The elevator opened.

The underground cave was dim lighted. The ground and walls were hard stone, grey like the place Riven grew up in. There was a fairly large group of people there, each seemingly glaring at them with calculating eyes.

She casually crossed her arms, feeling for Karasu's heartbeat. It was fast and light, but comforting. Riven followed Leorio, Kurapika, and Gon further into the room. The group was halted in their tracks by a small, green man in some sort of suit. His rosy cheeks were etched in a permanent grin. He handed each of them white, circular plates. 402. She peered over at Kurapika to see what he did with his; number 404, and so on.

The next thing Riven noticed was the lack of females. There was only one other girl. And she made her feel a little... Inferior. Her body was fully developed, and she wore a pink sweater that hugged her curves and a mushroom hat that added a dash of cuteness. Compared to this woman, Riven was like a boy. Her chest was still flat. Her arms, legs, and neck were far too lanky. Her features were pointed and sharp from hunger. The woman's were round and soft, like they should be.

"Um, excuse me" Gon started, attempting to reach out to other applicants. He immediately froze. Every single applicant turned away. Except one. He had a squarish face and nose, with bushy eyebrows and broad shoulders. He smiled sympathetically at the four.

"You're rookies, eh?"

"How'd you know?" Gon exclaimed. The newcomer chuckled, his hands on his pot belly, with a friendly smile.

"Well, you see, I'm sort of a veteran. This is my thirty fifth year here."

The four gasped. "Really?"

"No way!"

The man grinned, prideful

Riven leaned toward Kurapika."That doesn't really seem like something to brag about," she whispered.

"Indeed."

"I'm Tonpa. I'm number sixteen this year."

Gon was the only one who shook Tonpa's burly hand. "I'm is Leorio, Kurapika, and Riven."

"Yo."

"Nice to meet you."

"Hello," the three greeted simultaneously. The man chuckled.

"Say, are there any others who are like you?" the ever-curious boy continued. Tonpa leaned forward and lowered his voice slightly.

"Well, I have the most experience, but there are a few..." He directed his finger at a tall, wide-built man with medium blonde hair pulled back into a pony. "That's number 255; Todo the wrestler. He's unmatched in strength, and he's smarter than he looks." His eyes scanned the crowd. "That's Bourbon the snake charmer; number 103. He tends to hold grudges, so don't get on his bad side."

He continued on to introduce to 191, Bodoro the martial artist, 197, 198, and 199, the Amori brothers, and 384, Gerreta the Huntsmen. Riven didn't doubt that this information was true, even though this Tonpa guy was a sketchy character; the applicants he had picked out appeared more confident than others.

Suddenly, a scream ripped through the air. Riven whipped around, alert.

A man, on his knees in horror, watched helplessly as his arms disintegrated before his very eyes. His eyes were wide and his voice grew hoarse, until he collapsed in a heap of despair on the ground.

"Oh, how peculiar."

Riven's breath hitched at the voice. It was so bemused, so sadistic and beautiful at the same time.

"His arms seem to have turned to flower petals. No smoke or mirrors here," The voice assured. "Do be careful. When you bump into someone, you really should apologize to them."

Her eyes found the speaker; he was a man with slicked back red hair, skin whiter than her own. He had his back to her, but she could tell he was bone-chillingly, heart-stoppingly petrifying. But worse than that; handsome. And then he turned ever so slightly and she realized he was looking at Gon.

Without thinking, she took a few steps forward and turned around, making a circle with her friends and Tonpa. She felt his tremendous gaze on her back. Gon glanced up at her in confusion but didn't speak, but Leorio and Kurapika seemed to know how she felt. They shared wary glances.

After an eternity, Riven felt the pressure leave. She turned to peek at the clown. He had turned away and nonchalantly stood in the crowd.

"That psychopath is here again..." Tonpa muttered. Kurapika and Leorio jumped.

"Again?!" Gon voiced.

"Does that mean he failed last year?" Kurapika wondered, skeptical.

"Hisoka the Magician; he was practically guaranteed to pass, until he all but killed an examiner he didn't like."

"And they're letting him take the exam again?" Leorio shook his head.

Riven nodded. "The examiners and phases change every year. They can pass anyone they see fit."

"Anyway," he glanced back at Hisoka warily. "Nobody likes him, so I would stay as far away as possible." The four nodded in grim agreement.

"He certainly looks dangerous." Leorio rubbed his face.

"Oh, right!" Tonpa recalled, digging in his bag. The four were snapped out of their thoughts. "This is a gift to mark our acquaintance. How about it?" The burly man removed an orange cylinder. Riven blinked, leaning over to whisper in Kurapika's ear.

"What is that?"

He gave her an odd look before taking one of the four cans Tonpa held out.

"It's soda; a beverage."

"You drink this?" She took a can of her own. The dark place didn't have anything like this; it was much too colorful. She rolled it over in her hand. Obviously you had to open the can, but she didn't see a hole anywhere. She jumped when Kurapika, almost laughing, pried the can from her hand, flipped it right-side up, and gripped a metal ring. He flicked it up and the can fizzed, opened.

She took it.

Why would Tonpa bring these? He didn't have to give gifts to make friends, and he didn't bring over four hundred. And he knew they were rookies without even asking. Gon took a large mouthful before she could warn him. But he spat it out.

"Yuck! Tonpa-san, I think your juice must have gone bad."

Riven leapt back as Leorio spewed out a steady stream of orange. She hadn't even seen him take the drink.

"Seriously!?" He eyed the can. Promptly, Kurapika poured his can on the ground, and Riven copied.

"That's strange..." Tonpa stuttered. He fell to a bow. "I'm very sorry! I didn't know the juice expired!"

"Is your stomach okay?" Gon asked instead. "I've sampled all kinds of mountain grasses and plants, so I can usually tell if something is bad," he explained modestly.

"R-really? That's amazing!" Tonpa fidgeted. "Well, sorry again." He stood. "I'll see you around." And with that, he disappeared in the crowd.

"What a talkative old man!" Leorio mused. Riven nodded, wondering who his tricks actually worked on. Just then, a cry raked through the air; this one different than before.

Following her ears, Riven directed her gaze to one of the trembling walls, which rolled into the ceiling, revealing a tall man in a tuxedo. Pink hair and no mouth? Could he talk? Behind him was a stretch of dark tunnel, endless.

"I apologize for the wait. The entry period for Hunter applicants has ended."

Stay calm. Her body trembled and her teeth chattered. Stay calm.

The room Riven and the other children were shoved into was dark, a low ceiling with no lights. It reeked of ash and decay. Like the pile of rotten fish the dark place's measly market dumped outside the quarantine fence. Death. One of the first inside, she had a clear enough view of the back of the building. It was difficult to see but the light spilling from outside was just powerful enough that she could make out a box, taller than she would have been if Rene stood on her shoulders. There was no air movement, no wind or breeze. The one door was the only way in or out. It was heavy, an airtight seal.

Riven didn't like any of it. She wanted out. With her heart in her throat, her littlest sister asleep on her back, and Senette pulling at her arm, she devised a plan. Not a perfect one, but a plan. And a plan was hope. The children were getting restless, crying and asking what was going on. They struggled to stay close to the women.

The wires had been unattached at the doors, where two women pressed their sides into the outer wall. Those in the back pressed forward, forcing the resisters inside.

Riven hugged Sennette to her side, dropping her shoulder against the side wall, using it as an advantage to push past the other kids. It almost took too long. Most the kids were inside the building, panicking, filling it to the brim. Senette was nearly torn from her grip but she hung on tight, probably bruising her hand. She was finally able to peek around the door, the last line of kids stumbling and squeezing inside, pleading for the others to make room as the wires loomed closer and closer.

Riven dragged Senette to her face so she could whisper. "Go when you have the chance, kid." She ripped Rene from her back and dumped her into Senette's a arms.

She peered back outside, her gaze landing on a woman on the wall. It would have to be her. Her fingers clenched. Sweat trailed down her brow. She gave one more meaningful glance at Senette. She looked more scared than she had in her whole life. That was how Riven felt.

Then she dashed out.

Riven didn't weigh much. She was long and narrow and half-starving. But the element of surprise and years of hard work worked in her favor. She hit the woman at full speed, wrapping her arms around her torso as they hit the ground together. The moment her tiny fingers grasped the pole in one hand, and the wire in the other, she felt fire. It burned past her skin, into her bones and innards. She somehow severed the connection between the two, the scepter and wire. The pulsing light stopped but the burning didn't..

She couldn't move. Sparks attacked her body, making her twitch and seize on top of the woman, who was trying to push her off. With her blurred, frozen vision she made out a familiar silhouette sprinting behind another building. She was thrown on the ground, forgotten, stiff. The women were barking at each other, shouting for guards. They left her there. They thought she was dead. So did she.

All hell broke loose. The wire's circuit was cut, and none of the torches worked. Kids pushed past, spilling out of the building. The women let them, forcing their way to the door and slamming it closed. They broke a boy's arm when he tried to pushed it back open. It boomed shut, locking most of the kids into the building while the few who had gotten out scattered like ants. Concentrated by the door, they stepped and kicked Riven into the dirt as they dashed away, a mob. Her fingers twitched. It was the only movement her body could produce. The edges of her vision grew black, but she watched as the women redirected their focus to snatching kids right off the ground. In the chaos they only caught three before the other guards showed up, firing into the crowd. Five kids joined her in the dirt. Maybe thirty made it to cover. The workers in slacks that she had seen earlier watched on the side, docile.

The three kids the women had snagged were shoved to their knees. The guards aimed.

Execution by fire squad, and Riven had no idea why. The women gave a shout, an order. The square building so few had just escaped from rumbled and shook. She thought she heard shouting from inside. For the first time, she noticed a chimney rising from the roof. A furnace, she recognized as the guards turned it on with the other children inside.

At approximately sixty kilometers, as Riven roughly calculated, Leorio had begun to fall behind. The other examinees were pulling ahead without mercy. Soon he was trotting behind by a large gap. Riven didn't cease her running, but she still glanced back at him worriedly. She nearly trampled Gon, but sidestepped at the last second and was able to avoid him. The boy had frozen in place, causing his new companion to stop as well. Killua, she remembered. Riven felt her nerves twist when she noticed Leorio was no longer moving. She had to keep running, though, or she would never be able to kick herself in gear again; she had a rhythm she had to follow.

She turned forwards and concentrated. Left...left...left. Breathe in, now breathe out; ignore the screaming of your muscles.

Her arm began to cramp from supporting Karasu in her jacket. She knew he only had a couple more hours of sleep before the potion wore off, and then he would want to fly free. Karasu wasn't as light as he appeared. His bones were hollow, and his head could easily tuck underneath his wing to conserve room, but he was a healthy bird, and nearly full grown.

She was so focused on her running she was nearly knocked over by Leorio, who had regained his speed somehow and was sprinting past her. Even though he accidently kicked dirt and debris in her face, she couldn't help but smile at him.

She realized she had lost track of Kurapika, but she didn't know where to begin looking. She decided to continue without worrying, since he was probably better off than she was.

Riven discovered that her body worked again about a minute later. She hoisted herself to her knees, trying her best to ignore her pounding head and aching limbs. Her muscles refused to contract, and she failed miserably to rise to her feet. The women had left, in chase of the escaped children. She tried not to look at the other bleeding next to her.

There was a shout and she realized one guard had stayed behind. Instead of fighting to her feet she pushed and rolled, hiding behind the furnace. Bullets ricocheted off the ground by her head.

She struggled to keep her eyes open and breathing regular. Her skin was sweaty and plastered in grime.

But.

Everything seemed more vivid now; her vision was crisp, her nose twitched from the scent of burning flesh, and the air seemed colder as she sucked it down. She felt her finger and toes tremble, but the tips were half numb. She felt a prickling behind her eyes; the kind you felt when your foot fell asleep. She stood up, just as the guard dashed around the corner.

She ran.