Kiri fidgeted outside the chairman's door. She wouldn't say she was nervous, only slightly uneasy, or so she tried to convince herself. To passerbys, she looked slightly mad. Her hand formed into a fist, about to knock the door but not yet done so for the past 5 minutes. On top of that she was also muttering to herself, 'what have I done, what have I done'.

They were back on the airship following the conclusion of the latest exam of which 9 applicants had passed. Kurapika and Kiri arrived to the meet-up point safely and in plenty of time. After the time was up, everyone revealed themselves and Kiri noted that the grinning Gon was still in one piece and not ripped to unrecognisable shreds by the magician. She couldn't help but also note that he kept licking his lips whilst his gaze was fixed on the young boy in a way that most people would identify with being paedophillic.

Upon boarding she had wanted to quickly make her way to the chairman's. So she tried excusing herself from the rest of the gang by saying she wanted to have a nap.

"Eh...But it's only early morning!" Gon complained. "Hang out with us a bit longer!"

Kiri offered an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry Gon, I'll make it up to you later."

"She gotta have a catnap Gon," Killua explained. "Or she'll lose it and turn you into cat food". Killua curled his fingers to look like pretend-claws before pouncing onto his friend and starting a play-fight.

"You guys have way too much energy," sighed Leorio. "And I feel like if I had a Jenny for every time I've said that line since the start of this adventure I would be rolling in dough by now."

"Just cos you're an old man," said the cheeky white-haired boy.

Before it could turn into one of those classic Killua-Leorio arguments Kiri intercepted. "How did you manage to get your badges anyways, Leorio?"

"Don't underestimate me," he huffed. "It was like a piece of cake".

"The cake which I had to make and all you had to do was eat," said Kurapika.

"Well..I had a job to play too!"

"Yes, you had a job. Which was to play."

"I cleaned and bandaged up that guy, if it wasn't for me he could've died by now!"

"And if it wasn't for that, you wouldn't have had your badge stolen by that same guy and we wouldn't have had to waste time catching him again."

"Are you telling me I should've just left him?!"

Kurapika sighed.

"Did you just sigh at me?!"

"Let me translate for you!" Said Gon, popping up between them. "Just now, Kurapika's sigh meant..."He altered his voice to match that of his older, blonde companion. "I have no words to say to someone who would just be tricked so easily. I can't believe that I am travelling with someone of this caliber. God help him."

Leorio smacked Gon on the head. "As if a sigh had that deep of a meaning, don't go making shit up you lil shit." He grasped Gon into headlock.

Kurapika watched the scene, amused. "But it did".

Kiri wanted to stay with them for a little while longer (and also ensure Gon didn't lose his air supply whilst being kept in Leorio's strangulation technique), but she knew she had to go meet the chairman. So whilst the gang was in chaos, she quickly slipped away...Which led to her standing outside the chairman's room. Fidgeting nervously.

Her hand hovered over the door for the third time but this time she heard Netero's voice. However it wasn't coming from within in room, it was coming from behind her.

"I'm over here".

Kiri spun around to see Netero walking towards her with Beans alongside him.

"Netero, I-" Kiri begun. At first she had wanted to make some kind of excuse, in hope that Netero would sympathise with her but after consideration, she realised that such a cheap trick wouldn't work with him anyways. She also didn't want to lie to herself anymore.

"I couldn't do it". She said simply. She looked down towards the floor, unable to meet his eye.

She felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

"You did well".

She looked up but the chairman had already continued walking, not even looking back.

"What does that mean ?! Chairman Netero!" Kiri stood shouting after him but all she got was the retreating figure of Netero's back. He lifted up a hand to give her a backwards wave.

"It means that you passed." Kiri looked to her side to see Beans still standing there.

"Does that mean I can stay?"

"Well, in short, yes you can stay. But you're not to be an applicant, and not to interfere with the applicants' actions during examination. If you can keep to that, then you can stay."

"But I don't understand...I didn't do as Netero asked me to".

"...That is for you to figure out yourself". With that, Beans hurried after his boss. But just before he turned the corner, he looked back over his shoulder to add, "also, you don't have to hide anymore! By turning into a cat, I mean. You have the chairman's permission to move freely within limits," and disappeared around the corner.

"Why does no one explain anything here". But Kiri was relieved. She didn't have to leave. Which meant that Killua probably wouldn't leave too out of obligation. She did something right for once even though she didn't know know. Feeling slightly overwhelmed and dizzy Kiri's legs gave out under her. She tried to lean on the wall for support but the wall being further than she remember it being, she stumbled.

"Hey".

Kiri felt strong arms wrapped around her from behind and support her up. She steadied herself and looked behind her to see who helped her.

Kurapika.

Once again he was there most unexpectedly and when needed. She didn't know how he did it.

"I thought something was up," he said, letting go of her.

"Nothing really escapes you, does it?" she replied, not really asking it as a question.

He gave her a sideways smile but said nothing. Kiri looked away, feeling the heat rise to her face that was becoming too all familiar now for reasons she did not comprehend.

"Did something happen with the chairman just now?" Kurapika asked, one eyebrow arched.

Kiri scowled slightly. "Do I have to tell you?"

Kurapika looked at her for a while and then almost apologetically said, "you're right. I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't have asked. I just thought maybe you would tell me if something was wrong."

He turned to walk away but like an automatic reflex, Kiri clutched the back of his uniform in her hand.

"Sorry, I just...I didn't think I should tell anyone. I guess if it's you, it'll be okay." Kiri mumbled quietly. She looked up at him feeling slightly guilty, wondering if she hurt his feelings.

"You can tell me".

Kurapika listened to everything she said from what Netero had asked her to do, to what she tried to do and to what she ended up doing.

"And then he said 'you did well'. What does that even mean?"

Kurapika placed his thumb on his chin in thought. "I think you did what he wanted".

"But I didn't".

"I'm guessing what he wanted you to do was the opposite of what he asked you to do."

"Why would that even make sense?"

"I think the chairman is someone hard to understand."

"Well, that I can tell".

"But...I can understand where his train of thought is coming from."

Kiri replied with a puzzled look.

"He said that hunters are independent right? If you had listened to his command without judgement then in more straightforward terms, you would just be a sheep, following instructions, which shows that you are completely what he said you were. But you didn't and he wanted you to do that."

Kiri was quiet for a while before replying, "but I almost did what he said."

Kurapika gripped her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "You made a decision, Kiri. And you stuck with it. Don't be so hard on yourself". He flicked her nose lightly.

There it came again. The feeling that something was alive in her stomach. The feeling as though her heart was on fire and didn't belong to her as it pounded relentlessly against her ribcage.

"Can you hear that?", whispered Kiri, referring to the heavy pounding of her heart.

Kurapika tilted his head and leaned closer. "Hear what?"

With the gap between them closer, the Kurta was completely unaware of the effect he was causing on her unintentionally. She could feel his breath on her cheeks. She breathed in his unique scent that she could always recognise but not quite place what it was. She felt like she was on a natural high.

At that moment, a siren blared, rescuing Kiri from a possible cardiac arrest.

"In a while the president will receive you for a conversation. Please come to the first reception room of the first floor...Candidate no.44!"

"That's probably preparation for the final stage," deduced Kurapika. "Let's go."

Kiri regained her composure. "G-go where?"

They turned a few corners and Kurapika threw open a set of doors that lead to a hall where most of the remaining applicants where sitting down in a circle on the laminated wooden flooring like some sort of cult gathering.

"Oi! Kiri! Kurapika, over here," called Killua, waving them over. Killua raised an eyebrow at Kiri being undisguised, in plain sight for the rest of the applicants to see but Kiri gave him the universal 'it's okay' hand signal.

She counted the amount of people in the room. Killua, Gon, Leorio, Kurapika, that weak looking guy with the turban, shiny-bald head guy and that tall angry-looking man with a spear. Illumi was no where in sight and Hisoka was called to meet with Netero.

The pair joined the others. 'We're discussing what the next stage could be'.

'Before we start, could I have the privilege of knowing who she is. I don't think I've seen her before." The question came from the strict looking elderly man. If Kiri remembered correctly his name was Bodoro.

Kiri opened her mouth but before she could get a word out Kurapika interrupted. "She's part of the Hunter's Association committee but she's just a trainee. She's here to gather information for the Hunter Examination for improving standards."

Kiri nodded in agreement, maybe a little bit too enthusiastically. "Yes, yes so don't mind me. I don't have a say and I don't take part in this year's one at all".

The turban guy squinted his eyes at her. "I feel like I've seen you somewhere before..."

"Probably in the corridor," said Killua quickly. "I saw her there too but she was cleaning the bins".

If it wasn't for seven pairs of eyes on her and other people around, Kiri would've given her younger brother a good slap on the face.

The atmosphere lightened with the confusion resolved.

"Right so...We were discussing what the next stage would be right?" Said Leorio, rubbing his hands together. "Let's see...We've had running, cooking, all kinds of problem-solving, stealing...Are these all of the chairman's secret hobbies or something? I don't see a link at all".

"I think they're all just decided by the individual hunter examiners," said Hanzo. "Nothing to do with the chairman. He just oversees".

Everyone was quiet again as they were all in deep thought.

"But what if...What if...They were all the chairman's secret hobbies?" Leorio said. "The next one could be too."

Hanzo turned to Kiri. "Do you know what the chairman likes doing?"

The first thing that popped to Kiri's mind was the old bookcase in the corner of Netero's room filled with books that looked untouched since shelved. Without thinking she answered, "books."

Everyone's face whitened and Leorio voiced out what the unanimous thought was.

"Written test?!"