DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hunter X Hunter

Chapter 17: The New Hunters

Who would've thought that kicking a man's groin would make her a hunter? To be honest, Morgan felt bad crushing Hanzo junior, but thinking about how he made her his punching doll… Well… She finds it quits.

As soon as their fight ended, another juror helped Hanzo back to the sidelines. She could hear his loud 'hee, hee, hoo' breathing, like a woman ready to give birth.

That must've hurt. A LOT.

Morgan retreated to where Leorio and the rest were. The aspiring doctor urgently grabbed her.

"That damned bald." He grumbled.

"Damn, I'm a hunter…" Morgan absent-mindedly muttered, awe and disbelief in her face.

"Yes, Morgan. Congrats." Kurapika smiled.

"I need to treat your wound again." Leorio clicked his tongue.

Morgan flinched as he touched her wound. "Ow!"

"The fourth match is Hisoka versus Bodoro," Masta said. The two walked towards the arena.

Bodoro is a martial arts guy, now that she had time to carefully observe him.

The fight began. Bodoro started throwing punches at Hisoka, all of which the magician dodged with ease. It was just Bodoro making a move. Hisoka looked bored. Bodoro showed no fear though. Not until the magician finally kicked him in the gut, and then punched his head into the ground. It didn't look like he was holding back.

Bodoro laid on the floor breathing heavily.

Hisoka knelt behind him and began whispering something, just like what he did to Kurapika. Once Hisoka got up, Bodoro surrendered leaving the unmerciful magician as the victor.

'What the hell?' Morgan wondered. Just what is up with him and his whispers. It's not like she can ask Kurapika about it, but damn, she was curious!

Soon, it was the fifth match. Hanzo versus Pokkle.

Hanzo looked pissed. He still hadn't moved on with their fight.

This time it went much quicker. Hanzo instantly got Pokkle onto the floor and pushed his arm behind his back, attempting to break his arm just like he did with Gon.

Morgan flinched, feeling sorry for Pokkle. She kind of imagined her face during their fight.

"Sorry, but I won't go easy on you," Hanzo said to Pokkle, a hateful look in his eyes. He sounded almost automatic as if he was running on autopilot.

"I give up!" Pokkle yelled, making Hanzo let go of his arm. Hanzo walked away from Pokkle with a hand in the air, claiming his victory, leaving Pokkle on the ground on his hands and knees.

Hanzo walked back over to the rest of the candidates, standing next to Leorio.

Well, Morgan stood next to Leorio as well. So, she ended up exchanging positions with Kurapika. Call it paranoid, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

The sixth match featured Killua and Pokkle. As soon as the fight began, Killua decided to walk away and confidently broadcasted, "Sorry, but I'm not interested in fighting you."

Morgan just found herself scowling at his overweening attitude, wondering why he would just throw away the match like that.

Hopefully, he won't regret his choice.

Leorio requested the 7th match to be postponed while Bodoro recovered from his injuries. So, Killua and that man named Gittarackur fought instead.

Morgan remembered him too well. How could she forget?

And right now, Killua's going to fight him. Could his assassin skills help him? She knew the kid is good, but Pin Man was also. She never really knew to what extent his abilities are.

She run a hand to the wound caused by Gittarackur's pin. All she knew is that Pin Man is a dangerous man.

"Begin!"

An unsettling feeling started to grow.

Killua walked closer with ease to the pin man, aiming to finish him off just like he did back in the Trick Tower.

"It's been too long, Kil."

Killua stopped. Gittarackur took off all the pins from his head, causing the weird guy to morph into someone much younger and well… good-looking (because its true). His purplish standing out hair now turned into very long jet black, combed behind his head, matching his large, black eyes. His grayish complexion turned into pale white, rivaling Killua's skin tone.

"Brother…" Killua muttered in fear, his usual cool and calm face all gone together with his confidence. This was the first time Killua seemed frightened by something.

That explains the ominous feeling around him. "He used those needles to change the shape of his face." Is that even possible?

While people were trying to comprehend the shock of the sudden revelation, they too were interested in their relationship.

Why is he here? Is he going to take Killua? He did run away from home.

"I heard that you cut up Mom and Milluki." His brother spoke in an emotionless tone.

Morgan's eyes went wide. 'He did what?'

"I guess."

Gittarackur tilted his head. "Mom was crying."

"Anyone would cry if their son did that to him," Leorio said beside her, feeling sympathetic with his mom too.

"Tears of joy." Gittarackur continued, making Leorio and Morgan fall over in disbelief.

"She was so happy to see that you'd grown up. But she was worried about you leaving home, so she asked to check up on you." He informed his little brother. "What a coincidence. I didn't know you wanted to be a Hunter. I'm trying to get a license for my next job."

"…I don't want to be a Hunter. I just felt like taking the exam." Killua said in a soft tone. Which is rather unusual.

"I see... That's a relief," Gittarackur's voice grew colder, more oppressive. Morgan felt a chill run down her spine as goosebumps prickled her skin. "Then let me give you some advice. You're not cut out to be a Hunter." His words made Killua flinch. "You were born to be a killer—a puppet of darkness, without passion. You don't want anything, you don't wish for anything. As one who lives in the shadows, you can only find pleasure when people die. That's how Dad and I raised you. What would you accomplish by becoming a Hunter?"

Morgan cringed at the harshness of his words; they were awful things to say to a younger sibling.

"True, I don't desire to become a Hunter. But… I do have something I want…" Killua said, sweat dripping down his face.

"You don't," Gittarackur retorted, making Killua step forward, clenching his fists and glaring at his brother.

"I do! There's something I want!" Killua yelled, but Gittarackur's expression and stance remained unchanged.

"Hmm? Tell me, what is it that you want?" Gittarackur said, pointing his hand at Killua. Killua looked at him wide-eyed, then dropped his head.

Gittarackur crossed his arms over his chest, waiting. "What's wrong? There's nothing you want, is there?"

"That's not it! I want to become friends with Gon… I'm sick of killing people… and I want to live a normal life…" Killua admitted, taking Morgan by surprise.

Gon had mentioned Killua's desire to run away from home, but hearing it directly from Killua felt different—it was honest and sincere. He wanted something simple. Morgan smiled to herself. 'He is a kid. A good kid, in a way.'

"Impossible. You'll never be able to make friends. Your only concern when you meet someone is whether you should kill them. That's how you were trained," Gittarackur said, making Killua look up at him with wide eyes.

"You just can't classify Gon because he's too dazzling for your eyes. You don't actually want to be friends with him," Gittarackur taunted. Killua whispered something under his breath, too quiet for anyone to hear.

"If you stay with him, one day you'll want to kill him. You'll get the urge to see if you can do it—because you have the soul of a killer."

Killua clenched his fists tightly, his fear evident as he stared at his brother.

Leorio, anger simmering, began to step forward, his hands in his pockets and a fierce glare on his face. One of the men in black suits quickly blocked his path.

"As we mentioned before..." the man started, but Leorio leaned forward, cutting him off.

"Yeah, I know! Killua! I don't care if he's your brother—he's a worthless piece of crap! Don't listen to him! Just beat the crap out of him like usual and win! You want to be friends with Gon? Are you serious? You already are!" Leorio shouted, his voice filled with urgency. "I'm sure that's how Gon feels!"

"Really?" Gittarackur asked, his tone deceptively calm.

"Hell yeah, idiot!" Leorio yelled back, his anger boiling over.

Gittarackur's expression remained unreadable as he said, "Really… That's no good. He considers Killua a friend. Fine, I'll kill Gon."

Morgan tensed, as did everyone else. He said it so casually, as if killing someone was nothing.

Gittarackur pulled out some pins, still focused on Killua. "A killer doesn't need friends. They'll only slow you down."

He turned and began walking toward the door.

"Where is he? I'll kill Gon first," Gittarackur continued, his voice chillingly calm. Killua's head snapped up in shock at his brother's words. One of the men in suits hurried to catch up with Gittarackur.

"P-Please wait… the match is still—" the man started to say, but Gittarackur threw pins into his skull without even looking, his face beginning to morph.

"Where is he?" Gittarackur asked again.

"In the waiting room… over there," the man stammered, writhing in agony as he attempted to remove the pins.

Morgan couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. It was like there was something in those pins that made the man reveal where Gon was. The man dropped to his knees, gripping his head in pain.

"Thank you," Gittarackur said politely, continuing his approach.

Kurapika, Leorio, Hanzo, and Morgan quickly positioned themselves in front of the door, blocking his path.

He stopped, tilting his head as if deep in thought. "This won't do. I need a Hunter license to do my job… But if I kill them, I fail, and Kil will pass automatically. Oh, darn. The same thing will happen if I kill Gon." He tapped his head, as if struck by an idea. "I know! I'll pass the exam before killing Gon," he said with chilling nonchalance.

'Bastard,' Morgan thought, glaring at him.

"If I wait until after passing the exam, I can kill everyone here and still keep my license, right?" Gittarackur asked.

"Yes, according to the rules," Chairman Netero confirmed.

Morgan seethed. Oh, how she hated these rules. Damn the Hunter Organization!

"Did you hear that, Kil? You have to beat me if you want to save Gon. Will you fight me for your friend's sake? You can't do it, can you? Because you're more worried about whether or not you can defeat me," Gittarackur taunted, walking back toward Killua.

Killua flinched, instinctively wanting to back away. "Don't move." Gittarackur commanded, pulling his ace against his younger brother. "If you move an inch, I'll assume the fight has begun. And if our bodies make contact, the fight starts too. There's only one way to stop me, but don't forget… if you don't fight me, your dear friends will die." He looked at Killua with cold, empty, serpent-like eyes. There was no escape.

Morgan knew Killua would give in. Anyone could see it—the fear in his eyes said it all. Gittarackur twisted the knife, finally saying, "Damn… I lost."

Gittarackur's sinister voice oozed with satisfaction as he leaned down, ruffling Killua's silver hair. "Ahh, I feel better! I lied, Killua. I had no intention of killing Gon. I just wanted to test you, and now I got what I wanted. You're not fit to make friends. You don't need them. Just follow what Father and I taught you—do your work, and everything will be fine."

Morgan's anger boiled over. "The fight's done. He surrendered, you won. So… mind stepping back?" she demanded, her voice icy.

Gittarackur turned to meet her furious gaze. "Oh, right," he said nonchalantly, releasing his grip on his younger brother.

'The bastard,' Morgan thought, seething.

Killua withdrew into silence, his lips pressed tight like an oyster. Leorio attempted to reach him, but Killua remained unresponsive.

Morgan, however, wouldn't give up. She placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke softly, "Killua… you don't need qualifications to make friends. If you want them, you can have them. I'm your friend too, remember that." She gave him a gentle smile and ruffled his hair before stepping away.

The 8th match began with Leorio facing Bodoro, who was in better shape to fight. But in a flash, Killua moved—too fast to see—and suddenly stood behind Bodoro.

"No!" Morgan shouted.

She froze in shock as the scent of blood filled the air. It was over in an instant. Killua had killed Bodoro. The lifeless body crumpled to the ground, leaving Killua standing there, covered in blood, his eyes empty and hollow.

"Killua, hey!" Morgan shouted, her voice laced with desperation. But Killua didn't respond. He simply walked out, his silence more deafening than any words.

Morgan watched his retreating back with wide eyes and a furrowed brow, her heart sinking as the doors closed behind him. The only trace left of him was a bloodied handprint smeared on the door.

"Killua..." she whispered.

"Everyone is hereby qualified to be a Hunter. Congratulations!" The Hunter Committee announced.

'What?!'

"Wait!" Morgan yelled, getting the committee's attention. "What about Killua?!"

One of the Jurors stepped in to talk, "As instructed, killing a candidate is prohibited. And Killua killed Bodoro, thus, he's disqualified."

"That's all bull! Killua was forced to do it!" Leorio seethed.

"If you're saying he's been controlled, do you have evidence?" Chairman Netero asked.

Morgan's blood boiled. Her jaws hardened. "The Juror that Gittarackur attacked. He answered right after those pins were on him. Weren't you all wondering how he did that?!"

Looking at the other candidates, they must have thought the same way. But they just didn't care to ask because Killua's case doesn't matter to them.

They already passed. Why bother troubling about it.

The Hunters and Chairman Netero looked the same. There were two things that Morgan concluded: one, they don't care; two, they know something about Gittarackur's ability but they won't say anything.

Chairman Netero, played with his beard. "Hmmm, maybe. But that could be because of the pain he felt, right? With Gittarackur's background, inflicting torture is a basic interrogation technique."

This time, Kurapika stepped. "Killua's behavior changed righter after facing his brother. We all witnessed that."

"As I've said, you don't have any evidence." The chairman pressed. "He is disqualified for killing a candidate." He smiled. "For the meantime, I'd like all of you to take some rest. Congratulations, all of you."

The chairman exited the hall together with the other Examiners and some of the Jurors. Beans, his secretary walked to them. In his hands were keys, making a jingling noise every time he stepped.

"Here's your key for your rooms. Tomorrow, we'll be having a brief orientation for the new Hunters." He said, handing them their keys. He congratulated them once more before exiting.

…

Morgan woke up groggily. She almost didn't realize where she was. It took her a moment that she was sleeping in the most luxurious and comfortable bed in her life.

She tried to blink the sleep from her eyes. She was still tired.

Morgan got out of bed. She looked at the clock. It was only 8ish. She grabbed her sweatshirt. Lifting her hand made her grunt in pain so she ended up tying it around her waist.

She stepped out of her room and went straight to the Dining Hall and grabbed whatever is served at the buffet table.

Her eyes easily spotted Leorio and Kurapika.

"When did you guys wake up?" She asked as soon as she reached their table, and placed her tray on it.

"Maybe thirty minutes ago?" Kurapika said not paying that much attention.

"Finally, sleeping beauty woke up from her slumber." Leorio greeted.

"Sup," Morgan took a seat. "Any news of Gon?"

Leorio answered. "He still hasn't woken up."

"And the others?" She asked, munching on her food. She felt starved. Who knows, maybe she was. It had been so long since she got to eat like this.

"Well, Pokkle already ate. I don't know about Hanzo, Hisoka, and Killua's Brother."

"Who cares about that bastard of a brother." Leorio huffed. "Seeing him makes my veins pop. I want to punch his face."

"You'll be dead before that happens," Kurapika said casually. Morgan nodded.

Leorio 'hmmp-ed' and crossed his arms, irked at the reality. "Anyways, why are you up late?"

"I hadn't wanted to wake up. Why are you up so early?" She shot back.

"We wanted to debate against Killua's disqualification. Something about it wasn't natural and could be the influences of being hypnotized." Kurapika responded.

"I may have mentioned a thing or two about that yesterday but, I've realized it sounds pretty farfetched." She said scratching her head. Her emotions got the best of her to come up with such an idea.

'How could I even think Killua's brother had the power to manipulate someone through his pins?'

"Whatever you say, I won't let Killua get away with this." Leorio countered. "He can't just walk away like nothing happened! We've all built bonds with Killua and that stupid guy ruined it!"

Morgan just smirked and shook her head. Leorio's a bit vocal. "We can open the topic during the orientation. When is it?" She asked.

"After breakfast," Kurapika replied.

"Okay. Let's go eat and get this over with. Maybe Gon will wake up by then."

Once they filled their stomachs, the trio got up and threw their trash away. The Exam Passers were inside a conference room, sitting apart from each other on layered seats. The girl touched the black folder resting on the desk.

The orientation started. They complained about Killua's disqualification.

There was a grim air hanging around the room and it's making everything depressing. Morgan sighed and slightly flicked the folder, recalling Killua's fight with his brother, Bodoro got killed, and that time when he finally left.

He may be a brat but Morgan realized that she made a connection with him. All those bickerings; created something. And he too, made a bond with her, Kurapika, Leorio, and especially Gon.

She sighed for the second time and rested her chin against her palms.

A loud banging of doors welcomed them accompanied by heavy, angry footsteps. Gon didn't stop until he reached the very front where Illumi (he introduced his real name right when the orientation started) is currently sitting.

"Apologize to Killua!"

'Obviously, he's mad.' Morgan thought as she straightened on her seat.

"Apologize? For what?" Gittarackur… Illumi replied with his usual emotionless tone like he didn't do anything.

"You don't have the right to be his brother!"

Funny, Morgan thought so before. Now she's waiting for his response.

"Must I earn the right to be his brother?" He answered with another shitty question.

With one hand still broken, his other one grabbed Illumi's right hand and easily broke it out of anger. "He doesn't need to earn the right to be my friend." The Gon they knew was a cheerful kid but now he was mad. "Don't bother apologizing. Just take me to see Killua!"

Despite the broken arm, Illumi remained unfazed. "What will you do then?"

"That should be obvious! I'm going to rescue Killua!"

"You make it sound as though I kidnapped him. He walked away on his own."

"But it wasn't by choice. He was being manipulated by you people. It's the same thing as kidnapping him!" Gon exclaimed.

"We happened to be discussing this very subject, Gon." The chairman cut in. "Kurapika, Morgan, and Leorio have also lodged complaints. The committee has been discussing the fairness of Killua's disqualification."

Kurapika stood up from his seat behind Morgan's, "Killua had been behaving strangely during and after since his battle with the man who called himself Gittarackur. I believe that he was hypnotized into committing murder."

Under normal circumstances, it would be possible to use hypnosis to induce a person to kill. However, as Killua was raised in a family of assassins, murder was part of his daily life. So it's natural that he would lack the ethical restraint of most.

But as Netero answered him, they have no evidence. Without it, it would still be a mere conclusion.

Morgan ended up concluding, maybe Killua was being manipulated because of the pressure his big brother giving him. He knew Killua can't beat him. Base on his first reaction when Illumi showed his true face, he was terrified. He must have done something that caused Killua's fear for him.

'Don't fight someone stronger than you.' That must be one of the things he imprinted. And by knowing that Killua has taken a liking to Gon, he used the boy to blackmail his brother.

Leorio stood up and hunched another possibility about Killua's actions- the fight between him and Bodoro's. The boy might have intervened to help him and pointed out that the one who should be disqualified is him.

But as far as Chairman Netero's concerned, Leorio was much stronger in terms of physical strength.

"There was some other funny business happening." Pokkle suddenly intervened, turning around to face Kurapika. Pokkle was sitting in front of her. "Like when you fought Hisoka. Back then, what did he say to you?"

They can't exactly blame Pokkle for getting suspicious at their fight. Neither of them seemed tired. But Hisoka whispered something right before conceding.

"It would be understandable to surrender after the opponent whispers something just like with Bodoro and Hisoka or maybe a fight with Hanzo due to considerable pressure. But in Kurapika's case, the exact opposite happened. It would look like the two of you were in some sort of a bargain." Pokkle stated eyes remained glued at the blonde.

Kurapika just stared down at him indifferently and said, "I'm not obligated to tell you. A victory by default would be equally odd."

A sigh escaped again. 'This is getting nowhere.'

This was supposed to be a discussion about Killua's disqualification but it changed into an argument about who passed the exam oddly or not.

It's best to intervene while everything could still be talked through. "Hey, you two, calm down. Fight outside to your heart's content if you're not satisfied with the results or maybe shut the hell up." Morgan told them. She shook her head and muttered 'boys and their dramas'. "Right now, our topic is about Killua."

"What-?"

"Morgan's right! None of that matters! It's pointless to argue over whether someone should pass. You're not happy, keep working until you're satisfied." Gon angrily said to the both of them.

Killua could have passed the exam easily but they can't change the fact that he failed it. What Gon can't stand is Illumi's way of controlling Killua.

Thanks to Chairman Netero, he ended the argument. With that, Beans went on with his orientation and informed their privileges as Hunters. "Then we now declare the eight members here to be New Hunters!"

Now, it's finally over. This ends this years' Hunter Exam.

Once the chairman dismissed the new Hunters, one by one, they left the room. Morgan held the folder and stood up.

Gon shouted out the assassin's alias name and was fast to catch up by the door. The trio followed right after. He won't stop until Illumi says where his white-haired friend might be.

"Do they feel the same way?" Illumi asked, referring to them behind Gon. The boy looked back, finally realizing their presence.

"You bet," Leorio answered first.

Kurapika nodded and Morgan just crossed her arms, giving the assassin a hard stare.

"Fine then. I doubt you'll be able to make it there anyway." Finally, he gave up. "Killua went home to Mt. Kukuroo. Our family lives at the very top."

Well, that sounds like a perfect base for them. Like bandits living inside the mountains to hide. But wait; is it okay to tell other people where they live? Surely some people are after their family. They are famous after all.

"Got it. Thanks." That was all he needed. Gon turned around followed by the two older teens. But Morgan remained, her eyes still on him.

"What is it? I already told you, didn't I?"

"Killua is not a puppet."

"It doesn't matter. That's none of your business." He replied, in his uncaring and expressionless voice.

Morgan raised an eyebrow. "No wonder he wanted to run away. You don't deserve to be his brother." She pointed out.

"Don't make me regret not killing you back at the island."

Morgan glared.

"Morgan, come on!" Leorio called out.

Behind-the-scenes dialogue featuring Gon, Killua, Morgan, Leorio, and Kurapika as they wrap up the Hunter Exam arc:

Gon: "Alright, team! Let's officially welcome Morgan. How does it feel to finally be part of this drama?"

Morgan: "Thanks, Gon! It's been wild. Hitting Hanzo in the groin was something else. But hey, at least I'm not dealing with Killua's fanfic fame."

Killua: "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

Leorio: "Come on, Killua. Everyone knows you're the fanfiction superstar. If there was an award for it, you'd win every year. And don't get me started on your endless love interests."

Kurapika: "Seriously. You've got more love interests than a soap opera. It's like you're in a constant romantic entanglement."

Morgan: "I thought I'd be the drama queen, but Killua's fanfiction fame is on another level. I'm just trying to figure out my own plot twists. Thanks, Author!"

Killua: "Yeah, yeah. It's not like I asked for this. Everywhere I go, it's 'Killua this' and 'Killua that.' Sometimes I wonder if my fanbase is just shipping me with everyone."

Leorio: "And don't forget us! We're stuck in this loop of fanfiction and dramatic arcs. Kurapika and I are basically background characters now."

Kurapika: "Hey, at least we get some epic moments. Even if it's mostly me teaming up with Chrollo or facing a supervillain. Can't complain about the screen time."

Gon: "And the endless fanfiction! I read one where we were all on a cooking show. Kurapika was the master chef, Killua had a secret recipe, and I kept setting things on fire."

Morgan: "A cooking show? That's hilarious! I need to read that. It's amazing how fans come up with so many scenarios. Makes me wonder if you'll ever get a break from the spotlight."

Leorio: "Break? What's that? We're like stars in a never-ending drama series. Even when we're not filming, we're living in fanfiction. It's exhausting but thrilling."

Killua: "As long as I get a break from being the perpetual love interest, I'm okay. And no love triangles, please."

Kurapika: "Yeah, how about a fanfic where we're just relaxing on a beach with no drama or fights?"

Morgan: "Now that sounds like a vacation. I'm in."

Gon: "Agreed. Thanks for rolling with the craziness, everyone. Here's to more adventures—both in and out of fanfiction!"

Leorio: "And more dramatic cooking shows, apparently. Can't wait to see what's next!"

Killua: "As long as there are no unexpected romantic subplots, I'm good."

Kurapika: "Hey, before we end this, let's give a shoutout."

Gon: "1, 2, 3..."

All Together: "We hope you enjoyed 'NOT So Normal Anymore!' Stay with us on our next journey! Please review!"

Morgan: "Thanks for sticking with me as the OC! See you next arc!"