Hunter X Hunter 1. Episode 1: Crimson x Eyed x Senka

**Episode One: _Crimson x Eyed x Senka_**

* * *

Senka sighed heavily, glass crunching under her bare feet, as she walked across the cold ground with a simple towel held to her front. "Humans… pathetic…" ignoring the dead scientists that littered the floor, Senka used the towel to dry off her mostly black hair, being careful of the slit on her forehead. Once the black and white strand were dry, she let the damp fabric fall as she wrapped up her chest and right arm. Silent sirens flashed in the background as Senka took her sweet time getting dressed. A simple black long sleeved turtleneck, a short sleeved V-neck red shirt over it, followed by a rich blue hooded vest. Simple black, and slightly baggy, training pants were kept in place by two white belts that went with it, as she then wrapped both her legs from ankle to shin, before pulling on black martial arts shoes.

Tying a black scabbard to her left hip, Senka pulled a simple white cotton cord around her neck, feeling a cold blue stone against her breastbone. Checking her appearance in a glass window, she frowned, pulling out a white headband before tying that around her forehead, allowing the black strands to fall over it as she promptly covered the strange slit. Crimson orbs roamed over the room before glancing out the window, finding silent amusement as humans descended on the large building. Senka took a few steps back, becoming one with the shadows, as she crumpled a piece of paper in her hand.

The only thing the men could see, once they finally made it into the room, were the bodies of the scientists that worked there, and fading – angular shaped – crimson eyes.

* * *

Resting my head back, against the cold stone walls, my sword resting against my left shoulder as the large blue hood of my vest covered my eyes. Pinned to the loose – and large – collar of my turtleneck, which was white while the rest was black, was a pin labeled with the number _**'100'**_. "I haven't seen you around before… You must be a rookie."

I looked up through the black strands of my bangs, to stare at a fat man with a square nose. "Hn…"

He handed me an orange can. "I'm Tonpa. I've taken the Hunters Exam over 36 times, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask me! Cheers to making new friends."

Staring at him blandly, I popped open the can and poured out its contents. "Friends… simply a crutch for the weak…" I stood up quietly and left the large man alone.

The crowd grew larger and larger, making it a bit hard to slide between bodies, as my shoulder knocked into someone's waist. I looked up at the person from the corner of my eyes, taking note that it was #44. Unlike the other contestants, he oozed bloodlust as he matched my bloody gaze with his own golden one. The corners of his thin lips turned upwards, along with the corners of his eyes, as he grinned down at my short 4'11" form. "Best be careful, unripened fruit~" he sung, waving me off quickly.

"Tch." I left, heading towards a less crowded area of the tunnel.

"You noticed the drink, huh?" a boy with white hair and blue cat-like eyes rolled up to my left on a skateboard, his hands tucked into his shorts pockets. He opened one of the cans that Tonpa was handing out, and took a long drink from it, before releasing a satisfied sigh. His badge had _**'#99'**_ printed on it.

"Immune…" it was a statement.

"Killua Zoldyck." He held out his hand.

There was something about this boy… something strange… The aura that he gave off made me want to trust him…. Trust. I have not trusted anyone for a long, long, _long_ time… "Senka." I firmly grasped his hand and shook it once, before letting my hand fall back to my side. "Nice to meet you."


	2. Episode 2: The x Imiko x Girl

**Episode Two: _The x Imiko x Girl_**

* * *

Killua and I parted ways and waited. Soon, an annoying bell sounded. Looking forward, I noticed a tall man that had no mouth. "I apologize for the wait. The entry for the Hunter applicants has ended. The Hunter Exam will now begin!" I tuned the rest out, just as he began walking away. "Very well. All 406 applicants will participate in Phase One."

"Hm…" I calmly followed, weaving in and out of the other participants, my hands tucked into the deep pockets of my blue vest.

"Outta the way, kid!" someone shoved my shoulder hard, jerking me forward, as I glowered at the person, aiming a harsh kick towards the back of his left knee. The joint locked before buckling, making the applicant fall face first. I walked over his back, keeping my former pace, as I passed #44, keeping ahead of the pack.

"I neglected to introduce myself…" the examiner called over his shoulder, increasing his pace even more. "I am Satotz, the Phase One examiner. I shall lead you to the exam's Second Phase." I tuned out more of his voice as I hopped over a few fallen bodies. Sensing movement behind me, I turned my head slightly to see Killua and another boy dressed in mostly green closing the distance between us.

"Yo." Killua calmly greeted, coming up on my left side, while the other was on my right. "Wanna join our race? Looser buys the winner lunch."

"Heh… You sound as if you can beat me, Zoldyck."

"Puh-lease~ I can beat you, no sweat, Senka!" I scoffed, racing further ahead of the boys. "OI! YOU DIDN'T ANSWER ME!"

"Idiot! The answer is obvious, is it not?" I shouted back, turning so I had my back facing the examiner while still running.

"He has a point, Killua." I quirked an eyebrow at this, but chose not to correcting his misuse of my proper pronoun. He pushed himself to quickly catch up with me. "I'm Gon! What's your name?"

He amused me. "Senka… Now keep up, will you?" turning back around, I sped further forward. They both easily kept up with my light jog, slowly speeding up as time passed. My body went on autopilot as I scanned the diminishing crowd, checking most of the applicants' mentality. #44 and Killua were the only two that are able to block me from their thoughts. Though I highly doubt that Killua knew that he is doing it. People kept falling left and right, making the crowd thin out even more.

Our tiny group started running alongside a shirtless man with the tag of _**403**_ on his chest. "See you at the goal, Kurapika!" Gon stated, looking at the blond fellow.

"Catch you later, old timer." Grinned Killua, while I stayed silent.

"I'm not old!" the shirtless man exclaimed. "I'm a teenager, just like you guys!"

All three boys looked at him in disbelief. "No way!"

"You humans are hopeless…" I muttered, looking away from the ragtag bunch.

"Yeah?! Who asked you, creep?!" the tall man shouted, waving a fist at me.

"You asking for a fight?" I redirected my shadowed gaze back to him as I hopped over another, seemingly lifeless, person. He stiffened and slowly back down from my unspoken challenge, allowing Gon, Killua and I to continue forward without problems.

* * *

"I'm impressed that you can keep up with me." Drawled Killua, turning to look at a focused Gon.

"Really?" the boy asked, rubbing the back of his spiky head.

"Or maybe it's just that everyone else is too slow." I nodded in agreement, hands still tucked into my vest pockets. "Man… the Hunter Exam is gonna be a breeze." Complained the snowy haired boy, bowing his head in annoyance. "That's no fun."

"Hey, why do you want to become a Hunter?"

"Me? I'm not really interested in becoming a Hunter."

"Huh?"

"I heard the exam was supposed to be really hard, so I thought it'd be fun. But this is disappointing." He shrugged as if it was nothing. "What about you?"

"Well, my dad's a Hunter. So I want to become a Hunter, like my dad."

All three of us ran around fallen contestants. "What kind of Hunter is he?"

"I don't know."

The white haired youth started chuckling. "That's kinda weird."

"Really?"

"You want to be like your dad, but you don't know anything about him?"

"I was raised by Mito-san, so I've only seen my dad in pictures."

"Who's Mito-san?"

"Aunt Mito." Gon stated, as if it was common knowledge. "When he was twelve, my dad took the Hunter Exam. He passed and became a Hunter. Then he left the island. I want to find out why he chose to be a Hunter over being with me." He turned his hazel eyed gaze onto me. "What about you, Senka? Why do you want to become a Hunter?"

"For a better life, for one. However, I'm looking for something… something important… something valuable… Someone whose tears become precious stones. But she's more important – more valuable – to me than the tears she is forced to shed."

"Eh? Really? There's people who can do that?" he questioned, referring to the tears.

"Not people. That'd be implying that men can do it, too. Only women from a special village, cut off from mankind that floats in the sky, with hearts as icy as their home can produce these tears." I looked at him, only to see that he was still confused. "I'm guessing you've never heard of the Kōrime or of the _hiruseki stones_ that they can produce…" Gon chuckled nervously.

"But how is she more valuable to you than the tears she produces? If I remember correctly, the stones can be sold on the Black Market for an indefinite sum of money!" Killua pointed out.

"Ah, look! The exit!" the black haired youth saved me from answering the awkward question. Narrowing our gaze at the small opening of light, we dashed forward as Satotz came to a halt. Slowing down a tad bit, I matched the boys just as we crossed the threshold.

"Goal!" they both shouted as Satotz turned to face us. I simply strolled by silently with them.

"Yay! I win." Exclaimed Gon.

"What are you talking about? I was faster…" both of them continued to argue over who was first. Satotz and I just watched them go at it. To be honest, I am a little surprised that they did not drag me in and tell me to pay for dinner.

"Hey, who was faster?" Gon questioned Satotz.

"I believe that you crossed the finish line simultaneously." He answered.

"Oh… Then I'll buy you dinner."

"Huh?" Killua looked at him in confusion.

"Then you buy me dinner!" he concluded.

"What about Senka, then?" the white haired boy pointed at me, as I simply rose a black brow at them both.

"We'll both pay for Senka, then!"

"I don't get it." That would make two of us.

"Hey, Satotz-san. Is this where the Second Phase of the exam takes place?"

I tuned out the rest as more people started gathering around us. After some time, the fog started clearing away, making the wetlands visible to us all. "The Numere Wetlands, also known as Swindlers Swamp. We must cross these Wetlands to reach Phase Two of the exam. This place is home to many bizarre animals, many of them being cunning, insatiable creatures who deceive humans and prey upon them. Be very careful." Satotz explained to us.

* * *

Senka closed her shadowed eyes as she opened up her senses; feeling the shifting of life forms around her petite form. Her peace was ruined by a voice shouting, "don't let him fool you!" her crimson gaze fell on a beat up looking man. "D-don't fall for it…"

"How boring…" she muttered, slowly walking away from the weird group.

"He's lying to you!" the man insisted. "He's an impostor! He isn't the examiner… I'm the real examiner."

_'Clearly not, if someone can fool over 400 people for such a long time. At the very least, I would be able to tell...'_ mused Senka, clearly not interested in this conversation.

"Look at this…" the 'examiner' pulled out an ape-like being that resembled Satotz. "It's a Man-Faced Ape, one of the creatures that dwell in the Numere Wetlands! Man-Faced Apes love the taste of fresh human flesh. However, their limbs are long and thin, so they're quite weak. That's why they disguise themselves as humans."

A faint purple glow can be seen in the darkness of Senka's hood as she sifted through the thoughts of the man, becoming a bit annoyed when some of the people trained in the art of deception fell for the lie. Three cards struck the man dead center, causing the body to fall back from the force of the throw. A few more were aimed at her, but fell to the ground in half, as if they were cut in two. Her bloody glare was directed at #44, a clown/jester-esque man with beady golden-yellow eyes. He simply grinned, bowing 'apologetically' towards her, before facing Satotz, who had captured the cards that were thrown at him. #44 shuffled a deck of poker cards, chuckling softly in amusement. "I see, I see…" he spoke lowly. "That settles it… You're the real one." The crowd looked surprised as the examiner threw the cards away, looking unfazed by it all.

Sadly the so-called 'shinobi' was even stunned, just as the Man-Faced Ape awoke, only to run away in terror. Senka looked up at the birds circling above, curious about when they'll dive in for their new meal. "Examiners are Hunters selected by the committee to perform this duty without pay. Any Hunter, bearing the title we seek, would have been able to block that attack." He explained his reasoning, assuring the idiots around them.

"I shall take that as a compliment." Satotz stated, not amused by being used as target practice for the jester-esque man. "However, should you attack me again, for any reason, I will report you for turning on an examiner. And you will be immediately disqualified. Are we clear?"

"Sure." The birds squawked before diving down, eating the man's corpse.

"Nature really can be brutal to watch…"

"It's just the way the world weeds out the weak from the strong." Senka stated. "Though death does have a beauty of its own, I guess…"

"Why you! How can you be so heartless?" Leorio shouted, picking Senka up by the front of her vest.

"The word you are looking for is 'indifferent', not 'heartless'. After all, one needs a beating heart to be counted as alive." She explained, completely uncaring about his feelings. "Now, I suggest letting me go, otherwise it'll be _**you**_ that will be heartless…" his grip loosened, allowing the small female to land on her feet, her hands still tucked away in her front pockets like they have been. After Satotz explained more about the Wetlands, every last examinee started running after him again. Senka kept pace with the two boys that looked around her physical age, feeling that one of them would possibly supply her with some form of entertainment.

* * *

The fog steadily grew thicker, making it nearly impossible to see with regular eyes. "Gon, Senka…"

"Huh?" asked the ever curious Gon.

"Let's move up."

"Okay! We don't want to lose sight of the examiner." This kid could not read the atmosphere, could he?

"I'm more concerned with increasing the distance between us and Hisoka. Staying too close to him is dangerous. I can smell it in the air."

"Smell?" Gon tilted his head back and actually started sniffing the air around us. "Hmm… I don't think he smells." He then turned his head into the direction where the others were running. "Leorio! Kurapika! Killua says that we should move up!"

"Hey! Can't you feel the tension surrounding us!?" Killua scolded the other boy for being reckless. Sighing heavily, which seemed to be a common theme today, I decided to jump into one of the trees and run that way. "Huh? Where'd Senka go?"

* * *

The damp wind hit me straight on, pushing my hood back from my face, as I scouted out Hisoka, who was currently surrounded by other examinees. "Pathetic." I mumbled, resting back against the large tree. "Do they honestly think that any of them have the chance to take down the King's fool?" as if hearing my snide remark, Hisoka allowed his golden gaze to drift up to me, as a dark grin curled his thin lips.

"When I saw you last year, I knew you weren't Hunter material." Ahh… and what would that make me? Hmm…

"We'll spare you if you swear not to take the Hunter Exam again."

"Sure." Hisoka spoke softly, causing the others to gasp. "I'm passing the exam this year, so I won't need to retake it."

"Passing? Idiot! Look at this fog. It's impossible to determined which direction the main pack went!"

"Meaning we've all failed the exam!"

Hisoka's chest shook from the chuckle he produced. "So that's why. Having already failed, you wish to play examiner. Hunters require prey. Why don't I play examiner… And judge whether you are Hunter material?" between his index and middle finger, Hisoka held up his right hand to showcase the 4 of spades poker card.

"Shut up!" they all charged quickly, hoping to overpower the enigmatic jester. With the single playing card, he easily cut them all down, just as the formed a tight circle around his lithe form.

Only the leader of the ragged tag bunch was left alive. "Now, then…" the leader fell on his ass before getting on his hands and knees, trying to crawl away to freedom as the jester stalked his prey. Once he started begging for help did Hisoka end his life, throwing the flimsy piece of plastic dead center into the back of the other man's skull. The, now dead, man's corpse fell forward, laying flat on his face. Hisoka pulled out his playing card, before looking towards the edge of the clearing, focusing his beady eyes on Kurapika and Leorio. "Well? Care to participate, in my little game of examiner?"

I stood straight, crossing my arms over my chest as I watched what was going down below my perch. The wind blew, startling a bird, as Hisoka got ready to fling the card, only for both young men to dash off in opposite directions. "Hn."

"I see… A wise decision. Hehehe…" he looked up at me. "And what of you, little girl?" sarcastically I started clapping my hands.

"Give the King's fool a prize! Unlike every other applicant, he can, in fact, deduce my gender." I did not feel like leaving me perch, which caused Hisoka to shrug his broad shoulders.

"Hmm?" a form appeared in the fog.

"I just can't do it…" it was Leorio. And he was holding a large stick. "This may not be my fight, but I won't close my eyes and make a break for it!" the fool had some balls, I will give him that much. He charged at the indifferent Hisoka.

"Mm, I adore that look on your face." He simply stood there, left fist resting against his hip as Leorio swung down, only to hit an illusion. Watching the jester's moves, he appeared behind the glasses wearing man and reached out for his neck, only to get hit in the face with a red bobber for a fishing pole.

"Gon!"

"I made it in time…"

"Not bad, little boy." Hisoka faced the young boy. "Is that a fishing pole? What a fascinating weapon. Allow me a closer look."

Gon and Leorio seemed to have not noticed my presence, as my crimson eyes followed their fight. With a single left hook, Hisoka was able to knock out the tall man, sending him spiraling through the air, as Gon swung his fishing pole down from above. "You came to rescue your friend?" Hisoka appeared behind Gon in a simple crouching position, making him just as tall as the boy. The boy jumped back, only for Hisoka to be behind again, in the same position. "Such a good boy." He kept taunting him, using his magic to dodge the green clad boy's attacks.

Growling lowly in my chest, I leaped from the branch I have been standing on, to tackle Gon out of Hisoka's grabby hands. Those cold hands wrapped around the front of my vest, holding me high in the air. "Ngh!" groaned the boy, as his body met with a tree's thick trunk.

"Oh?" reaching his free hand up, the royal jester pulled off my hood, his golden eyes widening with excitement. "How young, yet old, you are…" he purred, fingering one of the spiky strands of my mostly-black hair. "How wonderful…" Hisoka brought his arm down, so we were face to face, as I glared at him. "Such a lovely look in such lovely eyes…"

Bringing my legs up, I kicked him hard in the chest, causing him to let me go as I flipped back, landing solidly on my feet. Gon leaned against the tree, looking like a lost puppy. I brought my left hand up to my hip, flicking my blade out as my other hand wrapped around its black hilt, lowering my body more to the ground. Pulling my weapon out, I pivoted around and held the sharp blade towards Hisoka's pale throat. "This is your one and only warning, clown… I suggest staying on my good side."

"Oh?" I jumped over his leg, and jumped again whilst in mid-air, landing far above him. "Stories don't do you justice…" he crooned, looking at me directly. _**"Little Imiko…"**_ I bared my teeth at him, fighting the strong urge to kill him right here and now. Ignoring the blood lust that was coming from me, he knelt in front of a confused Gon. "Do not fear. I will not kill your friend. He passed. Hehe…" he pulled on a cheerful face. "Yes, you pass, as well. Along with that little Jaganshi girl…" Hisoka pointed up at me as I scoffed, biting down on my left hand until I tasted my own blood, before flittering away from them.

* * *

"Yo, Senka! Where's Gon?" Killua asked as I made it to the 2nd exam site.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly exhaled. "A few kilometers from here. He and Kurapika will be here just in time… You should not worry so much. He has strong survival instincts, and heightened senses that far exceed regular human means."

"W-Who said anything about being worried?! I thought girls were the worrying kind, anyways!" he stammered, face turning rosy. I rose an eyebrow at him. "I'm not stupid! I can tell the difference between a boy and girl!"

"Hn… Still doesn't mean I'll pull down my hood…"

"Eh?! Why not?! I wanna see your face! Are you ugly or deformed? Is that why?" Killua rattled off, sticking his face so close to mine, that part of his own head was covered by the hood of my vest. "Huh? Blood?"

My spine stiffened and I shoved him away. "Do you not know anything about personal space?" he was pretty lucky that I had placed my katana back in its sheath.

"But… Are your eyes naturally that color?" he questioned. I looked to the side while mumbling a small confirmation. "They're really pretty…"

"Sh-shut up! You sound stupid saying such embarrassing things!"


	3. Episode 3: Killua's x Retractable x Claw

**Episode Three: _Killua's x Retractable x Claws_**

* * *

Bending back, I stretched out my spine, placing my hands flat on the ground before throwing my weight back so I could land soundly on my feet. Killua had wandered off, having spotted Gon and Kurapika over by Leorio. "Excellent work, everyone." Congratulated Satotz, standing in front of a pair of large doors. "Phase Two of the exam will occur here, in the Biska Forest Park. So, I shall take my leave. Best of luck to all of you." With that being said, he left us alone to silently wait.

The large doors slid apart, showing off rows of cooking stations in front of a large mansion. Sitting in front of the doors of said home was a curvy woman on a plush sofa, with a giant of a man sitting behind her. _'He probably weighs a good three ton, if not more...'_

"Will all applicants who passed the First Phase please enter?" the woman asked, sounding nice. We all entered and gathered around. Gon, once he spotted me close to the front yet off to the side, dragged the others over. "Welcome. I'm Menchi, the Second Phase examiner."

"And I'm Buhara, the other examiner." It was surprising that his voice did not make the earth quack, given his large size. He was actually soft spoken. But his stomach was more vocal, as it growled loudly, scaring most of the applicants.

"You must be hungry."

"I'm starving…"

"There you have it." Menchi stood proudly before us. "Phase Two will involve…" dramatic pause, "... Cooking!"

"C-Cooking?" questioned the shinobi reject.

"Isn't that what she just said, idiot? Or is your hearing that bad?" I called out, my patience wearing thin by this group.

"What does cooking have anything to do with being a Hunter?!" someone shouted, jumping to the shinobi's defense quickly.

I smirked, the little light the shun in the darkness of my head covering showed the sharp incisors I supported; made for tearing flesh as well as marking it. "Obviously none of you pathetic humans have enjoyed a true hunt for your daily meals… I shouldn't expect much out of a race that is so coddled." I shrugged, as if it was nothing.

"We're here to take the Hunter Exam!" a large man, Todo I think, shouted in displeasure.

"That's quite right." Menchi agreed, smirking slightly. "Your challenge for the Second Phase is to produce a dish that will satisfy our palate." That is possibly easily said than done.

"Why do we have to cook?!"

"Will you stop your whining, children?! Maybe then we can move on… On the other hand, would you rather we all fail because you wasted all of our time? If you have yet to notice, these exams happen to actually be timed." If I hear another person complain, I'm killing them if we make it pass this phase.

"That's because we are Gourmet Hunters." Menchi explained, sounding proud of this fact.

Todo flat out laughed at them both, completely disrespecting their authority, as the others joined in. "Man, what a letdown."

"They're Gourmet Hunters…"

Turning, I flat out stared at where Satotz was hiding in one of the trees, listening in on his thoughts about these two Hunters. _'Just as I thought… Most, if not all, of us are going to probably fail because she has a bad temper. Fucking great…'_

"So, Gourmet Hunters, what are we supposed to make?" asked a sarcastic Todo.

"Buhara."

The large man stood, making the ground tremble with his weight alone. "The required ingredient is pork."

"Pork? As in pig meat?"

"I think we have established that is what pork is, fool!" I moved to the side, dodging the fist that Leorio was going to use to punch the back of my head, causing him to lose balance and fall face down.

"You're free to use meat from any species of Biska Forest pigs. You must use the cooking facilities here to prepare the pork. And you only pass if we both find it delicious."

"And we will evaluate more than just the taste. Don't underestimate the intricacies of cooking. Got it?" clearly everyone did **not** get it. "When we've both eaten our fill, the exam will end."

"We get it. We get it. Let's just start." After a bit longer, Buhara slapped his large gut, making a sound of a gong. Flittering away from the others, I began my search for the pigs, a bit surprised at being able to find them so quickly. They were large, like the size of a small boulder, with even larger snouts.

"They probably have soft skulls, that's the reason behind the large noses." I jumped down, landing solidly on the back of one of the beasts, before driving my left fist down on top of its head; the kill was quick and easy. Slinging the large boar over my shoulder, its dead weight making my feet sink into the earth, as I pushed hard against the soil for a high jump; using the momentum for a second – mid-air – jump to get back to the site. Throwing the dead animal down, I examined my station with narrowed eyes.

"Ah, you're already back with your pig?" Menchi asked, surprised.

"The grill won't produce a hot enough flame to cook the meat if one was to put it on the rotisserie spit…" I then examined one of the knives, sighing heavily at how dull the blade currently is. I reached into one of my pockets and pulled out a sharpening stone that was wrapped in a thin cloth, and ran water over it before sharpening the blade until I was happy with the results. By now, more people have returned, as I pulled out a strainer and a large bowl, slitting the pig's throat, and allowing the blood to run into the bowl, while the more 'jelly' blood sat in the strainer.

"What are you cooking, Senka?" questioned Killua, peeking over at my station after quarter of an hour.

"Something called dinuguan…" I answered, finishing cooking the pork that I cut up.

"A-Are you using blood?!" a creeped out Leorio asked, just as I added the blood and bay leaves. I shrugged, cleaning whatever I dirtied, before grabbing a smaller spoon.

"What do you think?" I held it out to the white haired boy once I finished cooking, scooping some of the stew up.

He quirked an eyebrow at me, before leaning over and taking a bite, much to Leorio's chagrin. He chewed for a bit before swallowing, only to give me a very blank look. "It's alright… Probably needs more spice to it…" Killua shrugged, before turning back to his large pig.

"Really?" a bit unsatisfied with his answer, I spooned up a bit for myself and ate it. I frowned, glaring at his back. "Cocky bastard…" I added some more spices to it before I deemed it fit to serve with the rice I made to go with it, making sure to place it into two plates for the examiners.

"Now eat the pig and send me to the next phase." Commanded Todo, presenting his burnt meal.

"Okay, it's evaluation time." Menchi wasn't at all impressed. "Taste testing." Buhara passed him, but he'll probably pass everyone because he is that hungry. Menchi, however, was harder to impress as she failed him for the overcooked food.

The shinobi didn't do that much better, either. "Charred on the outside, uncooked inside." Do they honestly think this is a game? Menchi takes her life work seriously. And this trend continued for everyone, while I simply waited with an apple, secretly keeping my dish warm by my own means.

"No one's passed yet…" Leorio observed.

"And Menchi hasn't even taken a bite…" Kurapika pointed out, sounding exasperated.

"Hey! Can't anyone out there satisfy me?" our female examiner demanded.

Jumping off the top of my cooking station, I placed both servings on a large platter that I rested on my left shoulder, and carried it up to them both. "Hmm?" Buhara tilted his head and stared down at me in wonder. "Menchi, it's the first applicant that came back…"

"Oh? Let's see what you've prepared for us, kid." I bit the inside of my cheek, preventing the scoff that tickled the back of my throat. Rolling my eyes, I sat one plate before Menchi, before turning the platter around on my hand and setting a much larger plate before Buhara. The teal haired woman looked interested, as she leaned forward. "At least it is something different." The large man was first to sample it, and passed me like expected, while the woman was a bit more unsure. She shrugged her shoulders and picked up a spoon, scooping some stew and rice, and taking a bite.

_'High chance I'll fail. But that is fine with me. At least I tried something different.'_

Menchi had a thoughtful look as she took another bite, as if slowly thinking over the dish itself. Placing the eating utensil down, she dabbed at her face to remove any blood that might have gotten on her lips. "You did well. You brought something different to us, and you know how to cook, and ended up preparing a dish you seem pretty familiar with, but it could have been better." She held up a sign with a giant red 'X' on it. "Experiment more with the herbs and spices. You have what it takes to be a very good cook, kid."

I nodded in understanding and turned on my heels, heading back to my station. "See! That's what happens when you try serving someone cooked blood!" Leorio rubbed in, trying to sound superior to me.

"I doubt you can do better. After all, you all have only been talking about how the dish looks…" and I was correct. Both Leorio and Gon's dishes were tossed out for their childish decorations. Kurapika went next, presenting them a beautiful looking dish, which caused the teal haired examiner to try it, before throwing it in a table flipped rage, claiming it was worse than the wannabe-doctor's, which didn't sit well with the blond.

* * *

Just as I thought, everyone had failed the exam, and because of this, the exam committee's Chairman had to come and interfere with the decision, stating at how unjust it was. As punishment, Menchi had to join us applicants in the test retake. This resulted in her asking old man Netero-san to take us to Mt. Split-In-Half via his airship. It was actually a large mountain that was split in half.

Once we landed, Menchi explained and showed what we had to do. Simply jump into the cavern, grab a hold of the web, wait for the right moment, let go and grab a Spider Eagle egg, and ride updraft back up to the top. It was quite enjoyable, to the point that I wanted to do it again if all of our combined weight did not destroy the web. I scoffed, biting down into my boiled egg. "Bahaha! You act like a starving dog, Senka!" teased Killua, just as I licked off any remaining food from my fingers.

"Hn. It's been about a week since I last ate anything, so excuse me for being hungry…"

"Jeez, if you're that hungry, just say so. No need to starve yourself." He gave me whatever remained of his own egg.

Warmth flooded my cheeks as I took it into my small hands; nibbling on it a bit. "Thanks…" I mumbled, turning away from him quickly to save myself from embarrassment.

* * *

"Allow me to introduce myself to the forty-three remaining applicants. I am Netero, Chairman of this year's Hunter Exam Selection Committee."

Standing next to him was a little person with a green blob for a head. "I am his secretary, Beans."

"Originally, I'd planned to make my appearance during the exam's final phase, but as I'm already here…" the atmosphere was tense. "I'm loving this tension in the air!" Killua yawned, while I relaxed back. "So I think I'll stick around for the rest of the trip." The old man chuckled, finding all of this amusing.

"We are scheduled to arrive at our destination tomorrow morning, at 8 AM. You'll find dinner waiting in the dining hall. You are also welcome to get some rest. In other words, you're free to do as you please until you are contacted." The little green man stated.

"Okay, Gon, Senka! Let's explore the airship!" without waiting for my response, the snowy haired boy grabbed my free hand and dragged me behind him as Gon and he ran out.

"S-Stop dragging me, idiot! I can walk on my own!" I shouted, miffed that he could easily pull me around.

"Huh?" he looked down at our clasped and quickly let go, his face turning pink.

Next thing I knew the boys were being chased out of the kitchen by one of the chefs, while I simply snuck by with a large piece of meat, slowly eating it to savor the taste. Following behind them, Killua stopped and looked out the large window to the right. "Mm…" Gon enjoyed his meat happily.

"Wow, awesome!" the blue eyed boy ran to the window, pressing his face against the cold glass. "Look, Senka, Gon!"

"Hmm? What is it?" I leaned back a peered over my shoulder while Gon pressed his face next to Killua's, staring down at the ground below. "Whoa! It's like the ground is covered in jewels!" Killua agreed with the black haired boy. "Hey, I was wondering… Where are your moms and dads?" his hazel eyes trailed between us both, asking us the question that has been on his mind.

"Hmm… They're alive. Probably."

"What do they do?"

"They're assassins."

"Huh? Both of them?"

"Well, that's interesting." I stated with a shrug.

"That's your first reactions? Hahaha! You really are a riot!"

"Huh?" Gon was confused as Killua took to straddling one of the benches, while I sat on a railing, leaning against one of the supporting pillars as I watched their reflection in the glass, my outer leg hanging off the edge while the other was pulled up to my chest so I could rest my arm on top of my knee.

"You guys are the first people who has ever responded seriously."

"Well, you're telling the truth, right?"

"What makes you think that?" he questioned, looking curious.

"That's not something a normal person your age would joke about, you know?" I easily met his sapphire gaze with my crimson one.

"It's just a hunch." Gon explained his reason, staring right back at the other young male.

"That's weird… People only like me because they can't ever tell whether I'm serious."

"Huh? Really?"

Killua nodded, looking out at the land below us. "I'm from a family of assassins. So they're all assassins. And my family has really high hopes for me… But I can't stand it. Who wants to have their life planned out for them?" He sat up and stared angrily up at the ceiling. "When I told them I wanted to decide my own future, they all snapped! My mother had tears streaming down her face, as she told me I have the potential to be a top assassin." Gon chuckled awkwardly while I stared at him blandly, listening to him rant more about his family. "Horrible parents, right? It's natural their kid would go bad. We ended up fighting. So I stabbed my mother in the face, my brother in the side, and ran away from home." He looked smug, cupping his chin with his left hand. "I'm sure they're out for blood now. But if they find me, I'll send them packing."

I rose a black brow as he stood, probably imagining something amazing. "Okay…"

"When I become a Hunter, I'll start by capturing my family. I'm sure they're worth some hefty bounties…"

"Eh… Hehe…" Gon rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably. "What about you, Senka?"

"I don't know, nor care, where my father is. My mother, on the other hand, committed suicide a week after we were born." I spoke nonchalantly, eyeing them both as they took in this information.

"Eh? Why?"

"Probably due to shame of giving birth to me. Like Hisoka said, I'm the _**Imiko child**_…" I spat the word out, as if it was something foul tasting, turning my glare away from them. "To her race, I am a curse created from my mother's infidelity, soiling her body by laying with a man – a man the polar opposite of herself."

"How do you know that?" inquired Killua, leaning forward on the bench he straddled.

"I was born self-aware, meaning the minute I exited her body, I was already learning and understanding things that was going on around me… Because of being a mistake, my birth was never placed on record; I don't exist at all. To cover it all up, my mother's best friend took me from her arms and threw me over and into a river. A group of bandits found me and raised me for about 6 years, before leaving me because I always sought out someone to fight to the death against… Truly a shadow."

"H-How could they do such a thing?" Gon frowned, looking upset.

"Because they are Kōrime, women with hearts as frozen and dead as the island they live on. It doesn't really matter, anyways. I became what they greatly feared, and it will always be that way. I have no place to call home, and no real family that will ever miss me."

"Are you going to kill them?" Killua asked all of a sudden.

Turning my head, I looked him dead in the eye. "I first thought about it, after all I originally planned on finding my mother and murdering her. But that was when I found out she killed herself instead, and her friend that discarded me to my fate ordered me to kill her, so she could repent for her sins against me. But why should I? Their cold existence is far worse than death. They are a race that is never really alive; a race that I pity because of their cold hearts and frosty disposition."

"Isn't that place called _'Hyouga'_? It's impossible to find, so how did you?" pointed out the young assassin.

"I have my own ways, such as you having yours, yes?" he looked at me sullenly, almost like a spoiled child who did not get his way for the first time. He quickly dropped the look as a wave of energy hit us, making them both turn and look in the direction it came from, while I looked the opposite way; spotting old man Netero calmly walking towards us.

"Something wrong?" he asked innocently, his clogs clacking against the floor.

"Ah, Netero-san… Did you see anyone coming from that side?" Gon pointed over at the area where the energy originated from.

"No."

"You're pretty fast for an old man."

"That little trick? I barely moved." Killua stared the man down, creating a tense environment.

"What do you want? You don't have to do anything until the last phase, right?"

"No need to be so unkind. I got bored, and was looking for some companions. By the way, I meant to ask the three of you… Any thoughts on your first attempt at the Hunter Examination?"

"Uh-huh! It's fun! And there haven't been any of the written exams I was dreading." The green clad youth happily responded.

"I'm disappointed… I expected the exam to be more difficult. I assume the next phase will be more entertaining?"

"Well, now… I wouldn't know about that. What about you?" the elder man turned his gaze over to me.

"It is… interesting, to say the least…" and I left it at that.

"Let's go guys!" the assassin huffed, turning on his heels as he got ready to walk away.

"Now wait just a moment." That caught their attention. "Would you care to play a game with me?"

"A game?"

"If you're able to defeat me, I shall let you be Hunters!" he declared.

"Really? I'll play!"

"How about it, eh?"

* * *

I lounged casually in the same room that Hisoka was building another castle of cards, my eyes closed as the hammock I was in rocked to and fro. Peaking one of my crimson orbs open, I sniffed at the air, actually tasting fresh blood. Even Hisoka picked up on it, if his sharp gaze was anything to go by.

Getting up, I sought out the source of the fresh kill, only to come across Killua carrying his shirts under his right arm, his left hand spotted with flecks of fresh blood on the tips. Behind him were two bodies. "Finally had enough of the old man's games?"

Killua's head snapped up with a dark glare, his sapphire hues still glittering with blood lust. The feeling slowly started to drain away, before he blinked a few times as he registered my form leaning against one of the windows. "Is that why you left Gon and me earlier, Senka?"

"That, and I wanted to rest for a bit. Hard to do that over your loud grunting." I looked back at his kills. "I bet they'll have a tough time cleaning all that up once they find the corpses… The wood flooring is going to absorb all that blood like a sponge."

"You're not afraid of me?" he asked, looking surprised.

"Do you have a bad memory or something? I used to kill people for sport, you know. Young or old, men or women, if they got in my way, I removed them by any means necessary. So no, I'm not afraid of some kitten like you."

"K-Kitten?! Why such an embarrassing comparison?!" he demanded, face flushing a rosy pink, as we walked side by side.

"Oh… because of the retractable claws."

* * *

**IMPORTANT AUTHORESS NOTE:**

For any review/comment I get mentioning that Senka is a Mary-Sue/Gender bent Hiei, I'm going to flat out ignore it.

I'll state it now that, yes, Senka is heavily, and I do mean _**heavily**_, based on Hiei from YuYu Hakusho, as he is my all time favorite character, and I've been a massive YYH fan for over 15 years, so expect it to be heavily implied through out all of this. But in no way, shape, or form is she a copy of Hiei, as this story will show later on.

Also, demons will be mentioned, but only fire and ice/water ones, because there are still things that are undiscovered in Hunter x Hunter that I do not see it as being implausible of having non-human races that can use Nen. So enjoy, favorite, add it to your alerts, and review.

Big thanks to all of you that have done all of the former. It means a lot to me. And I shall try to get all of Trick Tower into one chapter, so I don't bore you all to death.


	4. Episode 4: Framed x For x Murder

**Episode Four: _Framed x For x Murder_**

* * *

It was late the next day when we finally arrived at the 3rd testing site. I only listened for a bit, finding out we had 72 hours to get to the bottom of 'Trick Tower' to count as a pass. Strolling over to the edge, I looked straight down. "How interesting that drop would be…" I mused, picturing the corpse at the base of the tower, nothing but a bloody inkblot on the hard soil below. Eyeing the other contestants, I vaguely wondered if I could get away with shoving someone off the side of the tower, just to see what they would look like when they make impact with the hard ground.

"That's a creepy smile…" Killua pointed out, walking over to me with Gon trailing after like a faithful puppy. "What are you thinking of that could cause a creepy look such as that?"

"What do you think, say, Tonpa would look like if I shoved him over the side?" I asked, speaking loud enough so that the giant tub of lard could hear. "It would probably paint a lovely picture the moment his fat ass goes splat." I grinned, eyeing the large man as he shrunk away from my gaze.

"Now Senka, you shouldn't be trying to scare Tonpa-san. He's been nice to all of us." Gon scolded me like a mother would their child.

"By nice, you mean trying to get rid of us rookies, then he's a fucking saint…" I mumbled, making Killua snicker at my sarcasm.

"Hm? Did you say something?" Gon's head tilted a bit to the right, as he eyed us both curiously, before shrugging his shoulders. Shortly after, a man claiming to be the 'greatest rock-climber in history' started climbing down the side of the tower.

I looked up, seeing large violently red, babies with wings flying. "Well, he's a goner." Just after I said that did one come swooping down, clamping its shark like teeth around the man's body, before soaring off again with its meal. "That way is out… Though I do wish to test out a theory with Tonpa as my victim…"

"Senka, you're a sadistic guy, aren't you?" Killua coughed at Gon's words, causing tears to rim his eyes as he looked at me before looking at the green clad pre-teen. I, on the other hand, just stared at him blandly. Just how blind is he, really? I think my gender is pretty obvious, even with this prepubescent body of mine.

"Killua, don't make me pull out your precious voice box." I stated calmly, narrowing my eyes at his giggling form once Gon left the two of us alone.

He stopped giggling, only to cast me a sly smirk. "I'd like to see you try, _dude!_" Killua then started giggling like a schoolgirl all over again, as if he said something real witty. Rolling my eyes, I glanced around, only to narrow my crimson hues when I took notice that there were fewer contestants standing with us.

Tucking my hands into my pants pockets, I strolled around behind Gon, quickly finding five different entrances to the Tower. "Kurapika! Leorio!" he shouted, calling the other two over to us.

"What is it, Gon?" the blond one asked, as they closed the short distance between us.

"Look." Kneeling down, Gon pushed on one of the tiles. "I found a hidden door."

"I see now. So we can descend by flipping the stones."

"Okay! Great job, Gon! Let's head on down!" Leorio complimented the prepubescent boy.

"But I'm confused."

"About what?" Gon went to point out all five trap doors. "That many?"

I proceeded to tune them out as I went over to one of the doors and gently pressed my foot against it. The door did not even budge from the pressor. _'What the hell?'_

"Let's go, on the count of three."

"I guess this is goodbye for now."

"We'll meet up again, at the tower's base."

"Let's go… One!"

"Two!"

"Three!" they all shouted, jumping down on their doors, while I walked over on mine, only for them to disappear while the one I stood on stayed flat.

_'Someone is fucking with me. I know, for a __**fact**__, that no one used this entrance!'_ glowering, I glared at the dumb door.

* * *

I landed on the balls of my feet, cradling my skateboard against my left side, as we all dropped into an empty room. Old man Leorio had landed on his face, as comical as it was, while Kurapika and Gon landed similarly to myself. "That was quite a brief farewell." Stated Kurapika as he brushed dust off his blue and red tabard.

"Oh, so all the doors led to the same room…" complained the old man, while I silently scanned the room. Gon, on the other hand, stood up and walked over to a sign.

We all followed while he proceeded to read the thing. "'The five of you must follow the will of the majority to reach the goal.'"

"Five of us?"

"Look… There are five stopwatches." All of us grabbed one after Gon did.

I noticed the weird buttons that were also on the device. "There's an 'O' and an 'X' button." I stated, frowning a bit at how odd it was.

"Could it be that we won't be able to leave this room until another person drops in?" questioned Kurapika, fastening the watch around his wrist.

"But—"

"That is correct!" a speaker cut me off, making me glare at it. "My name is Lippo. I am the prison warden here, as well as the Third Phase examiner. Multiple routes through this tower have been prepared. You have chosen the path of majority rule. Cooperation will be key if you wish to clear this phase of the exam. One person's selfish behavior can derail an entire group. And you can't start until you have five members. Best of luck, gentlemen!"

"We can't move on until someone else arrives? What do we do?"

"We have to wait, I guess…"

We looked up, staring at the tiles above us, hoping that someone would fall through. "We would've been able to move on if Senka's door opened…" I mumbled, frowning at the wall as I crossed my arms.

"Maybe his door opened up to a different path?" Gon suggested.

"Tch. I doubt that, with how close our doors were to each other."

We waited and waited. During that time, Gon handed me his fishing pole, while I handed him my skateboard, which he proceeded to learn how to ride before being able to go in circles with it.

"Oh, come on! It's been two hours… What if the others all took different routes? Only a fool would still be at the top of the tower!" Pops shouted, annoying me.

"Calm down, Leorio." I yawned loudly, covering my mouth, as Kurapika scolded the other male like a wife would their husband. "Complaining won't help."

"But… What if no one shows up before we reach our time limit?"

I heard someone tapping on the final door, causing me to look up as specks of stone fell. "That sound…" shortly after he mentioned something about it did the tile move, dropping two people down into the room.

"Itai…" Senka rubbed her sore hip as she got up, her large hood still obscuring her face. She removed her sword that was strapped to her waist, and proceeded to check on it. "Thank God! Looks like you are good for something, Tonpa!" using her heel, Senka dug it into the side of the fat old man, making him cringe in pain as he stumbled to his feet.

"Good grief…"

"Tonpa-san."

"Oh."

"It's the old man." Aside from Gon, none of us were pleased to see Porky Pig in the room with us.

"Ah! And Senka, too!" without warning, Gon rushed over to her and wrapped his arms tightly around her in a huge bear-like hug, causing him to lift her off the ground a few inches.

"I-Idiot! Put me down this instant!" she shouted, her body going rigid in his hold. While this was going on, Tonpa took it upon himself to snap on the stopwatch.

* * *

"So…" drawled out Killua, coming up on my right while Gon stood on my left. "What took you so long on getting down here?" he asked, sounding disinterested.

"Apparently I don't weigh enough for the trap door to function…" I answered, frowning. "I'm guessing 36 kg isn't enough to trigger them…"

He started snickering at my 'misfortune'. "Are you serious?! Bwahaha! Sucks to be you!" Without looking at him, I slammed my fist against the backside of his skull. "Itai! Itaiiiii~ What was that for?" he whined, rubbing the abused portion of his head.

"For being an ass. I thought I'd knock the shit out of you…" I replied, following after Kurapika as we came across a platform in the center of a large room. Below us was nothing but pitch blackness, as air rushed up, teasing the brim of my hood along with my bands.

"Wh-What is this place?" wondered Leorio.

"A fighting arena." I answered, making them turn to me. "I can smell traces of blood from that platform, possibly from former applicants." I pointed at said platform, just as my crimson orbs locked on a group of shadowed figures on the other side of the room.

"Look over there." So Killua noticed them, too.

"The applicants have arrived. Remove the shackles." As he asked, the shackles the man that was speaking fell off, clinging loudly as the hit stone. "Jeez…" he complained, rubbing at his wrists. The weird robe he wore followed the shackles. "I'm finally free." He was a large – yet weak – man with tan skin and scars.

Fixing my gaze on one of the other hooded figures; I lost interest about whatever the speaker was blaring about. As I thought, it was a case of one-on-one fights, starting against Tonpa and Scarface. Typical Tonpa… The obese piece of shit gave up the second the fight started, causing me to kick him in the gut once he came back over and removing his watch. He grunted in pain, casting me a heated glare, before getting into a fight with the old man-teen. Following that pathetic excuse for a match, Gon went next.

The green clad pre-teen's opponent was a scrawny man, with oily black hair that partially covered the left side of his face, by the name of Sedokan. We had to choose which candle our teammate got to use. Either the long one or the short one. However, either or could have been tampered with. Because of this, Kurapika thought it is best to rely on Gon's instincts instead of bickering about it like children. Gon, the simple-minded fool, chose the long one and we all backed him up on his choice.

Shortly after they lit the candles, Gon's started burning more quickly, while I frowned as another gust of wind greeted us from the bottom. He was down to a stump of wax with a large flame. Setting it on the floor, Gon rushed up to his opponent and blew the weaker flame out; gaining a win for us. "Oi. Sedokan, was it?" I spoke loud enough that the opposing team wouldn't hear me. "Next time you switch candles for a tampered one, I'll gladly cut off your fingers and shove them – one by one – down your throat… Understood?" he visibly paled, his legs shaking, as he went back to his team.

"What was that about?" inquired Killua, his hands tucked behind his head.

"Personally, even with my own background against me, I despise cheats. It did not matter what candle we chose, he would have switched it out for a fixed one anyways. If Gon hadn't found out a way to win, it would have been a lose-lose situation for anyone else." He nodded in understanding. Kurapika decided to fight next. I leaned back against the wall and crossed my arms, keeping my eyes trained on the remaining three of the opposing side.

His target was a strange blue-skinned male with odd body modifications attached to his disfigured face, with 19 little pink colored hearts on the left side of his chest. Basically, he was nothing but one giant fraud. Not once in my, extensive, criminal history have I heard of a mass murderer named Majitani. "That's one freaky body…" Leorio said what we were all thinking.

"And face…" chimed Killua.

"Yet it is all fake, like a hookers' body." Nothing against prostitutes, after all I knew a few, but the fakeness of their bodies repulsed me to no end. Why would any man want to fuck a doll? If they really wanted to do that, it'd be less expensive to just buy one of those humanoid-sex toys.

"Look here!" The fraud pointed at the hearts, "I've killed nineteen people, but it bugs me that nineteen is such an uneven number. I'm so glad I've gotten to meet number twenty."

"I'd slit his throat and be done with it… that sound is repulsive to my sensitive ears…"

"I insist that we put our lives on the line. I won't accept some half-assed contest. Blood! Entrails! Agony!"

Killua looked over at me, looking bored. "You're looking a little green, Senka…"

Smiling slightly, I jabbed my elbow against his ribs, watching as he bit down on his lip to prevent any sound of pain. "That man's voice is making me nauseous…"

Majitani kept going on and on with stipulations, all of which Kurapika agreed with. He tossed off his tabard and dropped his weapons, completely ruining the freak's plans as they fought. Cringing in disgust, I watched as the blue-man flexed, making his fake muscles ripple.

"Is Kurapika gonna be okay? This guy looks dangerous…" worried Leorio.

"Yet looks can be deceiving…" I muttered, looking off to the side. Even Killua looked like he thought the same thing.

"You don't need to worry." Gon popped up next to us, looking sure of himself. "Because when I look at him, I don't get chills." He explained, arms loosely crossed over his small chest. I was right, he had animal-like instincts if he can tell that much.

"What does that mean?" none of us clarified for the wannabe-doctor.

"Time to show you the ace up my sleeve!" Majitani jumped high in the air. "I'll see you dead!" Kurapika jumped out of the way, easily avoiding Majitani's surgically enhanced blue fist. It left a giant crater in the ground. Removing his face, the blue freak show turned around and flexed his shoulders, showing off a large black spider tattoo; one that its main body was in the shape of a skull.

"A tattoo of a spider with twelve legs… That's…" I raised an eyebrow, staring curiously at the taller male as he spoke in wonder.

"Yeah, I recognize it." The pig-man spoke, making my bloody gaze cut over to him. "Anyone aspiring to become a Hunter has heard of it." His tiny pupils shook in fear. "That's the symbol worn by members of that notorious band of evil thieves, the Phantom Troupe!"

"Where have I heard that name from?" I asked aloud, putting a finger against my chin as I looked up at the ceiling. "Guess it is not all that important…" I shrugged. The air grew tense as the blond male slowly rose, his whole body stiff.

"What's wrong?" taunted Majitari. "Cat got your tongue?" he giggled. "I'm Majitani, one of the Phantom Troupe's four kings!"

"Eh? He's got his wires crossed… That doesn't sound at all accurate…" I am sure that the term 'Four Kings' was a nod to another group of bandits that were strictly a group of four that claimed to be 'Kings'.

"Consider that first strike my way of saying hello." Kurapika gave off a completely different aura, almost as if he became a different person in general. "This is your last chance to surrender. I'm still willing to… Huh?" the smaller male's head shot up, cutting off the prisoner who looked startled at what he was seeing. "Wh-What's wrong with you?"

Kurapika ran forward, getting into the blue-man's blind spot, and tightly grabbed his lower jaw. "Oh, this looks good…" humming, I grinned as Majitani fidgeted.

"O-Okay! Wait! I get it! I surrender!" I doubt anyone else heard him as our blond haired teammate drew his right fist back, and then letting it fly, sending it against Majitani's glass jaw as he smashed the prisoner's skull against the arena's floor.

His – once gray – eyes had changed into a brilliant scarlet color. As Kurapika jumped back, the freak's body bounced against the stone like a rubber ball, before laying still on his front. Whistling lowly, Killua grinned, obviously impressed with that punch. It was silent for a few moment, as we all watched on. "Consider this a warning…" Kurapika spoke in a low voice. "First, a real Phantom Troupe tattoo has the member's number on the spider. Second, they don't bother counting how many they've killed. Third, never mention the Troupe again. If you do, I'll kill you." He promised, scaring mostly everyone around us.

"Well, saw that coming from a mile away." Shrugged Killua.

"Yeah… Sure you did…" I rolled my eyes as he glared at me, sticking out his tongue like an immature child that did not get to have sweets before dinner.

"Are you okay, Kurapika?" inquired Leorio.

"Yeah, I'm not injured." He replied, walking back to us.

"Also, is it safe for us to be near you?"

Kurapika grabbed his head, sighing heavily. "From the moment I saw him, I knew he was weak. And mentally, I knew that tattoo was a fake." I took note that his eyes turned back to being gray. "But as soon as I saw that spider, everything in my sight turned red…"

Leorio looked exasperated. "Well, I can't blame you."

"Actually," his pale skin gained a pink hue to it, "to tell the truth… Even when I see a real spider, my personality changes, and I enter a frenzy." I frowned, not finding this to not be the least bit amusing.

"You should have told us sooner…" Kurapika walked passed us and sat down in the tunnel, resting his head against his drawn-up knees.

"But this means that the rage in me remains as strong as ever. I suppose I should be happy."

"We should keep Kurapika away from spiders." Gon whispered loudly to the taller man.

"Definitely." He agreed, giving a shallow nod. "Okay! I'll secure our victory!"

Leorio went against a female prisoner with brilliantly pink hair that reminded me of a type of medicine, pulled up into two large pigtails by yellow ribbons, using time as betting chips. This all happened because Kurapika would not kill Majitani, leading to Killua and I to offer to do it for him, which he refused, stating that it was a one-on-one fight, and our interference would give us a loss. We both dropped the subject and it got us to where we are now. Rock-Paper-Scissors…

"Rock-paper-scissors? And what the hell is that?"**[1]** I asked, frowning at the fact that I did not know.

"You really don't know?" Kurapika inquired, sounding shocked.

"I pursued strength! I do not have time for your trivial games!" he rolled his gray eyes, letting out a deep breath of air, before explaining it to me like a mother would their child. "Hmph… Pitifully simple…" I scoffed, smirking as I crossed my arms. **[2]**

"Says the person that's never played before…" drawled out Killua with a smirk of his own.

"Fine, then let us play, then…"

"Whatever." I frowned as we began, always throwing the same signs. Growling lowly, I threw out scissors, just as he did the same with rock. "Ha! I win, you lose!" he laughed, pointing at me with a smug grin.

"Luck. That is the only plausible reason." I spat, glaring at one of the walls.

"You look like a drowned out cat with such a sour expression!" he giggled, just as Leorio lost us 50 hours of time. In response, I flipped him the bird.

"It's finally time for the second to last round…"

"Guess I'm off." Killua tucked his hands away and started crossing the bridge.

"What? Killua?" the white haired child looked back at the worried man-child.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Dammit! I really needed to win my round…"

"Gon… This guy is totally pissing me off!" he complained while the other child stood between them.

"Now, now."

"Don't give up before we even know what the contest is." Killua shouted, before pouting slightly. "Well, if it's something like mental math, I'm surrendering." He muttered, trying to make it so none of us heard him.

"That's right! Depending on the opponent, we still have a chance!"

As they talked, Killua's opponent stood across from us, completely disrobed. He was of medium height with a bulky build, his messy golden blond hair swayed as he walked forward, digging a chunk of stone out of the wall and throwing it. "Killua gets to have all the fun…" I whined, a bit put out. It was none other than Johness the Dissector. He was sort of a legend in the underworld, when it comes to mass murderers, because he killed with his bare hands. Killua ignored Leorio's warning and met Johness in the center.

"How are we settling this contest?" the twelve-year-old inquired, looking disturbingly cheerful.

"Contest?" rumbled Johness, his deep voice reverberating off the walls. "I believe you're confused. This will be a one-sided massacre." His right hand twitched, itching to tear the assassin apart. "I have no interest in the exam or any offer of amnesty. I just want to hear you scream."

"Really? Okay. Then the loser is the one who dies." The boy calmly stated.

"Yea, that's right." Johness confirmed, curious about the boy as he reached forward. "I'll tear your body apart." Killua wasted no time once the larger man began speaking, simply walking towards him – to me, anyways – and ripping out the blond's still beating heart with his sharp talons, and wrapped it in a brown cloth, where it continued to beat. "Wh-What?" he looked lost, wondering what was happening to him as he turned. "I'm so cold." His hand grasped his chest; beefy fingers grazing the gory hole in his chest. Killua grinned, looking like a satisfied cat that finally got the old lady's pet canary, as he fully displayed the cloth covered organ.

"That's… mine." Johness fruitlessly wandered over to the grinning child, trying desperately to get his heart back to be placed in his chest, where it would belong. "G-Give it back." His body pitched forward, arm out stretched, as it finally gave a final pump. Almost like he was offering the old lady her dead canary, Killua gently set the cloth covered heart in its owner's hand. The score was now 3-2, with us leading.

"Who is he?" Leorio inquired as the other made his way back.

Gon looked up at him, realizing what he was talking about. "That's right. You guys don't know."

"Huh? Don't know what?"

"Killua comes from an elite family of assassins." I spoke before Gon.

"Eh? A-An elite family of assassins?" the man-child looked between Gon and I in disbelief.

"I'm back." Killua declared, tagging me in. "Have fun with your opponent, Senka~"

Rolling my eyes, I strolled out and changed places with him.

"Tch… What's with all these kids? And a woman-child none the less!" a Cheshire like smile curled my lips; easily recognizing the owner of that voice. "A fight to the death with no surrendering… Sound good to you, kid?" he asked sarcastically, like he normally would.

"That's fine… But let's make it a bit more fun… Say if I win, we get five hours back… Sound good to you?" I altered my voice a bit, making it sound more raspy than it could be.

"Fine. However, before we begin, I want you to remove your hood!" he demanded, pointing a beefy finger at my vest. "I want to memorize the face of my victims."

"If that's what you want… Magister… Though I think it'll be the other way around…" I unzipped the vest and shrugged it off, even removing my red shirt as well; kicking both articles of clothing to the side. Rotating my shoulders, I gave him a coy smile. "How long has it been, Magister?"

His beady black eyes widen as he stared down at me, easily towering over my 4'11" form with his own 6'7" one. Like Johness, Magister was bulky, but also incredibly hairy to boot. Wiry black hair covered his arms and face, falling down to his shoulders in tangles from not taking care of it. "Sen… ka…"

"It's been, what? Eleven years since we last met face-to-face?" I tilted my head to the side. "That's when you and the others left me to the dogs… Poor choice on your part, after all… You wouldn't be in here if you hadn't betrayed whatever kind of trust we had."

"Y-You little bitch! It was you who set me up?!" he screeched, foaming at the mouth in disbelief.

"Is it really all that surprising? You let it slip about your druggie whore of a lover. I just happened to find her with her true lover – her drug dealer, none the less! – and framed you for their murders! _**And do you know what the real kicker is?**_" I asked, chuckling as his whole body shook in rage. _**"She was a mother. The little babe was wide awake when I killed them…"**_

"B-Babe…"

"Oh, but don't worry… He wasn't yours but the dealer's. He's a cute kid."

"DEMON SPAWN!" Magister charged, fist raised in the air as he knocked me to the floor, his porky hand slamming over and over into the right half of my face. I simply stared at him, crimson eyes glowing as he continued over and over, before throwing me to the side, as if I was a rag doll. "I am going to end your pathetic existence once and for all!" I slowly started getting up, just as burning embers rained down over me. Looking up, my crimson eyes widen as one of the bowl torches came crashing down over me, easily covering my tiny body as the fire and hot embers did their thing.

* * *

**[1]** & **[2]** - These are actual quotes that Hiei has said when it comes to the game _Janken_. Go to YouTube and look up "Hiei looses rock paper scissors".

"Magister" means 'Master/Chief' in Latin, so I thought _'Why the hell not?'_ and used it.

I wrote in Killua's point of view! I hope I didn't make him seem OOC, even though that was basically straight out of the 2011 redo of the anime ^^;

**YZ:** Woman/man (it's the internet, so idk), put on your private message so I can easily reply to your reviews! With that aside, no, there will not be any YYH spoilers except for that little Janken blurb, but that's basically it, unless you have already finished the Dark Tournament arc.

Cliffy… After all, who doesn't love a cliffhanger? Well, besides me. I know I hate them. Haha! Anyways, you get to see how evil Senka really can be. She is, first and foremost, a thief raised to have no morals, cursed and wanted dead by her blood family. So review~ I like getting emails saying people have reviewed/faved/watched this story, seeing as it IS my first HUNTER x HUNTER fanfiction.


	5. Episode 5: I x Have x Allies

**Episode Five: _I x Have x Allies_**

* * *

The score showed 3-3… B-But how was that possible?!

The man, Magister, chuckled darkly. "Finally… finally that demon spawn is dead…" he looked pleased as we all stared at the overturned torch. Dark gray smoke seeped from under the rim, curling and twisting as they fought to escape. The door on the other side opened, showing another figure. "As the rules go, there are no ties, so one of you must fight again to pass."

"This might be my lucky day after all. If we can choose anybody from our team to fight this match, then of course it's going to be me." Magister's beady eyes dashed towards where Senka was covered, the large golden bowl rolling over the edge, falling into the blackness below to never be heard, as the dying flames licked at her exposed flesh; red embers falling from her black locks, only to land on her girlish shoulders.

"H-How! HOW DID YOU SURVIVE THAT?!" his high pitched voice bounced off the cold stone walls. Her spine arched like a feline as she stretched, causing the joints to pop and crack, before getting back to her small feet. Some of the bandages that bound her whole torso had become loose, falling down to around her subtly flared hips, obscuring the two white belts Senka wore to hold up her black training pants.

Rubbing under my nose, I fixated my blue gaze on the new prisoner instead, feeling heat rushing towards my face. They stood on the edge, also watching with baited breath. My ears twitched, hearing the faint sound of liquid hitting stone, drawing my attention back towards Senka, only to see her on the other side of the arena. Behind her back was Magister's right arm. "Your sense of feeling is subpar, Magister…" the tiny girl mocked, lifting the larger arm over her head, showing that he had yet to notice the missing limb. Senka carelessly threw it over the side before rushing to the side; grabbing a large handful of hot embers, before slamming the man down.

Pinching the man's nose, she forced him to open his mouth before shoving the smoldering coals down his esophagus. "Oh, how quick you are to forget, but that is expected of your species, isn't it?" she laughed, forcing him to swallow them all. Senka's shoulder shook from mirth as she grabbed his, still attached, hand. "Tell me, do you remember the screams of _my_ victims, Magister?" she asked, breaking the tip of his pinky at the top knuckle, slowly working her way down, repeating the process to each finger, before breaking his wrist at the joint. I cringed, hearing each sickening snap and pop of the knuckles and joints. "Remember when you wanted information? I was the one that broke them, making them squeal like the swine they are, spilling their dirty secrets in a matter of moments…"

Senka flipped him on his front, making a strangled choke escape his scorched throat, as she pressed her heel against the outside of his elbow. "I-Is she actually going to do what I t-thing she is going to d-do?" stuttered Leorio, his face going green as we all continued to watch. Grabbing the man's forearm, Senka braced her other hand against his shoulder as she pulled up on his arm, while her heel pressed down. A loud and hollow SNAP echoed in the large room, followed by a spine chilling cry of pain.

"Oh… I broke it…" she sounded sad, showing us the mangled arm. She had applied enough pressure that the bone broke through the skin. "I'm done with you…" not even finishing with his arm, she sliced open his chest, killing him that way. "You," her sword was pointed at the new prisoner, "do you wish to fight me?"

"N-No fucking way!" they shouted, scurrying back into the dark pit.

"Oi! Examiner!" Senka stared at one of the cameras that was monitoring us, a faint purple glow shining from under her black bangs. "We pass, right?" ripping a rag off of the dead bandit's corpse, Senka cleaned the blood off her blade. A bing was heard, showing the score as 5-2 instead.

"Heh? Is it broken?" Pops asked, eyeing the scoreboard.

"No. Technically I won two matches, giving us two points and reversing the previous decision of Magister's win." Senka explained, walking back over with her shirts and vest tucked under her bandaged up arm, while her sword was put back in its proper place. The old man stiffened and crossed his arms in front of his chest, as if to ward off any would-be attacks. "What?" Senka asked, staring at him with innocent crimson eyes.

"Uh… Well, good work!"

She scoffed, figuring out why he was so afraid of her. "Don't worry fool, we've entered into an alliance and I'm not the type to break it. Of course, after we escape this tower I can't guarantee anything."**[1]** She smirked, showcasing a pair of sharp incisors that looked like they were meant for ripping flesh. The wall on our left rumbled loudly, just as a doorway appeared with a bridge connecting to it.

"Across the bridge, you'll find a small room. You must spend the fifty hours, minus the five that your teammate won back – so forty-five hours, you gambled away there."

"Well, let's go." I picked up my skateboard with a grin, walking next to Gon as the lone female led us across.

Once we entered did the door locked behind us, a clock flashing the time we have to spend in here, as Senka scaled the bookshelf, laying on her right side with her right hand propping up her head. "Good grief. We have to spend forty-five hours in this room?" complained Pops, flopping down on one of the couches.

"We wouldn't have to if you didn't gamble our time carelessly just to satisfy your libido, gramps…" Senka yawned, rolling over onto her back, her arms cushioning her head as she crossed her right leg over the left, closing her eyes. "You're simply lucky that I won us back five hours." Leorio grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Killua." Called Kurapika.

"Huh?" I looked up at him, waiting for whatever he was going to say.

"Can you tell me how that technique works?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Technique?"

"The one you used to instantly remove his heart."

Senka snickered, making us look up at her. "That wasn't even a technique. He just plucked it out of Johness' chest with his bare hands."

I scowled, sticking my tongue out at her like I normally do. "Ripped it out?"

Grinning, I held up my right hand. "But to make it easier, I manipulated my body a bit." As I spoke, the veins on my hand popped out, while my nails lengthen and became razor sharp.

"Y-Your nails…" Leorio twitched, while Gon stared in amazement.

"Wow!"

My hand changed back to normal as I dropped it back to my side, grinning happily. "Mass murderers are still only amateurs. I used to be a professional." I pointed my thumb at myself proudly. "But my old man would've done better. When he removes a heart, you won't see even a drop of blood."

Leorio laughed nervously, a cold sweat breaking out over his face. "How reassuring."

"Well, then. We have less than two whole days."

"What should we do, Killua?" Gon asked me.

"First, we should search the room for any kind of entertainment. And then we can try and coax the cat from her perch!" I pointed at the black and white haired girl, who lazily opened one of her bloody eyes and glared down at me. I returned it with a smirk.

"Yeah!" we rushed off to explore, leaving Senka to laze about on top of the bookshelf.

* * *

"Uh… Senka?"

"Hn?" I slowly opened up one of my eyes and looked down, spotting a nervous looking Gon.

He scratched the back of his head, biting the inside of his cheek, before meeting my hooded gaze. "I-I just want to apologize for all the times I've mistaken you for another boy…" he said, sounding as honest as a human could be. "It was very rude of me to simply assume such a thing, so I'm sorry."

A stared at him, a bit confused by his actions. "Why apologize for something that is not your fault? After all, I never bothered correcting anyone who mistook my gender. Yes, I am biologically female. Do I honestly care? No, I do not. Except for the difference in reproductive systems, both male and female are the same." I rolled onto my side, resting my cheek against my fist. I still have yet to place my shirts or my vest back on, silently preferring the elements against my naked flesh.

"But… I was told its rude to treat girls in such a way…" he mumbled, his sun-kissed cheeks turning a very faint pinkish color.

I scoffed, smirking slightly at the boy. "I'm a criminal that tortured, threatened, and killed someone not that long ago, and the only thing you are worried about is being rude to me because you thought I was male? You make no sense, Gon." His cheeks puffed up once he looked up at me.

"Oi! I have a question for you!" the dark haired man-child shouted, leveling a finger to my face.

"And that would be…?"

"Magister was arrested over 10 ½ years ago! There's no way you could—"

"Possibly know him because I am _12_, right?" I cut him off. "As I stated during Kurapika's match, looks can be deceiving. Take yourself for example. You said you're 19, yet you look 30… Can't the opposite be possible?"

"What are you saying?"

"Fool. I'm 16, technically."

"'_Technically'_?" questioned Kurapika, sounding interested in this conversation. Even Killua and Gon looked curious about what I meant.

"Do you humans honestly need everything spelled out for you?" I asked, getting annoyed with their stupidity. "If we are counting how many years I've been alive, then yes, I am sixteen-years-old. However, seeing as my race ages slowly and has long lifespans, we mostly go by physical age appearance instead."

"Wait… You're not human, Senka?" asked Gon, his large hazel brown eyes glittering in amazement.

I shook my head as I checked my left arm over, seeing soot smeared across my peach-tan skin. "Obviously not. After all, when humans are coated in fire and burning embers, they don't get up unscathed, now do they?"

"Bull!" Killua shouted, pulling on my left arm that I had draped down as evidence to Gon's inquiry. I yelped, not expecting that, as we both fell onto the hard floor.

"Stupid! What was that for?" I scowled, rubbing at my sore head where it knocked against his. Hissing lowly, I felt how tender the area around my Jagan was. It was not the best spot to headbutt someone with, seeing as an eye was still an eye, no matter if it was demonic or not. Sitting back on my knees, I rubbed my abused forehead with my right hand, as I fought the urge to find a mirror and check the _evil eye_ I had surgically transplanted into my skull.

Killua, on the other hand, kept staring at me with wide eyes, slowly trailing them over ever span of naked flesh that is laid out before him.

* * *

The white haired youth simply laid there, staring at the dark haired female on top of him, as his face heated up. This… This was beyond his field of knowledge. Now, his brother Milluki on the other hand, would probably have some basic knowledge of this kind, from hours of being online, but never from actual practice. "G-Get off me! You're heavy!" he shouted, wiggling out from under her.

Senka's angular bloody optics narrowed as she kicked at one of his pale legs, making the boy wince from the slight jolt of pain. "I wouldn't have fallen on you if you hadn't pulled me down." She stated coolly, getting back up and climbing back on top of the bookshelf. Along her way back up, she grabbed a plain looking book and opened it, leaving it propped up against her slightly bent legs, as she flipped through the pages, as if what had happened never bothered her.

"If you're not human, then what are you?" questioned Gon as he stood on the tips of his toes, still a foot short from the top of the bookcase.

Flipping to another page, she turned the book so it was upside down, before bringing it closer to her face, examining the shiny pages. "Demon." Her naturally husky voice dropped in volume as she replied. "There are only three main types of demons known, however one is really a subcategory of the other. They are fire, ice, and water. In addition, I doubt there are any other types, though there are different classes for each demon."

"Classes?"

"It's a ranking system to show how strong an apparition is. And each class is broken down into ranks; low, middle, and high ranking demons."

"What are you, then?"

"Class or type?"

"Both, if you're fine with sharing."

She was quiet, going to another page, never taking her eyes from the glossy paper. "I'm a fire apparition. Possibly one that's a mid to high C-class… Still no where near as strong as I was or could be." Senka scowled, displeased with this fact. "The weakest are D-class demons, while the strongest are S-class. It goes D, C, B, A, and finally S-class. Most of us die before we even make it to A-class, so it really is something if someone can makes it all the way."

"That's… a complex system…" Gon admitted, falling back onto his heels.

"Ha! So you're not as big and bad as you make yourself seem!" taunted Leorio, sounding pleased with this new information.

"I wouldn't say that…" she mused. "After all, not all of my kind do what I do. They mostly like to keep to themselves, while I was raised by human bandits. Magister was the boss of the group that took me in." She shrugged, sitting up and pulling her shirts and vest back on, feeling the icy stone as it pressed against her breastbone; calmly reminding her of why she was here.

_'Yukie…'_ her mind whispered, thinking of her naïve younger sister. The dumb girl just had to leave the safety of her glacial village in hopes of finding a lost cause. That very lost cause that is taking an exam to find the dumb girl, that very same dumb girl that had vanished without a trace, to the point that the Jagan eye could not even locate her whereabouts.

If Senka had to classify anyone as someone she would willingly die for, that she would suffer and be tortured to near death, to have any sort of fondness for, it would be that dumb girl that was named Yukie. Internally scoffing at herself, Senka leaned back against the wall, the art book she had been looking through currently forgotten, as she closed her eyes. As clear as day was she able to visualize her sweet sister; the very same sister she swore to protect, yet never tell the truth of their relations. Senka has been left alone, to die alone, because of what she is and what she has done. Above all else, she did not want the one person whom she cared for to loathe her existence. So, instead, the truth of their familial connection will die with the cursed child, never to be revealed to the innocent one.

However, the main thing that was currently bugging the black haired girl, was why she was being so nice – well, as nice as she can be – to these strange people. Senka knew next to nothing about them, and none of them have really earned her trust, yet here she was, being dragged along and sharing information about herself. Her brow crinkled as she thought hard, yet not getting a regular answer as to why. Growling in agitation, Senka started meditating on it, in hopes that the answer will come to her.

"Oi, Gon…" Killua poked the boy, catching his attention.

Said boy turned and faced him, looking at him curiously. "Yeah?"

The white haired preteen leaned forward, so the others would not be able to hear them. "What do you think of Senka?" he questioned, his eyes darting over to the silent girl.

"She's nice!" he smiled. "Though she can be scary, she doesn't seem to be the type to abandon people in need."

"But she's a criminal."

"Probably not by choice. She did tell us how she has no home, or family, and the people that took her in weren't friendly, so that type of life is possible, right?"

"That's illogical, Gon!"

"I think we should trust her, Killua. She probably has never been treated nicely, so we should do our best to make her feel welcomed… After all, that's what friend are for!"

Did Gon honestly think of her as a friend? Killua didn't know. However, he knew he should not really judge her so harshly, given his own background as an assassin, but it is only logical that he would, as he was raised to hunt and murder people like her if the Zoldycks were contracted to do so.

Kurapika looked up from his spot on the ground, a book sitting in his lap, as he studied the girl with crimson eyes. If she hadn't state her demonic heritage, the blond youth would have gone on to assume that she was a distant cousin of his; one that survived the Kuruta massacre. His gay eyes continued to observe her, taking note that even though she looked relaxed – and asleep – her body was tense like a tightly wound spring. Ready to act in just a moments notice.

Senka slowly exhaled, keeping her eyes closed, as she finally came to some plausible conclusion. _'Allies… I… I have allies…'_ smirking at the ludicrousness of it all, she went back to her normal thoughts that did not involve bloodshed and strength. Just simple, unimportant, memories of Yukie. The more the fire apparition thought about it, the clearer it became, to the point of being able to smell the crisp winter air mixed with pine from the trees she rested in, watching over her beloved sister. She could feel the rough bark against her back and legs, as the pine needles cloaked her form from outside eyes, and provided shelter from the white ice crystals called snow.

Senka heard the birds chirp, mice squeak, deers snort, and other animal noises mixing in with the bell like laughter that was uniquely Yukie. The naïve child sat amongst the woodland creatures that she dubbed as 'friends', giggling as a blue bird nuzzled her pale cheek, while a rabbit lovingly nibbled on the tips of her fingers. Yukie's long seafoam green hair cascaded down her tiny back, ending just a bit below her shoulder blades, as her dark lashes caressed her full cheeks, hiding those doe-like red eyes. The same shade of red as Senka's own slanted gaze. As the sun set, Senka gently prodded at her overly-trusting sister's mind, silently warning her of the dangers of being alone in the forest at such a time, and watched in silence as her sister left.

As much as Senka loved this memory, she also hated it. Because of her own carelessness, and the stupidity of that damned woman who bestowed Senka's fate upon her, Yukie had left Hyouga in search of someone who should have been long dead. Now… Now she was missing, and no matter how hard she tried, Senka just could not locate her sister anymore with her Jagan. That is why she wants a Hunters License. For access to information that would otherwise be unavailable to the likes of her. In addition, it also gave her another chance at life. To find something better, instead of hiding in the shadows and killing.

* * *

Five hours were left on the clock, and surprisingly Gon had asked if he could see my sword. Shrugging, I unsheathed it and handed the blade over, watching him struggle to lift it. "Not as easy as you thought, now is it?" I asked, leaning against a wall.

"How do you swing this with one hand!? It's so heavy!"

I took it back, holding it at level with my shoulder, as I glided my left index finger over the broad side of the blade that faced the floor, stopping at the center of my weapon. "You have to strengthen your wrists first, and then you have to get used to the blade's weight. Though, personally, I rather you not get used to the weight of my sword…" without another word, I tossed it high in the air and jumped, grabbing it with my left hand.

"Is it really that heavy?" Killua walked over. I passed the hilt to him, watching as he staggered back. Gaining his balance back, the white haired boy tried swinging the weapon, only to miss my face by an inch. I scowled, taking it back and putting it away. Killua laughed nervously, scratching at the back of his head. To break the growing tension, Gon offered to let us see his fishing rod.

I held the end loosely, allowing the end to sway. "How on earth do you seriously use this?" he tried explaining how, but it did not work, so I passed it on. Killua casted the hook, getting nothing, before yanking the hook back, catching Leorio's pants.

"Hey?! Do I look like a fish?!" the man shouted, trying to keep his pants on – literally!

"Jeez, it's not like I'm going to fry you up and eat you…" he scowled, unhooking the fabric. Gon chuckled, before casting the line and landing it in Tonpa's empty teacup.

* * *

I was ecstatic when we finally got to leave the room. However, my patients is wearing thin as we rushed to get to the base of the tower, going through obstacles, nearly getting crushed, the works. Oh, _**but that was not the worst of it!**_

The worst thing was when we were just a doorway away from victory. "'This will be the last decision made by majority rule. Are you ready? Choose O or X'" read Killua. "That's it."

"Am I ready? You bet."

I was about to push 'O' until Tonpa's fat ass knocked into me, forcing me to press 'X' instead. Leorio turned and glared at me, while I pointed at the real cause of this. A light flashed on the female statue. "Please select a path. There are two choices. One path allows six to pass, but is long and difficult. The other path allows only three, but is short and easy. Incidentally, the long and difficult path requires a minimum of forty-five hours. The short and easy path leads to the goal in approximately three minutes. Press O for the long and difficult path, and press X for the short and easy path. If X is selected, two people must be secured to the wall with handcuffs and one must stay of their own choice, before the door will open. The two chained members and the person chosen to stay behind will be unable to move until the time limit expires."

"The examiners were very prepared. I think they have every weapon under the sun here." Killua spoke.

"Only half of us… So we're supposed to fight, to decide the three who pass?"

"Let me make this clear. I'm going to press X. But I have no intention of staying behind. I'll do whatever it takes to be one of the three…" Leorio stated his piece.

"You're shameless." Commented the walking tub of lard. "Had you not wasted forty-five hours, we could have taken the long path. Shouldn't you take responsibility and stay behind?"

I backed myself into a corner, knocking against the stone walls. "Well now, I feel stupid…" I frowned, noticing that the tower was actually made of very soft stone. Any heavy bladed weapon could easily destroy these walls. "So that means…" I chuckled, understanding my choice.

"Hold on." We all turned to Gon. "I'm going to press O. We made it all the way here together. I want us all to pass together. Even if it's a big risk, I want to give it a shot!"

"Come on… You can't really call this a risk. We have less than an hour, even with the time Senka won us back." I raised an eyebrow. "Gon, there's only one choice if you want to pass this exam."

"There you have it."

"Now we have to decide how to choose which three pass. Well, I'm planning on it being you, Senka, and myself." Tonpa edged back, grabbing an ax off the wall, and threw it at Leorio, who dodged. This started a huge fight that I gladly stayed out of. Gon finally told them his plan, and we all chose the long path, taking turns hacking away at the wall to the short path. Leorio kept pissing me off with sexist remarks, along with calling me 'Hamster legs' **[2]** that I took my bubbling anger out on the wall. Guess the fool did have a brain after all.

Once we made it through, Killua jumped through the hole first, before I was shoved after, falling against his back, making him drop his yellow and red skateboard. Both of us stumbled on top of it, and started moving fast down a fucking slide! "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" I screamed over Killua's cheerful laughter, clinging onto him for dear life. He had his hands tucked into his shorts pockets, as he leaned his body forward or backwards to direct the board, while I just simply followed his example, wanting to be off the damn thing.

"YAHOO!" we finally made it to the end, as I got off the board, my legs all wobbly once I let Killua go. "That was awesome!" the others appeared as the door opened

"Senka, applicant #100, is the twenty-third to pass. Total time, seventy-one hours and fifty-nine minutes." I sighed, dusting myself off as we finally exited the tower. Not once have I ever thought I would miss the sun as much as I have. "The Third Phase of the exam is over. Twenty-six applicants have passed. One has died." Another door opened, granting us freedom from this hellish tower.

_'I'm one step closer, Yukie…'_

* * *

**[1]** - Hiei actually says this to Kuwabara after his match against Zeru during the Dark Tournament. Though I did replace 'Tournament' with 'Tower', but it's the same.

**[2]** - Kuwabara has actually called Hiei this a few times, because of Hiei's short height of 4'10" (though he does grow to be about 5'3" at the end of the series, haha).

Again with Killua's point of view! I hope he isn't too OOC. If he is, let me know! Also, yay! More information on Senka that some of you probably could have already guessed. And no, Senka is not above calling her own sibling stupid, no matter how much she loves them. As for the art book she was reading… I'll let you guys think what it was ^^ It's actually pretty important later on. If anyone can be the first guess the artist, then I'll willingly do a oneshot about a character of their choice with any rating/type.

Given Senka's character, it should be pretty obvious. Oh well… Review please! Thanks!


	6. Episode 6: The x Hunt x Begins

**Episode Six: _The x Hunt x Begins_**

* * *

Stretching, I welcomed the warmth of the blazing ball of gas the was high in the sky, my peach-tanned skin soaking up the delicious heat as if had been starved of it for months. Doing this made Gon and Leorio look at me oddly, not understanding the importance of being in my natural element. My body was starved for it, as the only source of fire/heat came from my match, and it was hardly enough to quench my body's thirst for the very core of my being. Humans will never understand the importance of being surrounded by a certain element that is the base of their being, unlike with demons. We know the importance of them, as it is apart of us. We are children of these elements, and they deserved the respect and gratitude after bestowing us with our own unique abilities that represented either fire, ice, or water.

"Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations on having escaped Trick Tower." A small man with oddly styled purplish hair commented, standing in front of the large group. "Only the Fourth Phase and Final Phase remain." He then pointed to an island that was in the distance. "The Fourth Phase will take place over there, on Zevil Island. Let us proceed." He snapped his fingers, and an old man wheeled over a trolley with an odd box on top of it. "I will need you to draw lots." People asked for what, while I narrowed my eyes. "To determine who will hunt and who will be hunted." Hearing this, I smirked, scanning the crowd with interest as I stealthily removed my number plate, before kneeling on the ground, tucking it into the bandages wrapped around my right leg.

"In here are twenty-five numbered cards. In other words, your ID numbers are on the cards. Now, I need you each to draw a card, in the order by which you exited the tower. Will the first person come forward?" Gasps of surprise went around as Hisoka stepped forward, his right shoulder and left side sliced open. And it continued like that for a bit, just as I went up after Gon, taking a card from the lot box. "Then, remove the seal from your cards." We were instructed after Tonpa got his. I pulled the white film off, showing the number _**'198'**_ printed on the card.

"Tch." I scowled, realizing it was one of those idiot Amori brothers. Just my luck, too. I was hoping for a true challenge, not a simple throw away.

"Hn. The card indicates your target." Everyone now started hiding their tags, which was stupid to do now. "This box has recorded which card each of you drew. This means that you're free to dispose of the cards if you wish. The objective is to steal your target's ID tag."

"Oh, so we don't need to kill each other." One of the brothers sighed in relief.

"Naturally, you're free to use any method you choose to steal the number plates. Including killing your target and taking the tag off the corpse." I rolled my eyes, getting bored with this mindless chatter. "Listen carefully! Your target's ID tag is worth three points. Your own ID is also worth three points." So we need a total of six, that's simple enough to understand as I tuned out the rest.

* * *

I sat on the boat's railing, staring out at the vast body of water. Eventually Gon and Killua found me and sat down, my left leg being the only thing between them as it hanged. "What number did you draw?" asked a nonchalant Killua, as he did not even bother to look at us while he asked.

It just made the air thick with tension and worry. "How about you?" questioned Gon, his voice easily betraying his feelings.

"Secret." I scoffed at the reply.

"Some small fry…" I answered, closing my eyes as I laid back, just enjoying the sun's warm rays.

Both boys laughed sheepishly, sort of breaking the tension. "Don't worry. Both of you aren't my target."

"And my target is neither of you."

"Show each other our numbers at the same time?" inquired Killua, looking between us.

"Okay!"

"Ready, and…" the boys spoke together, while I stayed quiet, casually holding my card out to them both.

"#44 is…" Gon, unluckily enough, got Hisoka's number. "Seriously? You have really bad luck…"

"You think so?" the green-clad boy asked, smilingly slightly. "Who's #199 and #198?"

"You don't know, either? I didn't bother to memorize everyone's numbers. After the initial explanation, I started checking tags, but everyone had already removed them. That's so lame…"

I reached down and grabbed the top of Killua's head, forcing his head to turn until he was looking at the group of brothers. "That, Koneko-kun, is our targets." His white hair was incredibly soft, almost like cat's fur. I removed my hand and tucked it back under my neck, as I went back to dozing off, possibly missing the rest of the conversation.

* * *

"Thanks for your patience, everyone." The 'tour guide' stated cheerfully as a plank was dropped, connecting the boat to the island. "We've finally arrived at Zevil Island! Now, please disembark in the order by which you cleared the Third Phase. After each person disembarks, we'll wait two minutes before the next person's turn." Meaning I had to wait for 46 minutes before I could leave. "You will stay on this island for exactly one week. During that time, you must amass your six points of ID tags and return here. All right then, the first person may start!" Hisoka left us, and the pattern continued every two minutes, to the point that I was glaring at nothing.

Once my turn came around, I dashed off, taking to exploring my environment for awhile. Jumping higher and higher, I found a nice branch that allowed me to overlook a good portion of the island. A branch broke behind me, alerting me to another's presence, as I dashed away. Whomever it was, they kept track of me, just as the sun began setting. Growling lowly, I quickened my speed more so, finally losing whomever was following me. I kept running and running, before finding a nice looking tree, which I scaled up to the highest point, and relaxing back on the thick branch that would be my sleeping spot for the night, and proudly fell into a light sleep.

* * *

The early morning sun woke me early the next day, making me yawn as I stretched out my body, smiling once I heard the audible sounds of my joints popping as I stood on my perch. Remarkably, I was not all that far from a water source. With food and water in mind, I took a step off the tree limb, feeling the air rush past my face, causing my hair and clothes to lift a bit, as I fell back to the ground.

This time, I took my time, enjoying the forest as I reached the small lake that was filled by an equally small waterfall. Kicking off my shoes, I waded into the cold liquid, scooping some up in my cupped hands, and drinking the fresh water. From where I stood, I could clearly see the schools of fish that lazily swam around, without a single care in the world. I went back to shore and grabbed my shoes, walked around the perimeter of the lake, getting closer to deeper water, before stripping down to my bandages and light blue boxer shorts.

I made sure that my clothes and sword would be fine, just as I removed my number plate from my leg wraps, tucking it in the folds of bandages around my chest, as the rest – minus the ones on my right arm – stayed with my other articles of dress. I took a deep breath before exhaling slowly, taking another deep breath, and diving into the crystal-like blue water. Spinning around, I watched as the fish glided and danced around me, without a single care of the predator that lurked in their home. A large, bluish-silver scaled fish swam by my face, before disappearing by where the fall met the lake. I swam back to the surface and got another lungful of air, before going back under, making my way towards the area the shiny fish had disappeared.

The pressure of the falls above were felt as I passed under, finding myself behind the running water and into a large cave. The walls glowed a bright green, while the water was of a much darker shade – bordering on black. Finding a small shelf in the stone wall of the pool, I hoisted myself up and scanned around, finding a group of the bluish-silver scaled fish. Smirking, I dived back in and swiped my hand across the water, just as one was about to jump for a firefly that flew too close to the surface. I dug my fingers under its gills and swam back to my things, intending to make a nice little fire.

I popped up, throwing my catch by my shoes, and quickly unsheathed my blade. "Hohoho~ no need to act rashly, little imiko…" crooned none other than Hisoka, his golden gaze raking up and down my damp form. "A young woman, such as yourself, shouldn't be showing so much skin… Mainly on an island filled with men~" he warned, wagging a finger at me. "You never know what type of men lurk around~!" Hisoka dramatically slapped the sides of his face, looking horror-stricken at the mere thought.

"What do you want, _Hisoka_." I spat, narrowing my crimson gaze at him in distrust, my body still tightly wound up for an attack.

"Hm?" he reached out a sharp pale hand, going for my neck. My eyes widen, as I realized what caught his interest. I slashed at his intruding hand while jumping back, baring my teeth at the grinning magician. The cold stone, that hung safely from my neck, bounced against my breastbone from the sudden movement, before going still. "Such an interesting stone… Could it be… your dear mother's tear?"

"Either state your purpose here, or leave, Clown. My patients is wearing thin by your mindless chatter."

"Before this phase is over, I wanted a chance to spar with you…" he grinned, pulling out a playing card.

"Who am I to turn down a fan's request, just remember, you've brought this upon yourself." **[1]** I tossed my sheath to the side, sliding lower to the ground. Hisoka simply chuckled before rushing at me. I planted my feet firmly into the soil, blocking the card with one arm, while raising my other to protect my face from the punch that was aimed at it. It throbbed a bit as I slid back, frowning at him.

Straightening himself out, Hisoka motioned me to attack with one hand. Running forward, I jumped up and slashed down, before changing my swing at the last second, and going towards his already wounded side. Hisoka jumped back, allowing the blade to graze his side enough to reopen the gash. Swinging with my left arm, I made him focus more on the blade, allowing me to smash my elbow against his jaw, which earned me a swift kick to the ribs. Biting back a grunt of pain, I landed on my right hand before I righted myself.

I started getting frustrated, feeling the heat roll off my skin and channel it into my sword. With both hands, I brought it down at an angle, aiming for the jester's throat, only for him to grab it with his bare hand, causing the sharp weapon to dig into the flesh of his palm. Growling lowly, I felt blood trickle down my cheek as he sliced it open. I kicked myself back, landing a fair distance away from him, and wiped away the crimson liquid that matched my eyes. Hisoka chuckled lowly, licking a thin streak of my blood off his playing card. "Hate to say but that's hardly hygienic." **[2]** I commented, scowling at the twisted jester-esque man.

"But the taste is so intoxicating~" he purred, throwing cards at me. I dodged most of them, but one managed to slice my right forearm, making the bindings unravel to show peach-tan skin tainted by – what appears to be – black ink that formed part of the body of a serpentine dragon. Blood ran like tiny streams as I fell to my knees, dropping my sword in the process, and covered the mark.

The beast raged, fighting to consume my being, as it burned and charred the visible span of flesh the was revealed. Hisoka just watched on, a psychotically turned-on grin curling his thin pale lips, as I struggled with the pain and control over the dragon the resided in my right arm. _'Dammit!'_ I swore, gritting my teeth as I used my Jagan to slowly calm it down. In the far reaches of my mind, I faintly heard it growl as it settled; a silent warning that it had yet to accept me as its master.

Hisoka chuckled, looking amused as his gold eyes glittered happily. "I am glad to spar with a Jaganshi, it was delightfully fun~❤ However, I must take me leave~" with a deep, mocking bow, he finally left me alone to lick my wounds. That was the second time that that bastard got the best of me!

"UGH!" letting out a frustrated yell, I punched the hard ground, creating a small crater where my knuckles met the earth. I breathed heavily, bringing up my bleeding arm, and slowly started licking the thin cut as a means to clean it. Once satisfied, I grabbed the leftover bandages and worked on redoing my right arm, going from the top knuckle of my fingers all the way up to my mid-upper arm. I redressed and worked on my meal, taking the remaining bit of frustration I had for the crazed clown, and channeled that into cleaning and gutting the fish after setting up a mini-fire pit.

The flames danced and twist, licking at the meat, cooking it slowly as I silently waited. I bite my lip, feeling the sharp fang dig into the soft flesh. The flames started dying as I tasted to irony taste of blood, having broken the thin layer of skin that made my lips. "God dammit! If I can't take care of a lowly human like Hisoka, then how am I to protect Yukie when I finally get her back?" I wondered, tearing into the smoked meat of my meal. Once done, I cleaned everything up and left, taking to the trees as I scented the surrounding area for my target.

* * *

Senka jumped from tree to tree, not even waiting to fully land on a branch before jumping to another, the fresh forest air blowing the different scents to her, including her own target's scent. Mixed with it was one she came to familiarize with Killua. It smelt coppery, vaguely reminding the fire apparition of fresh blood, with a stronger, more sweeter, scent coating it.

Her target, Imori, on the other hand smelled like dried sweat and pepper… Not the most pleasant of smells that she has come across. That mere thought made Senka cringe, not pleased with her demonic sense of smell most of the time. It was mostly a curse instead of a blessing.

It wasn't that hard to find the two, just as another's unique smell trailed downwind of her location in the large trees. The pathetic excuse of a shinobi was also stalking the two, all while being stalked by someone else. Possibly one of the people that trailed after her the other day. Senka sighed silently, moving forward along their path, out of the other's sight, and wrote a small greeting to the white haired boy, alerting him that her lamb was being followed by the big bad wolf as it trailed after a white kitten.

Senka chuckled, finding the comparison amusing, as she knew in certain parts of the world that it was _white cats_ that symbolized bad luck, instead of black cats. With the message written, the young female took to the trees once more, silently waiting for her time to strike.

Killua paused, staring down at the ground, as he read the scribbles, before smearing it out with his foot. His pale cheeks flushed with blood, once again embarrassed with being compared to a feline, as his cat-like sapphire hues darted around, trying to pinpoint where the former criminal was hiding; possibly laughing at his reaction to her greeting, before continuing on down the trail he had set for himself, wondering when the idiot following him will finally show himself. Killua, after all, was getting pretty bored of this poor excuse of 'Cat and Mouse'.

* * *

**[1]** & **[2]** - Both are, again, quotes from Hiei from his semi-finals match during the Dark Tournament.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! It was a bit short compared to my last one, but I think that where I ended it was good, so I'm happy with it :) Also, the challenge is still open to guess the art book's artist from the last chapter! So send in those guesses! It'd make me happy :D


	7. Episode 7: My x Daughter x Senka

**Episode Seven: _My x Daughter x Senka_**

* * *

It was already the next evening when Killua broke the silence after a while. "I know you've been following me since the exam began. You fail at hiding." He sounded disappointed as I waited from a large tree, one that was placed a few yards before him, watching and listening to the snowy haired boy. "Show yourself. Let's play." I heard Imori twitch at the chilling words from the assassin, while crickets chirped in the distance as if to fill the tension that surrounded us like thick tar. Shrugging, Killua continued forward, as did I.

Though, to be perfectly honest, I was tiring of this task quickly, not finding the fun in the hunt.

* * *

Amusement laced my chuckles as I brushed a purplish-black flame away with a simple tap of my fingers, hearing the annoyance lace the young pyro's thoughts. "Still keeping track of her?" my spiky headed acquaintance asked, leaning against my shoulder.

"But of course. Can't say the same for you, though…" I leaned back, watching as his face twisted in annoyance. I was right and he knew it. "You know, it is quite odd, these paternal feelings… I honestly didn't think it was possible for our race to even have them." I announced, rubbing my jaw. "Though, it is sad that I have better paternal instincts than you do, seeing as you _are_ the human."

"And what's that supposed to mean, Huojin?" he demanded.

I hummed, toying around with the flame once more, seeing the child that lurked deep in its core. "It means whatever you want to take it as." I shrugged, brushing his heavy form off my person.

"Whatever…" he grumbled, looking like the spoiled brat that he was, as he turned his chocolate colored eyes elsewhere while pouting. "… You never did explain what _that_ did…"

"Do you seriously expect me to explain all my tricks? And here I thought you liked puzzles and games…" I sighed dramatically, putting my chin on top of the back of my hand as my crimson eyes bore into his scruffed up back. You would figure for such a high class, and well respected, Hunter, he would dress himself better. But nope. That's too much work for the vagabond running from his own son.

"Go back to stalking your brat!" he snapped, slinking away with a wounded ego. Chuckling darkly, I grasped the large flame and held it at eye level with my left hand, feeling fatherly pride swell in my chest.

"Show me how much you have grown… Senka…"

The flame danced, proceeding to show me what my eldest daughter was doing.

* * *

I kept following, staying a few yards in front of Killua, as I continued to wait for the right time to attack. Internally groaning, watching the bad game of Cat and Mouse. _'Dammit, Killua. Have you ever been told not to play with your food?'_ I cursed, glaring at the snowy youth. He continued slinking forward through the forest, much like a cat stalking the helpless mice that wandered into its territory.

"You're wasting your time. I'll never give you an opening to attack." He was met with silence.

Annoyed, I removed the white cloth around my forehead, opening up the Jagan eye that is implanted in my skull. _"Hehehe… Tremble with fear. Wear yourself out. I am a very cautious man. I go to any lengths necessary, even when facing a child. Once he exhausts himself, and has no choice but to sleep, I'll attack! _Hehehe… I am a very cautious man." I replaced the ward and jumped down.

"Man…" he groaned, looking bored.

"Oi, are you bored yet?" I asked, hands tucked into my pockets, as I strolled over to Killua.

He just casted me a sideways glance, letting me know he acknowledged my presence. "If you're not gonna show yourself, I'll come to you." Killua warned, giving the idiot a chance to save face. Grabbing my sleeve, he forced me to follow as we went closer to Imori's hiding spot. "What a pain… You're only worth one point to me." His pale lids covered his sapphire hues as we closed the gap.

Even from here I could smell Imori's fear at the possibility of fighting, not trusting himself to win without his brothers' help. As if summoned, the other two Amori brothers appeared. "We ran into some trouble." The one in red spoke, looking down at my target.

"You're done, right?" asked the one in yellow.

"Eh?" the both spoke, taking notice of Killua and myself, before directing their glare at their brother, stalking towards him in anger.

"You idiot!" Red shouted, punt kicking Blue in the side so hard, that he flew through the air a bit.

Yellow punched him hard in the face, sending him back towards Red, "you can't even beat a little kid? Mainly a little kid and his girlfriend?" my nose scrunched up at that term. What the hell was a 'girlfriend' anyways? Was it someone who happened to be female that was friends with someone? If so, I'm not his girlfriend. I am merely Killua's female ally.

Blue fell back on a root, placing his hands up in defense. "Y-You got it wrong, Amo!"

"What do I have wrong?" scowled Red, bringing his fist up.

Killua and I just continued to watch their stupidity. "I-I didn't want to hurt a little kid." He explained, trying to sound convincing. "A-And she just appeared a bit ago, I swear!" a drop of sweat fell from the point of his chin. "So I figured I'd take it while he slept."

Yellow came up and pulled his meaty fist back, ready to punch the other's lights out. "You're lying through your teeth!"

"These idiots make me miss Leorio…" I mumbled, causing Killua to look at me with a raised eyebrow.

"F-Fine. If you insist, that leaves me no choice. Time for a beat down." Blue walked over, his body overshadowing mine and Killua's, as he tried to look intimidating. "Hey, kids. Just give me your tags. Do as I say, and I won't hurt you."

"Stupid."

"Fool."

I blinked, taking note that we spoke at the exact same time.

"Tch!" Blue side kicked the washed-out assassin, making the younger boy to fall back a few meters, before kneeing me as hard as he could in the chest. I skidded across the dirt floor, landing on my right side and just laying there after coming to a complete stop. "Aw, don't way I didn't warn you. Right in the gut and chest."

"Must hurt like a bitch."

Clearly they have never felt true pain before.

Lazily I sat up, while Killua raised his legs in the air, before jumping back to his feet. "Huh?"

"What? Did you go easy on them?" questioned Red, while Blue started sweating bullets.

"You're too nice, Imori." More like dumb.

"Y-Yeah…"

"#198, huh?" Killua pulled at my target's tag, looking disappointed at that fact that it wasn't his. "Since it's only a number off from the one I'm after, maybe #199 is one of your two buddies?" he tossed the tag up and down with his right hand, before casually flicking it towards me, as if it was a coin.

"Thanks…" I caught it with my left, tucking it safely into a pocket, as I climbed back to my feet.

The three brothers had this odd triangle formation around us, trying to block us in, it would seem. As if knowing what I wanted to do, Killua relaxed his stance more. I smirked, 'disappearing' from Red's view. "A-Above?"

Getting behind him easily, I slammed my heel into the back of his left knee, calmly watching as it buckled before failing, bringing him down like a house of cards. Holding the sharp side of my sword against the underside of Red's chin, I pressed my other hand down on his shoulder, digging the sharpening nails into his cloth covered collarbone. "Don't move." I warned. "Unless, of course, you want your jugular slit wide open…" he flinched enough that a trickle of red trailed down his neck. I pulled out his number plate, frowning at it. "You're #197?" I sighed. "Guess you aren't Killua's prey…"

"Hey!" Killua grinned, looking at the last Amori brother. "Are you #199?"

"Yeah…"

"Hand it over." He held out his hand, waiting for the tag. The big guy ground his teeth as I let Red go, too stunned to run away from me, and threw the boy the wanted plate. "Thanks."

"Now, for the tag we don't need…" my ears twitched, catching the faint sound of the shinobi shifting around amongst the leaves. I smirked, cocked my arm back, and letting it fly right past Shinobi-san's face.

"You still have three days. Good luck finding it. See ya."

We both vanished from sight.

* * *

"Man, that was boring." I casually tossed the tag up and catching it, following Senka down a narrow path through the trees. "Wonder what Gon's doing." Rushing up, I walked side by side with the quiet girl. She tipped her head back, her button nose scrunching up, as she sniffed at the air. "What are you doing?"

Senka said nothing as she cut through a few bushes. Not wanting to be alone yet, I followed after her. It appears that we are getting closer and closer to a running water source. It was a small, deep blue, lake that was fed by a small waterfall. Senka kicked off her shoes, followed by removing her vest and shirts. My eyes widen as she reached up to her belts, and I turned around before seeing anything else, my face warm from the blush.

"Moron…"

"Who are you call—" I whipped back around, only to fall short as Senka stood in the large pool, the water only coming up to her waist. Her half-lidded stare burned into my core, making me fidget from unease.

"Are you just going to stand there, looking foolish, or are you going to join me while the sun is still shining?" she questioned, her front facing away from me as she looked over her shoulder. If possible, my face grew redder at the suggestion. Senka did not seem to care, as she looked forward, cupping some of the clear water in her hands and drinking it.

I sat my skateboard down and sat on it, removing my shoes and socks, before throwing both of my shirts on top of them and getting back up. I decided to leave my shorts on and went to the edge of the water, my arms folded loosely over my stomach, as I slowly stepped in. "Ah! It's cold!"

* * *

"Is it really?" I asked, watching as the near-albino boy entered the water. I have never been one to tell between hot and cold, given my naturally high body temperature. In response, Killua crossed his arms and shivered. I rolled my eyes at his theatrics and simply dived in, just enjoying the liquid enclosing around my form. Kicking my legs back and forth, I arrived back on top and kept kicking; using my arms and legs to keep my body afloat.

Killua, on the other hand, had only wadded in until the water barely brushed his shorts. "How can you stand this cold water?" he asked, arms tightly folded over his chest, as if he tried to keep in whatever remained of his body heat.

I swam back, getting closer until a foot was between up both as I stood, the water already drying on my skin. "You are slow, you know that, right?" he simply puffed out his cheeks in irritation. "Naturally high body temperature. Things like this don't really affect me all that much." I answered, showing him how dry I already was. "It also warms the water, so…" with a careless shrug, I flopped back into the liquid, back stroking to the center of the lake, and dipped back to get back under once more. Kicking my legs, I swam towards the green cave, wanting something to eat after stalking the white cat for a few days without rest.

As I thought. A large school of bluish-silver scaled fish lazily swam, not worried about the predator that is currently getting closer, just as I pounced, grabbing two fish in my right hand, before cutting my left on one of the fins of the third and fourth one I tried to grab. I simply licked the fresh cute on my palm, spitting any excess blood on the flat stone rim the encompassed the pool. "Oi, what's taking you so long?" rotating my hips, I stared at Killua as drops of water rolled down his bare chest and arms, dripping off the ends of his white hair.

A drop of blood fell into the dark water, the only sound being the waterfall behind us, as more fell. Without asking, Killua grabbed my hand, bringing it close to his face, and inspected the cut. I watched silently with half lidded eyes, as he peeled back some jagged bits of flesh to show bluish-silver scales embedded in my palm. His sapphire gaze focused on the tiny flecks before pulling them out with his clawed fingers, allowing each to fall down to the bottom of the pool as more of the red liquid bubbled to the surface. Killua's gaze steadily darkened as his eyes fixated themselves on the coppery tasting liquid. "Go on… You know you want to…"

Killua's hooded orbs flicked up to my face, while I looked back at him uncaringly, waiting for him to do whatever it was that he wanted to do. Almost as if he was stealing himself, he brought my palm closer to his lips, and slowly licked away the blood as his other hand tore away some of the bandages the covered my stomach. I continued to watch, silently fascinated by his actions. Humans… Such a weak species, yet the hardest to understand. The pink muscle was soft, as to be expected, but at the same time a bit rough due to the pressure he used. Once he was done, Killua placed my hand in the water, as a means to wash away his saliva, before wrapping up the cut, binding my hand from the top of my knuckles and all the way to my wrist.

I brought my hand up and casually checked it over, finding the job he down to be sufficient. We both said nothing, falling into a deafening silence, as we swam back to shore. Killua took to gathering dry, dead, pieces of wood, while I took time cleaning the two fish I still had. After he came back, he arranged the sticks and a few stones, for the fire, before looking around for anything to start a spark. Scoffing at his forgetfulness, I lit it myself, before placing the fish over the flames. The white haired assassin sat down on his skateboard and just stared, while I went to a group of bushes that were close by and kept my back to him, so I could fix my chest bindings.

Killua's glacier stare bore into my back, as he watched from a distance, not that I minded, seeing as I was raised by a group of male bandits. My old wrapping fell, leaving my whole upper torso bare to the elements, as I frowned, remembering the men who raised me to be the criminal that I am. I can still remember their lustful gazes from our raids, as they took the helpless girls and young women and ruined their bodies for their own selfish needs. The screams and pleas for freedom, the smell of fresh blood from their violent first times, or just by being taken without any preparations to make it painless.

Always… Always the faint smell of liquor, stale sweat, and sex lingered. And I did nothing but protect my own hide from unwanted advances… After all, some of the men had a thing for the prepubescent body, be it male or female. Thinking of it, I can say that I had some form of fear… A fear that if something like that could possibly happen to me, the child sentenced to damnation for just being born, then something of the sort could always happen to Yukie.

I began wrapping just under my collar bone, steadily making my blossoming bosom flatter, as I thought of that fear. If I had never met my teacher, the only person I had shown some form of respect to, I would probably be completely afraid of men. However, as it stands, I show only a slight fear towards a certain type. The type that used their larger size, and the fact that they are men, to corner and harm those smaller than them. The type that looked at someone, someone like Gon, Killua, Yukie, and I with lustful eyes just because we appear to be children that could not defend ourselves – which would only be partly right – terrified me. They terrified me because they reminded me that I was not all that strong in the beginning, and that I actually had to try to keep myself safe. They terrified me because… Because of that one stupid day.

I just had to walk into camp when it looked like everyone was gone, only to find one of the bandits of our group raping a poor girl who cried out for her mother and sister, the very same mother and sister whose corpses I found in the man's tent, completely stripped of clothes and covered with bodily fluids.

The stench made me gag.

She could have been no older than five or six at the time, and she had long, matted, blue hair the color of robin eggs. A completely contrast to my twin's seafoam green. I just remembered the hot feeling of blood as it sprayed my face, staining the white scarf I wore back then, along with my black cloak, red from it. I remember throwing what little valuables that belonged to the corpses at her naked body, threatening to kill her if she did not get out of my sight. The fear clearly visible in her eyes as I removed the worthless sack of flesh's carcass from her, dispelling the only thing that kept them united at the apex of her thighs.

She ran shortly after, with her tail metaphorically tucked between her legs, as I had taken to sitting on a stump, waiting for the rest of the pack to return as I stared at the man's lifeless form, fighting the urge to empty my stomach because of the putrid smell oozing off the two dead females in the tent behind me. It was due to my fear turning into anger that the group thought it best to cut me loose. I 'was a loose cannon', they said. A danger to their livelihood. And so they sold me out to anyone in the human trafficking world, anyone that would take me. Those fools jumped at the chance when the others mentioned my eyes… Ah, yes. The downside of having opticals the same color of freshly spilled blood.

I killed all the traffickers, and hunted down their little friends, torturing them all for information. Some of them had slipped through the cracks at that time, however, I eventually found them once Sensei implanted my Jagan. I found them, killing them slowly, just shortly after Yukie disappeared, which led me to the scientists. Smiling sardonically, I remembered the agreement I made with those imbeciles. They wanted to experiment on me, thinking I was the key to immortality for them, and in exchange, they would tell me all I needed to know about my sister's whereabouts.

That, after two years, turned out to be a bust, as the only information they were able to provide was that Hunters, people who have access to that sort of information, only could access a special site that would get me leads. My anger got the best of me, as I broke out of the tank they liked to keep me in, and destroyed all their research on my genetic code before slaughtering them all like livestock.

Tearing the bandages free from the roll, I tied it off before stuffing the rest back in my pocket.

* * *

Night fell as we sat by the fire, with me poking the burning piles of wood every once in awhile. It was silent, minus the normal noises one would hear during the night, as I rested both my arms on top of my huddled up knees. From the corner of my eyes, I could see that the boy had started staring at me again. Irritated by it, I turned and faced him. "What?"

Killua's sapphire optics widen, before narrowing into a vicious glare. "What exactly are you hiding?" he asked, shifting around slightly. I took note of how his fingers curled and dug into the soft soil of the shore we rested on, showing off his agitation over whatever it is that caused it. "You explained that you're a demon in the last exam, and a fire demon on top of that, but on the airship, you told Gon and I that you are from Hyouga and mentioned that your mother is a Kōrime. Also, you say 'we' a lot when you were talking about your mom, too…"

I frowned, matching his glare with one of my own. I knew, in the far reaches of my mind, that he would not let the topic drop, so I swallowed my pride. "I also mentioned my mother laid with a man, did I not? My father, like myself, is – or was – a fire demon. A child of fire born from a womb of ice? That's blasphemy unless she broke their rules, which she had. As for the _we_ I mention… I mean myself and Yukie…" I turned back to the flames. "We're… half siblings… However, even though she is an Ice Maiden like our mother, she is still my little sister, and I have to protect her. After all, it is my fault she is missing. If only I had died properly, that idiot would still be in Hyouga, away from all the horrors that this world has to offer… Away from people like me…"

His eyes widen as I spoke softly, eyes never leaving from the dancing fire. "You're looking for—"

"Yes," I laughed mockingly, "the person I am searching for is my own sister. I need information about people that want her… talents, to produce precious jewels worth more Jenny than one could spend in a lifetime." My eyes cut up to his own, effectively silencing the question that was on the tip of his tongue. "And no, I refuse to even mention that possibility of our relations when I get her back. Yukie will simply be told her sister is dead and that I was asked, as a dying girl's request, to find and protect her. Yukie does _not_ need someone like me tainting her with blood soaked hands…" Killua nodded mechanically, and left it at that as we rested, already sick of this island and exam phase.

* * *

Told you that Senka isn't a Hiei copy… Though I doubt any of you believed me…

Anywho, the name **_"Huojin_ (金霍)_"_**is Chinese for **"Fire God"/"Fire Metal" **so I thought it was pretty fitting.


	8. Episode 8: The x Walking x Pincushion

**Episode Eight: _The x Walking x _****_Pincushion_**

* * *

I was ecstatic once the current exam phase had ended. I hardly bothered with how many of us remained as we all boarded the Hunter Committee airship, trying to focus on better things instead of socializing like the others. I simply sat on a windowsill, watching the clouds fly by as we moved to our final destination to see who pass and who would go home.

"I have an announcement for all applicants." My ears perked up, hearing Beans voice over the intercom. "The chairman wishes to interview the remaining candidates. When your number is called, please come to the first reception room, on the second floor. Then we will start with #44, Hisoka-sama."

I closed my eyes and leaned back, waiting for my turn.

* * *

A low wooden table separated us as Netero-san smiled cheerfully, gesturing to the empty zabuton across from his person. "Well, have a seat."

I sat down slowly in a seiza position, placing my sword down on the ground, with the hand guard by my left knee, before calmly placing my hands on my thighs. _'How nerve wracking…'_

"I'll just be asking a few questions to satisfy my curiosity." He announced, picking up a calligraphy brush. "First, why do you want to become a Hunter?"

"I… I am looking for someone of great importance to me. I need to find her and protect her, but also, I want to become a Hunter so my talents can be used for a better purpose than they have been."

He nodded and jotted something down. "I see… Then I'll move on to the next question. Which of the other nine applicants are you keeping an eye on?"

I averted my crimson gaze to the table, thinking carefully about this question. "#44, Hisoka. #99, Killua. And #405, Gon…" I answered after a few moments.

Netero hummed in response. "One last question. Which of the other nine applicants would you least want to fight?"

"#44, Hisoka, and #301 Gittarackur…" I replied, remembering the ominous feeling I got around the man with a head full of pins. Something about him always set me on edge, as if I was to be attacked any second if I did not watch my step. Netero-san nodded and dismissed me. I went into shikko before standing up, sword in hand, and exited the room to get some rest.

As I left, I passed Gittarackur just as he entered the reception room, causing the fine hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end.

* * *

"Well, gentlemen… and lady…" Netero-san casted Senka a wink, while she just crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for orders like the other applicants. "Did you get plenty of rest?" the old man asked, before continuing. "This hotel is owned by the Hunter Exam Selection Committee. The place is all yours until the battles have confluded." A large board was rolled out, covered with a cloth and placed next to the chairmen. "For the Final Phase, we will be holding a one-on-one tournament." With a flourish, he pulled the cloth off, showing off a weird bracket-like fighting list with all of the applicants' photos and numbers possibly in a row along the bottom.

"So only the last person standing passes?" questioned Leorio, only for his question to be denied.

"One win is all you need to pass."

"One win?"

_'As long as I don't have to fight that Gittarackur, then I'm good…'_ Senka thought, eyeing the walking pincushion from the corner of her crimson orbs.

"Then, in this tournament…"

"The winners are removed from competition, while the losers continue up the bracket. In other words, the person who finishes at the top will not pass. Does everyone understand now?"

"So you're saying that only one person will fail."

Senka rolled her eyes, finding it impossible to believe how stupid these people actually are.

"Exactly." Confirmed Netero. "And here is the bracket."

The lone female stared, frowning at the thought of having to fight Pin-head. The brackets were set so strangely that she could not make heads nor tails of the whole thing. Mainly with how their match would be after Gon's when she was placed between the young fisherman and the boy in the pink turban, while the other was between Killua and the old man. The loser would have to face either Killua or the other boy. "Impressive, right? After all, everyone has at least two chances to win."

"But some people, like #294 and #405, get five chances." The boy in the turban commented. Senka, herself, had three chances.

"Why didn't you use a balanced bracket?"

"A question that must be on everyone's mind. This bracket was assembled based on your performances throughout the entire exam. Those who performed better received more chances."

Killua gasped softly in surprise, wondering how his newly acquired friend did better than he, a trained assassin. "That doesn't sound right. Can you explain how you scored our performances?"

Senka's form slouched, tried of all this talking. It was silent for a few seconds as the chairman took a deep breath. _**"NO!"**_ he screamed so suddenly, that it startled everyone, including the single female as her sensitive ears began ringing from the loud noise. At seeing everyone's reaction, the seemingly senile old man chuckled, "your scores are classified information. So I can't tell you everything. But I can explain our methods. First, we consider three major criteria:" the old man held up three fingers, "physical strength, mental strength, and overall impression. For physical strength, we use an aggregate of agility, flexibility, endurance, and perception. For mental strength, we use an aggregate of resilience, adaptability, judgment, and creativity. However, this information is only used as a reference point. After all, you were strong enough to advance to the Final Phase. However, we are most concerned with your overall impression.

"This refers to any intangible factors not previously mentioned." He giggled quietly. "You could consider this an evaluation of your potential as a Hunter. And we also incorporate the opinions of your peers. That was our process." He finished.

_'Based on performance, I should be ranked higher… Do I have less potential than Gon? Or Senka?'_ Killua balled his fists at the mere thought, casting the demon next to him a sideways glance.

"The battle rules are quite simple. Weapons are allowed. No cheating. If your opponent admits defeat, you win. However!" Netero shouted, his wise gaze hardening briefly. "If you kill your opponent, you will be immediately disqualified. All remaining applicants will pass, and the exam will end. Are we clear?"

"Then, we shall begin the exam's Final Phase."

* * *

Gon tightened the laces of his right boot as he stood in the center of the room, across from Hanzo, while the rest of us lined the walls. "The first match is Hanzo versus Gon. Please step forward." A man in a black suit and sunglasses commanded, acting as the referee. Both fighters did as told, while Gon sized up his opponent. "I will serve as the referee. My name is Masta." Masta said, introducing himself. "Good luck."

"Hey, good to see you again." Hanzo said, looking at Masta with a friendly grin. "You were tailing me during the Fourth Phase."

"You noticed?"

"Of course he noticed… Even I noticed when he was tailing Killua, making us do the dirty work instead…" I muttered loud enough for the shinobi to hear. "He's a pretty shitty ninja if he can't make it impossible for someone to track him. Threat or no threat." Said shinobi whipped around and glared at me while holding up a balled fist. "So scary…" I yawned, leaning against the wall, "wake me when it starts."

Sliding down, I kept my eyes tightly shut while my head swam, quickly ripping myself from Gon's mind as pain erupted inside my skull as black spots formed in my vision once I opened my eyes. That… Probably was not my most brightest idea to date. Hanzo had pressed his right knee against Gon's spine, using the fair bit of pain to jolt him awake. "You must feel terrible. I hit you hard enough to make your brain bounce around. Do you understand? You have no chance against me. Might as well give up now…"

"No way…" the boy bit out, sweat dripping off the tip of his chin. He only got slapped once more for his efforts, causing his vision to go hazy.

"Think about it. If you surrender now, you'll still be in decent shape for your next fight."

_'It doesn't matter… The boy is a stubborn as a mule. Anyways, it is not about who is strongest, it is about who is willing to give up and spare themselves…'_ I mentally spoke, looking up at the ceiling. _'From the little I know of him, I can tell this is Gon's fight to win, and a fight for you to lose.'_

"There's no reason to be stubborn." He kept a firm grip on the younger's smaller shoulders. "Just surrender."

"Never gonna happen!" shouted Gon, while Hanzo drove his fist into the kid's sternum. Gon got back to his feet, only to fall down once more, the air having been knocked out of him from a swift jab to his stomach.

"Gon! Don't be silly! You'll still have another chance!" I stared at Leorio's ridged back as he shouted, wanting the boy to give in already.

"Leorio! If you were in Gon's position, would you surrender?" demanded Kurapika, also looking tense. I politely shut them out, as I preferred watching the fight currently in action.

Hanzo waited a bit longer before punt kicking Gon in the side, sending the child back a few feet. Getting to his knees, I took note that the boy was getting ready for the incoming blow. Wasting no time, the shinobi brought both of his fists down on Gon's back, as if his hands were a hammer.

Sadly, for Gon, this continued for the next three hours.

"There's nothing left for him to vomit." The old man stated, looking a bit disgusted. Hanzo stood over Gon, demanding that he got back to his feet, while Leorio and Kurapika started yelling, only to be held back with the threat of Gon being disqualified because of their actions. Said child was a bloodied mess when he got back to his feet, trying to calm the two down.

Hanzo scoffed, knocking the kid's feet from under him, before kneeling over Gon's prone form, and pressing his palm flat against his left shoulder blade. "I'm going to break your arm." Hanzo spoke calmly, adding more pressure to the shoulder. "I'm not joking around, so give up. Surrender."

The hazel eyed boy took a deep breath before shouting, "never!" the shinobi went through with his promise, cleanly breaking the boy's left arm, before standing over him. He simply gasped in pain, holding onto the worthless arm, as his hazel gaze watered from unshed tears.

"There you go. You can't use your left arm anymore."

My gaze drifted to Kurapika, just as his eyes turned from gray to a brilliant scarlet red.

"I'm sure you're in too much pain to listen, but hear me out." He talks too much to be a ninja. Hanzo placed his right palm flat against the stone flooring and slowly brought himself into a single arm handstand. "I am descended from the shinobi, a clan of covert agents." His other arm tucked behind his back, "from the day I was born, I was forced to endure harsh training in order to master the art of ninpo. For eighteen years, I have trained my body and technique, without rest. By the time I was your age, I had already killed a man." Hanzo went to four fingers. "At this point in time, you cannot defeat me in combat." Now it was two. "I'm trying to be nice." A single finger. "Admit defeat—"

Gon cut the annoying man up with a swift kick right into the face, before kneeling down in pain. "Ow… Damn it! My head's cleared a bit, after all the pain and that long explanation." He commented, holding onto his broken arm as he frowned. "If you're eighteen, you're only six years older than I am. Besides, this isn't a battle to see who's stronger. It's to see who's willing to surrender first."

Groaning softly, Hanzo got back to his feet, simply to showcase the bloody nose he got. I smirked, finding it completely amusing. "I let you kick me on purpose." He declared with a straight face, only to be called out by Leorio – of all people – on his obvious lie. "You don't understand… This isn't a warning. It's an ultimatum. Was it too hard for you to understand?" I blanked out, finding that the ceiling was a bit more interesting instead of the wannabe.

The next thing I heard was, "the second match is Senka versus Gittarackur. Please step forward."

"Huh? What'd I miss?" I asked, blinking in confusion.

Leorio, Kurapika, and Killua looked at me as if they could not believe that I zoned out; missing who won between Gon and Hanzo.

* * *

**BACK-TO-BACK UPDATES! YAHOO!** Who saw that one coming? I know I didn't. But hey~

And yes, Senka's fight against Gittarackur is next chapter! Best be ready for that!


	9. Episode 9: My x Wounded x Pride

**Episode Nine: _My x Wounded x Pride_**

* * *

I leaned against the stark white wall, eyes closed, as I waited with Satotz for Gon to wake up. Tucked under my left arm was the book that housed my License, as I tapped my heel softly against the floor, keeping my Jagan on the others in the other room. "I am curious… Why are you here, waiting for Gon-kun, instead of with the others, learning about your Hunters License?" Satotz asked, breaking the silence.

Cracking open one of my eyes, I frowned at him. "For one, I can _guess_ what I can do with it, and for two, I doubt he'll just take your word for it. After all, adults are known to lie and shelter children from the gory truth." I explained, staying safely in the overshadowed corner of the room.

It did not take as long as I thought it would for the green clad preteen to stir from his rest. He awoke with a jolt, panting heavily as he stared at the empty space before him. "You're awake?"

"Where am I?" he asked, possibly curious about the rest of the exam.

"A waiting room, next to the arena for the Final phase." Satotz answered. "Upsie-daisy…" the lavender haired man scooted his high backed chair over to the boy's bedside.

"Right. I was in the middle of the Hunter Exam."

"Your arm will heal quickly. The break was very clean. In fact, once it heals, the bone will be stronger than before." Gon's hazel eyes widen at the news, a bit stunned at the fact that Hanzo did something that would benefit the boy in the long run. "In any case, congratulations on passing the exam." Satotz held out his right hand, in a friendly gesture, and just waited for the boy. I went on and blocked out the next bit, remembering when the First Phase examiner had lectured me when I first refused my License.

"What about the other applicants?" he asked. "The exam is still going on, right?"

"No, the exam is over." Taking this as my cue, I pushed off the wall and slowly walked over to Gon's other side, slowly perching myself on the edge of the mattress.

"Ah, Senka!" he stared at me with large hazel eyes, as if I wasn't really there.

"Shut up." I snapped, making him bite down on his tongue to hold in any questions. "You're curious about the matches, which is understandable, so shut up and let me do what I do best. Don't ask how or why, because I won't tell you, nor do I know myself as to why." Casting him a side glance, I reached up and gently tugged on the ward, feeling it come undone as I turned a re-faced Gon. "Just relax and don't panic…" with that being said, I placed my left hand over his eyes and activated my Jagan eye.

* * *

_Gon felt a chill of foreboding run down his spine, soaking into the very marrow, as his body moved forward, only to stand across from Gittarackur. "Start!" shouted the referee, Masta, swinging his hand down. The young boy's stance shifted into a crouch as his right hand came up to his left hip, his slender digits encircling the hilt of a sword, as he slowly drew the blade out, keeping his sharp gaze on the walking pincushion._

_The fact that Gon had a sword to begin with confused him, as his only real 'weapon' was his father's fishing pole._

_Gittarackur slowly raised his arms, making a weird clicking sound as he did so, reminding the boy of wooden cogs turning inside an old clock. The odd looking man simply formed a large X across his chest with his arms. Shock seeped into the young child's being, before anger took hold. How dare he! How dare he look down at _**him**_ as if he was _**not worthy**_! It was a stinging blow to his pride, a pride that Gon did not know he had, as his body grew hotter with the passing seconds._

_Just as Masta was going to claim him as the winner, Gon charged forward, blade drawn, and lashed at the older male. "Senka!" Kurapika's voice barely registered in Gon's mind as the walking pincushion easily dodged the attack. Landing back on the floor, the muscle in his legs tensed, launching him forty degrees to his left._

_It continued like this for a few moments, with Gon randomly – so it seemed – lashing out at Gittarackur with his weapon, as said fighter dodged – mocking him even more. A startling pain shot up his right arm, but he blocked out the pain caused by the dragon embedded into his flesh, leaving him with his non-dominant arm to lash out with. It hindered his skills significantly, however it did not matter. What mattered was showing his opponent that he was worthy of being looked at as someone to fear, to not underestimate. As someone who can overcome any obstacle set before him._

_**Plip… Plip, plip… Plip, plip, plip…**_

_Just how hard is he gripping the hilt? Drops of crimson liquid coated the hilt, making it slick with blood, as it stained the bandages on his left hand. Knowing that it would be fruitless to continuously fight with his beloved weapon with such a weak grip, he stabbed the end into the stone floor, using the dull side of the blade as a platform, rocketing himself towards the smug bastard that mocked him so. Vaguely Gon could make out people shouting from the sidelines, telling him he already won; passing the Hunter Exam with flying colors. Their efforts were for not, as he wanted to prove himself as the warrior that he was raised to be. If he could not measure up and pass his opponent, then he was beyond unfit to save Yukie and keep her safe. He was unfit, and a failure of a teacher, to teach and train Haydn – Magister's whore lover's offspring that Gon felt responsible for, for some strange reason – how to fight and protect himself, given his inability to feel anything, though the young boy is only six – nearly seven – years of age._

_Maybe it was guilt? However, Gon had never felt guilt from killing and destroying families before, so why now? Ever since that infernal black, serpentine-like, dragon found its way inside his body – encasing itself in Gon's right arm – he has been struggling with control over his own thoughts and feelings, finding it harder than ever to cast aside his feelings except for those involving his own twisted honor code. Then these damn people he met at the start of this stupid exam. Ever since he met them and hung around them, he felt a strange budding of kinship with them, though he will forever deny it when and if anyone – mainly that Leorio – mentions anything about it. He was, by definition, a loner. A person who needed no companions… Mainly _**human**_ companions._

_Gon's left fist brushed against one of the many pins that covered Gittarackur's skull, only to fall forward into a barrel roll. Springing back up, he charged, aiming a jumping spin kick to the male's jaw, just to feel the Pincushion's fingers grip his wrapped up ankle, twisting it tightly before flinging the young boy hard into the wall, right next to Hisoka. Gon gasped, feeling pain shooting up to his skull as it ricocheted off the stone surface. _'Whiplash…'_ he mused, curling up on his side from the pain in his skull, as his finger deftly worked on massaging and kneading the back of his neck, in hopes to prevent pain and stiffness in the near future._

_Leorio came over, offering his assistance to the boy, only to have a heated look shot his way as the – still bleeding – hand slapped his away. Leorio returned the harsh look with his own, grumbling about how uncute he was being, as he firmly grabbed Gon's wrist so he could change the bandages on the child's left hand. _'I don't need, nor want, your help!'_ he wanted to lash out, as Kurapika came over and gave him his weapon back, before helping him sit up against the solid surface, keeping a firm hold on his slender shoulders to keep him from lurching forward, as it was officially called that Senka was the winner. How could she have won if it was Gon that was fighting?_

_Gittarackur calmly walked to the sidelines, waiting for the next fight, as the two older boys treated and cared for Gon a bit longer; with Kurapika scolding him for being reckless and letting his pride get in the way of an already decided match. It did not make any sense to him. Why was Kurapika fussing over him like a mother hen? Grunting, Gon gritted his teeth as he focused on the next match. Kurapika let go of his shoulder and stood, facing off against Hisoka, just as Gon ripped his hand away from Leorio before he could rebandage it. He can lick his own wounds just fine._

_Much like a wounded animal, Gon licked his bleeding palm, spitting excess blood off to the side. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed Killua staring with a frown ever present on his normally cheerful face. Huffing, he redirected his eyes back to the fight as it finally occurred to the boy that he was experiencing Senka's memories from her perspective, and all the feelings and emotions – everything – were actually hers, not his._

_"Begin!" Masta shouted, backing away from the two. The fight was quick and fast paced, and if it was not for watching from Senka's eyes, he knew he would not be able to see much, as both sides struck and avoided each other's attacks. Hisoka pulled his right arm back, as Kurapika crossed his arms across his face in time, blocking the blow from the magician that sent him skidding back quite a few feet. In a heartbeat, Hisoka stood next to the Kuruta survivor and whispered something to the teen, before promptly giving up._

_Next it was Hanzo against the teen in the vibrantly pink turban, Pokkle was his name. The match played out a lot like Gon's did, except when Hanzo threatened to break the turban wearing teen's arm, he admitted defeat quickly. Senka's gaze redirected again, allowing Gon to see that they were focused on Gittarackur instead, as she listened to the match. Something did not sit right with Senka, as Gon could feel – after all, he currently was Senka – and it had nothing to do with her wounded pride. She had already come to terms that she needed to get stronger, setting the human pincushion as one of her stepping stones, right after Hisoka. Unlike them, she was still very young in demon terms, and still had more room to grow than an average human._

_Gon could even feel the bubbling power that lurked deep inside the female, steadily growing more and more as each day passed. It made the female happy, to a certain extent, that she was getting back to her old class level of low A-class. However, he could feel that she wanted to push past that, going beyond her limits, and transition herself into the infamous S-class that alluded so many of her demonic kin._

_Hisoka won against old man Bodoro after the hellish beating the magician gave him, once again whispering something to his opponent. This time, however, it was the joker-esque man's opponent that gave up instead. As Killua and Pokkle's match started, Gon – as Senka – noticed Gittarackur perking up as his beady eyes focused on the assassin. The feeling of unease washed over, but she decided to drop it, as Killua surrendered, claiming that the match would not be enjoyable if he had to fight someone so weak. It reminded Senka of her own fight, and her wounded pride. Her body tensed as she brought her right knee up, resting her sheathed sword against the inside of her thigh and right shoulder, just as insurance for anything that might or might not happen._

_Gon heard Leorio request that his match be postponed until that older fighter could compete, making Killua and Gittarackur's fight come sooner._

_"Begin!"_

_Killua started drawing his hands out from his pockets and slowly walked towards the older male, a bit wary at first, but face set in determination. "It's been too long, Kil." It was the first time _anyone_ has heard the pincushion speak. The clicking of wooden cogs echoed off the walls as Gittarackur lifted his left arm up, slowly removing the large yellow pins from his face. They all watched in horrified fascination as his face reshaped itself, while his hair grew longer and changed colors. Inky black strands fell down Gittarackur's back, as large, empty dark eyes stared – seemingly transfixed – at Killua's terrified expression._

_"Aniki…" if it was not for Senka's sensitive ears, Gon doubted he would be able to hear his best friend's words. A cold sweat started to break out over Killua's pale skin, telling anyone with sharp eyes how much this person scared him._

_"Hey." The person, Killua's brother of all things, greeted monotonously. "I heard that you cut up Mom and Milluki." He spoke, as if it was an everyday occurrence._

_"I guess." Killua replied softly, still looking edgy. Senka could tell something was seriously wrong._

_"Mom was crying." The older male tipped his head to the side, still speaking with a flat voice._

_"Anyone would cry if their son did that to them." Leorio commented._

_"Tears of joy." He clarified. "She was so happy to you that you'd grown up. But she was worried about you leaving home, so she asked me to check up on you. What a coincidence. I didn't know you wanted to be a Hunter. I'm trying to get a license for my next job." That flat voice of his was grating on Senka's nerves._

_"I don't really want to be a Hunter. I just felt like taking the exam."_

_"I see… That's a relief." Killua's brother's voice gained a darker edge to it. "Then I have some advice for you. You're not cut out to be a Hunter. You were born to be… a killer." Senka ground her teeth together, feeling them gain a demonic quality, as a low growl rumbled her chest. Even Gon was upset hearing this from his friend's brother. "You're a puppet of darkness, without passion. You don't want anything or wish for anything. As one who lives in the shadows, you can only feel pleasure when people die. That's how Dad and I raised you." Killua's pupils quivered slightly. "What would you accomplish by becoming a Hunter?"_

_"True, I don't desire to become a Hunter. But… I do have something I want…" Killua began sweating once more._

_"You don't." The other dismissed carelessly._

_Anger once more swelled up inside Senka, causing her heart to race quicker than it normally would, actually giving it a pulse, as she shifted so she was in a kneeling position, ready to strike in a moments notice. This bastard was striking at her core, as she – herself – is an older sibling. Gon could say he was a bit surprised at this information, however, at the same time, he was not. She did, after all, leave hints that she had a younger sibling – a twin. "I do!" shouted Killua, stomping his feet in defiance. "There's something I really want!"_

_"Hmm? Tell me what it is that you want." He flamboyantly flipped out his left hand, almost as if he was offering something to the child. "What's wrong?" he asked, dropping his arm back to his side. "There's nothing you really want, is there?"_

_Killua looked on the verge of tears, but willed them away. "That's not it!" he screamed, demanding his brother's attention and silence. "I-I want to become friends with Gon… and Senka…" he ashen cheeks gained a hint of color, but from what, Gon could not tell. From his position as said female, he could feel confusion bubble up inside her when the white haired assassin mentioned his want to be friends with her. That word again… 'Friends'… What exactly did it mean? That word always seemed to cause the young demon girl confusion. "I'm sick of killing people… I want to become friends with Gon and Senka, and to live a normal life…" the boy admitted, putting his heart and feelings out there._

_"That's impossible." The other dismissed again. "You'll never be able to make friends." Sapphire met lifeless black. "Your only concern when you meet someone is whether you should kill them. That's how you were trained. You just don't know how to classify Gon, because he's too dazzling for your eyes. While that girl…" he hummed softly, "you'll never amount to anything to the likes of her." He stated, as if it was a blatant fact as he directly insulted the fire apparition. "You don't actually want to become friends with them."_

_"You're wrong…"_

_"If you stay with them both, you'll end up wanting to kill them one day. You'll get the urge to see if you can kill him or not. Because you have the soul of a killer."_

_Leorio had enough as he marched forward, only to be blocked off. "Killua! I don't give a damn if he's your brother." The mentioned relative stared at the hot-blooded human. "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 become friends with Gon and Senka?" the veins in Leorio's neck started bulging. "Are you daft? You already are friends!"_

_"Shut up, idiot! Who gave you the right to speak for me?!" Senka shouted, keeping her bloodied gaze on Killua's brother. "As I've stated before, at the very beginning of this exam… Friends are simply a crutch for the weak!" the other looked as if he was proven right and was ready to speak while Killua flinched from her cruel words, just as she jumped to her feet, her sword tightly clasped in her left hand. "However, Killua is one of my allies! Moreover, until he loses the tiny bit of the trust and respect I have for him, I will be there whenever he wants me to be! I have never, nor will I ever, turn my back on my allies. In addition, I do not even understand what the hell a friend is, nor do I give a damn."_

_"Eh? Really?" Leorio shouted something, while Senka stayed alert. "Really… That's no good. He considers Kil a friend, while she at least considers Kil an ally. Okay, I'll just kill Gon and _her._" He pulled out four needles and held them between his fingers, ready to make do on his words. "A killer doesn't need any friends. They'll only slow you down." Turning on his heel, he started making his way towards the door, his voice still as flat as it has been. "Where is he?" a few of the other referees tried to stop the dark haired assassin, only for them to get a needle in the face which proceeded to disfigure them all. "Where is he?" the man confessed quickly to where Gon's prone body was. "Thank you."_

_Senka stood, getting behind Hanzo, Leorio, and Kurapika, just to slide her sword between the handles of the door – making a make-shift lock – before getting into a fighting stance. Like Hell she'd let this bastard kill her, or the boy that reminded her of Yukie's naïve innocents. "This won't do. I need a Hunter license to do my job… But if I kill them, I'll fail, and Kil will pass automatically. Oh, darn. The same thing will happen if I kill Gon and the worthless girl." It is almost as if he refuses to acknowledge Senka just because she is who she is, adding more fuel to the raging inferno. If her mother's people could give birth to males and had males just like them, she was sure that they would be like this lifeless person before her – if she could even call him a person. "I know! I'll pass the exam before killing Gon and the pest. If I wait until after passing the exam, I can kill everyone here and still keep my license, right?"_

_"Yes, according to the rules." Netero-san confirmed._

_Empty black eyes rolled over to his frozen younger brother. "Did you hear that, Kil? You have to beat me if you want to save Gon." Now he flat out ignored her very existence! "Will you fight me for your friend's sake? You can't do it. Because you're more worried about whether or not you can defeat me." A mere two feet separated to two siblings. "And you already have your answer: 'I'm not strong enough to beat my brother.'" The older Zoldyck sibling raised his left arm, keeping his fingers spread, as he spoke lowly, almost as if he was casting a spell on the younger of the two. "'Never fight an enemy you can't beat.' I drilled that into you…" Killua's breathing turned into hurried gasps as he edged backwards, fear of his brother gripping at his heart._

'This isn't right… An older sibling's job is to protect the younger sibling, not to manipulate them to the point that they fear their older sibling… I cannot bear the thought of Yukie fearing, even hating me, for any reason…'

_"Don't move! If you move an inch, I'll assume that the fight has begun. And if our bodies make contact, that will also mean the fight has begun. There's only one way to stop me. You know what that is. But don't forget… If you don't fight me, your dear Gon will die."_

_"Take him out, Killua! We won't let him kill you, Gon, or Senka! We'll stop him, whatever it takes! Let him have it."_

'Shut up… shut up… shut up, shut up, shut up!'_ said girl wanted to scream. _'Are you blind?! Can't you see that Killua is too afraid of that bastard?!'_ blood trickled down her chin as she nicked the skin of her lower lip. _'How… just how is this sick excuse of an older brother controlling Killua's mind? It can't be a Jagan, or anything demonic, otherwise I would have sensed it… So just what?!'

_"I surrender." Killua's voiced cracked, admitting his defeat. "I lose…"_

_Smiling the most fakest, yet cheerfullest, smile that the young fire apparition has ever seen, the dark aura from before simply vanished from the eldest Zoldyck assassin. "Oh, that's good!" he clapped his hands together. "Then the battle's over. Hahaha~" he leaned forward, 'lovingly' patting his smaller brother on the shoulder. Senka was beginning to like Hisoka more than the pincushion. "I lied, Kil. I was lying about killing Gon." Lies. The fire apparition could taste them as they dripped off his silver tongue like rich golden honey. "That was just a little test. But now I have my answer." Killua's eyes became blank as his brother knelt down to his height, placing a hand in his white locks, as he softly spoke. "You don't have the right to make friends. Nor do you need friends. You should just listen to Dad and me, and do your job as you always have. When the time comes, I'll tell you to take the Hunter Exam. You don't need a license yet."_

_He quickly parted and went back to the wall, while the fire demon cautiously withdrew her sword, placing it back at her waist, as she monitored Killua. The boy was an empty husk of himself, as Gon could see through the young female's eyes, as he robotically went over to the others, standing silently. Leorio and Kurapika tried to help, but their words fell on to deaf ears, as the aspiring doctor and Bodoro's match began. "Begin!" Masta yelled, starting the fight._

_A rush of air passed Senka, sending her hair chasing after whatever had created the small gust, just as a small, "forgive me," was whispered. Once the words sunk in, it was too late for her to stop the white haired assassin, as he stood behind the old martial arts master. Killua stared blankly, his sharp claws ready, as Bodoro noticed he was behind him. Before the old man could move, Killua had already rammed his whole hand through Bodoro's back, instantly killing the man as he withdrew his hand._

_Fresh, dark red, blood coated his right hand, as flecks covered his sleeve and even his face and front. It was ruled as an instant disqualification for the young assassin. Killua did not seem to care, as he bypassed everyone to get to the doors that the girl still stood in front of. His bloodied fingers pressed against the back of her bandaged right hand before pushing open the wooden doors, making a quick exit. Senka trailed her crimson gaze down to the back of her hand, reading a simple 'Ku' on the stained bindings._

* * *

I pulled my hand back and replaced my ward, while Gon slowly opened his hazel eyes, showing a deep seeded anger hidden in the brown depths. Without waiting for anything else, he kicked the blankets off and stormed out of the room. "Gon-kun!" Satotz tried to call him back, only for his pleas to be ignored.

"Where is everyone?" the boy demanded, sounding mad and determined at the same time.

"You need more rest, Gon-kun…"

"Follow me…" I instructed, brushing passed the lavender haired man, as I took the lead, taking us both to the room that everyone else is currently at. Gon walked passed me and raised his foot, kicking the doors inward. "Gotta make an entrance, don't ya?" I asked sarcastically, trailing slowly behind him. Gon's gaze locked on to the back of Illumi's skull, and he slowly started making his descent down the steps.

"Apologize to Killua!" he demanded, glaring at the other male.

* * *

Take this stupidly long chapter as a 'sort of' apology for my lack of update. To be perfectly honest, I just didn't want to write this chapter, so I put it off until late yesterday/now, even though I had the document and everything all set up. I am a horrible author and a lazy one, too.

Anyways, enjoy, and most importantly **REVIEW!**Also, the art book contest-thing is still open, so send me guesses~ And if you don't want me to write a fic for you, I'll dedicate a chapter to you, instead, okay? Anyways bye-bye~ I need to get some sleep now!


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Hunter X Hunter, Adventure, Romance