Pictures on my page! Also, I'm going away on a short vacation with no computers, So I won't update until Wednesday, at the latest. I haven't finished Chapter 6 yet, but this is just a farewell gift. Albeit one that's not the greatest. Or maybe it is. It's all up to you.

Once again, I thank all who have reviewed and favorited my story!

Warning: This chapter is slightly depressing and different than the others. But it also shows the similarities and differences between Hakou and Luciano. I really want to define them as characters, make them as real as possible.

Quote of the chapter (I'll do this if I want to.):

"'Maybe, they had just gotten a little too uncomfortable when conversing with others without hiding behind layers and layers of masks. That without those masks of deceit they were stripped bare-exposed and weak, their souls an offering to the heavens.'"

Disclaimer: "Yoshihiro-san, can I get the rights to HunterXHunter?" Karasu asked hopefully.

Yoshihiro Togashi looked back at the wannabe with a look of disgust. "No." He said with a tone of finality, a flat glare and absolutely no hesitation.

... And that's how it went.

Hide and Seek

The Masks We Hide Behind

"The lottery will allow us to determine the Hunters and the Prey. Inside this box there are 24 numbered cards. These numbers are just the ones that were given to you in the beginning of the competition. You will all pick a card." A weasel-faced man said.

Everyone chose, the atmosphere tense. The rules were explained, and a cheery girl who tried to give them encouragement seemed out of place.

On the boat, Luciano and Hakou showed each other the other's number, for reference. Hakou, who got number 362 as a target, would not attack Luciano's prey, number 34, and vice versa. If they had gotten one another, they would have given up one of them and just stolen 3 more-no big deal. There was enough small fry that giving up theirs meant nothing to them.

"You ready to run wild?" Luciano asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Only Ten, okay? Moderate yourself. There's a high probability that there will be hunters that oversee each examinee. And wear a disguise of some sort. We stick out a little too much. Makes it easier for those who hunt us to find us. Also, stay clear of Joker and Disguise Guy." Hakou cautioned.

"Roger!" Luciano said smartly, saluting Hakou.

Then, they were both let off the boat and the game was on.

The first thing Hakou did as he got onto solid ground was to sprint all the way to the center of the forest. Unfortunately, his plan to shake off anyone that was on his trail failed, because he still felt the incessant pressure of someone's eyes trained on him. Hakou looked about him inconspicuously, and was surprised to find a tall man in a black suit watching him from behind a tree.

Must be the Hunters. What a stupid attire to wear in the middle of the forest. He thought, and resolved to ignore the man. He then took out beige shorts and a dull orange t-shirt from his black cargo pants. Once he had changed, he took out washable brown hairspray and sprinkled it all over his raven-black hair. This was for the aireal view. If the one hunting him looked from above, they would not see a short, black-haired boy, but a short, brown-haired person. While not the best disguise, he used it all the same.

As his shorts did not have big enough pockets, he quickly made an inconspicuous marker, and hid his clothes and headphones underneath some leaves.

Hopefully, I can now focus wholly on hunting, without having to feel restless eyes on my back. Hakou thought. Now, who the heck has number 362?

Luciano walked along, humming. He'd already seen the man who was following him, so now he was thinking up a plan to 'accidentally' bump into the guy. Going about with nobody to talk to was so boring. If only Hakou was here, I could annoy him some more. He thought wistfully. Truth be told, he had missed the cool, slightly narcissistic boy. They'd been traveling together for years, and they knew each other inside and out, barring whatever events that had happened before they'd met.

Also, their warring personalities, fighting types and styles gave them surprisingly good teamwork, and they knew they could count on the other. It's as if we're brothers, he mused. But I've got to focus.

"Yosha!" he cried out suddenly, and slapped his cheeks with his hands. "Let's go!"

Before the Hunter following him could do anything, Luciano happily ran over to the bushes and promptly tripped over the man. "Itai!" he cried.

The startled man got up off the ground and helped the boy up. "Are you okay?" The man asked.

"Yes! Sorry about that… Hey, I don't recognize you. Are you like a proctor or something? That's cool! Well, please take care of me!" Luciano chattered, and then walked away, a small smirk on his lips.

Let the games begin.

Hakou scampered up the tallest tree he could find, and tried to spot other people on the island. Actually, he had scampered up the tallest tree he could find-two hours ago. He had long since realized that locating people from above was futile, but he couldn't bring himself to care enough to descend from his perch.

Sighing, Hakou instinctively reached for his neck and leaned back against the tree, planning on practicing his Ten as quietly as he could while listening to music. So he was surprised to find that one, he did not have his headphones, and two the tree was not behind him-in fact, it used to be to his left. Now, he was freefalling, head first.

Quickly, Hakou did a half of a flip and bent his legs, preparing for impact. He landed on the ground gracefully, all things considering. Giving the tree that had been his host for the past two hours a rueful glance, Hakou began to search the island.

Luciano skipped along merrily, occasionally calling back to his stoic guardian. He had yet to encounter another examinee, and he was, quite frankly, getting annoyed. Well, only a little, and all of it was aimed at Hakou, for lack of a better target.

"Ne, Hunter-san! What's your name?"

Quiet.

"How old are you?"

Nothing.

"What type of Hunter are you?"

Silence.

Then again, maybe he did have a target.

Hakou felt an additional four eyes [another person and the hunter following that person] on him. Just great. He thought sarcastically, already thinking up as much possible ways to win without giving too much away. Then, he frowned slightly.

Really, what was the point? The most important reason had been forgotten long ago-true, they enjoyed their privacy. True, they wanted an ace up their sleeve. But at this point, Hakou was beginning to suspect that it was pure habit. They had done this [hiding or flaunting their abilities, depending on the situation] repeatedly for the past few years for reasons that ranged widely. Maybe, they had just gotten a little too uncomfortable when conversing with others without hiding behind layers and layers of masks. That without those masks of deceit they were stripped bare-exposed and weak, their souls an offering to the heavens. Or perhaps both of them had gotten addicted to the adrenaline rush they felt when they had to stretch their minds to accommodate for whatever character they had chosen to be-from the shy, sickly person or double star hunters. Most likely, it was a combination of the two.

Hakou's philosophical musings were put to an abrupt end as he sensed one of the owners of the eyes draw nearer than he felt was comfortable. Think. Hakou. Age 12. Normal boy taking the Hunter Exam with his best friend, Luciano. Slightly above average strength, aggressive fighting style, best at close-range combat. Agility and stamina above average as well, but not enormously so. Normally acts cold towards others. No special skills to notify anyone about. How would he react to this situation? His thoughts ran through his head rapidly. Most likely, he would see the attacker out of the corner of his eye at the last minute.

He saw the face of his attacker then-Number 89, if he remembered correctly. That guy was the one who had exited before him, so he remembered the number. Suddenly, number 89 leapt out of the bush. Hakou, staying in character, looked over his shoulder and widened his eyes in surprise at the oncoming person-

He will instinctively dive left, where things are much clearer, making close combat easier.

Hakou dove left, into double foreword roll, before getting up and facing his opponent. Number 89, now recovered from the unsuccessful attempt at a sneak attack, turned towards him with a pointed stick in hand.

If close combat is not his enemy's preferred method of fighting, he will most likely try to take away or destroy the object that the enemy is using, therefore evening out the playing field some.

Hakou looked around wildly, trying to find a sizeable rock. He picked it up and ran foreword, brandishing it like it was a shield. Once he was close enough, he threw the rock at the man's wrist, which had been shown when he made a move to stab Hakou. Jerking in surprise, Number 89's movements stopped long enough for Hakou to be able to hook his legs around Number 89's, causing the man to loose balance. Quickly, Hakou put his foot on the man's hand, and 89 was forced to let go of his chosen weapon. Grinning, Hakou took the stick and broke it in half, before throwing it into the forest somewhere. During that time, 89 had gotten up, and with an angry "Raaaaahhh!" he aimed a punch at Hakou's face.

Now that he is fighting the preferred way, he will try to counterattack and lead the man somewhere where he could gain an advantage. His strength is no match for a man of numerous years more.

Hakou dodged beneath the punch and threw some dirt into his eyes, to anger him. Dodging a wild left hook, he slammed his right hand into the other man's stomach. Then, he quickly began to back off.

89's eyes watered and became puffy as he angrily rubbed away the dirt. "Get back here, you brat!" He bellowed. Quickly, but not too much so that the wheezing, squinting man wouldn't loose him, Hakou scampered off into the forest. The river that he remembered seeing from his perch on the tree was there, much to his relief.

Turning around, he stuck his tongue out at 89, before throwing some pebbles he found on the riverbed. Laughing, he crossed the river, while fighting the surprisingly vicious current. Finding a sudden hole near the middle that almost made him fall over, he grinned. It would take some maneuvering, but it was plausible.

Once he has located the place he desires he will want to goad the man as much as possible, and make sure he does not notice it, if said place is obvious. He must keep up his act, and show no signs of nervousness. He will jeer at him, and throw whatever is at hand.

Laughing to near hysteria, Hakou faced the enraged man, pelting him with stone after stone. The man drew closer to the hole… Closer... One last push-

To maximize the effect of the trap, he will distract the man right as he is upon it. This will take away the enemy's concentration of his feet.

Suddenly, Hakou snapped his head towards the right, upriver. His laughter died away, and a look of terror beset his face. The man, still advancing, looked upriver as well, with an angry but slightly confused expression on his face. Suddenly, anger and confusion turned into shock-

He will turn around and give the man a last, sly grin, making him know that he has been fooled. That he was in control all along. Then, he will walk away, holding whatever he had stolen when he had first made contact-

Hakou walked away, sly grin still fixated on his face, clutching the man's number in his right hand.

His mind screaming, Help me! Help me!

Luciano dodged the arrow that was sent his way neatly, as he had been doing for the past minute or so. 141, whom he assumed had drew his number from the lottery, had been attacking him repeatedly for the last fifteen minutes, changing weapons whenever one didn't seem to be working out. You must admit, Luciano thought cheerily, that he is quite adept at a lot of things.

He dodged another arrow, and thought over whom he was acting as. Luciano, age 12. Very agile, and good at shadowing people. Participating in the Hunter Exam with his best friend Hakou. Very flighty, talkative. Below average arm strength, but has good leg strength. Fast. Stamina is okay, at the level of an average human with no training. A little bit of a coward. Doesn't really think much, and prefers medium to close range attacks.

Closing his eyes for a second, before opening up with a start, Luciano was in character. Gone, was the trained twelve year old. Welcome, new character.

Luciano looked around frantically, trying to locate a large rock that he could carry. He made a mad dash towards one once he did, smiling in relief. He picked it up and smiled. Good. Now he would have a chance.

His legs shook slightly as he faced 141. I can do this. He thought, giving himself a mini confidence booster. Then, he waited until 141 had shot another arrow, before he sprinted forward, hoping that the man wouldn't be able to load his arrow in time.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. 141 fired-and missed, instead hitting a tree to Luciano's left. Adrenaline pumping, he reached the man and kicked the bow in the man's hands with all of his strength. There was a crack, and it was split in two. Then, eyes frantic, Luciano bashed the man's head. Once. He's only dazed. Two. Come on, come on. Three. Almost there. Four. Out like a light.

Suddenly, Luciano collapsed on the ground next to the fallen, weary to the insides of his bones. Am I really ready for this? He wondered despairingly. With a painstaking effort he forced himself to rummage through the man's pockets until he found his number. Getting up, he turned around and jogged off crookedly.

Twenty minutes later, that Luciano was gone. Back came the normal one. The strong one. Completely different then the Luciano he had just pretended to be.

He hummed tunelessly, with an uncharacteristic lack of cheer. He hated the feeling of loosing himself, even when he was in complete control of his actions. But the excitement, the fast pace of blood, and the way his thought process was rewired and reenergized, was intoxicating. Alluring. Something that would haunt him. Even Hakou would not understand.

Congratulations, Luciano. Wait to stick to the plan.

He laughed out loud, humorlessly. The depression would go away, he knew. Eventually.

Just… Not now. Not when another mask had been put on and ripped away.