Coco: Hey, guys, it's me Coco!...obviously XD And I'm back with another chapter. Nothing too exciting happening in this chapter. Just mostly dialogue that focuses on Sephie for the most part. Learning more about her past and her dream that she hopes to accomplish once she's a hunter. Next chapter will mostly be the same but more focused on Britzany. Just taking the opportunity to give you a better view of each girl. So, you can see the differences and similarities. Maybe some foreshadowing to what kind of paths they might take in the future. Ya know, the usual stuff.

Anyway, let's get started, shall we?

After the excitement from what happened died down, Sephie glanced around and adjusted the strap of her bag. She wanted to find more interesting people. That jester couldn't be the only one here. Though before she could move on to scope out the competition, Tonpa spoke up.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Tonpa said as he dug inside his bag. "Let's have a toast to friendship. What do you say?"

He held up some juice cans to the group. Sephie frowned at the sight of them while sensing something foul from his aura as he smiled at them. He might not have nen and his nodes might not be open, but like all living beings his aura was visible and gave away his intent. Britzany didn't seem to notice the shift in the man's aura even if she obviously was suspicious. Sephie always had the ability to sense people's intent long before awakening her nen. Now her senses were even sharper, so it was near impossible to fool her.

"Hey, hey, thanks, don't mind if I do." Leorio said.

The boys thanked Tonpa while moving in to take the cans from him. However, before Gon could accept the can, Sephie stepped in front of the boy. The group blinked in confusion at the girl's actions.

"You can keep those to yourself." Sephie said. "Something about you rubs me the wrong way to be quite frank. But to show you a bit of kindness, let me give you this one warning, if you do anything to try and sabotage us again, this will be the last time you attempt the Hunter Exam."

She let a very small amount of her ren slip out. Though he couldn't see it, he obviously felt the dark, malicious intent seeping out of her. He shrunk away as he broke out in a cold sweat.

'Just who is this little demon?' He wondered in fear.

Hisoka, who took to leaning against the wall, looked up with a spark in his eyes when he sensed bloodlust. It was only a small amount, but he quickly locked in on it. His eyes landed on the small girl standing in front of that infamous rookie crusher. Her gaze was positively killer and her ren was cocooning around the round man who was wisely shrinking away in fear.

'My my, what adorable little prey,' He thought pleasantly as his lips turned up.

He hadn't seen anyone of interest yet. Well, beside his friend who was wandering around. But now there was this girl. She had obvious control over her nen as she kept her bloodlust contained and focused. He hadn't even sensed her until now. His eyes then shifted a taller girl who placed her hand on the small one's shoulder.

"Sephie, I think he gets the hint." She said. "You keep it up and you'll gain unnecessary attention."

Her eyes suddenly flickered over to Hisoka who she had sensed watching. His lips turned up even more into a smirk.

'Another toy to play with,' He thought gleefully as he licked his lips.

The girl Sephie looked in his direction as well with her eyes narrowing. A clear sign she wasn't worried about his attention on her. Her defiant gaze had a rush of excitement go through Hisoka. Though soon the girl sighed as she reigned in her aura and looked away.

"Right, sorry, Britzany." Sephie said as she straightened up her posture.

Though her eyes soon cut back to the rookie crusher who stiffened and shook under her gaze.

"Now get lost," she told him.

He was quick to stumble away. Hisoka chuckled as he continued to watch the two interesting girls as the shorter one was being scolded by their blonde companion.

"This should be fun~" Hisoka hummed.

Sephie sat above the crowd of examinees below with sketchpad resting on her knees as she searched for anyone interesting. So far just the "psycho" clown, who she was currently sketching, that Tonpa said to stay away from is the only one who seemed capable of nen. Sephie supposed she shouldn't be too surprised. Zann told them that not many people even knew nen existed. Many Hunters never even knew about it until after getting their license. Sephie sighed in disappointment.

She then came out of her thoughts when a boy with snowy white hair and pale skin hopped up next to her. He had a skateboard in one hand and was holding a bunch of juice cans in his other arm. She recognized the cans as the ones Tonpa tried to give her and the others earlier. It wasn't really any of her business if this kid drank one since he is competition, but still. A little warning to help him out now shouldn't hinder in her the future.

"I wouldn't drink those if I were you," Sephie spoke up. "You got those from Tonpa, right?"

The boy turned to look at her and grinned as he cracked one of those cans open.

"Yeah, but you don't have to worry about me," he said confidentially. "Whatever he put in these juices are low grade, and poisons don't work on me."

Sephie blinked mildly interested in that statement of his. She's never met someone immune to poison before. This kid seemed like an interesting one.

"Oh yeah?" She hummed. "Doubt it tastes good though, so here."

She reached into her bag with her free hand and pulled out some chocolate to hand to the kid. His eyes seemed to light up a bit when spotting the Chocolate Robot in her hand.

"Really? Thanks," he said as he took it from her. "I didn't think to bring snacks."

The boy happily opening up the Chocolate Robot packaging to dig into his favorite treat.

"I'm Killua by the way," he said in between eating the candy.

"Sephie," She replied as she continued to move her pencil across the page.

Killua hummed in reply before glancing at her sketchpad to watch her draw away.

"That's pretty good," Killua said. "But why draw that guy?"

He gestured down to Hisoka who was leaning against the wall not far from where they were perched.

"I draw things and people who catch my attention." Sephie said with a small shrug. "Just a little hobby."

Killua didn't reply and just silently kept her company. Sephie didn't really mind though wondered why this kid decided to take an interest in her out of everyone here. She didn't question it too hard though as she waited for the exam to begin with her new companion. Down below, Britzany was scoping their surroundings as well. Unlike Sephie, Britzany did spot another person of interest.

'Don't those things hurt?' Britzany had to wonder as she watched the guy with a bunch of pins sticking out of his body walk by.

The pins weren't the only thing odd about him because as he walked, his head bobbled in a way that reminded her of a windup doll.

'I wonder what his name is,' Britzany continued to think before turning her attention elsewhere. 'There isn't anyone else here with their aura nodes open from what I can tell, but even so, some of them show promise.'

She was getting more excited as time passed and she was itching to get started.

"Hey, Britzany,"

Britzany came out of her thoughts as she looked down at Gon. The green-haired youth was looking around curiously before looking up at her.

"Where did Sephie go?" Gon asked. "She just disappeared all of a sudden."

Britzany took a moment to locate Sephie as her eyes moved up. She spotted her friend speaking with a white-haired boy who looked to be Gon's friend.

"Looks like she went to get a better view from above." Britzany said. "Probably looking for anyone else she might want to check out."

"You know, in the beginning, I never would have taken her for someone looking to pick a fight," Leorio commented.

"Agreed," Kurapika said with a nod. "We'd expect that kind of behavior more likely to come from you."

Britzany sweat-dropped as she wondered if she should feel insulted or not as Gon and Leorio nodded in agreement to Kurapika's statement.

"Gee, thanks," she said sarcastically. "I actually don't particularly like fighting. I do like the challenge that comes along with it, sure, but there's other ways to test yourself and have fun."

In fact, Britzany wouldn't consider her a good fighter. She's better at support than being on the front lines. She knows how to fight, of course. Zann beat so many combat lessons into her that there's no way she'd easily lose in a fight. She definitely knows enough to hold her own at the least.

"Sephie though…it's different for her." Britzany continued. "She gets a thrill from a good fight and seeing how well she compares to her opponent. She likes learning how far she's come and how much more she can improve. Which is probably because she used to be sickly as a kid. She could barely hold her head up on some days, but she toughed it out and built herself up. And now after all that training and effort, she's in a place she can really test out the fruits of her labor and against people who give her the challenge she's looking for. Whether she wins or loses against them, I'm sure she'll enjoy herself."

Britzany said this with a smile as she thought about how much Sephie pushed herself and how hard she worked. There were many times where it looked as if the girl wouldn't be able to continue training and worsened her condition, but she always surprised everyone by coming back and even stronger.

"She was really that sick?" Leorio asked sounding slightly concerned.

His expression mirrored his tone as his hand clutched his briefcase a tad bit tighter.

"Yeah, it would get kind of scary sometimes," Britzany admitted. "But when things got really bad, the sisters would spend a whole day to pray over her. I'm not exactly the religious type of person despite being raised in an abbey, but she always seemed to do better afterwards."

"So, you've known Sephie for a long time, huh?" Gon questioned.

"Yeah, we were raised together along with a bunch of other orphans in the town's church." Britzany replied. "I was taken there when I was four and Sephie joined us two years later."

"She must have been a baby then," Kurapika guessed.

When Britzany let out a small laugh, the boys looked at her curiously. She was biting her lip and looking as if she was trying really hard not to let anymore chuckles through her lips.

"Huh…is something funny?" Gon asked.

"Yeah…it's just…um, how old do you think Sephie is exactly?" Britzany asked.

"I thought she was my age; maybe a year older?" Gon guessed.

As the other two boys nodded along with Gon's guess, Britzany had to try even harder to not burst out laughing. After taking a moment to collect herself, she cleared her throat.

"Sephie's eighteen." Britzany informed them. "Same age as me."

The boys' eyes widened as they stiffened in surprise with gasps leaving their lips.

"Eh? No way!" Leorio exclaimed.

Though they didn't have much time to think about this new discovering as an odd screaming-like ring entered the air. The examinees turned in the direction of the sound as the wall in front of them started to lift to reveal a man with short, pale lavender hair who didn't appear to have a mouth.

"I apologize for the delay," The man said. "Thank you for waiting. The entry period for hunter applicants is officially closed. So, with no further ado, the hunter exam will now begin."

Britzany grinned at that as she glanced up at Sephie who dropped down to ground level with her new little friend in tow.

"One final word of caution, if you are short on luck or ability, keep in mind that there is a very real chance you could end up serious injured." The man warned them. "Death is another distinct possibility. If you are willing to accept the risks involved, I'll ask you to follow me now. But for the rest of you, kindly exit through the elevator located behind you."

No one made a move towards the elevator, which seemed to mean most of the people were either confident in their own abilities or naïve enough to think they could pass. Either way, no one was moving.

"Right then, very well," The lavender-haired man said. "All 406 applicants will now participate in phase one."

He then turned and started walking away. Britzany followed along with the others as she wondered what this first phase was going to be.

"Yeah, I didn't think anybody was going to leave," Leorio commented as they walked. "But I hoped a few would duck out at least."

"Where'd be the fun in that?" Britzany asked as she looked up at him with a smile. "The more people the harder it's going to be, which means the more fun it's going to be."

"Yeah…if you say so," Leorio said as the sweat-dropped.

Britzany's smile just widened before she blinked in confusion when the pace everyone was moving changed. Soon she was jogging along as those in front were picking up the pace.

"Wow, what?" Leorio hummed in confusion.

"I think the people upfront have started running," Gon said.

"It's because he's picking up the pace." Kurapika explained.

Britzany tilted her head wondering if this was part of the first phase. The guy did insinuate the first was starting.

'Could this mean the first test is a test of endurance?' She wondered.

"How rude of me, I neglected to introduce myself." Their guide said. "My name is Satotz. Your examiner for the first phase of the exam. It is my responsibility to lead you all to the second phase."

So, this really was the first phase. Though Britzany wished the guy would explain what this first phase was testing exactly.

"Second?" A bald guy closer to the front questioned. "Whatever happened to the first?"

"The first phase is already underway." Satotz told them causing a bunch to murmur in confusion. "The first phase is quite simple. All you have to do is follow me to the second phase, so try to keep up."

It indeed sounded simple enough, but Britzany doubted that was the case. Seemed too easy in her opinion.

"Follow you?" The bald man from earlier said. "So that's it? There's nothing else?"

"That's right," Satotz replied. "I cannot tell you where or when you must arrive. You need only to follow me."

That did make things more difficult. People will have to worry about how much stamina they're using because there's no telling when the trek will be over. And the longer it takes the more stress will pile onto their shoulders, which will hinder their performance as well. If people misjudge how far this man can and is willing to go, they'll use up their stamina far before they reach their destination. That or they might take things too slow and get left behind.

'I have to make sure to be careful,' Britzany thought. 'I'm not too worried, but I don't need to get overconfident and try to finish this kind of test quickly. I need to keep a set pace and aim for the middle of the pack.'

But still…taking things slow and steady wasn't her strong suit. She just had to hope they made it to their destination before her impatience got the best of her.

"So far this exam isn't so challenging," Killua said with a sigh.

Sephie glanced at the boy riding his skateboard beside her as she jogged along with the group.

"Yeah," She agreed. "I'm not that impressed yet either, but it is still just the beginning. Maybe it'll be more challenging farther into the exam."

"I hope so because right now I'm so bored." Killua complained.

Sephie chuckled at his unhappy facial expression since he was basically pouting. She then looked forward seeing her group of friends not too far ahead. Her eyes fell on Gon specifically while having an idea. Maybe all Killua needed to have a bit more fun was someone around his age to spend time with.

"Hey, follow me," she told the white-haired boy.

He blinked at her curiously as she picked up the pace to move by the people in front of them. Killua tilted his head wondering where she was going but followed her either way. As they neared the others, they passed Leorio who growled when seeing Killua on a skateboard.

"Hey, wait up, kid!" Leorio shouted gaining Killua's attention. "How about you show a little respect for the exam?!"

Killua and Sephie gave Leorio a look of confusion since they had no idea what he was talking about.

"What do you mean?" Killua asked.

"I mean quit using a damn skateboard!" Leorio ordered. "That's cheating!"

"How's that?" Killua questioned.

"I don't see how it is either," Sephie added.

Leorio looked at the petite brunette in disbelief as she looked back at him now that she was jogging in front of him.

"How?!" Leorio repeated. "This is an endurance test that's how!"

"No, it's not." Gon said as he fell back to run alongside Sephie.

Sephie nodded along with Gon's words, which peeved Leorio off even more as his face almost turned red.

"What are you babbling about now, Gon?!" Leorio demanded.

"The examiner never said this was an endurance test," Sephie answered for Gon. "He said we just have to follow him. He never specified how we should do it."

"Yeah, what she said," Gon said in agreement.

Leorio looked at the two in annoyance since he didn't expect his two friends to speak against him.

"Whose side are two you even on?" Leorio grumbled.

"Anyway," Sephie changed the subject causing Leorio to glare at her. "Killua, this is Gon. Gon, this is Killua."

The two glanced at each other curiously and after exchanging a few words, Killua jumped off his skateboard that he kicked up into the air to run alongside Gon. After Killua caught his board and the two seemed to be hitting it off, Sephie smiled. Seeing that her work was done, her eyes moved to the people around to try and spot Britzany.

'Knowing her, she's probably near the head of the group,' Sephie thought. 'She needs to conserve her energy. Idiot.'

Despite thinking that, Sephie decided she'd pick up her pace to catch up. Once checking in with the taller girl, Sephie can always drop back to save stamina.

"I'm moving on ahead," Sephie told the three boys. "Catch you later."

She then hurried on while passing Kurapika who reached out to touch her shoulder. Sephie, who hadn't even noticed the blonde at first, turned her head with her eyes meeting his.

"Kurapika, hey," She greeted. "Have you seen Brizzy recently?"

"She went ahead a few minutes ago," He replied. "You just missed her really."

Well, Sephie had to give it to Britzany then. She held off longer than Sephie gave her credit for and actually kept a steady pace before finally growing impatient and picking up speed.

"I see," Sephie said. "So, what do you think of the exam so far? I'm a bit underwhelmed."

Kurapika gave a chuckle at her words as the girl slowed her pace to match his so they could run side by side.

"Why am I not surprised you said that?" He joked. "I hear from Britzany you prefer challenges that involve fighting."

Sephie seemed a bit surprised by his statement before giving a sigh as she looked off to the side.

"And I guess she told you why too," Sephie said. "About how I used to be a sick kid."

"Yes," Kurapika said with a nod. "She also mentioned that the two of you grew up in an orphanage together. If I may ask, what happened to your family?"

Sephie gave a hum as she looked up in a thoughtful manner as if she was thinking of how to answer or if she wanted to answer at all.

"Well, I don't know," Sephie replied. "Before coming to the orphanage, I don't really remember much. I mean, I was six when being found near the border of Azalea. So, I should have some kind of memories, right?"

Kurapika didn't reply as he felt as if the question, she presented was rhetorical.

"But I don't." Sephie continued. "I have no memories before being found by some of the townspeople. I never really gave it much thought or cared much. I mean no one ever came looking for me, so I decided pretty young that people who didn't care enough to look for me weren't worth remembering anyway. Besides, I had Brizzy and the sisters and the other kids in my life and that was enough."

Many people would look at a life like and probably feel bad for her. Sephie, however, didn't think that way at all. She felt happy with the hand she had been dealt.

"Then why leave your hometown?" Kurapika asked curiously. "If you were happy with how things were."

"I might have been happy with how I grew up, but that doesn't mean that's all I want out of life." Sephie countered. "I always wanted to see outside of that little town. To travel and see things no one else has seen before. That desire only grew when a hunter who was passing through came into mine and Brizzy's lives."

Kurapika vaguely remembers Sephie mentioning a mentor when the boat captain asked why they were becoming hunters.

"He used to tell all of us kids at the orphanage about his adventures." Sephie continued with a smile. "The friends he had made along the way, the enemies he faced, the places he had seen and so much more. To be able to do those kinds of things sounded like dream and I wanted a part of it. Though not many people believed in the sickly little girl that I once was."

Sephie frowned as she remembered all the people who either ridiculed her or looked at her in pity when she mentioned her dreams of traveling and seeing the world.

"So many people tried to talk me out of it…but Master Zann, he encouraged me and said he believed in me." Sephie said. "He told me that no matter what anyone else said that I could become whoever I wanted to be and accomplish whatever I set my mind to. So, I trained and trained until finally I grew stronger and grew out of my sickly stage. Though my growth was kind of forever stunted."

She said this with an annoyed huff that had Kurapika's lips turning up in amusement.

"But I guess my height doesn't really matter," Sephie said with a sigh. "I'm stronger than I was before, and I can't even remember the last time I was really sick. And it's all thanks to Master Zann's training."

And perhaps a slight thanks to her sheer stubbornness that she never gave up and kept going. Not to mention Britzany's support as well.

"So, your goal is to become a hunter and find him?" Kurapika pressed gently. "Is that the only reason you're taking the exam?"

"Hmm, no," Sephie said as she shook her head. "I wanted out of Azalea before Master came to town. I had heard of hunters before meeting him as well and the job seemed so appealing. As I mentioned before, the profession of a hunter allows such flexibility that those who gain their licenses can follow what dreams and passions they have. My dream is to see as much of the world as possible and document it in my art. What I want the most is the freedom to seek as much adventure as my heart can take and to share it with those who can't see such things for themselves. I want to open up their worlds in any way that I can. Especially if they are physically unable to seek such wonders out for themselves."

Kurapika's eyes widened slightly at her words as she looked forward with a smile on her face.

'So…she wants to share her tales with those who are like the sickly little girl she had once been,' He realized with a smile. 'She wants to bring some kind of joy and excitement to their lives to make whatever they might be suffering a little less painful.'

He never knew Sephie was so soft-hearted. The girl usually wore an indifferent expression on her face if she wasn't teasing and being a bit sassy.

"I think that's a wonderful reason to become a hunter, Sephie." Kurapika told her honestly. "So, your goal is to become a hunter who seeks new adventure and things that will bring happiness to someone who can't experience it themselves. Perhaps even fulfill some of their own dreams through your adventures. A Dream Hunter if you will."

Sephie blushed slightly since no one ever put her goal into words like that. She never even really saw it like that.

"You know, it's kind of embarrassing when you say it like that." Sephie admitted, which gained her a look of amusement from the Kurta.

Though before he could reply to her statement with some kind of jest, she cleared her throat.

"But anyway, before I can even do anything like that, I need to find Master Zann." She changed the subject. "I guess you can say it's like a final test he's given Brizzy and I. That and after getting my license…I want to thank him in person for everything he's done for us. But enough about me already…my back story isn't that interesting. Besides, don't we need to be focusing on the exam?"

Really, she just wanted to keep the topic of conversation away from her. Mostly because she didn't want to embarrass herself even further. Not that she was going to tell the blonde beside her that. Though based on his amused expression, Sephie had the feeling he already knew.

"I suppose you have a point," Kurapika agreed.

The two then fell into a comfortable silence as Sephie decided she'd catch up with Britzany later. With how this first phase was going, Sephie had a suspicion she had plenty of time to catch up to her friend before it ended. And so, the first phase continued.