Monochrome Chapter 4: Inky Blue, a hunter x hunter fanfic

A/N: Okay... Sorry, this took a while. I decided to catch up with One Piece(about two years of it) and read and read and read fics. But now I'm back with this chapter. I hope you like this.

Chapter 4

Inky blue: All aboard!

They made their way to the giant airship. Once there, Beans explained them what was about to happen. Basically he just told them to relax before the Third Phase of the exam. And that's exactly what Sora was about to do. She'd take a nice relaxing shower and then go to sleep. Though following Gon and Killua to try to get the ball from Netero, she'd rather not. Eventually she'd be asked to join anyways and since she had no idea of the extent of her abilities, it would be better not to. And dealing with angry Killua afterwards was not on her do-to list either.

"Okay, Gon! Let's explore the airship!" Killua announced as soon as Beans stopped talking.

"Yeah!" The spiky-haired boy nodded and the two dashed out of the room.

"How can they have so much energy?" Leorio wondered aloud. "I'm hitting the sack."

"You can say that again." Kurapika agreed.

"Same here." Sora sighed. "I'll just eat something light and take a refreshing shower… And then I'll go take a relaxing sleep." The girl stretched her arms above her head at the trio made their way to the door too. "After all we have eleven hours to spare now."

"However, I do have one concern." Kurapika stated seriously then.

"Hmm? What is it?" Leorio asked immedietaly.

"How many more phases are there?"

"Oh… They've never mentioned that, have they?" The young doctor-to-be realized.

"On average, there are five to six phases." Tonpa appeared behind them. Sora had to bit back a growl but had no qualms at glaring the short man.

"Which means we still have three or four to go…" Leorio confirmed.

"All more reason to rest now." Kurapika stated.

"But you should be careful." Tonpa continued, somehow managing to ignore Sora's deathglare. "The secretary only told us when we'll arrive at our destination. It's possible that the third exam phase could take place on this airship itself. And it doesn't necessarily mean we'll be contacted at 8 AM."

"Huh? Are you serious?" Leorio took the bait immediately.

"Hmm, that does make sense…" Kurapika mused.

"Not you too…" Sora sighed internally.

"You might wake up to discover that the exam has already ended. If you plan to make it to the next phase, don't let yourself relax on this airship." Tonpa told them.

"Bullshit…" Sora muttered, leaving the room. She really didn't want to listen to that rookie-crusher a moment longer. If she were lucky, this would be the last time.

"Three more phases to go…" The girl yawned. "This'll sure be interesting."

The food in the dining hall was delicious. Sora tasted a variety of wonderful and different flavors and enjoyed immensely of them.

"Delicious…" She smiled and took another fork-full of the risotto she had on her plate. Yep, truly wonderful dish.

While eating, the blonde made her way along the corridor surrounding the ship. From there she had a good view on the outside. To see the inky blue sky and the cities below glistening like a patchwork made of diamonds. She sat on the windowsill and smiled at the view. The last time when she'd seen something even remotely resembling that, was…

Was during one of those times when she and her family were coming back from their holiday on an evening flight.

"And to think I died on a flight. It's surprising I don't have fear of flying now…" Sora chuckled while gazing outside. Hearing to pairs of footsteps, she looked up right in time to see Killua to dash to the same window and look outside too.

"Whoa, amazing! Look, Gon!" The white-haired boy exclaimed.

"Hmm? What is it?" The green-clad boy came to his friend's side. "Whoa! It's like the ground is covered in jewels!"

"Yeah!"

"It's really pretty indeed." Sora smiled fondly at the kids and set aside her empty plate.

"Ah, Sora-san!" Gon looked up suddenly.

"Hm? What is it, Gon-kun?" The girl tilted her head.

"I didn't notice you there." The boy grinned sheepishly.

"It's alright."

"Hey, I was wondering…" Gon began after a while.

"Hmm?" Killua hummed, indicating that he was listening. They both were leaning against the windowsill and looking the scenery slowly passing by. Sora was still sitting on their left and leaning her cheek against the cool glass.

"Where are your mum and dad?"

"Hmm… They're alive." The other boy replied after a pause. "Probably." He added.

"What do they do?"

"They're assassins."

"Huh? Both of them?" Gon turned to look at the white-haired boy. Sora also turned her gaze to the duo but otherwise didn't move in any way. Killua in the other hand bursted out laughing at Gon's reaction.

"That's your first reaction? You really are a riot!"

"Huh?"

Killua sat down on the bench behind them and Gon followed the suit.

"You're the first person who's ever responded seriously." The chibi-assassin told them with a smile.

"Well, you're telling the truth, right?" Was the only thing Gon could say as an explanation.

"What makes you think that?"

"It's just a hunch."

"That's weird…" Killua slumped to lean his arms on the windowsill and his head on his arms. "People only like me because they can't ever tell whether I'm serious. I'm from a family of assassins. So they're all assassins. And my family has really high hopes for me. But I can't stand it. Who wants to have their life planned out for them?"

"No one…" Sora mused quietly.

"When I told them I wanted to decide my own future, they all snapped! My mother had tears streaming down her face, as she told me I have the potential to be a top assassin. Horrible parents, right? It's natural their kid would go bad."

Gon and Sora laughed at the way Killua was telling the story.

"We ended up fightling. So I stabbed my mother in the face, my brother in the side, and ran away from home. I'm sure they're out for blood now." The kid-assassin continued. "But if they find me, I'll send them packing. When I become a Hunter, I'll start by capturing my family. I'm sure they're worth some hefty bounties…" Sparkles appeared around him while the boy was wearing a blissful expression.

Sora snorted. Sure, sure… Killua might be strong compared to other people but he still was one of the weakest among his family. Besides physical strength is nothing compared to mental one. Illumi would prove it to the boy.

"Hey, how about you, Sora-san?" Gon looked up at the girl suddenly. "What is your family like?"

"I…" Sora blinked once before leaning her chin against her palm. Should she tell them? Maybe… They could be helpful. And Sora knew they were trustworthy.

"Good question…" She muttered. The two boys blinked.

"What do you mean?" Killua frowned.

"The thing is… I don't know much about my family." The blonde teen began. "I suffer from amnesia you see. But I do know I have an older brother… and that I used to have a mother who died due an illness… and that I have people who care about me but don't know that I have amnesia."

"Is that so…?" Gon tilted his head sadly. "So you don't even know who those people are?"

"No. Ever since I woke up before the First Phase I've been trying to gather scraps of my past."

"Ever since…" Killua trailed off as his eyes widened in realization. "Hey, you don't mean that the head ache you had-…"

"Yeah. I figured it was because of some sort of accident when coming to the exam…" Sora shrugged. This was going better than she thought. The both boys believed her. Well, she wasn't lying so neither of them had any reason not to trust her.

"Why are you telling us this?" The young assassin asked then.

"Well, you asked. And I answered. I hope to become an information hunter now partly because I think that'll help me to figure out who I am. Besides there's no way you could use this information against me as apparently this is the first time meeting with you."

"I see…" Gon mused. The trio continued chatting for a moment more when…

Sora's head snapped up and she looked behind her over her right shoulder. Gon and Killua turned to look into the same direction too. They saw nothing. While Gon didn't really comment the situation, Killua was obviously on edge now. Apparently as an assassin he was used to sensing murderous intent like proved on the swamp in Hisoka's case. Sora in the other hand…

"What the hell was that…" The girl whispered, hugging herself tightly. She'd been so deep into conversation that she'd forgotten the little stunt Netero just pulled. That sensation of aura made her skin crawl and something was telling her not to let the old man know about her situation with her memory.

Clap clap clap…

"Something wrong?" The chairman asked now on their left as he approached. He smiled in his grandfatherly way only to be met with an angry, a confused and a spooked expression belonging to Killua, Gon and Sora respectively.

"Ah, Netero-san…" Gon began. "Did you see anyone coming from that side?" The green-clad kid pointed the direction the murderous intent had come from.

"No." The old man replied while Sora turned to glare him too. She slowly straightened her arms and took her plate before hopping off the window sill.

"You're pretty fast for an old man." Killua stated meanwhile.

"That little trick? I barely moved." The chairman chuckled, making the child-assassin in front of him glare at him. The man looked back without blinking.

"What do you want? You don't have to do anything until the last phase, right?" The white-haired boy questioned. Gon kept glancing from one person to other while Sora stood quietly behind Killua and had a blank face now.

"No need to be so unkind. I got bored, and was looking for some companions." Netero replied. "By the way, I meant to ask the three of you any thoughts on your first attempt at the Hunter Examination?"

"Uh-huh! It's fun!" Gon nodded eagerly. "And there haven't been any of the written exams I was dreading."

"It's been alright this far. I'm thankful the second phase was redone since I got a faulty grill." Sora shrugged.

"I'm disappointed." Killua stated. "I expected the exam to be far more difficult. I assume the next phase will be more entertaining?"

"Well, now… I wouldn't know about that." Netero glanced at the ceiling.

Liar… Sora thought while Killua turned on his heels. The girl proceeded to make a step forward in order to walk past Netero and head towards the dining room to get rid of her plate. Then she'd finally take the shower and sleep.

"Let's go, Gon!" The kid called to his friend.

"Now wait just a moment." Netero requested. Killua stopped and Gon looked up at the old man. "Would you care to play a game with me?"

"A game?" The spiky-hair repeated.

"If you're able to defeat me, I shall let you be Hunters!"

"Really? I'll play!" Gon was in immediately. Killua in the other hand turned around slowly.

"How about it, eh?" Netero smiled.

"I'll pass. I rather use these meager hours in relaxing and gathering my strength. Who knows what horrors we'll face in the next phase." Sora waved her hand dismissively and walked past the chairman. "Night, kids. Night, Netero-san."

"Good night, Sora-san!" Gon wished back while the other two continued their staring contest. By the time Sora was out of sight, she finally heard Killua accepting the challenge. The girl smiled. Yep, everything was going as it was supposed to.

After returning her plate, Sora made her was to the bathrooms which were relatively close to the rooms used for sleeping. About everyone was already asleep so the girl could shower in peace. She folded her clothes neatly on a bench outside her stall and stepped under the relaxingly warm water.

"Haa…" The teen closed her eyes and let the water just run over her head, drenching her hair and rest of her body completely before beginning to scrubbing herself.

Once clean, Sora put on her clothes and finally decided to take a good look on what she was actually wearing. It was something like Kurapika had, she noted. A training outfit of quite light of color, very light violet to be exact. Even her shoes were similar to the Kurta's. It was surprising how comfortable and easy it was to run in them. Thankfully she didn't have the weird cape-poncho-thing.

"Yep, my clothes are just fine." The girl mused and took her backpack from the bench. She threw it on her back and exited the room while drying her hair into a towel.

She found the room where Kurapika and Leorio were sleeping and settled against the wall next to them. Before pulling the blanket provided by the Hunters Association, Sora decided to take a look on her phone in the case someone had tried to contact her. Any clue about her past was an important one.

"Has the headache passed yet?" Had been sent from one of the people. It wasn't from her 'nii-san' and since she hadn't informed previously anyone else about it, the girl could only assume that this person was either with her brother or then had otherwise talked with him.

"It's fine now. Thank you for asking. The third phase of exam begins tomorrow so I have to sleep now. Good night." Sora texted back. A moment later the person replied.

"Good night, Sora-chan."

"I wonder who she is…" Sora muttered, while looking at the sender's ID: 'Noda-baa'. One thought floated to her mind but she dismissed it quickly. The fatigue was making her imagine the most silly things.

Someone was shaking her shoulder. Sora rolled on her side, mumbling incoherently. The person shook her shoulder again.

"C'mon, Sora… Wake up. We gotta go…" A young boy's voice whispered with an urgent edge in his voice. Sora opened her eyes blearily.

"Nii-san?"

"Yeah, come now." The duvet was pushed away and the little girl was hoisted up carefully. Sora blinked a couple of times in the shadowed room where her brother was moving silently like a ghost around. He was fully dressed and had a backpack on. The boy tossed a couple of articles of clothing to her, telling her to change into them. Now she was fully awake. Something was going on.

"What's going on?" Sora whispered when changing her pajama shirt into a normal long-sleeved white one.

"Stay here and quiet. I'll be right back." The boy smiled and ruffled the girl's head. He dropped the backpack on the floor and sneaked into a room next to theirs. Because of the shadows, Sora could really see his eyes and what he was actually thinking. But the little girl didn't bother herself with it. Just changed into white pants and violet tunic. She trusted her brother.

The girl was putting on her mother's necklace right when the older boy came back, taking her hand and the backpack and leading her out of the room and out of the house. The village was quiet and the only light was the full moon shining above the treetops.

"Nii-san?" The first time Sora spoke again was when they were out of the village, having crawled through a hole in the fence surrounding it, far away. "What happened to father?"

The slight tensing of the boy's shoulders was the only indication that something had indeed happened but he kept walking forward and did not look at the girl.

"He is still there… That's why we are leaving."

"Okay."

"I'll make sure that nothing will ever hurt you again."

"Okay." The forest was silent around them. It didn't scare either of them though. They liked the forest. And nii-san was strong. Much stronger than any of the other kids in the village. Sora smiled. She liked adventure. And this would be her very first one.

Sora opened her eyes slowly. That one dream… flashback from her past had brought forward more information to her head. Since her mother had died, her father had become a drunkard and started abusing her and her brother. No one in the village knew it. When they tried to tell the elders, they just dismissed their bruises as a result of games of two lively children. That went on for two years or so before she was dragged out of the house in the middle of the night by her brother.

"But what happened to our father then…" Sora muttered sleepily before falling asleep again. She didn't even notice that she had shifted in her sleep so she was now lying on her back, her head resting on Kurapika's lap.

A/N: Alright, you got another flashback. I think I'll try to give you one per chapter... Yeah, I'll try. But do you have any guesses or suggestions yet for Sora's past. I'm just dying to know what you have in your minds. And also what pairings you are thinking. I know at the moment Kurapika seems the most likely canditate but I haven't actually decided anything definite.

By the way. I made the 'What is your Nen type?' -test with... was it 60 questions? ...anyways, I got the result of Specialist (69%) but I have a very vague idea what I want Sora to do with it. Could you throw me some ideas so I can get some inspiration. Oh, and if interested the second highest types were Manipulator and Emitter(60%).