Hey... call me an idiot... but I just noticed that Riven and Raven are really similar...

Man, that's so cheesy! It was a total accident! Karasu was originally going to be a crow, since he would be a little smaller and more convenient, but then I set my heart on the whole 'spirit raven' thing and I forgot! Riven has its own special meaning; to tear apart violently. I'll get into that when I get into her parents and the necklace.

Riven could barely see anything as her feet pounded into the slick grass with muffled thuds. Her breath was visible in the cool air.

The physical exertion burned at her muscles and lungs. Karasu had flown low in altitude thoughtfully so that she wouldn't lose him, but his white form blended into the fog uncannily. It was as if he were the fog itself.

But finding Kurapika was taking longer than she expected. A feeling of dread hit her when she realized there was a possibility that the blond had gotten separated from the main group as well; then she'd really be dead.

After several anxious minutes, Karasu cawed, increasing his speed. Riven paused. It was a warning signal, not something that meant he found his target. Riven dropped into a defensive stance as she slipped farther along. Her eyes shot rapidly through the fog as if she could dissipate with her glares. No such thing happened.

Karasu began to cautiously circle overhead, above the fog, so Riven only got one or two glimpses of him in her peripheral view before he disappeared again like a ghost. He didn't flap his wings unless he had to, silently gliding.

Riven gasped as something dark and chilly ran down her spine. It was evil and black, and it made her heart freeze. Without another thought, she spun on her heel and dashed the other direction, kulning for Karasu and running blindly.

It was the jester. Hisoka.

Thoughts bombarded her as she ran in a panic. She hadn't even seen the pale man, but she certainly didn't want to. Her pace began to slow a tad when she reasoned that avoiding someone wasn't worth failing the exam, or dying in the swamp.

Then another thought hit her.

Karasu had been leading her to Kurapika. So. Chances were good Hisoka was near him.

Riven knew she couldn't just leave Kurapika to fend off Hisoka by himself, even though she probably wouldn't be much help. But she had to do something.

Hisoka was with Kurapika. Riven hesitated before entering the clearing. Her biggest advantage was the element of surprise. If she could, she would rather Hisoka never know she was there at all.

In the clearing were two shadows; both were tall and muscular. It took a moment to realize that one was Leorio. Riven slipped her dagger from her boot.

For several long moments, all the two men did was stare at each other. They were probably talking, but Riven was out of earshot. Before she realized either of them had moved, Leorio was on his knees. A cold sweat ran down her back. If she was ever going to intervene it would have to be then,

And then Hisoka was suddenly knocked off balance. Riven blinked when Gon entered the clearing across from her. The boy had casted his fishing rod at Hisoka and blind-sided him with the lure. The fog began to rise again, thick, heavy, and impossible to see through. Riven was forced to precede forward so she could still monitor Hisoka, Gon, and Leorio. She kept an eye out for Kurapika; he was sensible, so maybe he ran away.

Riven waved a large cloud of fog away, only to grip her dagger tightly in front of her. It obstructed her view for no more than three seconds and Hisoka was crushing Gon's windpipe. The boy was so short that his feet were about a yard off of the grass. He kicked furiously to no avail. Riven caught a glimpse of Leorio sprawled on the ground, unconscious. She had also missed what had happened to him.

He's so fast.

Before she could comprehend what she was doing, her dagger was already leaving her hand. She heard something tear. Without thinking, she dashed from her cover in the fog and entered the clearing. The dagger had merely grazed Hisoka on the shoulder, tearing a hole in his shirt. There was no blood.

If she had been lucky, she would have at least scratched him. She should have known that luck was never something she had. Gon was several feet away, free of the jester's death grip, crouching in a fighting stance.

Hisoka was staring at his shoulder wound with a strange expression. It was a mixture of a little surprise and realization. But it was mostly a bemused face; like she was a toddler who had beat him in a game of checkers because he wasn't paying attention to her. He looked up and saw her. The hair on the back of her neck shot up.

He smirked. "Oh, I see... You wish to be tested as well."

Riven tried her best to ignore him, steadily closing the distance between her and Gon. The boy did the same, probably sharing her thoughts. If they could get together and devise a plan, maybe they could flee with Leorio and survive. Passing the phase was out of the picture, since they were completely and utterly lost. And Riven was okay with that; she had given up becoming a Hunter that year the moment she had realized Kurapika was somewhere beyond Hisoka.

Now living for the next year's exam was all she could hope for. She needed to have that Hunter card. She needed information on her sisters.

Gon was directly by her side now. She glanced at him and prepared to leap forward. Instead, a crackling and a voice interrupted the tense silence, even though it was impossible to understand from Riven's position.

Hisoka held his hand up and made her and Gon freeze. Then he bent down and slung a very heavy-looking Leorio over his shoulder, easily. Riven couldn't move; she was petrified. Gon seemed to be in the same situation, since he had pale beads of sweat collecting on his skin.

Hisoka smirked at the two of them. "Well, that was fun. You two pass, so become good hunters, okay?" Riven caught Gon hesitantly nodding his head in response in the corner of her eye. "Good boy."

Moments later, Kurapika, to Riven's great surprise, dashed into the clearing, demanding to know if she and Gon were alright.

She was glad he had gotten away. But that also meant Kurapika really had been separated from the examiner, and now she had no one to follow to pass the exam. Karasu could probably recognize Leorio's scent, but she hadn't had a chance to assign him a kulning. As well as she could communicate with her bird, there were still limitation.

Riven found her dagger lodged in a tree. She took a moment to wiggle it out. "We're okay," Gon answered, motioning Riven and Kurapika to follow him. They did so obediently, sending each other curious glances. Riven kulned to Karasu, who returned to her shoulder. She felt better with him there.

"Where are you going, Gon?" Riven asked after several quiet moments. They had soon found their way out of the grassy fields and into a forest path. Gradually, the fog sank lower and lower until it was no more. Riven felt as though she had just woken up from a dream.

"We're going to phase two," Gon exclaimed happily. "Leorio has such strong cologne that I can smell it from here." .

~Mao