"Hunter: A term designating people who are ready to risk their lives to find rare and precious objects. Only people who pass the severe exam can obtain this title. Some say that only one out of a thousand pass."
Chapter 1 : Ship x Shape!
In mere moments after the ship carrying the group of anticipated examinees departed, a heavy wave of rain began to beat down on the ocean surface. Walls of water hit against the hull of the ship, knocking all the passengers to and fro. Of course some sea sickness was to be expected, but Rayen sat with furrowed brows, observing most of the people on board who were more than green behind the gills. Some appeared closer to death than her great-grandmother! Even the man who had jeered at her earlier was sweating profusely, gripping tightly against a barrel of supplies to support himself.
Ironically enough, the redheaded dame had never been on a ship, much less seen the ocean, yet here she was relaxing in the cargo room with ease.
From the other side of the ship, Rayen spotted two others who seemed to have no problem with the current storm.
One was a lanky man with black hair and circular sunglasses. He wore a blue suit and tie, something a little too formal for an occasion like this. He held a risqué magazine in his hands, focused as if he was looking at quality reading material.
The other was an androgynous teen, sporting shoulder length blonde hair and traditional garments similar to what the locals back at Rayen's hometown would wear. He slept peacefully on a hammock, letting the momentum of the boat rock him back and forth.
Gon suddenly ran past Rayen, carrying a basket full of miscellaneous herbs in his arms. The boy then picked out a green plant, telling one of the ill men to ingest it in order to ease their seasickness.
Rayen inwardly smiled. He seems like a really nice kid... I just wonder how long it's going to be before he calls it quits?
Then again, he seemed to be more than what he was letting off, she just couldn't put her finger on what it was...
The rain died out after awhile, so Rayen followed a few crew members and the captain to the top deck. She spotted Gon in front of the ship, sniffing the crisp ocean air as a disapproving look etched over his features.
"The worst is still yet to come..." he commented, staring off into the distance.
Rayen blinked in confusion. She didn't catch any whiffs of another storm, unless...
She halted her use of In momentarily, letting some of her aura travel to her eyes. Sure enough with the use of Gyo, Rayen was able to see another incoming of rain, just a little over two hours away. Nature had pulled a cruel trick, putting up a tranquil facade for people to aquire a false hope.
The girl then glanced over at Gon. Interestingly enough, he wasn't using any type of Nen. Actually, he hasn't even had his aura nodes opened...
Rayen felt safe to assume that he must be talented in odd ways, not a threat at all.
She hopped onto the higher platform where Gon stood and pointed northeastern. "The storm is bound from that way... At least, that's where I see a huge buildup of thunderheads."
Gon gave a single nod. "Yep! That's right... Wait a second, you can see that far!?"
"Kinda. If you squint really hard, you might be able to see it," she said with a coy grin.
"Really?!" he asked, excitedly leaning a little too close off the railings of the ship.
The sudden voice of the ship's captain snagged the attention of Rayen and Gon.
"Hoy, boyo and Red! What's the matter? Are ye seasick?" the portly man questioned as he took a swig of rum from his flask.
"There's going to be another storm, even bigger than the last!" Gon informed.
The captain scratched at his white beard, looking up to where the boy and dame stood. "Hmm, what makes ye say that, boyo?"
"A harsh wind is blowing and the seagulls are telling me to be careful," Gon remarked.
The old man's brows raised in amazement, but his expression faltered with reminiscence at the boy. Finally, he turned to Rayen and spoke, "Red, do me a favor and gather the rest of the examinees who are plannin' to stay through the second storm. I want to ask this boyo a few questions."
"Yes sir." Rayen agreed without question, leaving Gon behind as she descended back into the cargo room.
—
As soon as the other examinees learned of another storm to come, most became frantic. It was quite the hectic scene to observe as grown men bawled like children, filing off the ship by the dozen on rescue boats.
Then there was only four.
Gon, Rayen, and the two other survivors stood in front of the sea captain.
"So ye are the last ones?" the old man asked. "What are ye names?"
The same man from earlier with circular sunglasses and a suit announced his name first, which was Leorio.
Likewise, the blonde teen that Rayen had seen beforehand quietly disclosed his name as Kurapika.
Rayen introduced herself, then Gon. Out of the four, he was the most enthusiastic with meeting the others.
"So why do ye want to be Hunters?" the captain casually inquired.
"Uhh... Excuse me? I don't think you're an examiner," Leorio loudly pointed out.
"Just answer the question!"
"Why the hell should we answer you!?"
Gon raised his hand in the air. "Ooh! I want to know what my dad's work is like!" he belted out.
Leorio frowned down at Gon. "Not so fast, brat. Who told you to answer? Where's your team spirit?"
"Don't call him a brat! He's just giving his reasons!" Rayen barked towards Leorio, causing him to slightly jump up in fear. He hid behind Kurapika, muttering the words 'scary woman' under his breath. "As for me, I want to explore and find new worlds," she said to the captain.
"Hmm... I agree with that guy..." Kurapika suddenly said. "I'd prefer to not answer your questions rather than to lie."
"That guy!?" Leorio sputtered. "How old are you? Don't you have any respect for your elders!?"
The blonde ignored Leorio's complaints, continuing his excuse. "Speaking honestly in front of the people who I've just met, I feel that I'm unable to answer this personal question."
The captain narrowed his eyes. "Well, I see... In that case, I want ye to get off my ship as soon as possible." Leorio and Kurapika whipped their gaze at the old man. "Don't ye understand what's goin' on yet? The exam has already started!"
The entire room became intensely silent, with only the faint whispering of gales hitting against the ship to be heard.
The captain pulled out a wooden pipe from his coat and put it to his mouth.
"Ye can't ignore the fact that there are as many applications as there are stars in the sky - and because of the lack of time and space, it's impossible to judge everyone... That's why there's men like me to diminish the number of applicants. Then, except for ye four, the rest of the passengers have registered as failures by the Grand Jury. Even if they get to the place where exams are held, the door will stay closed on 'em. The decision of whether or not ye will be taken to the exams belongs to me, so put away your mistrust and answer my question."
Kurapika pursed his lips, still appearing to be mentally debating with himself.
"I... I am the sole survivor of the Kurata clan," he slowly began. "Four years ago, all of my relatives were killed by thieves. The reason I want to become a Hunter is so that I can capture the Genei Ryodan, otherwise known as the Phantom Troupe."
The captain pulled the pipe away from his mouth, only to take a few more chugs from his flask. "So ye are becomin' a Blacklist Hunter... And after the Genei Ryodan as well? Even the best Hunters would think twice about goin' after them. Surely ye are chasin' after death!"
"I do not fear death, I only fear that my anger never leaves," Kurapika nonchalantly said.
"...So basically you just want revenge for your family and you need to become a Hunter to do so?" Leorio questioned, scratching the back of his head.
The blonde rolled his eyes.
"Leorio, that is the stupidest question I have ever been asked. I need access to certain places, information, and displacement - all those details that your little brain might have missed."
Leorio ground his teeth, glaring daggers towards Kurapika. Before the tall man could sharply ask the other what he was insinuating, the captain repeated his question to Leorio.
"Well what about ye, Leorio?"
"MONEY!" Leorio's entire demeanor changed as he proudly held his hands in the air like a stage performer. "With money, we can buy anything! A great house, classy cars, the best alcohol—"
"—Unfortunately, manners can't be bought, Leorio," Kurapika interrupted.
Leorio narrowed his eyes.
"That's the third time..." he hissed in a threatening voice, "Let's go up to the top deck and spill the last of the Kurata blood, or whatever..."
With that said, he turned and walked out of the captain's quarters.
"Take that back, Leorio!" Kurapika growled, running after the other man.
Gon and Rayen looked at each other as the two left the room.
"Eh?! I wasn't done yet! Don't ye want to go and take the exam!?" the captain yelled.
"Let them fight..." the boy said with a nostalgic expression growing on his face. The captain paused, curiously looking over at Gon. "My Aunt Mito used to say: 'If you want to know someone, start by knowing what makes them mad!' They both have their reasons to fight, so it's just best to leave 'em to it!"
Rayen grinned with Gon's response. She was positive that the kid knew exactly what he was going on about, and that deemed him as someone incredible.
"You know for a kid, you possess quite a bit of useful knowledge!" she laughed, lightheartedly poking the boy on the ribs. He sheepishly smiled at the girl's praise.
Suddenly, one of the members of the crew entered the room, practically out of breath from running.
"S-Sir! The wind is blowing harder than anticipated!"
Rayen watched at the captain wobbled to the upper deck with Gon trailing behind. She put a hand under her chin, mulling over a few thoughts.
She had originally planned to take the exam by herself, without the distraction of others. Most of her kin frowned upon being burdened with allies, weak and foolish they called it.
But it had been forever since she had an acquaintance, or friend for that matter. Not since...-
Frantic shouts from the crew echoed into the captain's quarters. Rayen's ears perked up, then her urge to look for the source of the noise reflexively kicked in.
She found herself on the top deck within a blink, witnessing as one of the injured crew members flew overboard. Leorio and Kurapika, who appeared to have been sparring, leaped after the sailor. They reached for his feet to grab, but they were a second too late.
That was, until Gon shot past the two, diving right off the ship. The boy took ahold of the crew member while Leorio and Kurapika struggled to keep him from falling completely off. They almost had the two castaways back on sturdy ground, but the ship suddenly swung a hard left. All four of the boys were inches away from the rushing currents. A flash of red hair was all the sea captain and the rest of the crew witnessed.
The injured sailor, Leorio, Kurapika, and Gon sat on the deck of the boat as a rather worried Rayen frowned at the group. The crew cheered, running up to pat each of the examinees on the back.
Gon rubbed the front of his face, wincing in slight pain. "Ow... I think I hit my nose..."
"Are you crazy!? The ocean is wild, the currents are extremely strong, and you... Y-You... It's really dangerous, okay!?" Kurapika blurted at Gon, his words spilling like water.
Leorio lectured the boy as well, still shaking in adrenaline. "Yeah! If we hadn't caught your feet, you'd be over for sure!"
"But you caught me, right?" Gon pointed out with a grin. "Rayen helped too, didn't you?"
She smiled, holding her hand up with her index finger almost touching her thumb, "...Just a tiny bit!"
"That was you!? I thought the boat just tilted the other way!" Leorio joked.
Rayen's face fell. She narrowed her eyes and flicked the tall man on the forehead.
"Hey-Oww! That really hurt!" he said, scampering behind the unimpressed blonde once again. But suddenly Kurapika's eyes lit up in remembrance.
"Ah, forgive my rudeness... Leorio-san," Kurapika apologized, truly meaning his words.
"Well, I don't want something like this between us. Just call me Leorio, Kurapika!" Leorio said, shaking his head. "I should have taken back what I said in the first place!"
The captain of the ship bellowed a hardy laugh, catching the attention of the group of surviving examinees.
"Ahaha! Forgive me, but I'm just in a good mood today! I've decided to take ye to the nearest testing place!"
"But... What about your exam?" Gon asked.
"Forget about that, boyo!" the old man waved his hand dismissively, "Red, I would like ye, Blondie, and Babblemouth to relax the rest o' the trip. Boyo, would ye like to finish learnin' about how to steer the ship?"
"I would love to!" Gon exclaimed, jumping up and racing back towards the captain's quarters.