DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hunter X Hunter

This hunter x hunter fanfic follows the main story but with bits of 1999 filler arcs/scenes. Not all of it because Morgan will not be following Gon and Killua's journey after the hunter exam. ^_^

Chapter 14: Hunt (Part 1)

The next morning dawned too bright. Morgan awoke to stifling heat. Despite the recent chaos, they had survived.

Out on the horizon, the Hunter's Association blimp soared through the sky, its large X symbol becoming more visible as it approached the island.

Morgan wondered if there were any cannons left on the ship. "Should I hit the blimp with the remaining cannons?" she mused aloud.

"Please don't do that," Kurapika said, emerging groggily and squinting against the brightness as he removed his bandage.

"Morning, blondie. Good job last night," Morgan greeted him. "How's your head?"

"I'm fine, thanks. How are Gon and Leorio?"

Morgan grinned and gave an okay gesture. Kurapika sighed in relief.

"Good." Kurapika said, sitting down beside her.

Morgan glanced at the approaching blimp and then back at Kurapika. "Do you think they'll give us a day to rest, or proceed to the next exam?"

Kurapika chuckled softly. "With the Hunter's Association, you never know. But let's hope they'll let us rest."

The blimp landed on the deck, and the crew emerged, congratulating the 25 candidates before giving them food and water.

Taking the food she was offered, Morgan managed a thanks. She blinked against the bright sunlight, glancing over her shoulder.

A short man stepped out, smiling at them. He had only a tuft of black hair sticking up on his head and large, round glasses that concealed his thin eyes. His attire consisted of a simple button-up shirt and trousers with brown loafers.

"Congratulations to all of you for passing the third phase's bonus stage," he announced. "You have only two more trials: the Fourth Round and the Final Round. The Fourth Round will take place on Zevil Island. Well! Let's hurry!" He snapped his fingers, and a bald man brought out a decorative box with a single hole at the top.

This guy sounds like the prison warden in Trick Tower.

"A lottery?" one examinee questioned. "What for?"

"To determine the hunters and their prey," the examiner answered. "Inside the box are 25 numbered cards. These numbers correspond to each person's Examinee Number that you were given at the beginning of the exam. You will all pick a card. We will begin the selection in the order of who finished the Third Exam first, and so on."

They all continued, with Morgan being the third to last. Everyone looked nervously at the number on their card and suspiciously at everyone else, wondering which of the participants could have their number.

"Does everyone have a card?" the examiner asked. "Good. Now, your number and the one you have just picked have been recorded into this machine." He patted the lottery box. "Consequently, you're free to do whatever you want with this card. The participant corresponding to the number you've picked becomes your target from now until the end of the Fourth Exam. What you have to grab is the numeral sheet of your target. If you succeed in taking their number, you get three points! If you keep your own number, that's another three points. The others are just one point. You need six points at the end to pass, all within the time limit."

This was bound to happen anyway. They may have created a budding camaraderie during the bonus stage, but in the end, they were still rivals.

Each applicant was both prey and predator.

Morgan looked at her number once again. "Number 89. Who the hell is this?" she wondered.

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"Well, you have two hours until you reach Zevil Island," a cheerful girl in a pink shirt with the Hunter's logo announced, seemingly unfazed by the intense atmosphere. "You can spend it however you want! See ya!" She walked off, leaving the examinees in their suspicion.

Morgan stood against the railings of the boat, looking out to sea. She turned her gaze to the left when Leorio approached, dragging a visibly annoyed Kurapika along.

"Yo!" Leorio greeted her. "Which number did you pick?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Checking if I picked yours, I presume?" She smirked.

"Um, well. I just wanted to know," he said sheepishly.

"Don't worry," Kurapika sighed, freeing himself from Leorio's grip. "My number isn't 403, nor is it 397."

"And mine isn't 403 or 404," she replied.

"You guys aren't my target either," Leorio said.

"That's a good thing."

"Do you know your target?"

"Nope."

"You don't know either?" Leorio sighed.

"How could I have remembered everyone's number? After the judge's explanation, I looked around, but everyone had already hidden their cards by then," she said, then stared at them with daunting eyes. "You know, I can still earn a point from your number."

Kurapika smiled. "I could say the same thing to you."

"Come on, you guys, surely we'll be able to capture our targets. By then, we won't have to hunt each other."

"Well, worst-case scenario, if I can't find my target and I happen to see you there, I won't hesitate to hunt your cards."

"Sure thing. Watch your back then, because I'll also be watching mine," Kurapika said.

Morgan extended her hand to him. "So, no hard feelings then?"

Kurapika accepted. "No hard feelings."

"This is an unexpected truce from the two of you."

"Well, same goes for you too, Leorio," Morgan added with a chuckle.

"I'll do my best to find my target, so..."

"Good luck to you two."

"Good luck to all of us."

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"Please leave the boat in order of arrival at the bottom of the Trick tower in the third round!" the young female spoke over a mic to the examinees as the ship harbored on the shore of Zevil's island. "Two minutes will separate each candidate leaving the boat. You'll stay exactly one week on the island. That's the time you have to get the six points and to come back here. Now, will the first candidate depart, please?"

Hisoka grinned confidently as he walked off the boat and onto the jungle island. Civilization was unknown on this speck of land; trees were as common as the surrounding water and as plentiful as the animals that occupied it. But they could always make room for a few more animals.

One by one, the applicants left the boat and ran into the woods. Morgan waved farewell to Leorio as she hopped into the forest, leaving him alone on the boat with Tonpa. Her energetic smile faded once he was out of sight.

In her first hours on Zevil Island, Morgan couldn't seem to stray far from the meeting area. It felt like her recognized safe zone.

It was as if walking away from there would instantly put her in danger, especially knowing she was one of the last candidates to enter the forest.

But either way, she had to move.

She decided to venture deeper into the forest, uncertain of which direction to take, not knowing who she would encounter first: her prey, her predator, or just a random candidate worth one point.

She completely lost track of how many hours had passed, relying only on the sun's changing position in the sky.

The sun was already at its highest peak. Noon.

Her throat was parched, craving water. Her only legitimate sources of food on the island were fish, fruits, and herbs. The shadows of the trees provided some relief from the heat.

She needs to find her prey, gather points, and avoid getting hunted. It was her only strategy so far. And she needs to avoid anyone because her number could still give one point—unless provoked.

But she badly needed a river to quench her thirst. She couldn't execute her plan if she felt weak from dehydration.

Morgan halted when she sensed movement. Something in the forest started moving frantically—fast and forceful. The dry leaves on the ground crunched loudly beneath the weight.

She became alert, scanning her surroundings. The noise was still far, a few meters away. It continued to move but seemed stuck in one place. She frowned but didn't lower her guard. Minutes passed, and it stopped moving. Silence returned. The movement had completely ceased.

What the hell was that?

Morgan considered her next move. She only had a sword.

She stalked in the direction of the earlier noise, each step calculated, ready for an ambush. But as she neared, it sank in that maybe it wasn't an enemy.

Arriving in front of a tree, she heard a new noise. Looking down at a plant, she found the source. She let out a relieved breath.

"I thought it was something else."

Morgan squatted down in front of a thorny and lush plant, gently lifting a part of it where a young deer had almost fallen to the ground. Its legs were caught in whatever was inside the plant, rendering it unable to move.

"So there are deer in this place," she whispered to herself, locating where the leg was trapped. But then she paused.

'Wait, this is not some ordinary trap.'

She stood up and scanned her surroundings. There was no danger lurking; whoever trapped the deer must have gone far.

Looking up, she saw a hanging monster beehive in one of the branches.

Morgan sat down again and examined the thorny branch of the plant that had caught the young animal's leg. She attempted to remove the branch, noticing it was slightly wounded from the thorns.

She didn't know why she was doing it. It's not like it would benefit her in any way. She couldn't eat it anyway; she didn't even have a source of fire.

When the deer was finally free, it jumped away from her, running off in a certain direction.

Sighing as she watched it go, Morgan felt a pang of happiness for the deer. But as she stared, she gradually remembered something.

'Stupid!' How could she forget things? This was a forest, well, a normal forest, unlike the Numere Wetlands. But she had read about how forests work. She knew the rules of the forest.

Morgan immediately followed the direction taken by the deer, still cautious but now more certain in her actions.

Back in the day, she had also ventured into a forest. She knew what it felt like to be outside, in a real forest—the animals' behaviors, the movement of the wind, even the texture of the trees and the consistency of the forest ground.

There may be other candidates scattered today for hunting. Perhaps someone had set traps or any of those deadly setups. But this was still a forest. And every living creature in a forest is connected to something else. It's the rule of an ecosystem.

Her face brightened as she realized her suspicion was right. From the front, she could see the deer had stopped at a river in the middle of the forest, almost breathing a sigh of relief as she saw its sparkling water under the sun.

Morgan continued running until suddenly her foot stopped out of reflex to danger. She was in the middle of panicking when she noticed something. She whipped her head to the side and ducked just in time to avoid a dagger plunging in her direction.

'Where did it come from?'

She looked around until she finally looked up.

'Shit!'

Another dagger plunged toward her.

Morgan spotted a man crouching on one of the branches, holding almost half a dozen daggers.

He looks familiar.

The man had an average build and height, with spiky hair and a celestial nose. He wore a tunic over a long-sleeved shirt, a belt that carried sheathes for his daggers, plain pants, and boots.

'Oh, I remember now. He's the one who argued with me back on the old battleship when we were assessing the situation.'

His lips split into a grin as he played with the daggers in his hands, assessing Morgan's movements just as she studied his.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" he asked, smiling wickedly. "It's one of number 404's buddies, the little miss smarty-pants." He then laughed. "It would've been much easier if you were together."

'404… His target is Kurapika?'

"But whatever. Beggars can't be choosy."

Morgan forced a chuckle. "Correction, we're not friends, just acquaintances."

He laughed once again. "Your friend's one slippery guy."

'I just said we're not friends.'

"Then? If he's your target, then you should go after him."

"One point is still a point. Or I could use you to get to him."

'No, you were just being foolish and holding a grudge against me,' Morgan could only scoff as she thought.

There was hardly any audible noise as he jumped from branch to branch. Weak point. She needs his weak point.

Morgan needed a plan to beat him. Even a simple one would do.

Avoiding him wouldn't help her.

She stepped back and retreated in the direction she had come from. Just as expected, the guy followed.

"Oh, you're gonna run?" Morgan heard him. He laughed weakly. "Can't face me head on?"

Her pursuer continued to jump on the branches of the trees as he followed her. Now she just needed to get him down to the ground.

His forehead furrowed at the sudden stop. "Tired?" He asked with a fatal grin.

Morgan responded with a grin, pulling the most mocking face she could muster. "Ugh, yeah, I'm exhausted from playing tag with a slowpoke. And trust me, that wasn't even my full speed. Are you sure you can keep up?"

He was stunned by the insult. It seemed he wasn't accustomed to getting irritated, and suddenly he gritted his teeth. Besides, this man had harbored animosity towards her since the bonus stage, so...

'That's it. Get pissed.'

"Stupid," he said. "You don't know what I'm capable of, little girl."

"I know exactly what you're capable of. You're so slow, and even though I'm just a mere teenager, you still haven't caught me? You can't even hit me with your dagger," Morgan replied, shaking her head dramatically, her disappointment evident.

"You wish," he said, suddenly pulling a dagger hanging from his belt and aiming it in her direction.

Morgan immediately sidestepped, noticing a slight increase in pressure in her opponent's gesture.

She unsheathed her sword.

He chortled at her. "How do you plan to reach me with that? Throw it?"

"Precisely," she said, and with ample force, she threw her sword.

The man was quick to duck.

He clicked his tongue. "You've got a terrible aim."

"Have I?" she smirked.

The man looked up, and a beehive fell on him. He was never her target, to begin with. She just needed a simple trap to take him down.

It was fortunate she remembered the bees earlier. They swarmed him like crazy, and he started screaming hysterically.

He tripped to the ground, swatting away hundreds of bees. Bad luck was on his side as he fell into a bush full of thorns where the deer had been trapped.

He screeched in pain.

Morgan immediately left the scene. 'I'll leave it up to the bees.' The important thing was to stay away from Kurapika's pursuer.

Honestly, she felt sorry for him. But she was sure he wouldn't show her any mercy. Oh, how she hated this exam. Kurapika owed her big time.

Morgan returned to where the man had attacked her first. To replace the sword she threw, she took three daggers pinned on a tree and hid them.

Because she didn't know what to expect next in this forest, she ran away.

Feeling somewhat distant from danger, she leaned slightly against the trunk of a tree, looked up at the sky, and closed her eyes halfway. There was no immediate threat in sight.

Maybe that man was the only person close to her. She closed her eyes and gazed at the brightly colored sky. The sun was sinking.

Well, it seemed she had managed to survive the first day of the fourth phase.

After a short rest, she immediately stood up to find a secure place to spend the night. She had wasted almost a day. Deciding to put some distance between herself and the river, she didn't want to encounter someone else who was also looking for water.

Morgan surveyed the dark woods, inspecting one of the tall trees, and started climbing it. As she grabbed the branches, she immediately lifted herself with her two palms and leaned on it. Testing the strength of the branch, she jumped slightly.

'This is fine.'

When she was sure it could support her weight, she sat down carefully and looked for a comfortable spot before leaning against the rough trunk of the tree.

She couldn't risk staying on the forest ground at night. It was too dangerous. Someone could spot her—a wild forest animal or worse, her hunter.

Gradually, silence enveloped her, with only the natural noises of the forest reaching her ears—the chirping of insects, the wind blowing through the lush leaves of the tree, and the sound of the nearby river flowing.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head slightly against the trunk of the tree, sighing.

Tomorrow, she would have to hunt again, away from the river, in this part of the forest, to find her target.

The next day, she woke up in pain. Her body had stiffened from leaning against the tree to avoid falling. She had also woken up several times in the middle of the night due to the crackles and noises she heard.

Fully awake, Morgan immediately jumped onto the foggy forest floor. The ground was wet, and the fog around was thick.

She adjusted her bag and started walking towards the river. Scarce sunlight entered the forest through the crevices of the towering trees.

The forest looked serene at this time, peaceful and quiet yet undeniably alive.

Morgan felt the movement of insects and small animals as she woke up from a long sleep, as if the forest itself was breathing and preparing for the new morning.

Reaching the river, she washed her face and arms before eating whatever edible items she could find and drinking water.

Looking around, she didn't know where to start. All she knew was that she had to stay away, as it didn't seem like her target was in this part.

Following the water's path seemed to be her only option. Morgan stayed within the forest but ensured the river was within sight.

With all candidates on the island searching for water, it might be easier for her to spot them if she stayed within sight of it. This was the simplest thing to do for now—find any of the participants, even potential opponents.

The morning passed, and the area grew quiet. It felt strange, but she couldn't afford to be complacent.

As the sun rose again and noon passed, it felt like she was slowly running out of time.

In any case, she would have to find them all if she found one.

Unexpectedly, Morgan spotted Killua. She wondered who his target was.

Her spying eyes curiously followed him from above, observing his quiet movements in a seemingly deep part of the forest, where the chances of encountering other participants were low—unless someone was following him.

With serpentine slipperiness, he maneuvered in and out of trees, as if he didn't want to be seen. Morgan concluded that he was being tailed.

Remaining on the branch, she noticed two figures up ahead and another from the opposite side.

Killua was being tailed.

The attack happened in a flash—a flash of robin's blue, and Killua slid down the trunk of a tree, a dirty boot print marring his shirt. He bounced back to his feet without even taking his hands out of his pockets, revealing a stolen tag: #198.

Her lips parted, awed by his actions.

Amori/Imori/Umori gasped (Morgan wasn't sure which one was which). "Since it's only a number off from the one I'm after, maybe number 199 is one of your two buddies?" This alerted the older brothers that this kid was no ordinary boy.

Did they believe Killua stood no chance against their teamwork? Perhaps they had defeated many tough opponents using the formation they typically employed for individuals like him.

Well, not until that very moment.

Killua vanished from their sight and reappeared behind the second eldest, his fingers ready to bury into his skin. "Don't move. My fingers are sharper than knives," the young assassin stated casually, as if everything were normal.

Realizing the danger he was in, the man Killua held gave up his tag, which bore the numbers 197, and the remaining brother surrendered his tag, numbered 199, as if a spoiled child asking for sweets from his parents.

The brothers surrendered, and Killua released his hostage. Then the three departed the area without a second thought, tails between their legs.

He threw the tags into the trees like a professional baseball player, and the trees rustled with the sound of someone hot in pursuit.

Morgan was shocked to realize that someone else besides her was stalking them. If Killua was one of the Amori Brothers' targets, then it must be the pursuer of one of the Amori brothers.

"Show's over. Come out now," he called to no one.

He was referring to Morgan, as he had noticed her presence while he was dealing with the Amori Brothers.

Her heart beat fast as she jumped from the branch and landed with a thud on solid ground.

"You suck at hiding your presence," he remarked.

"Nah, you just exceed me in skills and experience," Morgan replied indifferently.

"Stalking a young boy now?" he teased.

Morgan sneered. "Don't get ahead of yourself, kid. I just happened to see you while scouting up in the trees."

"Say," Killua turned to her as if he had all the time in the world. "Aren't you worried that you're with a trained assassin?"

He stared her in the eye, and she narrowed hers.

"Didn't your parents teach you not to be rude to an older person?" she retorted.

"I don't even respect my mom," he replied.

Killua sharpened his hand, baring it at her. "Shouldn't you be scared? You used to get tense around me a few days ago."

His hand looked like the claws of a wild animal, even more intimidating.

Honestly, she didn't understand it either. As much as possible, she wanted to avoid things that might harm her, but here she was now, facing someone who could kill her in no time.

Maybe the fact that he still hadn't killed her yet had changed her?

"Yes, possibly... So, are you going to kill me?" she asked.

He just shrugged.

"Then I guess I won't have to be alert around you anymore."

Killua arched a brow. "How can you say that? I can kill you, even Gon and everyone else."

Morgan hissed. "It already crossed my mind that you might kill me. But I don't think you'll do it."

"What makes you think I won't? I might be blood-lusting right now."

"You're a killer, right? Why bother to ask if you really want to kill me? Shouldn't you have ripped my intestines out days ago?"

He clicked his tongue. "How boring." Then, he sighed. "No wonder you've been getting along with Kurapika lately."

She raised a brow. "We don't get along. Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"You're starting to soften around him."

"Whatever you say, brat."

"It makes sense that boring people stick together," he said.

She shrugged. "I warned you last time, didn't I? I am a boring person, but you really wanted to get my attention." She playfully clicked her tongue and shook her head, teasing the young boy.

Killua's face turned sour, as if he were scandalized by the thought.

Morgan stifled a laugh. "Hey, hey!" She barked. "Don't go into assassin mode on me. It was just a joke!"

He clicked his tongue, on the verge of getting pissed.

"You know what, next time why don't you try something different to calm down?" She suggested.

Killua seemed interested in the topic. "Different?"

"Yes. For example, reading."

He deadpanned. "An assassin, reading to blow off some steam. How typical," he said sarcastically.

"No? Then, do some exercises?"

"Well technically, for assassins, killing is a form of exercise."

Holy…

"Really?" She responded, adamant. "Okay, rejected. How about listening to music?"

"Not fond of listening to it."

"Okay, scratch that. Hmm. Aha! Draw something. That's how an artist expresses their emotions!" She chirped.

"This is getting stupid."

"Clean the house?"

"Your suggestions are getting out of hand. It's getting dumber. Besides, I don't clean our house."

"Okay, last one. Play video games!"

Killua gave it a thought. "Well, I am fond of it. But I didn't bring anything with me."

"Whatever!" She snapped. "Just do something to control your blood-lusting."

"You're not my mom," he hissed. "I'll go ahead. You talk nonsense."

Morgan smirked, sensing his annoyance. She's liking it. "There, there. I can be your mom or sister if you want. Maybe that way, you'll learn some manners. Onee-chan will gladly help." She patted his shoulder consolingly.

For a split second, she felt how cool his hands were. In a blur, her back already hit the ground. She felt her teeth rattle.

Morgan gasped.

"That wasn't necessary!" She whizzed.

He already walked off.

"See you in a few days, grumpy brat."

"Bye, crazy woman," he said cheekily.

Morgan did not bother to grace this with a response. Walking back into the trees, she could not help but shake her head.

'That brat... My back hurts.'

Hope you enjoy it! Please review.