DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hunter X Hunter

Chapter 6: A Stroll in the Blimp

All forty-three applicants gathered in an empty, spacious room. Netero formally introduced himself as the Hunter Exam Committee, accompanied by Beans, Chairman Netero's secretary, who had welcomed Morgan and assigned her identification number back at the underground tunnel.

They were scheduled to arrive at their destination the following morning at 8 am, so they allowed the candidates to rest for the night.

'Thank heavens! My energy's completely depleted', Morgan thought to herself.

"Gon, let's explore the airship!" Killua suggested eagerly.

Gon became excited at the idea of exploring and turned to Leorio and Kurapika. "Wanna come, Leorio, Kurapika?"

"Jeez, you kids really have too much energy," Leorio sighed. "I'll take it easy today."

"I'll pass on the offer too," Kurapika added with a smile as he kindly declined.

Gon looked at Morgan expectantly, his eyes pleading for her to join them. He resembled a puppy. "Sorry, Gon. I'm tired," she replied apologetically.

The boy seemed a bit disappointed. "Okay."

"I don't recall any challenging parts during the exam. What got you tired?" Killua suddenly interjected, his hands in his pockets, indicating his boredom for the whole day. "Let's go, Gon. They don't want to come."

Gon nodded. "You can catch up if you change your mind." He ran after Killua, who was already near the door, until they disappeared.

Unbelievable, Morgan thought, marveling at the amount of stamina and energy they possessed. Well, they're still kids.

She turned around to find a spot, preferably in the corner. Her eyes scanned the room, darting from one candidate to another.

She settled on the right corner next to the door. No one was there except for Hisoka. People avoided being near him as if he had a contagious disease, crowding together in spots where Hisoka wasn't present.

It's understandable, though.

"Let's rest there," Leorio suddenly said, still standing beside her. "Let's go, Kurapika, Morgan."

HUH?

"Uh, you go ahead," Morgan replied hesitantly.

"Don't you like the spot? We could still look around," Leorio suggested.

Oh, dear. So, what now?

Morgan rubbed the back of her neck. "Look, I know we've been together somehow, but basically, you're still strangers to me. We just met... like earlier today," Morgan confronted. Yes, they had shared their reasons for taking the exam. They had talked a bit and shared a moment of amiable atmosphere.

And thanks to that, it had lifted the pressure of the exam somehow.

But that was just it.

They could work together or whatever, but this was the Hunter Exam. It wasn't like a class opening ceremony where they could meet and mingle with new friends.

They didn't know what was going to happen next. They could end up fighting each other at the end of this, and they wouldn't have any other choice. It was better to block out incoming connections while it was still early.

"But-"

"Let her be, Leorio," Kurapika interrupted the man. He was the first to turn his back. It seemed like he was the remaining member of their group to not acknowledge her, unlike Leorio and Gon.

Well, it's not like she's pushing herself to be part of their team.

Leorio was reluctant, looking back and forth from Kurapika to Morgan. The girl simply gave a short nod, and Leorio responded the same before following the blonde.

Morgan decided to settle down against a wall near the door, with Hisoka on the other side. At least she could occupy all the space since no one would want to be within Hisoka's range.

She breathed out once she flopped onto the floor. It felt like she hadn't sat for days. Her back leaned against the wall. Worn out, her vision slowly zoned out, and she closed her eyes.

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.

.

Her eyes snapped open. She wearily blinked until her vision cleared, sweeping over the candidates sleeping soundly in their respective positions.

"Right. I'm taking the exam," she reminded herself.

Morgan quickly located the wall clock. It was 2 am. What kind of ungodly individual woke her up at this hour without any reason? Her body needed rest until 8 am!

Groaning, she tried to close her eyes again, but she couldn't fall back asleep.

"This is the worst," she muttered, deciding to stand up and leave the room reserved for the candidates.

To give her body a reason to get exhausted, she opted to take a walk in the hallway. She allowed her feet to lead her wherever they wanted to stroll.

It was still dark, but Morgan could make out the dark silhouette of the mountains. The forest lay hundreds of feet beneath the airship.

They must be very far from Zaban City.

When she turned her gaze back in front of her, Gourmet Hunter Menchi emerged from the end corner. She was still wearing the same revealing clothes she had on yesterday.

'Not a big deal. I've been wearing the same clothes for days. I could say the same thing to myself,' Morgan thought.

Despite that, Menchi still looked fresh. Maybe she had taken a bath recently, or she naturally looked that way. She exuded the same confidence as she walked, the heels of her boots clicking on the floor. Morgan wondered how many workouts she did every day to maintain such fit muscles.

Even her stomach looked flat, with nice little abs.

Morgan had flabs. 'Whatever,' she thought, dismissing the comparison.

Menchi looked surprised to see her. She must have been expecting all the applicants to be resting by now.

The teen wasn't sure how to act in front of her, so she just gave a slight bow of her head, out of respect for Menchi's status as the examiner.

'She smelled of green tea,' the teen thought as she caught a whiff of the scent.

"You know," the examiner suddenly spoke right after they passed each other, "your hair looks horrible. It's been bothering me since I first saw you."

Morgan stopped and looked back. Menchi was already halfway facing her direction. "Yeah, I could tell my hair looks worse than an overused mop," she retorted.

Menchi chuckled. "Well, aren't you going to do something about it?"

Why was she so concerned about her hair? Did Menchi think the girl wasn't aware of it? There was no time to trim it! "Umm... maybe after the exam?" Morgan replied uncertainly.

Menchi sighed as her hand moved to her left hip. "I can do something about it," she suddenly offered.

What?

"Uh... no... I mean, I appreciate the offer, but I can't actually ask an examiner to do that," Morgan replied hastily. Nope, she couldn't possibly do that.

The woman turned on her heels and walked. "Come on. Just a little trim would do," she insisted.

Morgan just looked at her retreating figure. Should she turn around and pretend not to have heard that? Her hair seemed to be the least of her worries, right?

In the end, she followed the lady in defeat.

Not far, they entered a ladies' bathroom. Some might say it looked ordinary, but to her, it looked costly in contrast to her whole house.

The walls were covered with creamy white paint, and the floor was tiled in a light caramel color.

Why a ladies' bathroom?

Menchi opened a first aid cabinet just above the dryer.

When Morgan finally saw her reflection in the mirror—which was unavoidable due to its size—she winced at her appearance. She leaned closer to her reflection. "What the hell happened to you?"

Her hair was beyond ugly. She had expected an uneven cut, but it had BAD layers. This was literally the worst haircut she had ever had in her life. The layers were completely uneven, like it was just a blunt-chopped section of hair. And the hair that framed her face was really just a chunk of hair missing—on one side. So uneven!

Damn.

She had been walking around in this state? No wonder she had received weird glances.

"Horrible, right?" Menchi stated the obvious.

The girl nodded. "This is a very bad hair day. It needs help. Will you be my fairy god hairstylist?"

Menchi made a good laugh at that. "Well, that's what I'm here for. I'm no hair expert, but I can at least get it even." In her hands were scissors used for—

"Is that bandage scissors?"

"This is the only scissor I know to be present in this ship."

Gods help her. She started to worry now.

"This would be 100 times better than leaving your hair like that," Menchi insisted. She opened the last cubicle—which turned out to be the storage area for cleaning utensils. Lucky for them, there were two wooden stools stored there.

She took them out, and both sat on them. Menchi started cutting her hair after turning her back.

Morgan could only hear the sound of snipping. As Menchi continued, the girl slowly wondered how she could use the bandage scissors to cut hair. It might complicate things more. She used her hands as a makeshift comb, assisting Menchi with that.

"Don't worry. I can do my hair resembling a starfish; cutting it straight should be easy. Besides, I'm good at cutting and slicing things," Menchi reassured her.

Well, she might be good, but slicing and cutting meat and vegetables is different from cutting hair.

Menchi continued, "-And I have a technique for it. If you become a hunter. You'll understand what I mean."

'What does that mean?' Morgan wondered.

"So, why do you want to become a Hunter?" Menchi asked, her hands still working.

That was a sudden question. Why the hell would she ask? Was it still part of the exam?

"For money?" Morgan replied.

"You're not even sure. For what is it really?"

"Money," Morgan answered with more conviction this time.

"You seem to be the type of person who would prefer to be in a peaceful place than enter this dangerous exam," Menchi observed.

Was she being observed now? What the hell was this? "Well, dangers are part of the journey, right? We can't get something if we don't take risks. I want tons of money, and in order to have that, I have to take the exam," Morgan reasoned.

Menchi hummed, as if she wasn't convinced by any of the words Morgan was saying. "And you don't look greedy," she added.

It seemed like Menchi wanted her to slip up, but Morgan decided to play along. "I didn't say I am one. I just need money. But I'm not greedy," she replied.

"Do you want to become a Hunter?" Menchi asked.

Morgan was expecting the question. With their conversation, it was obvious where it would lead. "Yes," she answered right away.

'Liar,' she told herself.

It seemed Menchi finally got her answer, as she no longer pressed anything further. "Since you entered the exam, you should know a bit of martial arts," Menchi stated.

Was she concerned? It actually felt like she was concerned. "Yes... well, I actually have to learn some self-defense," Morgan replied, recalling street fights initiated by adults or teenagers trying to mug money.

"Uh-huh. And the sword? Did someone teach you?" Menchi inquired.

"I'm decent with it. It was hanging on the wall, so I decided to use it for the exam—just to add a little intimidating effect. I didn't want other candidates to oppress me," Morgan explained.

Menchi just hummed again. "Alright, done," she said. "Well, the scissors were a bit difficult to handle, but that'll do. The hair framing your face is a hopeless case, so I just left it."

Morgan stood up and took the chance to inspect her new hair. It was... better.

It wasn't the same as having a hair expert cut her hair. It was a bit shorter, but it would do.

Now it was above her shoulder. She ran her fingers through her hair.

Yep, she was satisfied with this one. "Thanks, Ms. Menchi."

"No problem," Menchi replied, wiping the scissors with a tissue before placing them back in the cabinet.

"If you want to eat or drink tea or hot chocolate, the cafeteria's just straight ahead," Menchi said.

Morgan needed rest, not food. "Got it," she replied, at least knowing where to find the cafeteria.

After that, Menchi left the bathroom.

The teen was left alone, staring at herself once again in the mirror. Her new image stared back at her: short hair, her olive eyes looking weary. She took in a deep breath and exhaled.

Nothing would happen to her. She'd make sure to pass the exam no matter what. And after that, all of this would be over, and she'd be back to her life.

Morgan remained like that for ten minutes before leaving the bathroom. Suddenly, she heard a scream.

"Gaaaaah!"

'What was that?'

The girl immediately followed the direction from which the voices came. She finally spotted two men, their backs facing her.

Morgan felt torn apart as she saw the reason behind their screams. Her eyes went wide in horror, and she could only clasp a hand to her mouth.

Dead bodies of another two men lay on the floor—the carpet was smudged with blood.

"What happened?!" she demandingly asked them.

"W-we don't know," the man wearing a black jacket said in a trembling and panicky voice.

"We just found them like that!" said the other man, who was wearing a yellow tank top with curly brown hair. He attempted to touch one of the dead guys.

"Don't touch them!" she roared at the curly-haired man, who promptly stopped.

"One of them could be knocked out and need first aid!" he bellowed.

Morgan took a closer look. They were obviously dead. "If there are traces of your handprints on their bodies, most likely you'll be the primary suspect. This is a crime scene. Don't touch anything around it."

"Let's go... We'll be blamed," the first guy insisted.

'Scaredy cat,' she only rolled her eyes.

She just ignored those two and went on observing the dead men. "One of you should report this to the examiners."

"But—"

Her eyes were dead serious as she looked at them. "They won't blame us, alright," she said in a firm tone.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing. Now go!" the girl demanded. The man complied and scurried off.

Morgan continued to circle around the corpses, still making sure she wasn't too near. It took ten minutes before the man returned. He brought Mr. Satotz and some staff with him.

"Didn't you know it's forbidden to be near dead bodies?" his right eyebrow curled up as soon as he neared them.

"Sorry, sir. We were just observing, but I assure you we placed enough distance from them," Morgan replied.

Satotz looked at the staff. "Prepare any available big pieces of cloth. We'll use them to cover the dead bodies. Make sure to use gloves in doing so. I'll report this and make arrangements to send their bodies to their families," he ordered.

"Yes, sir." The staff hurriedly left.

His attention was back on them. "You three, what are you doing here at this hour? You should go back." Morgan noticed Mr. Satotz making a quick glance somewhere behind them.

"We're innocent, sir! Please, we didn't do anything!" said the same coward from earlier.

Morgan stopped herself from glaring at him. He was too defensive even though the examiner was asking a different question.

The examiner raised an eyebrow at them. For a second, he looked amused—considering he didn't have a mouth. Maybe Morgan's eyes were deceiving her. "How can I make sure of that? There are cases where whoever sees the corpse first turns out to be the killer."

"But we didn't do it!"

"Your alibi?" the examiner asked. The two told their reasons. "And you?" he asked Morgan.

"I was in the restroom when I heard the scream. You can ask Miss Menchi for verification, since we were together earlier. But..." the examiner was anticipating what she was about to say next. "I can assure you that they're innocent."

"Oh?" Now, he obviously sounded amused by her response. "Care to explain?"

Morgan willed herself not to stutter in front of the examiner. "I happened to observe the corpses when I arrived so I could give you some of my insights," she said, puffing out confidence. "They were killed by someone whose expertise lies in killing. I have seen murder cases in my place. After meeting some of our co-participants for only a day, it taught me the big difference in their performance in contrast to veteran killers." She highly specified Hisoka. "These wounds are the work of a true professional."

"Are you saying we're just mediocre?" the curly man enraged.

Morgan just rolled her eyes. "I just proved your innocence, dumbasses."

Satotz looked way beyond pleased at the girl. He clapped as if to congratulate her. "I applaud your observations. True, it wasn't them. It was a good thing I tested you. You gave me a very short entertaining moment. Well, then," he was about to leave the three when Morgan stopped him.

"Aren't you going to look for the killer?" Morgan asked. "You're not going to do an autopsy or anything? It might point to the person behind this."

"Miss..." Satotz called out. "You should know by now the possibility of getting killed in the exam. And besides, we didn't forbid anything about tricking, pranking, hunting, or killing anyone while inside the airship," he said before turning around and leaving them for good.

What the hell?

Did that mean they weren't safe now? How could they let this slip? They should at least protect their applicants until the exam proceeds in a few hours.

And who would do this? Morgan's suspicion was Hisoka. Well, he was the only person she could think of doing this, considering she witnessed him killing people.

But the wounds they received said otherwise. Their skins were gashed out like a wild animal clawed them. It was highly possible there were others of the same breed as that clown. But who?

Or maybe Hisoka was using other methods to kill people this time. Was he playing examiner again?

The cowardly man thanked Morgan, and the other one did as well, though he still wasn't pleased with what she inferred. They left right after the staff returned with the cloth, as per Mr. Satotz's instructions.

She felt a sudden sense of alarm, knowing she might not be safe right now if she continued to take a stroll. Or worse, she might already be a target for butting in.

"What are you doing here, onee-chan?"

Morgan was quick to spin around, panicking. She heaved out a sigh of relief. It was just Killua, all by himself. "Oh, it's just you. Can you stop sneaking up on people? Someone could get a heart attack," she said irritably.

"Oh, miss grouch," the brat commented. "Oh, you don't look like a scarecrow now."

Scarecrow? Was that how people saw her with her hair a while ago? Or was it just him giving rude descriptions?

Morgan grumbled, her eyes shifting attention. "Are you numb? You have wounds." His right hand had some blood on it.

"It's not mine."

Morgan looked at him as if he was being stupid. "Then from who? From another person? Don't tell me you butchered someone here," she sneered. This kid could actually spout some nonsense jokes sometimes.

When she noticed how serious his eyes were, Morgan looked confused. She was waiting for him to shout out and say it's a joke. The boy had no reaction; he was silent. He didn't deny.

Then her thoughts went back to the corpses a while ago. She wearily stared at the boy. Her system became alert. She remembered what Killua said on their first meeting.

"If I was an ordinary kid, my backbone could have snapped."

"I'm immune to poison."

And he walks around like he has no presence at all. He moves as silently as the graveyard.

'Is it even possible?' she thought.

Morgan saw Killua's face break into amusement as soon as he saw the girl's alert expression. "I guess that's a normal reaction. It's just Gon who's abnormal," he gave a lighthearted laugh—it was an ordinary laugh you could see in any ordinary kids. "He's the only one who seriously believed right away and did not fear the fact that I came from an elite family of assassins. Can you imagine that?"

Morgan's eyes widened. An elite family of assassins? But he's... he's just a child.

"See you around, onee-chan," he said as he turned around and left her.

Seriously? She had been squabbling with a young killer all this time? Death was doing its best to cling to her.

What surprises should she expect from now on? Gon being the son of a drug lord?

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Morgan was awoken by the grumble of her stomach. "Is it breakfast yet?" she mumbled.

"Just in time."

Her eyes widened when someone responded. To what she recalls, she was alone. Morgan bolted from sleep. Right after Killua left last night, she found it much harder being with other candidates right now.

In front of her sat Kurapika, eating.

Eating?

Was she still half asleep? She rubbed her eyes.

They were seated on a caramel-colored booth seat. Ah, yes. She was in the cafeteria. The girl had happened to pass by and decided to make the seats her own bed.

The cushion was comfortable enough that she fell asleep right away. She looked around, and breakfast was already served on the buffet tables. Most of the applicants were there, grabbing the chance to eat good food before the exam started.

She was supposed to wake up before someone came in, but her body desired the nice sleep. This was embarrassing. "Have you been here for a while now?"

Kurapika's spoon stopped midway. "Yes. And while I eat, I was accompanied with the background music of your snores," he remarked casually before continuing to eat.

Morgan blushed in embarrassment, knowing too well she snored... well, sometimes. "Then you should've woken me up. I felt bad doing such a thing in front of your glorious eating," she said in sarcasm.

"Why did you sleep here?" he asked, ignoring the sarcastic statement.

"Just felt like it," Morgan replied shortly. Surely she didn't have to tell him that. "Why sit here?"

"Just felt like it," the older teen replied uncaringly.

Morgan clicked her tongue. He was countering back her own words. She just rolled her eyes and decided to look around. More than half of the candidates were present inside, eating as much breakfast as they needed or just plain coffee. Some must be hogging all the rest they need.

It wasn't the usual atmosphere in an ordinary cafeteria. She could only hear the slight clatter of spoons and plates. The majority were too alert to talk. They weren't exactly here to become friends with one another.

The only ones making noise in the place were that bald ninja Hanzo, who was talking rather loudly with the three brothers, even though they looked like they wanted him to stop blabbering.

She yawned, not even caring if it was unsightly or what. "What time is it?"

"It's a little past six," Kurapika answered.

Her mouth slightly opened when her eyes zeroed in on the food on his plate. Her stomach made a wild protest.

The blonde pushed another plate in front of her.

"Leorio already gathered some for you, in case other candidates might hoard the food. But if you don't prefer it, there's still some at the buffet table."

Morgan swallowed expectantly. Her stomach made a hungry rumble. She lifted her gaze to meet the blonde's eyes with appreciation.

"Thanks. This is enough." She never realized how hungry she was right after seeing real food, especially since she only ate boiled spider eagle's egg last night.

She dug in mindlessly and swallowed the food to the point her cheeks bulged. Kurapika watched her in awe, but then he went on with his breakfast.

"Oh, you're awake."

Morgan's eyes went from her food to the direction of the voice and saw Leorio. He was carrying a cup of coffee.

"Morning," he greeted as he took a seat in front of Kurapika. "New haircut? It looks way better."

Morgan just gave a nod. "Thanks."

"That's your third cup already," the blonde stated.

"I need cups of coffee to start my day. My body badly needs it for the exam."

"You sound like an old man. Well, it's not like you look in your teens, though," the blonde teen said with a straight face.

"Why don't you just focus on your food than pissing me off first thing in the morning?" Leorio said grumpily.

Ah, that's right. During the marathon, Leorio blurted out his real age. He looked older, but he's in his teens.

19 years old.

Still a shocker to all. Imagine that.

Kurapika is a year older than Morgan—he's 17. Gon and Killua are both 12 years old.

Speaking of—

"The boys? Where are they?" Leorio asked.

"Gon could still be at the ship's empty function hall with the old chairman."

When she heard that voice, panic quickly rose in her throat, causing her to choke. She motioned for any drink available, and Leorio, panicking, handed her his cup of coffee. Even hot, Morgan was stupid to take a big gulp.

When she heard the voice, panic surged, constricting her throat and causing her to choke. She pounded her chest, coughing repeatedly. The blonde swiftly offered her a glass of water. Morgan accepted it gratefully, draining it in one gulp. "Can you stop doing that?" She added, especially wary now around Killua.

"What? Stop doing what?" Killua inquired; his amusement evident in his tone.

"That! THAT!" Morgan retorted, as if it should be obvious what she meant.

He grinned mischievously as he settled into his seat at their table. Morgan shifted uncomfortably; the food suddenly tasted like sandpaper.

Leorio continued sipping his drink. "Hey, brat, next time bring Gon along for breakfast," he suggested.

Would Killua retaliate if Leorio kept calling him a brat?

Morgan couldn't fathom the thoughts running through his mind. Why did he kill those guys? Had they provoked him somehow?

'I've snapped at him and made rude remarks before. Does that mean he'd kill me?' The thought sent shivers down her spine. Or was he just playing the role of an examiner like Hisoka?

"I bet he's still asleep at this time. He was probably playing with the old geezer until morning," he remarked casually. "I left them around 2 a.m. to blow off some steam."

The mention of the two dead men made her gulp. So, he hadn't been playing examiner, but rather indulging in a fit of bloodlust? The memory of the corpses made her lose her appetite completely.

The blood on the floor. The blood on his hands. She didn't even have a phobia of blood to begin with, but she feared she might develop one after witnessing such scenes.

"There's still food at the buffet table, Killua," Kurapika interjected.

"Nah, I'm not hungry anyway. Gon and I snuck into the kitchen last night and grabbed some meat."

"How could you brats waste your energies like that?" Leorio said as he shook his head before taking another sip. He made a satisfying grumble at the back of his throat.

"You doing that, makes you look like an old man," Killua commented.

The eldest placed his cup on the table. He clicked his tongue. "Listen brat, you'll understand the wonders of hot coffee in the early morning when you're older."

"Even though you're just two years older than me. You speak like you're in 30's." Kurapika said. He was finally done with his food.

"Being repetitive Kurapika?" Leorio mocked.

The blonde and the kid could only smirk.

Leorio clicked his tongue in annoyance. Suddenly he remembered something. "So, there's a gossip…" He leaned in, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Gossip?" Morgan asked.

He nodded. "There was quite the commotion on the blimp last night."

Kurapika's curiosity was piqued. "What is it?"

Leorio lowered his voice for dramatic effect. "Word has it that the staff and some candidates found two dead examinees here inside the blimp. Can you believe it? It's all anyone can talk about."

Kurapika's eyes widened. "Deaths during the Hunter Exam are not unheard of, but hearing it happen as we were resting is quite disturbing."

Killua remained stoic, expertly masking his emotions. Meanwhile, Morgan couldn't hide the unease that had settled within her. After all, she had been at the crime scene hours ago. She knew who the killer was, and he was sitting at their very table.

Leorio continued, "Yeah, it's unsettling. Who knows? Maybe because they pissed off someone they shouldn't have."

"Or maybe he just got excited and killed them to ease his bloodlust," Killua suggested, with a childish tone.

Leorio gasped. "Hisoka?"

'Wrong guy! It's that child beside you!' Morgan wanted to shout it out.

Morgan, remained conspicuously silent. She wrestled with her thoughts about Killua but decided to keep them to herself for the time being. She swallowed her food and listened attentively but remained cautious.

Kurapika hummed in response, clearly intrigued by the news. "Well, it's part of the exam. We don't have the time to bother ourselves with what happened to them. And the third phase is coming up. So, I suggest we just prepare ourselves mentally and physically."

Killua, for his part, maintained his usual air of nonchalance. "As long as it's not as boring as the second phase, I'm up for anything," he remarked, cracking a smile.

Leorio agreed, attempting to keep the conversation upbeat. "You're right, Kurapika. But, Morgan, you looked sick. Are you unwell?"

Morgan tried to appear composed. "I'm just... a bit on edge. The news of the deaths is unsettling, that's all."

It was rather odd observing these three having a normal conversation at the table. 'I wonder how these two will react to Killua.'

Hope you enjoy! Please review.