The cave Diarra and I had entered didn't exactly chalk up to my expectations. After spending three years with my main focus being the Hunter Exam, a plain cavern wasn't where I would choose to hold what was considered one of the most important events of the year. In the Hunters Association's defense, I was extremely difficult to please thanks to my expensive habits as a youth. I was terrible at guessing numbers and distances, but I had to say the cavern was at least big enough to hold over a thousand people. Perhaps that was why the Exam was being hosted here; for its size.

It was a little too humid, most likely due to the fact that we were underground, crowded together with over two hundred other people, but I refused to remove my black Windbreaker Jacket. For the first time in what seemed like forever, I was clad in civilian's clothing instead of my usual camouflage-colored training gear or ceremonial robes, which were similar to white dresses. Underneath was a plain, gray-black, linen shirt with sleeves ended at my elbows. I wasn't sure if society labeled these clothes as revealing or not, but I sure did, at least on myself. I didn't much care how short a skirt was, especially since mine didn't reach past my knees. I had something underneath it, but it still took me a week to let Zeno, my Stealth master, allow me to wear one. It wasn't as if it would get in my way (it was too short) or cause me to flash any one (my leggings underneath prevented that). Call me old fashioned, but I would have died of embarrassment if I hadn't been wearing something feminine; it was how I was raised by my godmother, Jakarran. I had also been allowed to wear traditional slippers, but I made sure their straps were tight so that they wouldn't fall off.

Diarra had been secure enough to wear her training gear, which was a forest green tank top underneath a similar Windbreaker, brown combat boots, and army issued cargo shorts. Her golden curls, which had been chopped to her shoulders, were fashioned in a ponytail. I wished I could cut my own hair desperately, but it was against apprentice tradition. My hair would be considered sacred if I became High Priestess.

I forcibly released the breath of air I had unconsciously trapped in my lungs. Zeno said the Exam would take about a week, and then I could return to my childhood home in the Central Temple, after I had collected my violin from the Southern Army Temple. My fingers itched to play it again, even though I had snuck in one last practice session before heading out. I had gotten much better in just the last year than in the three before that. I thought that may either be because my days rehearsing paid off, or because Zeno had introduced me into swordplay and Weaponry (even though he technically wasn't suppose to). I had always been crafty with my hands, but that had been the most difficult part of my training (minus the fitness and stamina training). When I had learned as much as I could inconspicuously, I found other things that had been challenging before were as easy as pie. It made me crave for more training, but Zeno thought it was best not to teach me more than I could get by with.

While my 'gift' (if I can even call it that, since I'm still just a novice,) was in the Stealthy-Weaponry (that was what Zeno had called it as a joke, and it just stuck), Diarra had shown unbelievable talent in Stealth alone. She can trick even Zeno's eyes and sneak up on birds. I asked her what her secret was, and she just said that she had always been quiet. Jakarran mentioned in one of her letters that when Diarra had been born, the doctors were worried about her because she hadn't cried.

But back to the underground cave; Diarra had been following me roam around absolutely randomly, discreetly attempting to 'size up' the other applicants. There were over two hundred by now, but newcomers seemed to pour from the elevator every passing minute. No one really stood out to me, besides an extremely buff man who looked as if he could squash my head. He was casually grilling some unknown meat on a portable grill. There was also a tall, purple man in green. Needles protruded from various point on his face, and his head clicked back and forth like he was a broken, plastic toy. Diarra and I had an unspoken agreement to avoid him at all costs. His aura made me gag with fear.

I disturbingly noted that lack of women; throughout my entire round of inspection, I had only come across two. Theron, Amaranta, Tatiana, Keoni, nor Reut were anywhere to be seen. Before Diarra and I had a chance to actually get settled (which I doubted we could do, since both of us were very tense) we were called to for the first time.

"Hello," a stout and hairy man greeted us. I instantly became suspicious, as did Diarra, for this wasn't exactly a good place to start up a conversation. However, this man seemed to be middle aged, almost harmless, so I began to doubt that he had ulterior motives, or at least threatening ones. "The name's Tonpa," he continued, sticking his hand out to be shaken. I complied hesitantly since his hands were dark and hairy. I was reminded of a monkey by him, and wondered what his hidden abilities were, because they were hidden well. I considered just telling him to go away or I would attack him, but making enemies early on had been listed as one of the 'Worst Ideas Ever' by Zeno.

I gave a polite little smile in Tonpa in acknowledgement. Then he went to Diarra for a shake. She accepted, but stayed silent. "I'm Aris, and this is Diarra," I responded for her. She was not a very talkative person, as I'd mentioned before. Tonpa took one look at her and nodded in understanding, not at all offended by the silence.

"This must be your first year," he grinned. "Luckily for you, I'm kind of a veteran." He continued on about how this was his thirty-fifth year participating in the Exam in a row. Even Diarra had gasped when she heard this, which made Tonpa's eyes twinkle with pride. I would have been too ashamed to admit that I had failed even once. The small talk ensued rather awkwardly.

"Er, so, Tonpa-san," I began, searching for the right words, "you must know an awful lot about the Exam. Got any pointers for a rookie?" Tonpa smiled and rubbed his head in thought.

"Do I ever. Let's see..." He pointed at a young man with dark skin and strange clothing. In front of him was a large pole-like bar wrapped in gauze. Apparently, it was a blow dart, and he was known as Geretta the Huntsman, and he was easily crossed, so we were to stay away from him. There was also an older gray-haired man who was an expert martial artist (not necessary to avoid, but dangerous all the same), a trio of crafty bothers, a spiteful snake charmer, and a loud-mouthed ninja, who wasn't as stupid as he appeared at first glance.

"Oh, and the guy who's grilling right now is Todo the wrestler. He's actually kind of smart, so don't mess with him." I nodded to show I was listening. Diarra couldn't have been less obvious she was ignoring him, because she was glancing around. Her rudeness and lack of concentration bothered me, because respectfulness defined her, and this information was very useful, despite the fact that all of it could have been a lie.

"You know of him, yes?" She blurted out suddenly. Tonpa and I followed her gaze to the clicking purple man from earlier. I guess she had been searching for him, not being impolite. Tonpa turned serious as he leaned forward to improve the privacy of our situation.

"To be honest, I hardly know anything about that guy. But I have heard he goes by Gittarackur."

"I see. And what about that one?" Diarra pushed. She redirected my eyes to a very defined man in white. He looked like a jester, or a clown, and his red hair was slicked back. On one cheek there was a blue teardrop, and on the other there was pinkish red star. His complexion was impossibly pale, so I assumed he was plastered in body paint. His outfit was studded with the suit symbols from a deck of cards, and it was so not tasteful that I questioned his sanity. Still, despite his strangeness, he was one of the most handsome men I had ever seen.

"Oh," Tonpa whispered sourly, his face white. "That's Hisoka the Magician. If you had to choose between even talking to him and being mauled by a bear, pick the bear." He left it at that, quickly changing the subject. "But anyway, I just so happen to have some soda here," he began shuffling through his messenger's bag before pulling out two orange cans. "Here, cheers to our acquaintance!"

Diarra coughed to cover her expression of disbelief, and I had to readjust my composure. Was this guy serious?

After politely refusing Tonpa, and convincing him that the two of us were on a diet (that had been very awkward), Diarra and I finally found Theron and Amaranta, respectively numbered 321 and 322. I had felt a strong desire to approach them, but everyone had agreed at Reut's party that we should act as though we didn't know each other. Diarra and I had known that that was for the best, but we both felt bothered by it. I accidently met Theron's gaze and we shared a silent phrase of encouragement; Good luck. Don't die.

Reut was number 389. She unavoidably attracted unwanted eyes; two Katanas were strapped to her back in an X formation, and a long butterfly dagger hung at her hip. She seemed so small and lonely coming here all by herself, carrying large steel weapons, as the only twelve year-old. Actually, Diarra's birthday hadn't come yet, so she was still twelve, but there was a nine month difference between the two, and it was visible.

Tatiana and Keoni strutted into the cave stylishly (and still they didn't get as much attention as little Reut), their ringed hands clasped together. I wondered if they had set their wedding date yet, but I didn't dare go up and ask. Neither them, nor Reut, seemed to notice Diarra and me keeping an eye on the elevator door.

After I had made my tabs on the other apprentices, Diarra and I decided to settle down by leaning against one of the stone walls. Our position allowed us a visual on the entire cave, as well as any new arrivals. Most were still men, of course. After a long while, I found my former anticipation begin to dull. When we had first arrived I had been so tense about the Exam that I had been pacing back and forth. Now, however, I felt like the stupid thing would never start, and I began to slack off in annoyance. If I had known the wait had been this prolonged, I wouldn't have insisted on arriving so early.

In the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Amaranta once more. I couldn't help it, so I began to follow her with my gaze. She was younger than me, but older than Diarra, so she was maybe about fourteen. Her hair, a strange, smoky gray despite her age, was chopped slightly past the nape of her neck, and then tied back in a small ponytail. Her bangs, which were straight across her forehead, hid her eyes most of the time. She was shy and quiet like Diarra had been, but Amaranta hadn't grown out of her hiding habits over the years like she had. She was much larger than before, and her arms were no longer as thin as twigs. I looked to down at my right so see Diarra had been staring at her too, although her eyes were glazed over. Whether it was in sadness or longing, I wasn't sure. The two of them had been closer to each other than Diarra had been to me those three years ago, but now I believed it was the other way around. It was comparable to a book I had read once, where a girl and her best friends had grown apart once they entered into high school from middle school, but they still cherished their fond memories of one another. However, none of them could talk to another because they were worried about their reputations.

The rest of the book had ended up barely mentioning the old friends, and I barely remembered the plot at all, but that little detail stuck out to me. I hoped they could catch up some day.

"There sure are a lot more people here than I expected," I started idly, attempting to distract Diarra. She tilted her head up towards me and gave a fond smile, which confused me.

"There sure are." She followed that up with a knowing grin and a short laugh. "This is your first time away from the Temples. You are doing well, yes?" She inquired. I nodded, because I hardly seemed to notice that fact myself. I had never been allowed to leave Temple grounds, like Diarra, but I had never felt shielded. I had plenty of books to read, and I've seen television several times. Also, most of the soldiers and trainees at the Army Temple, whom I had long and descriptive conversations with, had been born and raised in normal cities.

Even though we had started talking to each other for distractions (Diarra kept me from noticing the boredom, and I had diverted her mind from fond memories of the competition), we lapsed into a very nervous, yet needed, silence.

Hours passed by until the last four applicants entered. Notably, one of them appeared younger than me. Diarra and I rarely broke our silent companionship, so I was fairly crabby, and wondered when our tedious journey would come to an end (at the time, I had no way of knowing all of the applicants had arrived). For several minutes now, I had felt my eyelids grow heavier and heavier. It was just so... ugh, why couldn't they just start already?! I plopped my head on my knees (I had sank my behind on the ground ages ago, while still leaning against the wall) and groaned in irritation.

The most terrifying, desperate, despairing scream I had ever heard - or read about - rippled through the air as every single applicant in the cavern grew still. I whipped my head up and instantly wished that I hadn't. Many yards away, being watched by helpless bystanders, a very plain and forgettable man shrieked bloody murder as... I didn't know how to explain it. Both of his arms, before my very eyes... disintegrated. The ash; or whatever it was, drifted in the air as a light breeze passed by. The man collapsed on the floor in agony, curled in the smallest ball a human being could ever make. I bowed my head and prayed for him softly as he rolled side to side, his cries still audible. Tears pricked my eyes, but I hardened myself, and my resolve. What had just happened? Suddenly, I wished I were bored again.

Something soft tickled my cheek, like a feather. I opened my eyes, caught it, and gently removed it for observations.

A flower? Down here?

"Oh, how peculiar," a mischievous voice drawled through the silence, causing my blood to run cold in my veins. "His arms seem to have become flower petals." I gulped and stared, my mouth wide open. That magician... Hisoka the Magician... he had down that. The pale man held up his hands, smirking.

"No smoke or mirrors here." He paused before continuing, as if just noticing the crowd he had attracted hadn't dissipated. "Do take care. When you bump into someone, you really should apologize," he threatened, his voice slipping into a low whisper. Promptly, Hisoka spun on his heel and returned to himself. The crowd scattered, and a gossiping murmur erupted in the crowd.

"He is worse than a bear, yes?" Diarra reminded me, referring to what our 'acquaintance' Tonpa had mentioned hours before. I nodded in agreement, my hands frozen around the wilting flower petal in my fingers.

After several minutes, the crowd began to settle down.

I leapt to my feet when a ringing alarm was set off. I could not see it, but from the sound, it was from behind the wall in I had been facing. I took a deep breath as the ringing ceased. The wall rumbled and shook, and to my great surprise, shot straight up. It revealed a lone man standing in a tuxedo, a black tunnel stretching on, seemingly endlessly, behind him. If I had seen him any other time, his appearance would have made me laugh. His nose was crooked, but what really stood out was his pink hair and brown, mismatched mustache. His lips... well, he had no mouth.

The ground finally stopped quaking when the bottom of the wall disappeared into the ceiling.

"I apologize for the wait," the tuxedo man declared. "The entry period for the Hunter applicants has ended. The Hunter Exam will now begin." I felt Diarra tensed up next to me, her eyes determined and hard, and her jaw set firmly. I realized I had been doing the same.

"A final caution," the man warned, continuing, "If you are short on luck or ability, you could very well end up seriously injured or even dead. Those who accept the risks, please follow me. Otherwise, please exit via the elevator behind you." He paused for a moment, allowing any drop-outs to speak up. No one moved.

"Very well. All 404 applicants will participate in Phase One." With that, he spun on his fancy heel and took a step down the tunnel. I couldn't see him very clearly, but the motion his legs swung in, in which his arms mimicked, reminded me of a toy robot I use to own when I was particularly young. Jakarran had thrown it out because it had accidently dropped it and it stopped turning on. She also said it was a boy's toy. I shook my head rapidly, because now was not the best time to reminisce.

Diarra and I followed the flow of the crowd and started forward.

We had barely gotten anywhere when Diarra noticed something odd.

"Aris... I think... the pace has increased, yes?" She asked, breaking into a jog. Others nearby began to murmur in question as well. As is to answer her, the man leading us through the tunnel (even though it was straight and there was only one way to go) began to speak up again.

"I neglected to introduce myself," he said formally. "I am Satotz, the Phase Once examiner. I shall lead you to the exam's Second Phase." I grunted in surprise and furrowed my brow. The Second Phase? So, wait...

"What about Phase One?" An unusually loud man shouted. I recalled that Tonpa had warned us his loud mouth was deceiving, and he was actually an elite ninja. The small pause that followed his question was filled with suspense.

"It is already commencing. You must follow me to Phase Two. This is the exam's First Phase." He cleared his throat. "I cannot tell you where or when you must arrive. You need to follow me."

I shot Diarra a warning glance, which she returned in understanding, and we braced ourselves for the worst. I felt my confidence grew despite myself, even though I tried to overestimate the exam. This would be no problem for me, since I could run forty kilometers in a day, thanks to Zeno. I wondered how he knew I would need to run. This would be like my first journey alone to the Southern Army Temple three years ago, in the Trial of Tears. During my fitness training, I eventually had run there and back twice in a row, then around all of the Southern Temple's second layer of petals. It'd been hell, but I shaved my time down to a day. Diarra and I had this in a bag.

Unless we ended up running for 60 kilometers instead, which we ended up doing.

An: Chapter four was... as boring and uneventful as it was, it was fun to write. I'm not super proud of it or anything, I just enjoyed it. Technically it's chapter one, because the first three chapters had been a prologue extended and stretched.

Special thanks to MCRDanime for being my long awaited first reviewer. Seriously. Thank you so much. You made my week.

Review, Critique, enjoy, and stuff...

If there are any mistakes, please tell me. I can't fix it if you don't!

BTW, is there a particular reason people haven't been reading or reviewing? Is it my summary? My writing style? WHAT?! PLEASE TELL ME!

REVIEW!

~MaoIsSleepy