temporary title
glow me
Disclaimer: Yoshihiro Togashi, Shueisha, and all those people are the only ones to whom Hunter x Hunter belongs.
Some Dates: Started writing: July 18th, 2004. Finished writing: July 21st, 2004. Post date: July 21st, 2004.
The tunnel was packed with hundreds of people; the heat of all the bodies so close together radiated almost visibly. People in the distance could only be identified as faintly humanoid blobs--the tunnel was dark, unlit. Chatter buzzed throughout, amplified a bit from the tunnel's echoing effect. Then people would speak louder because they couldn't hear over the amplified sound, and others would speak louder than them because they couldn't hear what everyone else was saying over the din, and so on and so forth.
A stout man that looked to be around his forties glanced around, surveying the scene. He had a bag slung around his shoulders with lumps sticking out here and there. 'Newbies... newbies...' he thought. His eyes passed right over Hisoka, a well-known veteran. There was another guy he might've seen somewhere--too risky. Hmm... He fought his way through the crowd to a small clearing. There, he saw a girl leaning against the tunnel wall, fidgeting with her fingers, yellow eyes darting around. He sauntered over to her.
"Hi!" he said, raising a hand in greeting. He received no response; probably needed a conversation starter. He noticed that, in addition to her chin-length black hair, she had uneven bangs in front; probably did it herself. "I, err, like your hair."
She jumped. "Oh, sorry, I didn't notice you there. Thanks!" she smiled, and he smiled back. He'd started a conversation; now he had to win some trust... He paused for a moment, searching for another icebreaker.
"So... Got any friends with you for this test?" he asked.
"No. My other friend stayed at home because he said he valued his life. It can't possibly be that dangerous, could it? Don't they have examiners that monitor what goes on so no one gets seriously hurt?" She fidgeted a bit more with her hands, though her eyes were darting around a considerably less amount now.
"There... are examiners, yes..."
"Oh, that's a relief... I hope I pass this test. At first I thought it was some kind of knowledge exam, so I was studying everything I could get my hands on, but then my friend told me that it was more of a real-world thing. I brought a few weapons with me for self-defense, but I hope I don't have to kill anything." It was all said in a rush. "I'm glad I finally have someone to talk to. It's great to get that all off my chest. So, what's your name?"
"Tompa." Soon; the only reason why she would spill out some secrets like that would be if she trusted him...
"My name's Lene Azra, but please, just call me Azra."
"Azra... that's a nice name." He paused for a second, then pointed out the veterans and people she should avoid. She nodded, listening, a few 'really?'s popping in.
"So! To celebrate our newfound friendship, why don't we have a drink?" He rummaged around in his bag, then brought out two cans of juice. He opened one and took a gulp, then held out the unopened can to her. Azra examined the cans, then waved her hand no. Tompa was taken aback--surely she couldn't have known about the laxatives he put in them? He looked at her suspiciously; she was either oblivious to the look or simply chose to ignore it.
"Sorry Tompa-san... I don't like coconut juice."
"Oh." He let out a relieved sigh, though it was barely audible over the din. He was beginning to worry that, once he turned his back, she'd start telling everyone else about what he was doing. "Well, I've got grape juice, too."
"No thanks... I don't like grape juice either."
"Oh." Defeat. He'd try somewhere else, then. He now remembered passing a spiky-haired kid that he'd never seen before. "It was nice talking to you, Azra."
"You're leaving?" she asked shrilly; Tompa winced from its high frequency. Insecure and a girl--she probably wouldn't get past the first part.
"I... have to go now. Bye!" He waved, then walked off, narrowly avoiding being squished in the crowd.
.
Azra sighed, then stared at the ground, tracing invisible patterns on the floor with the toe of her boot. She wanted someone to talk to her again... Suddenly, the noise level in the tunnel lowered to almost silent, but lasted for only about a second before a piercing scream rang out. Standing on her tiptoes and craning her neck forward, Azra tried to see what was going on. She could vaguely see a large circle of empty space around someone with a shock of blue-green hair. Lowering herself back to her normal height, she pushed through the crowd. She didn't know if she really wanted to see what was happening, but her curiosity won her over.
"Now this man has no arms--it's magic!" The sentence rang out through the tunnel, somewhat obscured by the constant screaming. Azra pushed a bit more fiercely, and combined with the fact that people were generally backing away, she reached the front fairly quickly. Before the man with blue hair dressed as a jester was a kneeling man, holding out his arms to stare at fingers that weren't there, to stare at unbleeding stumps. The jester continued, unfazed.
"And that is why you should always apologize after you hit someone."
"Ah, yes, number forty-four, Hisoka..." Azra turned to the source of the muttering a little ways back, Tompa. She fought back the urge to greet him and start up a conversation, as now didn't seem to be the correct time.
"There are always those you shouldn't trust in the exam," Tompa continued. "Hisoka was disqualified last year for killing a judge."
"What?!" exclaimed a man that looked to be in his early twenties. With his sudden outburst, the tension was broken and small converstations started up again. The armless man had stopped screaming and was only whimpering now. "And they're letting him participate again this year?!"
"Of course!" Tompa said nonchalantly. "The judges change every year. But anyways, you'd better stay away from Hisoka--he mutilated twenty participants last year, too. Say, would you like a drink?"
A small jolt passed through Azra. Tompa passed around three cans of juice. The spiky-haired kid in green popped open the can first, then took a large sip. Azra chanced a glance at Tompa, and noticed a particular glint in his eyes and a slight smirk. Her suspicions were confirmed somewhat; now she wanted to confront Tompa and accuse him of poisoning the drinks, but realized that, unless the kid died on the spot, she wouldn't have enough evidence. She didn't want to look like an idiot. Slipping back a little bit to observe more inconspicuously, she saw the spiky-haired kid allow the juice to dribble out of his mouth.
"Tompa-san! I think your juice has gone bad. It has a funny taste!" he exclaimed, holding out the can, voice filled with childishness. Tompa's back was to Azra, but she saw him stiffen a bit.
"So sorry! I'm so sorry, I didn't know!" Tompa was almost on his knees apologizing... Was that a hint of falseness in his voice? Azra growled; what sort of person would take advantage of newbies, especially children? That man was despicable, horrible; how could he muster up the strength to take happiness away from the other participants? What sort of selfishness motivated him?
The spattering sound of juice hitting the floor jerked her back into her senses. The man in his twenties and a blond-haired boy were both pouring out their cans of juice. Before Azra could add even a passing comment of how she felt about Tompa, a loud sound somewhat like a scream and a whistle shrieked through the tunnel, quieting the smalltalk that had started up.
Azra looked up at the high ledge where the scream-whistle originated. The man standing there firmly shut the mouth of the noisemaker.
"I'm here. The reception time is over," he said--yet didn't say; Azra couldn't see his mouth, and pushed away the thought that he had no mouth--that was impossible, wasn't it?
"Now," he continued, "the exam can begin. Follow me." He hopped lightly from the ledge and landed without a sound on the stone floor. He motioned to the unoccupied end of the tunnel. Azra smiled.
The first examination had just begun.
Author's Notes: Please review!