A/N: Told ya I could probably update twice today. What follows is what was written in an hour and a half, if it's not finished, I don't plan on finishing it. Studying is more important than writing this but I don't know ANYONE who can study for two hours straight on something that is two pages long.

So, I welcome my readers to Phase One Part Two: The Swamp…

I doubled over, trying to catch a little of breath back. I was so happy to be out of that tunnel. The air had long ago become stall and all I wanted now was the fresh air of… wherever we were.

I looked up to see a BIG swampy area. Everything was green, and BIG. I felt small standing next to even the smallest of plants that I could see.

"Welcome to Madman's Swamp… we must cross through this to reach the site of the second phase. It is very important that you follow me. If you get lost in the swamp you won't come out alive. The creatures here will try to trick you. Do not believe them." Satotz-san explained as the last of us came out of the tunnel. The door to the tunnel was closing, a man just on the other side shouted in protest but he didn't make it in time.

Too bad buddy.

I looked back in front of us and was suddenly thankful I had worn my jeans. Just imagine all the BUGS this place contained. Ew..

"DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!" A man's shout came from the side of the building. He looked like a guy who had walked through the swamp on his hands and knees. In other words, he looked horrible. And being dragged across the ground by him was a… monkey man?

"He looks like Satotz-san." I said as I tried to peer closer.

"He's an imposter!" The dirt-covered man said, chucking the monkey into the middle of the group. "I'm the real proctor! He's nothing but a monkey! He's trying to lure you into the swamp so he can eat you!"

I looked back at Statoz-san, who was standing calmly at the head of the group as all the other applicants began doubting him. I mean, Statoz-san a monkey? How did they BELIEVE that?

I scuffed, walking away and standing at the edge of the crowd. I wanted to see how this played out but I was NOT going to do that while standing in the center of the crowd. I was perfectly fine NOT becoming a flapjack.

From the corner of my eye I caught sight of silver haired kid and a spikey black haired kid. I guess I wasn't the only one to make it through. Killua and the other kid were here too. I may have to follow them through this second part.

My blonde head whipped around to face Statoz-san as something with surprising force and speed was flung at him. Statoz-san caught the projectiles with ease, revealing that they were in fact ordinary playing cards.

Gasps sounded as the "real" proctor fell over, cards sticking from his chest and forehead. Apparently he was dead. So much for his lie. The monkey at his side twitched. And that movement caught my eye. Guess he wasn't all that "dead" like people had thought.

Good thing I hadn't been fooled.

"The next time you attack a proctor, you will be disqualified. Do I make myself clear Hisoka?" Statoz-san addressed a man with spiked up red hair and wearing a light blue short vest with suit symbols on the front and back, matching pants tucked into white heeled boots and a yellow bandana tied about his waist. His face was painted so there was a star and a teardrop.

Hisoka… I had heard that name back before the last of the applicants arrived. Hisoka the magician, number 44, he was supposed to have been disqualified last year when he KILLED a proctor. Oh boy, I was SOOOOOO steering clear of him. He looked like the kind of guy who enjoyed a good blood bath, literally.

"Now that that is cleared up, follow me please." Statoz-san turned without another word and picked up the pace into the forest. I followed Killua and the spikey haired kid, keeping my distance from Hsoka.

Running through all this mud was HARD! My boots were coated in mud, as well as the bottom of my jeans, the bugs were nearly eating me in swarms and I had never been covered in so much sweat in my life.

I continued to run though, following Killua. He and the spikey haired kid at split up when, from what I could hear, his other "friends" had been lost in the fog. Maybe I could talk to him again… It was better than running in this god forsaken swamp in silence…

Silence?

I skipped to a stop and shouted,

"Killua!" just as the ground beneath me gave way. With nothing under me I felt as my body began to plummet. I was near the edge of the pit, thankfully. So my fingers dragged along the dirt wall until they were finally able to catch a small ledge sturdy enough to hold my weight. I hung there, praying Killua had heard me and would come help.

"Oi!" Thank god! "What are you doing?"

"I'm hanging around, what does it look like?" I shouted back to him as I saw to my right a flat rock jutting out enough to be called a shelf. I hoped it would hold my weight. I swung my body like a pendulum and caught the lip with my boot. I slowly worked my foot up until my heel was firmly on the rock. I lifted my other leg up and when I was sure my ankle wouldn't slip I let go with my hands and let me body swing into the rock.

My back slammed against it and I was stunned for a second before I contracted my stomach muscles, curling up and hooking my fingers enough that I could push myself completely onto the rock shelf.

I looked up at Killua to see his impressed face.

"Can you throw me down a vine or something so I can climb out?"

"S-sure." He called, backing away and out of sight. I sighed, already feeling an ache in my arms. How I wished to find a steamy hot spring at the end of this run.

The vine slapped against the wall and I tugged it a few times to make sure it wouldn't snap. I went hand over hand until I reached the top some dozen feet up and peered over the top to see Killua straining to hold the fine.

"Get up already, you're heavy." Killua complained as I quickly complied.

"I'm average weight for your information, how is that heavy?"

"You're heavy for a girl."

"And your hair's too soft for a guy's." I retorted.

"Hey! My hair as nothing to do with this!"

"Did I hit a sensitive spot Mr. Silver-haired-old-man?"

"I ain't old either!" His face shaded red and I laughed.

"We need to catch up before we fall behind. Let's go." I stood up on shaky legs and started sprinting the same direction we have previously been going in. No one was in sight and the fog was getting thicker.

"If you want to make it back, I suggest you follow me." Killua had appeared at my side and I stumbled as he easily overtook me. No one at school at been able to catch me, yet he seemed like he wasn't even trying.

A/N: End of Phase One! Mainly cause I don't feel like writing any more. I was happy to finally just get some action into this story. ^^

Next chapter if/when I write it will feature Phase Two with Menchi and Buhara! *runs off to study*