A/N: Alright, I got the second chapter done. The color of the chapter corresponds to Sara's new name, Sora which means 'sky'.
In this chapter you shall have interractions with canon characters and first peeks into Sora's abilities.
Chapter 2
Sky blue: Phase One
Sora didn't need to wait too long when the door of the elevator opened and three people stepped in. Gon, Kurapika and Leorio. A soft smile crept on the girl's face. It was nice to see them like this: alive and well. And real. She still barely could believe that she was actually living in the world of Hunter x Hunter but hey, she'd get used to it. Especially after figuring out what she could do and what sort of past she had.
The blonde's eyes narrowed slightly when she saw Tonpa approaching the trio but decided not to do anything yet. Gon would save them from stomachache anyways.
"Oh, you're awake." A young male voice stated from Sora's left. The girl looked up to see a mass of soft snowy white hair and pale complex of a twelve-year-old boy. Killua Zoldyck was standing right next to her. When had he arrived there?
"I am." Sora smiled slightly. The boy didn't look at her, instead kept his eyes on the trio(+Tonpa). The girl followed his line of sight silently.
"You slept quite a while." The boy stated, glancing at her.
"I guess…" She shrugged. "Sleep did some good."
"Must've been one hell of a headache then."
"Huh?" Sora's head snapped up again.
"When you arrived, you poured juice on Tonpa and walked straight to this place, complaining a headache and giving off a murderous aura before falling asleep. No one dared to approach you." The young Zoldyck heir chuckled.
"Well… Now my headache is gone and I'm ready for this test." Sora smirked. "I think I can use this situation to my advantage though… People think I'm weakened and distracted due my headache… They are bound to underestimate me."
Killua shared the smirk before taking a step away from the wall. "Well, first you need to get through the phases as well. Are you capable to do that?"
"Don't get cocky, kid. I'm more than capable." Sora called after the boy's retreating back. The kid just waved his hand and disappeared into the crowd.
"… at least I hope I am." The girl added as if as an afterthought.
A scream pierced the air. Sora snapped her head to look toward the source of the scream. It was the man who bumped into Hisoka and didn't apologize. His arms were disappearing and the magician – perverted clown – himself was just chuckling.
"Oh, how peculiar…" Hisoka stated coldly. At the moment he looked more evil and mean than he would later. Later he'd be just creepy and… kind of neutral. "His arms seem to have become flower petals. No smoke and mirrors here. Do take care. When you bump into someone, you really should apologize."
With that, the red-haired magician walked away, everyone giving him a wide breath. Sora watched his retreating back with a blank face. Her expression hadn't changed at all when following the unfortunate applicant to lose his arms.
"I better stay clear from him…" She mused before turning her attention back to the trio by the elevator. Following them was a good way of keeping track on time. And indeed, Tonpa was offering juice to them.
Sora got on her feet. Some applicants glanced at her. Their numbers were below hers so they probably had seen the scene she caused according to Killua. The blonde ignored them and made her way to the quartet. Gon, Leorio and Kurapika were already getting rid of their drinks. Tonpa was shocked by that.
"I'm sorry!" The despicable man went on his knees. "I didn't realize the juice had gone bad."
"You didn't?" Sora asked quietly. "I told you, didn't I? And you still went around with that juice of yours."
She was just close enough for Tonpa to hear. The man froze just when Gon was telling him everything was alright. The fat man bid them goodbye and scurried away as soon as possible, making sure to pass Sora as far as possible. The girl watched his back with narrowed eyes and once she was sure he was far enough, she continued her way to the trio.
"You okay?" She asked them.
"Yeah." The twelve-year-old boy nodded.
Cute…
"Good. I was worried. He offered me also the juice but it was expired too." Sora glanced at the direction of the man again, but he was gone already. "You shouldn't trust him too much."
They were going to though… Until he showed his true colors in the Trick Tower.
"If he treated you juice too, does that mean you are also a first-timer?" Kurapika asked her then.
"Yep. But I'm quite sure I'll be fine though…" The girl stuffed her hands into the pockets of her trousers and rocked on her heels a bit while smiling. In the process she felt what she had in those pockets. A lighter in her left one. A cell phone in her right one. She probably should go through it later.
"What's your name then?" Gon asked eagerly.
"Ah, right. Where are my manners? My name is Sora."
"I'm Gon. This is Leorio and Kurapika." The spiky-haired boy introduced his friends too.
"Nice to meet you, Gon-kun, Kurapika-kun, Leorio-san."
"Nice to meet you too." Kurapika nodded. Leorio agreed silently, obviously pleased that someone showed him respect.
Riiiing, riiiiing, riiiiiing…
It was a sort of a bell that immediately caught the attention of every single applicant. When the ringing ended, the wall in the end of the space slid up with a lot of noise. In the other side of the wall, waiting for them, was the examiner in his bluish violet suit and the weird bell hanging from a thread in his hand. He had funny moustache, lilac hair and no mouth. When he began speaking, his moustaches only moved.
"I apologize for the wait. The entry period for Hunter applicants has ended." The examiner, Satotz, 'spoke'. "The Hunter Exam will now begin!"
"Here we go then." Sora smiled, adjusting her backpack. She brought her hands in front of her and took a deep breath.
"This body better not fail… Otherwise I'll find a way to beat the crap out of Troll-Guide…"
"A final caution." Satotz continued as there was some movement in the crowd. "If you are short on luck or ability you could very well end up seriously injured or even dead. Those who accept the risks, please follow me. Otherwise, please exit via the elevator behind you."
Sora glanced at the protagonist trio behind her. "Good luck guys!"
"Good luck, Sora-san!" Gon told her in excitement.
"Thanks, Gon-kun."
"Very well." The examiner's voice rang again. "All 404 applicants will participate in Phase One." He turned on his heel and in quite comical manner began marching forward. Everyone began following him in a fast walk. Leorio commented how no one turned around and about that time Satotz began picking up pace, forcing the applicants to run. Sora also began jogging among everyone else.
"I neglected to introduce myself. I am Satotz, the Phase One examiner. I shall lead you to the exam's Second Phase."
"Second Phase?" Hanzo commented. "What about Phase One?"
"It has already commenced." Satotz replied. Muttering erupted in the crowd and Sora couldn't help but sigh. If already getting the beginning of the Exam was test after test, why wouldn't the Exam itself be.
"You must follow me to Phase Two. This is the exam's first Phase."
"Follow you? That's it?" Hanzo commented once again. For a ninja, he was quite talkative, maybe even mouthy.
"Yes. I cannot tell you where or when you must arrive. You need to follow me."
While Leorio mused the test to be an endurance test and Kurapika realized the mental aspect of the choice of test, Sora stayed quiet and focused on running. It felt quite easy for her and she wasn't tired at all like she would've been back in her previous life. She even felt like she could go much, much faster.
"Just how fast can I go? No, I have to preserve my energy. I don't know my limits yet. According to the Troll-Guide, I have very good chances in this Exam but he didn't elaborate at all. So I have to be careful and experiment later."
People started dropping due exhaustion. Sora didn't spare them a glance. Better try again next year. Or not, since Killua would be the only one passing.
"Ho ho ho ho." An irritating sound reached the girl's ears. Nicolas. The short man in completely wrong sort of clothes for this type of Exam run his way to the front of the group while typing on his laptop. The idiot. Trusting into data while there was nothing consistent with the Exams. Sora scoffed. She had hated the character since she first laid her eyes on him. The stuck-up prick. Though, she hated Tonpa more…
The group had dispersed and now there was more space to run. Sora and navigated her way to the middle of the group, leaving Leorio and Gon behind. Let the duo met up with Killua without her interference…
The girl looked around her. She could mostly see only applicants whose names she didn't know in advance. Though Pokkle and Ponzu were quite close. And Kurapika was on the far right from her. Hisoka and Gittarackur were somewhere ahead of the girl and to be honest she had no intention of catching up with them. Besides she didn't feel like gathering any attention by running ahead of everyone else.
Sora wasn't sure how long had it passed already. Her mind was blank and thoughts focused on her feet. She wasn't tired at all yet. It was like running was natural for her. So when she took a look on her wrist watch, she was surprised to find the Exam had begun about four hours ago.
Thump.
The girl glanced behind of her. Leorio's briefcase had fallen on the ground. A small smile found a way on her lips.
"Gather your strength for a moment and find your determination, Leorio. You'll do just fine."
"DAMMIT! I'M GONNA BECOME A HUNTER!" The businessman-looking teen roared and zoomed among the rest of the applicants. They began running up stairs not long after that.
Satotz picked up pace, bouncing several steps on one leap. Murmuring(read: complaining) arose in the front of the group, Hanzo and Gerreta being among them.
"Hmm… If I step every other step, I'll preserve my energy more. And with my speed at the moment the distance between the steps isn't a problem." Sora shifted her pace too. It was easy and she had done it already back in her previous life: taking every other step of stairs. Quite close to her, Leorio and Kurapika were in the middle of yet another spat, this time about Leorio's real reason to become a hunter. And when Kurapika smiled after finding out the reason, Sora could easily see where the LeoKura or LeoPika shippers came from.
"Kurapika, see you at the goal." Gon and Killua had reached them.
"Catch you later, old timer."
"I'm not old!" Leorio retorted. "I'm a teenager, just like you guys!"
The time froze. Sora had to suppress a chuckle.
"Huh?"
"No way!"
She couldn't hold it back anymore. A joyful laugh rang in the tunnel.
"What!? Don't mock me, I'm telling the truth!" Leorio spat. Thankfully her laugh was interpreted as a reaction to the young man's declaration and not to the other three's reactions.
"I don't…" Sora had to regain her senses. "Just… wow. How old are you then?"
"Nineteen."
"Me too. Should I call you Leorio-kun then?"
"Don't you dare!"
"I don't? When is your birthday?" She smirked though she already knew the answer, March 3rd.
"The third of March."
"I see. Mine is the fifteenth. I lose…" The girl let out a mock sigh. "But this only means that you are the oldest among us, right?"
"So he is old timer after all!" Killua announced.
"I'm not!"
With yet another laugh, Sora ran ahead of them. Gon and Killua followed her a while before running past her too.
Eventually the light was seen in the end of the tunnel indicating the end of the first part of the Phase One. Sora sighed in relief. She wasn't tired but the running had been quite boring. Well, there was only one way to get out of the tunnel. Sora increased her speed. Damn the attention, she wanted out.
When the girl reached the top, Gon was just asking Satotz if the place where they were was the place the Second Phase of Exam was held. The answer was negative but gave Sora a chance to look around.
"What a dreary fog we have here." She couldn't help but comment.
"Ah, Sora-san you made it too!" Gon greeted the girl.
"That I did." The blonde grinned and turned to look at Killua. "Didn't I say that I'm more than capable?"
"That was just the first Phase. There's more to go." The white-haired boy replied cheekily. "Who knows… Maybe your headache will come back."
"No, it won't!"
More applicants reached the top and when Kurapika and Leorio arrived, the fog began to fade. Satotz started to explain the next part of the Exam.
"The Numere Wetlands, also known as Swindlers Swamp. We must cross these wetlands to reach Phase Two of the exam. This place is home to many bizarre animals, many of them being cunning, insatiable creatures that deceive humans and prey upon them. Be very careful. If you let them fool you, you're dead."
Behind them the door to the tunnel began descending. An unfortunate applicant tried to get through but was too slow.
"Well, good for him. In that condition of his, he wouldn't have survived long." Sora thought but stopped. When had she become so… so used to everything already.
"These wetland creatures will use every trick in the book to fool their prey." Satotz continued, drawing the attention of the applicants back to him from the door. "An ecosystem in which creatures obtain food through deceit… Hence the name Swindlers Swamp. Stay very close to me so you won't be deceived."
"Gheh! What a joke." Leorio got up finally from the slump he had fallen into when arriving. "How can they fool us, when we're expecting it?"
"Don't let them fool you!" A male voice shouted to everyone.
"I just said they can't…"
"D-Don't fall for it…" A beaten-up man appeared behind the corner. The applicants turned to look at him. "He's lying to you!" He pointed dramatically at Satotz whose expression didn't change at all. "He's an impostor! He isn't an examiner. I'm the real examiner."
"An impostor?" Leorio gasped behind Sora. "What's going on?"
"Then who is he?" Hanzo glanced at Satotz.
"Look at this…" The beaten-up man who Sora knew to be an inhabitant of the Swamp dragged another creature for them to see. The creature bore a striking resemblance to Satotz.
"Waah! He looks just like Satotz-san!" Gon noticed.
"It's a Man-Faced Ape, one of the creatures that dwell in the Numere Wetlands!"
"A Man-Faced Ape?" Leorio repeated.
"Man-Faced Apes live the taste of fresh human flesh. However, their limbs are long and thin, so they're quite weak. That's why they disguise themselves as humans. They trick humans into following them into these wetlands, where they team up with other animals to kill and devour them. He intends to trap every single applicant!" The accusing finger was in the air again.
While Leorio and Hanzo seemed to be ready to believe the lengthy explanation among other applicants, Sora stepped forward.
"Nice story, Mr. beaten-up face." She crossed her arms on her chest and smirked. "But how can we know that doesn't apply on you too? It could be entirely possible that you are the Ape that tries to lure us away from the real examiner. So, what about some proof?"
"Proof? Isn't the corpse of the same species enough for you?"
"Hmm…" The girl lifted and hand against her chin in mock thought and gaze up in the foggy sky. Once she was done she looked at the man again and put her hands now into her pockets. "Nope. How about contacting the Hunters' Association? Fake examiner can't do that. Personally I'm fine with the stalemate. The next Phase examiner might start wondering though where everyone is. Or…"
At that second Sora crouched down though. Three playing cards flew through the space where her head and torso had just been. The girl herself barely even realized the action until the fake examiner fell on the ground and Satotz caught the other three cards.
"Or we can do that…" She muttered while sweatdropping. Of course she had to have been on the line of fire. Behind her Hisoka was shuffling his cards and chuckling to himself.
"I see, I see…" The magician hummed smugly. "That settles it. You're the real one."
Satotz tossed the cards from his hands away. Other applicants were cobsmacked. Especially Hanzo's face was worth of seeing. But Sora didn't smile. The first near-death experience had spooked her quite effectively. If it hadn't been for the instincts engraved on her muscle memory, she would've been dead. But why Hisoka had done the attack anyways while she was on the way? Had he trusted she'd dodge? Or had he been ready to kill her just like that and then launch the next set of cards at the fake?
"I'll think about this later…"
"Examiners are Hunters selected by the committee to perform this duty without pay." Hisoka was explaining to the rest of applicants. "Any Hunter, bearing the title we seek, would have been able to block that attack. Or dodge it without seeing it." The yellow eyes turned to glance at Sora who could feel shivers going down her spine. Damn… Did Hisoka know her already? No, she'd definitely not go asking him anything.
"I shall take that as a compliment." Satotz stated calmly. "However, should you attack me again, for any reason, I will report you for turning on an examiner. And you will be immediately disqualified. Are we clear?"
"Sure."
Vultures swooped down on the dead fake examiner, making many applicant cringe or gape.
"Nature really can be brutal to watch…" Leorio commented.
"So he was a Man-Faced Ape, as well." Kurapika noted. Sora stood up slowly and stepped closer to them.
"That bastard almost killed me…" She muttered angrily.
"But you dodged it." Killua pointed out.
"I know but it doesn't change the fact he attacked while I was on the way."
"It was an impressive dodge."
"…Thank you."
"He was attempting to confuse the applicants, to lure some of them away." Satotz began walking among the people gathered a top of the hill.
"We can't relax our guard." Killua stated.
"Yeah." Gon nodded.
"And that was an excellent warning to those who doubted the effectiveness of the trickery of the inhabitants of the Swamp." Sora glanced at Leorio who glared back.
"You will be encountering such deception on a regular basis." The examiner stopped to look at the corpse being devoured by the vultures. "I believe that a number of you were fooled into suspecting my identity… Do you understand? If you lose sight of me in the Numere Wetlands fog, you will never reach the exam's Second Phase. Do bear that in mind."
"Okay, I'm going to stay close to Satotz's heels and not stray off. Leorio, Kurapika and Gon will be fine after all and I don't feel like encountering any of the creatures."
"Then let us be on our way. Please follow me." The running began again. This time Sora was in the front of the group as the fog was quite think and they could barely see more than two meters in front of them. There were 368 applicants left. The number would drop significantly during the little trip through the Swindler's Swamp.
A/N: Done! Thank you for reading! And thank you who already began following this fic. And special thanks for Mystic Milli who's the first reviewer!
I'm still open to hear your guesses about Sora's past and also about her abilities, and I'll gladly receive them during the course of story. I'm curious the hear. I'll also reply to your comments here.
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Bye! Until next time!