Coco: Hey, guys~ If you are not familiar with me, then hello! It's good to be meeting you. The name is Coco and I hope we all get along. For those of you who are familiar with me, it's been a while. I know I have like a hundred other things I should probably be taking care of besides a new story, but well, you know me, I can't help myself.
I'm doing this a bit different compared to my other stories. Mixing things up a bit, ya know? In this story, I have two main OCs. Two heroines who start out on the same journey, but then later separate. And when this happens, I plan to switch back and forth between the two. One chapter will be about Britzany (Pronounced Brit-zan-ee. I know...the name is different, but this is Hunter x Hunter so none of the names are that common XD) and then the next will be about the other OC Sephie (pronounced See-phee. I actually took two completely normal names then used a alternative spelling generator to come up with two unique names XD).
Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to have the story told in two separate point of views. Or seeing how two people who start on the exact same back could end up in two completely different scenarios. What will they get into when they're apart? Will they become better people, or fall into darkness? Will they make friends along the way or only enemies? And just stuff like that.
And as we keep going, I might involve you guys in the story by placing up polls to ask you your opinions on maybe what decisions should be made to further their journey and such.
But without further ado, let's begin.
Strange beasts and monsters…vast riches...hidden treasures…evil haunts…uncharted frontiers…the mysterious unknown. The people who are captivated by the magic in those words are called Hunters. And to become one of these individuals, one must first pass the Hunter Exam. A perilous test that only those with talent, strength, and potential have a chance of overcoming. Many people try their hand at the exam, but very few manage to pass. But despite the dangers and the low chance of success, there are two certain individuals who have their hearts set on becoming Hunters, and they won't let anything stop them from reaching their goals.
As the sun shined brightly over Azalea Town, a girl stood on the dock and looked out at the ocean. The girl had chin-length brown hair with bangs swept to the left and slightly falling in her face. Her eyes were a dark green with hints of brown. Her skin a pale almost alabaster color as if the girl hadn't seen the sun before in her entire life. Petite in size she looked almost like a child.
She wore a simple white t-shirt that almost looked like a short dress on her under a large green, hooded jacket that had faux tannish-brown fur lining the hood. She then had on a pair of high waisted jean shorts, in which the front of her shirt was tucked into and a pair of black sneakers. She had a messenger bag slung over her shoulder with the strap going across her chest and the bag resting on her hip. She looked ready to go on an adventure and a smile pulled across her face as a ship came into sight.
"Hey, the ship is almost here!" She called looking over her shoulder. "Brizzy, did you hear me?"
The person she called to was a taller young woman with much longer, curly brown hair. Her skin was tanner in shade and looked beige in color. Her eyes were darker as well. A dark brown that almost looked black. She had a pair of square-framed glasses resting on her nose and a black bandana wrapped around her forehead to push back her unruly hair.
She wore a simple pair of jean overall shorts and a red crop top that fell off one shoulder. Then a pair of red sneakers and white socks that went up to her knees. She also had a bag, but hers rested against her back with straps going over both of her shoulders. She had a large grin adorning her face as she hurried over to where her friend stood.
"It's finally time!" Brizzy, or rather Britzany, said. "We're finally going to take the Hunter Exam."
Sephie's smile widened as the two girls looked ready to jump right out of their shoes out of excitement. They've been waiting to take the exam for years. Ever since he left to return to his adventures, but their caretakers hadn't been too keen to let them leave. They had to wait until they were both eighteen, and just last week Sephie turned eighteen just a few months after Brizzy reached said age, so finally they were both old enough to leave their hometown and journey off.
"Sephie, Britzany, are you sure you two wish to do this? The Hunter Exam is extremely dangerous, you know." Sister Marih asked the two.
The two girls—now young women—turned to the nun who has taken care of them since they were young. Both girls had grown up in the abbey that rested on the tallest hill just outside their sleepy little town. She's seen them grow throughout the years, and couldn't help but worry about the trouble and danger they would find themselves in if they left her sight. She wasn't the only one worried either since there were several villagers, who had gathered to see them off, wearing concerned expressions as well.
"You two could always stay at the church with us." Sister Marih added. "It isn't too late to take your vows."
Sephie forced herself not to grimace at the thought of becoming a nun as the thought wasn't appealing to her in the slightest.
"We're sorry, Sister, but you know we can't do that," Britzany said.
"She's right." Sephie added. "We've been waiting too long for this."
Sister Marih sighed though nodded her head in understanding. It was true. Ever since that Zann Roth entered the girls' lives and told them all about his adventures, they've wanted to leave the town more than ever. Nothing ever happened here in Azalea Town, and for as long as the old nun could remember, these two have dreamed of going beyond the town's boarders and discovering new things and seeing new places and people.
This desire only grew with Zann's involvement in their lives, and now it was finally time…time for them to pursue their dreams. Though Sister Marih wasn't quite ready herself to let them go, but she knew there was just no stopping them.
"Don't look so worried, everyone," Sephie said as the ship finally reached the docks. "We'll be back before you know it."
"So, try not to miss us too much." Britzany said with a laugh.
She then hurried to the gangplank that was lowered down to run up it to the ship's deck. Sephie was about to follow after her, but paused one last time to look at Sister Marih and the villagers. She gave them a smile.
"Well, we'll be off now," She said.
Some of the villagers smiled at her in return and several called out farewells to the girls. Britzany waved at them from where she leaned against the ship's railing as Sephie stepped onto the gangplank.
"We'll be sure to write to tell you all about the exam and the fun we have." She promised Sister Marih. "Thanks for everything. Bye!"
She was then gone after Britzany with Marih watching them go with a small smile on her face.
"Oh, they always grow up way too fast," She murmured to herself.
"Let's just hope this isn't the last time we see those troublemakers," One villager joked. "But with their rotten luck, well, guess we might just have to prepare for the worst to be safe."
Some laughed at his words while others were actually concerned. Those two were certainly trouble magnets for sure. On the ship, the two girls were looking around curiously as the crew and a few other applicants bustled about. The two girls exchanged grins.
"This marks our first step!" Britzany said excitedly. "Next step to the Hunter Exam!"
A barking laugh had the two turning around to see a robust, older man with pale blonde hair and a red tinted nose looking back at them.
"That's where you're wrong, kid." The man said. "We have one more island to stop at before I take you to the port where you'll disembark, and there's more steps after that before you even step one foot into the exam's location."
Britzany whined at this though she knew things wouldn't be so easy. Didn't mean the old man had to dump on her spirit like that. Sephie just blinked as she tilted her head at the man.
"One more stop?" She asked.
"That's right." The captain said as he started walking away. "Next stop is Whale Island."
"Huh, it actually kind of looks like a whale." Sephie murmured as she sat on the railing to look at the island coming into view.
Britzany just hummed lazily in reply as she was sat on the deck with her back against the very railing that Sephie was occupying. The shorter girl had her sketchpad resting in her lap and was already sketching out the island as they sailed closer to it.
"I wonder what kind of applicants the ship will be picking up here," Britzany wondered aloud. "So, far it's just a bunch of men."
She frowned in the direction of said men as many of them haven't been to kind to the two since they arrived on bored. Either they were telling them to go home because the Hunter Exam wasn't 'meant' for women, or they were leering. Both actions were pissing Britzany off completely. Though there were some who have been ignoring them or haven't noticed them, which was fine with her. Meant less idiots to deal with.
"I hear a lot of women don't participate." Sephie said as she continued to draw. "At least not lot compared to the hundreds and hundreds of male applicants."
Brizzy just sighed. She was at least hoping for one other female applicant to join them on the ship. Or at least a man who wasn't a pig or sexist. The ship finally reached the docks of Whale Island, and Sephie was a bit surprised to see so many people gathered. And just for one applicant it would seem as only one boy walked forward and waited for the gangplank to be lowered.
Some of the crew lowered said gangplank from next to the two lounging girls, and the young boy didn't hesitate to quickly climb aboard. He paused at the top to give Sephie and Britzany curious looks. Britzany didn't bother looking up at the kid, but Sephie gave him a friendly smile. One he returned before hoping down on deck. The captain didn't waste any time in telling his men to set sail when seeing no one else would be joining them.
And as they unfurled the sails, the villagers of the island all called out farewells to the boy. Many choruses of 'Good luck, Gon!' and other cheers of encouragement could be heard as the boy—Gon—smiled and waved at the people below. Gon hurried towards the back of the ship where many of the applicants were gathered, so he could give a final farewell to the people of his home village even as the ship sailed farther away.
"Thanks, everybody!" Gon shouted to them. "I'm going to be the best Hunter in the world someday! And as soon as I make that happen, I'll be back! I'll see you all again!"
Britzany, who hadn't really been interested in the kid at first, smiled at the boy's words while guessing this new addition to their traveling party wasn't so bad. Definitely an upgrade compared to the rest. Though her smile soon dropped when many of the men started to laugh at Gon.
"Ohohoho, the best Hunter in the world, huh?" One scoffed causing Gon to turn around. "Kid thinks this is going to be easy."
"Every single year, millions of the world's most skilled applicants apply to take the Hunter Exam," Another man made sure to inform Gon. "But only a handful make the cut. Be careful about saying stuff you can't back up, Kid."
Brizzy rolled her eyes at those men while seeming more annoyed with them than Gon. In fact, the young boy seemed completely unbothered as he walked by the men to look at the deck below. Sephie, who was done with her rough sketch of Whale Island, shut the sketchbook to place back inside her bag. She then looked up curiously as the birds made a racket from above.
"Sounds like they sense something coming," Brizzy commented as she put her hands behind her head.
Sephie hummed in reply as she jumped down from the railing to stretch out her legs.
"Think we should head in?" She asked Brizzy. "It's probably a storm or something that they're sensing after all."
"Maybe in a few minutes," Brizzy replied. "I want to enjoy the nice weather while we can."
Sephie didn't respond as she looked in the direction the ship was sailing. She narrowed her eyes seeing storm clouds in the not far off distance. Seemed as if the nice weather would be leaving them rather soon. As the two were off in their own little world, the captain, who had listened to Gon warn about the impending storm, looked at the two curiously.
'Look at that,' He thought as he watched the two girls converse with the shorter one was trying to get the taller one to move inside. 'Looks like the boy isn't the only interesting one around here.'
The storm hit not much later with many of the applicants going down below to escape the weather. The captain had gotten them through the roughest patch then left the rest to his crewmen, who he sighed at when seeing how sick and pale they looked.
'Damn, if this ain't the most worthless crew I've seen in years.' He thought irritably as he went below deck to check on their passengers.
He opened the door to the room the applicants were in to see all of them were laid out and groaning as if they might hurl at any moment.
"Not a one of them have got their sea legs," He said to himself. "Pathetic. And they think they can pass the Hunter Exam. There good for a laugh that's for sure."
He then rubbed his forehead before a voice caught his attention and had him turning.
"Here try these herbs," Their youngest passenger said as he was trying to help one of the sick men. "Chew them up real good and you'll feel better."
The man whimpered for some water, and the boy assured him it was on the way.
"That boy again," The captain murmured as he recognized the kid from earlier.
He was one of the brats that noticed that a storm was coming. Thinking of the two girls from before, the captain's eyes scanned the rest of the cabin. His eyes didn't find them at first, but they did land on a blonde young lad who was reclined comfortably in a hammock and reading a book. He looked completely unbothered by the sway of the ship as many of the others did. The captain hummed at the boy's composer before moving on when someone made a sound of surprise. He saw another man, who happened to be eating an apple, didn't look too concerned about the storm either. In fact, he seemed more upset with the apple he just bit into than anything else.
"That's what I call a sour apple," The man griped.
'Ah, I see,' The captain hummed mentally. 'Seems as if there are some with some iron in them after all. But where are those two—?'
"Hey, that's cheating!" An annoyed voice cut through his thoughts.
The captain turned seeing that on the other side of the cabin were those two girls from earlier. They were sitting cross-legged on the floor with a deck of cards between them and with some cards in hand. The one who cried indignantly was the taller of the two while the shorter one gave her a large grin.
"You're just a sore loser," The smaller one taunted. "The move I made was totally legal, so pay up."
The taller one grumbled, but did reach inside her bag to pull out what looked like some kind of candy. She held it out to her companion who took it happily.
"Let's go again," the taller one said as she threw her cards down. "I'll win next time and wipe that smirk off your face."
The shorter one, who began shuffling the cards, only hummed in reply while looking quite confident that she'd win again.
'Perhaps there's some promising candidates after all,' The captain thought. 'More than I thought there would be anyway.'
He then gasped as one of his crewmen—Katzo—rushed by while mumbling a quick apology as he went. The captain watched as Katzo brought a cup of whatever over to the boy tending to the sick passengers. The boy thanked the older boy then gave the whatever to a sick man with a smile on his face. The captain watched for a moment with his expression softening momentarily. He then loudly cleared his throat gaining the attention of those who weren't so sick they were almost unconscious.
"You five come with me," The captain said as he gestured to the two girls and three boys who caught his eye a moment ago. "I'd like to speak with you all."
He received curious looks from those he called out, but he didn't wait to see if they'd follow as he left the cabin. Though when he glanced over his shoulder, he saw them making their way out of the cabin. He took them up to the helm of ship and stood across from them as they formed semi-line up next to each other. The two shortest of the group stood in the front while the three tallest stood behind them. Katzo joined them, but he went to stand next to the captain with a clipboard and pen in his hands.
"Right then, go down the line and tell me all your names." He told them.
The boy, who stood in front of his taller peers, smiled and eagerly raised his hand.
"My name's Gon!" He introduced himself.
The captain looked to petite female next to Gon who was twirling a strand of her short hair around her finger.
"I'm Sephie." She told him.
"I am called Kurapika." The blonde behind Sephie answered.
"Britzany." The taller brunette girl said.
After she introduced herself, the captain's eyes fell on the very tall brunette man next to Britzany.
"The name is Leorio." The man said in an irritable tone as he frowned.
The captain saw this one would definitely be difficult, but the captain was no stranger to difficult people.
"Good, good," The captain said. "Now, why do you boys and girls want to become Hunters?"
Before Gon, who was going to answer, could reply Leorio beat him to the punch while pointing angrily at the captain.
"Whoa, you're not an examiner, so what's with the third degree?" Leorio demanded to know.
"Just answer the question, Dummy." The captain retorted.
This caused Leorio's brow to twitch in aggravation at being called a dummy. But before he could come up with a retort, Gon interrupted this time.
"I will!" Gon said. "Because my dad is a Hunter. Being a Hunter was the most important thing in the world to my dad and I want to know why. That's why I left Whale Island."
The captain didn't reply to the boy's words, but his expression, which caught Sephie's attention, showed he seemed to have had some kind of realization. She was a bit curious about the look but made no comment. Though she did open her mouth to say something.
"I see nothing wrong with sharing." Sephie spoke up. "Brizzy and I share the same reason for wanting to become Hunters. We want to become Hunters because we're looking for someone. I guess you could call him our mentor. With licenses we'll have a better chance of catching up to him."
Britzany nodded along with Sephie's words as the captain rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
'Their mentor…?' He thought. 'I wonder…could he be a Hunter…?'
The two didn't elaborate anymore on the subject and he wouldn't press as they did answer him as he requested.
"Hey, you kids!" Leorio said as he pointed at Gon and Sephie.
'Kids?' Sephie thought irritably as she narrowed her eyes at the tall man.
Britzany was snickering behind her hand at the entire hand. Though it seemed as if she was trying to control her laughter as tears collected in her eyes. Though it was becoming difficult. The glare Sephie shot her nearly made her lose it all together.
"You don't have to tell that old guy nothing," Leorio told them.
"But he asked why we're here," Gon reminded Leorio. "My reason's not a secret, and Sephie didn't seem to mind sharing either."
Leorio just sighed as he stood a bit straighter.
"Look, get with the program. It's us versus him," Leorio said as he poked the two in the forehead. "And I'm not telling him why I'm here."
Sephie removed the man's hand from her person space as Gon only blinked in confusion. The boy really didn't understand what the big deal was.
"I'm afraid I must agree with Leorio." Kurapika said.
Though the blonde was agreeing with him, Leorio seemed even more annoyed than a moment ago.
"That's Mr. Leorio to you, ya brat!" Leorio snapped. "Show some respect to your elders!"
"Are you usually this high strung?" Britzany, who was over her giggling fit from earlier, deadpanned as she looked up at the tall man.
Her question was ignored as was Leorio's outburst as Kurapika continued on speaking.
"But why not just dodge the question by simply offering the man a plausible lie?" Kurapika questioned.
"Hey, are you even listening to me?!" Leorio demanded.
The reply he got was Kurapika not even glancing in his direction to acknowledge him, which had Leorio even more steaming bad than before. Britzany moved back, so not to be between him and Kurapika in case a fight broke out.
"However, it is quite shameful to rely upon deceit." Kurapika continued. "As for me, I cannot reveal my reasons here. I have my share of secrets…deep secrets, which I don't intend to expose at this time. That is why I will not answer your question."
"Hey, I was talking to you, Punk!" Leorio growled.
He even leaned towards the blonde while Britzany sighed. She might have moved back but she was still too close to her liking to this hothead. If he started swinging, she'd definitely be in the line of fire.
"So, both of ya flat out refused to answer my question," The captain said. "Hey, Katzo."
"Yes, what is it, Captain?" Katzo replied while sounding a bit nervous.
"Get a hold of the exam committee for me." The captain ordered. "Let them know we have two more dropouts."
Kurapika and Leorio looked at the old captain, who placed his smoking pipe back between his lips, in surprise.
"Wait, what do you mean?" Leorio asked.
"Still haven't figured it out, huh?" The captain asked. "You see the Hunter Exam has already started."
"It has?" Britzany, who looked excited to hear the news, Kurapika, and Leorio asked.
The two boys on either side of her didn't look excited like her, however. In fact, they looked a tad worried. The captain nodded his head.
"There are as many Hunter Wannabes in this world as there are stars in the sky." The captain told them. "And the examiners, well, the fact is they don't have the time or the resources to go through them all. That's where people like me come in to pick up the slack. Screen all the applicants and trim the fat. I already notified the committee about the rest of the lot. Not a one of them made the cut."
The more he talked the more surprised Leorio and Kurapika looked. It made sense though to Britzany and Sephie. It was smart to get rid of those who didn't even stand a chance at the exam at all. If a person couldn't handle a simple boat ride this early on in the journey, there was no way that person could survive the exam.
"That was just a little storm, and look at how they handled it." The captain scoffed. "They'd never survive the later stages of the exam. In other words, the only way you five are moving on to the next portion of the exam is if I give you the go ahead. So, I'll ask you again, and think carefully before you answer.
After the captain finished speaking, Gon turned to look up at Leorio with a curious look.
"Did you catch all that?" Gon asked.
"I think he did," Sephie commented when seeing the man's irritated look. "And I bet it was a hard pill to swallow."
She smirked impishly as she spoke, which earned her a heated glare from Leorio. Even Gon was on the receiving end of the unfriendly look. Leorio then scoffed.
"You could have told us that sooner," Leorio grumbled at the captain.
The captain didn't bother with a reply to the younger man's grumbling as Leorio looked off to the side. As Sephie snorted at the man's sour expression, Kurapika gave a sigh.
"I am the…sole survivor of the Kurta Clan." Kurapika said causing some surprised expressions to appear on his fellow applicants' faces. "Four years ago, my entire clan was annihilated by a band of criminals. That is why I want to become a Hunter…to capture the Phantom Troupe."
Britzany and Sephie's eyes widened at that as not many people would even want to lay eyes on one of those spiders let alone try to fight them.
"Sounds like you want to be a Black List Hunter." The captain commented. "And the Phantom Troupe is a Class A bounty. Even the most seasoned Hunters can't touch them. You know it's a suicide mission, right?"
"Death is not among my fears." Kurapika replied. "But there is one thing I do fear and one thing alone…that time will quite the rage in my heart."
His eyes flashed a deep red for the briefest of moments as his hands clenched into fists at his side.
"Heh, so in other words, you're out for revenge," Leorio laughed. "You don't really have to become a Hunter to settle an old score, do ya?"
"That is the stupidest question I have ever heard, Leorio." Kurapika retorted.
His biting comment caused Leorio's eyes to widened for a moment before he snapped his head to the side to glare at the blonde.
"That's Mr. Leorio!" The older boy seethed though Kurapika ignored him once again.
"There are plenty places that only Hunters can go." Kurapika pointed out. "Intel only they can access…actions only they can take…there are more reasons, but those are the only three you have a chance of comprehending."
The entire time that Kurapika spoke, Leorio looked as if he was getting closer and closer to his boiling point. It looked like he was really going to blow his top at any moment, which had Sephie and Britzany moving safely on the other side of Kurapika to get away from the angry man. But before Leorio could completely lose it, Gon intervened as he raised his hand in the man's face.
"Hey, why do you want to become a Hunter, Mr. Leorio?" Gon asked.
The boy's question and his use of 'Mr. Leorio' seemed to calm the raging brunette who smiled and stood up straight.
"Who me?" He asked. "Well, it's pretty simple really…for the money. Money can buy everything you've ever wanted. A big mansion! A cool car! And top shelf boozes!"
Britzany and Sephie both rolled their eyes at the man as they crossed their arms over their chests in unimpressed manners.
"If only you could buy class as well, Leorio." Kurapika scoffed.
His comment seemed to be the last straw as Leorio's face turned a massively bright red color.
"That was strike three," He said as he glanced over his shoulder at the shorter male before walking forward. "Step outside. Time to finish off the filthy Kurta bloodline once and for all."
His words, of course, pissed the hell out of Kurapika who finally lost his composer.
"Take that back, Leorio!" Kurapika ordered the man.
Leorio, who was opening the door to leave the room, paused to frown back at Kurapika who looked absolutely livid.
"I said take it back," Kurapika repeated with his tone even darker.
"It's Mr. Leorio." Was all the tall brunette said before continuing on his way.
Kurapika was quick to follow after him, which had Sephie sighing. Well, things were becoming quite face pace all of a sudden, weren't they?
"Hey, where do you boys think you're going?!" The captain called after them. "I'm not finished with them yet."
"Let them go," Gon said. "They're fine. It's like Aunt Mito told me once 'You can never understand a person unless you can understand what makes them angry. It's how you get to know someone.' So, whatever they're feeling so upset about is really important to them. It's up to them now. Nothing we can do but stay out of the way."
"That and it's a waste of time to try and talk sense into a couple hardheads like those two seem to be," Britzany added.
The captain only sighed as he scratched the back of his head. Well, at least three out of the five applicants weren't so troublesome. Though it would seem as if he might have to fail the other two.
"Captain!" The helmsman called suddenly. "Look over there!"
The group turned in the direction the man was pointing, and the captain's eyes widened at the large waterspout surging up from the ocean to touch the clouds above.
"If we get caught up in that waterspout, the ship is going to sink for sure." Katzo murmured in fear.
"Get the sails lowered now!" The captain ordered Katzo.
The redheaded crewmen gave a reply of confirmation as the captain prepared to take over the helm again. As Gon asked to help and left with Katzo, Britzany looked to Sephie.
"I guess we should lend a hand." Britzany said. "After all, if this ship capsizes, we'll be swimming with the fishes just as much as everyone else."
She then went to follow after Katzo and Gon, as Sephie stretched her arms over her head with a sigh leaving her lips.
"Yeah, you gotta point," She said in agreement as she moved out as well. "Really not looking forward to getting wet though."
Britzany grit her teeth together as she tried her best to dig her heels in the slippery, wet deck under her feet. The wind whipped around them and the icy rain felt like stinging bullets against her skin. She pulled along with the crewmen on the ropes that would furl the sails. Sephie and Gon were helping as well with the prior seeming to fair better on pulling the rope back, so the sails would lift. As they worked, the two bullheaded idiots known as Kurapika and Leorio were preparing to fight each other off to the side.
"If those two idiots fall off this ship due to their stupidity, I am not saving them," Britzany shouted over the storm to Sephie who snorted.
"I'm in full agreement," Sephie replied then cursed slightly when she almost lost her footing.
The crashing waves coming over the sides and hitting the deck weren't helping either. Sephie felt like it was just a matter of time before one of those hungry waves ended up swallowing someone. As if right on cue, the men holding the rope next to her group screamed as they were thrown to the deck due to one of those monster waves. Though one man had held on and that was Katzo, and due to his light build, the man was thrown airborne as the rope he was holding was slung around by the wind. He shouted in fright as he lost his grip and went flying through the air.
"Mr. Katzo!" Gon called out in concern.
Brizzy and Sephie watched with wide eyes as the man went sailing right pass Kurapika and Leorio whose eyes were wide as well. The two men sprung quickly into action as they jumped after the man. They braced themselves on the outer side of the ship with one hand each holding onto the railing and then reached with their free hands for Katzo who they missed by an inch. They both cursed thinking the man was lost, but were surprised when Gon threw himself between them to go after Katzo. Gon managed to latch onto Katzo's wrists and Kurapika and Leorio managed to grab him.
It looked as if things were going to be just fine, but then a violent shake from the ship made the two older boys lose their grip. They gasped thinking all four of them were about to fall into the surging waters below, but their arms were caught by Sephie and Britzany who had been quick to react. Both girls gave the boys looks of exasperation as they raised one of their feet against the railing to hold the boys in place.
"Gees, if you're going to hang off the ship like that at least get a better grip." Sephie complained.
Kurapika and Leorio, who pulled Gon and Katzo up and out of the water, were just glad things worked out. If they had fallen into the water, they most definitely wouldn't have made it back out.
"You idiot!" Leorio snapped once the storm had moved pass them.
The sun was now back out and things were calmer. Or they would be if the angry giraffe wasn't kicking up such a fuss at Gon who was laid out on the deck with a happy smile.
"If it hadn't been for us, you would have been shark bait!" Leorio continued to scold. "You owe me big time, Kid, and don't you forget it!"
"Honestly, how reckless can you be?" Kurapika added.
"As if you two have room to talk," Britzany pointed out. "If Sephie and I didn't decide to step in, you two would have been in just as much trouble."
Leorio flinched at that reminder as Sephie was nodding along with her friend's words.
"But that doesn't matter, I guess," Sephie commented. "Since things worked out in the end."
"Yeah, they did," Gon said with a laugh. "You guys caught me after all."
Kurapika and Leorio looked a bit surprised by Gon's words as they looked down at the smiling boy.
"You both did. You both caught me together." Gon continued.
"I guess you might have a point," Leorio said.
If he was going to say more, he didn't get the chance as Katzo, who was up and about, called out to Gon. The group of five turned to look at the sailor as he hurried over to them with a big smile.
"Hey, Mr. Katzo." Gon greeted as he stood up.
Katzo smiled at the younger boy while looking quite well for someone who had just been plunged under the freezing ocean water not that long ago.
"Thanks, Gon," Katzo said. "You're incredible. You saved my life back there."
"Yeah, well, I didn't do it all alone." Gon reminded Katzo. "Those four over there rescued you too."
He looked to the four older teens standing in group together. Kurapika and Leorio's eyes widened as Katzo looked to them.
"He's right," Katzo said then bowed. "Thank you all."
"Please, no thanks necessary." Kurapika told Katzo.
"Yeah, besides, my friend here and I saved their asses more than we saved yours." Brizzy said. "It would have been pretty lame if their rescue attempt failed after all, so we helped them out to save them from the embarrassment."
"Yep," Sephie agreed while popping the 'p'.
Despite the dig at them, Kurapika gave the two women a very small smile of amusement.
"Yeah, whatever," Leorio grumbled at the two women before giving Katzo a smile. "We're just glad to see you made it okay, Katzo."
"Me too," Katzo said.
He then excused himself to his post as Leorio's smile grew for a moment and a small chuckle left his lips. Though the smile dropped when he saw the look of amusement that he was getting from Kurapika.
"What's so funny?" He asked with a frown.
"I'm embarrassed at my behavior." Kurapika explained as he looked up at Leorio. "Pardon my rudeness, Mr. Leorio."
Leorio straightened up in surprise at Kurapika's apology as the blonde gave a sincere smile.
"Well, I wasn't expecting that," Leorio said then veered his gaze away from the blonde. "Just forget it. You can drop the 'Mister'…Leorio is fine…"
He said this with a small blush on his face. Though the blush deepened when he heard Britzany and Sephie snickering at him. He turned to glare at the two females who were grinning from ear to ear.
"Look at the blush," Sephie not so quietly whispered. "The giraffe is embarrassed…how cute…"
"Why you!" Leorio growled as he held up a fist.
The two didn't really seem scared of him as they continued to grin like the two little troublemakers they were. Leorio finally just sighed before clearing his throat and calming down as he turned to Kurapika once more.
"I'm sorry too." Leorio told the blonde. "And I take back everything that I said to you before. That was wrong of me."
"No, it's fine." Kurapika assured the older boy.
Their little moment was then broken as loud laughter had the group looking to the source, which was the captain as the man was coming out from below deck.
"You five are growing on me," He said. "So, I'll make sure all five of ya get safely dropped off at the port closest to the exam site. How does that sound?"
He then started to head up the stairs with the group of five looking at him with wide eyes.
"You will?" Gon asked excitedly. "But what about your test?"
The captain paused as he was walking up the steps to turn back to look at the teens.
"It's like I said, I decide who goes on to take the exam," The captain reminded them before giving them a big grin. "Congratulations! You're all moving on!"
Gon and Brizzy gave two big cheers at that as the other three smiled brightly. The first leg of their journey would soon be over, which would bring all of them a step closer…to becoming Hunters.
Coco: And there you have it. The end of the first chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. :D Until next time, everyone!