Disclaimer: I don't own HunterXHunter. I am not making profit off of this story.
A/N: If anyone can guess who said the quote in the first sentence (*points down*), I'll give out imaginary cookies. (:
Do you think I'm in a bed of roses?
XXX
We made our way to the tall mountain, and came upon what seemed to be a deserted village. Not only were the buildings dilapidated and dingy, the roads were unpaved and grimy. Scraps of cloth tumbled about on the floor in the wind. It was hard to believe anyone could live in such a ghost town.
"This place is a bit creepy," Leorio muttered. "Not a single person in sight."
"But there are a lot of people here, right?" Gon commented.
"Yes," Kurapica agreed. "We should stay alert."
I was amazed. I'd known that there were signs of life due to my nen, but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to tell without it.
"How do you know that?" Leorio questioned, looking from side to side as though a person might randomly appear if he squinted hard enough.
"You can hear people breathing from inside the buildings, right?" Kurapica asked.
"Yeah, and the rustling of clothes," Gon added. "I guess they're hiding."
Leorio and I glanced at each other and shrugged. "Hmph, sure," Leorio grunted. "I'm just a normal human so I have no idea."
Suddenly, people in masks began to pour out of the alleys. At the head of the group was an old lady with a staff.
"Doki doki," she whispered, and I strained to hear more. "DOKI DOKI TWO CHOICE QUIZ!" she bellowed, and I staggered back a step. "You children are headed towards the tree at the tip of the mountain, right?" she asked, but didn't wait for us to answer. "It's not possible to reach that point unless you pass through this town. The other paths up the mountain are labyrinths, and on top of that, they are the territories of ferocious, demonic beasts."
Demonic beasts? I really didn't feel like being eaten. I exchanged a nervous glance with the rest of the group, but the old woman continued to speak.
"I will present to you a single question," she said. "You only have five seconds to answer. If you are wrong, you will be immediately disqualified and you will be unable to take the hunter exam this year."
"Hmm, so this is another ordeal we must go through to get to the actual examination," Kurapica guessed, crossing his arms.
I groaned. "How many rounds of preliminaries are we going to have to go through?"
"Answer either with a 'one' or a 'two.' Any other answer will be considered incorrect," the woman explained.
At this, Leorio seemed to protest. "Hey, wait a minute! All three of us will be asked just one question?" he asked. "Then, if Kurapica is wrong, that means I'll be disqualified too?"
Kurapica glared. "That's impossible," he snapped. "It's more likely to be the other way around."
"But that also means only one of us has to get the answer correct for us to pass," Gon insisted, attempting to dispel the conflict.
"Yes, but we don't know what kind of quiz it'll be," I murmured. "For all we know, it could be some complex question about the genus and species name of some obscure creature. It could be about some historical conflict that occurred over a century ago. Wouldn't it be safer if we find another way to the exam site?"
Just then, another person stepped out behind us. "Hey, you gonna hurry up or what?" he asked obnoxiously. "If you aren't feeling too confident, why don't you let me go first?"
"So, what's the deal?" the old woman asked.
"I'll go first," the newcomer said, smiling sinisterly. I had a vague feeling he was the type who would go ahead of us and set a bunch of traps. Still, this wasn't really worrisome.
"Here's the question," the woman began. "Your mother and your girlfriend have been kidnapped by evil villains, and you're only able to rescue one of them. One, your mother. Two, your girlfriend. Who would you rescue?"
Incredulous, I gaped at the woman. What an impossible question! I thought to myself. She can't be serious—there's no proper answer to this. Is this a matter of luck, then? Does she want us to answer as she would?
While I was busy debating, the stranger had already answered. "One!" he exclaimed confidently.
"And the reason for your answer?" the lady asked.
He smirked. "Obviously, I only have one mother in the whole world," he announced, "but I can always find another girlfriend." I seethed at his reasoning. What did he consider women to be, refundable toys? Obviously, he wouldn't be able to pass with a laughable response like that.
The lady turned her back to us and had a whispered conference with the masked people behind her. "You may go," she said finally, and I gasped in outrage.
"That's bullshit!" Leorio burst out before I had the chance to. "What kind of messed up quiz is this, you old hag? This kind of question can't possibly have a correct answer! The answer differs according to the person you ask. This is so full of shit—I can't accept this! I'm going to take a different route."
"Hmph, you're already too late," the lady claimed calmly. "If you choose not to take the quiz, you'll be disqualified immediately. You'll lose the right to become a hunter."
I watched worriedly as Leorio fumed. There must be something to the quiz that we're missing! I thought frantically. Trace told me that the hunter examiners are always fair, even if they are eccentric.
Just as I was about to voice these thoughts, Kurapica's eyes widened in realization. "Leorio!" he called, and I was relieved that he'd been able to figure the quiz out, because I certainly hadn't. Then, I felt irritated at myself for being comforted—I couldn't rely on other people to pass! What would I have done if I were alone?
"What?" Leorio snarled. "You can't be suggesting that we take this dumb quiz!"
"Wait!" the old woman called before Kurapica could explain what he had discovered. "I will not allow you to speak another word," she decided. "I will not allow any unnecessary speech from now on. Now, answer! One, take the quiz. Two, do not take the quiz."
"One!" Kurapica blurted before Leorio could disagree.
"Now, here's the question," the woman stated. "Your son and daughter have been kidnapped together, but you can only rescue one of them. One, your daughter. Two, your son. Who would you rescue?"
As she began to count down the seconds, I glanced at Kurapica nervously. I'd thought he would know the answer, but he wasn't saying anything, instead looking rather stressed. Maybe he hadn't known the answer after all! Gon, though, seemed to be perfectly calm. I vacillated between the two options desperately, trying to logically deduce the correct response, then paused as Leorio growled beside me. Leorio seemed to be the most agitated of us all. He trudged away from us, grabbing a large plank and swinging it around menacingly.
"Time's up!" the lady announced.
Immediately, Leorio dashed forward, his stick raised. Kurapica lunged, placing himself between Leorio and the old woman and blocking the strike.
"Why are you stopping me?" Leorio roared.
"Calm down, Leorio!" Kurapica shouted back.
"No, I'm not going to calm down!" Leorio retorted vehemently. "I'm going to take this old hag's head to the exam site and give the judges a piece of my mind! A hunter? You can all go shove it. The world is better off without such a stupid system!"
"Are you going to give up your chance?" Kurapica asked, effectively stopping Leorio in his tracks.
"Ah," I said, understanding flooding me. "So we answered correctly after all."
"Yes," Kurapica said. "Silence! That's the correct answer! Leorio, you said it yourself; there can't possibly be a correct answer. You were right—there was no correct answer to the quiz, but the rule stated we could only answer with a one or two. So you can't say anything at all. There is only silence."
Leorio didn't seem to accept this. "But—that guy just now…"
"They didn't say he was correct," Kurapica explained. "They only said he could 'go.' Just a moment ago, I heard him scream. He was probably attacked by a demon beast. In other words, this is not the correct path."
I gaped along with Leorio. Kurapica had heard a scream? When? Gon had also probably heard, which explained why he'd seemed so calm. I hadn't heard a thing. I pouted. This is what I get for relying too heavily on nen, I mentally sighed. I decided that I would have to do a lot of basic training as soon as I found the time. I couldn't afford to be weaker than ordinary citizens. My nen ability was supposed to be a plus, not a neutral point to bring me up to the levels of others. Then again, I thought, Kurapica and Gon aren't exactly normal citizens, are they?
"That's right," the old woman agreed. "The true path is this way." She pointed to a wall, and two of the masked figures behind her pried it open, revealing a dark path. "It's a straight path, so you'll be able to reach the top in about two hours."
Leorio sagged, tossing aside his stick. "Old lady, I'm sorry," he said humbly.
"No, there's nothing for you to be sorry about," the woman laughed, forgiving him easily. "I do this job to meet people like you. Work hard. I wish for you to become a good hunter."
"Thanks," Leorio mumbled, and we set off into the darkness.
After a few minutes of walking, (or in my case, biking) Gon let out a deep breath. "Whew," he sighed. "I can't do it! I can't come up with an answer!" he declared.
We all began to laugh. "You were thinking this whole time?" Leorio asked cheerfully. "It's over now."
"Huh? Why?" Gon asked, not understanding.
"What do you mean?" Leorio asked exasperatedly. "The quiz is already done with."
"I know that," Gon replied. "But if I ever really come across a situation in which I have to choose between two people who are precious to me to rescue, what am I going to do?"
The three of us froze, not anticipating Gon's surprisingly deep concerns.
"Neither is the correct answer," Gon continued, "but there might come a day when we must make a decision."
Silence reigned for a long while as we pondered this.
Suddenly, the quiet was broken by a sharp trilling noise, and music began to fill the air.
"What's that?" Kurapica asked in surprise, pausing in the darkness.
"Sounds like a phone," Leorio guessed, "but it isn't mine."
"What phone?" Gon asked incredulously. "There's a phone in here?"
"Oh," I exclaimed, snapping my fingers. "I completely forgot—it's mine." I fumbled through my pockets to find the device. "My neighbor gave it to me before I left home—oh, how do you work this thing…?"
Leorio deftly snatched it out of my fingers, pressing a button in the dark and returning it to me. "Thanks, I said gratefully, and pressed the phone to my ear.
"HOW COULD YOU?" a voice screeched on the other end. The scream echoed through the tunnel, and I could practically feel all three of my male companions flinch. Heat crept into my cheeks.
"Mother," I whispered. "Please don't—"
"OH, THAT'S RICH. DON'T WHAT, ARELLA? DON'T BE CONCERNED? DON'T BE UPSET? OH YES, MY DAUGHTER GOES GALLIVANTING OFF TO WHO KNOWS WHERE AND I SHOULD JUST UNDERSTAND?" she shrieked. "YOU'RE COMING HOME RIGHT NOW AND—"
Her voice was unceremoniously cut off and loud scuffling noises sounded on the other end. I peered at my phone warily, slowly putting it back to my ear. "Hello?" I asked meekly.
"Sorry about that," a new voice said, and I immediately recognized my neighbor's tone. "Your mother—well, she's just very scary sometimes and I couldn't lie—"
"Damn straight you couldn't!" I heard faintly in the background.
"…Yes, well, do have fun. I'll calm down your mo—Ihavetogonowbye!" Abruptly, the phone clicked off, and the four of us were left in the darkness.
"So…" Leorio began, but I cut him off.
"Let's just…let's just go," I sighed, shoving the phone back in my pocket.
Although the group began to move again, I knew I hadn't staved off the boys' curiosity. I also knew they were too kind to pry. I exhaled slowly. "Last year, my father participated in the hunter examination," I revealed, and though I felt them twitch at the sudden noise, all three boys listened attentively. "My family wasn't doing too well financially, so he thought he could earn some more money as a hunter. He and my brother, Trace, left home to become a hunter."
There was a brief silence as I struggled to find the best wording.
"He died," I said abruptly. "My father died during the examination, and my brother was put into a coma. My mother forbade us from taking the hunter exams ever again. But my mother is working herself to death, now that Father is gone. We have to pay off my brother's hospital bills. There's no other choice. Even if Mother is upset at me, I won't return until I'm a hunter."
Kurapica was the first to break the oppressive silence. "I'm sorry that happened to you," he said evenly, and I wasn't sure if I was thankful for the darkness or not. I couldn't see if there was any pity in his face.
"That's why," Gon stated, and I raised an eyebrow.
"Why what?" I asked.
"When I jumped after the man who almost fell overboard," Gon elaborated, "and everyone was mad at me—you just told me that Aunt Mito would be sad if I died. So that's why."
"Yeah, think about your poor aunt when you're off doing dumb, reckless things, would you?" I joked, trying to lighten the mood.
The boys chuckled nervously.
"Well, while we're still walking, let's get to know each other better," I suggested, attempting to change the subject. "How old is everyone?"
"I'm almost twelve!" Gon said, jumping at the chance to solidify our friendship.
I stumbled, almost falling off my bicycle. "A-almost twelve?" I choked. That meant Gon was actually eleven! "You—you're way younger than I ever thought anyone would be. And your Aunt Mito just let you come to the dangerous hunter exam?"
"Well, she didn't want me to," Gon admitted.
"I'll bet she didn't," Leorio muttered. "Eleven! What a kid!"
"But we made a deal!" Gon continued, undaunted. "She said if I could catch the monster fish in the lake, she'd give me permission! So I did."
"I'm sure she wasn't actually expecting you to be able to catch it," Kurapica said, aghast.
"But I caught it!" Gon protested.
"When I was eleven…," I said, trailing off. The boys waited expectantly. "Actually, never mind. So how old are you, Kurapica?"
The boys smacked themselves at the obvious ambiguity. "I'm seventeen," Kurapica stated.
"Ah, I'm almost seventeen," I said, surprised. "You're younger than I thought. How about you, Leorio?"
"I recently turned nineteen," he said, "and don't you dare tell me you thought I was in my twenties!"
I chuckled nervously and heard Gon do the same; that was exactly what I'd been about to say. "Ah, there's light!" I said instead, pointing towards the end of the tunnel. We'd finally made it out of the cave!
We rushed forward, and were disappointed to find we were surrounded by forest. The large tree was still very far away in the distance.
"Ah, what the heck!" Leorio cried in dismay. "Hasn't it already been two hours?"
"It's barely been half an hour," Kurapica corrected. "More importantly, what's with that sign?"
We turned to where he was pointing. There was, indeed, a sign which read 'beware of demon beasts.'
"I thought this was the right path!" I moaned. "The one without the beasts! How unfair!"
The boys shook their heads in exasperation, and we continued walking, all the way up until it became dark.
"Two hours on foot?" Leorio complained. "It's gotten completely dark! Two hours passed two hours ago, dammit!"
I was inclined to agree. "I'm hungry," I whined. "And thirsty."
"Yeah, and I have to go to the bathroom," Leorio added without thinking.
An awkward silence settled around the group. "Leorio," I objected. "There are just some things you don't say in front of females."
"Or anyone else," Kurapica added hastily.
Gon continued, oblivious. "Hey, there's another monster sign!" he exclaimed, pointing. This made the fourth one we'd seen so far.
"Why are there so many signs?" I wondered aloud, just as Kurapica stopped in shock, almost causing me to bike into him.
"I see it!" he declared, pointing straight forward.
There, underneath the tallest tree I'd ever seen in my life, was a small, wooden house.