A/N: As always, a ton of thanks to the people who write me reviews and continue to follow this story.
Chapter Six:
They called them the Great Stamp. As in they would ram you in the face with their enormous snouts and then stamp all over your bloody carcass. Great.
Jump higher!
"I am high, you ass!" I shrieked, scrambling up a nearby tree just as a Great Stamp went barreling snout first into the trunk making the whole tree quiver.
Just because you can't jump very high, don't get mad at me. I barely stopped myself from leaping over to the tree that Minoru was on and strangling him to death. The giant pig rammed into my tree once more, almost dislodging me. I guess I was cheating a bit with Minoru since he knew more than a fair share about a variety of animals that lived in the woods. He had informed me that all I had to do was hit them on the top of their heads, an area that was soft and would apparently kill them in an instant. NOW!
I leaped, wind rushing at me as I took in the beady eyes of the pig below me before I was flipping, driving my heel into its head. Something gave and my converses went straight through, something squishy and wet splattering across my shoes and onto the back of my leg as the beast below me gave a pathetic yelp and then careened to the ground.
Ew, Minoru whispered softly, his face pulled into an expression of disgust and horror as I stayed where I was.
"Please don't tell me that there are Great Stamp brains on me right now," I whispered, not daring to look anywhere but the tree line. I shut my eyes as the silence stretched between us. It was really, really hard to get blood out of clothing.
Well, it's a good thing that we weren't planning on making any brain recipes… Minoru's lame reply made me want to rip my own hair out.
Muttering, I yanked my foot from the inside of the pig's head with a wet splosh and jumped down, glaring at the splash of blood that was quickly drying on my leg and foot.
"Let's go," I snarled grabbing onto the giant ear of the Great Stamp and beginning the long trudge back to the cooking area. The thing was so mammoth that it caught on every stray tree trunk and root that it could, making the walk horrible. A lot of the other contestants were still trying to cajole their hogs into submission, growing more and more desperate as the hours ticked on.
But a little above a quarter had actually made it back to the area and begun to cook.
The hog caught on a few pebbles as I dragged it over to the nearest tables. It was a pretty heavy monster of an animal and although I had a small amount of knowledge on cooking pig, I wasn't too sure about this amount of meat. The slender frame of Hisoka stood a station away from me, his face pulled into an expression that I was starting to decipher as real boredom.
Minoru grunted beside me, one of his paws going to rest against the counter as he steadied himself. His face was pulled into real pain. I snarled, raw fury burning through me. I was sure that it was his side that was giving him trouble. And that all came from him. God, I hated him.
"You're at my station." My pig went flying, landing with a loud bang in front of the cooking station that Hisoka was standing at. My eyes narrowed as he stared blankly down at it, his expression slightly bemused. Like he wasn't fully comprehending this slight. It gave me a sickening amount of pleasure seeing him so befuddled.
A few people near me, scuttled away to a different area, creating an awkward ring around Hisoka and I. Beside me, I could feel Minoru's anxiety. Please don't do this.
Slowly, Hisoka turned, a severe smile curling his lips. "What?"
I took a step closer to him, stuffing my hands into my hoodie. If he wanted to stay in the competition, he needed to keep me alive until the examiners gave us specific orders to go ham. My eyes narrowed even further on the man leaning over me, his hands stuffed into his own pockets. I didn't think he would kill me even if he got permission. It didn't feel like the right time. I was still amusing him.
"You're at my station," I snipped, not budging an inch as he moved close enough for me to be able to catch that sweet and salty scent that lingered around him. Odd. It reminded me of something. I just couldn't think of what.
"You little brat." I squeal as his fingers pinched my cheeks, pulling them out as he smiled down at me.
"You prick!" I wailed, fighting back the tears as I yanked at his hands. My words came out warped as he tugged my cheeks out further. "Geph offa me!"
"Aaahhhh~ I thought we were bonding ~" he mused, giving my cheeks another tug, his grin positively evil.
Should I help you? Minoru asked, staring at us warily. I shot him a glare.
You're hurt. I glared up into that wicked face, his eyes shining with amusement and something else that I couldn't quite understand. Stay out of this.
"Maybe I've given you a bit too much leeway," Hisoka mused, his gaze considering as it ran over my wiggling form. "Ah, but you're so enticing when you fight back..."
I snarled up at him. Distantly, something snapped into perspective for me. Some sick part of me liked this game that we were playing, a dance that shivered with the tension of a possible explosion. His eyes lit, his tongue running slowly along his lips as he drew a little bit closer. I lashed out, give his aura a hard shove that made his eyes narrow.
The fingers pinching down on my cheeks tightened, making me squeak. "You're certainly daring all of a sudden."
I glared up at him, my nails digging into his wrists until I saw a bit of blood drip-free. He didn't even flinch. "You don't seem like you're going to kill me anytime soon and I have the sinking suspicion that you won't be leaving me alone either."
His teeth flashed down at me in a savage grin. "Oh stop it, mousie," he breathed, drawing near enough that his nose rubbed against mine and I caught the greenish tints of his eyes mixed with the overpowering hue of honey. "We both know that you enjoy our games as much as I do."
"I would much prefer beating you to a pulp," I snapped, heat rising in my cheeks for some odd reason.
"Maybe later," he mused, letting go of my cheeks with a warning glance. I didn't move from my spot, huffing up at him. A long lapse of silence passed between us, his eyes flicking all around me.
"Do you really have no idea what you're doing?" he asked, his smile deceptively playful as his eyes narrowed further.
"Do you mean the stuff around you?" I blurted out and Minoru stiffened from his place a few feet away. The slight widening of Hisoka's eyes was all I needed in answer. I lowered my voice. "My ma taught me how to hide all of...that... but…"
I stopped, glancing away. Why was I telling him about this? He didn't deserve this sort of honesty. I didn't know him at all. But then again what was the danger of it? What could he possibly gain from that?
The way that he was staring down at me made me feel like he was seeing right through me. As if he knew every moment of my life and was watching it play out.
The sound of footsteps and excited murmurs reached my ears moments before the other contestants burst through the open gates and rushed the cooking stands. All of them seemed to have the same idea since the roasting pits were quickly lit. I didn't break my gaze to look at them though, refusing to look away from that penetrating stare.
"You'll need to control it," he said suddenly, his voice soft. "If you don't all of the sharks will eventually come out of the water and gobble you up."
His words were playful but the look in his eyes was anything but. I tensed. "I can take care of myself."
Hisoka's smile grew as he leaned closer to me, his arms folding across his chest. "Oh, I'm sure you could in whatever hovel you grew up in but you're out in the big, wide world now, my little mousie." His eyes narrowed to golden slits. "And believe it or not my patience will grow thin."
If I was weak, I thought, a cold sweat starting to build at my nape. Those were the words he wasn't saying. I despised myself at that moment. I despised that I had drawn his attention and I despised that I knew that he was right. I had done fairly well up until this point to get through the exams but that wasn't good enough. Targeted missions would get me nowhere if I actually became a hunter. I would be up against a lot more people - people like Hisoka, I realized.
"I need to start my meal," I finally whispered, glaring up at him as I moved toward the Great Stamp and where Minoru stood silently.
"I'll be watching~" Hisoka chuckled, walking lazily towards another cooking station nearby.
"I hope you like the view," I grumbled, hauling my hog towards the spit as Minrou watched me with an unreadable expression.
There were basic salt and pepper at the station along with all of the other vegetables that they had thrown into a bowl by the stove. I got to work seasoning and lighting the pit to spin, my emotions swirling angrily. I hated myself for letting Hisoka get to me and even more than that I hated that I enjoyed it. I hated that I found it a bit exciting.
You like it, Minoru suddenly said as he cut up the vegetables and scooped them into a boiling pot. My muscles strained as I turned the pig, my eyes water from the smoke that was wafting into my pace.
"What?" I grouched.
Minoru's eyes shined over at me, beady and striking. You like doing this back and forth with him… You've always been so curious about things but I didn't think…
"That I would be so reckless?" I finished blandly, staring into the fire. It was a hot day already and the added warmth from the open flames were making me a sweaty, dripping mess.
You've always been bored in that city though- Minoru mused for a moment before I cut her off with a shake of my head.
"I'm fine in Belcher," I snapped, furiously. "I could survive-"
Your mother taught you how to live, Morie, Minoru replied softly. Even when we were little we didn't really belong there. We were always… different.
And that was the way to describe it, wasn't it? Different. We were. Even with the Amori brothers, we were always on the outside - the little girl and her teddy bear who could fly and talk to her. I don't know why I had clung onto it for so long - that dream of staying in Belcher's and living out my days in a quiet, constant routine. I wasn't that type of girl.
An irritating buzz cut the air as I snapped out my dagger, brushing it against a clean towel before slicing off a few chunks of pork.
"The pork's overcooked," the green-haired woman sang, holding up a blue x on her scorecard even as her tubby companion dug into to the remaining pig. The big sumo wrestler named Todo gave a bellow of outrage, protesting furiously until eventually he was forced to leave the alter when another contestant approached.
Everyone's just baked the whole hog, Minoru murmured, his eyes running over the other contestants. I sniffed. Even from here I could smell the burnt flesh. Most of them hadn't even bothered to take it off when it was meant to be done. That had to piss Menchi off.
I winced as another contestant went up to quickly be kicked away, Menchi's incessant scolding following him as he wilted into the crowd. By the time that our broth was done, ten more contestants had come and gone and the rest were starting to get moody. Nothing pleased the gourmet hunter even though her partner was running through dishes like it was part of his job.
It'll get cold if we don't go up now, Minoru prodded, picking up the steaming bowl. I winced. It looked very small in comparison to all the whole hogs that had been set in front of her.
"She's failed every last person that's gone up there," I muttered under my breath even as I trudged along beside Minoru, feeling like I was about to go to my own execution.
Then we'll be one of many. I love being average.
As I passed my brothers, they gave a couple of fist bumps and thumbs up, their plates already rejected by the gourmet hunters. Not surprising since they'd stolen almost all meals that they'd eaten in the fact twenty years of their lives.
"Oh not another one," Menchi groaned, throwing her head back in exasperation as we made our way slowly up the steps. Yep. This was a great start. Carefully, Minoru set our bowl in front of them, the assortment of vegetables and pork bobbing along in the broth.
Buhara, poked at the dish curiously, his brows going up. "This is different."
"What is this?" Menchi snapped in a way that made me think that she contemplating jumping across the table and butchering me herself.
"Um… soup?" It came out more as a question than a serious reply, something that made her brows furrow in annoyance.
"You used very little of the pig," she stated.
I frowned. "You never told us to use the whole thing."
Her eyes were fathomless as they stared up at me and I started to feel a dribble of sweat trickle down my throat. A tug on the bottom of my hoodie made me grit my teeth, that familiar aura poking at mine until I had to fight against the urge to turn around and seek out the red-haired man. Menchi's eyes flicked just to my thigh, her eyes narrowing for a moment long enough for me to catch.
"Delicious!" Buhara exclaimed, holding up a red circle. Not surprising. He had been passing everyone this entire time. He slurped up another mouthful of my broth, nearly draining the whole thing. My heart sunk as he reached for the last slice of pork. That would mean that the other hunter hadn't even bothered to taste it. Which surely meant immediate failure.
Chopsticks slapped down on the giant's hands before he could gobble up the rest, the green-haired woman's eyes brooding as she delicately picked up the slice and then drank a bit of the broth. Her brows furrowed as she turned a narrowed gaze to me, considering.
"Have you cooked before?" she finally asked and I watched the scorecard twirling between her fingers with growing anxiety.
"I have brothers," I said by way of explanation, swatting at Hisoka's aura as it toyed with the hem of my sweater. Menchi's eyes narrowed.
A long moment of silence passed in which I didn't breath at all. Minoru was just as still beside me, his mouth pulled down in a pinched expression.
Finally, a deep sigh escaped Menchi, that scorecard in her hands stopping abruptly on… a red circle. I blinked, startled. Was I seeing things?
Is that actually..? I reached out to Minoru, clutching his arm as disbelief and joy burst through me.
I think I'm hallucinating, Minoru whispered, dazed.
"You pass," Menchi grumbled, sounding anything but pleased. "Your presentation was acceptable and you didn't bore me with your rendering of the pig. But I wouldn't be too happy about it - your competition hardly impressed so yours was just good in a pool of horrible renderings."
I certainly wasn't going to question her on it. We scrambled down from the alter so quickly that I didn't think that I touched most of those steps. I didn't notice the deafening silence until we were back at our station, a million eyes narrowed on us. I resist the urge to shrink back into a defensive position, my gaze catching on where Hisoka stood, leaning lazily against the counter of his kitchen while a card slipped through one of his hands. His brow raised as I caught his gaze, the smell of candy and blood filling the air as he dragged his tongue slowly over his lips.
"That's…" one of the contestants near us whispered, his hands clenching. "That means only-"
"Only one person passed," another one finished through gritted teeth.
"ENOUGH OF THIS NONSENSE!" Minoru tensed beside me as Todo slammed his hand into his cooking counter, crushing it. "I won't accept this. There's no way I will accept this."
"We will not change our minds about failing you," Menchi sighed, looking slightly bored.
"What a joke!" Todo snarled. "You two wanted to eat pork, so we put our lives on the lines-"
His face was twisted up in rage as both of the judges stood, moving forward with unsympathetic gazes. I didn't completely blame them either.
"Didn't I say to use the pig to make a dish that would satisfy us?" Menchi snapped, her hands going to her hips. "Only one of you did that."
A savage grin curled Hisoka's lips as his eyes flicked to me. That stare was far from pleasant. In fact, it was closer to mocking, that card of his flicking furiously between his fingers.
"Pork dishes are all the same, right?" Number 294, a bald young man with feathery eyebrows muttered.
I winced, seeing the color rising in Menchi right before she exploded.
"SAY THAT ONE MORE TIME IF YOU DARE!" She shrieked out, grabbing baldies collar and yanking him forward. "If you say something so idiotic again, I'm going to kick you in the nuts and watch you squirm! Damn you! I don't want to hear from anyone who can't cook a pig. What did you say? Huh?! I dare you to say it again!"
Seething, Menchi shoved the man away, flopping back into the chair at the top of the alter with an indignant huff.
"The conclusion is that none-" Her eyes snapped open, narrowing on me in the crowd. I gave a small wave and an awkward smile. Yeah. You had passed me, lady. A station away, the card in Hisoka's hand became a blur as he flipped it, an almost sadistic glee filling his eyes. He was going to kill her. I could feel it. The green-haired woman gave a sigh, looking extremely unhappy about my very existence. "One … of you has passed. The rest of you didn't care to even try."
An almost pathetic sort of disappointment filled Hisoka's face at the admission and the card and his hand slowed.
Todo's face had gonna a purplish-red, his fist clenching into white balls before he was launching forward. "DAMN YOU! STOP MESSING WITH ME!"
It was over before he had even reached Menchi who had turned her head slightly, her green eyes darkening. With a thundering whack, Buhara slapped Todo so hard that he flew across the clearing, slamming into the main gate with a deafening crack. Rubble puffed all around Todo before he was crashing to the dirt, another cloud of dirt poofing around him.
He didn't get up.
A murmur went through the sea of contestants, a few glancing back at the hunters with new awe. Yikes. They were a tough bunch. My gaze moved to Hisoka and then just over his shoulder to his pinned friend. But I was sure that we had a few tough ones in our bunch too.
"Let me make myself clear," Menchi said, her voice soft with deadly threat. "In our search for ingredients, we gourmet hunters are used to coming face-to-face with fearsome beasts." A set of knives appeared in both of her hands, the blades glinting as she threw them up into the air, spinning the deftly between her hands. "As for fighting skills, we had to master them despite our lack of interest. Without any attention to detail and the guts to take on a new challenge, it is reasonable to say that none of you are fit to become a hunter."
Silence followed this statement. Hesitantly, I raised my hands, giving Menchi a wane smile. She rolled her eyes. "Except for the little girl and her teddy bear."
"Thanks," I called, giving her a thumbs up.
Hisoka looked almost overjoyed as he drew out a few more cards. I was pretty sure that he was going to be killing another examiner in a couple of seconds. Deftly, I stepped to the side, yanking Minoru along with me.
"Even so," a voice blared and we all glanced up to catch sight of an airship, zipping along through the sky until it hovered over the cooking ground. "Passing only one candidate is a bit excessive."
"That's the marker of the hunter association!" one of the other contestants screamed, pointing at two intersecting Xs with a red triangle at the center. "Is it a committee member?"
As if in immediate response, a blur jumped from the ship, falling to the ground and landing with an explosion of dirt and wind.
Woah, Minoru whispered, clutching me as the impact sent me flying. Dirt and pebbles stung my face.
I think that Hisoka might have some competition, I said tightly, clinging to Minoru.
"Who's that old man?"
He was old - old in a kind of hip, grandfather way. He was dressed in a pristine white kimono, his hair pulled back into a tight ponytail to reveal his pierced ears.
He's edgy, Minoru mused and I resisted the urge to giggle.
"He's the Head of the Selection Committee, the person in charge of the hunter exam," Menchi stated, stepping forward. Her face drawn in resignation. "Chairman Netero."
"Rather than being in charge, you could say I work behind the scenes," the old man said in an amicable way, smiling slightly. He had a massive beard, spiked with gray. "In other words, someone who comes to fix problems such as these."
His face turned gravely serious.
"Before we address the issue here though and a solution -" His eyes scanned the crowd quickly. "Would the one passing contestant step forward please?"
I scrambled up into Minoru's shoulders, warily clutching at his ear as we slowly stepped through the sea of people who had begun to crowd around the two imposing figures. Across the area, Amori and my other brothers caught my eyes.
Chairman Netero's eyes ran over Minoru and me in consideration for a moment before he was nodding.
"You've passed and so you'll be allowed to continue onto the second phase-"
"Hey!" some random guy in the back yelled. "That's not fair! She has a - whatever the hell that thing is."
My hands tightened on Minoru as the Chairman's head tipped to the side. Deep in the crowd, I felt the attention of Hisoka and the answering tug of his aura. Except this time it was coaxing, almost guarded as it circled me. Netero's brows furrowed.
"It isn't against the rules to use companions as accessories," the Chairman finally said, turning away with a shake of the head. "It would be the same as taking away someone's weapon or... pet."
A boy with a monkey gave a nervous wiggle, sinking a bit deeper into the crowd.
"Either way, that is hardly my concern," he continued, his gaze flicked to me. "You have passed and so you will board while we wait for the continuation of the exams."
A ladder thumped to the ground right beside me, barely missing the cluster of contestants that were standing beside me.
"You may go aboard and wait for your competition." The smile that he gave me was less than heartwarming.
I opened my mouth. And then closed it. What was I supposed to say? No? My eyes caught on my brother's once more, a tense moment passing before Umori was giving me a grin and a thumbs up. Imori quickly followed, waving his hand in a shooing motion. They wouldn't accomplish anything more with my presence than they would without.
Tentatively, I patted Minoru's head, tightening my hands on his head as he slowly drifted into the air, making his way up to the airship.
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