Hunter 1/2
AN: Hello again! I bet you all thought this was dead and done, now didn't you? Well, I've started re-watching Hunter x Hunter, so you all get this!
Without further ado, enjoy!
Chapter 2: Entering x the x Exam
"Bwahahah! I like your spirit girlie!" Ranma's attention was drawn to a heavily built, red-faced man with a glass of what was likely alcohol in one hand. He was wearing a red vest, tan shirt and grey pants, as well as a hat that practically screamed 'ship's captain'. "Fer someone who 'doesn't lose', the Hunter Exam might be a good move!"
"Now… Now hold on a second!" The still dazed Leorio objected as he pulled himself to his feet.
"Huh, guess you're not as weak as I thought," Ranma commented in genuine surprise. This drew a laugh from the captain and a small smile from Kurapika.
Sending a glare at the redhead, Leorio continued. "We all had to go through a storm, and nearly got disqualified just for not answering a question, so why does she get the go-ahead? Plus, the Hunter Exams are dangerous, they're no place for a little girl."
Ranma retorted with a smirk. "This 'little girl' just knocked you on your ass, old man."
Seeing Leorio getting mad again, and remembering the fight from the night before, Gon stepped in. "Leorio-san prefers it if younger people use '-san' for him."
"Oh, well in that case," Ranma said with her smirk still in place, "I'll make sure to do that… gramps."
Deciding to speak up before another fight ensued, the Captain said, "Judging by the fact that we pulled her from the water right after the storm ended, she made it through the storm as well, and without a comfortable ship to ride on like you had, and she's already given her name and stated that she has a goal. As for it being dangerous, judging by how she sent you flying, I'd say she has some training as a fighter. Isn't that right, girlie?"
Ranma frowned at the nickname. "The name's Ranma, not 'girlie'." Then the frown turned into a grin. "But your right, I'm the heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts."
"Well, then!" The captain called out. "If that's all settled, I'll see to it to drop you lot off at the harbor closest to the Exam sight."
This brought a curious look to Ranma's face and smiles to the faces of Leorio and Kurapika. However, it was Gon whose excitement was the most obvious, as he jumped into the air with a cry of "Yatta!"
Grinning at the young boy, Ranma said, "Since you seem to be looking forward to this so much, why don't ya tell about these 'Hunters'?"
Gon was all too happy to oblige.
It was not long before they reached Dolle Harbor, during which time Ranma learned enough to know that this Hunter Exam would be a great opportunity to test herself against some powerful opponents, and maybe pick up some new techniques while she was at it. And if it gave her a break from all the fiancée business back in Nerima, then that was just a bonus.
Of course, her excitement lasted all of three steps off the ship, before she realized she had no idea where to go. Ranma realized her best bet was to try and get help from one of the other three Hunter applicants she had met.
Leorio? Definitely not, especially since she would likely have to reveal her curse to whomever she got help from, and she didn't feel like getting splashed with cold water every five minutes just so that he could enjoy the view.
Kurapika? It was a possibility, but the blond had given the impression that he seemed to prefer his own company.
Gon? Well, he had definitely been the most helpful and friendly of the three, and Ranma didn't think she could live with herself if she left a kid all on their own. Mind made up, she quickly started looking for Gon, and found him talking to the captain.
As she approached, she heard Gon say, "I'll do that, Captain. Thanks!"
"Best of luck!" the Captain replied.
Seeing that their conversation seemed to be over, Ranma called out, "Hey, squirt! I don't suppose ya know where we're supposed ta go from here, do ya?"
"Yeah!" Gon said with a nod and a grin. "Why don't you come with us, miss?"
Doing her best to ignore the feminine form of address, Ranma asked, "Us?"
"Yeah, follow me," Gon said before running toward Kurapika and Leorio.
'So much for picking who to go with,' Ranma thought, nearly faceplanting in exasperation as she followed Gon.
"Over there!" Leorio said as he pointed. "I knew there had to be a map posted around here somewhere."
As they walked over to the map, Gon told them about the shortcut the Captain had told him about in turn. Almost immediately, Leorio pointed out that the 'shortcut' was in a different direction from where they were supposed to be headed. Just as quickly, Ranma realized something important: while the people here spoke Japanese, the writing was unlike any language she had seen before.
'Man,' she thought, 'I'm sure glad I decided ta stick with these guys. I wouldn't have even been able ta read a map on my own!' Even as that thought crossed her mind, Ranma resolved to learn this language as soon as possible, so as not to be dependent on someone else.
Ranma was snapped from her thoughts when Leorio called out, "Oi! Kurapika!"
Looking around, Ranma saw that Gon was already headed towards the mountain, with the blond teen following. Kurapika called over his shoulder. "Gon's behavior interests me more than the Captain's advice. I'm going with him."
"Oh, is that so," Leorio said in annoyance. Turning to the redhead, he grinned and said, "You know taking the bus is the smart move, right Ranma-chan?"
Ranma's eye twitched in irritation. Glaring at him, she said, "Okay, first, don't call me '-chan' or I'll knock ya on your ass again. Second, even my old man ain't lazy enough to take the bus. Third, a real man wouldn't let two kids go off on their own. So, I'm going with them, gramps."
With that, Ranma followed after the others, and they were soon joined Leorio, who started babbling about them getting lonely. Almost immediately, Ranma felt that something was off. Focusing her senses, Ranma felt the Ki of those she was traveling with… along with another Ki source following behind them. Casually glancing over her shoulder confirmed her suspicion about the source, when she saw a human shadow coming from behind a large rock.
Ranma was about to say something, when she noticed Gon glance back, too. 'Well, this kid sure is interesting,' Ranma thought. Leaning down, she whispered to him, "So, ya noticed them too, huh?"
Gon looked up at her and said, "Yeah, but they're not doing anything wrong, are they?"
Straightening up, Ranma thought about it for a moment. "Huh, I guess you've got a point there." Then Ranma realized what else was off, "Dammit! I forgot to get some hot water before we left the town!"
It was Kurapika that asked what the others were thinking. "Why do you need hot water, Ranma?"
Not feeling like explaining the curse without being able to change as proof, Ranma waved off the question with a sigh. "I'll explain later. Hey, is that a town up ahead?"
A few more minutes of walking brought them to a town that was eerily deserted… or so it seemed at first. Between Gon's sense of smell, Kurapika's sense of hearing, and Ranma's training, Leorio was the only one who failed to realize they were being watched.
"This is a creepy place…" Leorio said. "I don't see a single person."
"No, there are plenty here," Gon clued him in.
"What!?" Leorio replied in surprise, as robed figures began to come out of the seemingly abandoned buildings.
On a platform that was rolled into the street ahead of them sat an old woman who said, "Doki-doki…"
"Doki-doki?" Leorio repeated.
"Doki-doki Two Choice Quiz!" The woman announced loudly.
The group just stared at her for a moment.
"You four are headed for that tree on the hill, correct?" The old woman asked. Without waiting for a reply, she went on, "To reach that tree, you must pass through this town. I shall administer a single question quiz."
"H-Hold on!" Leorio protested. "What's going on here?"
"You'll have five seconds to answer," the old woman went on, ignoring his interruption. "Give the wrong answer, and you're disqualified. You'll have to give up on taking this year's Hunter Exam."
"I see," Kurapika said with a smirk. "Then this is part of the Hunter Exam."
"Wait, but ain't we still on our way there?" Ranma asked in confusion.
"As we saw with the boat here, there are tests just to get into the Exam, due to the sheer number of applicants," the blonde explained.
"I see how it is," Leorio said. "I happen to be a quiz expert." Suddenly he shouted, "Wait! Only one question?"
"Your answer will be either the number '1' or '2'," the old woman went on. "Any other answer will be incorrect."
"Hold on a minute," Leorio protested. "All four of us share one question? So, if one of them answers incorrectly, I'm disqualified, too?"
"As if that would happen," Ranma and Kurapika said at the same time. The pair looked at each other in surprise before sharing a smirk. Kurapika went on, "What scares me more is the likelihood of the reverse happening."
"What was that?" Leorio growled back.
"But you know," Gon piped in, "this way's easier since only one of us needs to know the answer."
"He's got a point," Ranma said. "I've always hated multiple choice tests."
"Me too," Gon said with an apologetic grin.
"Hey, there. Hurry it up," came a sudden voice from behind them. Looking back, they saw a stranger approaching, who went on, "Or else I'll answer the question first."
"Who are you?" Leorio asked.
"He followed us here," Ranma said. "Ain't that right, squirt?"
"Yeah," Gon agreed. "All the way from port."
"Huh? Seriously?" Leorio said in surprise.
"Sorry, boy," the stranger said to Gon. "I happened to overhear your conversation."
"What will you do?" The old woman asked, seeming unfazed by the interruption.
"He seems eager to take it," Leorio said. "We should let him go first. That way, we'll know what kind of question to expect."
"Not a bad idea, coming from you," Ranma said, stepping aside.
"I don't mind," Gon added, doing the same.
"I have no objection," Kurapika agreed, moving to the side as well.
The stranger stepped forward, saying, "Then, I'll get to it."
"Here is your question," the old lady started without further preamble. "Evil villains have captured your mother and your lover. You can only save one. Select '1' for your mother, or '2' for your lover. Which will you save?"
Ranma gritted her teeth at hearing the question. Having had to rescue various people over the last couple years, usually a fiancée, the idea that such a choice might come up was not foreign to her. It was one of the reasons Ranma trained so hard, so that 'both' would always be an option.
Wrapped in her own thoughts, the redhead almost missed the man's reply, "The answer is '1'."
"Oh? Why do you say that?" The old woman asked.
"Because you can't replace your mother," the man replied, "but you can find another lover."
"What!?" Leorio protested.
Ranma clenched her fists, as well. "I can understand putting family first, but that kind reasoning…" she muttered.
However, the old woman merely said, "You may pass."
"You just have to tell the old lady what she wants to here," the stranger said, before sauntering off up the street.
Leorio began ranting about how unfair the question was, but as the stranger walked off, something began to bug Ranma. 'This street doesn't seem right,' she thought. 'Maybe it was all the years on the road with Pop or all the times I've had ta take Ryoga somewhere, but I'm pretty good with directions and I don't think the tree's that way.'
Jumping towards the nearest building, Ranma planted her feet against the wall and push off, propelling herself up to the rooftop of the building across from it. A quick glance confirmed her suspicions. The road they had been on was winding but seemed like it was going relative straight towards the tree they were aiming for. From the rooftop, however, Ranma could see that it had actually been gradually curving and, had they continued on like the stranger had, they would have ended up going back down the mountain, instead of to the top. The tree was off to the side, requiring them to go through, or over, the buildings to reach it.
Leaping down, Ranma landed lightly next to the others, causing Leorio to simply stare at her in shock while Kurapika appraised the redhead with something more akin to respect. Gon seemed completely unfazed, simply asking, "Is there something wrong, Ranma?"
"Yeah," Ranma said with a smirk. Shooting the old woman a glance, she declared, "This 'quiz' ain't nothing but a trick. This road won't lead us ta the tree. We need to go over the rooftops or through the buildings, that way." Ranma accompanied a gesture to the words.
"Of course," Kurapika said with a look of realization. "It's just like Leorio was saying about the quiz. Going forward or going back, neither choice is the right one."
"Hmph, take an old woman's job by figuring things out before I even ask my question of you." The group looked to see an amused look on the woman's face. She gestured and two of the cloaked figures opened a doorway to reveal a tunnel going straight in the direction they needed. "The correct path is over here. This leads directly to the tree. Walk two hours and you'll reach the top."
"Oh, so that's what this was about…" Leorio said, simply staring at the passage.
"A couple lives in the cabin beneath that tree," the old woman continued. "They serve as Navigators. If you meet their standards, I believe that they will guide you to the exam site."
Ranma grinned as they began down the tunnel. Things were getting interesting, and for once it looked like it was not going to blow up in her face.
AN: And there we go! Still something of an introductory chapter, but things will pick up over the next few as the Exam gets into full swing.
How will Ranma react to the Navigators? Will the group reach the Exam location in time? Find out in future chapters of Hunter 1/2!
