"Thanks for everything Captain!" Gon thanked the gruff man as happily and genuinely as he always did when they arrived at Dolle Port at last.
"Heh, you're very welcome Gon." The Captain said with a chuckle. "But before you go, I'll give you a piece of advice, see that huge pine tree on top of that hill?" Gon looked at the said tree and nodded. "Head for it, it's a shortcut to the Hunter exam's location."
"Thank Captain!" And with that Gon raced back to his brother, who had his cloak's hood firmly back in place over his eyes, and new friend, Leorio, who were both currently looking at a large map. But unbeknownst to anyone a shadowed figure had heard the entire conversation between the captain and green dressed boy.
"Guys, we should head for the big tree on the hill, the Captain said it's a shortcut." Gon told the other.
"Huh? That tree?" Leorio asked in confusion, pointing at the exact tree Gon had mentioned. "Why? It's in the opposite direction of Zaban City, which is where the Exam is being held! There's a bus going there right now!" He argued.
"The Captain said it was a shortcut?" Kurapika asked Gon calmly.
"mhm!" Gon answered confidently.
"What do you think we should do Gon?"
"I think we should head for the tree."
"Okay, I guess were going to the tree." And just like that the two began to march towards the huge tree on a hill.
"Wait a minute! You two are being too trusting! He was probably lying!"
"Nope, I don't think so." Gon answered not even turning around.
"I trust Gon's instinct so I'm following him." Was all the blonde Kurta answered with, not turning around as well and continuing to walk towards the tree.
"Fine! Whatever!" Leorio shouted to them as they got farther away before stalking angrily toward the bus station, muttering about naive brats under his breathe. He had only gone a few feet when he caught the snatches of a conversation that sent him chasing after Gon and Kurapika.
"Wait for me guys!"
-x-
They walked for some time with little to no excitement for quite some time until they found themselves at the edge of what looked to be a abandon village. All three of them became very tense and slowed their pace cautiously at the foreboding aura that surrounded it as they entered. They had gone no more than 3 feet then from one of the aged buildings a group of cloaked figures with furry and colorful masks hauled onto the path what looked to be a portable stage of some kind.
"Welcome to the very exciting One Question Quiz!" A very elderly woman declared loudly, seated comfortably on the stage that was blocking their path.
"What the heck?! A quiz?!" Leorio baulked indigently. Kurapika sighed in exasperation at how easily Leorio was angered or irritated, it really wasn't that hard to tell this was just another part of the Hunter Exam test, just like the ship had been.
"You will have to give your answer within a very short period of time, any answer other then the correct one and you will be unable to take the hunter exam." The old woman further explained unaffected by loud Leorio's outburst.
"Well if you three are too afraid I can always go first." They all spun at the sound of a new voice.
"Huh? Who the heck are you?" Leorio questioned the stranger in puzzlement.
"He has been following us since the port Leorio." Kurapika explained with a shrug. "He didn't seem to have any ill intent so I didn't think it was worth mentioning. He wasn't very subtle either, I could hear him very easily." The stranger seemed to become a tad uncomfortable at Kurapika's words and had begun to look at him warily.
"What?! I didn't hear anything at all!" Leorio argued in confusion.
"Kura-nii hears everything! He is better at feeling things, but it tires him out if he does it for too long, so his hearing is pretty amazing too!" Gon explained to Leorio with a proud smile.
"Well that is very interesting… But really, what do you guys think we should do about this guy? I say we let him go first, that way we can know what kind of question it's going to be." Leorio reasoned stepping to the side to allow the stranger to go before them.
"I don't mind." Kurapika agreed, also stepping aside to stand beside him.
"Okay sure." Gon said following Kurapika's lead with a skip. And so the stranger stepped forward and one of the furry masked people placed a podium with a single button on it in front of him.
"Your mother and your lover have been kidnapped, which one do you save? One, your mother or two, your lover." The suspicious stranger slammed the button almost instantly.
"One."
"Oh, why?" The old woman asked calmly, resting her head lightly on her interlocked fingers.
"You only have one mother, you can always get a new lover." He explained confidently.
"You may pass." At that Leorio then proceed to become outraged, fuming about how that couldn't be right, that it was a unreasonable quiz.
"All you have to do is tell the old woman what she wants to hear." The stranger told them with a smirk as he marched passed the stage and continued on the path. But Kurapika found himself frowning, something was not right… But he didn't have time to dwell on his doubt because Leorio had already stepped forward with Gon for their turn.
"Your son and daughter have been kidnapped. Which one will you save? One, your son, or two, your daughter."
"What the heck! This is ridiculous! There is no right answer!" Leorio roared furiously. And just like that it all snapped together for Kurapika.
"Leorio it-"
"Not another word! If you say anything other then your answer you will be disqualified!" The old woman declared successfully cutting Kurapika off. The cloaked boy figured it out. The old woman thought to herself with inward smile. He's a sharp one. "Five… four… three…" Leorio stalked over to a discarded pile of wood sticks and selected one before returning to the group. "Two… one… Bzz! Time is up!"
"Arg!" Leorio roared as he charged forward, raising his wood rod high bearing it down on the old woman angrily. But Kurapika had acted first, moving swiftly to block Leorio's attack successfully with his twin Tonta swords.
"Don't stop me Kurapika! I have to teach this old hag a lesson!" The suited man argued, obviously still enraged.
"Don't waste our correct answer Leorio!"
"What?!" Leorio still sounded angry but withdrew his makeshift weapon anyway, apparently curious as to what the Kurta meant.
"You hit the nail on the head Leorio, there was no correct answer. So the only plausible answer had to be silence."
"But what about the other guy?"
"She only said 'you may pass' she never said it was the right answer. So that must be the wrong path."
"That is correct." The old woman agreed calmly and slowly Leorio's face shifted from confused to understanding.
"I apologize Granny, I was in the wrong." He said with a respectful bow to her.
"Ohoho, it's fine, I do this for people like you young man." The old woman said with a pleased chuckle.
"Gah! I don't get it!" Gon suddenly exclaimed dropping to the ground unceremoniously. "Because if that really happened I don't know what I would do…" He explained, his disappointment plain to see. Both Kurapika and Leorio paled at his words though, realizing the magnitude of he had just said and suddenly the reason behind the test was all too clear.
"The correct path is this way." The old woman said interrupting the dark mood that had set upon them as the furry masked people pulled open a hidden door that was to their left. "About a hour's walk this way and there is a cabin under the large pine tree. There is a couple there that will lead you to the Hunter Exam's location." They all nodded and waved a polite goodbye the old woman and began their walk towards the tree and the cabin that was to be under it.
A/N- I did it! Finally! Who knew writing cannon stuff could be this hard... But I think I've got a pretty good foothold for now so hopefully you'll be seeing another update fairly soon! Please leave a review! I love reviews, they really do motivate me immensely! I love them! Thanks for reading! :)