Since today is the first day that we are releasing this new series, we specially decided to release two chapters for this week - the first and the second chapter. Hope you enjoy reading this story, just as much as we enjoyed writing it!

Normally though, we will be updating this fanfic every Thursday or Friday (PST).

"" - speech

italics - thoughts/memory/dream

Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter x Hunter.


At first, Arla walked around the Phase Two area on her own, but she soon found Killua asking Gon about how he got to the Second Phase area.

"Gon. Killua. Kurapika-san." She called out to them brightly. "I'm glad that you're both safe! What about-" The moment she said that, she saw Leorio's beaten form. "Oh…" Her smile quickly changed into a thin straight line as she wondered if he was okay. 'That looks painful.'

"Arla!" Gon grinned at her. "You're here!"

"Ah yes… Is... Is he okay?" She blinked at Gon and then stared at the unconscious Leorio. 'I wonder if I can poke him with a stick...to make sure that he is actually still alive. But then again... I do not want to accidentally hurt him some more either...' She tapped her chin with her finger thoughtfully.

"He should be fine." Killua sighed and then glanced at Gon in exasperation. "Cologne… Cologne of all things."

CREAK-!

They all looked in the direction of the loud sound, which came from the building. "It seems like we're starting!" Kurapika pointed out.

The moment the door opened, two very unusual people appeared.

"The proctors…?" Arla murmured to herself. 'I wonder what kind of Hunters they are...'

As the two proctors explained what the next phase entailed, she only thought about how much Buhara, the gourmet hunter, could eat if she gave him endless amounts of bread.

"Please give me a whole roast pig." With his words, she snapped out of it and followed everyone else to kill the world's most dangerous pig, the Great Stamp.

'How do I kill-' Her question was immediately answered when everyone began to aim for the pig's weakness - its forehead.

She smiled confidently to herself, knowing that she could do the same as everyone else. So she quickly jumped from a tree and slammed her feet against the pig's forehead while swiftly stabbing it with her dagger. 'I should really thank Lawrence one day for the dagger...'

When the pig finally passed away, she sighed in relief. "It's finally over… But..." It was technically not over until Buhara gave her the thumbs up. So she proceeded to carry the dead pig back to the Phase Two building. 'Now then...' After observing what the others did, she roasted the pig carefully above the fire.

A few minutes passed by, leaving behind a nicely roasted pig on the stick that she pierced it with. Nodding to herself, she quickly stood in line and handed the roasted pig over to Buhara who consumed it immediately with a blissful expression. 'What a good sign to see... I wonder if this is why people become chefs.' She sighed in relief, knowing for sure that she had passed.

She then smiled at Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio as she joined them once more.

"This is a piece of cake." Killua leisurely commented, while the others agreed with him.

So far, in the exam, this phase might be the simplest one to pass out of all.


"...No. No. No, no, no, no, no," Ai repeated the word to herself as if it was mantra, her smile trembling. She had finally cleaned off her face and rehydrated herself and THIS is what she has to do for Phase Two?

Wonka placed an amused finger on his chin and cocked an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

"No, no, no, no, no…"

"With how insanely scared you look right now, maybe not."

Perpetually wide, her eyes flitted over to him at last. "Willy, what do I do? I have to kill a boar, I have to KILL something and cook it. I can't do it. I really can't." Tears filled her eyes and her bottom lip trembled.

His eye twitched. "First of all, for the hundredth time, there is no Willy in my name, you idiot, and second of all, what on earth are you even doing here if you're not even ready to kill one stupid boar?!"

"Why should I be ready to kill if I want to become a hunter?! Can someone not protect people and do their jobs without killing?!"

Wonka let out a long frustrated sigh. "Oh for fuck's sake."


"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Ai whispered, breaking out in sobs as she hurried over to the counter, dragging a dead boar with a nearly identical transparent boar sadly hanging out nearby.

Wonka followed behind closely, nodding approvingly. "I knew you had it in you."

Ignoring him, she continued weeping over the boar, handling it with trembling hands. "I'm so, so, sorry. Oh my god, please forgive me, mister boar."

"I'm pretty sure that's not a mister."

The transparent boar squealed in what appeared to sound like an affirmation.

"Stop being rude," Ai snapped, turning to glare at him through her tears. "Why are you being so mean?!"

"Honey, I think you should stop crying, because unless you're trying to marinade that boar, those tears are only going to dehydrate you."

His words only made her glare harder at him. "You're such an ass."

He shrugged. "At least I'm polite enough to not insult a dead lady by calling her a mister."

"...YOU-"

Before Ai could fill the examination hall with cursing that would leave even Menchi and Killua in awe, Hanzo looked back at her strangely from his counter and asked, "You've been muttering to yourself, are you…okay?"

She sobbed and Wonka held back a laugh. "Thank you, Hanzo-san, but I'm okay. I'll get used to it."

His expression mirrored confusion. "Get used to what?"

"Killing animals and hearing the voices of their souls."

Hanzo's face went white. "Oh," he pushed out, sweating.

If Wonka was not already dead, choking on his own laughter at that moment would have killed him.


"This time, it's my turn!" The other gourmet hunter, Menchi, glared at everyone. "You have to make me sushi!" She grinned, knowing that not many would know what this dish was; after all, it came from a tiny country.

"..." Everyone stared at her in confusion.

After she explained a bit more about what they can use in the building, she then waited eagerly for the candidates to get started.

"Su...shi…" Arla blanked out. "What's sushi?"

She had never cooked before.

To put it clearer, she only started to cook only a few months ago.

'With my limited cooking experience... Even if I am a quick learner... I doubt even Lawrence would know what sushi is.' Her cooking never received a negative rating from Lawrence before, except for the first few times that she tried to cook, but even then, she wondered if she would have the capability to cook this 'sushi'. She concentrated hard, shifting through her memories and experiences with past foods. But even after seeing different kinds of food in all kinds of towns, she had never heard of sushi before. "But even so… What really is sushi…?"

"I have no idea…" Kurapika answered.

It was not until a certain ninja accidentally let out the 'secret' on what that 'sushi' was that everyone started to make a move.

"Arla, let's go." The blonde young male motioned to her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Ah, yes." She followed after him as they went to the body of water to get their fish.

Using her instincts and knowledge of the flow of the water, she calculated where the fish would move, stabbing it with her dagger in seconds. 'I will have to say that Lawrence taught me well when it comes to survival skills.' Smiling to herself satisfactorily, she then took her fish to the kitchen.

"Soy sauce…" She never had a sauce that was called soy sauce before.

'Before I make anything, I should try it. I wonder if it is sweet or salty...' She finally tasted a drop of it before twitching from its saltiness. "It is similar to salt." She muttered to herself. "But with an… earthy tone? It is very different. Not unpleasant though..." She blinked, still not knowing what to do with the sauce and what she should do to make a proper sushi.


"...You do understand I only asked for sushi, right, examinee?" Menchi looked up at Ai, cocking an eyebrow at her and looking unamused with the array of dishes set in front of her.

"Of course I do, but I ended up making more things than just sushi. Haha, even if you're not grading based on that, I hope you'll at least taste it," Ai said, smiling brightly. She knew about sushi. Of course she did, with how much she obsessed over the country of origin, but it was not like she ever made it before.

So lacking confidence in her skills, she decided to add a few other dishes she knew how to make as a disguise and as a distraction.

Wordlessly, Menchi dug a spoon into the egg fried rice and ate it.

Sweat poured down Ai's forehead; it was an Ai version egg fried rice with butter and extra garlic.

"Not a chef's worth of fried rice, but it's not bad," Menchi approved, heading for the vegetable crepe next. "Strange, but not entirely bad."

With such an encouraging assessment, Ai hoped and expected desperately that her sushi at least lived up to 'not bad'.

"...It's close to sushi, but it's made clumsily and terribly. You fail."

"Ahhh! Ahaha… I… I see…" With her smile deliriously twitching, Ai climbed down, seemingly floating as she laughed lightly all the while.

Once she reached the counter, she grabbed it and slid down. "Ahahahah…. Ahahaha… I killed and did all this, just to fail and have a terrifying fish ghost follow me around...? Ahahahaaahahahahahahahaha."

Hanzo who heard this turned even paler. "Fish… Ghost?..."

Wonka spared a sympathetic look to the dejected looking fish by his side. "Hey buddy, don't mind it. This idiot just has a very irrational fear of fishies, that's all. She doesn't hate you. She's just absolutely and completely disturbed by you."

The fish looked even more decimated.


Everyone else began to top their whole fish on the rice.

Arla blinked. "Why are they…" Even though she was not a professional cook or someone who cooked for a long time, it was common sense to not eat an entire fish without cooking it - or at least, cleaning the insides and outsides of a fish, especially since there could be poison inside of it. Thankfully, the fish's scales were tiny, which meant that she did not have to spend time getting the scales off. Using her knife, she clumsily chopped the head off and cut through the stomach, allowing the organs to come out.

She paused for a moment to get a hold of herself. "As I thought… This is repulsive to do. I respect the chefs that can do this without cringing." Telling her thanks to the chefs quietly to herself, she continued to clean the fish with water.

"AH, I'M AS BAD AS LEORIO!" Gon cried out in horror. Leorio glared at him.

Arla giggled to herself a little. The two's interaction really reminded her of her brother and cousin.

She then went back to deboning the fish. She made a couple of mistakes, but as a novice, she felt that she did a somewhat decent job. "I made the fillets...but does sushi use raw fish or cooked fish…?"

Despite her short experience with cooking, Arla heard of dishes that served fish raw in the past, so she could not confidently say that the dish used cooked fish. "Oh, I wish I knew…" However, considering that she did not have much time left, she made a small slice of the fish, removing the outer skin, and topped it on the rice. "Is this… right?"

By the time she went to go line up with doubts about her dish, she realized that she forgot to use the sauces provided and quickly went back to her spot to use them.

However, that was when Menchi announced that she was full and that everyone failed.

Babump-!

At the sound of those words, Arla's heart dropped and she could hardly breathe. She almost dropped her plate, but she got a hold of herself and set the plate down at the counter.

Unfortunately, she could still feel herself drowning in her sorrow and misery.

'How can this... Is this seriously the end...? I...failed...?'

The Hunter Exam was her hope for survival in this world. If she could not pass, then living was hardly an option.

She sensed herself slowly shutting down as she stood next to Kurapika and Killua. Leorio and Gon stood next to them too.

Before the outrage amongst the applicants went out of control, an old man called Netero immediately came down from the skies.

BAM-!

He landed quite nicely on his feet.

"Oh my…" Arla murmured to herself, barely revealing her surprise as she put her hand in front of her mouth. "That was… unexpected. Is this… what a Hunter is like…?"

She knew that hunters were powerful beings with an unsaid minimum standard of strength, but seeing all of these amazing proctors and their unparalleled strength made her wonder if she truly had what it took to become a great hunter. "It doesn't matter though… I must… I must become one."

She quickly expelled her doubting thoughts, entering into a state of calm and self-control once more.

"Arla, aren't you coming?" Killua poked her arm. She glanced at him in surprise, realizing that she was in her thoughts for too long.

"I'm coming." She warmly replied, entering the airship with him. "I...have to admit that I was not really paying attention."

He raised an eyebrow at her. He clearly knew that without her having to say the obvious.

She sheepishly smiled at him. "So where exactly are we going?"

"We apparently need to boil eggs laid by spider eagles on Mt. Split-in-Half." They finally joined the rest of the group. "Arla, you need to pay better attention. I won't always be there to help." Killua muttered to her.

"But you'll help me as my friend, right?" Her smile never changed. Arla truly believed that he would, unless she was wrong about him being her friend.

"I…" He quickly turned his head away from her. "You're so weird." That seemed to be a neverending comment from him about the group, including her.

"But he is right though, Arla." Kurapika warned her.

'Is it my tiny frame or my young appearance that makes everyone worry about me? Or even look down on me?' She watched the group carefully. 'I do not really want that though. I do not want to be a burden.' That was when she swore to herself that she would get stronger to no longer be a burden to anyone.

The blonde-haired male continued. "Pay more attention."

"I will keep that in mind." Her eyes flickered to his brown ones. "However, if I ever need support, I can depend on my friends, can't I?" She smiled warmly at him.

Kurapika's eyes widened a little bit as if her words caught him off-guard. "I…" This was her perfect chance to establish her relations with the group members, especially with the people who have their guard up around her.

With confidence, she immediately locked eyes with everyone in the group. "That being said, I want to be friends with Killua, Gon, Kurapika-san, and Leorio-san. Is this a problem?" She straightforwardly asked them.

"We're already friends though, Arla!" Gon brightly answered.

Killua mumbled stuff under his breath as he once again looked away from her. "You're so weird." That was a sentence that she definitely heard from him once again. She wondered if that was his catchphrase when it came to people he generally liked. At least, she hoped so.

Leorio sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I don't mind being friends with you, Arla." He kindly told her with an embarrassed smile. "Just call me Leorio though. Leorio-san sounds so stuffy."

She giggled in response. "Then Leorio, it is a pleasure to be your friend." She put her hand to her chest and closed her eyes briefly before opening them again in a pleasant manner. "So how about it, Kurapika-san?"

"...I'll think about it." Kurapika finally answered. He did not look at her in the eyes. "But…call me Kurapika." With those final words, he seemed to get lost in his thoughts once more.

"Of course." She murmured in response.


Arla's hands trembled a little. She wished she was somewhere else, but no matter how many times she closed and opened her eyes, she was still standing in the same spot. "...Then shall we go?" She finally suggested to everyone with a slight grimace on her face, not willing to hide it for once.

Gon grinned, leading the others, as they all stepped to the edge of the steep cliff.

At first, Arla felt terrified at the idea of jumping down, but she reminded herself that it was either she dies or lives in her situation. So with that resolve in mind, she pushed down her fear and followed the group with a serious expression.

"..." Everyone concentrated hard because if they did not, then it would mean their immediate death.

The moment they felt the wind, they all jumped down, grabbing onto and landing on the strong threads of the spider eagles.

She sighed in relief. Her hands continued to tremble, but she forced herself to be steady. "I thought that I was going to die…"

Soon, her heart pounded even harder and her strength somehow pumped throughout her body.

It was the adrenaline rush.

Using her legs, she ran towards the egg and snatched one in seconds. 'I GOT ONE!' Her expression brightened.

Following Gon, she then jumped at the same time as him - towards the cliff, miraculously making it to the top of the cliff once more.

"..." It almost felt like a dream to her as she walked over to the boiling water. "To think that I made it…"

Leorio murmured agreements with her. "But now we have to boil the egg." He whispered to her.

"You have a point there, Leorio." Arla replied back with a little bit of worry flickering in her eyes.

'But I am certain that the egg will turn out fine... After all, isn't it basics to know how long to boil an egg? But this is not a regular egg, so... Regardless, I know it will turn out okay... Perhaps...' She seemed to get more nervous, the more she thought about it. 'Well, no time to think about it now!' She then dropped her egg into the boiling water.


Ai stared deep down the ravine. "...Willy, do you know gymnastics?"

Wonka closed his eyes and took in a sharp breath. "For the last time, my name is not Willy, and no, unfortunately for you, I've never even touched gymnastics."

"Oh…" If it were possible, her shoulders slumped even more. "I guess I'll die, then." She stared further into the ravine, from where she heard the voices of a few too many souls.

Heavily sighing in resignation, Wonka shook his head and massaged his forehead - despite not feeling any pain. "I may not know gymnastics, but this thing here doesn't need gymnastics, Ai."

She looked up at him with sparkling eyes. "Does this mean that you can-"

"Yes, I'll possess you," he interrupted, conceding as if he was talking to a child.

Immediately, she jumped up and down in response. "Yaaaaay! Wonka you're the best- OH!"

"Idiot! Don't jump up and down right by a goddamn ravine," he yelled at her incredulously as he sheepishly fixed herself. "Do you already want to become a permanent ghost that badly!?"

"Oops~!"


The Second Phase ended positively, thanks to Buhara's grunts of 'THE EGG IS DONE!'. To a lot of the applicants, it seemed as if their consumption of the regular boiled egg and the spider eagle's egg were their rewards for passing that part of the Exam.

Arla was one of them who thought so. "That was delicious." She smiled contently and pleasantly at Leorio and Kurapika.

They nodded in agreement as they continued to consume their eggs.

It was the first time that she consumed something this delicious with ingredients that she obtained with her own hands.

"If I knew that this would be so satisfying, then I would have always… Perhaps I should become a gourmet hunter…" She began admiring Menchi and Buhara a lot more than before. "Such amazing people…"

It was in that next second that Killua spoke up. "Seems like we need to ride the airship again." The younger male stretched out his arms, letting out a small yawn of boredom. "Let's go."

Gon finished eating his eggs. "Un!"

"I wonder if we can get some rest…" Arla voiced out her thoughts as she joined the two in heading towards the airship.

"You're tired already, Arla?" Killua asked with a teasing grin.

She sheepishly smiled at him. "Are you implying that I am… old?" She then raised her eyebrow at him, accepting his invitation to playfully banter with him.

He smirked. "I guess your age matches you." He finally shrugged nonchalantly, as if it was a fact.

"Ara, I thought that I was thirteen like you." She bantered back with amusement twinkling in her eyes.

"It's okay if you're fifteen, Arla!" Gon smiled brightly at her. "Even if you're as tall as us, it won't change your age!"

PANG-!

That was the sound of Arla's heart. "Somehow… I feel like a cruel thing was said just now." She murmured to herself, feeling a little down after hearing that from Gon.

"..." Killua blankly stared at Gon. "...Huh."

"Huh?" Gon scratched the back of his head, glancing at the two questioningly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." They both answered simultaneously.

"Wow, you guys are in sync!" Before Gon could say anything else, however, Leorio put him in an arm lock. "Ah, Leorio!" Gon laughed at his antics.

Kurapika sighed at the two.

It was then when Beans, Netero's secretary, announced that everyone should get some food and rest to prepare for the Third Phase the next morning.

"...So what should we do?" Arla asked the group immediately after.

"I want to get some rest." Kurapika said with a tired expression.

"Agreed." Leorio stretched out his arms after releasing Gon from his arm lock.

Gon grinned with excitement. "I want to explore the airship!"

"Same." Killua mischievously smiled. "Since you're old, you're going to get some rest, right? Arla?"

She actually looked conflicted. "This is my first time riding this, so it would be nice to explore it… But I do want to rest at the same time…"

With a straight expression, Killua walked over to her and then flicked her forehead with his finger. She looked at him - startled. "Gon and I can tell you about the airship when we finish exploring, so get some rest. You're not as strong as us when it comes to stamina. Understand your weakness and make up for it."

"...Are you really thirteen, Killua? Are you sure you're not the same age as me?" Arla asked him questioningly.

He raised his eyebrow at her. "Do you really think I'll be as short as you when I'm fifteen?"

PANG-!

That was the sound of Arla's heart again. "Somehow, I feel like another cruel thing was said just now…" She sighed, smiling a very pained smile. "I suppose I will rest then. But... You have to promise me that you will both tell me everything about the airship!" She raised up her pinky finger. "Promise me."

"Uh…" Killua blankly stared at her pinky finger. He then gingerly also copied her by raising up his pinky finger, watching the way her pinky finger wrapped around his. She soon gently raised them up and down. "..."

Her pinky finger was smaller than his; that was the first thing he noticed.

"Are you sure you're not thirteen?" He hesitantly asked her with a serious expression.

Her smile twitched. "...Anyways, you promised!" She then released her pinky finger from his and then did the same with Gon.

Once they finished, she smiled satisfactorily to herself. "Have fun exploring!"

After watching the two younger males leave, she finally joined Leorio and Kurapika in the other room. "..." She watched the two carefully and then decided to sit in between Leorio and Kurapika. As she leaned against the wall, she wondered briefly to herself if she could borrow someone's shoulder.

"Ah, that wouldn't be polite though." She muttered to herself.

In the past, she never got into the habit of talking to herself, but after living with the generally quiet Lawrence for the past few months, she had to make do by talking to herself for comfort.

And so, without depending on anyone, she managed to finally pass out, ignoring the stubby male who tried to keep the rookies awake for the whole night.


"Hanzo-san, what're you going to do now?" Ai looked up at him, grinning widely with excitement.

Crossing his arms seriously, he closed his eyes. "I'm going to go sit in the resting area and concentrate on my meditation! I might be in the Hunter Exam, but I can never forget my training or origins...as a ninja," he whispered the last part.

Without missing a beat, Ai said, "Does that mean you're going to sleep?"

"To some, it may seem like sleeping," Hanzo answered ambiguously. "What about you, Shinichi? Are you going to be resting?"

Beaming at him, Ai spread her arms wide and spun on her heels. "I'm going to explore this ship! And get some nourishment while I'm at it." Pausing her spin, Ai blinked at him through her bangs. "But first, I'll shower. I feel super gross and I can't stand it… I'll admit I'm exhausted though, so after I'm done with everything, I'll sleep for a while."

"I see. Then it's farewell for now, Shinichi. I wish you luck for the rest of the exam."

She laughed. "You're talking as if we're never going to meet again." Turning away from him, she looked over her shoulders and waved while jogging away. "Anyways, have a good night and don't let the ghosts wake you up!"

Hanzo paled once again. "Don't…let the ghosts wake me?" He laughed to himself; clearly, it was a scared laughter.


Rushing out of yet another room, Ai slammed the door and upped her pace as she walked down the white hallway - still in her sweaty clothes from the First and Second Phase.

'Why,' she wondered, 'why were they all communal baths?!'

'Whose idea is it?!'

"Another miss?" Wonka questioned, tailing behind with mocking amusement at her predicament.

"Yes," she hissed out, deciding to spare him from a hateful glare. "Whose dumb idea was it to have all communal baths on this blimp? Did they never consider that a woman would take the hunter exam, or that no one would want privacy?" Ai mused aloud hatefully, a scornful laugh making its way out of her.

Stifling his laughter, Wonka cleared his throat. "Maybe the examiners know about private bathrooms, or even have access to them," he provided helpfully; because while laughing outright at her problem was his first response, it certainly wasn't the smartest one - considering Ai's anger.

Halting completely and staring at him as if he was a ghost - which he was, Ai muttered, "Willy, this is the best thing you've said all day."

"How many times have I told you, my name isn't Willy- Hey, why are you running?!"

"To find the examiners!"

"Are you insane?!"

"You've been saying that from the start; I guess you've got your confirmation at last, Willy!"

"For the LAST time-"


Menchi was having a decent meal in her room, chatting with the other two examiners, light and casual other than the bit about Hisoka, but nevertheless, it was a good meal.

Until someone unexpectedly burst into the room.

"What-"

Heavily panting on her knees, Ai looked up and it seemed like she had found nirvana. "At…last…I found…you guys…"

Menchi frowned. She abhorred having her meals interrupted. "What? Where did you get the courage to rudely burst in a room filled with three hunters, candidate 369?" She could not believe she had the tiniest bit of fondness for this rude brat before.

Remaining unfazed, Ai bowed down. "I apologize…for my rudeness. However, I have…a troubling matter at hand…"

"A troubling matter…?" Satotz questioned.

"Well, what is it?" Menchi urged, already deeply annoyed.

Looking up from her bowing position with sparkling tears, Ai sobbed out, "I feel so gross and I want to bathe, but all I can find are communal baths!"

A moment of silence passed before Buhara said, "Menchi, you can let her use it for a while. I'm sure you understand as a fellow woman." Buhara looked at Menchi knowingly.

In response, she huffed. "Well… I guess."

"Meow?!" Ai gasped, standing up in shock. "How did you guys know I'm a girl!?" Her expression seemed scandalized.

All three of them stared at her.

"Well, it's just our intuitions as hunters," Satotz said in a slightly nervous manner.

"Oh, so that's it," saying that, Ai breathed out a sigh of relief. "Well, of course, experienced hunters would be able to see through my disguise; it's only natural."

The same thought was running through their minds.

'That…was supposed to be a disguise...?'

Another moment paused before Menchi let out a deep sigh; irritated as she was, it was not like she could not understand her feelings, being a woman in a male dominated field.

"That's the door to the bathroom. You can use it if you want," Menchi said, pointing towards the door. "Just, don't mess it up." The sympathy she felt for the bright-eyed girl was larger than her annoyance towards her.

Filling up with gratitude, Ai's eyes twinkled with thankfulness and ecstasy. "Thank you so much, Menchi-san! You're the best! I'll get better at cooking and pay you back in supreme, delicious food!"

Confused, Menchi made a strange expression at Ai's words and lazily waved her away.

"That's the one I was telling you about," Satotz said as soon as Ai entered Menchi's bathroom.

"What?!" Turning to him in absolute surprise, Menchi continued, "You mean she's the creep who followed you closely for the entirety of First Phase and then puked her guts out?!"

Satotz merely nodded.

"That's wild," Buhara commented.


"Ah~ That felt nice~" Giggling chirpily, Ai skipped as if she had been reborn. Well, at least, she felt like it. "Menchi-san and the other examiners are so nice."

"Yeah…" Wonka looked away; being left behind in that room, he knew exactly what they thought of her. Well, Menchi seemed to be amused by her at most after that revelation; she liked crazy - it seemed, and Satotz…well…not so much. Buhara, thankfully, did not think much of it.

"Hey there! Kids! Stay out of the kitchen!" A chef opened the door with two children by the back of their collars in his hands. "Go eat in the dining hall," he yelled, throwing them out.

Ai stopped walking, looking at the two tossed out in front of her. "Ah."

Both noticed her with Killua mumbling "geh" as he got up with his meat stick.

"Ahh, it's you from Phase One!" Gon pointed at her. "I'm glad. It seems like you're feeling better from before!" He grinned brightly.

"Than before…?" Tilting her head back, Ai blinked.

"When you couldn't talk!" Gon chirped.

"And when you puked," Killua added.

"Ah," Ai repeated once more, this time with remembrance; with the desperate adrenaline during the First Phase, much of it was a blur. It was the two she talked to right before they entered the Swindler's Swamp! Or rather, they tried to talk to her and she just blubbered at them. "I remember you two! I'm sorry for not responding back then. My vision was clouded with desperation, haha!" Laughing with a hand on her hip, she rubbed her head over her cap with her other hand sheepishly, but with no shame.

Killua nudged Gon. "Gon, let's go. She seems like a weirdo."

"Eh, really?" Blinking at him curiously, Gon missed the hint.

Eyebrow twitching, Ai laughed once more, commenting, "A weirdo? Don't worry." She smiled reassuringly. "That's the most normal you'll get from me, meow."

Killua stared at her for a moment whilst Gon laughed awkwardly.

"Gon, we should really go. When a weirdo admits to being a weirdo, it's never a good thing," saying that, Killua opted to rudely point at Ai.

"Excuse me?!" Huffing, Ai placed her hands on her hips and pouted. "You can't generalize all weirdos like that! Weirdos are weird because they're weird, so they wouldn't be weird if they were all the same kind of weird, meow!"

"Huh...?" Steam came out of Gon's ears.

Killua looked at her incredulously. "What? You said weird too many times. What the heck did you just say?! And stop saying meow!"

"Well," Ai began once more. "I said that weirdos are weird because they're weird-"

Immediately, Killua interrupted her. "I heard you the first time!"

A moment or two passed.

Eyes sparkling, Ai fist pumped. "We all get along so well! Let's be friends, nya! I'm Shinichi, nya! Also, I'm a guy! Totally a guy!"

"What?! Does this look like getting along to you?!" Killua looked at her with exasperation.

'And no way is she a guy!' Killua thought to himself.

"I'm Gon! Let's be friends!" Gon agreed easily enough, beaming at her.

"What?! Well, fine, I guess," Killua mumbled while rubbing the back of his neck; he sighed in false annoyance. "My name is Killua, weirdo."

"Nice! We're already using pet names, nya!"

Gon laughed while Killua looked at her like she grew another head."What-? That's not a pet name, you idiot!"

"Meow! Another pet name! Wow, we're all so close already!"


As they neared the corner of the hallway, Killua looked towards the windows. "Woah, that's awesome!" Rushing over to the windows, he called out to the other two. "Look at this, Gon, Shinichi!"

"Hmm? What is it?" Excitedly Gon went over with Ai following right behind.

"Dagnabbit! That view…" Staring off into the distance with awe, Ai plastered her face to the window.

"Whoa, it's like the ground is covered in jewels!"

"Yeah," agreed Killua in amazement.

Bringing his face away from the thick glass pane slightly, Gon relaxed against the windowsill. "Hey, I was wondering…"

Turning her face towards him, Ai blinked at him curiously.

"Hmm?" Killua voiced from behind her.

"Where are your mom and dad?"

"Hmm… They're alive. Probably," answered Killua.

Ai turned towards him questioningly. "Probably? What do they do then - are they hunters?"

"They're assassins."

"Uwaah!" Ai's eyes sparkled as her head bounced up.

Gon turned to look at Killua. "Huh? Both of them?"

"Meow! Are you really allowed to tell us that? Do they live a secret double life?" Ai followed up Gon's question, buzzing with excitement as she recalled when a friend of hers told her about the exciting stuff like omerta.

Killua took a moment to stare at both of them before outright laughing. "Those are really your first reactions? You really a riot, Gon, and Shinichi, you really are just a weirdo." Even while saying that, Killua was still heartily laughing.

"Huh?" Voicing his confusion, Gon continued to look at him as Killua took a seat.

"You two are the first who've ever responded seriously," Killua admitted, leaning his face into his hand.

"Well, you're telling the truth, right?" asked Gon.

Ai nodded feverishly in agreement.

"What makes you think that?" Curiosity flickered in Killua's eyes.

At that, Ai looked at him confused. "Meow."

"Well, it's just a hunch," Gon supplied for the two of them.

"That's weird," proclaiming that, Killua leaned further down the windowsill, turning to look through the windowpane once more. "People like me because they can't ever tell whether I'm serious."

"I think that would make most people frustrated with you instead," Ai quipped cheekily.

"Sorry, but weirdos don't get to decide what 'most people' would feel," Killua bit back, earning an ire-filled grumble from Ai. "I'm from a family of assassins. So they're all assassins. And my family…" His expression withered into a bitter smile. "...have high hopes from me."

Killua's tone once more turned casual. "But I can't stand it. Who wants to have their life planned out for them?"

Feeling her chest squeeze in a pang, Ai could not help but instinctively nod. He was right. No one should force down such expectations upon other people. That was just unfair and cruel.

Killua turned to them with frustration. "When I told them I wanted to decide my own future, they all snapped! My mother had tears streaming down her cheeks as she told me I have the potential to be a top assassin!" He looked at them incredulously.

At that, both Ai and Gon could not help but chuckle a bit.

"Horrible parents, right? It's natural that their kid would go bad."

"Your parents are mean, but I don't think you're a bad person, Killua," Ai replied earnestly, still chuckling a bit.

"Tell them that and just see the rage they'll fly into!" Killua huffed. "Anyways, so I stabbed my mother in the face, my brother on the side, and ran away from home!"

Gon looked at him in awe.

"I'd run away from jerks like those too!" Fist pumping, Ai let her passionate rage coat her voice. "Serves those buttholes right! Your escape must've been such a blow to those control freaks!"

"Of course, they must be out for blood right now," Killua agreed cheekily, rubbing his chin. "But if they find me, I'll send them packing."

Gon chuckled.

"When I become a Hunter, I'll start by capturing my family. I'm sure they're worth some hefty bounties…"

From then on, the conversation dissolved into what Killua would do with those bounties, and from then into a wide variety of topics.

"Meow…" Even though Ai tried her best to keep up with the conversation, she could not help the perpetual closing of her lid.

"-ichi? Shinichi?"

Jumping with a start, Ai looked at both of them. "S-Sorry, what were we talking about?" She sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

"What would happen if you deep fried shrimp coated in chocolate-" Ai made a face at that. "-but anyways, I think you should go to sleep, Shinichi. You seem tired." Gon smiled at her understandingly.

"I mean, I am tired, but I want to hang out with you guys more," Ai murmured sadly, pouting as she looked away.

"Idiot, you're in the Hunter Exam; with how weak you look like, if you don't rest, you're going to get wrecked," Killua lectured lightheartedly.

"I won't get wrecked," muttered Ai, unconvincingly. "I'll just…be sleepy."

Gon laughed dryly. "I don't think that's a good option during the Hunter Exam."

"You two are right." Pouting, Ai stood up. "I'll see you guys tomorrow then. Don't forget about me!"

Beaming, Gon waved to her. "Don't worry! We won't forget about you, Shinichi!"

Killua scoffed. "I doubt anyone can forget a weirdo like you, no matter how much they want to."

Giggling into her hands, Ai began stepping back. "Aww, thank you guys! Anyways, good night!" Then she turned to run, but not before saying, "Also, just saying, but shrimp covered in chocolate is a terrible idea - deep fried or not!"

"Chocolate with anything is a genius idea, you idiot!" - are words which followed after her.

Chuckling to herself as she ran into another hallway, Ai nearly bumped into someone. "Oof-" Blinking up at the person who she was supposed to have bumped into, she realized that no one was there. She hastily looked around soon after. Suddenly, she saw Chairman Netero exactly in the same place she was looking at a moment ago.

"Nya?" Confused, she tilted her head. "How did you hide? Is it your speed?"

"Hohoho." Instead of replying, the chairman took to playing with his beard. "It was nothing but a little trick," came his vague answer.

"Little…trick…" Ai scrunched up her face as the old man continued walking down the path she came from. "That sounds like a clown-ish thing to say. I sure do hope he's not related to Hisoka," Ai muttered to herself, earning herself a grimace from Wonka.

"How did you even come to that conclusion?"

"Well, anyways, I'm going to go to sleep," she answered decisively, stalking towards the sleeping room for various applicants; she was going to find Hanzo in whichever room he was 'meditating' in and sleep beside him. She might be a light sleeper, but one can never be too careful. So for now, Hanzo seemed like the safest option to sleep beside.


Arla breathed heavily, no longer putting up an elegant front. She ripped the ends of her dress. Her modesty no longer mattered when her life was in danger.

"Hurry, my lady!" Lawrence furiously whispered to her. She gritted her teeth and threw her shoes away as they were getting in the way. "This way-!"

From behind them, the fire roared as if trying to consume them with the rest of the residence. Arla's long hair caught the wisps of the flames. "My hair-" She did not know what to do. Lawrence took out his dagger and chopped almost half of her hair. She did not have time to mourn for the loss of her hair. The silky locks of her black hair immediately burnt up until it became a part of the fire.

"Apologies." He muttered. She continued to run without pausing.

"No matter. We must leave." Her conviction stained her voice and they danced in her eyes with the fire. "We must live." She no longer looked like a lady. She appeared to be a warrior who stained her hands and clothes with blood - blood that could no longer be part of the living.

"...We're almost there." Lawrence coughed, kicking the door in front of him. "I will go first." He managed to say. She nodded in agreement.

When he motioned to her that it was safe, she dashed out of the residence. Ashes and blood stained her white clothing. Her entire existence, her identity, her past, and her realization of the world crumbled down into ashes. "All because of my power…" The residence building burnt into nothingness - just like her.


Arla opened her eyes, breathing hard. Sweat trickled down her forehead and cheeks. "Again…" She muttered to herself. She had this dream over and over again without end. It was rare when she dreamed about something else. Nevertheless, she would not change her decision. She swore to herself that she would not.

Realizing that she had slept against Kurapika's shoulder, she thanked him quietly, despite knowing that he would not hear it.

"..." She soon stood up in hopes of getting a drink to keep her mind off of her dream.

The moment she left the room, Leorio opened his eyes. "...She looks better now." He murmured to the male next to him.

Kurapika never opened his eyes, but he answered back. "Aa… Let's hope that it stays that way." The two went back to snooze once more.

Arla almost got lost in the airship, but she managed to find a vending machine. Putting in a coin, she bought a can of refreshing peach juice. After contemplating on where she could relax, she finally sat down on the comfortable couch absentmindedly. The spot was perfect for her since she preferred to get lost in her thoughts, shutting out all of the sound and things that went on in the background, which included the group of men who yelped a good distance away.

She snapped out of it when she heard a plopping sound of someone sitting down next to her on the couch.

'Who...?' She turned her head and saw a shirtless Killua looking quite annoyed. He crossed his arms and glared at the vending machine.

She looked at him thoughtfully. "Killua, do you want some juice?" She offered her cold drink as she found it to be too sweet for her tastes. "...and what happened to your shirt?"

"...It's on the floor." He muttered, grabbing the can from her and downed the entire drink in seconds.

Just as he said, she spotted the shirt on the floor. "Ah…" She did not really feel like talking, so she relaxed in her seat with Killua who seemed to have calmed down.

"I thought you were going to rest." Killua commented. "Are you going to explore the airship instead?"

"Hm… I did get some rest. I do not believe I will explore the airship by myself though. It will not be as fun as going with everyone else…" She replied before going quiet.

It was only after a few more minutes of silence that Arla continued to talk. "...Nee, Killua. Do you think it is right to get your revenge against someone like Kurapika or to live your life to fulfill your dreams like Leorio? Or is it right to follow your instincts or whims without caring for the consequences?"

"Where is this coming from?" He crushed the can and threw it at the trashcan, looking at her while doing that. When he noticed that she really wanted an answer from him, he decided to answer her seriously. "Well… I think it's best to have fun with life. Just follow your desires and dreams. Don't get trapped by the wishes and whims of others. Since it's your life and not theirs..." He finally looked at her with an odd smile. "Look at me! I'm a prime example of that! I took the Hunter Exam for fun and I left my family profession because I didn't want my whole life planned out by my family. I want to be me and go out on my own. But they didn't like that. They wanted me to be an assassin like them, but did I care? No, not really. So don't think too hard about it and do what you think is best for you." He then sighed and went over to her. "You think too much."

"But I-" She could not finish her sentence as he pulled on her cheek. "Ugyah-"

"Like I said, stop thinking. Just go back to sleep. I'll stay with you since you want to be my friend." When he said, 'friend,' he looked away and crossed his arms. "Unless you don't want to be friends with an ex-assassin." He quietly whispered the last part.

"What?" She tilted her head to the side a little, looking a bit confused. "Ah… That's right. You said that you are from a family of assassins." She blinked absentmindedly.

'It is very odd... I do not know why I feel nothing about him being an ex-assassin or even about him coming from a family of assassins, but...I suppose that the idea of one's background being more important... I suppose that got destroyed after what happened a few months ago...' She smiled sadly to herself before turning towards him with a sincere expression.

"I do not really care too much about that… I still want to be your friend, even if you are or were an assassin. And to me, that is more important. Is that so wrong?" She then smiled warmly at him. "After all, the cleanest person can be the most vicious, while the supposedly dirtiest person can be the purest. So that is why I do not place such a high importance on occupations or family background when it comes to the people I surround myself with."

She leaned back into the comfortably warm couch. "I believe in the Killua in front of me and that is good enough for me. So I will depend on you to stay with me because I want to be your friend… No, because you are my friend, whether you believe that or not."

Without waiting for his reply, she got into an even more comfortable position, slowly falling asleep under his presence - as if to prove her point.

And while it could have been her imagination or wish, she felt as though she heard a small whisper from him.

The words of…

'Thank you.'


"Gonnie! Killua!" Ai ran towards the two, waving frantically.

"Ah, Shinichi!" Gon waved back frantically as Killua cringed. The other guys around them looked at the newcomer curiously.

Noticing the other guys around them though, she slowly came to a stop behind Gon, not yet noticing Arla.

Leorio pointed at Ai, glancing at Gon. "Oi, Gon, who's this?"

Gripping onto Gon's sleeve, Ai peeked at the rest of them.

"Ah!" Laughing, Gon rubbed his head sheepishly. "This is Shinichi! Killua and I met him yesterday! Ah, Shinichi, this is Leorio-" Gon gestured at the oldest of the group. "-and this is Kurapika-" He then gestured at the blonde, calm male. "-and this is Arla!" Grinning, Gon at last gestured towards Arla.

Ai's eyes sparkled when she saw Arla, her grip on Gon's sleeve tightening. 'Thank god, there's another girl here!'

Both Kurapika and Leorio blinked when Gon addressed Ai as 'him'. Arla merely observed Ai knowingly.

"Yeah." Killua lazily clasped his hands behind his head. "Just warning you, but Shinichi is a weirdo."

Angrily pouting at him, Ai lightly stomped her foot. "Hey, why is that a warning?! Being a weirdo isn't a bad thing, in fact being weird is actually normal because everyone has their own quirks and-"

"Ah, so loud and annoying." Killua yawned in his hand.

Eye twitching, Ai turned back to facing the rest of the group. "Besides! I can introduce myself!" Stepping away from Gon, Ai cleared her throat. "The name's Shinichi, yo! And don't you dare call me Shinichi-san, meow!" Putting her hands on her hips, Ai huffed.

"A…guy?" Looking at her absurdly, Leorio blinked as he whispered those words to himself. 'And no guy would say nya like that! Who is she trying to fool!?'

Having heard his words, Kurapika smacked Leorio on the head. "Don't be nosy. Shinichi must have his own reasons."

Rubbing his head, Leorio glared at Kurapika before turning to face Ai again. "Well, it's nice to meet you then, Shinichi. Why did you come to the hunter exam?"

"Un! Nice to meet ya too!" Ai jumped up, grinning. "Well, there are many reasons," she responded thoughtfully, tapping her chin. "But…mainly, I guess it was to-" Escape. "-explore the world and find my older brother." Ai grinned again, tilting her head.

"Uwah!" Gon's eyes glittered. "That's the same as me then! I'm looking for my dad!"

Ai looked at him in surprise for a moment, eyes shining just as brightly. "Eh? Really?" Grinning widely, they clapped their hands together.

"Gonnie! You really are my twin," she yelled, laughing.

Gon laughed back.

"Ugh, Gon isn't your twin!" Killua yelled.

Ignoring his response, Ai then turned to face Arla, her eyes shining even more as her shoulders slackened. 'Ahh... She hasn't said anything to me yet! She seems super calm and cool! I hope we can be friends!'


A new female joined the group.

While it was very obvious to Arla that the supposed male was actually a female, the actual female thought that she could fool everyone. Perhaps because of this or because of another reason, the younger female's disguise and act made Arla's expression to turn stiff.

'She is not the same. She is not the same as…' Arla took a deep breath to calm herself. She hoped that no one else noticed her unease. Her insides curled up uncomfortably.

"The name's Shinichi, yo! And don't you dare call me Shinichi-san, meow!" Shinichi or Ai flicked her bangs with her hand before putting them on her hips, emphasizing the oversized long sleeved t-shirt she was wearing. Her chocolate brown hair was stuffed into her cap, showing only her bangs and parts of her short hair, as her round indigo eyes sparkled at them.

Arla's lip twitched. She almost let out a laugh. She found the newcomer to be very odd.

The more she gazed into the young female's eyes though, the more she could see how clear and pure this person's soul was.

'Nothing like that monster…' Feeling a little guilty for being so guarded against Ai, she stayed quiet during the group's interactions with the fake male as it was clear that they all met her or had seen her previously before Arla had even met the group in the beginning of the exams.

However, Ai's eyes soon fell on her. Arla could not help but stiffen again, realizing that the young female wanted to talk to her, instead of the males in the group.

'Should I…? Is it too soon…?'

It had only been a few months ago since the horror that claimed her everything.

That was when she noted that Ai seemed jumpier than the normal person, due to her nervousness around the males.

'Ah… I can understand that.' Arla smiled sadly to herself.

She must have been similar to her in the sense that she had limited interactions with males in general in the past.

With that in mind, Arla calmed down once more.

'She is still younger than me. Her eyes are clear and straightforward. She holds no lies, except for that ridiculous getup. She is truthful in her demeanor. There is no need to hold such a guard against her. Therefore, I will learn to accept her as she is, rather than be influenced by the past.' With that, she gave a tentative warm smile towards the younger female. 'I will no longer…'

"Nice to meet you, Shinichi. My name is Arla." She placed her hand over her chest and bowed slightly towards her while closing her eyes when doing so at a perfect angle.

When she locked eyes with Ai once more and saw that relief somehow pooled into the younger female's eyes, that was when she knew for sure in her heart that Ai was not a bad person at all - unlike that person.


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