Mercyblue – I'm glad you're enjoying it! I must admit I am enjoying having a total rewrite of the story myself.
I wrote parts of this to CLANNAD and now I feel bad lol. But it's a nice sound track so don't judge me.
The group of four had docked up in a place called Dolle Harbor. This was apparently the closet dock yard to the next exam site. Mishka could only take the captain's words for it, having never been to this part of the planet before.
The young girl excitedly got off the boat, looking around at the port. A wide smile was on her face, she was happy to make it back to land alive after being in that terrible storm. Bouncing on her toes she was about to make a small jog to go exploring, but a hand on her shoulder had stopped her. Mishka looked at the hand and then up to the arm of who it belonged to.
"Don't go wondering off, you'll get lost. Our priority is to go to the next exam site." Kurapika explained to her. The young girl nodded her head, making a small noise of understanding in her throat. The older sibling smiled at her, removing his hand from her shoulder and placing it on top of her head instead, scuffing up her hair as he rubbed it.
Gon and caught up with the group, bouncing his way over to Mishka and walking next to her. The younger blonde smiled widely at the spiky haired boy. She hadn't known him for that long, but he made her smile, he of course just continued to hold the smile on his face towards the younger girl.
"The captain said to head towards the Cedar tree, it's a short cut." Gon explained to the group, looking between the three of them. Mishka hummed slightly to herself before looking up to her brother; her grey eyes full of questions.
"Should we go there?" She asked him quietly. Kurapika thought to himself for a moment, closing his eyes in concentration.
"I'm not sure...he might be saying it to put us off course." Kurapika explained, making the young girl knit her brows in confusion as she turned her attention to Gon again. Gon's smile dropped as Kurapika spoke, leaving the two pre-teens to wonder if what the captain had told Gon was indeed true.
Mishka wanted to believe her brother, he was never wrong before.
They found themselves a map, after being unable to tell if the captain was telling the truth or not. The two child stood in the middle of the two adults, one because it was easier to keep an eye on them that way and two, Mishka was kind of worried Leorio would start picking on her brother again, even if he did say he was sorry.
"Huh...That's strange." Leorio spoke up gaining the groups attention. He turned away from the map to look at the group of three, scanning a piece of paper in his hand. "According to the notice I received, the exam is supposedly being held somewhere in Zaban City." He explained to them, holding down the card for Gon to look at.
Mishka stood herself next to Gon to also look at the card briefly, then looked back at her brother once more.
"Is the card trying to put us off too?" She asked him in a mumble. The older blonde thought to himself for a second, repeating the same motion as before with his hand on his chin.
"I wouldn't put that possibility behind us." He said into more into his thumb then back at her. Mishka turned her attention back to Gon, the two of them shrugging their shoulders slightly in confusion to one another. The children turned their attention back to Leorio as he had began looking at the map again, mumbling to himself and pointing to various places on the giant directional paper.
"Perhaps you misheard him?" Kurapika asked Gon with his arms crossed over his chest, gaining the boys attention while Mishka continued to watch Leorio stare at the map.
"No, he told me to head towards that cedar tree." Gon repeated, pointing towards the cedar tree on the map. Kurapika muttered a "I see" under his breathe, going into thought with himself. Mishka looked at the cedar tree and then to Gon then looking at her brother.
"Maybe the captain was just being nice?" She asked him, giving him a small smile. Kurapika turned his head to her humming to himself again in his throat.
"Maybe..." He mumbled as he went back into his deep thought. There was the chance the captain was just being honest, or he was playing on Gon's nativity as a child. Of course, it sounded like Mishka also believed what Gon had said, but rather or not that was because she thought he was being honest or because he was probably around her age was something the older sibling couldn't quite decide.
Leorio glared angrily at the paper in his hand.
"And this notice isn't any help! Where, exactly, in Zaban City are we meant to go?" He bitterly asked the piece of paper, as if expecting an answer from it.
"Our task is to find the exam site, using a limited amount of information. Just another test before we'll be allowed to take the Hunter Exam." Kurapika explained to Leorio, gaining a rather angry Leorio standing with his arms spread out either side of him shouting that he knew that. Mishka looked at him questionably, wondering if he actually did know that.
"Did you really Mr Leorio?" Mishka asked him quite innocently and curiously, making the oldest of the group look at her with disbelief.
"O-of course! Why wouldn't I!?" He bitterly spoke to her, making the young girl take a step back after having that ton of voice directed at her. If she definitely knew that was the reaction she wouldn't have asked.
"Anyway, I'll go have a look. The captain must have had a reason to suggest that. " Gon said as he began wondering off in the direction of the cedar tree. Mishka made a small noise in her throat as she pulled her brows together, frowning slightly.
"The bus to Zaban is about to leave. We should take it." Leorio said watching the pre-teen leave the group of three behind. Gon was having none of it and instead just kept walking away waving his hand to them. Mishka's frown got deeper, there went the only other person she knew taking the exam that was her age maybe.
While she'd admit hanging around with her brother was fun, really fun, she did miss having someone around her age to share things with. With it being four years of just her and her brother she couldn't help but feel a little bit lonely and maybe a bit isolated. Her thoughts conflicted her however, as she also knew that her brother was the most important person in the world to her and without him she wouldn't be anywhere. Her thoughts just made her confused, and small sigh escaped her because of this.
She heard Leorio talking to himself as she felt a small pat on her back. Looking up at her brother, he nodded his head towards Gon, a small smile on his face as he pushed her forward slightly to walk with him. Mishka looked back to Gon's retreating back slightly before looking at her brother again, a small grin appearing on her face.
"Hey, Kurapika! Mishka!" Leorio shouted after them as the pair began to catch up with Gon. Mishka quickened her pace to a small jog, catching up with the young boy. She bumped her shoulder into his to gain his attention giving him a wide smile and receiving a large grin back from the spiky haired boy.
Kurapika watched the two child talk with each other keeping himself at a small distance. He couldn't help but keep a small smile on his face as he watched his sister talk to somebody who was a stranger just a few hours ago. He assumed it was because he was also a kid, so it made her much more comfortable to talk to him more freely than someone such as Leorio. The two seemed to be hitting it off at an instant, capturing each others attention at some points in whatever small tale or story they were telling each other.
He was happy. He had to admit, she might have gotten lonely with just his company he knew he wasn't the best company at times. Either training or having his nose deep into a book to keep himself busy, he had to grow up rather quickly and in a way as much as he tried to let Mishka have as much as a childhood as possible, he forced her to grow up too. He sighed to his thoughts, seeing a side of his sister he rarely saw nowadays because of her timidness of strangers possibly learned from him without even realising it. Although he was more hostile than timid.
The older blonde knew that his sibling copied him in some ways, in her own way, thinking that what he did was the best way to do things. If anything, he couldn't help but feel guilty for not trying harder and even went on to wonder if his sister disliked him for it.
He heard Leorio shouting, telling them group to wait for him. Kurapika stopped briefly as Leorio ran as fast as he could to catch up and once caught up, he began walking again, keeping an eye on his sister and Gon.
Mishka continued talking with Gon as they went by their travels. They had left the city and were walking up a hill; neither seemed to be able to run out of subjects to talk about or even ask each other. The pair had discovered they were both twelve years old, Mishka confirmed Kurapika was indeed her brother not her dad, Gon had confirmed he didn't actually know where his dad was. Both felt bad for bringing up their dead parents.
"On the boat your eyes turned red why is that?" Gon asked Mishka, taking her back by surprise. She turned her head over her shoulder to look at her brother slightly, but it didn't seem like he was fully paying attention. She looked back at Gon, doing her best to keep a straight face deciding that maybe she should tell him after all they were telling each other a lot of things.
"Because I was scared. It happens when I'm really scared, or really angry, or really really happy!" She said to him making him hum slightly.
"So you're not really happy now?" He asked her making Mishka huff slightly out of her nose trying to think of an answer.
"Really happy like... It's Christmas happy! So I guess more excited than happy. Kurapika says I need to learn to control it better though, especially now that we may be becoming Hunters." She said to him, crossing her arms loosely over her chest and nodding her head, agreeing with her own words. Gon of course grinned at her, nodding his head and accepting her answer.
The group eventually made it to a town that looked pretty much abandoned. Gon and Mishka had stopped their talking as soon as they set foot in the town; silently deciding it was probably better to stay quiet at this point.
There was clothing lines full of with towels, and nothing but the sound of the wind accompanied the sound of their steps. Kurapika had quickened his pace, and walked next to his sister with Gon on the other side of her as they travelled through the town. Something just didn't sit with him right in this place.
"This is a creepy place..." Leorio voiced his thoughts to the group. "I don't see a single person." He continued in a hushed voice.
"No, there are plenty here." Gon said making the older boy question him.
"The clothes lines are full." Mishka muttered to him, pointing a finger up above them to one of the lines swaying gently in the breeze. She spoke much quieter to him than she was with Gon only moments ago, only confirming Kurapika's thoughts from earlier.
The sound of wood grinding against wood reached their ears, putting the small group of four on guard. Kurapika stood in front of his sister instinctively, something Mishka was grateful for at this point. People wearing white robes, oddly coloured wigs and masks began walking out of the building, something on wheels either being pulled or pushed by them depending where they stood.
The moving object soon stopped, show casing a group of these robbed people and a little old woman sitting in the middle, her fingers laced together and eyes closed. She didn't seem bothered at all by these odd people.
"Wh-What's with the freak show?" Leorio stuttered out, taking in what everybody looked like. The rest of the group dared not to speak, a bit afraid on what would happen or what would be said.
"Exciting..." The woman began saying.
"Ex-citing." Leorio parroted back in shock.
"Exciting..." She repeated once more.
"Exciting." Leorio once again parroted.
"Exciting two-choice quiz!" The elderly woman suddenly screamed at them. Mishka jumped at the sudden yell, stepping further behind her brother, only peaking out from behind his arm, her brows knitted together and lifted high on her forehead; she could see her vision had turned slightly red. That would be the "lack of control" part. She listened to all the bells and whistles that sounded through the air because of her announcement. The boys looked absolutely boggled.
"You boys and kids are headed for that tree on the hill, correct?" The elderly woman asked them, going back to her calm and quite demeanour, her fingers once again laced together and eyes closed. This woman was an absolute nut case as far as Mishka was concerned.
"To reach that tree, you must pass through this town. I shall administer a single-question quiz." The old lady explained to them calmly. Mishka quietly stepped out from behind her brother once she had calmed down her racing heart and vision returned to normal.
"H-Hold on! What's going on here?" Leorio question angrily as he looked around at the large group in front of them.
"She's going to ask us questions Mr Leorio." Mishka explained to him quietly. She was beginning to wonder if he was actually really ill, seeing as he couldn't remember what the elderly woman had told them. He opened his mouth to say something to the younger blonde but was cut off by the woman in front speaking.
"You'll have five seconds to state your answer. Give the wrong answer, and you're disqualified. You'll have to give up on taking this year's Hunter Exam." The elderly woman went on to explain, this time more clearly that Mishka could only hope was for Leorio's sake.
The child heard her brother mumble to himself, seemingly unphased by what the woman had told them. He might have been unphased but Mishka was dreading it. If she got the question wrong she'd have to quit the Hunter Exam and go back! But where she'd go back to she was unsure, and she wouldn't have contact with Kurapika if that was the case and that'd make it even worse! Not to mention she'd lose contact with Gon as neither of them had a phone.
She had to pass this test!
"I see how it is. I happen to be a quiz expert. Wait. Only one question?" Leorio began boasting until he remembered that the lady was only going to be asking them one thing.
"Your answer will be either the number 1 or 2. Any other answer will be considered incorrect." The old lady said to them. Mishka hummed in her throat as she frowned. She was terrible at quizzes how was she meant to pass this?
"Hold on. All four of us share one question? So if one of them answers incorrectly, I'm disqualified, too?" Leorio said, pointing at Kurapika and then pointing at himself.
"As if that would happen! What scares me is the high likelihood of the vice versa happening." Kurapika said, shaking his head and giving a shrug of his shoulders. He turned his attention to Leorio when the older man had questioned what Kurapika had said.
"Don't worry Mr Leorio, Kurapika is really smart so we won't fail!" Mishka said to him confidently, looking at Leorio with a look of determination and confidence on her face. Leorio clicked his tongue at her before turning back to Kurapika.
"What have you been brain washing your sister with?" He bitterly muttered at him.
"But you know... This way's easier, since only one of us needs to know the answer. I'm not good at quizzes." Gon explained to them as the three of them turned their heads to the child and then admitted. Mishka smiled awkwardly at Gon, nodding her head in agreement with him.
"I'm not very good too." She admitted to the group, turning her attention back to them with a small apologetic smile on her face.
The arguing quietened down between the group, their attentions only being caught once someone shouted over to them telling them to hurry it up. The man wore a torn white Gi with a black belt around his waist. His hands where shoved in his pockets. A green bag was lazily swung round his shoulder and tied in the middle. He threatened to answer the question first if they didn't hurry up.
"Who are you?" Leorio questioned the new arrival.
"He followed us here, all the way from the port." Gona explained, catching Mishka by surprise. She looked at the spiky haired boy with wide eyes, trying to figure out how he could multitask that easily. After all they had been talking the entire way too. The man shrugged his shoulders as he began talking once more, looking at the group of four.
"Sorry, kid. I happen to overhear your conversation." He explained making Mishka's back stiffen.
Did that mean he heard everything her and Gon discussed too? That was a private conversation about them!
"What will you do?" The elderly lady questioned them, gaining their attention. Leorio suggested that the guy go first seeing as he seemed very eager to take the "exciting two-choice quiz." No one else objected to this either, it was a good way to see what type of questions they would be faced against. A man in a robe and mask came out, leaving in front of the Gi man a block of wood with a buzzer on top.
"Here is your question... Evil villains have captured your mother and lover. You can only save one. Select one for your mother, or two for your lover. Which will you save?" The woman proposed, opening up her beady little eyes and holding up two fingers.
The question put the young blonde on edge. That was a hard question. It gave everyone else a shock as well, with Leorio questioning how that was even a quiz. Mishka fidgeted on the spot trying to think of a right answer but she wasn't getting anywhere fast. One, she didn't have a mother any more and even as harsh as it sounded she couldn't relate to it now, and two she wasn't exactly sure what the lady meant by "lover". Mishka was a very simple girl. The older boys seemed to grasp the idea.
A pinging sound filled the air as the man crossed his arms, declaring he would pick number one, his mother. The old lady took interest, wanting to know what his reason for that was and urged the young man to continue.
"Because you can't replace your mother. But you can find another lover." The man explained, which for some reason only seemed to anger Leorio even further.
The elderly lady pointed her thumb behind her just as the crow cawed. Her face never wavering in emotion, never showing if he was right or wrong just saying he could pass. This only confused Leorio and Kurapika even more. Mishka knitted her brows together, quickly looking at Gon who just looked at her back and shook his head shrugging his shoulders. He was as clueless as she was.
"You just have to tell the old lady what she wants to hear. Adios." The man hinted to them darkly before taking his leave. Mishka made a noise in her throat, was that all they had to do?
If that was the case then the quiz would be easy...
"Hey, now! That's all bull! How was that the right answer? We're supposed to give the answer the old lady wants? And that's considered correct? Hey, say something!" Leorio exploded, only receiving the crow's cawing as an answer. "I won't put up with the sham. I'll find a different route." Leorio huffed at her, turning on the heel of his foot to leave everyone behind.
"It's too late. Refuse to take the quiz, and you're disqualified." The old lady explained, keeping that same unreadable face.
Leorio glared at her and began yelling at her some more. Mishka stepped towards Gon, watching him concentrate, her brows knitted together as she grabbed the hem of her tunic to fiddle with. Gon noticed and briefly glanced at her.
"Which do you think it is?" Mishka muttered to him only loud enough for the boy to hear. Gon thought to himself quickly, sighing as he gave his answer.
"I don't know... I'm still trying to figure it out." He admitted to her, making Mishka sigh through her nose but nod her head none the less. She was just glad that they were indeed still on the same page. The question worried her more than it should have done even if she couldn't relate or understand the topic at hand.
"Leorio!" Mishka heard her brother yell, dragging her out of her thoughts to look at him.
"Wait! Not another word from you. Say anything but the answer, and you're immediately disqualified." The old woman said to Kurapika, making the older teen annoyed. She looked at Leorio, who looked like he was about to blow a casket over this whole ideal. Mishka fidgeted on the spot once more, continuing to stand next to Gon as he tried working out the answer. Sighing once more, she decided to try and work it out with him as there wasn't much as else she felt she could do at this point, she wasn't great with quizzes and if they were going to be on subjects like this then she was as good as a chocolate tea pot.
Kurapika sighed in annoyance himself and glanced at the two kids. They seemed deep in their own thoughts over everything; Gon seemingly more composed than his sister who looked like she was going to have a thought break down at any moment trying to work this out. He could tell by the way she was fidgeting with the hem of her tunic, and shifting her weight from one foot to another.
Mishka continued to think it over. She could feel her brother's eyes in the side of her head, but she remained with her own eyes to the floor trying to think of the right answer. She glanced at Gon, who was in his own little world; she thought it would be better not to disturb him. The younger blonde closed her eyes tightly as she pressed her lips together hard, this type of thinking was not her thing it was her brother who knew answers to this type of question and he wasn't allowed to speak. That meant Mishka would have to try and work it out, or hope that Leorio knew the answer to the question.
"...Select one for your son, or two for your daughter. Which will you rescue?" Mishka heard the old lady say, digging her out of her thoughts and making her look at the elderly lady rather quickly. The old lady held up her two fingers once more as she stared at the group, still never giving off any sort of indication to what she could be feeling. So that question was like the last one...there was no way she was going to be able to figure it out by herself. She quickly glanced at Leorio who looked still very mad. Fidgeting once more she looked at the elderly woman again, she was going to have to work out the answer.
The old lady began counting down, only making Mishka panic more. She opened her mouth slightly, unsure if she wanted to say something or not. She looked around in a panic between her brother, Gon and Leorio trying to figure out the answer. But she just couldn't. They were going to fail. They were all going to fail and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She felt reasonable for their impending failure. The woman said that their time was up, making Mishka look at her wide eyed and in shock. That couldn't be it...could it?
What shocked her more was that Leorio suddenly leapt at the old woman aiming to hit her with a wooden plank she failed to notice. Mishka stared at him absolutely still; that was until her brother moved himself in front of the old lady, holding up his Bokken completely blocking the attack.
"Kurapika!" Mishka shouted out of instinct before covering her mouth quickly with her hands fearful that she had now blown the entire exam for the four of them, her eyes wide at the possible failure she might have now brought.
"Don't stop me, Kurapika! I won't be satisfied until I've taught this hag a lesson!" Leorio shouted at the older blonde, pushing down his wooden plank.
Mishka continued to keep her hands pressed against her mouth tightly, her brows pulled together as she watched the exchange between her brother and Leorio. She knew her brother could fight, he was a very good fighter and taught her everything she knew. She even had her own pair of Bokken's in her back pack she just rarely ever used them as she wasn't much of a fighter herself.
She watched as Kurapika managed to push off Leorio and yelled back at him. They might have been brave enough to yell at each other and blow the test but Mishka certainly wasn't. She was still determined for them to pass, so she'd remain quiet.
"You'll waste our correct response!" Kurapika finally yelled at Leorio, making the man back off completely. Mishka watched her brother closely, she'd seen him this angry before, it was rare; usually when they were threatened or back all those years ago when the clan massacre was still very sensitive...not that it wasn't sensitive now. But it was more raw back then.
"We gave the right answer. Silence was the correct response." Kurapika explained to Leorio. The older brother quickly glanced at his sister, giving her a small smile and waving his hand indicating she could put her own down. Mishka gingerly pulled her hands away from her mouth, slowly dropping them to her sides as Leorio asked what he had meant.
"You hit the nail on the head. There was no right answer. However, we could only state one or two as the answer. In other words, we weren't meant to respond at all. Silence was the only response." Kurapika explained, placing a finger to his lips as he looked at Leorio.
Mishka took in her brothers words. It kind of made sense to her, but she couldn't shake off a feeling in the back of her head. She didn't want to voice this though, and instead just continued to watch her brother and Leorio talk things out between them.
She turned her attention to Gon, who was still trying to think to himself. Mishka couldn't help but be amazed how he didn't flinch or jump with all the noise happening, especially when she had yelled out her brothers name very suddenly. The blonde continued to stare at the boy, slightly shaking his shoulder to see if she could get him out of his thoughts while the others talked.
He suddenly let out a huge sigh and fell onto his bottom, making Mishka let out a small gasp of panic. The other two heard the children and turned their attention to them. They couldn't help but wonder why Gon was sitting on the floor and why Mishka was bending down onto her knees and apologizing for shoving him, even though she was just shaking his shoulder.
"You didn't shove me. I just can't think of an answer." Gon explained looking at her before turning his attention to the sky feeling a bit disappointed in himself.
They heard Leorio laugh and turned their attention to him. Gon looked at him questionably while Mishka kept her brows knitted together with a frown, she wasn't finding the whole thing very funny even though he said to her that she didn't shove him.
"You were still trying to find an answer? You can stop." Leorio explained to Gon, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets.
"Why?" Gon asked him, taken back by his words.
"The quiz is over." Kurapika explained as Gon shuffled himself to sit on the floor better with his legs crossed.
"I know. But. But you know... What if I run into a situation like that and I can only save one person... What should I do then?" Gon asked, looking to the two older teens for an answer.
Mishka couldn't help but wonder as well as she looked between them wondering if they knew. From what she could tell by their facial expressions, they seemed rather taken back by his question.
"It wouldn't be right to choose just one... But one day, I might have to make that choice." Gon explained, glaring down onto the floor. The younger blonde thought through his question, playing with the hem of her tunic that sat lazily across her lap.
"I think..." She began saying, gaining the boys attention. "I think...maybe...I don't know...Maybe it's something we don't know the answer to until we come across it?" Mishka guessed, looking back at Gon from her lap. Gon thought over her answer, staring back at the sky before turning his attention back to her.
"Maybe... We can try finding out together though before that happens." Gon suggested making Mishka hum slightly in her throat in thought. She shortly nodded her head, agreeing to the idea.
Kurapika watched as the two pre-teens bought themselves off the floor. He kept quiet about their small arrangement. He wondered how that would work out seeing after the Hunter Exam him and Mishka would be off looking for agencies that could give them links to the scarlet eyes.
"They are getting on pretty well." He heard Leorio mutter lowly to him, making sure the two children didn't hear his comments about the two. Kurapika glanced at the man through the corner of his eyes nodding his head as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"They are yes." He simply mumbled back as he watched the two discuss something among themselves.
He couldn't tell what it was, but whatever it was they were talking about they were certainly making each other either quiet down to think or shake their head quickly apparently not agreeing with what the other one had said. The older sibling sighed slightly to himself, closing his eyes in thought.
"You know she won't stay as she is forever, right? She will grow up one day." Leorio commented to him, only agitating the blonde.
"Yes I know." He curtly said, coming off much more rude than intended. Leorio glared at him and clicked his tongue at him, shrugging his shoulders.
"Alright, just making sure you know." He told him, before whistling to catch the pre-teens attention.
The two looked over to Leorio and quickly made their way over, assuming that meant it was time to go. Kurapika watched as Mishka smiled up at him once she reached him. Whatever the two had talked about didn't seem to bother the pair of them. He sighed slightly, smiling back at her and rubbing the top of her head with his hand, earning himself a huge grin from the younger Kurta.
Kurapika couldn't help but think over Leorio's words as they began walking through the tunnel, with Mishka walking beside Gon again so that they could talk whatever nonsense they were talking about before. He couldn't help but wonder if maybe the exam was another way he had, without intent, pushed her to growing up way before it was necessary.
He didn't want to think about it.
"It's totally dark out... "Walk two hours," she said? It was two hours, two hours ago! Damn." Leorio complained. They had exited the tunnel a while ago but when they did the sun was beginning to set. Of course, the trees overlapping the sky didn't help with it being dark at all it only added to it.
Mishka passed a sign they briefly walked by, her eyebrows raising as the read the words. There had been several of those signs, warning people to beware of magical beasts. She wondered just how many magical beasts were even in this forest for there to warrant so many signs.
"I'm hungry! I need to take a dump! I gotta take a leak, too!" Leorio shouted at them, making the group of three stop.
"We'll leave you behind!" Gon shouted over to him seemingly unphased by Leorio's shouts of what his body needs to do.
"That's really gross Mr Leorio don't do that here!" Mishka shouted back at him from behind Gon, scrunching up her nose. If he was going to do such things he can do it far away from her.
"I see it." Kurapika said gaining the children's attention once more. In the distance, they could see a cabin just on the top of the hill. That must have been where the couple lived!
The group rushed towards the cabin, slowing to a walk once they were but a few feet away. It was a nice little cabin, made completely from wood apart from the roof. There wasn't any lights on, so everyone was either asleep or just weren't in.
She remembered Kurapika explained that it was meant to be a couple of navigators that lived on the top of the hill once her and Gon joined him again. Were navigators even allowed to leave if they were waiting for potential Hunters to come by?
Leorio knocked on the door loudly asking if anyone was home.
"Are they out?" Gon questioned. Mishka hummed to herself as she stared at the door.
"Are navigators allowed out if they're waiting for Hunters?" She questioned next, wondering if anyone actually knew the answers to her thoughts. She was only greeted with silence, showing that they weren't actually too sure.
The oldest of them opened the door, announcing they were coming in. It was pitch black on the inside, the only light shining through the darkness was from the moon that travelled in behind them. What was before them immediately put them on guard.
There was a bleeding man on the floor, a huge beast covered in fur holding something in his arms from what the younger blonde could tell by looking at the extra pair of legs; it's eyes glowed red as it leered at them. The house was in shambles, which Mishka could only guess was from the struggle with the creature.
"It's a Magical Beast!" Leorio said to them as Kurapika and Gon got out their weapons. Mishka fidgeted on the spot, maybe having her weapons in her back pack was suddenly not a good idea.
"A transforming Magical Beast, the Kiriko! They can take human form! That's an extremely intelligent creature!" Kurapika explained, only putting the group on guard more than before.
"There's a woman in his arms!" Gon said as the beast turned around fully to look at them.
"And the guy on the floor needs medical attention..." Leorio said grimly, quiet enough for them to hear. The Kiriko leaped through the window, taking his hostage with them. Mishka watched as Kurapika and Gon ran to the window, watching the beast flee.
"P-Please... Please save my wife..." The man on the floor said as Leorio kneeled down to tend to his wounds.
Kurapika removed his bag from his shoulders, dumping it on the ground.
"Leorio, we'll leave the injured man to you! Mishka, keep guard and yell if any more come here." He said leaping out of the window after Gon and the creature.
"Got it!" Leorio yelled back to them. Mishka nodded her head and quickly took her back pack off her own back and dug through it. She removed her set of Bokken from her bag. Now the question was did she remember what Kurapika had taught her and would she remember to yell if they came back?
She watched Leorio from time to time as she stood guard of the two, her Bokken in her hands. She would only glance at him briefly from time to time over her shoulder. Mishka had to admit, the older man was very good at what he did. Mishka hummed to herself as she looked to the man, she had to play lookout but she also wondered if Leorio needed the help.
The younger girl turned herself around to look at Leorio properly.
"Mr Leorio..." She asked quietly receiving a small grunt in acknowledgement from the man. "Can I help with anything?" She continued on, gaining his attention. He thought to himself briefly, looking around the cabin as he muttered to himself. The man was indeed injured quite badly from what he could see.
He dug through his suit case, with Mishka watching him closely wondering what it was he was exactly looking for. He pulled out a bottle of disinfectant and some clothe, holding the two items out to the child in one of his hands.
"Clean his wounds with that, don't use too much. I can wrap his wounds once they're clean." Leorio said as Mishka carefully took the two items and nodded her head. She dropped to her knees and placed the Bokken onto the floor next to her.
She opened the bottle of disinfectant and placed the clothe on top, tipping the bottle upside down to soak a few spots of the fabric. The younger one began cleaning the man's wounds, with Leorio patching him up once she was done. She made sure to keep an ear out just in case another one showed up or came back, however they seemed lucky for now and were reasonably safe.
Leorio continuously ensured that the man's wife was in safe hands as the two worked on his wounds. Mishka briefly looked around when Leorio went to dress a wound, just to make sure nothing was coming towards them. It felt reasonably safe for now, but she couldn't let that distract her not when her primary role was to play backup.
Mishka handed back the items to Leorio once they were done, and looked around the cabin, feeling as though they were being watched. At the front door she spotted a Kiriko leering at both of them. She felt a chill run up her spine as she froze in fear. Opening her mouth she took a deep, shaky breath and screamed just like her brother told her too should one show up. It was enough to make the Kirito shrink back pulling on his ears and for the man on the floor to suddenly sit up in a panic with Leorio also covering his ears.
"You're a loud kid!" The Kiriko complained as Mishka stopped and breathed quickly on the spot, her vision turning a mild red colour.
What was she meant to do now?! She screamed, just like she said but she wasn't sure what to do now that the creature was actually here. She looked at her Bokken on the floor and shakily moved her hands towards it. Would she need to fight the creature? Just as she grabbed them she saw her brother quickly lean into the cabin beside the Kiriko.
"Don't attack! Just come outside. Gon thinks they're friendly." Kurapika explained, taking back the younger sibling. She turned her head to Leorio wondering if he knew what they should do. He thought to himself briefly and began standing up, muttering something to himself. Mishka quickly followed suit, keeping a tight hold of her Bokken.
Once outside, the Kiriko that stood by the door wondered over to another one and sat by it. The younger blonde kept a tight grip on her Bokken. Mishka stood closely by her brother as she watched the two ask each other questions, such as when the last time someone was able to tell them apart. Mishka was still trying to get over the fact that these creatures could indeed talk, and quite fluently too. On the bright side, her nerves had calmed themselves, and her vision was back to normal. She knew she needed to work on that, and quickly.
Gon turned his attention to the group, a smile on his face as he pointed to the Kiriko.
"You see, the one Kurapika and I beat up is the husband." He explained, only confusing Mishka more. She had no idea which one he was talking about, nor did she know which one she screamed at when it turned up at the front door.
"Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are the Navigators. Our family provides support for the Hunter Exam." One of the Kiriko explained as the group of four stood together. The woman, who was taken hostage by one of the Kiriko said she was their daughter, and the man who Leorio and Mishka treated was the son.
"The Hunter Exam changes site every year. It's quite difficult to locate it." One of the Kiriko explained, a sly grin on his face.
"So we Navigators help by guiding the applicants to the site." The other spoke, sounding and looking no different from the first one that spoke. Mishka only stood confused as she listened to the two.
How could Gon tell them apart so easily?
"But we don't help every candidate." The daughter, one of two people Mishka was able to tell apart explained, holding her hands up in defence.
"We test applicants to see if they're qualified to take the exam." The brother explained to them, carrying on from his sisters sentence.
"Kurapika. You successfully used the most vague of hints to determine that we weren't spouses. The hint was these tattoos which, in this region, mark a woman as single for life." She explained as she rubbed her wrist, rubbing away the fake tattoo from her arm. Mishka looked up at her brother in surprise, she wondered when he had learned that; she could only assume it was from one of the books he read.
"Kurapika demonstrated that he is very knowledgable. Therefore, he passes." She explained, making the blonde let out a breathe he didn't seem to know he was holding.
The group congratulated the teenager, glad that he was able to pass. Mishka smiled widely at her brother as Gon knocked the back of his hand against his, but then she couldn't help but wonder what she exactly did, and that made her wonder if she was actually going to pass as well.
"Leorio. You never realized my true identity. However, you dressed my injuries faster and more thoroughly than any doctor. Most importantly, you continued to reassure me that my wife was safe. Your kindness makes you worthy to take the Hunter Exam. Thus, you pass." The man continued, passing Leorio, who fell onto the floor revealed that he had passed.
The group congratulated him as well, Mishka saying congratulations and Gon knocking the back of his fist against Leorio's too.
"Mishka." The same man said, gaining her attention. She looked at the man, he didn't seem any different than how he was when he talked to Leorio.
"You did as you were told, and kept look out, even when you asked Leorio if he needed help. You managed to help Leorio while sticking to your original task. You also remembered what you were meant to do if one of the Kiriko showed up and screamed, preparing to guard me and Leorio if it attacked even if it was clear you were scared." He said to her, making her fidget on the spot. It was odd receiving praise from a stranger. "You showed you can follow instructions, and even risk injury to yourself if need be, because of that you pass." The man said, making Mishka look at him in disbelief.
She dropped her shoulders as she closed her eyes and let out a deep breathe. So that's what she did; follow instructions to the point and was prepared to risk herself. The boys congratulated her as well, making the child smile widely. Gon held out the back of his hand to her. Mishka looked at it briefly, and shuffled her Bokken under one of her arms as she lightly tapped the back of her hand to his. She couldn't help but keep the smile on her face.
"And finally, Gon. Your superhuman physical ability and powers of observation make you worthy to take the Hunter Exam. You pass." The Kiriko said to him, making the boy smile widely. Like before, he lightly tapped the back of his hands against the others. He felt proud of himself. Mishka felt equally as proud about herself; they were all going to take the Exam together.
The daughter and son had turned back into their true forms. The group grabbed the bottom of their legs as they flapped their wings to lift themselves off the ground as instructed. Once they knew they were holding on tightly the Kiriko took high to the sky.
"We will now take you to the exam site." The Kiriko said as they flew through the sky.
"Isn't it great that we all passed?" Gon asked the group. Mishka held her eyes closely tightly as she nodded her head. She didn't like heights, she was a bit afraid of them to tell the truth.
"It's too early to celebrate. We've merely earned the right to take the real exam." Kurapika explained to Gon, briefly looking to his sister to make sure sure was okay.
"What's wrong with celebrating a little? We're making progress." Leorio stated, happy that they had all passed that test.
"Why did we have to fly!?" Mishka asked the group, keeping her eyes closed tightly as her grip remained hardened on the Kiriko's legs. She pulled a face as she felt the cold night air hit it.
"Because it's the only way to get to it." Gon said rather innocently, thinking nothing more of the young girls question. Mishka made a small noise in her throat as she nodded her head in defeat. There was no way round this.
"Honestly, you people really should think." Kurapika stated, a small sigh leaving his lips with his words. Leorio glared at the blonde, having not taking to kindly to his words and asked why he had to be such a smart ass, flailing about with his legs in the air. This of course gave the Kiriko flying him a hard time. They told him to stop moving and that if he fell to blame himself.
Mishka briefly opened her eyes to watch what was happening with Leorio. She raised her eyebrows, wondering how he hadn't actually fallen yet. Out of curiosity she looked down and felt her body stiffen. Closing her eyes tightly again she brought her head up to look straight forward.
Once they landed she'll be fine, she just hoped they landed soon.