.
Shenn snorts. "Good riddance."
Warwick leans towards the captain. "Hope you already got his money for the passage."
Katzo shakes his head. "I'm sorry about that, Becker, Lanton. If it's any consolation, I wouldn't have thrown you overboard for that."
Lanton snorts. Though he looks irritated, it doesn't seem directed at the captain. "What I deserve after that is a pay raise."
"Or a day off," Becker says. "Make the others deal with these annoying ass barrels."
Katzo chuckles and waves them away. "We'll see. Back to work!" He turns back to Aki and the others. "I'd like to speak to you four a little more." He leads them to his quarters below deck and studies them briefly. "All four of you - are you taking the hunter exam?"
Aki nods. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots the others looking at her, faces wearing a mixture of condescension and amusement.
"How old are you, kid?" Shenn says, a smile twitching on her lips.
She has a gut feeling that Shenn doesn't really like her, but she doesn't know why. "Twelve."
"Your name is Aki, right?" Captain Katzo asks. "Tell me, Aki, why do you want to be a hunter?" He looks genuinely curious as to her answer, face friendly and open.
Aki sees no point in lying, but she doesn't want to tell everyone the whole truth yet. She shrugs, deciding to share an abridged version. "I want to get stronger. My parents are both hunters, and they're the strongest people I know."
"That's cute, kid," Shenn says. She turns to the captain, completely dismissing her. "Please don't tell me you brought us down here just to ask us why we all want to be hunters."
"I don't particularly care why," the captain says, "and your friend already told me enough about you earlier. You're here because all four of you will make it onto the next step."
"What?" Muro says, eyes wide. "You mean the exam's already started?"
Katzo waves a hand and smiles. "Not the actual exam. Think of this as a prerequisite. And you've passed it."
"Even the kid?" Warwick asks, looking over at Aki with distrust.
"You three were the ones who solved the case. It's obvious you three are capable and intelligent. But I get the feeling that you wouldn't have bothered to speak up had it not been for her. She stepped up, took some initiative."
Aki feels her cheeks heat up, especially after the others turn to really look at her, no more condescension, but careful consideration on their faces.
"But Aki," the captain continues, "you're not the first child to attempt the exam. I am taking a chance on you with this. I think you're intelligent and have what it takes, but you will need to do more to actually pass. Do you understand?"
Aki doesn't think he actually wants an answer. She nods.
Katzo nods as well. "Good. We should arrive at Dolle Harbor tomorrow. There are buses that lead west to Jolla. I suggest you head for the oak tree instead." He claps his hands together. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go check on the bridge."
They follow him out of his office. He waves to them before heading back up to the deck. Aki waves back.
Shenn, Muro, and Warwick head left towards the sleeping quarters. Aki heads back up top. She sits on the deck and watches the boat sail across the water until it gets dark. She means to go back to the living quarters, but ends up falling asleep under the stars.
The next morning she wakes when the sailors come up on deck and bustle around to prepare for docking. One sailor kicks her until she scampers out of the way, so she hangs by the rail and watches as the ship approaches the docks.
Once they anchor down, she disembarks. Sitting down on the docks, she waits for Shenn, Muro, and Warwick to come by. Other applicants disembark, talking about the buses and other travel arrangements. She doesn't hear anybody else discussing heading for the tree. She doesn't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
When Shenn, Muro, and Warwick finally come down the boardwalk, she gets up and runs over to them. "Do you want to head to the tree?"
Warwick lets out a little snort of laughter. "Kid, we're not carrying you along during the exam. Find it yourself."
Aki frowns. "You don't have to carry me. I'm perfectly capable, but I just thought that since Captain Katzo told us all about it, we could work together."
"Let me give you some advice," Shenn says. "Hunters don't really need friends."
Aki knows that isn't true, she's just trying to get rid of her, so she scowls back. "Hunters do need to be able to work well with others," she says.
Muro giggles and puts her hand on Shenn's shoulder. "Oh, what's the harm in it? She'll get knocked out in the exam anyway. Besides, she's a cute kid."
Warwick rolls his eyes. "Of course you want her around because you think she's cute."
"We're not going to help you," Shenn says finally, eyes staring deep into hers. "We will coexist on the way there. Once we get to the exam site, we are not working together anymore. Understand?"
Aki nods. There's something cold in the way Shenn looks at her, but she still can't help but be disappointed. She knew Dad met Leorio and Kurapika on the boat to his exam, and she still can't help but wish that she'd met her own friends there, too.
"Come on," Shenn says, straightening up. "Let's go."
They follow down until the end of the dock, where there's a small map to the side of the welcome center. Looking up, Aki can see the tree at the top of the hill. She points at it. Muro finds the path to it from cutting through the town on the map, and they head on their way.
She tries to make basic conversation with the others - maybe once they get to know her, they'll like her more! - but the only one who responds is Muro. She realizes she's only humoring her, but it makes the time pass. Finally, Warwick looks back at her.
"You said your parents are hunters," he says. "What type? Who are they?"
"One of my dads is a poacher hunter." Aki hesitates, not sure if she wants to say their names, especially Dad's, and get accused of lying. "The other is a crime hunter. I don't know if you've heard of them."
Warwick makes a face. "Poach hunting - boring choice. Have you decided on a specialization? Same as your old man?"
"I haven't decided yet."
Aki asks if this is their first time taking the exam too, and Muro tells her it is. Then she asks how the group met, but nobody gives her a straightforward answer for that question. The conversation dies down after that, and as they walk on Aki starts to notice something weird about the surrounding town. It seems empty. There aren't any people in the streets, and all of the lights in the buildings are off. She can tell she's not the only one who's noticed, because the others are tense, eyes darting back and forth.
Up ahead in the distance, there's a small table sitting in the middle of the street.
"Should we avoid it?" Muro asks.
Aki squints up at it. "It's just a table, but somebody's sitting there. I think they're waiting for us."
"Could be a trap."
"Or another prerequisite for the exam."
"This is the best way to get up the mountain." Warwick casts a glance over at Shenn. "What do you think?"
Aki hasn't been around them for very long, but she can tell she's the unofficial leader of their group. She always has the final say.
Shenn rolls her shoulders. "Walk on," she orders. Muro and Warwick lead on after her, Aki trailing behind.
When their group gets closer, Aki takes a moment to examine their surroundings. She was right - it is just a woman sitting at the table. She's young, and smiling pleasantly, but a dozen or so masked people stand guard around her, circling them in. She counts them - there's fourteen guards in total.
"Hello," the woman says. When she smiles, there's a smudge of lipstick on her teeth. "Congrats on making it this far. In order to pass and make it to the tree, you have to answer one question for me."
"One question? That's it?" Warwick asks.
"Just one."
"What happens if we get it wrong?" Aki asks.
"Then you don't pass. You won't take the exam this year." Each of them shift, and Warwick leans over to hiss something in Shenn's ear. Shenn glares at him and crosses her arms.
The woman clears her throat. "Are you ready?"
"Hit us!" Muro says.
"You are an inmate in a concentration camp. A sadistic guard is about to hang your son who tried to escape and wants you to pull the chair from underneath him. He says that if you don't, he will not only kill your son but some other innocent inmate as well. You don't have any doubt that he means what he says. What should you do?"
She gives them a moment to process and then smiles once more. "Well? You have one minute."
Shenn, Muro, and Warwick turn towards each other.
"You save your son," Warwick says, "obviously. He's your flesh and blood."
"The other inmate is innocent, though," Muro says.
"This isn't a prison camp! You didn't do anything wrong to be put in here."
Aki thinks it over on her own, half listening as Muro and Warwick go back and forth. She looks between the woman, who keeps her face carefully composed, a smile on her face, and Shenn, who stays quiet, a hand tapping on her cheek.
"Thirty seconds remaining," the woman says.
"Besides, it's not their blood on your hands. This is all on the guard."
Oh! Aki stiffens, and the woman's eyes track to her instantly.
"Oh, I think someone realized something," she croons.
Shenn whips her head around, and the others stop arguing. "What do you think it is?" she asks coolly.
Aki swallows. "Attack the guard?" Shenn looks at her silently for a moment. "I mean… it just doesn't make sense. If you do pick your son, the innocent man dies. But it's your son - can a parent be prepared to kill his own son?" She shakes her head. "If you attack the guard and kill him, then you have a chance to save both of those people."
"But you're still killing someone regardless," Warwick says. "Or the other guards will kill you once they find out."
Aki shrugs helplessly. "I don't know," she says, looking at Shenn. "I don't even know if there's a right choice."
The woman makes a ticking noise, calling back their attention. "Times up," she says sweetly. "Do you have an answer?"
Shenn observes Aki for a moment more. "Go with the child's answer," she says, her eyes never leaving her face.
"If we fail, this is your fault," Warwick hisses, and Aki cringes. It's one thing to fail on her own from her own stupid answer, but it's entirely different to make others fail because of her.
The woman is silent for a moment too long, making Aki sweat. "I'll take that answer," she says finally, raising her arms over her head and stretching.
Muro blinks in surprise, throwing a hand up in the air. "Wait, seriously?"
"That was right?" Warwick asks.
She shrugs. "It's a moral dilemma. She said it herself - there may not be a right answer. But you can't stay silent, so you have to do something." She pauses for a moment. "This is meant to see if you will be able to handle such decisions as a hunter."
"We all get to move on?" Aki asks, still a little unsteady.
"Yes." She waves a hand, and to their left, a giant metal door is rolled up. "Go left. Follow this path, it'll lead you through the woods. At the bottom of the tree is a small cabin. The brother and sister that live there will help you next."
"Woo! Next part down!" Muro says, clapping excitedly. "Aki, that wasn't too shabby."
"Maybe you are smarter than I initially gave you credit for," Shenn says, eyes narrowed, "or just lucky."
She shifts, part proud and part embarrassed, but mainly just relieved.
This time, Shenn motions for her to lead on. So Aki smiles at the woman and turns. She runs, letting the others follow.
When they finally reach the woods, it's late afternoon. The sun hasn't quite set yet, but she still slows back down to a walk, not really wanting to run in unfamiliar territory in the dark.
This time, the trip has been silent. Occasionally, she feels the others' eyes on her, but nobody ever says anything. They just follow the path.
At some point after she slows, Shenn begins leading the way again. Aki watches the back of her head as she stomps through. Shenn had pulled a jagged knife out of her belt and started slashing through any branches in their way.
She pauses suddenly, head cocked. "Look."
Half-hidden behind an overgrown brush is a sign that reads, "Beware of Magical Beasts!"
"I didn't know there were magical creatures native to this area," Warwick says.
Shenn shrugs. "We'll be fine. We've probably scared them off, because it's not like Muro's made any effort to be quiet."
Muro isn't listening. "Look!" she says, pointing down the path. "Up ahead, there's the cabin!"
Aki perks up. Their group starts running toward the cabin. As they get closer, she can see that a small lantern is lit, hanging above the front door. Good, somebody's here. When Warwick knocks on the door, nobody responds.
That's weird, she thinks.
Warwick bangs louder on the door. "Hello?"
Shenn pushes past him and tries the knob, which turns. She doesn't hesitate in throwing the door open, immediately stiffening. Aki and the others peer around her shoulder.
A monster - a kiriko, Aki recognizes - stands over the prone body of a man. It turns and sneers when the door slams open. Without waiting for a response, it busts through the back window of the house and into the continuing woods.
Shenn, Muro, and Warwick don't even pause. Completely bypassing the man on the floor, they go after the kiriko immediately. They don't even make an effort to help him.
Aki blinks. She doesn't know what to do - since all three went after it, they probably don't need her help. Instead, she rushes forward to the injured man.
"I'm so sorry - are you badly hurt? Can I help you?" she asks, kneeling beside him and shrugging off her backpack.
"It broke in," the man croaks. "I don't…"
Aki digs through her backpack for her first aid kit. She really doesn't know how to treat his wounds, but she's seen Dad and Papa treat themselves for small wounds after jobs before. And she's read about it in books before... But she's never treated anyone in an emergency situation like this.
"It's okay," she says, as soothingly as she can. She tries not to let her panic show. "My name's Aki. What's your name?"
"Enko," he says, wincing with pain as Aki carefully tears the fabric of his shirt sleeves off.
"Okay, Enko," she says. She digs in her kit for the antiseptic to clean the angry red scratches on his arm. "This may hurt, but I'm going to bandage it up. I think you'll be okay."
Enko tenses as Aki cleans the wound, dabbing it as gently as she can manage, and then again as she begins to wrap it up.
"That should stop the bleeding," Aki says. "Now, do you have any broken bones? Did you hit your head?"
"My chest," Enko says.
Aki tears the side of his shirt to get access to the scratches on his chest, getting ready to repeat the process.
"I can get you some ice when I'm finished," she says. "Don't worry, I think the others will catch the kiriko. You won't have to worry about them breaking in anymore."
Suddenly, Aki is struck with a memory from just a few hours ago, of the woman who quizzed them. She said siblings lived here. Panic rushes down her spine.
"Your sister," she asks urgently. "Where is she?"
"My sister?" Enko says, wincing as he sits up to allow Aki to better access the scratches on his rib cage. "What are you talking about? I don't have a sister."
"What?" Aki sits back, staring at the man in confusion. "But…"
It hits her at that moment just who exactly the kiriko is. It must show on her face because Enko sighs and scoots back, the shaking and pain-filled expression disappearing.
"Damn it, how'd you figure it out?"
Aki lets her hands drop back down to her lap. "The woman with the riddle said siblings lived in this cabin."
Enko groans. "Damn first year examiners. I'll have to make sure she doesn't do that again next year."
Aki watches, fascinated and a little nervous, as Enko's form shifts and grows, until another kiriko sits in front of her.
His ears twitch and he sighs, stretching his arms over his head. "Thanks for tending my wounds, kid."
Aki croaks out a "you're welcome."
Enko tilts his head. "Are you scared of me now?"
Aki's gut instinct is yes, because Enko is twice the size of her in this form and reveals a set of very sharp teeth with his smirk. But then she sits back and thinks about it. Enko isn't the first magical beast she's been around. Papa's been friends with Ikalgo for years, and Dad with Meleoron. She might even wager a bet that the ants are more lethal, and they used to babysit her sometimes. Just because kirikos are classified as dangerous doesn't mean this one specifically is. That decides it for her.
"No, I don't think so," Aki says.
Enko makes a face. Aki can't really tell if it's meant to be a smile or a grimace, but she smiles back weakly anyway. Then she catches sight of the shoddy bandages wrapped around his arm and cringes.
Enko looks down and examines it. "Ah, don't worry, they'll heal soon enough." He makes another face and swivels his arm, rubbing at his shoulder. "Can't say you're the best medic I've ever seen before, though."
Aki flushes, a little embarrassed. She hopes this isn't what disqualifies her from taking the exam. "What about the others?"
"We can probably head out to see what they got up to."
"What if they hurt your sister?"
Enko laughs and stands up. "Thanks, but she can take care of yourself." He stretches again, ears nearly brushing the ceiling, and then leads Aki out the front door. "Are they tough, those friends of yours?"
"I only met them yesterday. I've never actually seen them fight." As they walk out of the house, Enko shifts back into his injured human form. Red eyes flash at Aki. "Just in case they're not finished," he explains. "Don't wanna ruin it."
"Is this another prerequisite?" Aki asks. "This isn't actually Phase One of the exam, is it?"
Enko snorts. "No, it's just another pretest. My sister and I are navigators. If you get to us - and pass our test - we lead you to the actual exam site."
"Huh." Aki wants to know who they're going to take - if any of them even passed - but she's not brave enough to ask. Enko looks like he knows what she's thinking, and a small smile twitches at the corner of his mouth.
As they approach the woods, the others come walking out to meet them. The three other applicants look fine, but the fourth person, a human woman with the same red eyes as Enko is limping. Aki knows that she's the sister.
Shenn draws her knife at their approach. Enko raises his hands defensively.
"It's okay!" Aki says, taking a step in front of him. "He's a navigator, too."
"You weren't fooled?" Warwick asks.
"Well, I was at first," she chuckles weakly, "but…"
"But apparently the quizzer told them to expect siblings up here," Enko complains to his sister, "so she asked where you were because she thought you may be hurt, too."
The sister groans. "Stupid first year examiners." She shakes her head. "These three captured me." She and her brother exchange a look.
"Well?" Shenn demands coolly. "Does this mean we progress?"
Enko shrugs. "I'll take Aki to the exam. She was the only one who bothered to check on me as I pretended to be injured. Though she obviously didn't have a clue what she was doing, she still showed compassion and tried to put me at ease. And she figured out the ruse quickly, through picking up on unintentional clues in her surroundings."
"Yes!" Aki can't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Thank God - she'll be making it on to the actual exam.
Warwick gives her a dirty look.
"Well, Juji," Enko asks his sister, "what do you think about your crew?"
Juji surveys each of them, face carefully composed. "They pass. Each landed several blows and showed remarkable physical prowess. The tall woman even cut me, which is more than most can say."
Aki can tell she's lying, or at least not being entirely truthful. She's obviously uncomfortable being around them, as she's standing as far away as possible. Maybe the fight was closer than she made it out to seem.
"Yay!" Muro cheers. Warwick smiles, looking pleased.
Shenn turns to Enko. "When do we set out?"
"The exam isn't set to start until tomorrow," Enko says. "You can camp here tonight. We'll take you at dawn."
The sun is starting to set now. The kiriko head back inside their home after shifting back out of their human forms. Shenn's group disappears into the woods to set up camp, with Muro complaining about having to sleep in a tree. Aki watches them go, a little wistful that they still aren't interested in including her. So instead, she offers to help Enko and Juji clean up the broken glass from the window. Juji readily accepts and hands her a broom.
As She cleans, Enko and Juji work on installing a new window. They chat aimlessly amongst themselves. When Juji disappears to go put their tools back up, Enko asks Aki why she wants to be a hunter.
"Both of my parents are hunters," she says. "They're some of the strongest people I know. I want to get stronger, too. I want to be able to protect myself." Whenever she brings this up, it makes the sinking feeling in her stomach reappear from when she was kidnapped - that feeling of helplessness that she never wants to deal with again. She forces a smile, trying to put it out of her mind.
Enko gives her a funny look. "You know, you remind me of another kid we met who took the exam several years ago. Actually, it had to have been a couple decades ago. I wonder what he's been up to lately."
Aki snorts. "Was his name Gon?"
"Yeah, that sounds about right."
"He's my father."
The man laughs and raises his voice so Juji can hear them in the next room over. "Sis, do you remember that kid that came to us for the exam, about twenty years ago?"
"Which kid?" She walks back in, taking a seat at one of the kitchen mats. "The white-haired one?"
"No, the one the year before that, who could tell our Pops apart."
Aki wants to laugh. "The white-haired kid - was his name Killua? That's my other father."
Enko looks delighted. He laughs. "No kidding? Well, good for you. With parents like that, I'm sure you'll be plenty prepared for the exam."
"One can hope," Aki says dryly.
She eats dinner with the kiriko that night. They offer to let her sleep in the house, but she waves them off. She doesn't wanna interrupt Shenn's group this late, so she just borrows a sleeping bag and spreads out in the front yard. It's been a long day, and she falls asleep quickly.
The next day, Enko and Juji wake them up early to drop them off on the outskirts of town. They fly there, two people per kiriko, each holding onto one of their feet. It's exhilarating to fly like this. Aki looks down at the trees below them, amazed.
It's still early in the morning when they land. Enko phases into his human form. Juji explains that even though the Hunter Association knows about them being navigators, it's better to protect themselves from the average population. Then she leaves, flying back in the direction of their home.
Enko leads them down the road until they enter the more active part of town. Jolla is another port city, west of Dolle Harbor, so even though it's early there are still people hustling down the boardwalk, setting up stands and carrying loads of products.
Nobody blinks an eye at their group. Aki makes sure he keeps her focus on Enko so she doesn't lose him.
She ends up sticking closer to him than the other applicants and asks more questions about the town. She's never been to Jolla before - and now she's also kinda curious about the exam process as a whole. Apparently she didn't listen to her parents' stories well enough, because she never realized there were prerequisites in addition to the actual exam.
They walk further down the sidewalk, until the buildings start to get bigger and more spread out between each one. Enko studies a piece of paper in his hands, squinting between it and the road signs.
"Are we almost there yet?" Muro asks.
"Pretty close," Enko says cheerfully. "You've got plenty of time before the exam starts, don't worry."
He's right, because after another thirty minutes or so he pauses and looks back at them. "Here we are." He shoves the paper back into his pocket and points.
Aki looks up, covering her eyes from the sun. A wide building sits in front of them. It's only a few stories tall and covered in windows that show their reflections.
"This is the site of the hunter exam?" Warwick asks, unimpressed. Muro smacks him on the shoulder.
"Appearances can be deceiving," Enko says. "You'd do well to remember that."
Warwick bares his teeth but says nothing else.
"Go up to the third floor," Enko says. "Fifth door on the right."
Shenn nods, gives her thanks, then motions for the others to follow. Aki turns to follow her and is stopped.
"Normally I warn rookies about how unlikely it is for them to pass on their first try, but I don't know if that will really apply for you with your family's track record. But if you end up retaking the exam next year, feel free to come back to us."
She beams at him. "Thanks, Enko."
"Good luck." He waves and turns around, walking back down the way they came.
Aki waves back and then turns back towards the building. The others have already made it inside. She approaches the front door and enters, following Enko's instructions. She gets to the door he'd told them to enter and pauses, heart racing. She takes a deep breath and opens it.
Honestly, she wasn't sure what she was expecting from the exam site, but this certainly wasn't it. Her parents had made it sound like it was a dark, dirty tunnel, hidden away underground. The room she'd just entered was nice, with lots of windows where you could see the shoreline. There were plenty of couches, and other applicants sat sprawled out. Some talked amongst themselves, but mostly others sat silently, appraising the competitors around them.
Aki grips the straps on her backpack and looks around. There's no sign of Shenn or the others, and she sighs. Shenn's probably glad to be permanently rid of her now.
"Excuse me," a voice interrupts her silent moping.
She looks down at a short green man holding up a round badge and blinks, surprised. "Please put this on - it needs to always be visible. Welcome to the Hunter Exam."
Aki takes it, getting an odd thrill at the #378 engraved. She traces the numbers with her finger and pins it to her shirt. The man walks off, back towards the door. Aki moves forward, scanning the others to get a feel for the competition.
She realizes she's easily the youngest person here, much to her dismay. As she walks by, she can hear some of the others whisper about her.
"Hey kid, daycare is in the next room over," someone jeers.
Aki feels her cheeks heat up. She ducks her head and keeps walking.
She hears a familiar voice and perks back up. On the other side of the room, speaking to a woman he vaguely recognizes, is Leorio. Her parents, Dad especially, have been friends with him for years. He's even visited them on Whale Island before.
She makes her way over to where he's standing, completely engaged in his conversation. "Hey, Leorio!"
Startled, Leorio looks down at her. He blinks at her for a moment before his eyes grow wide. The woman he's talking to looks at her with faint bemusement, light reflecting off of her thick, wide glasses.
"Would you excuse me for a minute, Chairwoman?" She waves him off, and Leorio herds Aki to a different corner.
"Hey, kid. Look, as glad as I am to see you, it's Mr. Leorio here. And for both my sake and yours, you should pretend not to know me."
Aki droops a little. Leorio must be able to read it on her, because he sighs and rubs a hand down his face.
"You don't want people to think either of us are biased, right?"
"No." Aki knows he's right, but she's still a little disappointed. She can tell her cheeks are bright red, properly chastened.
Leorio pats her on the head. "But hey, you made it to the exam! Good job. Did you go through the kiriko?"
"Yeah, the boat dropped me off in Dolle Harbor."
Leorio hums. "Good times," he says, eyes faraway. "That's how I got to my exam, too. You know, you seriously remind me of Gon right now, back when he was still an overeager twelve-year old." He straightens and adjusts his collar. "Think you're up for the exam?"
"I hope so," Aki says.
"Well, I've heard it's gonna be pretty tough this year."
"I've been training. Dad gave me the training regimen he said he used to prepare before he took the exam. But I still haven't developed my Hatsu yet… I think I've got most of the nen basics down, though." She has, after all, been working on her Nen since she was six, though she's neglected that side of her training since getting her exam notice.
Leorio makes a noise. "More than I had when I took my exam." He checks the watch on his wrist and jerks. "Damn, it's almost time to begin. Good luck."
"See you, Mr. Leorio!" She grins and waves, still feeling a little silly at using the title.
Turning, Leorio waves at Aki one last time and walks back off towards the woman he was speaking with before.
Still a little embarrassed after their talk, and now acutely aware of all of the eyes on her after the others noticed her conversation with one of the examiners, she walks around the edge of the room, scanning for a quiet spot to sit until it's time for the exam to start. Out of the corner of her eyes, something pink catches her attention. She turns to look, curious.
Another girl sits in the corner, bright pink hair pulled back in a taut ponytail. Just by looking at her face, intensely concentrated on the card house she's building in front of her, Aki can tell they're about the same age.
That's exciting! Immediately, she makes a beeline towards her, taking the approach to examine her more. They're both wearing the same sort of athletic wear, but this girl doesn't have a backpack or any sort of belongings with her. Her badge pinned to her shirt says #386. She must've arrived after Aki did. She comes to a stop in front of her, hands a little sweaty.
The girl doesn't look up. "Go away."
"I haven't even introduced myself yet," Aki says, kinda stupidly. She wipes her palms discreetly on her pants. Was it dumb of her to think that other applicants her age would want to be friends?
"Don't care. Not interested." She finally looks up, sharp gold eyes looking her over. She turns her nose up and then goes back to her house.
Aki sits anyway, a little desperate. "My name's Aki. How old are you?"
"Didn't you hear a word I said?" The girl says, scowling at her. "I don't care."
"We're the only two kids here," Aki says, "wouldn't you want to work together to pass the exam?"
She scoffs. "I don't think I'll need your help. You look like a stiff wind could blow you over."
Aki scowls. "You'd be surprised."
The girl doesn't look impressed. Aki shifts, taking off her backpack to make herself comfortable, and accidentally knocks over the house of cards.
"Ugh!" The girl spits, trying belatedly to keep it upright. It tumbles to the floor, and Aki watches in horror as the girl turns her angry glare back to her. She curls his hands into fists, and Aki tenses, prepared to either bolt or protect herself. "Fuck off," is all the girl says, gathering her things up and stomping away.
Someone snickers to his left, having watched the whole humiliating experience.
Aki leans back against the wall, thunking her head against it. Great. Way to go, Aki.
"Excuse me, everybody - listen up!" The room quiets as Leorio stands up in front of the windows and cups his hands around his mouth. "My name is Leorio Paladiknight. I'm going to be one of your examiners for the 307th Hunter Exam."
A buzz makes its way around the room. Leorio flaps a hand to get them to be quiet.
"We have three-hundred and eighty nine applicants this year. What a turn-out!" Nobody reacts, and Leorio visibly deflates. "Well, in any case, Phase One of the exam will start in approximately five minutes. We'll be right back." He waves and hurries out of the room, the woman he was speaking to earlier following.
Aki sits against the wall and waits.
The riddle/quiz question is actually a well-known moral dilemma known as "A Father's Agonizing Choice" - I didn't come up with it.
I promise in the next chapter, each phase of the exam is going to be very different from the show, even though this one loosely followed Gon's own path to the exam.
I'd love some feedback! (Any ideas about the pink-haired girl?) Let me know what you think!