Disclaimer: I do not own Hunter x Hunter.
CHAPTER 11
After two hours of nonstop running, some of the participants had started giving up while the others are already on the brink of collapsing.
Renée separated from Gon an hour and a half ago to scout the other participants. When she didn't return, Kurapika decided to follow her and keep an eye on the red-head.
The two ended up running together instead of going back to the others. They talked a lot about the different cultures and some odd places that are actually present on the planet.
Actually, it was more of a conversation where Kurapika did the talking and Renée did the questioning.
She took in all of the blonde's words and he could imagine her carefully stocking the information in her head like a librarian would when replacing books back in their proper sections.
"Say Kurapika, what was it like in your tribe? Did you also speak in a different language like the other tribes you described?"
At this, the Kurta suddenly pursed his lips. His tribe was a very touchy subject for him and he didn't know what to tell her.
Noticing his discomfort, Renée quickly changed the topic and asked him to forget about her question.
"No it's okay." he smiled gently.
She waited patiently for him to continue, allowing him to practice his story inside his head.
"In the Kurta tribe, we weren't allowed to go out unless we come of age and pass a test. I was always very curious about what was beyond that I forced the elder to allow me to take the test countless of times even though I was just a boy. He was always very annoyed to see me." his lips twitched upward at the memory.
Kurapika couldn't help but relax as he recalled to the girl beside him all of the good times that he had spent in his home. His squabbles with the elder, with his family, and even about his best friend Pairo.
He found that Renée was actually a really good listener, nodding her head at times to show she was listening and laughing along with him when he told her funny stories.
For the first time in a long time, he felt at peace with his past.
"Now that I told you my story, why don't you tell me yours. Consider it a trade." Kurapika said cheekily.
He laughed when she pouted at him, but she decided to tell him anyway.
"Well to be honest I can't be considered a genuine native of Whale Island even though I know a lot about it." she started somberly.
The blonde only threw her a confused look, not really understanding her statement.
"That's because I don't remember where I was from. I was only seven, I think, when I found myself inside a dirty slave ship. The men there were very cruel and they whipped everyone that did a job wrong, even the children. You'd think that the slaves would help each other out because of this, but no, back there it was every man for himself. I couldn't remember who I was or where I came from and the people I asked either didn't know, didn't care, or whipped me for even bothering to speak. Then there was a fire in the boiler room. Well, I caused it actually." She laughed bitterly, her eyes shining as if the flames were trapped inside. "I wanted to escape, you see, but I also wanted to get back at all those cruel people. I made the ship explode and sink, dragging all of them with it. I miraculously survived and was washed ashore on Whale Island. I was found by a traveller, Tasha Godfrei. He gave me my name and is now my foster father. Neither of us had our own property on the island and we were lucky to have met Gon in the clinic. He asked his aunt and grandma to take us in. We've been together since. Gon and Tasha, they've been my family all my life." she finished.
Kurapika stayed silent for a while, realizing that this girl who he'd come to know as someone that simply radiated energy had such a tragic past as well.
They continued running in silence. The atmosphere was very awkward but neither made a move to clear it.
Without a second thought, she grabbed the blonde's cheeks and stretched them.
"Don't pity me."
Rubbing his aching face, he scowled slightly.
"I'm not. I just thought that I somehow understand feeling alone for a while then finding someone to help you get back up again. Aren't you curious though? Did you ever think of finding out where you're from?"
This question caught Renée off-guard.
She hadn't been thinking about that at all. She was far too contented with her life at the moment to even bother about it.
"I don't think I need to know."
"Don't need to know what?"
The two turned and saw a sweating, topless Leorio madly running beside them.
"What happened to you, Leorio?" Kurapika asked, getting over the shock of seeing him.
"I'm just extremely motivated!"
"You stink." the red-head deadpanned.
"What was that!? You picking a fight with me!?"
"Ah Ren! There you are!"
The said girl looked over her shoulder and saw Gon with another kid running up to them.
"Hey Gon, who is that?" she asked, slowing down a bit so that she can run beside them.
"Ren this is Killua! He's twelve years old just like us!"
"Yo."
Renée only looked back at him. She immediately wrote him off as weird but dangerous.
All that innocence was just a façade. Maybe even his age is, considering he has white hair.
"Why do you look so old?" she blurted out without thinking.
Killua's eyebrow twitched in irritation and he glared at her. Gon looked at her like she'd grown two heads because she rarely slipped up like that.
Mentally slapping herself for saying such a thing, she opted to rephrase her question. "I mean, you have white hair. I just thought it made you look old."
"It's silver you dunce."
This time, it was Renée that glared at the boy.
She is smart and mature for her age and this aging bastard has no right to call her a 'dunce'!
"Excuse me, I am smarter than you! It's clear that it's white and not silver. Just accept that you look like an old man and stop trying to make yourself look cooler, moron!"
The two threw insults at each other and Gon tried, in vain, to make peace.
Getting annoyed with the racket they're making, and seeing the endless flights of stairs ahead of them, Leorio yelled at them to shut up.
"Stay out of this, pops!" both retaliated heatedly. The dark-haired man was taken aback by this and his blood seemed to boil even more.
"'Pops'!? I'm just a teen like you guys!" he spat out.
"What!? No way!"
Everyone seemed to stagger at that piece of information and looked at him incredulously.
"Wha-!? Even you Gon? That's it! It's over between us, stupid friends!"
Renée was left speechless and she turned towards the silver-haired kid who wore the same expression as hers.
"I forgot why we were fighting." he admitted monotonously.
"So did I."
"Great! Now how about a race you guys?" Gon suggested, relieved that they had come to terms with each other.
With renewed energy, the two grinned back at him and nodded excitedly. "Loser buys dinner."
In a flash, the three shot up the stairs as if they were nothing. They avoided some collapsed examinees and hopped up two steps at a time.
After realizing that the exit was nowhere near yet, the three decided to slow down a bit in order to conserve some energy.
To fight off the boredom, Killua decided to ask his two companions some questions about themselves.
"Say Gon, why do you want to be a Hunter?"
"Well, my dad is a Hunter. I want to become one as well so I can meet him! I have to find him first though." the islander replied without hesitation.
"Do you know what kind of Hunter he is?"
"No I don't."
Killua laughed at him, saying he is weird, while Renée just smiled. 'Typical Gon.'
The dark-haired boy was confused as to why they looked amused by his answer. "Why is it weird?"
"You want to be like your dad but you don't even know what his job is!" the silver-head giggled.
"I never really met my father. The closest I ever got to him was through a picture. He left me with Aunt Mito on Whale Island when I was just a baby and never came back. Being a Hunter must be so amazing right?"
The two beside him stayed silent for a while after hearing his answer.
It never failed to amaze Renée how optimistic Gon can be. He will always view the glass as half full and this trait of him is what attracts everyone around him towards his being. Like a disease, they become infected with his joy and simplicity.
"Why do you want to be a Hunter Ren?" Killua asked, making her snap out of her thoughts.
"Me? I'm just here because Gon forced me to. Aunt Mito and Tasha expects me to take good care of him so I'm sort of like a babysitter."
"Who's the old one now?" the silver-head snickered.
She whacked him on the back of the head and glared at the boy. "I am mature! Learn the difference you idiot!"
"Hitting someone else doesn't seem very mature." he muttered angrily.
"Huh? You say something old man?"
"Deaf." he muttered again.
"You little-!"
"So why does Killua want to be a Hunter?" Gon intervened once again.
"I just heard that this Exam was supposed to be tough. I thought it would be fun but so far I'm disappointed. This Exam will be a breeze!" he replied with a lazy look in his eyes.
"Ah the exit!"
The three looked up and saw a light at the end of the tunnel and they sprinted quickly towards it, none of them holding back.
When they reached the last step, they sprung forward yelling 'goal' in unison and effectively surprising Satotz.
"I won! You two better treat me well!"
"What are you talking about old man? It was clear that I came first!"
"Huh? I was first Ren!"
"No, I was!"
"I was!"
"Mr. Satotz, did you see who came first?"
The examiner blinked at Gon before clearing his throat to respond. "I believe you all got here at the same time."
"Eh? That's no fun!" Killua whined.
"Then Ren buys me dinner, I will buy Killua's dinner, and Killua will buy Ren's!" Gon suggested.
Renée laughed at his idea.
"That makes no sense!" the silver-head laughed as well.
The three continued to discuss about their winnings as the others started to arrive.
END OF 11.
A/N: I'm thinking of making Killua and Renée's relationship a love-hate thing. Tell me, do you want some romance? What pairing?