Hunter X Hunter 1. Chapter 1: Meeting Before Departure

**Lead By Fate**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HunterxHunter or any of Yoshihiro Togashi's characters, though any other characters would be mine.

**Summary:** What if Leorio didn't take the Hunter Exam? What if his little sister took it for him instead? How would she play part in Gon's little group? Originally a FemLeorio story, but got switched to Leorio's little sister instead, but the concept is pretty much the same.

**Pairing:** Kurapica x OC

**Note:** _Italic_ for thought. _**Bold Italic**_ for sound effects.

* * *

**Chapter 1:**** Meeting Before Departure **(Revisited)

The town was rather lively this afternoon despite the light fog that lingered like a soft cloud of smoke in the atmosphere. The light breeze that sent chills through her body felt more refreshing than unpleasant, though it could have also been mistaken for her own sense of excitement for what was going to happen today.

"Here's your hot pork bun, Miss. That would be 50 zennies please."

Handing the requested money to the baker, Leona thanked the man before taking her hot bun and trotting off to join with the sweeping motion of the crowd on the street. Her large brown eyes scanned the area, taking in as much of the busy scenery as she could. Her long chocolate brown hair tied up in a high ponytail, swayed gently with every step she took. She was told to wear something warm yet loose, so she sported a pale red hooded jacket over her light pink t-shirt, and chose to wear knee length jeans and her favourite red snickers. She carried her favourite white backpack on her shoulder as she walked. Leona had planned to take a stroll around this little town of Whale Island before heading off to the ship. The ship that would take her to the Hunter Exam…

It actually hadn't been her idea to take the Exam; it was her older brother Leorio who wanted to go. Though how she ended up being the one going…

* * *

**One week ago…**

"_Leona, look!"_

_Leona turned from washing the dishes, only to find the newspaper shoved in her face by none other than her beloved older brother._

"_Look Leona! See this?" Her brother pointed to a particular ad on the page, his face practically beaming with triumph. "_This_ is the answer to all our financial problems! It's the Hunter Exam!"_

"_The Hunter Exam? What's that?" Leona raised an eyebrow, she couldn't see the point in her brother's excitement._

"_It's an exam that must be taken for you to be qualified as a Hunter! Once you pass, you'll get the Hunter Licence!"_

"_But Leorio-niisan, I thought you wanted to become a doctor?"_

_Her brother only grinned wider, if that was possible. "Well yes, but you know we don't have the money for me to enrol into medicine school, so if I could just take the Hunter Exam and become a Hunter, I wouldn't need to worry about the fee anymore, heck we'll be set for life! The Hunter Licence is worth tons you know!"_

"_And… how long does the Hunter Exam take?" Leona asked suspiciously, it sounded too easy to be true._

_Leorio gave a thoughtful look before answering. "I don't know exactly. I only know that it could take days, even months before it ends."_

"_Months! Nii-san, you're going to be away for that long?" Unconsciously, her hands grabbed his shirt, as if doing so would stop him from leaving._

"_Hey hey." A large hand gently fell on her head in reassurance. "It'll be ok. You'll be turning 16 soon; you can take care of yourself while I'm gone, right?"_

_But Leona was still concerned. "What about the entrance exam for medicine school? How are you going to study for that while you're in the Hunter Exam?"_

_Leorio blinked and frowned when he realised the problem. "You've got a point… But without that Hunter Licence, even if I studied, I wouldn't be able to get in due to lack of funds."_

_Suddenly, an idea struck her, what if she took the Hunter Exam for her brother? That way, he could study for the entrance exam, while she would be the one providing the money for his doctor's studies! When she told him this, Leorio went into protective-big-brother mode. "Wait wait! You _do_ realise that the Hunter Exam is dangerous, right? I can't let you go!"_

_Leona pouted. "Nii-san, if you know that the Hunter Exam is dangerous, then why would you go! Besides, I've been training with Uncle Beni; I'll probably have a better chance at passing than you. You should focus on your dream to becoming a doctor, not a Hunter."_

_For awhile, Leorio stared at her and didn't reply. Leona began to feel nervous under his silence, until… "You silly girl." He took her into a hug. "You keep worrying about me, but what about you? You shouldn't force yourself to work for my dream. If you die in the Hunter Exam-"_

"_Leorio-niisan," Leona quickly interrupted her brother before he could finish, "Please let me do this for you. I think… I might find something _I_ want while I'm there. You don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine."_

_Leorio pulled out of the hug to stare at her seriously. "But this isn't right. It's my dream, so shouldn't I be the one working for it?"_

"_You'll be working for it by studying for the medical entrance exam, Nii-san." Leona stared seriously back. "You can't leave it to the last minute."_

_Her brother sighed, but said firmly. "Leona, it's dangerous, you are _not_ going."_

_Hearing his tone, Leona sulked as she folded her arms to her chest. She _had_ to stop her brother from going somehow. She really didn't want him running off to a dangerous place and leaving her at home. She feared losing him more than anything, she'd much rather be the one to go than her brother. And sadly, she knew that Leorio was probably thinking the same thing._

_An idea suddenly popped into her head. "Leorio-niisan, it's just like you said. I'm turning 16 soon. You _do_ realise what that means, right?"_

_Leorio blinked in confusion. "Huh?"_

"_16, nii-san. 16!"_

_Suddenly, something clicked in his mind. "Oh shit! I totally forgot about the town's tradition(1)!" _

"_That's right. Everyone knows my birthday's coming soon. _They_ will come for me." Leona stressed the 'they' to emphasize her point._

_Leorio ran his hands over his face and through his short spiky hair, before sighing in defeat. She had him. "Alright! But Leona, please be extremely careful!" _

_Leona grinned._

* * *

Taking another bite into her pork bun, Leona couldn't help but sigh at the memory. Her brother could be such a stubborn worrywart when it comes to her, and vice-versa, but that's how it's been even since… since… No, she would not stray to that. It's over now, and she's over it, so it wouldn't do her any good to reminisce the past now.

So caught up in her thoughts, Leona didn't know what hit her until she felt her butt hit the ground.

"Ouch!" Looking up, she realised she had bumped into a little spiky black haired boy, around 11 to 12 years old, dressed in mainly green, with a green jacket, green shorts and matching green boots. One thing peculiar she noticed was that the boy carried an odd looking fishing rod.

"Ah! I'm sorry Miss; I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you okay?"

Leona blinked at the question, before looking down to check for any injuries, only to discover her half-eaten bun on the ground not too far from her.

"My bun!" was stepped on before she could reach it in time. Leona was sure she felt something inside her break at the sight of her poor stepped-on-half-eaten bun.

"Uh… I'm-I'm sorry…" the boy, who also saw poor bun-chan get trampled over, tried to apologies.

"You better as hell be sorry!" Leona snapped as she glared at the boy, who strangely wasn't fazed. "That bun costed me 50 zennies! I want compensation!"

The boy scratched his cheek nervously before reaching into his own backpack and pulling out a juicy looking red apple. "Will this apple do, Miss?"

Pushing herself up from the ground, Leona dusted herself off while staring at the apologetic boy and his apple.

"Yeah, I guess that'll do." She took the apple and quickly bit into it, she definitely wasn't going to drop this one.

The boy grinned happily; glad that he was finally forgiven. "My name's Gon. What's your name, Miss?"

"I'm Leona." She replied before walked away from the boy. She didn't want much to do with a kid she just met; however, Gon appears to think otherwise as he followed her.

"Miss Leona, do you know about the ship that goes to Dole?"

She paused slightly, before continuing walking. The ship to Dole is actually the ship that Leona herself was going to take to get to the Hunter Exam. She was surprised that a kid as young as Gon would be taking the exam as well. "What if I said yes?"

"Ah! You do? Could you tell me? I need to get to Dole!" Leona sighed in annoyance. _Why couldn't he ask someone else?_ She just wanted to enjoy some free time and he comes along and disrupts it, so Leona quickened her pace and tried to ignore him.

"Ah! Wait! I really need to get to Dole! Can you please tell me about the ship to Dole-"

"Little boy, you want to go to Dole?" At the sound of the new voice, Leona stopped and turned around to see a man holding Gon's arm. "I know the ship to Dole; you want me to take you there?"

Suddenly, something her brother told her before she left home came into mind.

_Listen up Leona. If someone suddenly comes up to you and says that they will take you somewhere, never go with them. They are probably slave traders; never trust strangers! _

At the time, Leona thought Leorio was just being a mother hen again, but it looks like what he said wasn't all that stupid after all. Though the man didn't really appear like one, she was sure he was a slave trader or something like that; the type who sweet talks innocent little kids into following them and then selling them off – thank god she listened to her brother.

Gon looked extremely happy at that the man's suggestion – he's the naïve type it seems – and allowed the man to take him to what he believes is the ship to Dole. But Leona knew better, and even if the boy was annoying, she wasn't so cold hearted as to let him get sold off.

"Hey Pedophile! Hands off the kid!" At her call, the man who still held Gon's arm, turned and glared at her.

"W-what did you just call me, you brat?" Apparently the man couldn't hide his nerves, so Leona knew he was definitely a slave trader.

"You heard me, you child molester. Hands. Off."

The man looked as if he was ready to murder. "Why you… How dare you! I'm just escorting this kid…"

Leona was ready when the man came at her, all those sessions with Uncle Beni was now coming in handy. The punch aimed at her face was easily dodged, and since men love to yell when they fight, it wasn't difficult for her to shove the apple core into his open mouth. She gave him a swift knee to the groin for good measure.

Choking and in pain, the man had one hand on his throat and the other between his legs as he collapsed on the dirt ground. While he was still in that state, Leona quickly grabbed Gon and took him with her. They sprinted down the streets and turned into an alleyway. Only then did Leona deemed them safe and started to walk again.

As for the spiky haired boy, he didn't appear as if what happened had fazed him very much, but he was at the very least impressed with her fighting skills.

"Wow Miss Leona! Thanks for saving me back there. I never knew that man was a bad guy." He thanked her with a wide smile; it made her blush slightly and look away.

"Just call me Leona, and there's no need to thank me. I just did what any normal person would have done." _I just hope shoving that apple core in his mouth wasn't considered an indirect kiss…_ Leona shivered at the thought.

When they come out of the alleyway, Leona decided that she probably didn't have enough time to walk around the area after all. The sun was close to setting, the sky has turned a sunset red and orange; the sea was its distorted splitting image. It was a spectacular view for anyone who knew how to appreciate it, even Gon was taking in the scene, but they couldn't at the moment, the ship must have arrived by now and would be leaving soon.

"Gon, let's go." It was the first time she addressed the boy by his name, and it felt… right. Aside from her brother and… **him**, she hadn't felt like that with someone else in a while.

"Huh? Where are we going?" Gon asked innocently.

Leona sighed, restraining herself from wracking the boy over the head. "You want to get to Dole to take the Hunter Exam, right? Well, I also happen to be going to same way, so if we don't hurry now, the ship will leave us behind!"

* * *

The docks wasn't too far away, seeing as they were quite close already, it only took them five or so minutes of running before they finally made it aboard the ship. It left the docks right after they arrived; they had just made it in time.

"Yay! We made it Leona! We made it!" Gon cheered. He was perky as ever, and Leona couldn't help but cheer with him. Yes, they have made it aboard the ship; they were one step closer to the Hunter Exam.

"It's not time to celebrate yet. This is just the beginning for you folks." Both Leona and Gon stopped in their cheering, the man who spoke was the captain of the ship.

Noting the seriousness in his tone, Leona looked around the ship and saw dozens of men. All of them serious; all of them competitors of the Hunter Exam; all of them aiming for the same thing, the Hunter Licence. Leona could feel goose bumps running up her arms at the thought that she would probably have to surpass everyone on this ship to get the Hunter Licence.

Leona turned to see Gon waving back at the slowly shrinking Whale Island. He is pure and innocent, very much like any other child his age; does he have the chance at passing the Hunter Exam? Heck, does **she** have the chance at passing?

Gon turned to face her and gave her a big grin. "Ne Leona, let's become Hunters together!"

Leona blinked before grinning back. "Ok!"

_Maybe. Just maybe._

* * *

Here you go, first chapter. What do you people think?

Since this was originally supposed to be a FemLeorio fic; Leona's character would appear a lot like Leorio in many ways. But I've made some changes since Leona is now Leorio's sister, I'll let you people figure out the difference. As for Leorio himself, I may have made him a little OOC since I wouldn't know how Leorio would react to a sister, but I have a feeling he would probably be quite protective of her.

**Edit:** While I say, that this chapter is revisited, I only really changed and added bits to the flashback. Other than that, everything else is pretty much the same. Also, it occurred to me that the Hunter Exam happens near the start of the year. And since Leona's birthday is in February (refer to chapter 8), she shouldn't be 16 yet, but turning 16. I just wanted to make that clear to everyone.

**(1)** The 'town's tradition' that Leorio mentioned is something that will be explained in a later chapter, probably after the exam.

**Anyways, R&R peoples!**


	2. Chapter 2: How to Sail a Ship

**Lead By Fate**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HunterxHunter or any of Yoshihiro Togashi's characters, though any other characters would be mine.

**Summary:** What if Leorio didn't take the Hunter Exam? What if his little sister took it for him instead? How would she play part in Gon's little group? Originally a FemLeorio story, but got switched to Leorio's little sister instead, but the concept is pretty much the same.

**Pairing:** Kurapica x OC

**Note:** _Italic_ for thought. _**Bold Italic**_ for sound effects.

* * *

**Chapter 2:**** How to Sail a Ship**

The salty air never felt so refreshing, Leona mused. The sky was this unbelievable sheet of blue, with few puffs of smoky clouds lingering, unmoving. The sea equally resembled its calmness, with not a single lump of wave in sight. The sparkling essence of the sun reflected off the sea, creating a stunning sight not too unlike those of the ones back at home. However, this was particularly more brilliant as Leona was viewing it from a ship. Under more pleasant circumstances, this scene would be very relaxing and even romantic.

"Come on! Fight! Fight!"

"Try coming at him from the side!"

Of course, if and only under more pleasant circumstances… Oh, who was she kidding?

Leona looked behind her to see a large overexcited group form around two men who were fighting over something or other that she held no particular interest in. She wasn't sure what she had expected from this crowd of Hunter-wannabes, but she definitely didn't expect **this**. Leona couldn't help but notice a few tough-looking men hurl over the side of the ship – apparently not very sea prone. Then, there were the men who chose to sit in a corner or by the side, looking very cool and dangerous, where she begins to doubt if they really are as they appear. She also noticed the way some appear to hold themselves very confidently, and then get knocked off by someone else; not too unlike the guy being thrown over the ship, right… now.

"AHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhh…!"_** Splash!**_

_Poor soul. He will be remembered… I think._ Leona thought grimly, then hoped the same wouldn't happen to her.

"Listen up! Anyone I don't like, or doesn't listen to me will be thrown overboard! This is **my** ship. You guys best do as I say…" the bearded Captain announced. His very voice held authority that none shall dare defy, but in Leona's opinion, he was just a rude man. They may be examinees, but they were paying customers too!

"Ah! I think I caught something!" Turning to face the end of the ship, Leona saw Gon. He was standing on the rail with his back facing her, and was pulling at his fishing rod – it looked like he had caught a bite.

The boy she saved from the brink of slavery was the only thing that lightened up the tense atmosphere. For reasons unknown, Leona found herself liking Gon more and more. He was always happy, and constantly wore a smile on his face. It was almost impossible to **not** like him, once you knew how innocent and naïve he could be.

"Oh! Looks like you've caught a big one." The Captain noted the fish's size, which could have been only a few inches short from Gon's own height. "Good goin' kid! I believe these are pretty rare around these parts."

"Yeah! We hardly ever see fish like this in Whales' Island too." Gon replied excitedly; he looked as if he just received candy for doing a good deed. _How cute!_ Leona couldn't help but smile slightly.

Suddenly, Gon gave a strange look before gently placing his catch down on the floor. He turned to face the ocean. "There's a storm coming."

_A storm?_ Leona stared at the calm sea and blue sky. In such still conditions, it was hard to believe that a storm would be coming. She wasn't weather-wise, but there was hardly even any wind in the air, how could anyone tell that a storm would be coming in this current weather? She decided to ask. "Are you sure, Gon? How can you tell?"

"The seagulls told me." was the answer.

"The seagulls told you…" Leona sweatdropped. "You understand what they're saying?"

"Nah, not everything, just some small parts; but there will definitely be a storm." Gon replied. He sounded so sure of himself; but she still wasn't sure whether to take him seriously or not.

The captain however, seemed convinced. "Boy, about how long before the storm arrives."

Gon went into thinking mode. "Hmmm, around about two hours from now, I think."

"Two hours, eh?" Then to Leona's surprise, the Captain turned to bark out orders to his crew. "Men! Draw down the sails! It's gonna run wild!"

And as if that was the switch button, the whole ship began to grow to life. Men from all directions ran around the deck, most begun to climb the rope ladders to reach the bound up sails. Once released, the large white sheets flung free, before drooping down to reveal all its white glory. Leona, having never seen such lively display before, began to walk up closer to the sails for a better view. She noticed, quite suddenly, that the flag at the very top of mast, also slowly rose to life. She almost couldn't believe it, there was wind despite the calmness of everything else around.

_Well, what do you know? Gon was right after all. That kid must be-_ ARHH!

So caught off guard when someone bumped into her from behind, Leona hardly had time to brace herself for the fall. Only, she didn't need to because someone had caught her before she met with the hard wood.

"Are you ok, Miss?" Leona was surprised at the gentleness of the voice. She didn't think anyone – aside from Gon – would have such a mellow voice, be on this rickety old ship; and she was quite sure she was the only girl here.

Looking up at her 'saviour', Leona saw bright green eyes, gold blond hair and a soft feminine framed face. If it wasn't for the slightly deep yet gentle voice she heard, she could have easily mistaken him for a girl. Yep, this was definitely a guy. It may be small, but that was definitely an Adam's apple on his throat – she was only a few inched away from his face, how could she **not** notice? This boy was also strikingly handsome, wearing a strangely designed blue outfit over a plain white shirt and pants; Leona briefly wondered why she didn't notice him before.

"Uh… yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." She quickly pulled herself away from the blond boy and started looking for the one who bumped into her. She was **so** going to give that guy a piece of her mind.

* * *

Just like Gon had predicted, two hours later a storm began to blow; and just like the Captain had said, it was **wild**. The ship rocked back and forward so roughly that it practically threw everything with it; food, barrels, tables, chairs … anything that wasn't stuck to the ship tumbled and slid to the descending side. Many of the exam competitors yelled and screamed, having not been able to find balance and ended up being thrown around as the ship kept its constant violent rocking.

Her hometown had been near the ocean, so Leona had been on many boats before. Hence, it was her experience with boats and ship rocking that saved her the trouble of tripping and being thrown around like the other examinees. Though she noticed she wasn't the only one, Gon was doing quite well himself, in fact it looked as if he was having fun! The young boy was riding on a barrel as it rolled from side to side; he made sure not to hit anyone in the process of course. Then there was that blond boy from before, he was sleeping quite comfortably on a hammock – very convenient, why the hell didn't she think of that? – and seemed completely oblivious to the racket below him. Other than them, Leona didn't notice anyone else who wasn't having a rough time.

After some time, the storm began to calm a bit, and the ship went from heavy rocking to gentle rocking. However, despite the welcoming change, the other examinees were thoroughly exhausted and wiped out. Gon, being the good boy he was, decided to help those who were ill, he didn't look the less bit seasick. Leona on the other hand, had eaten some seasickness pills that her brother Leorio left for her, so she was fine. She grabbed a hair brush from her white bag and ran it through her ponytail; it had gotten messy during the rough rocking. The blond boy … slept on.

Suddenly, the wooden door of the cabin opened and the Captain stepped in. Seeing the seasick examinees, he sighed. "What a bunch of losers. Can't even hold up against a little wave, and they want to be hunters."

It wasn't long before he noticed Gon, Leona and the sleeping blond boy, the only ones who weren't seasick from the storm. "Hmmm? Looks like we've got some good ones this year."

* * *

"You want to know our names?" Leona asked when the Captain had gathered both Gon and her in front of him for questioning.

"My name's Gon!" Gon answered with much enthusiasm.

"I'm Kurapica." the blond boy answered. He was awake, and by the way he answered, he had probably been awake for awhile.

Leona hesitated before giving her own name; her brother had said something about giving away your name to strangers. "I'm Leona."

"Well, Gon, Kurapica, Leona. Tell me, why do you want to become a Hunter?" The Captain continued asking questions, which Leona found unnerving.

How was she going to answer that? Simply telling him that it was all for her brother's study fees sounded… weird.

Gon was once again the first to answer. "My father is a Hunter, I want to become a Hunter too so that I can meet him, and see what his job is like."

_Awww! Gon, you're just so cute._ Leona thought before switching her thoughts to her current problem. "Ummm, do I have to answer that question?"

"I second that." The blond boy Kurapica jumped off from his hammock and landed not too far from where Leona was standing. "I don't feel that I should need to tell a stranger my reasons for becoming a Hunter, since my reasons are quite personal."

_Yeah, so are mine._ Leona thought.

The Captain smirked. "First of all, you do need to answer. And second, if you don't you will have to leave this ship."

"Huh?" both Leona and Kurapica gasped. Leona briefly had a vision of herself flying off the ship just like the man from earlier – oh God.

The Captain proceeded to explain. "You don't get it. You are already being tested. The moment you stepped upon this ship, you are already in the Hunter exam. Since there are thousands of people who come to the exam every year, side examiners like me are asked to cut down the numbers to only the few who have the potential to become Hunters. You three seem to show some potential, I suggest you put aside your mistrust and answer me."

_When you put it like that, I guess lying is out of the question._ Leona thought grimly.

"I'm a member of the Kuruta Clan." Kurapica explained first, much to her relief. "My clan was horribly massacred by a group of thieves called the Phantom Bridge. I hope to seek revenge on them, and that is why I must become a Hunter."

"Hmmm," the Captain retained the information with neutral expression. "Seeking revenge on the Phantom Bridge is a very difficult path; they consist of S ranked criminals. Are you sure that's what you want to do?"

"I do not fear death. I only hope to give my people rest." It was said with so much determination that Leona couldn't help but admire Kurapica for it. It held so much more purpose than **her** simple reason for becoming a Hunter. She wasn't even sure of what the captain will be looking for; what if she answered wrong…

"And what is your reason?" The captain directed his question towards her.

Leona hesitated a little before answering. "I'm…basically here for the money." There, she said it! It's vague, but not a lie.

"Only?"

Leona blinked and explained her answer. "Well, yes, that's basically it. After all, money is very important, you need money to live, to eat, to have shelter, everything! With the Hunter Licence, you can live in comfort for the rest of your life, since you'll become rich instantly!"

"Money can't buy you everything, Leona." It was Kurapica who spoke. She felt a little tense bitterness from his voice; however she didn't know what for. His eyes held hints of restrained irritation – or was it anger? Whatever it was, he seemed to totally disagree with what she said.

"Of course it can." She argued back, "What **can't** you buy with money these days? Everyone at some point will depend on money. That's the unfortunate truth!"

"What about lives? You can't use money to buy lives!" She could see that the blond was becoming really irritated now, though she couldn't really blame him. Kurapica was probably referring to his dead clan. But then… that's not completely true either; if back then they had had the money… maybe, maybe…

"You'd be surprised at that." Leona replied softly but firmly, "Sometimes, money can be used to buy a life."

Kurapica gasped, he was about to retort but was interrupted by a sudden unexpected jerk from the ship – it surprised everyone, even the Captain.

"What's going on?" Not expecting an answer, the Captain ran out of the cabin to get to the deck. Leona noticed Gon follow the man out, and quickly ran after them as well. Kurapica was also following behind her.

On the deck, Leona could see the full extent of the storm. It was no longer the calm sea and blue sky she had remembered seeing before, but in its place were dark looming clouds and the occasional roar of thunder and lightning. The wind blew so furiously that Leona would have been blown away, had she not grasped the side of the ship. The rocking of the ship may not feel as rough, but when witnessing the mighty raging waves smashing into the side of the old vessel, it could cause anyone to fear for their lives.

The ship's sails men were all clinging and climbing onto the mast, apparently some lightning had struck a selection of the mast and the men were trying to fix it before it fell. A highly dangerous job that could possibly cost them their lives, but as sailors, they knew where their duties lie.

Suddenly without warning, a lightning bolt struck a section of the mast and scaring sailors into slipping and falling off the mast; one particular sailor was unlucky to be thrown and flew off the ship itself. Acting out of pure instinct, Leona found herself running after the sailor, trying to save him from some unfortunate fate. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kurapica running as well, heading for the same thing as her. Both reached out as far as they could to grab the poor man, but were only seconds too late, they could not reach him in time. A blur of green entered her vision, and Leona almost had a heart attack when she realized who it was.

_GON? Oh my god! What was he THINKING? _Leona wanted to scream at Gon so badly, he had caught the falling sailor, but in doing so, **he** was falling **as well**! Kurapica next to her also decided to try his luck and jumped after Gon to catch him.

_I'm surrounded by IDIOTS!_ Leona quickly managed to grab the blond boy's ankles, who caught Gon's ankles, who still held onto the sailor. The weight began to pile up as gravity took affect; she could feel her arms straining to hold up the weight of a full grown man, a teenage boy and a kid. She was only a girl for God's sakes! With all the might she could muster, Leona slowly began to pull the males up and back onto the ship; she had to, their lives depended on her!

From the side, the Captain stared in awe at Leona's display of strength that no normal female should be able to have. He had had his doubts on her, but with this side of her that he was witnessing, he concluded that she was in fact a capable candidate for the Hunter Exam. With that thought, the Captain rushed over to help her pull the others aboard ship.

* * *

"Gon! You almost had me worried to death! How could you be so stupid?" Leona scowled the young boy once everyone was safe and everything was normal again.

"Yes, I agree. That was very reckless of you." Kurapica added with her, though he didn't show as much fury as she did.

Leona twitched at Kurapica's calmness. "What are **you** talking about? You're not any better."

"I'm sorry." Gon smiled apologetically. "But you know; you guys caught me anyway."

_That doesn't change the fact that it was still a stupid thing to do._ Leona wanted to scowl some more, but decided to let it drop, since there were some truth in what he said; and … she just couldn't stay mad at Gon for long…

Kurapica sighed. "But I have to say, I'm quite impressed at your strength, Leona. The fact that you could keep a hold onto three males like that for as long as you did is incredible." She was shocked; was Kurapica actually complimenting her?

"Yeah! Leona is so strong! She once even bet up a bad guy who wanted to sell me!" Gon added with a big grin.

"G-Gon! You didn't have to mention that! You guys make me sound like some kind of brute!" Leona quickly looked away as she left a blush rise to her cheeks. She was use to compliments from her brother, but not compliments from strangers she just met several hours ago.

"Hahahahahaha!" The Captain laughed in amusement, causing an echo over the sea. "Oh you guys crack me up! Alright! I have decided to take you three to the port closest to the testing place."

"Really?" the three asked in unison, which caused the Captain to laugh even harder.

"Yes. Once I have decided to take you there, then you can bet your zennies that I'll get you there, no sweat!"

"Yay! Hunter Exam here we come!" Gon's cheer made everyone smile.

* * *

Okay! Second chapter done and Kurapica introduced!

I hope I have defined Kurapica's character properly. I didn't think Kurapica would be the type of person to fight a girl unless forced to, that's why I decided to rule out the fight scene.

Anyways, remember to R&R peoples! Your opinions are very much appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3: Never Trust Strangers

**Lead By Fate**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HunterxHunter or any of Yoshihiro Togashi's characters, though any other characters would be mine.

**Summary:** What if Leorio didn't take the Hunter Exam? What if his little sister took it for him instead? How would she play part in Gon's little group? Originally a FemLeorio story, but got switched to Leorio's little sister instead, but the concept is pretty much the same.

**Pairing:** Kurapica x OC

**Note:** _Italic_ for thought. _**Bold Italic**_ for sound effects.

* * *

**Chapter 3:**** Never Trust Strangers**

As the Captain had promised, the ship took Leona, Gon and Kurapica to the port in Dole. The place was bustling with people, many if not all of them were here for the Hunter Exam. It would seem to Leona that despite the Captain saying that there were side-examiners helping to reduce the numbers of examinees, there were still thousands out of millions who have the potential to become hunters. She couldn't help but shiver at the overwhelming number of people that she had to compete with.

"There sure are a lot of people. They must be all here for the same reason as we are." Kurapica stated as he stared at the crowd.

Ah yes, Kurapica. After Leona's courageous display of strength back on the ship during the storm, the blond boy never brought up their argument that occurred when the Captain was asking them questions. Leona assumed that he had forgotten about it, but she doubted that. The argument had been on her mind for awhile, but because of Kurapica's silence, she too decided not to bring it up; money seemed to be a touchy subject for the blond boy.

"Thanks for everything, Captain!" Gon thanks the bearded man.

"Anytime, you take care of yourself now." The Captain shook hands with Gon as the three were departing. "I have but one last advice."

The three blinked when the Captain pointed towards a tree on a mountain in the distance. "You see that tree on the mountain? Go to that tree, it's a shortcut to where the exams are."

"Okay! Thanks!" Gon grinned excitedly and began to run, as the Captain told him, to the direction of the tree.

"Gon!" Leona stopped him before he went too far. "Are you sure about this?"

"Huh? Of course! The Captain said we should go this way." Gon didn't understand why the Captain would be questioned.

Leona sighed. "Yeah, but look at the map." She pointed towards a large map that she and Kurapica found a little while ago. "Zaban City is in the opposite direction to the mountain. Isn't that a bit suspicious? We might end up walking the wrong way."

"Maybe he pointed there by accident." Kurapica added.

However despite the reasoning, the small boy still stubbornly remained in his decision. "It doesn't matter; I'm still going this way. I'm sure there's a good reason for it."

As Gon continued to walk towards the direction of the tree, Leona noticed Kurapica began to follow the younger boy as well. "I'm interested in what this boy does," had been his motive. Yes, indeed Gon was interesting, but as the two walked further away and closer to the mountain, Leona battled more and more about whether to go with them or not. Despite how interesting Gon is, the main objective is the Hunter Exam place, and the way they're heading now may or may not be the right direction. Leona wasn't sure she wanted the possibility of walking the wrong way.

"You know, you can always take the bus route." A voice said behind her. When she turned around, Leona saw a man with orange hair and a big nose, and with the way he dressed and displayed his weapon, she could anticipate that he was an examinee in the hunter exam.

"There's a bus route?"

"Yeah, it'll take you to Zaban City faster than by walking." The man explained.

Leona gave a surprised look, if there really was a faster way than walking, then that would make it a lot easier on her, and she would use less energy. "Really? That's great! Are you going that way too?"

"Nah, I get bus sick. So I'm going to head up the mountain. But you can go ahead and take the bus."

Leona smiled. "Oh ok. Thanks for telling me about the bus! Um, Mr…"

The man smiled. "I'm Matthew. And no problem, it's only natural for fellow examinees to help one another." And with that, he walked off to the same direction as Gon and Kurapica.

Leona, happy that she found an easier way, began to run the opposite direction from the tree and towards the town. How nice of Matthew to help her when she needed help. With this way, it would be easy to get to Zaban City. So easy, too easy…

"Wait a second…"

Leona paused in her run, something wasn't right and it gave her an uneasy feeling. Suddenly another big brother lecture that she remembered Leorio giving her came to mind.

_Don't believe everything that strangers tell you, especially since this is the Hunter Exam; people might try to take advantage of the fact that you're a girl and trick you._

It was common knowledge really, but it took her awhile to figure it out. Technically, this could apply to the Captain as well, but now that she stopped to really think about it, the Captain was an examiner, he was there to test people. There would have been no benefit at all by pointing them to the wrong path. If the Captain told them to go to the tree, then there may be another test waiting for them, but that would all be a part of the exam; so like Gon had said, there **was** a reason for the Captain to point that direction. But that Matthew guy told her there was another easier way yet had chosen to take the 'harder' path instead, meaning…

Leona immediately jerked to life, facing once again the direction to the mountain, a fiery look in her angry brown eyes. "That jerk lied to me! There may not even be a bus going to Zaban City!"

And thus, like a mad bull on fire, Leona sprinted after the three ahead of her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Gon and Kurapica arrived at an old weary little town on their way to the tree. The town appeared deserted, but thanks to both their above-average hearing, they were able to hear the sound of breathing, indicating life. The two had encountered a few wild animals on their way up the mountain, though Gon had easily dealt with them by reassuring the animal that they were of no harm. It surprised Kurapica how naturally the younger boy was able to communicate with the wild animals, a point that the blond made a mental note of for future reference. Now though, Kurapica brought his guard up in case of any possible attacks, the opposition this time was definitely not a wild animal.

"Gon, be careful." Kurapica warned.

The younger boy nodded. "There are people in this town; I can hear their breathing and the wind against their clothes." Suddenly, Gon heard another sound and, being the naïve kid he was, ran to the direction of the sound.

"Gon!" Kurapica ran after the boy with concern that even surprised him; he had been interested in Gon, yes, but being concerned was another thing all together, considering he just met Gon recently. The boy had this infectious quality that made people want to help him, another pointer that Kurapica mentally noted.

"Ah! I found you, grandma!" Gon beamed at his find.

It was an elderly woman with a cane standing in the shadows of an alley. The old woman smirked, "A sharp boy, aren't you?" and processed to step into the light to directly face both Gon and Kurapica.

"You have made it to this town to get to the tree at the top of the mountain, correct?" The old woman started. "Then you must play 'The Exciting Quiz of Two Answers'!"

Both Gon and Kurapica sweat dropped at the woman's loud declaration, but the woman continued. "The game is simple, I'll ask one question and you have 5 seconds to consider your answer. Should you fail, all of you would be disqualified from this year's Hunter Exam. You'll answer the question with 1 or 2; any other answer will be invalid."

"I see this is another test." Kurapica gave a thoughtful look. "So you mean; if one of us answered wrong, then all of us would be disqualified."

"But if one of us answered right, we all pass, right?" Gon smiled at his logic. "I'm glad I have you, Kurapica, I'm not very good with quizzes."

"Ah."

"Pardon me, but I'll go first." An unfamiliar voice said behind them.

Turning around, both Kurapica and Gon saw an orange-headed man they did not know. Kurapica had sensed the other man from behind them awhile ago, while they were still heading towards the town, but had said nothing since the man was probably another examinee heading towards the same direction as them.

"Oh?" The elderly woman replied. "You wish to go first?"

"Yeah. I don't want to be counted as a part of their group; I don't want to be disqualified with them. So, I'll go first, if you don't mind."

"Do you accept this?" The woman confirmed with Kurapica and Gon.

Kurapica nodded. "We accept." After all, this couldn't have come at a better time. Now they were able to see what kind of question the old grandma would ask. Though the blond boy would admit that he was quite good with his brain, it wouldn't be bad to know beforehand what to expect from this quiz, and probably, generally about the whole hunter exam.

Gon reminded silent.

"Alright then, here's your question. Your son and daughter have been kidnapped, and you can only save one. You choose: 1. Your son, 2. Your daughter."

Kurapica's eyes went wide in disbelief. _No way! But there's no exact answer for this type of question! Does this mean the old lady wants us to answer to what she wants?_

The orange-headed man smirked.

* * *

Leona felt utterly drained from her sprint up the mountain, so much so that she practically burnt out her desire for revenge on Matthew because she was simply too exhausted to care anymore. Her Uncle Beni once told her that burning out her frustration was the best way to keep a clear head, rather than keeping it in. But that's for another time to think about.

Walking up a little further, Leona saw the entrance to a small town with the pathway leading up to the tree at the top of the mountain. Curious, she decided to venture in, with caution of course. And oh and behold, a few metres ahead was Kurapica and Gon, and lets not forget the unmistakeable carrot-top Matthew that tricked her awhile ago. An old lady stood facing the three males and said something that the tired girl had just missed hearing.

Stepping behind the wall of a building, Leona decided to hide for awhile and listen to what was happening. If she was ever given the chance, she'll give the Matthew guy a beating of his life for lying to her!

"One." Matthew said. Leona blinked in confusion.

"Your reason?" The old woman asked him.

"A son is more valued than a daughter." Leona blinked some more. _Eh? Now I really don't get what's happening._

After a moment, the elderly lady stepped to the side. "Pass this way." With that, Matthew proceeded to run pass the lady and out of the town. However, Leona noticed that Kurapica and Gon didn't move at all.

_Oh! Maybe she's asking questions and we have to answer them right, before she lets us pass!_

The old woman stepped to face Kurapica and Gon again. "Now it's your turn…" But before she could ask the question, Kurapica interrupted her.

"Are you saying we have to answer according to what you want to hear?"

The woman gave another smirk. "You don't need to concern yourself with that, if you answer right, then you pass. Now, all three of you, do you accept to take the quiz? 1. Yes, 2. No."

"One!" Kurapica answered immediately, before pausing a little. "Three of us?"

_Eeek! Looks like I was discovered…_ Leona then proceeded to step out from hiding, causing both Kurapica and Gon to turn around.

Gon brighten up to a grin. "Leona! You came!"

Kurapica raised an eyebrow. "And here I thought you ditched out."

An anger mark appeared on her head and her eye twitched. _That jerk! To think he actually thought I would ditch out after all I've been through! _Leona stormed over to her companions. "No, I didn't ditch out! I ran into…some problems, but I would never just ditch out! Don't even dream about it!"

Kurapica gave her an amused smile, "Is that right?" before suddenly becoming serious again. "Leona-"

"Wait! No more talking!" The woman interrupted him, though Leona wasn't sure why. "You girl, since you came late I'll explain the rules to you. But from now on, any useless words would be punished by disqualification."

When the elderly woman explained the rule of the quiz to her, Leona thought it seemed simple enough. Though it was for that reason, she didn't understand why Kurapica kept giving her weird looks. He was trying to tell her something with his eyes, but unfortunately, she wasn't telepathic nor did she understand his eye language.

"And here is your question. Both your brother and lover are dying of poison; you only have the antidote to save one. You save 1. Your brother, 2. Your lover."

Leona was shocked. _What? What kind of question is this? There's no way you can answer this!_ But as much as she wanted to say that, she couldn't, she didn't want to get the others disqualified because of her. But **still**!

The old woman began the five second countdown.

"Five."

"Four."

Leona battled with herself. She honestly didn't know. If she had to choose between Leorio and **him**, even though technically he wasn't a lover, she still wouldn't be able choose. Both were too dear to her!

"Three."

"Two."

_I don't know! I don't know!_ In her state of panic, Leona opened her mouth; she had to say **something**, right? But before she could utter a sound, she felt Kurapica grab her hand and squeeze it. When she turned, his expression literally screamed, _DON'T DO IT!_

"One. There, it's over." The old lady smiled in satisfaction.

Leona quickly turned back to the old grandma. "Huh? Huh? W-weren't we suppose to say something?"

"No." It was Kurapica who answered, he looked so relieved. _Just made it in the nick of time! _"That **was** the answer. Silence. Since there is no real answer to the question, we couldn't say 1 or 2 because they weren't the right answer, so the only option was to stay quiet. So we won."

Leona blinked at his explanation; it made a lot of sense. "But wait what about carrot-top?" She asked, pointing to the direction that the man left earlier.

"I heard him scream before; he was probably eaten by some monster or something. That way isn't the right way to the tree, right grandma?"

The old lady nodded, and pointed to a hidden door way. "The young man is correct; **this** is the correct way to the tree. You three have passed the quiz."

When realization finally dawned on her, Leona sighed in relief. _Wow, thank god Kurapica grabbed my hand before I said anything… hand?_ "Umm… Kurapica."

The blonde boy blinked. "Yes?"

"You can let go now." Both looked down to see that they were still holding hands.

The blond boy immediately let go and looked away embarrassed. "S-sorry."

* * *

Now that the three of them have passed the test, Gon, Kurapica and Leona walked through the dark tunnel passage that would lead them straight to the tree, as the old grandma said. She had also said that a young married couple were living under the tree; they were the navigators that, if they passed their test, would lead them straight to the Hunter exam place. Leona was beginning to feel glad that she had both Kurapica and Gon to help her make it this far into the exam. She wasn't sure how far they would eventually make it through, but one thing's for sure, she was so glad she met those two.

"You know." Gon finally spoke since the end of the quiz test. "I still don't understand."

Both Leona and Kurapica stared at Gon before smiling. "Are you still thinking about the quiz, Gon? The quiz is over already." Leona told him.

"Yeah, but I really wonder. If one day I was ever in the situation where I could only save one out of those close to me, what would I do?" From Gon, the question could be nothing but out of pure innocence curiosity, but in doing so, he had struck up a question that even the wisest monk couldn't properly answer.

Indeed, what would she do? Thinking back to it, Leona knew deep down that if she had to choose between Leorio and **him**, she would choose, within all her power, to save both. If it meant sacrificing herself, then she would do it.

A noble thought, no? But then, even deeper down, Leona knew that selfless sacrificing doesn't make everyone happy.

* * *

Chapter 3 finally finished and we finally get further into the exam.

*I say sorry to VampyreVixen16 for not updating quickly enough. I sadly admit, I am not a regular updater, but I do try my best to update as fast as I can!*

I'm going to go by a mix of both the anime and the manga, and will probably stick close to the original story as well. But because it's Leona and not Leorio, there of course will be some differences. If I get creative enough, I might even try to write what happened after they find Killua after the exam, what happened to Leona and Kurapica during the six mouths the gang was separated.

Anyways, I'm glad that they are people actually reading this. **Please R&R, it may help get a faster update! :D**


	4. Chapter 4: Foxy Navigators

**Lead By Fate**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HunterxHunter or any of Yoshihiro Togashi's characters, though any other characters would be mine.

**Summary:** What if Leorio didn't take the Hunter Exam? What if his little sister took it for him instead? How would she play part in Gon's little group? Originally a FemLeorio story, but got switched to Leorio's little sister instead, but the concept is pretty much the same.

**Pairing:** Kurapica x OC

**Note:** _Italic_ for thought. _**Bold Italic**_ for sound effects.

* * *

**Chapter 4:**** Foxy Navigators**

_Geez, how many of those have we passed already?_ Leona mused as they walked passed what happened to be the fifth 'Beware of Beasts' sign on their way to the navigators' house.

By the time the group have walked out of the dark and long tunnel, it was already sometime in the evening, and this helped to create the creepy and gloomy atmosphere of the surrounding forest. A light fog hung around the area, which gave off a spooky feeling that sent Leona on edge. The warning signs were only additional assets to her discomfort.

"I'm tired, how much further do we have to go?" Leona asked; her shaky voice betrayed her uneasiness.

"We've been walking for two hours; we should be getting close now." Kurapica replied.

Leona looked over at Gon who was smiling quite contently despite the dark. "Gon, you look confident. Aren't you afraid that we're walking straight into the beasts' territory?"

The younger boy grinned. "Nope. I haven't seen any signs of beasts come through here, so I think we're fine. You don't have to worry, Leona."

Blushing, she quickly looked away. "I-I wasn't worried."

"I'm amazed that you can see in this darkness." Kurapica complimented Gon.

"Well, I live on Whale Island, and the forest there is normally pitch black. But it had a different atmosphere to this forest."

Leona sighed softly. It was quite obvious to her that among the three of them, she was the least mentally prepared for the exam. _That means it's even more of a reason to stick with them, if I'm ever going to have the chance of actually passing this exam._

Leona believed her brother would have probably done the same if he was in her position. Especially since they still have a test with the navigators before they were taken to the main hunter exam.

"Ah! I see it! The tall tree!" Gon pointed excitedly towards the direction in front.

Leona sighed in relief. _Finally! _The three of them were staring at a simple but nice looking wooden cottage that was built on the base of the tall tree; the tree that the captain so nicely told them was the short cut to the main exam location.

"It's very quiet." Kurapica observed. "Are we the first ones here?"

Leona shrugged. "We'll see when we go inside." With that, Leona walked up to the small cottage and knocked on the wooden door.

No reply.

Leona frowned, grabbed the handle and twisted it to open the door. "We're coming in…"

The sight that they saw was one that none expected to see.

Broken furniture tossed everywhere, ripped curtains, and a very large fox-like creature holding a struggling woman in its arms. An injured man lay helplessly on the floor beside the creature. The sight was shocking, but it took only a few seconds for the group to react. The two injured people were probably the navigators, while the large Kiriko (fox-rat) was a monster that the signs had warned about.

"It's a beast!" The three moved to attack, but the creature was faster, swiping out its craws which narrowly missed them as the group jumped out of its way. With the woman still in its arm, the Kiriko ran towards the forest.

"My wife!" The injured man cried.

"We gotta help!" Gon ran after the beast, followed by Kurapica.

"Leona! Take care of the wounded!" He called out to her, as he and Gon disappeared into the forest.

Leona pointed to herself unsure. "Uh…me? But…" Looking back inside the cottage, the injured man was sobbing in despair.

"My wife! Please save my wife!"

She looked at the poor man with sympathy but tried to sound positive. "Don't worry, Gon and Kurapica will defiantly bring your wife back."

Leona searched through her backpack for the first-aid kit that Leorio packed for her. "You'll have to excuse me, my brother would have done a better job, but I at least learnt some first-aid from him." Leona smiled reassuringly. "Now let's look at your wounds."

The man's wounds weren't as deep as they appeared just a few cuts and scratches. Leorio had taught her that the best way to treat them was to clean the wounds and disinfect them before wrapping the bandages around them. Being as careful and as gentle as she could, Leona began the process of patching up the man.

All the while, the man grew quiet as she did her work. His eyes observed her every movement and seemed to have lost the distressed look he held before.

Once she was done, Leona packed up her kit and placed it back into her bag. "There, that should do it. I think you're fine now." She smiled at the man, who nodded thanks.

Turning to look out the door, Leona noticed that it was taking awhile for Gon and Kurapica to come back. _They didn't get hurt or something did they?_ She briefly wondered.

Suddenly, she felt a strange sensation behind her and turned to see the man glowing in a strange light. His body seemed to shift into a larger size, his face became fox-like and fur began sprouting out all over his body, until what stood before her was no longer a man, but a Kiriko just like the one who took away the woman.

_Oh…crap._

"Ah…" Leona muttered as she stared at the beast with wide eyes and a stupid grin on her face. "So… this was all a trick."

"Hmmm?" The creature stared at her grin. "You're not scared?"

"Ha… who said I wasn't scared." Before the fox-rat could react, Leona had already bolted out of the cottage and into the forest, trying to get as far away from the beast as possible.

_Oh my god! Holy crap! That was scary!_ Leona screamed in her mind, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she sprinted through the forest. This was the first time she had received such a scare in her life! It was almost just like in those horror films, where the victim that you would never expect, turned out to be the killer. But if everything had been a trick in the first place, then that means even the lady in the Kiriko's arm before was a beast. In that the case, where were the real navigators? Leona was confused.

"Hehe! Wow, you're pretty fast." A shadow appeared next to her as she ran.

Upon closer inspection, Leona realized it was the Kiriko that she left back at the cottage, the one who disguised himself as the injured man. These were animals that had the ability of metamorphose, not only that they were very fast as well, especially in their fox-rat form.

_No! He caught up! Is he going to attack me now? _Before Leona had the change to scream or run faster, the creature already sped up and called her to follow him.

_Huh? Follow him?_ _Aren't I the one running away from him?_ Not allowing her time to think too much, the Kiriko swiftly changed course to the left, forcing Leona into following him wherever he was going.

_This isn't a trap, is it?_

Eventually, Leona found herself running into an open field, where she found both Gon and Kurapica standing with some other fox-rats. The one she had been following transformed back into the injured man, however this time he kept his fox ears with the transformation. She also saw the kidnapped lady, who also revealed fox-like ears sprouting from her head.

_Ah! I knew it! She was a Kiriko! ...but I guess the others knew that already by now…_

Stopping to stand next to Kurapica, Leona watched as two large Kirikos examined Gon.

"Hmmm…. Ahhhh…. It's been awhile since we've met someone who can tell my wife and me apart. This gives me great pleasure," said one of the large fox-rats.

_Eh? What?_ The two looked exactly the same in Leona's opinion, but it seems Gon could tell the difference. She turned to ask Kurapica. "Can you tell the difference?"

Kurapica gave her an equally stunned look. "Not at all. They both look the same to me."

"I think, the one Kurapica and I was chasing was the husband." Gon stated.

"That's nice, but that doesn't tell us which ones which." Even looking carefully at the two Kirikos, Leona was still unable to tell the difference between them.

"He could already predict the weather, now he can even tell the difference between two identical beasts. This boy's got talent." Kurapica seemed to be talking to himself, analysing Gon in his mind.

Leona stared at Gon in amazement. _Wow…who would have known. Gon's cute _and_ special._

"Well, it's great to see someone who can tell us apart. We'll have you know, we are the navigators." The fox-rats explained.

"And we're their daughter and son!" This time it was the two transformed Kirikos who spoke.

_I see… so the Kirikos were the navigators. I guess the whole kidnapping thing was all an act to test our abilities._ Leona summed up in her mind.

"I'm impressed by Kurapica-san's observation and historical knowledge." The daughter spoke first. "He was able to tell that the tattoos on me were from the ancestral tribe of 'Sumi', where only young girls wore to prove their devotion to God and no one else. With his excellent knowledge of ancient history, he was able to tell that my husband wasn't actually my husband."

Leona secretly stared at the blond boy from the corner of her eye. _So Kurapica's a nerd, but I can kind of tell just by the way he acts._

"And as for Leona-san," The son spoke next. "She didn't figure anything out until I transformed in front of her…"

Leona inwardly pouted. _What was there to figure out? I just thought you were injured and needed help. How was I supposed to know the whole thing was a fraud?_

"But I was impressed by her first-aid and the way she was so gentle when she was applying the bandages, even though we were strangers to each other. She knew how to comfort me when I was asking for my 'wife' by staying positive and showed much sympathy for me. I was very touched by her kindness."

Leona blushed at the compliment and looked to the side to hide her embarrassment. _Well, at least that helps give me pointers to the navigators…_

The two larger fox-rats nodded their approval and turned back to Gon. "As for Gon, he walked straight ahead, showing extraordinary movement and observation. Only once in ten years, someone like your kind would come and be able to distinguish us apart, someone with super human abilities."

"And now," all four beasts spread out their arms to reveal flying fox wings, flapping them as if preparing to take flight. "All three of you have passed; we will be taking you to the main hunter exam now."

Gon cheered with joy, and both Leona and Kurapica high-fived.

_Finally!_ _We're going to the real thing this time!_ Leona thought with a smile.

Gon, who was the smallest in the group, grabbed onto the two younger Kirikos, while Kurapica and Leona each grabbed onto one of the parents.

As they ascended into the air, Leona looked down and saw the forest shrinking and their distance from the ground growing. She held tightly onto the creature's legs, not because she was afraid of heights, but because she was growing more and more nervous and excited at the same time. This was the first time she had ever been so far away from home before, and her brother wasn't here to help or support her. From now til the end of the exam, she could only rely on herself and the things she was taught.

Leona looked up at Gon and Kurapica. _Or maybe I could rely of them as well…_ After all the things they've been through together, she could hardly call them strangers anymore. But could she trust them yet? Leorio have always told her about not trusting people too much or else they might betray you when you least expect it. Kind of like that Matthew guy who deceived her, but Gon and Kurapica weren't like that, right?

Leona shook her head and stared into the distance; squinting her eyes when they met the rays of the sun rise for morning. They were already approaching the city; Zaban City.

_I guess we'll just have to wait and see, brother._

* * *

"Here we are. Tsubashi Quarter, second district, 5th block, 10th building." The transformed Kiriko said as he stopped in front of the building. He had been their guide since they landed on the outskirts of the city.

"Wow! Amazing!" Gon gasped.

Looking up, the group saw a huge magnificent building that towered over them like a giant. It was a very impressive building, marble structured and fixed with over six stories high. It appeared as a very fitting location for the hunter exam to take place.

"They've come from all four corners of the world. Courageous men and women, dreaming of becoming hunters, and find themselves here." Even Kurapica was impressed with presence of the building.

_I sort of feel bad about not letting Leorio-niisan take the hunter exam now; he would have gawked at this building. _Leona thought, equally just as impressed as the others.

The Kiriko chuckled. "Not there, it's here." He pointed at the building in front of him.

The three sweat dropped, the building they saw this time was nothing in comparison to the building they were looking at before, literally. It was only a small beef restaurant that looked as if it could barely fit 20 people. It was a totally unimpressive place, both boring and small.

"Are you sure this is the place, navigator?" Leona asked, unconvinced. "It doesn't look like the place to fix the thousands of candidates for the hunter exam…"

The fox-rat chuckled some more, revealing a sly smile. "Precisely, no one would ever suspect that a place like this would have thousands of hunter candidates assembled here."

When the four walked into the little restaurant, they saw two or three customers and a chubby chief behind the bar.

"Hello. What would you like?"

"A steak, please." The navigator replied.

"How would you like that cooked?"

"Carefully cooked under a weak flame."

The chief smiled. "Okay, go to the back."

Leona blinked at the typical-looking exchange; it just occurred to her that a series of codes had been passed. It seemed the hunter exams were **very** secretive about their location, if they use codes like **this** to further reduce the number of weaker candidates.

Guided to the 'back' of the restaurant, Gon, Kurapica and Leona were shown into a room where they found steak cooking on a barbeque installed table; a table for three.

"Welcome to the main hunter exam," their navigator exclaimed. "Only 1 out of 10,000 makes it this far into the exam, as new candidates you've done well thus far."

"Good luck, I'll be pleased to be your navigator next year." And with that, the transformed Kiriko took his leave. Within moments, the room they occupied began the slow motion of descending, like an elevator going down.

"Well that's a bit mean; he makes it sound like we are sure to fail." Leona complained after swallowing a piece of steak. _Though I guess I could forgive him, since he gave us breakfast. I was actually beginning to feel hungry awhile ago. Can't do the hunter exam on an empty stomach now, can I?_

"One in every three years, that's the probability of a rookie like us to pass the exam, he was only speaking realistically." Kurapica explained, he himself also eating the steak provided. "There will be those who mentally crack under the stress of the test, and there are those who become incapable of ever taking the test again because of permanent damage. He was speaking as if we won't become one of those I've listed."

Leona gulped, though she was able to make it look like she was swallowing food. In fact, she was very nervous and scared after that explanation. _Gosh, then I really hope we don't become one of those. What the hell was brother thinking when he decided he should take the exam?_

"But…why does everyone want to be a hunter?" Gon asked curiously.

The older two stared at him in disbelief. "You don't know, Gon?"

"To be a hunter is the noblest thing in the world!" Kurapica exclaimed, but was pushed away by an excited Leona.

"That's right Gon! Being a hunter allows you many job options that normal people cannot do! Like a Treasure Hunter or a Contact Hunter, pick one of those and the cash will come rolling in! It'll also allow you into many countries and you can use public facilities for free!"

Though it may not have been her idea to take the exam, she didn't neglect to research on what she was getting herself into, and with that Leona was able to find some of the benefits of the Hunter licence.

She was then pushed aside by Kurapica. "Don't listen to her, Gon! True hunters have the role of protecting people, and maintaining peace and balance! People who hunt animals or look for treasure are just amateurs! Professional hunters have the authority to preserve precious objects of ancient history, and also capture wanted criminals and hunters doing wrong!"

He was once again shoved away by Leona. "Oh oh! Listen Gon…" and the process of shoving the other aside and trying to convince Gon kept going. Gon himself was simply confused; most of what was being said didn't even register in his mind. He could only sweat drop at his two older friends.

"So Gon, what hunter do you want to be?" They asked simultaneously.

"Um…ah…" He was interrupted by the sound of the elevator room coming to a stop. They were finally here.

Argument forgotten; Gon, Leona and Kurapica walked out of the room once the automatic doors slid open, facing the large assembled crowd of hunter candidates.

* * *

Ah, sorry for the long update again! But luckily I was able to make it for New Year this time, so HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Anyways, now that all the boring stuff is over, it's time for the real action to begin! And Killua comes in next chapter! Once again, I don't guarantee a quick update on the next chapter, but I'll try! But I should be happy if I'm getting reviews that want me to update so badly, it shows there are actually people who read and like this crap.

**Please review if you read this story, it would be very much appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 5: Now It Really Begins

**Lead By Fate**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HunterxHunter or any of Yoshihiro Togashi's characters, though any other characters would be mine.

**Summary:** What if Leorio didn't take the Hunter Exam? What if his little sister took it for him instead? How would she play part in Gon's little group? Originally a FemLeorio story, but got switched to Leorio's little sister instead, but the concept is pretty much the same.

**Pairing:** Kurapica x OC

**Note:** _Italic_ for thought. _**Bold Italic**_ for sound effects.

* * *

**Chapter 5:**** Now It Really Begins**

Leona stared at the number plate she was given; she was number 403. Kurapica was 404 and Gon was 405. Since they were the latest to arrive so far, that meant that there were 405 candidates in the main hunter exam.

_That's an awfully low number._ Leona mused

She had been expecting at least a thousand people or more, what she found wasn't even half that number. But she supposed, the fewer the numbers the less competition there was for her. However, that also meant that the level in the candidates were higher, it didn't take a genius to realise that all the people in this room were experts in one field or another. One look at Kurapica and she could already tell he could feel the difference in level too.

"It looks like we're in an underground tunnel." Gon noted their surroundings curiously.

"You three are new, right?" A new voice asked them.

The three looked up at the direction of the voice to see a man who appeared to be in his late thirties, sitting on a thick horizontal pipe. He wore ordinary common clothing and had a short build; around Leona's height (who was half a head shorter than Kurapica). His one noticeable feature was his particularly large square-shaped noise.

"How did you know that, sir?" Gon asked the man, he seemed pleased to meet someone new.

Jumping off from where he perched, the man explained. "I'm a veteran here you see, my name is Tompa, I'm number 16 this year. This is my 35th time in the hunter exam."

The three widened their eyes in surprise, "35th time?"

_35 times? I would have stopped at three. He's a very persistent guy._ Leona thought, though she wasn't sure if she should admire him for that.

Noting their surprised looks, the man Tompa grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, you can say that I'm an all round failure, but I can confidently say you can rely on me if you have any questions."

"Okay!" Gon grinned back. "Could you tell us about some of the people here?"

"Sure!" Tompa pointed to a man with a turban on his head. "Number 103 is the Snake Charmer, Barbon. He uses snakes as his weapon, so you don't want him as an enemy."

Then he pointed to an angry looking muscular man. "Number 76 is Cherry the Soldier. He knows all types of martial arts, never underestimate that guy."

Next was a large fat man with hair tied back in a ponytail, "Number 225, the Wrestler Neck Wringer. He is very strong and very malicious; you don't want to get on his bad side."

"Then there are the three Amori brothers, number 197, 198 and 199." Tompa pointed to a group of three sleazy-looking men. "They're a pretty talented group in their own right."

"Ah, then there's number 384, Gereta the Hunter." This time it was a dark skinned man with shades and a strange outfit. "He's a master of killing with a blowgun and a nightstick; he's not an enemy to mess with."

"And that's pretty much it for the regulars. They're all strong, even though they all haven't made it till the end yet." Tompa concluded.

Gon stared in wonder and amazement. "Wow, they all sound so cool!"

Leona silently shook her head and smiled softly. Only Gon would have that type of reaction to his possible opponents; he was cute that way. Personally, she didn't think those men were as strong as they appeared if they couldn't even make it to the final exam. They were probably just all talk.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" a sudden scream filled the room that nearly made Leona jump out of her skin.

Everyone turned to the direction of the scream and saw a man with both his arms cut off. Standing before him, and probably the cause of the man's pain, was yet another strange man with dyed blue hair and wearing a weird jester-like outfit. The man gave a series of creepy chuckles before telling the poor man to watch where he was going. A maniac was the only word to describe him.

"Ah him…" Tompa said nervously, obviously scared of the creepy man. "That's number 44, Hisoka the Magician. Last year, people say he would have made it, but he almost killed an examiner he didn't like, so he was disqualified. He also permanently disabled 20 people for life, he's a dangerous man. You guys better stay away from him as much as possible."

Leona shivered, and suddenly she knew that that Hisoka guy was no ordinary man; he was in a level far higher than the rest. "And they still let someone like him retake the exam?"

Tompa nodded. "Every year the examiners changes, it's them that decides the content of the exam. Who failed and who passes, it's all decided by the judges. They'll even let the devil pass if they want. **That** is the hunter exam."

Leona felt her stomach churn. It seemed to her that the hunter license suddenly became a harder goal to reach than before. She knew that the exams would be hard, but if they had to worry about other examinees like Hisoka as well, then the hunter exam really was no joke. They really could get seriously injured or even die if they were to let their guard down for even a second. Could she do it? Could she pass the exam like this? Leona shook her head, trying to rid herself of her doubts. After all, she had to believe herself and believe in her abilities! That was what Uncle Beni always told her…

_**RIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGGGG!**_

Everyone in the room looked up at the sound of the annoyingly piercing ringing. Yet another strange man appeared in front of the crowd; he wore a butler-like suit and seemed to present himself like one as well, however the man had no mouth, or none that Leona could see. The man turned off the alarm which came in the form of a key ring toy and placed it in his pocket.

"Now that I am here, the time for reception is over. The hunter exam may now begin." The man announced, which made Leona blink in surprise. The man could actually talk, and he had no mouth! _Where is the logic?_

But now that the beginning of the exam had been announced, everyone became tense and prepared for whatever the examiner might throw at them. Gon looked very eager to start, Kurapica had his guide up like always, and Leona gulped down any lingering nerves before preparing herself as well.

"This way please." The man began walking deeper into the tunnel. "I must first notify you that this exam is extremely difficult and dangerous. If you make a mistake you'll get hurt or it may even cost you your life. But if you have no problems with this than please follow me."

Nobody needed to be told twice, everyone followed him as he instructed. Nobody backed out because of his warning, only the man who had his arms cut off, who had probably died of blood loss by now, remained where he was. But that only reduced the 405 contestants to 404. Everyone, Leona realized, was dead serious about becoming a hunter.

A few minutes later, Leona, Gon and Kurapica noticed that the pace had picked up. Everyone began to walk faster, some even jogging at this point. It was in fact the examiner who had begun to walk faster and hence the people in front began to move faster too.

"Sorry for the late introduction, but my name is Satotsu." The mouth-less man introduced himself. "I am in charge of the First exam, so I must lead you to the Second exam."

"The second exam? So that means the first exam has already started?" Leona asked in surprise. She was jogging along with the others.

"Apparently so." Kurapica replied.

"This test is weird." Gon commented.

Satotsu began explaining. "As some of you might already know, the first exam has already begun. Following me to the second exam is the first exam. If you are able to do that, then you pass."

Now everyone had moved to a running pace. It was like an endurance test, the examiner didn't say when they would get there but Leona had a feeling they may be running for a while. Kurapica had explained that the exam was also a test of our mentality, to see how long we can endure running without the knowledge of when it ends. For Leona, she didn't think that would be a problem. If she just followed the examiner like he said, then eventually she'll reach the end, right?

Suddenly, a young boy around Gon's age with white hair rolled passed the group on his skateboard. A bored expression was planted on his face.

Leona's eye twitched, for some reason, she didn't like the presence of that boy. "Hey! No unfair! Why do you get to ride on a skateboard?"

The boy lazily turned his head towards her. "Why can't I?"

_Oh! So the boy has an attitude, huh!_ Leona quickly felt that they weren't going to get along. He was very different to Gon, who was very open and easy to get along with. This boy gave off an air of indifference and reservation. He was dressed casually with a long sleeved dark red shirt, under a light purple t-shirt, and blue shorts. He looked like any ordinary boy his age, but something about his eyes gave off a weird…feeling.

"…"

Seeing that she wasn't going to answer, the white-haired boy turned to Gon. "Hey, how old are you?"

"Me? I'm almost twelve." Gon replied.

"I see… you're the same age as me." With that said, the boy did some trick with his skateboard and jumped off, held it under his arm and began running along with them. Gon looked impressed with the trick.

"The name's Killua." The boy introduced himself.

"I'm Gon! Nice to meet you!" It was obvious Gon was happy to meet another boy his age. Leona could see a new friendship forming, though it was hard not to make friends with someone like Gon.

"Hey Sis, how old are you?" It was asked with so much sarcasm, Leona felt like smacking the Killua boy over the head.

"I don't feel like telling you."

"Awww, why not? Are you actually an old woman in disguise?"

This time, she really did smack him over the head.

"OW! What the hell was that for, you tomboy!"

"And you're a brat!"

Thus, Leona began a name calling battle with the Killua boy. Gon had tried to stop them and calm them down, but it didn't work. All the while Kurapica ran ahead of them with an I-don't-know-them look on his face.

* * *

Around three to four hours had passed and they were still running in the long never-ending tunnel, and yet not one person dropped out yet. The verbal battle between Leona and Killua was long since over, where Killua had moved on to happily chatting with Gon, and Leona ran alongside with Kurapica. Both didn't speak much to the other, though Leona did notice the blond boy glancing her way once in a while.

Panting softly and hot from running, Leona could feel her legs growing tired. She never thought that they would be required to run for so long, though she wasn't at her limit yet, she would definitely admit that it was draining. She briefly wondered how her brother would have fared in such an exam. She knew Leorio was quite strong in his own right, but she also knew that his endurance wasn't as good as hers, or at least that was what Uncle Beni told her…

"Oh man, you've got to be kidding me." The people in front were becoming anxious and Leona looked up to see what the cause was.

To her horror, they were coming to a series of ascending staircases. Leona mentality cursed, running straight for hours she could do, but make her run upstairs and she wouldn't last for long, especially not in her current state.

"Well now, let's pick up the pace." The examiner said.

To her relief, Leona wasn't the only one having trouble with the stairs. Many of the examinees were just as tired as her, but they weren't giving up, so Leona defiantly wouldn't either. However, after 30 minutes or so of the stairs, she began to felt dizzy and her vision grew blurry. A staggering misstep and Leona fell back, hitting into the person directly behind her.

"MOVE BITCH!" The person behind roughly shoved her aside to move ahead, where Kurapica was lucky enough to be there to catch her before she hit something.

"Are you okay Leona?" he asked with concerned. But with the momentum lost and Leona feeling as tired and dizzy as she did, the girl slumped down on the stairs, panting heavily.

"Can you go on?"

She wanted to cry, there and then, but doing so would have been too embarrassing for her so she kept it in. Could she go on? She wasn't sure anymore. But if she gave up now, Leorio wouldn't be able to go into medical school, and she was the one who so confidently said she would bring back a hunter license. _Damn, I have to go on, for brother's sake!_

"I'm going! I'm going!" Leona stood up with renewed determination and began running up the stairs again. She took off her pale red jacket and tied it around her waist, allowing herself more free movement. "Hurry up Kurapica! Or you'll get left behind!"

Kurapica smiled and ran up after her. He imitated her and took off his Kurutaian over shirt to allow more free movement for himself. _Her determination is really admirable._

Despite the loss of time that she had wasted recovering herself, Leona was at least glad to see that some have also become too tired to run anymore as well. Both her and Kurapica passed by a few men who've slumped to the side, too exhausted to move. That had given her a confidence booster and allowed her to move on.

"Can I ask you something?" Kurapica suddenly asked.

_You already did._ Leona thought humorously but gestured for him to ask, having light conversation might take her mine off her exhaustion and aching legs.

"Is money really the reason you want to become a hunter?"

Leona blinked in surprise at the question. That's right; she had said that her reason for wanting to become a hunter was for the money. Since her brother's objective was to use the hunter licence to pay for his medical school intuition and probably other expenses, the objective still remained to be money.

"Yes." she replied without pause.

The blond boy frowned at her response; and sensing his disapproval, Leona gave a dramatic sigh. "I knew I was right when I thought money was a sensitive subject for you."

"…What?"

"But you don't have to worry you know, the money will be used for a very good cause…" Leona hesitated before continuing, was it alright to tell him? "It's all for my brother's dream to become a doctor. We're poor and we couldn't afford the medicine school intuition you see, so we decided that getting a hunter licence would be able to fix all that. My brother wants to become a doctor that would cure diseases for free, so the poor wouldn't have to pay at all. As ridiculous as it sounds, I think he would be able to do it."

Kurapica's eyes widened at her story. It did sound quite incredible… and ridiculous, but suddenly something didn't seem quite right. "But…if that's the case, shouldn't your brother be the one taking this exam? It's **his** dream, isn't it?"

Leona snorted, she had been anticipating that question; Leorio had said the same thing. "My brother wants to be a doctor, and he's not exactly the fighter type either. So in that case, I thought why don't I become the hunter and pay for his fees, and let my brother become the doctor he wanted. Besides, I won't let him risk his life in something like this."

"So you would risk your own life for your brother's dream; you're more noble than you appear."

Leona blushed at the compliment. "W-well, **you're** reason seems to have more purpose than mine."

"My reason…" Kurapica's face grew dark, causing Leona to look at him questionably.

"Did you know?" he began in a grave tone, "the Kuruta Clan was massacred for one thing only, and that was our scarlet eyes. When we are feeling an intense emotion, our eyes will turn a bright scarlet colour like fire. If we die in that state, the eyes will remain that way forever, it becomes a treasure that is said to be one of the seven most beautiful in the world. The Genei Ryodan killed my family and brothers for our eyes, and because of that, I aim to become a Blacklist hunter, take revenge for my people and retrieve their eyes back."

_Wow…_ she could help thinking. Listening to Kurapica's story, Leona could feel his resentment for the Genei Ryodan as he mentioned their name. His story was dark and depressing; she couldn't help but feel sad for Kurapica, he had obviously had a rough life. In a situation like this though, she wasn't sure of what to say; so she settled with the first thing that came to mind.

"It seems you have a pretty big goal to reach too." Leona smiled at the blond. "Then let's be hunters together, Kurapica." Yes, she would use what Gon said to her just after they boarded the ship. It sounded appropriate.

The boy blinked at her before letting loose a rare genuine smile, nodding, "Yes, let's."

Leona's eyes widen. It was a good thing Kurapica had turned away before he noticed, or else he would have seen her face turn bright tomato red. _Oh my God! Kurapica's smile was so CUTE!_ She wasn't even sure if her heart was pounding hard from running anymore. That smile literally lit up Kurapica's face like a bright star in the night sky; it had lightened up his whole serious demeanour that he had implanted in her head of him.

_Wahhh! Since when did Kurapica become so cute? He's almost as cute as Gon!_ Leona blushed even harder when she realised she couldn't get the image of Kurapica smiling out of her head.

* * *

"Look! The exit!" someone called out, causing Leona to look up at the inviting sight of bright light coming from the end of the tunnel. Finally! After hours of dingy dark tunnels, they were able to see light and the end of the long and exhausting marathon. She was so happy to see light again, Leona almost tripped on the stairs.

"We're almost there Leona!" Kurapica called out, urging her forward.

Just a few more flight of steps and the group of examinees were out of the dark underground tunnel and into the refreshing new sight of a… **swamp?** Everyone stared at the new area in utter confusion; they were no longer anywhere near civilization anymore, all that long hours of running had lead them to a place they least expected to be. This swamp was going to be their next exam.

_Unbelievable!_ Leona thought as she panted heavily, but she quickly concentrated on resting up, hopping to use the moment that everyone stopped to catch her breath. Looking up, she was despondent to see Kurapica looking fairly calm. She even noticed Gon and Killua nearby who also appeared as if they hadn't ran for god-knows-how-long; she had been outrun by kids!

The examiner started explaining something that Leona had been too tired to catch, something about the swamp being dangerous and having beasts that would eat you. She briefly heard a door behind them close; the people who were still in the underground tunnel were locked in, meaning they didn't pass the exam.

Suddenly, a loud voice was heard shouting. "Don't be fooled! He's lying to you all!"

Leona looked towards the voice along with everyone else. What they saw was an injured bleeding man, dragging a strange creature by the hand. He was staring angrily at the butler-like examiner.

"He's not a judge at all, he's an imposter!" The man pointed an accusing finger at the examiner. "**I'm** the real examiner!"

_Wha?_ Leona blinked in confusion, everyone else seemed to be equally just as confused, staring between the two 'examiners' and trying to work out which one was real and which one was fake.

What in the world was going on?

* * *

Ha! An earlier update than expected! I feel so proud of myself.

I hope you people are still into reading this. If you've got anything to say about this story, please leave a review, they are most welcome and encouraged.

I'll be going on a family vacation, so don't expect another quick update for the next chapter yet.


	6. Chapter 6: Are You Free?

**Lead By Fate**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HunterxHunter or any of Yoshihiro Togashi's characters, though any other characters would be mine.

**Summary:** What if Leorio didn't take the Hunter Exam? What if his little sister took it for him instead? How would she play part in Gon's little group? Originally a FemLeorio story, but got switched to Leorio's little sister instead, but the concept is pretty much the same.

**Pairing:** Kurapica x OC

**Note:** _Italic_ for thought. _**Bold Italic**_ for sound effects.

* * *

**Chapter 6:**** Are You Free?**

Everything had happened too quickly for Leona's tired mind to fully comprehend it all. One moment an injured man showed up proclaiming that **he** was the 'real' judge and that Satotsu was an imposter; and the next, cards began fling and attacked both judges simultaneously. However, the injured man was struck in the face and was killed instantly, while Satotsu had caught the cards before they could hit him. The cards had come from the one everyone feared, Hisoka the Magician.

"There, that solved the problem, right Mr. Examiner?" The man said in a creepy tone. "A pro hunter like you should have easily intercepted that measly attack."

Everyone around looked positively freaked out by Hisoka; **that** was a measly attack? But the examiner simply threw the cards away, seemingly unaffected. "I'll take that as a compliment, but I warn you that anymore attacks on an examiner, for whatever reason, you'll be disqualified. Is that understood?"

"Yes, understood."

Leona shivered, unconsciously she had been hiding behind Kurapica; she was defiantly going to avoid that mad clown as much as possible. She had a feeling that in the future he would be a deadly opponent, and she had hoped to avoid getting herself killed during the exam. Her brother was still waiting for her to come back home.

Once everyone got over the imposter examiner business, the examinees were made to run once again, this time in the jungle of muddy swamps and man-eating predators. The first exam was not over yet, and to Leona, things couldn't suck anymore than this. Not only was the mud hard to run in, she also had to narrowly dodged fling mud everywhere as the people around stomped their way through the swamp. How she hated getting herself dirty.

_Of all places to make us run it had to be in the mud! …But I guess it's better than an endless dark tunnel._

Suddenly, the area began to fog up. The fog was so dense that it became harder and harder to see the front, or around you for that matter.

_Damn! Okay, this isn't any better than running in a tunnel… No, in fact it's WORSE!_

Leona mentally cried as she continued to run alongside Kurapica. At least, if she had any problems, she still had him to rely on. As a matter of fact, she noticed that for some strange reason the boy seem to be there whenever she needed help… But perhaps it was just coincidence.

Suddenly, Gon's voice could be heard through the fog and crowd in front of them; how had he managed to get so far ahead? "Leona! Kurapica! Killua said that it's better to be in the front!"

_Ah! So the brat's with him too… _"We're trying, Gon! We're trying!" Leona shouted back.

"Hey Kurapica, let's speed up a bit and go to the front." Leona suggested to the blond boy.

Kurapica nodded. "That would be wise, since the fog is getting thicker by the minute. But are you sure you can do that right now?" He eyed her tired form with concern.

"Sure I can! It's gross here anyway; I want to get out of here as soon as possible." Leona replied reassuringly, however in reality her legs were still aching from all the running before. She hid her pain well though and decided that it wouldn't do to hinder Kurapica anymore, so she kept quiet about her pain.

Surprisedly, he took her for her word and began running faster towards the front. "Whatever happens, stay close to me, okay?"

Leona nodded and followed him from behind, pushing her aching legs to its limits. She made sure that she could at least see Kurapica's back even with the fog growing incredibly thick. They were able to successfully run pass many people as they made their way near the front. They couldn't see it, but the people behind them began to run into traps and were either eaten by animals or were tricked to go to a different direction. They only knew of it because of their screams.

Since she was directly tailing the blond, Leona could only rely on Kurapica to guide her to the right direction. He had warned her of several animals and insects that were made to deceive them, and told her to avoid them at all cost. Some even Leona knew of herself, having heard of them from the discovery channel.

Suddenly, she was pulled to a halt as she felt something or someone grab onto her ponytail, and within seconds she had quickly lost Kurapica to the fog. Leona tried to scream out, but a hand quickly covered her mouth.

_Crap! Crap! Now I'm REALLY screwed!_

* * *

Kurapica wouldn't say his eye sight was as good as Gon's, but he was confident that with his observation skills he would be able to notice any signs of traps in front of them. He made sure to safely avoid anything that looked like it could be a trap, so that he and Leona could make it to the front without trouble.

It wasn't too difficult, as eventually Kurapica saw the black spiky hair of Gon and instantly knew that they were near the front, he even noticed Killua's snow white hair in the fog.

"Gon!" He called out, catching the young boy's attention.

Gon immediately turned his head and brighten up when he spotted the blond boy nearby. "Kurapica! You made it to the front!"

"Yeah." He replied with relief.

Running next to Gon, it was Killua who first noticed the lack of a certain annoying tomboy. "Hey, where's that girl you were with?"

"Huh?" Then Gon noticed it too. "Yeah, where's Leona?"

Kurapica blinked in surprise before turning his head to look behind him; true enough, Leona was nowhere to be seen.

"But… she was…" Kurapica's eyes widen in shock and horror as he realised that in his attempt to avoid traps, he had failed to notice that the girl was no longer behind him. No, that was an excuse; his sensitivity to the presences of people around him should have told him that Leona was no longer there. _So how did I manage to not notice her gone?_

Behind the group, more loud screams could be heard. Among the screams, one particular scream stuck out to Gon, it was Leona's voice.

"It's Leona! She's in trouble!" Without another thought, Gon immediately turned and ran to the direction of Leona's voice.

Kurapica almost felt his heart stop. He had heard the scream too. If Leona were to die in the swamp, it would be entirely his fault because of his lack of attentiveness. He wouldn't be able to live with himself. He too decided to run after Gon to save their friend.

On the other hand, Killua couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Gon!" he shouted after the two running in the opposite direction. He couldn't believe that they would actually abandon the exam. "Those idiots!"

However, Killua made no attempt to go after them. Going back to riding his skateboard, the white haired boy continued to follow the examiner. Just when he had thought he could finally make a friend out of Gon, the young boy rushes away and ruins it all; Killua was so sure that Gon and the other boy Kurapica were going to get themselves killed, just because they went back to save a girl, who was probably dead by now.

"They are truly idiots."

* * *

Leona ripped the hand away from her mouth and turned to see her captor. It was a man-faced monkey that she remembered from the fake examiner incident. The fake examiner has used a man-faced monkey to prove that Satotsu was a fake because the monkey had the examiner's face. This particular monkey's face looked like a really bad replica of Kurapica. The hair was all wrong and so were the eyes. It was so disgusting that Leona felt like puking…and the damn thing was still holding her hair!

"Let go! You foul creature!" Leona aimed a well placed kick to the beast's chest which sent it flying back into the swampy jungle.

If there was one thing that Leona was proud of, it was her kicks. Perhaps she didn't have as much endurance as her friends, but at least she had strength. Her Uncle Beni had always praised her for how powerful her kicks could be; it was one of the reasons why in training he puts at lot of focus on her legs.

_Ha! Did that __**thing**__ think that I wouldn't attack it just because it had Kurapica's face?_

Leona felt a swelling boost of confidence for beating a beast all by herself, but that didn't last for long when she realised that she was now lost in the fog. She didn't know which direction was north or south, she couldn't even remember the direction that she had lost Kurapica in.

"Ah man! This just sucks!" Leona sighed to herself. Of course, who was she kidding; she couldn't rely on Kurapica for everything. Now that she lost him, she was like a stranded puppy with no sense of direction.

Somewhere in front of her, Leona could hear the sound of people shouting. Squinting her eyes through the fog, she even noticed a few moving shadows, they looked distinctly human. Deciding to take her chances, Leona ran towards the direction of the shadows and came into an open field where a group of examinees were standing, and another larger group of examinees dead on the ground. Leona paused; she had just walked into a battlefield.

The sight was so gruesome, Leona found playing cards impaired into the dead bodies; she had never seen so many people dead before. The cards were familiar and she knew instantly who the killer was; Hisoka, the mad clown who uses cards as weapons. She had told herself that she would avoid him at all cost in the exam, but so much for that idea now.

Screams filled the area. Looking at the battle, Leona saw Hisoka slice through a random guy's throat and cutting off another man's hand in the same instant. It wasn't even called a battle, it was just plain murder. The speed of his movements were so inhumanly fast, it was frightening, and the way he showed not even a hint of hesitation as his continuously, one by one killed off all his aggressors. Even those that were running away from him were not spared; he simply killed off every moving being. Leona was so horrified at what she was witnessing, her whole body wouldn't move properly. That was until a card suddenly flew towards her direction. Reacting in reflex, the girl leaped away while letting out a pitchy scream, landing clumsily face first on the grass with the card just inches away from her.

Until the last fleeing man was killed, Hisoka finally stopped to look at his surroundings. Lifeless bloody bodies littered the area, not a single person alive. _Too weak, too pathetically weak._

"You all failed." He announced.

Leona slowly lifted herself up from the grass while rubbing her aching head. _Ouch! Did I hit my head on something?_ But quickly regretted the action when she noticed her movements had alerted Hisoka to her presence.

"Oh? Only you left?" He asked with amusement.

In a state of panic, Leona grabbed the nearest weapon she could find, which turned out to be a metal pole, and held it defensively in front of her. She had her own weapon in her backpack that she could have used, but decided that she had no time to take it out when the person that would end her life was already slowly making his way towards her.

"Stay away!" she screamed in panic.

Her petrified state seemed to excite the man ever more, and without warning, Hisoka charged at her and aimed his strike at her throat. Reflexes kicking in again, Leona madly swung the metal pole like a bat, causing the jester man to jump away from her to avoid getting hit. He then suddenly vanished from her view, but Leona instinctively knew that Hisoka was going to attack from the back; so she ducked under to avoid her head being chopped off and rotated her body to complete yet another swing, aiming for the legs. She had only managed to nick Hisoka's pants as he somersaulted into the air to once again avoid her attack. Even in midair, the man was able to fly several cards at her, which Leona barely escaped by knocking them away from her. The metal pole had become terribly dinted after that.

All this happened in a span of a minute, but Leona was already panting heavily, her heart pounding violently in terror. This was her first real life battle and it was with Hisoka of all people. Logic tells her that running away would be her best option, but she knew that doing so would only get her killed faster, and if she kept fighting she was sure to die sooner or later. _I'm dead either way! I'm just no match for him. I'm surprised I can even last this long._ Leona thought grimly.

Though Leona hadn't managed any hits, Hisoka was quite impressed to find that none of his attacks had hit home either. For a girl like Leona to be able to last for more than a few seconds was an amazing feat in itself. In a short amount of time, she had been able to display much potential for a possible future prey. This thought made Hisoka smirk in amusement as he eyed the girl up and down with a new light. _I think I have just found my new toy._

Leona shivered at his gaze, feeling violated, but gasped in surprise when Hisoka suddenly appeared in front of her and tightly grasped her neck, cutting off her flow of oxygen.

"Hmmm… you're quite tough for such a fragile looking thing. I think I like you."

_Dammit! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!_ Leona kept thinking as her vision began to blur. _I'm so sorry Leorio-niisan, Uncle Beni._ There was a sudden jerk from Hisoka before Leona felt herself fall to the ground. She was out by the time her body hit the ground.

* * *

The moment Gon spotted Leona in the foggy open field being strangled; he didn't stop to think of who the adversary was. The young boy already had his fishing rod out to swing and aim at whoever was hurting his friend. It was only when his floaty ball hit dead on at the attacker's face did Gon notice that the one he hit was none other than the most feared Hisoka.

In the shock of being struck in the face, the man released Leona, who fell to the ground unmoving. While the hit hadn't caused much damage, Hisoka once again found himself being impressed by the display of skill that this year's exam had to offer. He had just found his second potential prey. _More unripe fruit. Oh, why do you look so tasty? _

"Very impressive boy. I like your idea of a weapon. You seem to hold a lot of skill using that fishing rod."

The bloodthirsty aura that Gon felt coming from the man sent shivers up his spine, his heart pounding in fright, but for the sake of his friend he dared to act brave. "What did you do to Leona?"

The question was ignored, for Hisoka had his hand sketched out like he was going to grab Gon like he did Leona. "Show me boy. Show me that rod."

Kurapica, who had been behind Gon, immediately sensed the danger and quickly positioned himself between his friend and Hisoka, his weapon – two large sheathed tantoes – were out in defence. He too could sense the man's killer intent, but if worse came to worse, he would fight the mad man if he had to.

"Hisoka, answer us. What did you do to Leona?" The blond sent him a threatening glare.

An amused smirk crossed Hisoka's face as he stared at the two determined boys. "My my, what a nice look you have. Ah! I see, you two must have come to save your girlfriend. How romantic. Don't worry I'm not going to kill her, she's just out for the moment."

Kurapica released his breath that he didn't realise he was holding. When he saw Leona drop to the ground, he really thought that he had been too late and that Hisoka had killed her. He hadn't known the girl for long, but it was long enough to think of her as a friend, a friend that he would protect at all cost because the two of them had made a promise to become hunters together. And a promise was a promise.

_**Beep-beep! Beep-beep!**_

Hisoka answered his ringing cell phone. "Hi. … Oh? … Alright, I'm coming." After the short phone conversation, Hisoka walked over to Leona's unconscious form before hurling her over his shoulder.

"Wait!" Gon shouted. "What are you doing to her? Give us back Leona!"

The clown chucked, "Didn't I say I wouldn't kill her? Besides, I have already decided that she qualified, as is the same for you two. You'll all become great hunters."

Both Gon and Kurapica glanced at each other in confusion, but both continued to hold their guard up.

"If you really want your girlfriend back so badly, follow me." With that, Hisoka gave them a sly smile before disappearing into the swampy forest with their friend still on his shoulder.

Gon frowned, he couldn't get Leona back safely yet, but his heart was also pounding hard at the fact that he was at a very close proximate to a killer with such strong murder's intent. Though he felt afraid, both he and Kurapica knew that they could do nothing for their friend now except to follow Hisoka.

* * *

By the time Leona woke up, Hisoka was already close to the point where the second exam would be held. But she didn't know that at the time, the only thing Leona noticed was that she was being carried by Hisoka, the last person she wanted to wake up to at the moment. What's more, she had no idea why she wasn't dead, or what happened after she passed out. And she most definitely wanted to know why she was being carried by this maniac of all people.

"Awake now, are we?"

Leona turned her head to see Hisoka smiling back at her. "W-what's going on? Why are you carrying me? Why-"

"Now, now. One question at a time." Hisoka interrupted her in a creepily cheery tone. "Firstly, I'm taking you to the second exam. I have deemed you qualified."

Leona eyed the man with suspicion. That made no sense, if he had meant their fight, all she did was avoid his attacks, she couldn't even hit him. _And what's this about qualifying me?_

"Secondly, your boyfriends came to save you. What were their names? There was a cute green one and a blond one."

Gon and Kurapica! Leona's eyes widen in surprise. They actually came to save her?

"Yes they did. Quite the boyfriends you have." The clown chuckled when Leona blushed as she had just realised that she had spoken aloud.

"They're not my boyfriends!" She retorted loudly. _And, Gon's too young!_

When Hisoka finally reached the second exam point, where all the examinees that passed the first round stood waiting, he placed Leona under a nearby tree and left her there, but not without whispering something into her ear before leaving.

"Then does that mean, little peach, that you're free?"

If it had been any other person, Leona would have kicked the living daylight out of them – teasing or not. But since it was Hisoka, Leona could only shiver in disgust. When he was out of her sight, she curled up into a ball. The implication was just wrong; the damned pervert had just tainted her innocent mind!

_And what's with him calling me a peach?_

"Leona!"

The girl looked up at the sound of her name and saw both Gon and Kurapica rushing towards her with relieved faces. At the sight of them, she too felt relieved; they had managed to make it to the point without much trouble. Then she remembered what Hisoka told her about the two coming to her rescue, and Leona immediately felt touched. She didn't expect that they would bother to find her.

"Are you okay Leona? Are you hurt?" Gon asked; worry clear on his face, while Kurapica knelt down to check her for injuries.

"I'm fine." Leona smiled at them. _So cute! They really care about me! _"Thanks for coming to help me, you two. I didn't think you would come, especially since you were in front."

"What are you talking about? Of course we would come. We're friends aren't we?" Gon smiled backed. They were just glad that Leona wasn't hurt and that they all managed to pass the first exam together, it was all Gon wanted anyway.

"Gon!" Killua's voice could be heard as he walked over to their group.

"Killua! You're here too!" Gon happily greeted his newly acquainted friend.

"You guy's actually made it here. What did you do? I thought I'd never see you again."

"Well… I tracked Leona's scent." Gon replied sheepishly, causing both Killua and Leona to stare at him in disbelief. Kurapica, watching their reaction, knew exactly what they were thinking; he had thought the same thing too. Gon was a dog.

Then Leona got curious, though she wasn't sure too if she wanted to know. "Hey Gon…, what do I smell like?"

"Uh…" Gon gave his usual cute thoughtful look before answering. "Leona smells a little like fresh detergent."

"WHAT?" Leona stared at the younger boy in utter horror. Killua burst out in hysterical laughter. Even Kurapica looked away nervously at Gon's brute honesty.

"Eh? What did I say?" Gon stared between his friends confused.

Leona felt an anger mark coming. "Gon, for once I wish you could've lied!"

* * *

There you have it, folks! Chapter 6!

Hehehe! So what do you guys think? The last part was a little extra that I added because I just couldn't resist a little crack. The next chapter will of course be the second exam, and I'm also planning on bring in Leorio, so look forward to it!

Don't forget to review peoples! I love your reviews, so keep them coming!


	7. Chapter 7: Cooking and its Disasters

**Lead By Fate**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HunterxHunter or any of Yoshihiro Togashi's characters, though any other characters would be mine.

**Summary:** What if Leorio didn't take the Hunter Exam? What if his little sister took it for him instead? How would she play part in Gon's little group? Originally a FemLeorio story, but got switched to Leorio's little sister instead, but the concept is pretty much the same.

**Pairing:** Kurapica x OC

**Note:** _Italic_ for thought. _**Bold Italic**_ for sound effects.

* * *

**Chapter 7:**** Cooking Disasters**

When Leona counted the number of examinees, she found that 152 people – including herself – remained in the hunter exam. More than half the original number of examinees had failed the first exam, and Leona couldn't help but feel relieved that she was still in, despite the fact that it was due to her own dumb luck that she got this far. If it wasn't for Hisoka, she, Gon and Kurapica would not have been able to make it; something that she loathed to admit.

Since Gon told her that he and Kurapica followed her scent, it was obviously the perverted clown's doing that allowed them to make it through the first round. He could have easily just left her with her friends and ran off to the finishing point, but he didn't and that was the frustrating part; why did he help? Now normally Leona wouldn't have cared; if she passed then she passed, but for some odd reason she didn't feel satisfied. It could be because of her fight with the insane jester – that memory gave her shivers, and not to mention a bad aftertaste. Thinking back, Leona knew that she could have fought better than what she did, but at the time, Hisoka's aura had made her forget everything that Uncle Beni taught her, showing how much the man affected her to send her into **that** state of panic.

Back into reality, all 152 examinees were waiting in front of a building for the second exam to start. The building had something inside that was making awful rumbling noises, it sounded like some sort of wild animal.

_This time, I will not be weak! I've relied on people WAY too much already; I need to start doing things myself now!_ Preparing herself, Leona stared determinedly at the doors of the building, waiting for whatever to come out.

_Any minute now…_ Everyone watched as the clock struck 12 o'clock pm, and at that exact moment, the large double doors of the building opened. Inside was not quite what people expected, there was a **huge** man, who was sitting behind a pink-haired young lady who sat on a loveseat, but overall there was nothing too threatening. The growling, as it appears, came from the large man's stomach, who was groaning about how hungry he was.

"Welcome to the second phase of the Hunter exam." The young lady began. "If it isn't obvious enough, the theme of this test is 'cooking'! We are both gourmet hunters, so your mission will be to satisfy our appetites by cooking for us."

Cooking? Leona widened her eyes, she never thought that cooking would be a part of the exam, and it seemed that neither did anyone else for that matter. But even so, Leona had to try and hold down a grin. Cooking was actually one of her finer points, living in an apartment with her brother who left all the cooking duties to her had made Leona into an exceptional cook. Or, at least Leorio had never complained about her cooking.

Many grunts and complaints came from the male population, especially from those who were built more for battle than for such domestic things as cooking. It definitely gave Leona an edge to know that she was up against people who weren't accustomed to cookery. _I just might have a winning chance on this one._ Leona mentally grinned at the thought.

The lady continued, ignoring the complaints, "You'll first start by cooking the dish that Buhara wants, and then those who qualify will have to satisfy me, Menchi. You'll qualify for the third round if you hear us both say 'it's good'. The test will end when both of us are full."

"I didn't expect **this** in the exam." Kurapica muttered, causing Leona to look at him. "The man could probably eat a lot, but the girl…"

Leona gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry, if you're one of the first to feed her than there shouldn't be a problem."

Kurapica thought over her logic and nodded. "That could work, I guess."

"Now, my menu," the large man, Buhara began, "will be roast pork. I especially love the pork of the Great Stamp which resides in this swamp."

"Great Stamp?" As if on cue, a herd of giant snouted pigs trampled right by the group of examinees. Not wanting to lose them, everyone ran after a pig to fulfil the examiner's requested meal. Not only that, but to cook it fast enough so that they were able to serve the meal before the examiner got full.

At first, Leona had some trouble taking the Great Stamp down. The pigs were massive! She had irritated one enough to have it charging at her, but as she found out, the giant snout was as hard as stone. If she wasn't fast enough, she would be crushed and probably eaten by the pig she was going to cook herself. Catching a pig was a lot harder than it seemed.

"Leona! Aim for the forehead! That's its weak point!" Gon called out. Leona turned to see Gon standing next his dead pig and thanked him for the information. However, since Leona had lost the metal pole she found, she would have to find another way to knock down the pig.

Suddenly, an idea came to her and Leona leaped into a tree. As she predicted, the Great Stamp smashed its large snout into the tree she climbed into. The force was so great; the tree even began to shake. But taking advantage of the pig's momentary pause to recover, Leona flung herself off the tree to deliver a powerful drop kicked to its forehead. The Great Stamp was down, and Leona was the victor.

* * *

Once the pork was caught and roasted, it was time for the examinees to present their catch to the examiner. The gourmet hunters were quite impressed with the large amount of roasted pork that were brought up; they weren't expecting more than a few people to succeed. But even so, Buhara looked positively delighted to see so many of his favourite meal and happily began wolfing down all the pork he could.

While waiting in line for his turn, Kurapica couldn't help but stare at Leona. The girl was carrying her pig above her head like everyone else, but it still slightly disturbed him to see such a petite-looking girl like her lifting a large Great Stamp; and this was the same girl who he had to look after during the first exam. He knew he shouldn't be, not after her display of strength back when they first met, but still…

_It seems that even though she doesn't look it, Leona is actually a lot stronger than she lets on._

"Leona, did you or do you have someone that trains you? Like a master?" Kurapica asked curiously.

Leona blinked at that the sudden question. "Actually, I do. Uncle Beni trains me."

"Your uncle?"

"Well, Uncle Beni isn't actually my real uncle; I just call him that to tease him. His real name is Benitori; you can say that he is my master in a way, but I've never really called him that. He's been training me since I was 13." Leona explained.

"Ah, I see…" Kurapica frowned, was it possible for a girl to gain so much strength in just 3 or 4 years? He himself, when he was still in his tribe, was trained since the moment he could walk. What kind of training did she go through, and what kind of person was her teacher? Before the blond could ask the question though, an excited Gon ran up to them, followed behind by a calmer-looking Killua.

"Yay! Killua and I passed! The examiner said it was good! Leona, Kurapica, you should give your pigs up to the examiner too!"

Leona nodded with a smile and made her way to the gourmet hunter. Kurapica sighed; perhaps he could ask the girl later when the second round ended.

* * *

In the end, 70 pieces of roasted pork was consumed and all received a yes; 70 examinees passed this round. Leona winced at the sight of the large examiner's overly bloated stomach. Was it possible to eat so much pork and **not** somehow have diabetes or something from it?

_Well, at least I passed…_

"Geez, you are too nice, Buhara." Menchi scowled the large man. "You're supposed to be a gourmet hunter, taste is very important for us!"

"Come on, Menchi! Don't be so stingy, we were able to reduce the numbers anyway." The bloated examiner replied. "Besides, taste isn't really the factor of this exam."

Menchi sighed before turning seriously to the remaining examinees. "It's my turn now. I won't be so lax about the taste of my food, so be prepared. For my menu, I want… sushi!"

Everyone gave a blank face. _What's sushi?_

The name sounded familiar, but Leona couldn't quite record what kind of recipe it was. But here came to problem, how could you cook something you don't know what it was? And from the look on everyone's faces, Leona concluded that no one else knew it either.

The pink-haired examiner smirked. "You all seem troubled. But even if you don't know what it is, you can still make it through improvising. I'll give you a clue; you guys are going to cook my menu in **here**." Menchi pointed inside the building where several rows of sinks and cooking counters were prepared for them. Even the cooking utensils were provided, where a knife set was placed at each counter.

"Here, we have everything to help you make sushi, with even the essential rice needed to make sushi." Menchi explained as everyone began to walk inside the building. "I'll give you another hint, I'll only accept handmade sushi, anything otherwise would be unacceptable. Make as many as you want, but be aware that when I'm full, this trail is over. You may now start."

Standing at a counter, Leona studied the tools given. There were knives to cut and rice to eat with, but no stove or oven of any kind, so sushi must be eaten raw. Then there was the idea of 'handmade' sushi, they want us to use our hands?

Leona sighed. "I'm stuck. How can I make something if I don't even know the ingredients?"

"I think I've read something about sushi before." Kurapica in the next counter spoke. "The idea is that you add vinegar and dressing into the rice, and then add fish."

"Fish?" Leona raised an eyebrow. She had never heard of a dish where you eat the fish raw. "Are you sure, Kurapica?"

"I think so."

Leona mulled over the concept of eating raw fish with rice. It could be possible, perhaps… "Okay! Then let's go find some fish-!" Kurapica immediately tried to cover her mouth from speaking too loudly and blurting out the ingredient, but sadly everyone heard it. The next thing, everyone ran out to find a lake or river to search for fish.

"I am SO sorry Kurapica!" Leona cried as they ran. She felt very much like bashing her head against something, how could she be so stupid as to blurt something so important out? She became a burden **again**! _Now he's going to hate me…_

The blond boy sighed. Normally he would be peeved that information important to passing the exam was revealed; but seeing that Leona was close to tears, Kurapica felt his heart cringe, he couldn't get mad at her and it wasn't in his nature to make girls cry. Really, the girl was growing on him.

"It's alright, don't worry about it. Let's just go catch some fish. The fish is just the ingredient after all. There's still the question of what sushi actually looks like, we still have a chance in this."

Leona blinked in surprise. She was forgiven? Though she honestly didn't believe she deserved it, she couldn't help but feel relieved that she was forgiven by her friend. Yes, Kurapica was defiantly a great friend; he not only helps her, he even knows how to cheer her up, what more could she ask for in a friend?

Then suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. _Yeah, Kurapica's such a great friend… and so much like __**him**__... _For a moment, Leona saw Kurapica's running figure change, and in his place was a boy with light brownish-red hair. His head turned to her, revealing laughing violet eyes and a sweet angelic smile.

_Damn!_ Leona quickly shook her head and saw Kurapica again. _Got to focus! Got to stop thinking about __**him**__!_

* * *

Meanwhile…

A tall man with short spiky dark brown hair sat at his desk with piles of books stacked and scattered randomly in his room. The man was staring hard at the chemistry book he was reading, but not without occasionally glancing outside his window or to the photo frame that was placed conveniently on the window frame.

Until the man finally realised that he was doing more window peeping than studying like he was suppose to, he gave a long heavy sigh before leaning back onto his chair and gazed tiredly at the ceiling.

"Damn, what the hell am I doing?" the man asked himself. Since the departure of his beloved little sister, Leorio had been left at home feeling restless and incredibly anxious. Taking the hunter exam had been **his** idea, but his surprisingly stubborn sister took it upon herself to go in his place just to let him study. Leorio **knew **he should be studying, but how could he when he's been worried sick that Leona might not make it back home alive?

"I'm so **stupid**! Why on earth did I agree to let her go?" Leorio bashed his head against his book. _Screw the hunter licence! I don't want to lose the last living relative I have!_

Lifting his head, Leorio found his eyes drawing to the photo frame for the umpteenth time. Smiling faces stared back at him, but Leona's was the brightest. It surprised him really, how much he missed his little sister now that she had gone off to the hunter exam. They say you don't realise what you have until you lose it, and up until now, Leona has never left his side. In fact, this was the first time she had ever gone out of town by herself. He may have done all he could to prepare her for the outside world, but that never dulled his instincts to protect his younger sister.

Leorio abruptly stood up, "Damn it! I can't take this anymore! I've got to do something!" and rushed to open the door of his bedroom.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"Wahhh! What the hell?" Leorio jumped when he saw that he was not alone in the apartment, right behind his door. "Benitori? How the heck did you get in here?"

The man, Benitori, looked around his late-thirties, with messy shoulder length black hair and a goatee. He was wearing a large brown overcoat and gray trousers, his piercing silver eyes stared flatly at Leorio while holding up a small set of keys.

"Leona left me her keys before leaving. She told me to stop you if you did anything stupid."

Leorio frowned, but let out another heavy sigh, before moving to sit back into his chair. "I don't get it. How can you be so calm?"

In the few years Leorio has known him – through Leona of course, Benitori was always a calm and mysterious guy; calm maybe even to the point of emotionless. It's because of that, that Leorio had always found it hard to tell if the older man really cared or not. However, despite the almost cold demeanour, Benitori had also proved to give very wise advice at times, so the man could also be seen as a kind of parental figure for them as well. It's no wonder that Leona insists on referring him as 'uncle'.

Benitori closed the door behind him before leaning his back on it. "Well, she's my student; I believe she won't get herself hurt too badly. **You** should try having some faith in her."

"How can I? What if someone tries to hurt her? Or maybe the exam is too hard and she gets killed! Who knows what the Hunter exam will throw at you!" Leorio covered his face with his hands; he was really beginning to regret letting Leona go.

Benitori on the other hand, shook his head at the obviously stressed man. "Kid, I can understand that you're worried, but it's not going to help anyone. What's more, the hunter exam, as tough as it may be, is not designed to get people killed. They try to condition it so that very few people ever get killed in the hunter exams." Though for younger man's sake, Benitori didn't mention that there could be examinees that would kill other examinees just to make passing the exam easier.

Leorio looked up; his eyes now holding a small light of hope. "Really? Then Leona just might… Wait a minute… How'd you know that?"

The older man stayed silence for a moment before smirking slightly. "I suppose it's about time you knew, I myself have participated in the hunter exam before; and passed."

Mouth gawked open; Leorio stared at the man before him in disbelief. "You're kidding right?"

Without a word, Benitori reached into a pocket in his overcoat and pulled out a red credit-sized card, then flew it over to the other. Leorio caught it and examined it carefully. There was no doubt, in his hand was the real thing; a real Hunter license.

_Unbelievable, this guy was a hunter the whole time!_ Leorio had to blink several time to gather his thoughts, he never would have expected that his little sister was being trained by a **hunter** of all people. "Does Leona know?"

"No, I never mentioned it to her. But on that note, she should be fine in the exam if she stuck to what I've taught her. I can't say the same for you if you had been the one to go."

Leorio winced. Right, when Benitori had offered to train Leona, he had joined in for only a year before he decided to quit. It had been tough, everyday they were made to carry bags of sand which the man would occasionally wet to add more weight. The combat lessons were hard for Leorio to pick up too, since Benitori's fighting style was very unique. But where Leorio gave up, Leona kept going and now, knowing that his sister had been trained by a pro, he could relax a little and have faith that Leona would be alright. Or at least that's what he kept telling himself…

_Leona, come back home soon._

* * *

"Achoo!" Leona sneezed. _Some dust must have gotten into my nose._ She thought as she stared at the old man that had just jumped off from an airship not too long ago. What an incredible old man.

As it turned out, even with the proper ingredients nobody except one person knew how to make sushi. It was a bald guy named Hanzo, who after failing to satisfy Menchi's tastebuds, got angry and accidentally blurted out the whole sushi recipe. But even with that, no-one was able to receive a pass even when she became full, because none of their sushi tasted 'good' to her.

_Well, I guess the only positive thing would be that ever since that Hanzo guy blurted out the recipe, I don't feel so bad about blurting out the ingredient anymore._

But now, when all seemed lost, someone comes along that may give them another chance to pass. Apparently, the old man is actually the president of the Hunter Exam committee! If there was anyone who could alter an examiner's decision it was this old fellow – President Netero.

"Menchi, don't you think that failing everyone in this case, is a bit too severe? Considering the object requested this time round is a little too difficult to achieve?" The elder man asked in a gentle tone.

At the presents of the president, Menchi's confident posture became humble, showing the authority Netero had over her. "Well, I only wanted to test if the examinees have what it took to conquer the unknown… but I guess I let their disrespect for cooking get to my head and so… I'm terribly sorry; I'm not fit to be an examiner." The woman bowed her head in apology at the president, causing the old man to laugh good-heartedly.

"At least you're honest, there's nothing wrong with making mistakes. But since this round ended unfairly, I propose Menchi that you give them another chance and let them redo the test. Pick another recipe that I'm sure the examinees won't complain about this time."

The female examiner nodded and then announced the new recipe. "This time, my menu will be a boiled egg."

This time, everyone was relieved; a boiled egg isn't that hard to make. Especially Gon, who had been worried for a moment that he had failed the hunter exam, but now that they were given another chance, the young boy was visually more happier.

They were taken to the top of a mountain to take the test. Menchi demonstrated how to take a spider-eagle's egg from it nest by jumping off the cliff and grabbing onto the strong web that kept the nest hanging above a strong current river. Leona watched in amazement as the female gourmet hunter grabbed the egg and effortlessly climbed back up the cliff. She made it look all too easy, and Leona couldn't help but admire her for her skills.

Other examinees didn't think like that however, they were too scared of the idea of jumping off a cliff.

"Haha! Now this is more like it!" Gon said happily.

"Yeah, this is way easier and fun than some complicated cooking." Killua agreed. The two young kids were the first to jump down into the canyon, followed shortly by Leona and Kurapica, and the other braver examinees went down next.

Once most of the examinees got their spider-eagle egg, which was about the same size as a normal egg but only the colour was brown, they began boiling the eggs until they were properly cooked.

"Look here." Menchi said as she held up two eggs. "This is a normal egg, and this is the spider-eagle egg, taste them and see if you can tell the difference."

As the examiner said, the people with eggs began eating their eggs. Leona already knew what ordinary egg tasted like, so she tried her spider-egg first. One bite into the soft brown flesh, Leona felt like she was in heaven. Never had she ever tasted something so **good**! The flavour was rich and it simply dissolved into her mouth. If there were really food as good as this out in the world, Leona really wouldn't mind being a gourmet hunter herself one day. _I've got to show this to brother one day, he'll love it!_

"It's so good!" The other examinees cried out, indeed the spider-eagle egg was definitely heavenly food.

By the end of the second phase, 42 examinees passed.

* * *

I'm very sorry for the late chapter. I have been busy with life and uni lately, so this chapter came out later than usual. But thanks to all those who read and reviewed the chapter (I won't say names, but you know who you are), you're reviews made me very happy that people actually find this story worth reading.

Anyways, the next chapter will be explaining a bit about Leona's past, or Leona's side of 'Leorio's past' if you would call it that. For people who find flashbacks boring, I'll try my best to making it sound interesting, but just so you know, it won't be easy. I'LL TRY MY BEST!

Keep those reviews coming peoples! The more the better! :D


	8. Chapter 8: Yoga, Anyone?

**Lead By Fate**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HunterxHunter or any of Yoshihiro Togashi's characters, though any other characters would be mine.

**Summary:** What if Leorio didn't take the Hunter Exam? What if his little sister took it for him instead? How would she play part in Gon's little group? Originally a FemLeorio story, but got switched to Leorio's little sister instead, but the concept is pretty much the same.

**Pairing:** Kurapica x OC

**Note:** _Italic_ for thought. _**Bold Italic**_ for sound effects.

* * *

**Chapter 8:**** Yoga, Anyone?**

"Everyone, we should be arriving at the next trial ground by tomorrow at 8 o'clock. Until then, you are free to do as you like. You are dismissed!"

Leona sighed in relief upon hearing the examiner's announcement. After the long exhausting marathon of a first exam, and the not-so-well-turned-out second exam, they were finally able to relax on an airship before the next trial. _Finally, some rest time. I feel like I haven't sat down in years!_

"Gon! Up for exploring the airship?"

Leona almost gawked at Killua, the white-haired boy sounded as if he never even took the exam. Gon nodded with just as much enthusiasm. _Where does all the energy come from? Crazy people!_ Leona couldn't help but think.

"How about Kurapica and Leona? Are you guys coming with us?" Gon invited his two older friends.

"Nah, I'm fine Gon. I want to rest a bit." Kurapica replied, he sounded about as worn-out as Leona felt.

_At least Kurapica's still human._ "Same here, you guys can go on ahead without us." Leona smiled at the young boy tiredly.

Gon nodded, "Okay. We'll be going then." And with that, both he and Killua ran off to satisfy their curious minds on the wonders of the airship.

Leona sighed as she sat down and leaned her back against the wall. "What energetic kids." All her exhaustion reminded her of all the times she had trained with Uncle Beni; the man would make her work out non-stop until she was literally drained to the bone from all his weird training ideas.

Kurapica followed her example and sat down next to her. "It's been a long day. I think it would be best to use the time to rest up for the next trial. Who knows what the exam will throw at us next."

"I would strongly advise against that." Tompa suddenly stood before them. "They said that the next trial won't start until tomorrow 8 o'clock, but who's to say that something won't happen before that time? If you sleep during the exam, you won't pass to the next round, so you guys should stay alert."

Leona frowned as she watched Tompa walk away. The man had a point, it would be bad if something **did** happen during the time they slept, but she honestly didn't think she could stay alert anymore; she was just too tired.

"What do you think, Kurapica?"

"I think he's lying." The girl gave her companion a questioning looking and the blond explained. "His eyes told me that he wasn't telling the truth. Besides, it would be unwise to not use some time to rest even if he was telling the truth."

Leona blinked when the realisation hit her. _Well, _of course_ Tompa was lying! Would an examiner go against their word?_ Once again, she felt foolish for almost believing the pig-faced man.

But that being said, it meant she could actually sleep without worry.

"Okay then, I'm going to sleep. Wake me up if something happens." And with that, Leona pulled her legs together against her chest and laid her head on her knees. It wasn't the most comfortable sleeping position, but it would have to do in a room full of men.

Unbeknown to her, Leona's current sleeping position gave her the image of a vulnerable petite girl, which wasn't any better than if she was lying down. Kurapica observed the girl as she slept. He noticed the way her smooth chocolate bangs framed her face so delicately, and the way her long dark eyelashes contrasted against her pale skin; very minor things that he never noticed about Leona until now…

Kurapica blushed when he realised that he had been staring for a little too long, and quickly tore his eyes away from the sleeping girl beside him. _Focus Kurapica, _you_ need to sleep too._

* * *

Leona didn't often dream, but when she did, it was almost always about _him_. This time was no different.

_14 year old Leona leaned on the rail that kept her from falling off as she stared out to the wide blue open sea. The familiar salty wind gently brushed passed her, sending her hair lingering behind. How she loved the gentle breeze that her hometown of Dulana was famous for; the endless rush of wind that never ceases to stop all year round._

"_Leona!" That voice, _his_ voice. _

_Leona turned towards the voice, only to find her face just inches away from a silly grin that caused her to jump back with a yelp. "Pietro!"_

_The boy before her laughed out heartily. "Ah man, you should have seen your face. It was priceless!"_

_A blush wormed its way up Leona's cheeks as Pietro continued to laugh. Even though the boy was three years older than her, Pietro never acted his age. "Don't do that! You scared me! And what's so important that you had to call me out without nii-san knowing?"_

_That same silly grin was permanently plastered on his face, "Hey now, Leorio's been busy trying to become that Doctor's apprentice; I don't want to bother him." Suddenly, Pietro held out a nicely wrapped present. "Happy birthday!"_

_Leona stared surprised at the parcel, which slowly became confusion. "But my birthday's not until February."_

"_Yeah, I know its two months too early, but consider it an early present." Pietro handed the present to her. It was light, and when Leona creased the wrapping paper, the object inside was terribly soft._

"_What is it?"_

_Pietro's grin got even bigger, if that was possible. "Technically, I shouldn't be telling you, but I purposely gave it to you early so you'd know what it is, and so you can wear the dress on your birthday."_

_Leona's eyes widened. "Dress? You're not talking about that dress I've been eyeing for months now… are you?"_

"_The very one; navy blue and all."_

"_Oh my God! THANK YOU SO MUCH!" Unable to contain her excitement, Leona leaped to her friend and gave him the biggest hug she had ever given anyone. "You're the best, Pietro! How were you able to afford it?"_

_Pietro chuckled. "Well, of course the 2000 zennies wasn't easy picking. I had to work extra hours; it took me quite some time to save up enough money. So promise me something." Leona looked up._

_Pietro gave a smile that made her heart skip a beat. "Promise me you'll wear the dress on your birthday no matter what."_

_Leona laughed. "Are you kidding me? Of course I will!"_

* * *

Starting awake, the first thing Leona noticed was that she was covered by a blanket that wasn't originally there. She noticed that the airship was still fling, which meant that they haven't reached their destination yet. The sky was dawn, so it was still early in the morning too. The area she was sleeping in was quiet, aside from the occasional snoring from the other examinees and the humming of the flying vehicle; most people must still be sleeping at this time. Next to her, Kurapica was also sleeping. He too had a blanket around him and was sleeping quite peacefully. The boy didn't snore, but was breathing quietly in steady rhythm; Leona couldn't help but notice how cute Kurapica looked while he slept like that.

_Awww… It makes me want to hug him…_ Leona blushed and giggled silently to herself. _Okay, that sounded perverted._

Moving the blanket off, Leona could feel how stiff her muscles were from her balled-up sleeping position. It wouldn't do to leave her body stiff for the next exam, so she decided some stretches would do her some good. Leona spread her legs straight in front and her hands reached forwards to grab her feet; one of her favourite stretching positions.

_Oh! That feels good!_ She could feel her arm and leg muscles stretching to ease off the tension, it felt so refreshing! _Come to think of it, I haven't done any yoga since the day I left home..._

Back when Uncle Beni had first begun training her, the man had believed that flexibility was a very essential factor for a female fighter – though Leona at the time wasn't very interested in fighting, but he had somehow managed to persuade her that self-defence would be useful for her in the future – one of Leona's favourite lessons was the Yoga training. Of course, like anything it had started off hard, but she eventually got the hang of it and quickly advanced to the more complicated positions, though somehow she still couldn't quite reach her mentor's level.

Leorio, for obvious reasons, hated those lessons the most.

Slowly and quietly getting up, Leona grabbed her bag and crept her way to the lady's bathroom, trying not to disturb Kurapica as he continued to sleep. She needed to take a shower, and what better time than any than to take a shower while everyone's still asleep.

Leona eventually founded the bathroom and quickly showered, loving the feeling of warm water and a clean body. She hoped she'll get more opportunities like this later in the exam, assuming that the exams are going to get dirtier.

Once she was done, Leona switched her knee length jeans for sport shorts, as they allowed more movement for her legs. If the male examinees could do bodily exercises during the breaks, so could she, but she will be doing yoga!

Finding a nice, quiet, empty area out of people's eyes wasn't too hard, Leona chose the turning corner of a hallway that had windows that looked out into the sky as the airship flew. Her choice of space however, wasn't all that convenient, as anyone could walk down the hallway and see her, but she was making a bet that no one was up at this time **to** see her…hopefully.

Standing steadily with her back straight, Leona began to breathe in and out heavily, before closing her eyes and moving her body to the desired positions.

First she spread her legs wide, one leg bent in front and the other straight behind her. She held her hands in a praying position and raised it above her head, before arching her back so that her figures touched the back of her heel behind her.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Next she straighten her back again with her legs still in the same position and this time bending forward until her hands touched the floor. Her front leg moved to the back with the other leg and slowly, Leona lifted both legs up to reach the ceiling into a hand stand.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

While her legs are in the air, Leona once again spread them wide into a Y shape and arches her head back until she was facing the wall. Next she-

"What are you doing?"

"Wahh!" Leona jolts in shock, making her loose her concentration and her whole body flopped hard onto the ground. "Ouch! That hurts!"

"Heh, loser." Leona looked up to see Killua standing above her with an amused smirk on his face. She completely missed the hard look in his eyes however; she was more upset about the fact that the white-haired boy had **seen** her do yoga.

"Ah damn, not you!" Leona swiftly moved to stand up and looked around to see if anyone else was watching. _No one else saw, good._

"Don't tell anyone what you saw! Got that!" Leona retorted, her face blushing red with embarrassment.

"Why? I thought it looked kind of funny."

"It's called yoga! … And I thought you were with Gon, where is he?" Leona noticed the lack of say certain overly-cheerful boy.

At the mention of Gon, Killua tensed and looked away. "Gon…was playing with the old geezer and is probably sleeping right now."

Leona raised an eyebrow at the story but suddenly noticed a red blood stain on Killua's hand. "Hey, what happened to your hand?" She reached out to grasp his hand, but the young boy quickly slapped it away.

"It's nothing, mind your own business." Killua replied coldly. He had been with Gon playing with the president, trying to catch a ball, but Killua suddenly felt his bloodlust raising and quickly took off. He might have killed the president for the ball, and he didn't want Gon to see that. But he did kill an examinee for pissing him off, and that's why he had blood on his hand. He hadn't bothered to clean it up until now.

Leona frowned at the boy's cold attitude. "Geez, you're unusually tense. What happened to the cheeky brat attitude?"

"I'm not a brat, you tomboy!"

Leona ignored the name calling but suddenly clapped her hands to an idea. "Ah! I know! The best way to clear tension is to do yoga! Want to do yoga with me?"

Killua felt his eye twitch comically at the suggestion. "What?"

The girl grinned. "Come on! Give it a try! It's fun!" _Yeah, and I'm gonna make you do all the super hard positions! Haha! Revenge!_

"No way I'm doing yoga, go do it yourself!" Killua retorted back loudly; the idea of him doing some of **those** positions sent shivers up his spine.

"Are you sure?" Leona asked with a sly grin as she moved into a new position. "Or maybe you're just scared you can't do it."

Killua turned away. Oh he knew she was baiting him, and was smart enough not to take it. "Heh, that wouldn't work on me, stupid."

"Then at least try this position, it's quite easy."

When he looked back, his eyes became as wide as saucers. Leona was in some sort of ballerina position where one of her legs was bent back so high, her foot stopped a few centimetres above her head, her hands were also up and holding her foot up to not touch her head. She was only standing on one leg.

With an anger mark on his head, Killua yelled. "I'm not doing some girly pose!"

* * *

It was all strange. Killua never felt the way he did now; like he **belonged** with the three strangers before him. Not to say his family didn't make him feel belonged back at home, but that was an entirely different matter.

As the four of them – Gon, Leona, Kurapica and him – got off the airship and onto some kind of gigantic tower, Killua began to reflect upon the people he has met, while half listening to a pink-headed bold guy telling them about the next exam.

First there was Gon, who caught his attention the moment Killua laid eyes on him. Not only because they were the same age, but because Gon had an aura about him that everyone liked and was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. Or at least, that was how Killua felt when the green-clad boy offered to be his friend, despite Killua mentioning that he was an assassin from the Zoldyeck family.

Then there was Leona, who annoyed him a lot, but unlike those who did and ended up in pieces in mere seconds, Killua didn't feel the bloodlust come when the older girl pissed him off. Nor did he understand why he felt compelled to tease her the first time they met; like a younger brother teasing his older sister? It was ridicules since Killua never had a sister before.

Finally, there was Kurapica, who Killua doesn't feel much for, except maybe respect. The older boy was smart and has a considerable amount of talent; that much Killua could see. But aside from that, both weren't very close, and Kurapica seemed to be keeping a distance from him…

"Killua!" Gon shouted.

"Eh?" Killua blinked.

"Look! That man's gonna climb down the tower!" Both quickly ran to the edge of the tower and peeked below. Sure enough, a buff-looking examinee was making his way down the tower with ease. Killua was impressed. "Wow, he's already that far down!"

Since the objective of the third exam was to get off the tower, climbing down seemed to be the logical solution…

"Ah! Look." Gon pointed out, and Killua saw some super large human-headed birds flying towards them. It turned out that they were targeting the climbing examinee, and being vulnerable to attacks; the man was easily plucked off and taken away – probably as the birds' next meal.

"Okay… so climbing down is probably not a good idea." Leona nervously observed the scene from behind them.

Beside her, Kurapica studied the unevenly tiled floor. "There is probably a trap door that leads to the inside of the tower."

After several minutes of looking around, the number of examinees had already lessened by half the amount since they landed. It was obvious they all entered through different trap doors. Killua and Gon had managed to locate five trapped doors that were all grouped closely together. It seemed that each trap door could only be used once, and each door was only big enough to fit one person through. Despite the possibility of the doors leading to a trap, Leona, Kurapica, Gon and Killua all decided to take one of the five doors.

"Let's all meet again on ground floor." Kurapica smiled to their little group. Gon and Killua nodded.

Leona gulped nervously. _So this might mean separating from the others… well, it was nice knowing them; especially Kurapica… Awww! Who am I kidding; I don't want us to separate!_

"So on the count of three, we all go in." Gon stated and started the count.

"1… 2… **3!**"

Leona shut her eyes tight and jumped onto her trapped door. Feeling it go under her feet and eventually landing somewhat clumsily on brick floor.

It was dark. But suddenly a light switched on … and Gon, Killua and Kurapica all stared wide-eyed at each other in front of her.

_Wooh! God answered my prayers!_ Leona couldn't help but grin. "Nice to see you all again."

Gon and Killua grinned happily at each other, while Kurapica chuckled. "I guess there was also the possibility that the doors would lead to the same room."

However, the room they occupied appeared to have no way out. There was nothing aside from a metal stand that stood against a wall, and a sign that read:

**Path of Majority Rules:  
For the five candidates, you'll have to reach you're goal following the majority's choice.**

On the metal stand, there were five wrist watches with two buttons 'O' and 'X' and a timer countdown, reminding them of the 72 hour time limit they had to get out of the tower.

"So I guess this means that we still need one more person before we can start." Kurapica concluded while putting on a watch. The others did the same.

_**Buzzzz!**_

"That's correct!" came a voice from a loud speaker, "This tower contains many different passages, and each passage contains its own crossways, like a maze. You guys must choose your passages using the majority rules. The difficulty of this exam for you would be how you guys cooperate with each other. Good luck and fight well."

_**Beep!**_

"I guess that means we have to wait." Leona sighed, before sitting down against the wall. "I hope we get someone cooperative."

"Cooperation shouldn't be a problem." Kurapica replied. "Everyone in the hunter exam wants to pass and become hunters, so there shouldn't be any reason for anyone to not want to cooperate."

Leona mused over that. "I suppose you're right…"

"We'll see." Killua shrugged, before slumping on the wall next to Gon.

**Two hours later…**

Clicking metal sounds could suddenly be held above them. A few minutes later, the trap door swung open.

_FINALLY!_ Leona thought in annoyance as a figure dropped from the ceiling. Once the figure landed, everyone saw that the fifth member of the Majority Rule's path was…

Tompa.

* * *

Hey guys, I'm back! Yeah, I know it's been awhile since my last update and I'm VERY sorry about that. People still haven't given up on me yet have they? ^^; I'm hoping to update a bit more regularly now since school holidays have started for me, so cross fingers you'll get the next chapter soon.

So, it's out. **Him** is actually Pietro. Did anyone see that coming? Hehe… As Spider9x and Chidori-no-kage suggested, I didn't write the whole thing. Leona's past will be revealed bit by bit as the chapters come.

Anyways, for those who are still following this story, I would like some suggests. What would be some other challenges in the Trick Tower that I could use? My story is a bit lacking in the excitement factor, and I want more opportunities for Leona's character to shine.

**So please send some suggestions in a review, and perhaps this could mean a faster update. :D**


	9. Chapter 9: Trick Tower pt1

**Lead By Fate**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HunterxHunter or any of Yoshihiro Togashi's characters, though any other characters would be mine.

**Summary:** What if Leorio didn't take the Hunter Exam? What if his little sister took it for him instead? How would she play part in Gon's little group? Originally a FemLeorio story, but got switched to Leorio's little sister instead, but the concept is pretty much the same.

**Pairing:** Kurapica x OC

**Note:** _Italic_ for thought. _**Bold Italic**_ for sound effects.

* * *

**Chapter 9:**** Trick Tower – part 1**

_Leona opened the door to her small apartment. She had just finished shopping for this week's groceries and was happily thinking about what to cook for tonight's dinner; she was able to buy pork this time! Her brother loved pork, but too bad they couldn't have it more often. And speaking of her brother, Leona found him sitting at the table looking miserable._

_Leona blinked. She didn't often see Leorio look miserable; her brother was often careful not to appear anything other than his goofy self around her – though she knows, she could sense it. Her brother never seems quite satisfied with their financial situation, but they were always able to get by the day okay. Leorio would work the odd jobs around the clock, while she would contribute by going around offering to clean people's houses for a price – that was how she met Uncle Beni._

"_Nii-san! Guess what? I was able to buy pork today! They had a 30% discount at the market!"_

"_..."_

_Now Leona was worried, her brother never ignored her or spaced out on her. "Leorio-niisan!"_

"_Eh? Ah! Leona! When did you get back?" Leorio got up and took the groceries from her, grinning as he saw the content. "You got pork today? My favourite!"_

"_...Nii-san, is something bothering you?" Leona asked worriedly._

_Seeing her face, Leorio sighed heavily and sat back down. "Leona... I would have told you this a long time ago, but Pietro wouldn't let me... Pietro has asthma."_

_Leona blinked, "Asthma? Pietro has asthma? But he looks perfectly fine to me." She remembered the cheerful face when Pietro gave her early birthday present last week._

"_It wasn't so bad before, but now it's gotten worst. That's why I've been trying to become a doctor so that I can cure him." Leorio slowly began to look more and more miserable. Both he and Pietro were the best of friends; it hurts to see his friend suffer._

"_But there _is_ a cure right?"_

"_Yeah. It can't be cured instantly but it can be treated through long term medication." Then Leorio winced and frowned deeply. "But the medication costs a lot. We can't afford it long term."_

_Leona widened her eyes as she remembered the dress; 2000 zennies. _No!

* * *

A noise made Leona snap out of her thoughts as a trap door above swung open. A figure dropped from the ceiling.

"Tompa!" Gon called out when they saw the man.

Leona sighed, heavily. Oh why oh why did it have to be Tompa of all people!

She had developed a deep mistrust for the man ever since he lied to her and Kurapica about the exam happening early. She hated liars, and now that very same man was going to join them on the path of Majority Rules. Life sucks.

"Well, I guess now we're all set." Tompa said as he puts on his wrist watch. At that exact moment, a hidden door on one of the walls opened up. "Let's go guys!"

Leona felt her eye twitch as the pig-faced man seemed to act as if he was in charge, but chose not to say anything as now they were facing their first Majority Rules choice.

**The Door:  
O to open, X to not.**

At this, everyone pressed on their watches. Leona pressed the O button and saw the score appear on a screen. Four people pressed O, and one person pressed X. Since the majority chose O, the door opened.

_Wait a minute… _"Who pressed X?" Leona asked.

"Ah! Sorry!" Tompa grinned sheepishly. "I pressed the wrong button."

Leona glared suspiciously at the man. "Riiiiiiiight…" _He SO did that on purpose._

"It doesn't matter, the door still opened anyway." Gon pointed out and began walking through the door. Everyone followed him.

Not too long later, their next choice was a left or right chose, as the path slipped into two paths. Once again, everyone took their pick. Three people chose right, two people chose left. The right door opened.

"Eh?" Leona blinked. "I wanted to go left…"

As they walked down the right path, Kurapica explained that according to some behaviour studies, when people are lost and needed to make a decision like left or right, they would often choose left.

"I heard something like that too." Killua nodded.

"Huh? Then why are we walking right?" Leona asked, confused.

This time it was Tompa who explained. "If the examiner knew that we would instinctively choose left, then they might make the left path harder. It's common sense."

Leona pouted; it pissed her off that someone like Tompa would be smarter than her. "Gon, did you know any of this?"

"Ehhh, not really…" Gon replied nervously. He had wanted to go left too.

Soon, the group arrived at another room, however this room was different. It was large and had a high ceiling. A door stood directly opposite to them on the other side, but there was no floor, and only a square platform stood right in the middle of the room. It looked somewhat like a battle arena with no audience – though it was possible the examiner is watching from some cameras.

Standing near the opposite door was another group of people. All of them dressed in the same strange hooded cloak. Their heads and faces where hidden from view.

Suddenly, someone from the group stepped forward. "They are here. Untie me."

A voice from a speaker replied. "Okay." A click was heard, and the iron cuffs around the person's wrists broke apart.

Pulling the hooded shirt off, the person was revealed to be a muscular man in his early thirties. He was bald and had several scars running across his head. Leona couldn't help but gulp at his appearance. He looked strong.

"We are the ones hired to test you in this trial! Our mission is to fight against the five of you. The matches are one on one and a person can only fight once. You'll have to reach three victories to go on. The rule is that there are NO rules; if one person is defeated it means the victory goes to the victor's group. Do you accept this match? O for yes and X for no!"

"We still have to choose? Isn't the answer obvious?" Leona sighed. _I wonder if the left path was a better choice…_ The girl then directed a glared at Tompa. "And what are **you** going to choose?"

The older man blinked in surprise before sheepishly grinning again. "Right, right, I understand."

Once again, they pressed on their watches. This time, everyone chose O.

That this, the muscle man smirked. "Alright, I'm the one beginning. Who's going to be my opponent?"

Surprising everyone, it was Tompa who volunteered to be first. Even Killua looked at him unsure. But the man explained that if he was left till last and they had a situation of each side having two victories, Tompa knew that he would not be trusted to gain that victory. And as much as Leona hated the man, she knew he had a point.

_Though somehow, I've a bad feeling about this…_

A long pathway appeared, connecting the doorway to the centre platform. Tompa stepped onto the platform and faced the large muscle man, who looked even more intimidating up close.

The man was the first to speak. "For our fight, I propose… a death match. The winner is decided when one of us dies or gives up."

"Okay, I accept." Everyone gasped. Leona couldn't believe what she heard. Tompa accepted a death match? _That guy must be up to something!_

That something turned out to be quite obvious. Tompa gave up right on the spot when the match begun. A point went to the other group.

Tompa was once again grinning nervously when he came back. "Sorry… He looked really strong up close…"

Nobody said anything. Kurapica stared at him in disbelief. Killua had a dark look on his face. Gon… only blinked. Leona glared at him, hard. It was clearly a waste of time to argue, but the girl couldn't help but think that the coward was **trying** to piss them off.

Her brother would have probably bashed him by now.

* * *

The next opponent was a slim man with hair that covered half his face. He didn't look very threatening, but he had a very unnervingly relaxed look on his face.

"So who's going next?" Killua asked.

"ME! I want to go next!" Gon raised his arm up like the excited kid he was. Everyone sweat dropped. He looked very confident.

After studying the new challenger carefully, Killua said to Gon. "He's not a tough one, so you can go."

Once Gon was on the battle platform, his adversary held out two candles, he explained that their challenge was a simple game of each holding a candle and seeing whose candle would go out first. The winner would be the person with the candle that last the longest. It was a very simple game, so Gon accepted.

"Okay, then choose which candle you want." The slim man revealed the candles to show one long candle about 9 inches long, and one short candle about 6 inches long. "Vote using the majority. Press O for the long one and X for the short one."

Leona turned to the others. "It's a trap, isn't it?"

"Yes," Kurapica replied. "Normally, we would choose the long candle, so it's suspected that that would be the one with the trap. But he could also have double crossed us and put a trap in the short one."

Leona grimaced. "So then… which one do we choose?"

"We can't, we can't tell which one has the trap." Kurapica's face became calculating. "Gon! You decide the candle! We'll go with your decision! We trust your instincts to pick the good one!"

Gon brighten up. "I can decide? Okay! Then I choose the long one! It's bigger so it'll last longer."

Everyone sweat dropped. _Did he even think about it? _But nevertheless, the group pressed O and went with Gon's choice.

Once Gon received his long candle, both he and his opponent lit their candles at the same time. Killua turned to Kurapica. "How long does a candle like that burn for?"

"Around 5 to 6 hours I think."

"EHHH!" Gon jumped when he suddenly saw his candle spark and the flame grew larger, making the candle shrink faster than it should. Seeing this, the slim man smirked. His trap had worked, he was an expert on bombs after all.

"Hot! Hot! Eh? It's so small already?" Gon cried as he watched his candle melt at a rapid rate. It was about as long as a finger now. "Hot! Hot!"

Leona gasped. "Oh no! Gon's candle's not going to last longer than a few minutes now!" She could see that Gon's opposition was smug with triumph. _Damn! The long one WAS rigged!_

The candle became so short and hot that Gon had to drop his candle. Luckily it didn't go out with the impact, but it was very close to going out; only a few more seconds left. Suddenly, the young boy was sparked with an idea; he made a dash to his opponent and blew out his candle.

"I win." Gon grinned, holding up the peace sign at the dumbfounded man. Behind him, Gon's candle finally blew out. Gon got the point.

Killua and Kurapica smiled in relief, while Leona cheered. "Yay! Go Gon!"

* * *

When the slim man walked back to his group, one of them sneered. "That was pathetic Sedokan! You don't know anything about fooling your opponent, do you?"

Sedokan shrugged as he was re-handcuffed back into his iron cuffs. They were all over-100-year-sentenced criminals who were hired to help test the hunter exam examinees, and for their services, every hour they held the contestants back, a year was taken off their sentence. It was a good deal.

"Since the first one was such a coward, I thought that it would be easy to take the rest out." Sedokan explained. "You think you can do better Majitani?"

Say Majitani stepped forward and chuckled harshly. "Of course! Just watch."

On the other side of the room, Leona hugged Gon the moment he came back. "Gon, that was great! You showed that sleazy cheater!"

Say boy grinned happily. "Thanks Leona! So who's going up next?"

Kurapica stepped forward. "I'll go."

Leona blinked before letting go of Gon and tapping on the blonde's shoulder. "Hey Kurapica, can I go instead?"

"Uh…" Kurapica hesitated, looking over to the other group. Another opponent had already stepped forward. The person had not revealed himself yet, but from the shape of the body, it was obviously a man, and rather large man at that. "Are you sure? The next opponent looks big."

Leona rolled her eyes. "Oh please, if he's big compared to me, then he's also big compared to you too; you're not that much taller than me. Besides, he might not be the fighter type opponent."

_I doubt it._ The blonde thought and made glances back to the new opponent. "Are you really sure?"

Leona sighed before stepping forward towards the platform anyway. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Be careful." Kurapica called out, before noticing Killua staring at him.

The younger boy leaded forward with a small smirk to whisper, "You like her, don't you?"

The Kurutaian blinked before looking away. "I don't know what you're talking about Killua."

_Denial._ Killua shrugged, but his smirk grew wider.

Not noticing the exchange behind her, Leona stepped onto the platform. "I'm next up."

Majitani grinned from under his hood. His opponent was a girl; this was going to be easier than he thought. His iron cuffs broke apart just like the others and he dramatically tore off his hooded cloak, revealed his frightening and buff Frankenstein-like appearance.

Leona's eyes widened at the sight, but stood her ground. _Ewwww! He looks REALLY ugly… Plastic surgery gone bad?_

Her opponent was over 6 feet tall with even bigger muscles than the first man. He pointed to the lined-up heart tattoos on his left breast. "You know what these are, girl? I have so far killed 19 people. But you know, it's an annoying number, so I'll kill you and make it 20!"

Leona gulped. So it was going to be a death match, and she had really hoped that it wouldn't be. Luckily, while this man looked ugly, he didn't give off the same evil murder vibe as Hisoka. She should be okay, as long as she revises over what Uncle Beni had taught her.

"So… it's going to be a death match?" Leona asked.

Majitani laughed hard, but inside he was a bit disappointed that she didn't sound as scared as he'd have liked. He decided to turn it up a notch. "That's right! But don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're a girl. Even if you say I give up, I might not stop. I want to see blood! Guts! Hear you scream in pain!"

_Ew… he's just as disgusting as he looks._ Leona thought, cringing in disgust. "Alright, so do we start now?"

Majitani mistook the cringe for a sign that she was scared but was holding it in. With that, he was confident of his next attack to scare Leona out of her skin and make her give up. Preparing his right fist that contained an iron block connected to the bones in his knuckles; the man quickly leaped into the air and aimed his fist directly at the girl.

Leona yelped in surprise before leaping to her right to avoid the hit, the man's fist when straight through the brick floor where she once stood. Taking the opportunity that her opponent was stuck to the floor for a moment, Leona aimed a kick to the man's chest, sending him tumbling back a bit; his fist forced out of the floor.

Leona frowned. _Awww, I was hoping to send him flying…_

Forcing himself to not show the pain, Majitani pushed himself back up. "Ha! You got a lucky shot, it won't happen again!" _Damn! That actually hurt, that girl kicks HARD! I can't use my arm now, but I've still got my final trump card._

"Do you know who I am? I am Majitani, one of the four kings of the Phantom Brigade!" With that, he turned his body to reveal the 12 legged-spider tattoo on his back, the symbol of the most notorious group of criminals.

Leona's eyes went wide with shock. _He's a member of the Phantom Bridge? The one that killed off Kurapica's tribe?_

From where he stood on the side, Kurapica saw his vision go red at the sight of the spider tattoo. _Spider!_ Both Gon and Killua felt a vibe coming from the blonde and saw that his usual green eyes have suddenly turned scarlet red.

"Kurapica? Are you okay?" Gon asked nervously. He could felt anger coming from his usually calm friend. But Kurapica ignored him and began to move towards the platform.

"Oi oi! What are you doing?" Killua immediately grabbed the blond and pulled him back. "If you get on the platform, the tomboy will lose the match!"

"Let me go! Spider! I must get rid of it!" Kurapica tried to pull out of Killua's grasp, but was stopped by Gon who also helped Killua to hold him back.

"Kurapica you can't! If Leona loses this match, the other team will get another point!"

Though his eyes were still bright red with rage, Kurapica glanced at Gon before staring back at the match; he tried to focus on his better judgement to calm himself down. The younger boy was right, he wasn't allowed to interfere, and he also knew that the man wasn't even a real member of the Spiders. But Kurapica couldn't help himself, whenever he sees a spider…

"You horrible murderer!" Leona shouted, causing everyone to stare at her. "How could you do what you did to Kurapica's family?"

When she saw Kurapica and his red eyes, Leona was immediately reminded of the conversation she had with him about his murdered clan, and how the Phantom Brigade took their scarlet eyes. She couldn't believe that one of them was standing right in front of her, the cause of her friend's misery.

"Uh… what?" Majitani hesitated nervously. Something wasn't right, he was only pretending to be a member of the Spiders to scare off his opponent, yet it was having the opposite effect.

With fire in her angry eyes, Leona sprinted to the man and slammed a punch to his face, but she wasn't done. She quickly kneed him in the pelvis, and while he was hunched over, struck her elbow on his back; all done in quick succession.

Majitani was out before he even knew it.

_Oh no you don't!_ Leona hurled the unconscious man off the ground and onto his knees, where she had him tall enough to begin the process of slapping him back awake. She succeeded after the eighth room-echoing slap.

"I'm not done with you!" _Not after what you did to Kurapica! _But before Leona could do anymore damage, Majitani quickly held up his hands to surrender.

"No! Please! I give up!"

"Oh? And weren't you the one who said that you don't have to stop even if you gave up?" Leona grinned evilly at his horrified face before delivering a final kick to the head before letting his body drop to the floor. No, she didn't kill him, but she really would have liked to.

"He said he gives up! I win!" Leona called out, and her group got another point.

* * *

Once Leona was back on the side with her group, Gon was grinning excitedly at her. "Wow Leona! You were so strong back there!"

"Yeah, I see you in a new light now." Killua said with a stunned face. "You **really** gave that guy a beating."

Leona smiled, she felt so proud of herself. "Really? Thanks!"

Then she turned to Kurapica, who was sitting curled up against the wall near their bags. "Are you okay, Kurapica? I beat up that guy for you."

The blond boy looked up at her – his eyes back to their normal green shade – and smiled. "Thanks, I appreciated that. But I should be saying sorry. If Killua and Gon hadn't stopped me, I would have interfered and made you lose the match."

Leona blushed – she got to see Kurapica smile again! – waving her hand dismissively. "That's okay; you have a right to be mad at that guy."

Kurapica sighed. "Actually Leona, that man wasn't a real member of the Spiders. I only got angry because I couldn't contain my anger at the sight of the spider tattoo; in fact, my personality changes whenever I see even a simple spider."

"Eh? He wasn't a real member?" Leona blinked in surprise before going pale. _Oops…and I went hard on him too…_

Killua chuckled at her. "You really didn't notice? A real member wouldn't have gone down so easily."

Tompa, who hasn't said anything in awhile, snorted. "Of course, the Phantom Bridge are S-class criminals, their fighting skills are at a way higher level than a simple girl."

"But I still think that Leona's strong." Gon exclaimed.

"Thank you Gon." Leona smiled at the younger boy.

Then she turned to the pig-faced man and struck out her tongue.

* * *

Yay to me! Another update! :D

Just to let you guys know if you didn't already, chapter 1 was revisited, and this is because I thought the flashback was too short, and someone told me that it seemed rushed. Also, a detail in that chapter was wrong so I needed to fix it. -_-

Now a question to the readers; I've been calling the HxH currency as zennies, but I also read somewhere that it was called Jenis. I'd like someone to tell me which is the correct term because I'm really stumped here.

Anyways, what do you people think of this chapter? I'm still open to hear what other challenges the group could run into, so please send your suggestions in a review. Of course, reviews are always welcomed. ^_^


	10. Chapter 10: Trick Tower pt2

**Lead By Fate**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HunterxHunter or any of Yoshihiro Togashi's characters, though any other characters would be mine.

**Summary:** What if Leorio didn't take the Hunter Exam? What if his little sister took it for him instead? How would she play part in Gon's little group? Originally a FemLeorio story, but got switched to Leorio's little sister instead, but the concept is pretty much the same.

**Pairing:** Kurapica x OC

**Note:** _Italic_ for thought. _**Bold Italic**_ for sound effects.

* * *

**Chapter 10:**** Trick Tower – part 2**

With Leona's match over and done with, it was time for the next match to begin. Kurapica stepped off the footbridge to stand on the platform. It was his turn.

The blond watched as his cloaked opponent stepped onto the platform to face him. What will it be this time? Tompa had a death match, Gon had a 'game' match, Leona also had a death match... If the pattern were to continue as it is, then Kurapica predicts that his match might be a 'game' challenge as well.

His opponent took off the cloak to reveal... a woman. The woman appeared to be in her early twenties with bright red hair which were tied into two large pigtails with purple ribbons. Her unnervingly sharp violet eyes twinkled with amusement as she observed him from where she stood.

"Hello, my name is Leluto. What's your name cutie?" The woman introduced herself in a flirty tone.

Kurapica narrowed his eyes slightly in suspicion. "I don't think my name concerns you very much." He replied. This opponent was definitely…**different** compared the others, being the first to introduce herself in such a casual non-threatening manner.

Leluto only raised an eyebrow at his impartial attitude, but didn't drop her amused smirk. It was interesting; her blonde opponent wasn't fazed by her charm, unlike many before him. That meant she couldn't play him like she would a normal guy. But that suited her just fine; it had been awhile since she was presented with a challenge.

"You won't tell me your name? But that's okay; shall I call you Kuruta-san then? You're from the Kuruta Tribe, aren't you?"

Kurapica narrowed his eyes further but kept his expression emotionless. His opponent knew who he was, probably due to the way he acted upon the sight of the spider tattoo before; Leluto must have been observing him back then as well.

"Well let's get straight to the point; the challenge for this match will be to bet."

"To bet? What are we betting?"

Leluto's smirk grew wider. "Time. Look at the screen." Kurapica blinked and turned to his right to stare at a black screen attached to the side of the platform on a poll. On the screen, two number 50s appeared. "We'll bet and the winner receives time. We can each bet up to 50 hours and the minimum is 10 hours. The game is over when one of us runs out of time chips to bet. We'll each take turns to decide the bet. If you lose, the time you have to exit the tower is reduced by 50 hours; and if I lose, my sentence will be increased by 50 years."

Kurapica nodded before pausing. "Your sentence?"

"Oh that's right, you don't know." The woman raised a hand to cover her mouth. "We are criminals who have all received over 100 year sentences. Our sentence is reduced by a year ever hour we hold you examinees in here. Does it disturb you that you are helping people like us get a lighter sentence?"

The blond boy ignored the question. However, her explanation didn't come as much of a surprise to him, since he had suspected as much after watching Leona's match with her opponent. If all they wanted was to hold them back, then this betting game was the perfect way to do it; 50 hours of their time now rested on him, the woman was a cunning one. Unconsciously, Kurapica couldn't help but make a glance at his watch to see how much time have passed. 68 hours and 48 minutes left; exactly 3 hours and 12 minutes has passed.

"So do you agree to the match, Kuruta-san?" Leluto asked, still staring at him like a hawk, watching his ever movement, analysing him.

The Kurutaian kept up his emotionless façade. "I accept."

"Okay, then let me start first." The female convict began, "Bet which is my favourite colour, pink or violet. And to avoid me from cheating, I'll write the answer on a piece of paper and show it to the examiner. If you bet the right answer on the sheet, you get the hour chips."

Kurapica frowned but nodded, watching Leluto write on a piece of paper before showing it to the camera. Then the blond rest his hand on his chin in thought, she wanted him to guess her favourite colour? How would he know that? Studies have said that favourite colours were often related to a person's mood or their personality. Pink and violet were both feminie colours; pink meant a peaceful and calm state of mind and violet meant a mind of sound judgement and inner peace. Aside from being calm, Kurapica honestly didn't think the other attributes matched the woman, her being a criminal and all. It was also highly possible that both colours were not her favourite at all, but had just chosen two colours and picked one for him to guess right; defiantly a devious woman.

The female criminal tilted her head with a smirk. "Are you done thinking, Kuruta-san? You probably won't be able to figure it out, so why not leave it to chance? You have 50-50 to get it right." She said in a sickly sweet tone.

Kurapica winced slightly; he didn't expect that he would have to bet on such a question, he wasn't prepared. But suddenly, as he looked up, the Kurutaian noticed something that made his mind click. _It could be it… yeah it was probably it._

"I bet…30 hours your favourite colour is violet." He called out.

Leluto blinked in surprise, and after a long pause she replied. "You're right, my favourite colour is violet."

Kurapica 80, Leluto 20.

"Can I ask how you knew?" The woman asked. "You couldn't have possibly just guessed with the amount you betted on it."

Kurapica smiled as he explained. "It **was** really just a guess, but I had reason to believe it was more likely violet because of the ribbons in your hair." He pointed to his own hair, indicating the ribbons used to tie up Leluto's hair. "People usually like to wear their favourite colour, don't they?"

Leluto let out a smirk but was inwardly frowning. _I see, this is a clever one._

"Amazing," Killua said, causing Gon, Leona and Tompa to stare at him. "That chick is trying to analyse and find his weakness, that question was just to test him. I think she just realised that Kurapica's smarter than she thought. This is going to get interesting."

"Wow! Kurapica's so cool!" Gon stared back at the older boy in admiration. Leona smiled.

This was the first time Leluto came across someone that was about as sharp and observant as her. It was unnerving, but her opponent was definitely an interesting change from her usual patients. For her, it was a battle of minds, and now she had just found her match. _If only you were one of my psychology patients, I would have fun with someone like you._

"So, it's your turn now. What's the topic?" She asked her tone still as sweet as before.

Kurapica gave a slight smirk. He now understands the rhythm of the game. It's not simply just a betting match, but a battle to outwit the other by learning as much about the opponent as possible; psychology and intuition were the key. Since the woman is obviously of the intelligent kind, simply asking general knowledge questions might not work, so he has to go personal while being as vague as possible as about himself as well. Kurapica was beginning to enjoy the match.

"Bet on what kind of Hunter I want to be; a Black List or an Artefact Hunter? I'll write the answer on paper like you did." After paper and pen was provided for him, the blond began the process of writing the answer on the page and showing it to the camera, just like the female convict did before.

Leluto thought over her choices. She knew the Kurutaian had a grudge against the Phantom Troup, so it was highly likely her opponent would want to be a Black List hunter. But if she remembered correctly, the famous criminal group took something precious from the tribe, so it was also possible that he would want to become an Artefact hunter to retrieve what was stolen from him… Nevertheless, a person of his situation would probably want revenge first. It was something common that the psychologist found among her many patients – before she would use that revenge to torment them.

"I bet 20 hours you want to be a Black List Hunter." She called out. That was all her remaining time, but she was one to take risks; she was confident.

"…That's correct."

Kurapica 60, Leluto 40.

"This feels intense, but we're still ahead." Leona remarked, watching the two on the platform.

Killua nodded. "Yeah, but it was a good idea to swap Kurapica to take this match. I doubt the tomboy could beat this chick." Leona sent a glare at the white-haired boy and pulled at his ear. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Let go you old woman!"

"Little brat! Can't you call me by my name for once?"

"I'll do that once you stop calling me brat!"

"Come on guys!" Gon called to stop their quarrel. "The lady's going to make her next topic."

Leluto smirked as she announced her new topic. "Bet on what I am sentenced for; murder or illegal trafficking (1). Don't need to write it on paper, your examiner already knows."

Kurapica once again frowned at the question before going deep in thought. Unless Leluto was a very well known criminal, it was impossible for him to know exactly what she was sentenced for. In that case, this required a careful observation of the criminal in question. Since she had said that she was an over-100-year sentenced convict, her crime must have been very severe to acquire her that many years in prison. However, Leluto didn't smell of blood like usual murders, so it might be illegal trafficking. Yet she did give off an unnerving vibe, could it be possible that she was indirectly involved in murder? It was possible that she was indirectly involved in either murder or trafficking, making it harder for the blond to pinpoint which exactly. It all came down to her aura…

"You hold an air of confidence," Kurapica started, causing the woman to blink in surprise, "That confident implies that you have authority despite your non-threatening appearance. You can't have that kind of confidence surrounded by murderers unless… I bet 40 hours that you were sentenced for murder."

His friends behind him gasped, while Leluto raised her eyebrows in surprise. "That's a risky bet, are you really sure about that?"

Kurapica nodded, his smile was confident.

After a pause, Leluto closed her eyes and smiled slightly. "You are correct, I was sentenced for murder."

Gon and Leona cheered as the score became Kurapica 100 and Leluto 0. The point went to them and they now have the required 3 wins to pass.

Nodding to admit her defeat, both opponents walked off the platform to join their groups.

Once Kurapica was back, Leona hugged him like she had with Gon. "That was so cool, Kurapica! Thanks to you, now we have the three points to pass!"

"Uh…yeah…" Kurapica blinked in surprise before blushing. It had been a long time since he was last hugged, much less be hugged by a girl. It gave him an awkward feeling, but strangely he didn't hate it.

"So now what?" Killua asked boredly.

"We get to pass now, right? We got the three points." Gon exclaimed excitedly as he shrugged his backpack on, he was already ready to move on to the next challenge in the tower.

"Ah, that's right. You guys get to pass through there." The bald muscular convict gestured to the hallway his group occupied. "Once you go down this hallway, you'll get into a room. The room will lead you to your next majority path."

"Tsk." Killua shrugged. He was disappointed that he didn't get his turn, but he assumed the last person in that group wasn't all that good anyway; to him, the hunter exam was quite dull. "What a bore, can we go already?"

With the footbridge linked to both ends of the platform, the group could now walk across to the door on the other side. As they passed the criminals, who were all handcuffed back in their iron cuffs again, a great tension filled the air. Leona gave a smirk as she passed her former opponent; the man flinched back in fright. The others only stared at them.

When Killua walked pass, he couldn't help but notice an almost dreadful murder's intent coming from the criminal that hadn't revealed himself yet. If the boy wasn't already an assassin himself, he would have been afraid. But he was a Zoldyeck, he was never afraid. Even with the hooded cloak over him, the man still reeked of blood; he was a killer.

_Ha, now I'm really disappointed. I could have been fighting him._

* * *

Leona grinned when she looked at the time on her watch. Only a little over three and half hours have passed since they started the third exam. Perhaps they will be able to make it to the end before the end of the day. Their progress looked promising.

Once they entered the room that the man mentioned, they were faced with yet another 'do you want to open this door' question, and once again, their group pressed their watches. 4 pressed open, 1 pressed not open.

Leona glanced at Tompa – who hasn't said anything in awhile – as he grinned sheepishly back. "Sorry, hand slipped."

The girl sighed as she walked out the door with everyone else. She was in a good mood, and she was **not** going to let the pig-faced man ruin it. But she had a feeling he was going to keep at it because he was **obviously** doing it on purpose. For now, she'll let it slide, but if it got unbearable, she may have to use drastic measures…

Their next majority's choice was a going up or down choice. Two paths, one leaded upwards and the other leaded downwards.

"Wait." Leona stopped everyone from pressing their watches. "Let's discuss this first before we choose. We go up or go down?"

"I think we should go up." Kurapica replied. "The examiner would expect us to take the down route."

"I agree." Killua nodded. Tompa also nodded, but didn't say anything.

"What do you think Gon?"

The younger boy moved into one of his cute thinking poses. "Well… since we're supposed to go down, shouldn't we choose the down route?" Leona smiled, that's exactly what she thought.

"You're both so naïve." Tompa stated with a smug look. "Just because the path looks like it's going down, doesn't mean it actually goes down. It could be a path that goes down, but leads straight back up again."

"Really?" Both Leona and Gon cried. The others stared at them incredulously. _They really are naïve._

After an hour of walking the 'up' route, the group found themselves back in a room very similar to the battle platform that they once were in. However, this time there were no group of criminals challenging them, the footbridges were connected to the platform just like how they left it before… They just went a full round circle back.

"We spent an hour walking, just to get back to where we started…" Leona muttered to herself, one of her eyes twitched irately.

"We should have gone down." Killua mused and sighed. "Yeah, we really should have gone down."

"That means that we can't always assume that every path choice has a trick to it." Kurapica observed as if the entire matter didn't involve him.

Leona stared at the blond in disbelief. _I could have told you that!_

* * *

**Time – 66:46:05**

"Woah! Cool!" Gon stared with wide eyes at the new room. Much like the battle room, this room had two doorways separate from each other. However, instead of a platform, the doorways were separated by a long pool of water. Near where they stood, a boat and two paddles were prepared on the side.

"Welcome examinees." The voice cracked from the speaker. "Here are rules to this challenge. The boat can only hold the weight of two children, and only hold the weight of one adult. In this challenge, both number 16 and 404 are adults, while 99, 403 and 405 are children. Numbers 16 and 403 are not allowed to be left alone together; same applies for numbers 99 and 404, and numbers 403 and 405. Under these conditions, all of you must use the boat to cross to the other side. No other method of crossing will be permitted. Good luck."

Gon scratched his head in confusion. "Eh… so Tompa and Leona can't be alone together, and Killua and Kurapica… ehhh…"

Kurapica smiled, he had heard of this type of quiz before and knew exactly what to do. "Gon, it's okay, let me work it out." All the others stared at the Kurutaian expectedly.

"First, Gon and Killua will take the boat and cross. Killua leaves Gon and comes back, and then he and Leona will cross. Gon will then take the boat and come back and let me cross. Killua will then come back and let Tompa cross. Leona will take the boat back and Killua and Gon will cross again. Finally, Killua comes back and takes Leona over again."

Leona's eyes went wide. "Gosh, you figured that out quickly." Both Gon and Killua grinned at each other.

"Yay! We get to ride the boat!"

* * *

**Time – 59:22:13**

Leona gingerly placed her foot down on the next wooden stick called a step on the flimsy excuse of a rope ladder. This time they were climbing down a long steep vertical tunnel. It was either the rope ladder or dropping from a height of over 10 metres. It was obvious which one they chose.

"This is scary, why did we choose this path?" Leona complained.

"We wanted the faster pathway to get down." Kurapica replied. The blond boy was climbing down the ladder two metres above her. They decided that since the rope ladder didn't look secure enough, they had to spread themselves evenly to avoid putting too much weight on one area of the ladder.

"Yeah, but this is ridiculous!" the girl whined, "They literally- … Oh! I've reached the ground! You're nearly there guys, just a little further."

Not too long later, Tompa – who was still near the top – heard something rip. _Oh crap!_

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Without warning, the entire ladder began plummeting down. When Leona snapped her head to look up, she only saw the shocked green eyes of her friend before she crashed on the floor.

_**Thud!**_

Leona blinked when she saw Kurapica on top of her. She would have blushed at the compromising position if it wasn't for the fact that Kurapica's face looked like he was constipating. And then she saw why, the blond was holding the weight of Gon, Killua and Tompa all on his back. He was holding himself up, preventing them from crushing her with their weight.

_Aw, that's so sweet of him. He reminds me of Leorio-niisan._ Leona thought and gave him a thumbs-up. "Good going Kurapica. You can hold up just about as much as I can."

The blond boy stuttered under the weight. "Gah…G-guys…get off me!"

* * *

**Time – 40:13:25**

"Answer this final question to open the door." The computer-like device spoke in monotone. Everyone gathered around it to see their final quiz question.

**Three brothers share a family sport; an endless marathon. They race every day and last the whole day long, the first of them is short and stout, the second tall and thin, the third is tiny and thin but he is sure to win. What are we?**

"Aw man! Not another riddle!" Killua sighed heavily. "Anyone know the answer?"

Out of habit now, everyone looked towards Kurapica. But when he shook his head, everyone went silence.

"Could it be chickens?" Gon asked. Nothing happened.

"Is it… wheels?" Killua guessed randomly. Nothing happened.

After a long silence, Leona suddenly perked up. "I know! It's clock hands!(2)" The door opened.

* * *

**Time – 31:06:54**

The group stared at what appears to be the last doors to the end of the tower. Two doors were positioned side by side, one with an X marked on it and the other with an O. This was probably going to be the last majority choice they had to make.

"Welcome to the end of the majority path." Once again, the voice spoke from a speaker. "You have done well thus far. As the final test, you will have to choose between these two doors. One is a long and difficult route that all five of you can enter, while the second is a short and easy route that only allows three of you to enter. Press O for the difficult path and X for the easy path. If you press X, the door will only open when two people give themselves up and is cuffed to the wall. They'll stay there until time runs out."

Everyone looked at each other. With the amount of time they had left, they all silently agreed that they didn't really need to sacrifice anyone. And even if they didn't have enough time, they would all choose to stick together anyway – Yes, even Tompa because he needed them to help him pass the test.

Once everyone pressed O on their watches and the door opened, the group proceeded to walk down a long dark hallway. They were all on guard for any kind of booby traps or anything unusual. For awhile nothing happened, until a sudden click sound caused them all to pause in caution.

Seemingly out from the shadows of the brick hall, three men all dressed in prison outfits appeared before them. Unlike the first group of criminals them met, these men did not hide their face under a hooded cloak, revealing their smug smirks and battle hungry eyes. They ranged from slim frame to muscular built, but it was clear that they were not here to chat.

Without a word, the three men launched themselves at the group. Kurapica was the first to react; being the first to pull out his double sheathed Tantos and intercepted the closest man. The other two were taken out by either Gon's rod or Killua's… Leona didn't even see what the white-haired boy did. Both she and Tompa stood there stunned as the other three took down their adversary, leaving them unconscious or lying on the ground in pain.

"Don't let down your guard." Kurapica warned. "There are still more of them."

True to his words, more prisoners ambushed them as they quickly ran down the path. This time, Leona also participated in fighting off some of the attackers.

_Okay Leona. Remember what Uncle Beni said, use the opponent's force against them and attack their vital areas._ She mentally recited to herself. One man tried to aim a punch to her face, in which the girl quickly grabbed his fist and redirected the punch, allowing her to successfully get within range and jab her elbow between the man's eyes; he was out within seconds. Another man snuck up to her and tried to landed a kick to her head, however, Leona easily dodged it by ducking under and using the moment to punch him where the sun don't shine; another one down.

The girl was able to continue with her one hit KOs by striking at unguarded vital regions. She didn't use up much energy since most of the time she was just dodging the enemies' attacks. As the group continued running down the hallway, Leona could see why this was considered the 'long' and 'difficult' path, because the men just kept coming and trying to stop them. Though they weren't all martial arts experts, their numbers were becoming an inconvenience.

_Eventually, they'll _have_ to stop. I just hope it'll be soon._ She sighed.

The others were faring okay as well. Gon didn't appear very troubled, as the boy was using his speed to his advantage. Kurapica was fine as well, showing that he was also a capable fighter as well as being a walking encyclopaedia. Killua looked almost bored, as he easily took down his attackers. The white-haired boy didn't even need to hit his opponent's weak points to knock out them out – Leona always thought the boy was more than he seemed. As for their oldest group member, Tompa was surprisingly doing okay. The man wasn't a half bad fighter himself, though he did get the fewest attackers since he was at the back of the group.

After what felt like a whole hour of endless running and fighting, Gon suddenly perked up. "I can see the exit!" Everyone looked up in relief to see the door about several metres ahead. But that relief ended quickly as yet another group of prisoners blocked their path.

_And here we go again._ Leona sighed as she prepared herself. Unbeknown to her, a pair of bloodshot eyes mutely watched as she fought off yet again man.

_Soft flesh, I haven't felt that in years._

Leona performed her favourite shoulder throw by tipping her opponent off balance and pulling the man by the arm off the ground over her shoulder, only to have him land back hard on the ground.

_I miss the feeling of human flesh from the outside world._

The girl struck her knee into the stomach of another man before pulling at his arm to have him slam into the brick wall of the hall; the man may have lost a tooth or two in that collision.

_And I'll start with the girl!_

Leona suddenly froze as she saw two large hands reach towards her. But it wasn't the hands that frightened her; it was the blood thirsty eyes of the man that came with the arms. She felt the hair on the back of her head stand on end, and she couldn't help but freeze in fear at the strong murder's intent coming off him. The others noticed the aura too and immediately went on guard, Gon called out to her, but she couldn't move. Once again, it was Kurapica who saved her by pulling her away in time just as the hands were an inch away from touching her.

"Are you okay, Leona?" The blonde asked when she was safely behind him. He had his weapon out in defence in front of him. Leona nodded nervously, this new man was different from the others; he gave off a much stronger and threatening aura.

When the man revealed himself from the shadows, Kurapica gasped as he recognized the enemy. He had heard of this man before; Jones the Dismantler, Zaban City's worst mass murderer.

"Gon! Killua! Don't go near him!" The Kurutaian warned the younger two. "This is a really dangerous man. He's a mass murder! He can dismember a person using just his bare hands!"

Killua raised an eyebrow at their last adversary before smirking. He recognized this aura, and despite the older boy's warning, he still walked towards the murderer with ease.

"Killua!" Kurapica and Leona cried out, but Gon suddenly stopped them and told them it was okay.

"You guys leave this to me, I'll take this." Killua said. "I was supposed to take him before anyway."

Jones stared at the boy. "It doesn't matter who I kill first, as long as I can feel and tear the flesh of humans!" With that, the criminal reached out to grab Killua, but the boy was faster. So fast that he was already on the other side before the others could comprehend; when Killua turned to look back, his hand held a beating heart, Jones' heart.

Everyone gasped and Jones had a look of horror on his face, a spot of blood stain could be seen where his heart should be. "G-give that…give that b-back!"

Killua gave an evil grin, his eyes showing no hesitation to what he was about to do next. The boy crushed the heart into pieces in his hand. Jones collapsed to the ground, dead.

"K-Killua?" Leona stared wide eyed at the boy who she had always called a brat. Gon had proceeded to explained to them that Killua was actually a former elite assassin, who was a member of the Zoldyeck family. Both Kurapica and Tompa had gone pale at that piece of information.

"Come on, let's go." Killua urged. "The exit's right in front of us."

"Killua, how did you do that special skill?" Kurapica asked out of curiosity.

The young assassin smiled. "I wouldn't call it a 'special skill', I just pulled it out. But to make it easier, I had to manipulate my hand a little." Killua held out his hand to reveal his dangerously sharp nails, "That guy was an amateur, I'm a former professional. But if it was my parents, they could take out the heart without it even bleeding."

Leona sighed nervously, how could the boy talk about ripping out a person's heart as if he was drinking tea? Nevertheless, having him around could be reliable… but only when he's on their side.

**Time – 29:18:24**

At exactly that moment, the door opened; Gon, Killua, Kurapica, Leona and Tompa walked out. It had taken them exactly 42 hours and 42 minutes to complete the Trick Tower exam. Overall, they were ranked 15th among the examinees who completed the exam.

* * *

A new chapter done and the third exam finished! This was a pretty long chapter too, lots of calculating, but I wanted to end the third exam in this chapter so that the story could move on. I'm sure most of you must have thought that I skipped Killua's famous heart ripping moment (literally). Of course not! I love that part, it's an epic moment. But then, I'm sure most of you would have realised that in turn I also skipped Gon's famous moment too.

(1) In the anime, Leluto was said to have been sentenced for causing her psychology patients to commit suicide; while in the manga, it was said that she was sentenced for trafficking rare animals. I don't know which is correct, but I decided to stick with the anime one.

(2) Did anyone get this? Clock hands – short and spout is the hour hand, tall and thin is the minute hand, and tiny and thin is the second hand! I know, not a very good riddle, but…

**Thank you to those who reviewed! Reviews for this chapter are very much appreciated! :D**


	11. Chapter 11: Secret of Priceless Treasure

**Lead By Fate**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HunterxHunter or any of Yoshihiro Togashi's characters, though any other characters would be mine.

**Summary:** What if Leorio didn't take the Hunter Exam? What if his little sister took it for him instead? How would she play part in Gon's little group? Originally a FemLeorio story, but got switched to Leorio's little sister instead, but the concept is pretty much the same.

**Pairing:** Kurapica x OC

**Note:** _Italic_ for thought. _**Bold Italic**_ for sound effects.

* * *

**Chapter 11:**** Secrets of Priceless Treasure**

"_Pietro!"_

_Throwing the door open, Leona found her childhood friend sitting up on his bed looking out the window. Upon her entrance, the older boy turned to face her with his usual smile._

"_Ah, Leona-"_

"_You jerk! Why didn't you tell me?" The girl shouted harshly though her eyes were fogged up with tears._

_Pietro dropped his smile. _So she knows_… "I'm sorry," he knew he was the cause of her distress. "I just didn't want you to worry."_

"_What made you think hiding it won't make me worry?" By now her tears were running down her face. She didn't understand, there he was suffering from an illness, and Leona hadn't the slightest idea until she was told by her brother. He had been able to fool her with his goofy smile – that stupid smile._

"_And even if you were able to hide it, why didn't you use the money for your medication! The dress wasn't that important!"_

"_Yes it was." Leona widened her teary-eyes in shock. Pietro took her into a hug. "I would have regretted it if I didn't buy it."_

You idiot.

_Leona buried her face in her friend's chest, tears still continuing to flow. Leorio had told her that Pietro's asthma had gotten worse ever since he took the extra job working at a gas factory. Leona couldn't help but cry harder at the thought that he had risked his health just for her present. _

_Pietro ran his hand through her hair in an attempt to sooth her. "Ne Leona, don't forget the promise. Whatever happens, you'll still wear the dress on your birthday."_

You big stupid idiot.

* * *

"Congratulations examinees! The third round has now ended! The number of candidates who have finished on time is 36 people!"

Once the doorway out of the Trick Tower had opened, Gon couldn't help but smile as bright radiant sunlight burst into the dim room they have been occupying while waiting out the remaining hours of the third exam. Being the energetic boy, he was the first to run out of the tower and breathe in the fresh familiar smell of wind and salt, and greeted by the sight of the ocean. The young boy had almost missed such sight, after being cooped up in the Tower for three days straight; but passing the third exam had made it all worthwhile.

"Man! Finally out of the tower, I thought I was going to die of boredom." Killua complained as he walked to stand next to the black spiky-haired boy.

Gon grinned at his friend. "I don't think it was that boring. Didn't we have fun playing Rock, Scissors, Paper?"

"How is losing to you **58 times** considered fun?" Killua had an anger mark on his head as he remembered the event. It was either Gon was **extremely** lucky or the boy had been cheating somehow; Killua had only managed to win 22 times.

It wasn't long before the remaining examinees were once again back on the airship, flying to their next examination area. They were taken to a small crescent-shaped island where sunken ships littered the coast.

"I wonder what we're going to do here." Gon mused.

When Leona saw the island, she couldn't help but grin childishly. "Awww! What a cute-looking island!"

"It's full of shipwrecks."

"But it looks like the moon!"

"It's still full of shipwrecks."

"Must you always ruin my mood?" Leona pointed an accusing finger at the white-haired assassin.

It was true, however that the coast looked almost like a ship graveyard, as the shipwrecks appeared to have been washed up due to storms and waves. But disregarding the piles of wooden ruins, the brunette girl really did think the island looked cute; even if it **was** going to be their next examination area.

Once they've landed, the examinees assembled onto the deck of what appeared to be an old warship; an elderly couple stood waiting for them as they arrived.

"Welcome candidates!" The old couple bowed. "We are the hotel managers, Banah and Jinah. We have a message from the Hunter Association congratulating you for completing the Third Exam. The Fourth Exam will commence in three days, and in that time, you are free to enjoy your break on this island."

Immediately, tension was lifted.

"However, you must pay a sum of ten million zeni for a room."

Gawking mouths hit the deck.

"TEN MILLION ZENI!"

The elders didn't cease they calm smiles as people began complaining about the heavily costly rooms. No, they were expecting it. These were candidates to the famous Hunter Exam after all, who in their right mind would bother bring so much money to an exam anyway.

Banah, the female of the couple, continued to explain. "But for people in your situation, we have an alternative method of payment; and that is to trade items."

"Trade items?" Hanzo, the bald ninja, asked incredulously.

"Yes, we also own an antique store." Jinah, the husband, nodded. "The shipwrecks shattered around here are filled with treasures that could be used for trading. If you find these treasures, we'll allow you to use them as payment for the rooms. We'll give you a room depending on the value of the treasures you find."

* * *

Treasure hunting, Leona sighed in thought, was not all it was cut out to be. It wasn't because she was bad at the art of scouting out shiny objects, but because she couldn't tell if say shiny objects were valuable or not. Several times she had thought she found something good, only to be told by the ever so informative Kurapica that it was either fake or under the ten million mark. Underwater hunting was not an option either; Leona remembered when she was 12, she fell off a bridge and almost drowned due to the strong currents had Pietro not been there to save her. She had avoided swimming ever since.

In short, she was doomed if Leona didn't find anything valuable soon. She didn't mind if the hotel rooms were cramped or if she had to share the room with someone, she just wanted a bed to sleep in!

"We could give you some of the treasure that Killua and I found if you want." Gon had kindly offered.

"No, it's okay Gon." Leona tried to smile reassuringly. "Don't mind me, I'll find something."

"Yeah Gon, we shouldn't be sharing with a tomboy who can't even tell the difference between glass and diamonds anyway." Killua smirked in amusement.

And that's why she and Kurapica were now searching through their fifth ship for anything treasure worthy. Well, Kurapica had already managed to find something – a lizard-shaped pendent with rubies for scales – but had insisted that he'd help her look for treasure anyway. She smiled; her friend was such a nice person.

"Any luck on your side?" Kurapica called out from the deck

"The most valuable thing I've founded right now is a cracked mirror with a yorubian frame." Leona replied sarcastically. She couldn't help but wonder if all her luck had been used up in the last two hunter exam tests. "What about you, Kurapica?"

"Nothing much here either."

Leona sighed for the umpteenth time. She was currently in a room under the deck where junk of all sorts were scattered all over. This was the part of the search which she hated the most, rummaging through piles of rubbish to see if anything pricey was underneath. But most of the time, it was just rubbish under rubbish.

"Wahhh!" _**Crash!**_ Leona groaned, of course it was also inevitable that she would trip over pieces of junk too. Pushing herself up, the brunette girl turned to see what she had tripped over and was surprised to find a small metal chest about the size of her hand. With a small spark of excitement – but not too excited because there could be just more junk inside – Leona picked up the chest and shook it.

_**Cluck. Cluck.**_ Yep, something hard was inside. It didn't sound like coins, but it wasn't paper scrolls either. With some effort, Leona ripped off the rusty lock from the chest, and at that same moment Kurapica walked into the room.

"Are you okay Leona? I heard a crash."

"I think I found something." Leona held up the chest to show the blond. He walked up closer to inspect the metal box with interest. The frames that decorated its edges were fashioned in a very unusual manner. When Kurapica moved to open the lid, Leona stared at it intently, mentally crossing her fingers. _Please be treasure. Please be treasure. Please be treasure._

Kurapica's eyes widened as he recognised the content in the chest. "This is…"

Inside was a beautiful necklace made of a string of polished rubies, emeralds and diamonds arranged in a pattern. But the main feature was a large butterfly made of gold. The master craftsman had even included the details of the wings, etched into perfection by vigilant hands, every line carved with care; even Leona could tell that it was a magnificent crafted piece of jewellery. And yes, the diamonds were real this time.

"…This was the necklace that was specially crafted and worn by the Princess of Etali during the Veratian period! It was one of her most prized treasures until it went mysteriously missing, believed to have been stolen by pirates. It's worth around 20 million zeni!" The blond explained excitedly.

Leona brightened up to a huge grin and cheered. "Yes! Finally! And here I thought I would never find anything!"

Kurapica smiled at her enthusiasm. "We should quickly get this appraised. Most people must have gotten their rooms already."

Leona nodded and followed her friend out, metal chest clutched tightly to her chest.

_That reminds me, _Leona wondered, _Kurapica's already got his treasure, why hasn't he gotten it appraised for a room yet?_

She later on found out the answer when they finally got their treasures checked up by the elderly man. Once the trade was done and Leona had received her key, Kurapica went up to reveal his finding. Jinah, the old man, had widened his eyes in recognition and carefully held the pendent to assess it.

"That is the golden protective pendent that was in the Kuruta legend." Kurapica affirmed, causing Leona to blink in surprise. She didn't realise that the pendent was an important item to Kurapica's tribe. But now that she thought about it, the rubies must symbolise the colour of the scarlet eyes.

"It's real." The elder couldn't seem to get over his own amazement.

"Is it worth a lot?" Leona couldn't help but ask.

"It's not too valuable… price-wise." Jinah appeared to struggle to explain, but Kurapica saved him the trouble.

"I don't intend to trade it for a room; I don't need a room. But since you're the owner of this place, could you tell me how long that ship has been there?"

Turning to the direction Kurapica pointed to, Leona saw a decent-sized ship with weather wore red and green paint. Before it shipwrecked, it must have been a very well decorated ship. The Kurutaians must have been very artistic people to come up with some of their designs; Kurapica's strange outfit was proof of that. The ship even now, seems to hold a better artistic quality than the other ships.

_But what's it doing here?_ Leona once again found herself wondering.

Even the old couple didn't know the answer to that question, but nevertheless, they gave back Kurapica's pendent – along with a key to a room.

* * *

Ever since the massacre of his clan, Kurapica would say that he had never payed much mind to the opposite gender, aside from just being polite towards them. It was a concept that he was brought up with from his tribe; that is to respect women and to not take advantage of them, as that would be considered an act of extreme disgrace. Yes, Kurapica liked to consider himself a gentleman, and like any gentleman in the situation where he is forced to share a room with a female friend/companion, the Kurutaian had offered to sleep on the floor.

But Leona refused to let him.

"Just because we're roommates, doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your health for the sake of politeness." The girl had reasoned when they discovered that they were given a key to the same room. "I remember I used to sleep in the same bed as Leorio-niisan, and he had no problem with it. And that was just one bed, here we have **two**!" With that, he had no choice but to comply.

Kurapica sighed as he walked out of their hotel room. Currently, the brunette girl was occupying the bathroom, so in the meanwhile the blond decided that he needed to fix up some personal ends. The dusky sky glowed red as the sun began to set.

_Sun in the Sky,  
Trees upon the Ground...  
Our bodies are from the Earth,  
Our souls come from the Heavens above._

Grabbing a lighter and a small tank of oil, Kurapica made his way back to the Kurutaian ship. On the way, he spotted Gon and Killua on the deck of the warship. The two young friends reminded Kurapica of his own friends back when his tribe was still alive, they use to get into all sorts of mischief; playing pranks on the adults, hunting until dusk, but that was all lost now. Now, Kurapica has only revenge to live for.

_The Sun and the Moon sheds light on our hands and feet.  
The nature rejuvenates our bodies,  
Sends our bodies to the Wind that blows across the plains.  
Give thanks to the Gods who abode in the Heavens for the land of the Kuruta...  
Let our spirits live in everlasting vigour and protection._

After setting the shipwreck on fire, Kurapica watched as the flames disintegrated what last of the ruins that were left; turning it into ashes that would eventually sink into the sea and bring it back into nature. Giving rest to his people was the only thing he could do as the last living Kuruta.

_I seek to be capable of sharing the mirth with my people...  
To be capable of sharing their sorrows...  
Offer homage to the people of the Kuruta Tribe...  
Let our Blazing Scarlet Eyes bear witness..._

Fingering his pocket, Kurapica pulled out the golden pendent. Hanging from the thin chain, the rubies on the lizard's back glistened as the light of the flames reflected onto it, seemingly bringing life to the stones that have been dead for many years. Soon it will never see light again…

"Ah! There you are!" Kurapica blinked in surprise before turning to see Leona walking towards him.

"And here I was wondering where you went. You weren't in the room when I came out." The girl moved to stand next to him as she stared at the burning ship. "That really was a ship of the Kuruta Tribe, wasn't it?"

"Ah."

"Can I see the pendent?"

Once she was handed the golden lizard, Kurapica watched as Leona carefully twisted and turned it on all angles to examine it. He knew it was just the lighting, but the blond couldn't help but notice how the reflection of the fire made her normally brown eyes seems to glow red. For him to notice such things however, meant that he still could not let go of the tragedy that happened to his clan.

"It's really pretty!" Leona smiled. "Now that I know what real rubies look like, Killua can't say that I can't tell the difference between rubies and red glass!"

Kurapica sweat dropped. Here he was thinking about his clan and Leona goes and says something like that. He almost had to force himself to muffle a laugh.

"If you want, you can keep it."

"EH?" Leona snapped her head up in surprise. Did she just hear right?

A sudden horn sound blew loudly over the area, sending seagulls scattering all over the sunset sky. But all this went unnoticed by the two; Leona could only continue staring that her blond friend in disbelief. "Are you **serious**?"

Turning to stare at the now slowly dying fire, Kurapica nodded. "It's okay. I trust you to look after it."

Leona felt her cheeks heat up, and it wasn't due to the fire. She was just entrusted by the Kurutaian an important treasure of his tribe. It felt like they were tying a tight knot around their bond, words could not describe how happy she felt that her friend trusted her so much. Looking at the small pendent in her hand, Leona held it tightly to her chest. "Thanks Kurapica! I'll be sure to take real good care of it!"

As the girl ran back to their room to put away the treasure, she hadn't noticed the blush that dotted across the blond's face. Kurapica had originally planned to throw the pendent back into the ocean, but at that short moment, he believed he had founded another purpose for the golden lizard.

_It'll be okay… As long as she doesn't know what it means._

* * *

"That pendent was a pretty good find, wasn't it?" Banah smiled at her husband.

"Yes it was," the elderly man nodded as he polished the treasure they've collected from the examinees. "But the better a treasure is, the more it deserves to be left where it is. The object is valueless if its meaning is lost to the world."

"But it's also priceless when one does know, right?"

"Hmm," Jinah turned to smile back at his wife. "No one can put a price on a lifetime of devotion."

* * *

It was relieving to finally get Kurapica's agreement to sleep in his bed; Leona would seriously consider threatening if the blond insisted one more time that a man should not share the same room with an unmarried woman crap. He hadn't been this agitated when they were sleeping side by side on the airship, why start now?

"Okay Kurapica, answer me this. Are you going to do anything to me?" she had demanded.

"Of course not!" the blond answered immediately, almost offended. But his face was still tainted with a small blush.

"Then there is absolutely nothing to worry about. Just sleep on your bed, then we'll all be happy."

Kurapica, Leona thought, was definitely a weird guy. He wasn't what one would consider to be girl shy; no, he definitely hadn't been shy when they first met, but perhaps it was just his upbringing, and probably his sense of morals too.

_Then again…_ Leona blushed when she finally realised her situation. _I _am_ sleeping in a room with a guy who isn't my brother._ If Leorio knew what she was doing now, what would he say? If she knew her brother as well as she did, Leona guessed that he probably would make the blond sleep on the floor, if he hadn't kicked him out of the room already. Leorio was always so protective of her.

Slowly as the time passed, Leona began to feel her body drift to sleep; the wonderful feeling of a soft bed placed her in a dream-like state. It came as completely unexpected when Kurapica's voice suddenly called out to her during the middle of the night.

"Leona, wake up. I hear the airship."

"Mmhp…" Leona buried her face in her pillow, refusing to move.

"Come on! I think the airship is leaving."

_Airship… leaving… _As the information began to process properly in her mind, Leona finally found the will to move out of the oh-so-comfortable bed and get dragged out of the room by her roommate. They weren't the only ones, other people also ran out of their rooms, having also noticed the same thing Kurapica did.

When they all finally arrived at the place where the airship was parked, it became obvious that their only way off the island was **leaving them behind**! It seemed Gon and Killua were the first to notice since they were the first ones to arrive at the area. Now that Leona was able to fully grasp the situation, it finally dawned on her with dread that they were all stuck on the island.

"So this was the bad feeling I had." Kurapica murmured.

* * *

Finally, chapter 11 is here! Very sorry for the long wait though, things like this are bound to happen when uni comes. But now that I'm on my end of year break, I now have plenty of time to update more regularly, hopefully. I make no promises. Hehe…

Anywho, here's more KurapicaxLeona moments for your amusement – I actually had planned to skip the ship exam part, but some people were expecting it, so I ended up writing it anyway. What do you guys think of Pietro? I believe asthma is the most reasonable illness he could have died of, since it's curable but needs long term medication. I hope I haven't offended anyone who has asthma or knows anyone who does. If I have, I apologise.

In other news, I'm sure you guys have realised that I changed the title of my story. The old one was not very fitting in my opinion. So I've changed it to "Lead By Fate". I think this title sound better anyway.

**Reviews are very much appreciated! :D**


	12. Chapter 12: Stranded

**Lead By Fate**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HunterxHunter or any of Yoshihiro Togashi's characters, though any other characters would be mine.

**Summary:** What if Leorio didn't take the Hunter Exam? What if his little sister took it for him instead? How would she play part in Gon's little group? Originally a FemLeorio story, but got switched to Leorio's little sister instead, but the concept is pretty much the same.

**Pairing:** Kurapica x OC

**Note:** _Italic_ for thought. _**Bold Italic**_ for sound effects.

* * *

**Chapter 12:**** Stranded**

The next day, everyone stood or sat around the deck of the warship looking at the sky, hoping that the airship was going to come back for them. But from dawn to morning nobody came, it became evident that the examinees were left on the island on purpose.

Leona sighed. "And you would think that the manager wouldn't leave all their guests stranded on an island."

Tompa snorted. "Yeah and we paid good money for it too. What kind of people are they?"

"They hadn't stolen anything." Hanzo the ninja confirmed. "I went to check the manager's room and all the treasure was still in there."

Leona continued to stare expectedly at the sky. Some of the examinees were beginning to feel restless, but others like Hanzo and Kurapica were very calm and were thinking hard about what it all meant and what they had to do. Leona herself wasn't quite sure what to do; she had never been in a situation where she was stranded on a deserted island before. Suppose they all had to survive on the island until someone came for them, but that was an unappealing idea; for all anyone knew nobody will come for them.

"Hey you guys!" Ponzu, a girl with a large pink hat called out. "I think you need to come see this!" Leona had been glad that she wasn't the only girl left in the exam. As she had mingled around the examinees this morning, the brunette girl discovered that there were two other girls still in the Hunter Exam; Ponzu and a sniper named Supar, who said she preferred to be called Spa instead.

Leona, along with Kurapica, Gon, Killua and Hanzo, all followed Ponzu into a radio room, where Pokkle, another examinee, was fiddling with the switches of a machine, trying to get a proper signal.

"Is it broken?" Gon asked.

"No, the machine itself isn't broken, but for some reason we can't hear anything on any channel." Pokkle explained.

"So… what does that mean?" Leona frowned worriedly. This was beginning to sound too much like a horror story.

"We can't contact anyone from outside." Ponzu said grimly. "We are all stranded here with no way of calling for help."

A long silence filled the room; Leona could almost feel the dread that went across everyone's mind. Suddenly, Gon looked up as if he noticed something. "Did anyone just hear that strange sound?"

Killua glanced at his spiky-haired friend curiously. "No not really."

"It's better if we do something rather than just standing around. Let's search around for clues that might help us." Hanzo suggested.

Everyone nodded.

* * *

By the time everyone gathered back on the deck, Leona had only managed to find a box of compasses which strangely matched the number of examinees stranded on the island. While Hanzo found measuring materials and Kurapica found a note. On the note was a map that showed the directions to how to get to Zebil Island – their supposed next exam area.

"With all these clues, it's obviously a test." An examinee smirked.

"Yeah, we just have to go to Zebil Island."

Leona frowned slightly as some examinees she didn't know the names of were beginning to grow cocky. _It's not like they helped to find these clues, why are they so happy?_

However, Kurapica still wasn't satisfied with what they've founded. He began warning the other examinees to not rush into what just might be a trap. But it fell on deaf ears, especially when Gereta – the blowgun user – told them that they only had a time limit of two days left on the island, because their water supply could only last that long. With that, their minds have already been set on getting to Zebil Island as soon as possible.

"I think that Kurapica is correct." Hanzo said. He was the only one, aside from Leona, Gon and Killua, who believed in the blond's intuition. "I too believe that something isn't right, so I definitely think we should all stick together. I'm going to try convince those blockheads to stop; but in the meantime, I think we should continue searching for information about the island. Once we find something, we'll meet at the bridge."

"It's better than doing nothing." Killua agreed. "Gon, let's go to **that** place."

With that, everyone separated once again.

For awhile, Leona simply walked around the warship and the area around it. She hadn't found anything useful since the compasses, so the girl wandered a bit to clear her head. With all that had happened, Leona had been so caught up in the situation that she wasn't sure if she really could sense the incoming danger that both Kurapica and Hanzo speak of. But with her head finally cleared up, Leona realized something that felt awfully strange. The wind in the area felt far too calm, and at her hometown, when the constant breeze suddenly stops blowing, it meant a storm was coming.

"A storm is coming you know." Leona almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of an awfully familiar voice.

"H-Hisoka!" Leona stuttered at the sight of the mad clown sitting on a rock not too far from her. She had completely forgotten about the man who almost killed her back in the first exam. She hadn't noticed him since the time they arrived on the island.

"Hi." He greeted in his usual creepy tone. "How has the cute little Momo-chan(1) been doing?"

Leona took a step back to further distance herself from the crazy jester. Why must he insist on calling her that? "W-what are you doing here? You're not going to leave for Zebil Island?"

"Hmmm, no, don't feel like it." Hisoka turned his attention back to the sea with an unusually calm expression; he didn't look the least bit frightened at the idea that they were all stranded. "It's better to stay here and wait it out…" Shuffling and playing with the deck of cards in his hands, the clown pulled out a card and stared at it, before bursting out into a fit of laughter.

_Scary…_ Leona cringed nervously. She honestly had no idea what was going on inside that man's head, and wasn't sure she wanted to know. Just as she turned to leave the clown to himself, he stopped her by calling out, "Say hi to Gon-chan for me."

_Gon? That guy's interested in Gon too? _Leona shivered; what a pervert! With as much speed as she could muster, the brunette girl sprinted away from the maniac, hoping to be as far away as physically possible. Saying that she was freaked out was an understatement, Leona was absolutely terrified whenever she was near that man. _I hope Gon never has to deal with _him_ in the future._

Since she couldn't find anything in the end, Leona decided that it'd be best to get back to the others. The girl made her way back to the deck of the old rusty warship, but paused when she spotted a group of examinees standing around the beach. Boats were parked on the sand, but nobody made a move to get in them.

Out of curiosity, Leona walked up to the group. She noticed that among the group there was also Tompa and Spa. They looked worried, like they weren't sure what to do in the current situation; leave or stay.

"Are you guys really going to head to Zebil Island?" Leona asked.

Recognising her, Spa sighed. "Well, it's what everyone says you should do. But I don't know… I'm getting a bad feeling."

"Everyone's getting the bad feeling." Tompa said grimly. "But nobody knows what to do. In all my 35 times of taking the hunter exam, this is the first time something like this has happened."

"And that's why you're all standing around there." It wasn't a question; Leona could clearly see the suppressed anxiety on everyone's faces.

Clapping her hands together, the brunette girl was suddenly struck with an idea. "I guess in this kind of situation, we should all cooperate together to come up with a sure safe way out!"

The expert sniper sniffed a laugh. "Girl, who **doesn't** know that already? The problem is that, for something like that to work we need a leader of some sort. But who's willing to take the responsibly?"

"Yeah, and it has to be someone who knows exactly what they're doing." Tompa added. "Otherwise, he or she will lose the respect of the followers, and the cooperation with break."

"Well, I know I may not be leadership material," Leona grinned, earning everyone's attention. "But I think I know someone who might be able to take that role."

* * *

"…and so it's decided," Leona announced to the examinees assembled on the bridge of the warship. "From now until we get off this island to Zebil Island, Hanzo is the leader and Kurapica will be second-in-command." Moving to the side to let Hanzo say a few words, Leona made to stand beside Kurapica.

"You did great Leona, you were able get these people to cooperate with us." The blond commended as Hanzo began to talk about some ninja word, but Leona paid it no mind, since she was too busy feeling happy that she got praised by Kurapica.

Not long later, footsteps could be heard running towards the room. Both Gon and Killua rushed in through the door excitingly with a book in their possession. "Look! We found the ship's log book!"

Inside the log, there were information about the ship and what happened to it. Apparently, it was bolted in the island to be used as a lighthouse. After flipping through the book, Kurapica even found information about Zebil Island, which could be reached within a day on a boat.

_Thank god. _Leona signed. _And here we were all worried over nothing…_

"Ponzu speaking." Ponzu's voice suddenly rang through one of the pipe speakers. "There is some noise on the radio. Apparently there are some changes in the atmosphere."

At this, everyone immediately looked out and ran to the window to see the sky. It was dusk and the sky glowed red, pink and yellow like normal sunsets; however unlike the day before, Leona couldn't help but get an ominous feeling about it.

"The birds are frightened!" Gon cried, and a large flock of seagulls began frantically flying away.

"What's that?" Leona's eyes widen at the sight before her. At the point where the sun was setting, the yellow glow of the sun seemed to bend in a strange hour glass shape; it was a phenomenon that the girl had never seen before in her life.

"The atmosphere is…bent." Kurapica stared at the occurrence in amazement.

Everyone could do nothing but stare as the sun slowly passed the horizon until the bend in the atmosphere could no longer be seen. Nobody knew what the bend had signified, until Gon suddenly noticed the strange noise he mentioned earlier, only it was getting closer.

However, "I don't hear anything Gon, are you sure you're not just hearing things?" Leona asked the younger boy.

"No, I'm definitely hearing something. It's coming from the ocean."

"I'm can hear it now." Killua exclaimed, leaning forward against the window. "Gon, I can hear it faintly too."

Flipping through the log book again, Kurapica found an entry that tells of a natural disaster that occurs once every ten years. "…we detected a distortion in the electricity… we prepared to move away. Tomorrow after sunset, we predict the first wave…we must leave before then…"

"W-wave?" Leona gulped. _A tsunami? Was a tsunami coming?_

Suddenly, the air pressure changed dramatically and gusts of wind began to gather up at a certain point. Despite the possible danger, everyone still dared to move out onto the bow of the ship to see the start of an incoming typhoon. Wind slapped violently against their faces, yet the sight before them made it feel like a breeze in comparison.

"The storm and typhoon combined together." Tompa said incredulity.

"The change in air pressure and the rapid water change…" Kurapica began. "The natural phenomenon that occurs every ten years has begun."

Leona tried to hold herself firm, the wind was becoming so strong that if she didn't grab onto something, she might just fall over.

"Look!" Gon pointed out. "The ships are getting pulled in!"

A boat from the distance, which obviously held the stupid examinees that refused to listen to reason, was being dragged towards the typhoon. It didn't take a genius to know that they have no chance of survival now. But Kurapica still had to stop the spiky-haired boy from rushing into doom; there really was no way to save them now. Everyone could do nothing but watch, as the boat scattered into pieces, taking the unfortunate examinees with them.

Not too long later, a small motorboat that held Gereta in it also passed by. The man was in as much trouble as those guys before, but this time, Gon really was determined to save him. Despite Kurapica and Leona's calls, their young friend stilled rushed out and dived into the waves, swimming hard straight towards Gereta's motorboat.

"GON!" Killua yelled, and just as he did, a big wave lashed out and overflowed onto the deck. Water gushed everywhere, causing Leona to shiver as she felt the icy water seeping into her sneakers and socks. She was never good with cold weather.

"Everyone, get away from the water, hurry!" Hanzo ordered. Nobody had to be told twice, everyone was already making their way up onto higher ground.

_Gon, please be okay._ Leona gave one last look at the ocean before dashing off with Kurapica to find some rope and a boat; Killua and Hanzo also followed.

* * *

"Gon! Catch!"

Kurapica watched intently as Killua threw the rope which was tied to Gon's fishing line hook; within seconds Gon had pulled in his line and was able to successfully grasp the rope. It was very smart thinking of them to come up with such a way to pass the rope, even though the two friends were metres apart and couldn't communicate due to the roaring storm.

He, Killua and Leona had all taken out a row boat into the stormy sea to help save their friend and Gereta. Hanzo had wanted to go as well, but Kurapica quickly assured him that they were able to handle it on their own – he would make sure of it.

With some clever rowing by Leona and pulling of rope by Kurapica and Killua, Gereta's boat was finally within reaching distance and Gon was able to bring both vessels together. Kurapica quickly tied the front tips of the boats with the rope to prevent them from slipping away. Even though they were able stop Gereta from getting sucked into the tornado, they still could not let down their guards yet – they needed to get back on land before the storm got worst.

"Kurapica!" Leona called out and pointed towards the warship. Turning, the blond saw that Hanzo and the other examinees had all came out into the storm again. However, despite the danger, Kurapica noticed that the group on land were combining forces to help pull the rope to bring those on the boats back to safety. _Everyone's working to together._

"Gon, you idiot! You had me worried you know!"

"Sorry Killua, but we were able to work together to help Gereta, didn't we?"

"…baka."

Kurapica smiled; at least his two younger friends were back to being their normal selves. Sneaking a glance at Gereta, the blond saw that the blowgun user had a solemn look on his face. The man must be reflecting on how lucky he was to be saved from a certain unfortunate fate – he now owed Gon a life. As for Leona, though the girl hadn't said much, Kurapica knew that going out into stormy waters was a very frightening thing for her. He'd really have to commend her for it later; the girl really was more than she appears.

Relief washed over everyone as the boats were finally within reachable distance from the warship. Gereta was the first to get off, before Gon and Killua followed after him. Once Kurapica got off as well, he turned to reach out to help Leona off too. The girl made to grasp his hand, but suddenly without warning, another large wave smashed into the boats. Kurapica watched in horror as the floating vessels capsized, taking his friend along with it.

"LEONA!"

* * *

Everything happened too fast to comprehend, one minute Leona was about to get off the boat, the next thing she knew, she found herself submerged in water.

Leona covered her mouth to stop herself from losing too much air. Everything was dark around her, she couldn't see the surface, and she could feel the water throwing her around. A surge of panic began to fill her as she remembered the time when she was 12, where she almost drowned after falling off a bridge. Only this time, neither Pietro nor Leorio was going to save her.

Frantically trying to swim against the current, Leona was fast losing her breath. Her lungs screamed for oxygen, forcing her mouth open due to her body's need for air, only to have sea water rush inside. Her vision blurred and her movements became weaker. Not too far from her, Leona noticed the shadow of a person swimming towards her, though she couldn't make out whom. The girl reached out towards the figure, but consciousness was slowly pulling away from her.

_Leona_.

Grabbing her hand, Leona saw Pietro smiling back at her. _What? No, Pietro's… I must be seeing things…_

The last thing she could register in her mind before total black oblivion took over her was soft lips pressed upon hers.

* * *

Quiet voices could be heard as Leona slowly regained consciousness. The first things she saw when she opened her eyes was an unfamiliar wooden ceiling, but that was to be expected. She noticed that she was lying on a bed, which was a relief since that probably meant that she wasn't dead. _That makes my second time escaping death in this exam._

"Ah! Leona's awake!" The girl looked to the side to see both Gon and Killua standing beside her bed.

The green-clad boy signed in relief, "And here we were worried you wouldn't wake up, Leona. I'll go tell Kurapica." With that, the boy ran out of the room, leaving her alone with Killua. There was an awkward silence.

"… Are you feeling okay?" Killua asked awkwardly, it was obvious he wasn't used to these kinds of situations.

Leona nodded before pushing herself up to a sitting position. "How long was I out for?"

"More than a day now," The white-haired boy shrugged before smirking slightly. "You missed out on all the cool stuff."

"Huh?" Leona blinked. "What did I miss?"

The ex-assassin processed to explain to her how everyone helped to prepare for the second wave. Since the old warship was still able to work, they decided to use it to take everyone to Zebil Island, as well as use it as shelter from the second typhoon. Both he and Gon had to clear away seaweed tangled to the ship and help out at the canon room, while Kurapica piloted the ship.

"Kurapica knows how to pilot a ship?"

"I think he read an instruction manual."

When the typhoon came again, Killua told her how they had to unbolt the ship from the stones and set it sailing. Then of course, they ran into trouble with the tornado and the rocks around the area.

"It was totally my idea when I suggested we shoot at the tornado to stop the ship from capsizing and change the tornado's direction at the same time. Worked like a charm. That's why we're sailing now with no troubles." Killua bragged, causing Leona to sweatdrop. "And while all that happened you were in here sleeping like a pig. Don't know how you managed to- Ow! Ow! Dammit! Let go!"

"Who was sleeping like a pig?" Leona glared, while yanking harder on the boy's ear.

Around this time, Gon finally came back with Kurapica. Both had sweatdropped at the sight of their two friends childishly swatting at each other and calling one another names. One could almost see the red mark on Killua's ear.

"Those two really can't be left alone together in a room, can they?"

"Guess not."

Once the quarrelling two were separated, Gon took his best friend out to calm him down, and in turn leaving both Kurapica and Leona in the room.

The blond chuckled. "It's good to see you awake and well. You missed quite an eventful day."

"Oh, I'm well aware of that, thanks to Killua." Leona pouted. "Seriously, ex-assassin my ass, he's nothing but a brat."

That only caused Kurapica to laugh harder, which the girl found to be quite nice, since she hardly sees the blond boy laugh. Suddenly, a thought stuck her that made her remember something.

"Hey, Kurapica… who was it that saved me?"

"Eh?" Pausing in his laugh, Kurapica blinked. "You don't remember?"

"No…not really," Leona frowned as she tried to remember. _I remember seeing Pietro… but that can't be right…_

"I-I think I hear the airship. Someone must be back to get us." Before the girl could say anything, Kurapica was already out the door.

The Kurutaian sighed as he raising his hand to softly touch his lips. _It was only CPR._

* * *

So what do you guys think of chapter 12? Personally, I had a lot of trouble writing it. The first part felt very rushed, but I couldn't change it without making the chapter feel long and dragged out. I hope you guys like the small part where I brought Hisoka back though. He is strangely very fun to write.

(1) Momo is Japanese for peach. So as Hisoka calls Gon, Ringo-chan (apple), he will be calling Leona, Momo-chan.

**Please review, as they are very much appreciated. :D**


	13. Chapter 13: Beware the Manhunt

**Lead By Fate**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HunterxHunter or any of Yoshihiro Togashi's characters, though any other characters would be mine.

**Summary:** What if Leorio didn't take the Hunter Exam? What if his little sister took it for him instead? How would she play part in Gon's little group? Originally a FemLeorio story, but got switched to Leorio's little sister instead, but the concept is pretty much the same.

**Pairing:** Kurapica x OC

**Note:** _Italic_ for thought. _**Bold Italic**_ for sound effects.

* * *

**Chapter 13:**** Beware the Manhunt**

In the end, the number of examinees that remained in the Hunter exam was reduced to 24.

Lippo, the examiner of the 3rd and the upcoming 4th exam could say – at the very least – that he was impressed with this year's talent. The last minute extra exam that he had imposed on the contestants had no doubt taken everyone by surprise, but it was the end result that was the most shocking. The examinees were not only capable of calmly facing difficult challenges, but were also able to cooperate with each other in order to survive.

Being a professional Blacklist Hunter himself, Lippo knew that human instincts normally went towards the more selfish path to insure their survival, but he was proven otherwise by the unexpectedly large number of examinees standing before him. The ones who had managed to move a normally unmovable ship to protect themselves from the typhoon, **and** to use it as a means for transport to their next exam destination. Talent like this only comes once every ten or so years.

The examiner smirked. _Now that they have all established some kind of bond from the extra exam, what will they do if they are forced to become enemies once again?_

"Congratulations on completing the extra exam phase! Now all that is left is the 4th and final exam." On cue, an assistant wheeled out a draw box in front of the examinees. "For the 4th phase, I want you each to draw out a lottery. There is a card for everyone, so I would like to have you pick a card from the box in the order of who got out of the Trick Tower first."

Leona watched as Hisoka was the first to pick a card. It was no surprise to her that the madman was the first to finish the Trick Tower exam, being at the level he was. Next after Hisoka, was a freaky man who appeared to have multiple pins stuck all over his face and body, Leona was sure she had seen him a few times during the exam, but didn't really pay much attention to him. Then, the third person was Hanzo.

After some time, it was finally her turn to pick a card. Hand in the box, Leona felt around before finally pulling out a rectangular white card with a black bold number on it; number 34.

_34? I wonder what the purpose of this number is…_ Leona mused, before pocketing it in her jacket.

It was later revealed that the objection of the 4th exam was something much like a manhunt. They were to steal the plate number that corresponded to the number on their card, and since everyone was given a plate at the beginning of the exam, it meant that the examinees had to steal from each other in order to pass. And all this was going to happen on Zebil Island. Leona cringed slightly as she thought of her target; she couldn't seem to record who was number 34 – already she was at a disadvantage.

"You must be able to collect a total of 6 points within the time limit of a week." The examiner continued to explain. "Your target's number plate is worth 3 points, while your own number plate is also worth 3 points. Any other number plate would be worth 1 point. To pass this phase, use whatever means necessary to collect 6 points before time runs out."

Once the meeting ended, everyone quickly hid their number badges and scattered themselves around the ship as it continued to sail closer towards their designated exam area. Sadly, because everyone was so cautious of each other now, Leona had no way of finding out who was examinee number 34 without being obvious that she didn't know. Then of course, there was also the question of who was going to be targeting her, and there was no way of her finding out that information either.

"Are you worried?" Leona turned to see Kurapica standing next to her as she was staring out into the sea.

In answer, the girl covered her face with her hands. "Do I look like I'm worried?"

"If it makes you feel better, you're not my target." The Kurutaian gave her a reassuring pat.

Sighing with relief, Leona smiled. _At least I know I won't be fighting against a friend._ "You're not my target either, Kurapica."

"That's a relief to hear." The blond nodded.

_Though…I wonder what I would do if I did have to fight Kurapica… or Gon or Killua for that matter…_ But Leona quickly shook her head to rid herself of the possibility. "We should probably go check with Gon and Killua that we're not **their** target."

With that, the two friends went around looking for their two other friends. And as expected, the two were found sitting together at the bow of the ship.

"Don't worry Leona. My target is defiantly not you, or Kurapica." Gon smiled.

"Yeah, you're lucky you're not my target either." Killua smirked. "If you were, you probably wouldn't stand a chance."

Leona stuck out her touch. "Ha! If I made you do yoga, you'll probably be giving your badge to me."

"Not on your life, woman!"

"…Yoga?" Both Gon and Kurapica asked confused in the background.

In the end, that fact that she didn't have to fight against her friends to pass this exam, made Leona feel just a slight bit more confident.

* * *

"Please leave the boat in the order of your arrival at the bottom of the tower during the third phase!" The examiner's assistant exclaimed. "Each candidate will leave the boat with an interval of two minutes in between. You have exactly one week to collect the 6 points to pass and come back here. Now, Mr. Hisoka is the first examinee to depart!"

On the beach of Zebil Island, every examinee grew tense as they watched the most dangerous man among them enter into the forest first. It no doubt gave him an advantage over everyone else, now that Leona stopped to think about it. It meant that the jester could easily hide and watch for his target, while the one targeting Hisoka would also have a hard time looking for him.

_I sure hope I'm not that maniac's target…_ Leona mentally prayed. _At the same time, I feel sorry for the one looking for Hisoka._

Beside her, Gon sneezed.

"Next, second candidate, Mr. Gitarakuru… Third candidate, Mr. Hanzo…"

One after another, the examinees were called individually and every one of them disappeared among the foliages of Zebil Island. It felt like such a long wait, but before they knew it, it was already Gon's turn to go in.

"Fifteenth candidate, Mr. Gon…"

"See you guys in a week." The young boy waved, and Killua, Leona and Kurapica all nodded to him before he sprinted off into the same direction as everyone else. Following after him was Killua and then Kurapica; Leona was the last of their group to go in.

"Eighteenth candidate, Miss Leona…"

That was all the cue she needed before Leona too run into the depths of the forest. She didn't stop running until she felt that she was deep enough before breaking away from the main path to search for some kind of safe refuge to prepare herself for the hunt.

During this time, a few depressing facts ran through Leona's head. One, she had **never** hunted in real life before. Hide-and-seek perhaps was the closest thing she could relate it to, but not a manhunt like this. Two, Leona was no jungle girl. Unlike Gon, she had never lived in or anywhere near a forest before – she was terribly unfamiliar with the forest terrain. And three, she had no clue who her target was.

Basically, she was screwed…again.

Sighing in despair, the brunette girl decided to climb up a large thick tree and use it as a hiding stop for the time being. The branches were huge and the leaves were very dense and wide, so the girl decided that it was the perfect shading spot and hiding area. Setting her bag down, Leona absentmindedly began to do some stretches as she thought over her predicament – careful to not do anything too complicated as she might fall off the branch.

_Since I don't know who's examinee number 34, my best bet would be to simply search for three random people and take their badges. If I succeed, I probably won't need his badge in the end. …But to steal badges, I would have to use the element of surprise like Uncle Beni always says._

Leona frowned as she arched her back off the tree with only her hands and feet to support her, forming the Bridge position. _But how would I do that? Everyone's at a higher level than before, it won't be easy to surprise any of them…unless I can somehow trick them… _

"Ah!" Leona sat up as she suddenly remembered something. "That's right; it's about time to bring out **that**."

Searching through her favourite white bag, the girl pulled out the weapon that Uncle Beni had left for her. It was a three-part staff, where three wooden sticks – about the length of her forearm – were attached together at the ends by short rope (1).

Leona smiled as she unfolded the weapon out to reveal its full length. Originally, her mentor wanted her to bring a wooden Bo (2) – which was the weapon that he had been training her to use – but it had been refused as Leona was unwilling to carry a long pole around as she took the exam. Since he had insisted that she bring a weapon though, Uncle Beni had opted to modify her staff so that it could be folded together for more convenient carrying; turning the once long Bo into a three-sectioned staff that could be connected back together to make it **look** like the original Bo.

However, for the price of convenience – now that it was in three sections – the makeshift Bo no longer held the same firmness as it did when it was whole. Too bad she lost the metal pole she found during the first exam, but it was badly dented by Hisoka anyway.

_Oh well, it's okay. _Leona let out a wide mischievous grin._ I've just thought of a great plan to get my three unsuspecting randoms._

* * *

The idea was simple. Walking on a main dirt road, and holding her pieced-together wooden Bo to her chest, Leona pretended to look nervous while looking out for possible attackers. The idea was to publicly advertise herself with an invisible but obvious sign that says "Ambush Me". Okay, so it probably wasn't her **greatest** plan, but it was the best one she could come up with at the moment. By making herself look like a lost, weak and helpless girl despite holding a weapon, Leona would be able to turn herself into a vulnerable victim for ambush. Since she didn't know the area well enough to find and sneak up on random examinees, she decided to turn herself into a target so that they would come to her instead; and the likelihood of say examinees underestimating her was quite high.

Of course, she had thought of the risks to this plan as well – like being subjected to sneak attacks herself – which was the reason for her holding her Bo. It wouldn't do to be **completely** defenceless, if someone were to decide to sneak up on her or attack from a distance, Leona would need some form of protection against them.

_**Whoooshhh.**_

Jumping at the sound of leaves being moved, Leona quickly turned to see a familiar large figure falling out of the bushes.

Tompa smiled nervously as he rubbed his head sheepishly. "Whoops! Hehe… Hello there."

Instantly, Leona's face darkened; she didn't have to pretend around **this** guy. "Tompa… you're looking for my badge, aren't you?"

Tompa jumped as the girl already had the tip of her Bo pointing at his squared nose. _I don't remember her having a weapon…_ "N-n-n-no! I swear you're not my target!"

"I don't believe you, liar!"

"I have proof! Look!" Quickly reaching in his pocket, Tompa produced a lottery card with the number 191 on it.

"Hmmm…" Leona frowned slightly as she lowered her staff.

Tompa sighed in relief. _That was close. _He began dusting himself as he stood up. "See, I told you that you weren't my target. You don't have to be so tense around me; after all we did work together in the third exam, didn't we? How about teaming up with me again?"

Leona glared hard at the man, causing him to sweat, but suddenly blinked when she remembered something. "Say… Tell me who number 34 is."

Tompa blinked. "Number 34? Is that your target?" Leona nodded. "Will you team up with me if I told you?"

_This guy's impossible!_ "Just answer the question!" The girl glared as she pointed up her Bo at him again.

"Ah! Okay! Okay! Um… number 34 this year is Ryu (3). He took the Hunter exam last year too. He's a talented Kung Fu martial artist, so watch out if you're fighting him head on." Tompa reluctantly answered. _Though, I have heard that he was a bit of a womaniser…_

"What does he look like?"

"He has spiky platinum blond hair, and wears a turquoise green Chinese shirt. You'll probably recognise him when you see him."

Leona smiled, "I see… well then, thanks for the info and good night." Before Tompa could utter a word, the girl already knocked out the coward with a good smack on the head with her staff.

_**Thud!**_

Smirking, Leona searched the now unconscious Tompa for his number plate. _Loser! Like hell I'd believe that you weren't targeting my badge. You got what you deserve. Muhaha!_ Once finding the number 16 badge, Leona happily pocketed it before sprinting away from the scene of the crime.

One badge down, two more to go.

* * *

**Third Day…**

_Sleeping in trees is incredibly uncomfortable._ Leona thought as she stared at the early morning sky through the gaps of the leaves. She hadn't been able to sleep properly the last two nights because of the rigid texture of the trunk and branches, now her back felt swore and she was grouchy from lack of sleep.

She hadn't come across any other examinee since she met Tompa on the first day, so she decided that going into hiding for awhile would be good to rest up and come up with another plan to trick her opponents.

Taking out her two badges, Leona stared at them. With number 403 and 16 in her possession she currently had 4 points out of the 6 points she needed to pass. No doubt Tompa would be out there; doing everything he could to get his badge back, so she was going to have to do something to make sure that absolutely does not happen…

_Ah! What if I made fake badges!_ Leona brightened up at her own idea. Quickly searching through her bag, Leona found some paper and a black marker, and immediately began forging the number plates. Not too long later, she had herself a fake 403 and a fake 16 number plate.

_I'm a genius!_ Leona grinned as she stared at her own creations. _Not._ Her smile immediately dropped when she compared the real ones with the fakes. Maybe from afar it could be passed off as the number plates, but up close, even a monkey could tell the difference. The material was obviously wrong and the bold numbers looked so much like they were drawn in. The fake badges just looked so…well, fake.

"What the hell was I thinking?" Leona muttered to herself as she stuffed her work back into her bag. "I should just stick to walking around looking like a lost fool." Grabbing her Bo, the brunette girl prepared herself to jump off the tree, when suddenly; out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the sight of something flying at her.

"Wahhhhhh!" Leona screamed when the thing collided into her, causing her to lose her footing and slip off the tree.

_**Thud!**_

"Owwww… What the hell?" When she looked up, Leona saw that the thing that flew at her was a small skinny-looking monkey.

The monkey stood a metre away screeching happily, and that was when she noticed that her favourite white bag was sitting right next to the creature. Too close to the creature. It began to open her bag and before she knew it, the monkey was already rummaging through its content.

"Hey! Hey! Get out of there!" Leona yelled as she tried to get up to stop the damned animal. But she was too late; the monkey had already taken a hold of the two fake badges and began running off with them. Now normally that would be okay, but Leona noticed with horror that a familiar small blue bag had gotten caught around the creature's neck, and now the monkey was taking it along with it.

"No! Wait! Give that back!" Finally getting up, Leona quickly scooped up her bag and weapon before pursuing after the animal. "I said, GIVE THAT BACK YOU STUPID MONKEY!"

"Ehehehe!" The monkey laughed as it climbed onto a tree before jumping from branch to branch to escape; the blue bag swung from side to side, but it didn't fall off.

"YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY!"

* * *

Kurapica sighed, as he watched Leona chase after the monkey that held their badges.

The blond boy had been observing her even since the girl took out Tompa and ran off with his target's badge. He had been meaning to reveal himself, but decided not to when he realised that this gave him the perfect opportunity to observe what the brunette girl would do when she was alone. When he had seen enough, he would then reveal himself and ask for the badge – he was sure Leona would give it to him…

But now it seems his targeted badge was being taken away, again.

Moving swiftly and quietly, the Kurutanian ran after the two, making sure to keep them both within his range of sight but also careful not to expose his position as well.

He would intervene when necessary.

* * *

"Grrrrr! Dammit!" Leona cursed when the blasted monkey jumped behind another bush. It was easily cleared away with just a swing of her Bo, but it gave the sneaky animal a few seconds extra to run ahead of her.

"Will. You. Stop. RUNNING!"

She was desperate to get the blue bag back. No matter what she tried to make the monkey do, the bag just **wouldn't** fall off! And the creature was also always a few seconds faster than her, so catching it was just as difficult.

Suddenly, a loud whistling sound could be heard, and the monkey immediately stopped running.

Leona was about to make a leap for the monkey, when she noticed something move out of the corner of her eye. Before she knew it, a tall lanky man jumped out from a bush and swung a branch at her. But luckily she was fast enough to move out of the way before it hit her.

"I'll give you credit for being able to keep up with Kamuli, but this is as far as you go." The lanky man exclaimed as the monkey jumped onto his shoulder.

The brunette girl gritted her teeth. _Well, _of course_ the monkey had a trainer! Stupid Leona, you fell into a trap!_

"Heh! Did you think you would get away with stealing my plate?" Turning to look behind her, Leona saw Tompa, who still had the large lump on his head from her attack the other day.

"So you've finally got yourself a partner, huh?" Her eye twitched in annoyance at the sight of the man.

"Tch! Sommi was my partner from the beginning of this phase." Tompa smirked, looking extremely smug. "I'll even tell you something, you **are** actually my target. Now that we've got your badge-"

"What the hell, Kamuli!" Sommi suddenly cried at his pet. "These aren't badges! They're fakes! And what's that thing around your neck?"

"What?" Tompa shouted in disbelief at his partner. "Sommi! I thought you said that monkey was reliable! How could it not tell the difference between real and fake?"

"W-well, I told Kamuli to get anything that looks similar to the number plates. I didn't think she would trick us with fakes."

"Idiot! Well, since she's here now, we'll just take the real ones from her."

All the while, Leona was growing more and more irritated. She knew she just fell into a trap that she could have easily avoided, but how could she abandon a bag that contained certain female **necessities**?

"Grrrah! I just want my bag back!" In a burst of anger, the brunette girl quickly swung her Bo and twisted her wrist to release the three-sections of her staff, allowing the weapon to extend to its fullest length, and use the end to hit Tompa dead on in the forehead.

He was out within seconds, a new lump already forming.

Quickly turning around, the girl now swung her 3-part staff aiming at Sommi, striking him hard across the cheek. The lanky man fell, but his pet monkey managed to dodge the blow in time.

"K-Kamuli! Run!" The monkey trainer called out, before passing out as well. Hearing its master's command, the monkey quickly jumped away behind some bushes.

"No, no, NO! Come back, stupid monkey! You still have my bag!" Leona cried as she ran after the animal, **again**.

But she was forced to come to a halt when another figure popped out of the same bushes.

"K-Kurapica?" Leona blinked in surprise and shock.

Her blond friend smiled as he held up the struggling monkey by the arms. "Looking for something?"

* * *

"Huh? So Tompa was your target, Kurapica?" Leona asked when they finished tying up both the man in question and his partner against a tree. Thanks to the Kurutanian, she was able to get her little blue bag back (whose content has luckily not fallen out) from the little devil monkey, and even gained another number plate from Sommi – number 118.

"Ah. I was quite surprised when you ran off with the badge." Kurapica admitted as they were now walking through the forest. "So since the ones the monkey took were fakes, where are the real plates?"

Grinning, Leona revealed that the real badges were pinned on the inside of her jacket. She unpinned number 16 and gave the badge to the blond, which he gladly accepted.

"Thank you. You really helped me this time, Leona. With this, I now have 6 points, as long as no one takes it from me." Kurapica gave a rare genuine smile that sent Leona inwardly screaming with joy. For once she was of use to him and not the one who needed help – she felt so proud of herself.

"We should team up. Since you helped me get my badge, I'll help you get yours." He continued. "Who's your target?"

"Number 34; when I forced Tompa to tell me, he said number 34 was a guy named Ryu. Spiky platinum blond hair, wears a turquoise green Chinese shirt and good at Kung Fu."

"I see. We'd best be on our guard then."

Leona nodded. She just hoped that her target hadn't found his target yet and gone into hiding. She wouldn't be able to find him if that was the case. _Maybe Kurapica could help me find two more points…_

"Oh, and Leona, I didn't realise you had a weapon." He eyed her Bo that she had leaning on her should. "Why did you never take it out until now?"

Leona grinned nervously. "Err… it would have been a pain to keep holding it while taking the exams. And honestly, I almost forgot about it until the start of this phase."

After some time of walking, night began to fall. The wind blew loudly and the crickets were calling everywhere. Both still had to keep their guards up for any possible attacks, as darkness made it perfect for enemy ambush as well as hiding.

"Should we find a place to settle for the night?" Leona asked; feeling incredibly tired. She hadn't slept properly in the last few days, and unlike some people, Leona can't go without any sleep for more than two days. She was almost that her limit now.

Seeing his companion's tired state, Kurapica nodded in agreement. "We should find a cave of some sort. That should be a safe place for us to rest. Don't worry, I'll take first watch-" Suddenly, the Kurutanian grew tense as he stared at some distance in front of him.

Frowning at his reaction, Leona turned to see what he was looking at, only to see someone that caused her to feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. _Oh crap! Not him!_

It was Hisoka.

"Hello. We meet again, my cute little Momo-chan." The blue-haired man greeted with his usual creepy tone and smile.

_Momo-chan?_ Kurapica frowned in confusion, while he felt Leona rushed to hide behind him.

Leona's face grew red with embarrassment as she tried to hide behind her friend. _MY cute little-? God! That guy gets more and more perverted every time I see him!_

The jester chuckled darkly as he watched his two 'prey'. "Let's cut to the chase now. I need two points, meaning two plates. How about giving me yours?"

"You say two points?" Kurapica asked. "That means that neither of us is your target, right?"

"I'm the one asking the questions here. Will you give them to me or not?"

"…On one condition." Leona stared at her blond friend as if he just grew another head. Kurapica was actually trying to negotiate with Hisoka? But the bigger question was; will the madman actually take it?

"We currently have 4 number plates within our possession; my plate, my target's plate, a plate that will only give us one point, and Leona's plate. Only two of these plates could be your targeted plate; my plate or the plate that gives us one point. This is because Leona's plate, number 403, was the target of my target, number 16, as each target was only assigned one hunter…"

_He's only taking so long to explain something to draw us more time, isn't he?_ Leona thought grimly.

"You're right, they aren't my target. But what's your point?" Hisoka also seemed to sound impatient.

Kurapica continued, "The point is the two other plates. If you want, we'll give you the one point plate, but don't think I'll give you mine or the other two…" With that said, the Kurutaian took out his weapon and for the first time since the start of the Hunter exam, he unsheathed the double Tantos to reveal their blades.

"If you don't accept the offer and use force, you'll have to go through me first."

This brought an incredibly evil-looking grin on Hisoka's face.

_Wow… Kurapica sounded so cool just now…_ Leona couldn't help thinking, before shaking her head and coming out from behind the blond. She couldn't just let him do **all** the work.

"That's right, Hisoka! You can't take my plate. We'll **both** fight you if it really comes down to it!" Leona called out bravely as she twisted her Bo before moving into a fighting stance. One could almost feel the shock that went through the two males at that moment – she actually tried to stand up against Hisoka.

"Hehehe… Ahahahahaha!" The mad jester burst into a fit of evil laughter, covering his face with his hand, looking terribly malicious. Leona felt very much like shivering, but luckily was able to hold it in.

"It's so cute how rabbits try to look threatening." Hisoka muttered excitedly to himself, he had to admit that the two had come a long way since the beginning of the exam. _Especially Momo-chan, I'd love to see what she can do with that weapon of her's._ Then he asked Kurapica out loud, "So what's your number?"

"Number 404."

"Ah, that's not my target…" The man sounded almost disappointed_._ "Alright then, I'll take the one pointer. It might even be my target plate."

He took the deal; Hisoka **actually** agreed to trade with them. Despite this however, they still could not drop their guard. Moving ever so cautiously, Kurapica pulled out the 118 badge before sliding it into the crack of a nearby tree.

"I'll leave it here."

"Don't worry," the man assured them with a smirk, "I won't move until you're both far away."

The two friends carefully backed away, making sure that Hisoka kept true to his words; one could never be too sure what the maniac was thinking. It wasn't until they were finally out of range did they stop to breathe a sigh of relief. In the end, they were both able to escape certain death, thanks to the one point badge and Kurapica's quick thinking.

_Awww… but now I'm back to only having 3 points…_ Leona sighed in disappointment, "And I worked so hard for that point too…"

Seeing her distress, Kurapica gently patted her head. "It's alright, if it wasn't for the plate, we may not have survived that confrontation. We'll just have to work harder to find your target in the remaining 4 days."

"I guess you're right." Leona sighed one last time, before perking up with determination. "Alright! Watch out number 34! We're coming for you!"

* * *

And I'll stop it there. ^_^ Hope you look forward to the next chapter!

(1) Leona's weapon is actually called Sansetsukon in Japanese or Sanjiegun in Chinese, which both pretty much translates to 'Three-part staff'. I normally like to think of it as a more complicated version of the Nunchunks, but those are usually smaller in size.

(2) A Bo is basically another name for a long staff used in martial arts. So Leona's Three-part staff is able to connect the three sticks together to form one long pole. Just like Shura's weapon from Rurouni Kenshin.

(3) Ryu is actually a real examinee who participated in the Hunter Exam. He was never mentioned in the anime, but in the manga, his name and number was listed in, everything else about him though, I've just made up for the sake of the story.

**Please review, they are very much appreciated. :D**


	14. Chapter 14: Number 34

**Lead By Fate**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HunterxHunter or any of Yoshihiro Togashi's characters, though any other characters would be mine.

**Summary:** What if Leorio didn't take the Hunter Exam? What if his little sister took it for him instead? How would she play part in Gon's little group? Originally a FemLeorio story, but got switched to Leorio's little sister instead, but the concept is pretty much the same.

**Pairing:** Kurapica x OC

**Note:** _Italic_ for thought. _**Bold Italic**_ for sound effects.

* * *

**Chapter 14:**** Number 34**

"Oi Benitori, how long does the Hunter Exam usually take?" Leorio asked the hunter.

It was almost funny in a way; Leorio found that his little sister's mentor had been appearing around his apartment more frequently ever since Leona left for the Hunter Exam – something he has never done before. He used 'appearing' because Leorio almost never notices it when Benitori enters the room and always scaring him out of his wits when he suddenly finds the man lounging in some area of the apartment. How the hunter manages such a feat is beyond him, but Leorio somewhat enjoyed his company in the absence of his sister, despite the rude intrusion – never mind that it was his own sister who gave the older man the key to the house.

"Hmmm… that's hard to say." Benitori replied, while staring at some newspapers. "It all depends on the examiners and how long they want their phase to be. Some exam phases are short and quick, so the exam only last a few days, while some may take more than a few days to complete. I heard there was once a Hunter Exam that lasted for a whole month."

Leorio's eyes widened.

"But don't worry," the hunter continued, not looking up from his reading. "It's only been about two weeks; nothing to stress over."

"Nothing to stress over? It has been exactly 18 days since Leona left!"

_Oh, you've been counting…_ Benitori lift his head slightly from his paper. "You're going to start developing a sister-complex if you keep thinking like that, Leorio. Don't you have studying to do? I believe that's why Leona chose to go in the first place."

Leorio blushed slightly in embarrassment. "Hey! I'm the older brother here, of course I'll worry! And don't **you** have some hunter stuff to do or something? Why are you always here?"

"To keep you from doing something stupid; I did promise your sister. Besides, you can't cook."

At that, Leorio ducked his head in shame. One of the many downsides of having his precious sister leave was that, nobody was around to cook meals for him; that duty was always left to Leona and she was gone. So in her stead, Leona had asked Uncle Beni to help with the cooking. However, as Leorio found out, the hunter only knew how to cook fish and meat over camp fire – even he knew how to do that – but the taste was nothing in comparison.

_I miss Leona's cooking…_ And with silent tears, Leorio gave a mental cried. _LEONAAAAAA!_

* * *

**Fourth day of fourth phase…**

"What are you doing?" Kurapica stared at his companion in horror, causing the girl to pause in her work.

"I'm…cooking?"

"No, I mean, why are you spreading white honey daisies all over our dinner? Don't you know that those flowers are poisonous?" The blond quickly made to stop Leona from putting more of the stuff on their fish that they caught earlier for dinner.

It had been a long day; both friends were tired and wanted to rest from their search for number 34, Leona's target. They hadn't met anyone since the time they ran into Hisoka, but both didn't drop their guard once in case of another ambush. Now, as the sun lingered on the horizon creating a yellowish glow that blanketed the whole island, they decided to use the opportunity to start a fire to cook their dinner and not give away their position in the process. They even chose to settle by a stream so that they could easily put out the fire afterwards. Leona had not hesitated to volunteer to cook for the both of them.

"White honey daisies may look like ordinary daisies, but they are actually a poisonous type of daisy that emits a honey-like smell to attract bees and insects. It is commonly known that once the honey is consumed, it'll kill the insect, and cause sickness for larger animals and humans." Kurapica explained in an encyclopaedic manner.

"I **do** know that they're poisonous…" Leona pouted that her intelligence was being questioned. "But it's only the centre that's contains the poison, not the petals. The petals actually make very tasty flavouring; I accidently came across it some time ago, I've been using it for flavouring in meals ever since."

The blond boy blinked in surprise. "And you didn't get sick?"

"Nope, my brother even compliments it. It's perfectly safe, Kurapica." Leona assured him as she finished sprinkling the rest of the petals on each of their fish."

The Kurutaian still gave a weary look as he was handed his fish on a stick. He kept glancing at the girl and back at his dinner, until Leona began eating her fish to demonstrate. "Don't worry, just give it a try."

Sighing softly, Kurapica eventually gave in and took a bite into his fish; a mixed flavour of fish and light honey filled his taste buds. Kurapica widened his eyes; he had never tasted fish like this before. "This is…"

"It's good, isn't it?" Leona grinned as she continued to eat her dinner. "Leorio-niisan always likes his fish like this. And it's cheaper than buying actual flavouring. It also works for other types of meat like chicken and even desserts…"

"Have you ever considered becoming a Gourmet Hunter?" Kurapica genuinely asked, if the girl was able to discover something like this in a commonly known poisonous plant... "I think you'll do well in that field."

"Huh?" Leona blinked before giving a thoughtful look. "That's actually not a bad idea… though I'm not sure I want to become like Menchi…" At that both couldn't help chuckling at the memory of the infamous Gourmet Hunter. "But to seriously cook as career… I would if…ah, but no…" The brunette girl suddenly grew sad, causing Kurapica to blink.

"What's wrong?"

"Ah, don't worry about it." Leona waved it off nervously, before finishing the rest of her fish. "I'm going to go take a bath in the stream, I feel like I haven't taken a bath in ages. Could you stand guard, Kurapica?"

_Take a bath…_ "Eh…sure." The blond boy couldn't help blush slightly. _That means she's going to be-_ He stopped his thoughts right there out of pure embarrassment.

* * *

"Ahh… that's nice." Leona sighed contently as she sunk her body into the cool clean water while she leaned her back against a large boulder.

It was convenient to settle near a stream, there were also tall bushes to allow the girl to change behind. Now while she was bathing in the stream, Kurapica sat behind the very same boulder to keep guard; their camp fire had been put out now that it was dark. The blond was close enough so that he would be there if she was in any trouble, and the boulder and stones created enough of a wall to prevent any awkwardness or embarrassing events to occur. Not that Kurapica would actually try to peep; he had too much pride to even think about doing such a shameful act.

Though that didn't stop his ears and face from going hot and red; the very fact that a naked girl was bathing just a few metres away from him made him feel extremely uncomfortable. It wasn't the same like the hotel at all, where there was an actual **wall** between them when the girl occupied the bathroom. Here, there were only rocks, where any wrong movements could result in him seeing things he shouldn't be seeing.

Why was he even thinking about such things anyway? Kurapica mentally slapped himself. _It's not like I… _like_ her in that way or anything…_

(The Nile)

On the other side, Leona reminded blissfully unaware of the conflicts going through the blond's mind, and was enjoying the feeling of cool water against her skin as she washed away all the sweat and dirt that she had accumulated since her last bath.

_It would have been better if it was an actual bath tub or shower, but beggars can't be choosers._ Leona dunked her head underwater before quickly resurfacing again. God, did her hair feel oily, she wanted shampoo so bad now.

_**SSHHhhhh…**_ Suddenly, a rustle in the bushes alerted her to the presence of another person. Leona immediately froze and sunk her body into the water until only her head was above the surface. Or was it Kurapica? Maybe he went off somewhere?

"Kurapica?"

"Yes?" The blond's voice definitely came from behind the boulder, meaning it wasn't him after all.

"…did you hear something?"

Kurapica blinked before looking around the area. He hadn't heard anything, but that may be because he was so preoccupied with his thoughts. He had to mentally curse himself for being inattentive. "No, I didn't hear anything. Did you?"

"…Maybe I was just imagining it…" Leona replied, but she didn't sound certain. Kurapica made sure to up his guard in case there really was someone other than them around.

_Phew… that was close…_

A certain man in his early twenties, with spiky blond locks and sporting a turquoise Chinese shirt, sighed in relief as he was ducked under some bushes near the stream where a certain female examinee was bathing. This man was known as Ryu or examinee number 34, Leona's target, but the man didn't know that fact yet. He had only wanted to refill his water bottle in the stream when he realised it was already occupied by someone else. Immediately, he had attempted to hid, but his movements had brushed the leaves and alerted the bathing girl. Luckily, she had dismissed the sound, but he had to be careful from now on.

_Damn, aren't I lucky? _Ryu couldn't help but grin with a perverted blush on his face. _The first person I run into since the start of the phase and it turns out to be like this._

Unlike a certain Kurutaian, Ryu did not bind himself to any strict morals or proper behaviour, so was very content to watching the unsuspecting girl wash herself. _And this one's not half-bad looking either, very cute. Ah but wait…if I heard right, there's supposed to be another person with her somewhere…_ Glancing around the stream, Ryu tried to locate the other person without moving too much, but couldn't spot anyone from where he was situated. He was sure there was another person somewhere though, and since he had been unable to locate his assigned target, Ryu opted to wait and then steal the girl's and her partner's badges.

_It'll be like hitting two birds with one stone. I get a free show and get their badges._ The perverted man would have laughed if it didn't give his position away.

* * *

_Something doesn't feel right…_ Kurapica frowned as he surveyed around the area once again. His instincts were telling him that someone else was around, and he very rarely goes against his instincts.

Moving up from his seated position, the blond peeked around the boulder to watch the bushes that surrounded the stream. It was his only blind spot, since he was seated with his back to the large rock, but now he was able to see the area behind him despite the dull lighting; Leona was luckily still leaning on the boulder on her side so he couldn't really see her. Kurapica's sharp eyes noticed an irregular shadow that definitely didn't belong to the bushes. Upon close inspection, he realised that there really **was** another person with them, and not only that, he was being a shameless peeping tom!

"Leona! Come out of the water! Quick!" Kurapica called out in a harsh whisper loud enough for only the brunette girl to hear. "There is someone watching you!"

That was all the warning Leona needed to get her scrambling out of the water after quickly grabbing a towel to cover herself.

Kurapica stood up from behind the boulder to reveal himself. "Come out! We know you're there!" His anger was very distinct in his voice.

_Awww… I didn't think I would be discovered so fast. _Ryu sighed disappointedly; he would have to think of another plan to steal their badges. _Oh well._ Standing up to also reveal himself, the blond man looked over at the traditionally-dressed boy who was obviously the partner of the brunette girl from before.

Ryu frowned, before blinking several times. _Hey…isn't that…_

Kurapica widened his eyes as he noticed the particular attire of the man who finally revealed himself. Even in the night, he was able to spot the spiky blond hair and green Chinese shirt._ That must be…_

The older blond suddenly burst out laughing, causing Kurapika is blink. "Wow! Now isn't this the most startling of all coincidences? After all the days of searching, I've finally found you; number 404." Ryu announced with a wide smirk on his face.

Widening his eyes once again, the Kurutanian quickly made the connection. "So you're the one targeting my number plate." Quickly pulling out his weapon, Kurapica moved swiftly into a fighting stance. "I won't let you take it."

_What? My target is targeting Kurapica?_ Leona blinked in astonishment as she finally managed to slip on the last of her clothing. The fact surprised her more than it should; after all, Tompa had been Kurapica's target who also happened to be targeting her, so it was all very possible for the same thing to happen vice versa.

_But damn, we spent a whole day looking for him and he only shows up when we _weren't_ looking. If I knew he could be lured out by me taking a bath, I would have done it a long time ago… No, wait… HOW DARE HE PEEK AT ME!_

Fuming with rage, Leona took out her Bo-like weapon and ran to stand beside her blond friend. "The nerve of you! Peeking on me like that! I can't believe that I have a pervert for a target!"

Ryu was pleasantly surprised by this news. "Really, I'm your target? I'm flattered! My pursuer is a little cutie! I've always wanted a girl to chase after me. It's like my secret fantasy come true!"

_That… that… pervert! Maybe even more perverted than Hisoka!_ Leona tightened her grip on her weapon as her face blushed in embarrassment. _No, Hisoka's still more perverted – but he's damn close!_

Kurapica on the other hand, was growing more and more irritated that his eye was beginning to twitch. He found the presence of the man, Ryu, really disturbing and… well, he just doesn't like him, at all. He hated perverts and felt very much like standing between Leona and Ryu to stop the man's nonsense.

_I can't let that guy violate my Leona like that… _Wait, he DID NOT just think that.

(The Nile)

"…And what's more surprising," Ryu continued talking, "is that, my target and my purser are working together. It looks like I'll be at a disadvantage any way I look at it." The man raised his arms to a harmless shrug; before smirking and dashing up to the two with surprising speed.

Both jumped in shock. Out of reflex, Leona jumped out of the way. But Kurapica stayed firm and slashed one of his tantos at the man, who was able to dodge it by moving expertly to the side. Ryu aimed a punch to Kurapica's chest, but the boy was fast enough block the punch with his other tanto. Not wanting to leave all the work to her friend, Leona swung her Bo down to strike at their attacker, but Ryu saw it coming and blocked the strike with his forearm. Suddenly, a quick plan was formed in his mind. Immediately, he sent a kick to Kurapica, that despite it being blocked, still managed to push the boy back. Then he grabbed Leona's wrist and pulled her off balance, causing the girl to stagger. Finally, with a pushed from behind, Ryu was able to send her stumbling into her partner in surprise; both landed clumsily into the bushes in a heap. Smirking, Ryu took the chance to quickly search through their belongings until he found the number plates.

"I guess your team combination isn't that great yet." The man stated as he held up two badges, number 404 and 16. "But for you kids to make it this far in the exam, I've got to commend you. So I'll be nice, I'll only take the plate I need and leave the other to you guys; best of luck getting the other points." With that, the blond man dropped number 16 and disappeared into the night with Kurapica's badge.

"Grrrrr! How annoying!" Leona shouted in frustration as she tried to get off of Kurapica. It was a bit difficult since the bush they landed on gave way under them, rendering them unable to chase after the man, but eventually she was able to roll off.

"Are you okay, Leona?" Kurapica asked as he managed to move off the leafy bed as well. He didn't sound the least bit concerned that his number plate had just been stolen.

But Leona was obviously concerned. "I'm so sorry I got in the way, Kurapica! If that guy hadn't pushed me into you, he may not have gotten away, and… and…your plate…"

The blond placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "It's alright; we'll just have to take it back. This is all a part of the exam after all. And though I'd hate to admit, he's partly right… our fighting combination needs work; that was our first time attempting at fighting as a team, right?"

"But…"

"We'll get him back." Kurapica promised, his eyes shining with determination.

* * *

**Fifth Day…**

As if the heavens were being cruel to them, the next day a storm began to blow and rain poured over the whole island. There was no way they will be able to find Ryu and not somehow get a cold along the way. It was pitiful, but they had no choice but to wait until the rain stopped before they could search of the thief. In the meanwhile, both Leona and Kurapica were using a rocky outcrop for shelter from the harsh weather.

"It doesn't look like the rain will stop soon; we'll probably have to stay here for a while." Kurapica commented as he stared at the sky. He turned to look at Leona next to him, who was curled up into a ball, still upset about yesterday's incident. It amused him somewhat that the brunette girl seemed to show more concern for his badge than he did.

Nevertheless, since they had very limited options to occupy themselves with while waiting for the rain to stop, Kurapica decided that some small talk will help Leona get out of her depressive state.

"Hey Leona, tell me about your brother; what's he like?" Kurapica asked, getting the girl's attention. From what he learnt of her, Kurapica knew that Leona cares deeply for her brother and hence, perhaps mentioning him might cheer her up a bit.

_Leorio-niisan…_ At times like these, Leona wished that her brother was here to comfort her. "My brother… Leorio-niisan, is a big worry-wart," she smiled lightly, "and the most loveable brother you would ever find. He's only older than me by 3 years, but he acts like a father." Now, the girl was giggling, causing Kurapica to smile.

"Can I ask why he wants to become a doctor? And why you go to so much trouble to make his dream come true?" He asked curiously.

Leona hesitated before becoming sullen when she thought of the **real** reason for her brother's choice of occupation; and in turn why she had to be the Hunter for him. "That's… kind of a long story…"

Seeing her saddened expression, the Kurutaian immediately realised that he had touched a sensitive subject. "I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, it's okay." She shook her head. "It's because of a friend we had. He was suffering from a curable illness you see, but we didn't have the money to get proper treatment for him. So Leorio-niisan decided that he would become a doctor to save him. However, just as it costed a lot of money to buy medication, it also costed a heap of money to become a doctor, for the school's tuition at least. In the end, our friend didn't make it..."

_So even Leona has that kind of past... _Kurapica stared down at his feet. "I'm sorry to hear that..."

"He was a good friend," she continued. "Pietro had been with us even since I could remember. We came from the same orphanage."

"You're an orphan too?"

"Yeah, my parents died in an accident when I was five, I don't really remember them at all. But Pietro had always been there, when my brother decided to leave the orphanage, he came with us as well. He was such a dear friend… but he died because we didn't have enough money to save him." By now, Leona had a light trail of tears rolling down her cheeks. "That's why Leorio-niisan wants to become a doctor, to save people who don't have the money for treatment; and that's why I also have to become a hunter…"

_Now you've done it Kurapica, you've gone and made her cry._ The blond cringed; he was at lost of what to do to cheer her up now. In the end, he settled with simple human contact; holding her hand.

Leona was surprised at first when Kurapica suddenly took her hand, but the warmth coming from him was very comforting. Smiling softly, she interlocked their fingers. Together they remained like that, staring silently at the rain.

(Did he finally build a bridge over The Nile and got over it?)

* * *

**Sixth Day...**

Leona was pumped.

The morning sun shone brightly now that all the rain clouds have gone. Water droplets sparkled and birds were singing happily in greeting. It looked like such a beautiful day to visit a park, but Leona didn't need a park when she had a whole forest; the whole forest to search for the bastard pervert, Ryu. Not only did they need to get back Kurapica's number plate, but she still needed **his** badge too. Today was the second last day of the phase, and she was determined to at least know the man's location. She **will** pass this exam. She must.

But once again, after searching for nearly the whole day, they still couldn't find any traces of him. The man was obviously very good at hiding, and Leona, though she doesn't appear it, grew desperate as time passed.

"Do you think he would be hiding anywhere near the starting point?" Leona asked her friend.

"It's not very possible," Kurapica gave a thoughtful look, "Even though he has acquired the 6 points, Ryu would still have to keep both his and my badge safe from other examinees until the end of the exam. But this means that it still gives us time and the opportunity to recover my badge back, even though I've lost it."

Leona frowned. "Yeah… that's true…"

"But we should go see anyway. There's only one day left, people who have already attained 6 points would probably go there to see how the situation has progressed." Kurapica concluded.

Once the two friends arrived at the area they hid among the bushes to spy on any passing examinees. But when they looked, the entire beach was deserted with not a single soul in sight. Leona sighed softly in exasperation.

"That's to be expected. They wouldn't stand in obvious places." Kurapica whispered.

"So what should we do now?"

"We should split up and search the area. Set a time and place to meet up. We'll have a better chance with two people looking."

"What about adding a third person?" Both Leona and Kurapica started at the sound of a third voice and looked up.

To their surprise, Gon was looking down at them from the top of the tree behind them.

"Gon!" The two friends watched as the green-clad boy jumped down from the tree.

"I guess we all think alike." Gon said quietly as he landed. "From the top, I could see several people coming here like you guys."

Leona released a huge grin at the sight of the boy. "Gon! It's so nice to see you!" Immediately, she embraced her younger friend into a hug. Having not seen him for several days, Leona noticed that the boy had a few minor injuries that seemed to be almost healed.

"It's nice to see you too, Leona." Gon smiled back, but didn't return her hug as eagerly as he used to. "How are you guys going with your points?"

"Not good." The brunette girl sighed as she finally released from the hug. "Kurapica's plate was taken by my target, apparently Kurapica was his target, and I still need to get his plate as well."

"What about you, Gon? Have you got the points?" Kurapica asked.

The younger boy seemed to pause for a moment before answering. "Yes, I'm okay."

"Lucky, Gon." Leona smiled. "We still have some work to do on our side. Did you happen to see a guy with blond hair, wearing a green Chinese shirt from up there?"

Gon shook his head, no. The brunette girl sighed before suddenly brightening up to an idea. "Hey, Kurapica. How about we look for the guy from the trees like Gon did? We'd be bound to find him that way."

But the blond rejected the idea. "That's the type of thing that only Gon can do, since he has extraordinary eyesight."

"In that case, I'll help you guys look for him." Gon's determination surprised the older two, but both had a different reaction to it. Leona smiled happily and thanked the boy, while Kurapica looked at Gon with curiosity. _He appears somehow different…since the last we saw him._

Nevertheless, it was agreed that Gon would be their outlook guide from the trees while both Leona and Kurapica would follow him from ground level. They would both keep their presences hidden and ready for ambush when Gon indicates that he has sighted their target.

* * *

As Gon leaped from tree to tree, occasionally stopping to scan carefully around the area, he felt a huge sense of responsibility and purpose. It was a great contrast to how he was feeling a couple of days ago; pathetic, useless and despondent. It was a fact unknown by both Leona and Kurapica, but on the night they stumbled upon Hisoka, Gon had also been there, targeting the blue-haired clown, for he had been the unlucky one to pick number 44 for his target.

That night an unpredictable event occurred to him that Gon would never forget. He had managed to steal it, Hisoka's plate, using his father's fishing rod to nick the badge the moment the man went for his target. Yet, unbeknown to him, Gon was also being targeted and got hit by a paralyzer not too long after. The badge was taken away, but Hisoka had managed to retrieve it back – and given it to Gon. Being a stubborn boy, he had refused it but the jester insisted…with a punch to the face.

"If you can hit me in the face like that, boy, I will accept the plate back." Hisoka had said. Never had he felt such frustration for being unable to pay the man back – he was weak. Which was why Gon is helping Leona and Kurapica get their 6 points, he wanted to make himself feel useful.

After an hour of searching, Gon finally spots someone that matches the description of platinum blonde hair and wearing a green Chinese shirt. 20 metres north-west from his current location, the young boy saw the man sitting under a tree, oblivious that his pursuers have located him, but still had his guard up. Swiftly, the green-clad boy made his way down the tree to relay the message to his friends at the bottom.

"You really found him!" Leona looked ready to squeal with glee if it wasn't for Kurapica to calm her down.

"There's still some light, we should take the chance to confront him when it gets dark." Ever the composed strategist, Kurapica had come up with a plan to successfully ambush the target and take the badges. Once he had conveyed the strategy, both Gon and Leona set themselves into position. All there was left was to wait for the right moment to attack.

* * *

Once the sun had set passed the horizon and the full moon partly hidden by clouds, Kurapica deemed it the right time to strike. There was no need to indicate, the blond had made it clear to his awaiting friends that they would attack by an order. Kurapica was the first to strike.

The moment the blond boy revealed himself from the bushes, Ryu immediately stood up into action. "Ah it's you! I knew you guys would come after me eventually." The man exclaimed with a smug smile. "Where's the cute girl you were with? Hiding somewhere to ambush me?"

"Prepare yourself." Not bothering for small talk, Kurapica positioned his two sheathed tantos in a cross shape formation. He didn't like committing surprise attacks on the opponent if he didn't have to.

"Fine, I'll deal with you first then." Just like the first time, the man gave a light-hearted shrug before moved swiftly into attack. However, this time, Kurapica was prepared. The Kurutaian struck with fast, strong blows, attacking several times in quick succession, forcing Ryu to go into the defensive. The blond man attempted a low kick swipe at Kurapica's feet, which the boy skilfully dodged by jumping over and slashing both his tantos at the man as he dropped.

"Not bad, not bad at all." Ryu couldn't help but praise as he did a backward summersault to leap away from the attack.

Now was Leona's cue, she was positioned conveniently behind where Ryu had just landed, so quickly took the chance to make a surprise attack. Leaping out of the bushes, the girl struck down at Ryu with her staff, but the surprised kung-fu expert still somehow managed to narrowly dodge her Bo, missing him by just a few inches.

"Ah! That's where you were!" Despite his situation, Ryu still had the time to give her a quick wink.

Leona glared back; she and Kurapica then prepared themselves for their second attempt at team fighting. Positioned on either side of the man, both sprinted towards the target. The girl attempted to jab him in the stomach with the tip of her staff, but Ryu easily grabbed the wooden stick to stop the blow. In that instant, Kurapica also attacked, slashing his sheathed tanto down and hitting Ryu on the back but missing his spine. The kung-fu fighter had moved just in time to avoid getting his vitual spot hit, he directed a side kick striking the blond boy in the stomach and pushed Leona away by forcing her own weapon back at her.

Both teens were sent tumbling on the ground, but both got back up just as fast; standing up beside each other. _They've gotten better._ Ryu then decided to change his tactics, shifting his stance to an open leg crutch, one leg in front of the other; his hands made the shape of claws. Kurapica recognised the stance as 'The War Tiger', a common but powerful kung-fu stance. This time, it was Ryu who attacked first, charging at the two with more ferocity than before, the man sent random kicks and punches that could only be described as wild and chaotic. They had more trouble dodging the strikes than before, and with a swing of his arm, Ryu knocked Leona's staff out of her hands.

_This isn't good; we have to stop him fast!_ Both teens thought simultaneously, with that, the two friends reacted at the same time. Leona aimed a roundhouse kick to Ryu's face, while Kurapica dropped his weapon to strike a punch to the man's stomach. Both blows knocked the breath out of the man; so surprised that they were able to improve their coordination in just a few short days.

But it wasn't over. In perfect synchronisation, both Kurapica and Leona called out. "Gon! Now!"

Leaping out from the trees, their young friend struck the blond man dead on the head with his fishing rod, delivering the final blow. With a soft thud, Ryu laid unconscious on the ground.

"Yay! We did it! We did it!" Leona cheered as she hugged Gon in celebration, while the younger boy smiled happily, feeling very accomplished in what he had done. Since Ryu knew that both Leona and Kurapica were after him, the man would be expecting the two of them to ambush him, however he would never expect a third-party to be involved in the ambush as well, which was why Gon had to be the one to hide and wait until delivering the finishing blow. That was the only way to successfully catch the kung-fu expert by surprise.

Bending down to search their fallen target for their well-deserved prize – the number plates, Kurapica was able to find both his badge and number 34. He was about to hand Leona her targeted plate when the girl suddenly hugged him, for the second time since they met.

"Kurapica! This is so cool! I've finally got 6 points and you get your plate back! This was all thanks to you for being such a great partner! Thank you so much!" With that, the brunette girl leaned her head up and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Kurapica stood stunned, speechless and redder than a tomato caught on fire. It was so funny even Gon was giggling.

Leona turned around and smirked. "Help me tie this pervert up, Gon. I'm not letting him move until the end of the exam."

For a second, Kurapica thought she was referring to him.

* * *

So sorry for the long wait! This chapter took longer to write because I caught the terrible writer's block. It was supposed to be a somewhat more serious chapter, but it became more like a chapter to tease Kurapica, hence the somewhat OOCness. There were more KuraLeo implications in this chapter than I've ever written before, but sadly it'll probably just stay as implications for a while because I'm a very reluctant romance writer (this isn't supposed to be a romance fic anyway). So you may have to deal with a Kurapica in 'The Nile' for some time. Did anyone get that joke by the way?

If you don't know, I'll give you a hint. What does 'The Nile' sound like? XD

**Please review peoples! It really motivates me to know that people like this story, so if you're still following the story, reviews are very much appreciated!**


	15. Chapter 15: Finally Near the End?

**Lead By Fate**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HunterxHunter or any of Yoshihiro Togashi's characters, though any other characters would be mine.

**Summary:** What if Leorio didn't take the Hunter Exam? What if his little sister took it for him instead? How would she play part in Gon's little group? Originally a FemLeorio story, but got switched to Leorio's little sister instead, but the concept is pretty much the same.

**Pairing:** Kurapica x OC

**Note:** _Italic_ for thought. _**Bold Italic**_ for sound effects.

* * *

**Chapter 15:** **Finally Near the End?**

"Attention all applicants! In an hour the fourth exam will end, you are all invited to come back to the starting point of the test and make yourselves known. Bear in mind that anyone who fails to show up in the hour will be immediately disqualified. Once you have arrived at the starting point, any attempts to stealing number plates are not counted and is immediately dealt with by disqualification."

By the time the hour was up, only 9 examinees showed up to the starting point, and all 9 of them had passed to the fourth and final round of the Hunter exam. It came as no surprise to President Netero that numbers 44 (Hisoka), 301 (Gitarakuru) and 294 (Hanzo) were one of the 9 to pass, since they had been the first ones to finish the third exam. The others that passed; numbers 53 (Pokkuru), 99 (Killua), 191 (Bodoro), 403 (Leona), 404 (Kurapica) and 405 (Gon), had all shown good potential too. What pleased the elder man even more was that 6 out of the 9 that passed were rookies!

"Hohoho! What a good year this is!" Netero gave a hearty laugh. In the staff lounge room on the airship, the President of the Hunter Association sat with the other four examiners drinking tea. Since the fourth exam was over, it would soon be his turn to judge the abilities of the remaining Hunter candidates, in the last and final test of the exam.

"Does it often happen?" Buhara asked, referring to the large number of rookie examinees.

"Not really." Netero shook his head, "There is often a large gap between, and it's been ten years now since any new guy have succeeded. Then suddenly, there is a whole group of new guys that have a bright future ahead of them!" The elder man chuckled as he stroked his grey beard. "It's the fourth time it's happened since I've been president."

_How old IS the president?_ was the thought that crossed the examiners' minds. The president's assistant, Mr. Beans, only shook his head. It has been 20 years since his boss told him that he was about 100…

"By the way, what will happen for the final round?" Satotsu asked. The other examiners also looked at Netero expectedly, they hadn't been told anything either.

The old man continued to stroke his bread, "Hmmm, I've decided to hold… unusual fights. But for that I'll need to meet each of them personally." For a moment there was silence and blank stares.

"Huh?"

* * *

Leona hummed happily to herself as she strolled around the airship. She was so glad she had managed to complete the fourth exam on time. She really could not thank Kurapica and Gon enough for helping her get this far. If she had never stuck with those two, she may not have passed the exams like she did. She really owed it to them.

_I really should find Kurapica and Gon and thank them properly… for everything. Now it's just a matter of finding them._ As the girl searched for her two friends, she found herself looking in the cafeteria of the airship. What she had found was neither Gon nor Kurapica, but Killua instead. The white-haired boy was lounging at a table drinking hot chocolate. As she had found out, Killua had passed the fourth exam too.

"Yo." The ex-assassin greeted her as he saw the girl make her way to his table.

"Hey." Leona sat down. "Did you see where Gon or Kurapica went?"

"Nope. Gon went off somewhere before I came here, and I thought Kurapica was with you."

"No… Kurapica also went off somewhere too…"

"Mmmm…."

There was the awkward silence again. It seems to happen whenever they didn't know what else to say, or were not insulting each other. Thus has become of their friendship, if you even call it that.

Sighing, Leona decided to break the silence. "So, what happened with you in that last exam? Did you get your target?"

"Of course," Killua replied smugly. "Those Yamori brothers didn't stand a chance. The tall, big one was my target."

"I'm pretty sure, they're called Amori…"

"Whatever." The boy waved dismissively. "The youngest brother was targeting me, but he was weak. Then again, they all were, even when they teamed up against me. I ended up throwing the other two brother's badges away so they could never pass. Hahaha!" He was grinning like a Cheshire cat by this point.

_That Killua… he's still as arrogant as ever._ Leona couldn't help thinking with a sweat drop and a twitch in her eye. In fact, having not seen the boy in a week, he really hasn't changed his mischievous ways at all.

"So what happened with you?" Killua asked, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. "I bet you had to take down three weaklings to get your points."

"Hey! For your information, I had successfully gotten my target's badge, thank you very much!" Leona exclaimed as she showed him her badges. Though of course, she wasn't going to tell him that she was very close to going with the first option. "I helped Kurapica get his target's badge and he helped me get mine."

"Ah I see, so you didn't do it alone…" Killua smirked.

At that, Leona blushed in embarrassment. "Hey, I passed, it's all that matters! They didn't state any rule about how we do it."

The younger boy shrugged. "Whatever. I still think you were just lucky that you passed."

"Well **sorry** if I'm not good enough for your standards." Leona rolled her eyes in sarcasm.

Suddenly, a loud speaker interrupted them. "In a while, the president will receive you for a conversation. When you are called, please come to the first reception room of the first floor. The first candidate, number 44, we ask that you please come to the reception room."

"The president wants to talk to us?" Leona let out a gasp, "Do you think it's the final exam?"

"They didn't say it was, so I guess not." Killua said as he finished the rest of his drink.

The brunette girl sighed. "I sure hope it's not."

And as it turned out, Killua was right, President Netero really did just wanted to talk to them. They were each called in one at a time into the reception room for what seems to be an interview-like conversation. Leona was the last examinee to be called in.

As she stepped into the simple but neatly furnished room, she couldn't help but feel nervous at the fact that she was in the same room with someone so great and important as the President of the Hunter Association. She never thought in her poor simple life that she would be in such a position; it was like meeting with a celebrity!

Netero laughed good-heartedly at her timidity. "No need to feel so nervous, it's just answering a few questions for an old man." _A very powerful old man…_ the girl thought, but nodded gingerly before sitting down on the cushion seat across from him.

"Alright, so you're the last one to be interviewed. Tell me, why do you want to become a hunter?"

_Ah this question again…_ Leona thought nervously. "I'm mainly here because hunters earn a lot of money… and I'd like to use that money for my brother's medical intuition."

"I see," Netero didn't her push for an elaboration, which was a relief for her. "Among the other eight candidates, which one holds your interest the most?"

Leona blinked, and after thinking for a moment, she finally answered, "I suppose Gon- I mean number 405 is the most interesting, and number 404 too. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the both of them, I'd very much like them both to reach the end."

"Uh huh." Netero nodded, stroking his beard. "And which candidate would you want to fight the least?"

At first, Leona wanted to say Hisoka, but then she thought that it wasn't true. "I guess… I definitely won't be able to fight number 405. I wouldn't be able to do it if it's Gon."

The old man nodded again with an understanding smile. "Very good. Thank you for that, you may now leave. The final exam will be commencing in three days, in the mean time you can relax."

Leona sighed mentally, glad that it was over and wasn't too difficult. But something still bugged her. "Can I ask? What is the final exam?"

Netero chucked mischievously. "That's a se-cret."

* * *

Leona pouted. "How annoying…"

"The President is probably planning something unexpected for the final exam." Kurapica mused, "We'll have to wait and see after three days time."

"I wonder what it could be." Gon said in thought. Killua also had a thoughtful look on his face too.

After the interviews, the four friends had grouped up again in the cafeteria. Since the president hadn't given any clues as to what their final exam might be, or what to expect, they found themselves restless and unsure – or at least that was how Leona felt. These next three days with nothing much to do, will feel like such a long wait…

"Well, I'm not fussed about it." Killua casually leaded back on his chair with his arms behind his head. "The old ji-ji (1) told us we could rest all we want until we arrive, and that's exactly what I'm going to do." He then directed a grin at Gon. "Hey Gon, let's go play with your rod, and I'll let you try out my skateboard."

"Yeah, okay!" Gon grinned back and immediately the two ran off toward the deck.

Both Leona and Kurapica couldn't help but smile after the two; Gon and Killua's playfulness was infectious.

"Well, they certainly don't seen concerned about the exam at all." Kurapica said before sipping a cup of tea that he had ordered earlier. "I think we should take they're example. It would do us good to rest after being in the jungle for a week."

_Ah yeah, that's right!_ Suddenly, Leona's whole body felt sore and dirty as she remembered the last 7 days; the nights of sleeping against a hard tree, the dirt and mud, the constant need to be on guard, and the flies. Those goddamn **mosquitoes**! Since she had been so absorbed with her search for her target, the mossies had been no more than a little annoyance the first few days. But after the sudden rain, the humidity rose and the mossies were **everywhere**! She had been bitten a few number of times, mostly on the legs (since her jeans stopped at her knees), and one had even gotten her on her cheek!

Leona reached up to gently touch the still healing mossie bite on her right cheek. Thanks to her brother's first aid kit having come with mosquito cream, all those irritating itching bumps were healing well. What vexed her was that her blonde friend didn't seem to have the same problem. His skin and face remained blemish free the whole time he was on the island.

She must have been glaring in envy at him because Kurapica suddenly asked, "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

"No, it's what's **not** on your face…" Leona pointed an accusing finger at him, "How is it that the mosquitoes don't go after you?"

Struck by the oddity of the question, the blonde couldn't help but sweat drop. "Uh… that's…I don't know…"

Leona pouted. "So unfair. It must be an attribute that you pretty boys have. Or do you use some kind of skin cream?"

"Uh…" _Pretty boy?_ Kurapica gave a nervous look. He supposed he did have a rather fair complexion to some people, but he didn't know if that was the reason why he wasn't bitten…

"Oh whatever." The girl finally shrugged it off. "I just want a good long hot shower and a nice soft bed."

* * *

**Three days later…**

It was around morning when the airship finally touched down on the rooftop of a hotel back in Zaban City. All the remaining examinees were lead into a large polished high ceiling room. Though the room was free of furniture, the inter walls and splendid architecture provided enough decor to still give it a lavish feel.

Netero stood beside a board covered under a white sheet. To his right, the other 4 examiners including his assistant stood in a row; and to his left were 9 butler-like dressed men wearing dark sunglasses. All preparations for the final exam was complete, the President wasted no time to begin.

Staring at the 9 remaining examinees in front of him, Netero spoke. "I hope that everyone has rested well. We are here in a hotel managed by the committee, and until the end of the final round, this place will be yours to freely use. The last trial will be in the form of one on one duels."

Tension immediately filled the room as expected. Netero grasped the white sheet before tugging at it to reveal the board. "The groups are as follows."

There was a collective series of gasps as the fight system was revealed. There were two groups of fights that were arranged in a way that allowed the winner to move on to the next fighter and so on. From the way the pyramid looked, it would appear that only one person would be a hunter in the end…

"And now for the rules of this last round; you get one victory and you pass the exam."

"Eh?" Everyone blinked in surprise.

"In other words, the winners quit the game as the fights move up the pyramid, resulting in only one loser." Scanning the examinees, the President made sure everyone understood that rule.

"So then, in this test, only one will be eliminated?" Hanzo, number 294 confirmed.

"Exactly!" Netero nodded. "And consequently, each person has at least two opportunities to win. Are there any questions so far?"

Number 191, Bodoro raised a hand. "Why isn't the pyramid well-balanced?"

"Hmm, that's a good question." Netero smirked. "Using the results from the previous rounds, we choose those who've gotten good marks up until now and allow them a better chance at passing on the pyramid."

Leona froze as she saw her position on the chart. She was in the group with Kurapica, Hisoka and Bodoro, where she would have to fight the loser in the match between **Kurapica** and **Hisoka**. Two people she wanted to avoid fighting at all cost, Kurapica because he was her friend, and Hisoka because she was… well, dead afraid of him. She couldn't decide who she wanted to win in that match… preferably Kurapica so he could become a hunter, but that would mean she would have to fight Hisoka… _Why? Why did it have to be this way?_ She mentally cried in her mind.

Suddenly, Killua spoke out. "I don't like it, explain to us how you count the marks."

Oh, she had to pay attention to this one. Though the President wasn't willing to explain everything, he told them that the three basics they look for in an examinee were strength, mind and charisma. In strength, they take into account the person's speed, suppleness, resistance and their use of the five senses. While for the mind, they look for quality in adaptation, appreciation and creation. Half the stuff though, Leona wasn't even sure she fully understood. What she did know was that with her position in the chart, meant that judges thought she could actually make a half decent hunter… maybe…

"But those were only the reference measures, because the first thing that allowed you to reach the end is your charisma. That's the essential component of a hunter…"

Leona was nervously chewing her bottom lip the whole time. Was it her personality that put her in that position? The dreaded position where she had to fight with either her best friend or her worst enemy? She didn't even want to think about it anymore.

"The fights' rules are simple. Weapons are allowed, and pushing your opponent to quit gives you the victory." Netero continued. "However, if you kill your adversary, you'll be disqualified. So, if that ever happens, the only disqualified candidate will be designated and the exam will end."

Leona sighed quietly, at least with this rule that meant that Hisoka couldn't kill anyone. No matter how bad his bloodlust is if he kills then he'll be disqualified. He wouldn't risk it, would he?

One of the butler-like men stepped forward to the front. "Now let's begin the final round! The first match is Hanzo versus Gon! Please step forward!" Immediately at his call, both Gon and Hanzo positioned themselves in the centre to prepare for battle. The rest of the examinees moved to the sideline to be the observers.

Leona, Kurapica and Killua all stood together to watch they friend's fight. Though secretly, Leona couldn't help think that Gon fighting the ninja was a bit… much for a young boy. But she'll route for him anyway. "Go Gon! You can do it!"

Both Kurapica and Killua watched silently and intently.

"My name is Masta." The black-suited man introduced himself. "I'll be the referee of this match. Good luck."

Hanzo turned to look at the referee and smiled. "Oh, we meet again. You were the one that followed me during the fourth round, weren't you?"

Gon blinked in confusion, while the referee smiled a little. "You noticed me?"

"Of course! Each candidate had a juror following him or her in the fourth round, right? But, I couldn't be the only one to have noticed." The ninja stated it as if it was an obvious fact.

"Eh? Really?" Leona blinked in shock. "I… didn't notice…"

"I noticed, but I didn't know if I should have told you or not…" Kurapica turned to her, while Killua only shook his head with a smirk at her oblivion.

"I'm not surprised."

"Oh shut up!" She glared at the white-haired boy before pouting.

For a moment, Hanzo was happily chatting to the ref and thanking him for giving him good marks – in which the man only sweat dropped at the talkative ninja – before Hanzo suddenly grew serious. "So let me get this straight, the only condition to winning is to make our opponent say that they lost? So, no discounts and no ?"

"Yes." The referee nodded. Hanzo now had a very serious solemn face as both he and Gon prepared themselves in a battle stance. Suddenly, Leona had a bad feeling about this fight.

"Alright, we shall now start." Masta announced. "Begin!"

* * *

_**Crack!**_

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Gon's agonising scream filled the entire room. Leona's eyes were wide with shock, her hands covered her mouth in despair; that damn Hanzo actually did it. He broke poor Gon's arm!

She knew it. She felt it since the start; Hanzo was way too strong for Gon. But still… this was too much. It has been already 3 hours since the start of the match, and even after all the beating he took from the ninja, her young friend was still too stubborn to give up. She wasn't sure she could stand to watch the torture anymore; it was so unfair on Gon.

"Now you won't be able to use your left arm." Hanzo stated as calmly as ever. Oh, how she wanted so badly to burn a hole through his head. She felt sick in the stomach; she didn't want to watch anymore, and somehow her hand had found it's way on Kurapica's shoulder. The blond didn't move.

"Leona, please don't stop me." Kurapica's mellow voice was dark and deadly, it was the first time she had seen the blond this livid; he was clearly as affected as she was. "I don't want to interfere with Gon's match, but if this keeps going…"

"Don't worry, I won't stop you." And she meant it.

Luckily for the bald ninja, Hanzo had decided to convince Gon with words instead. Saying that he was a ninja from a secret clan, who has received harsh training since he was born. That at Gon's age, he had already killed. All the while, Hanzo had positioned himself in a one-hand handstand and gradually shifted to one finger, using only the finger to support his whole body. That was something Leona had only seen Uncle Beni capable of doing. Was the stupid ninja showing off?

"What I'm saying is that in this fight you can't win against me. I don't say it to make you mad, only to make you say you lose!"

_**Bam!**_ Gon kicked the ninja's hand and sent him face planting on the floor. Everyone had a look of shock at the sudden turn of events.

"You talk so much that I've already recovered from the pain." Gon said as he stood up, holding his injured arm. "Besides, this isn't a battle of strength, it's a battle to see who could make the other quit."

"Yeah! Go Gon! You show that baldie!" Leona couldn't resist the urge to cheer for him. It was unbelievable; Gon was finally turning the tables on Hanzo. Kurapica gave a sigh of relief.

Getting up, the ninja's bloody nose gave him a very hilarious look. "I let you hit me you know." He said as he wiped the blood off. "But I don't think you understand. This whole time I wasn't asking, I was ordering you!" Reaching into his right arm warmer, Hanzo pulled out a hidden blade. "If you still don't get that, then I'll cut off one of your legs!"

But it was no use. Despite what Hanzo said, Gon was still able to bring the ninja to his pace. The tense atmosphere had completely dissolved the moment the young boy announced that he didn't want his leg cut off, but didn't want to lose either. The situation had turned humorous to the onlookers and Hanzo finally began to lose his cool. Gon was also very determined to have things his way, and was finally able to push Hanzo into finally admitting defeat; he just couldn't force Gon to give up.

"Fine! I can't make you say you lose. It's my lose." Hanzo turned away and moved to walk off.

It was Gon's victory! Leona was practically grinning from ear to ear. He did it! Gon won the match! Gon- "No way! You can't do that!" Gon shouted. "Let's find another way to continue the match!"

Leona almost face faulted.

"I suspected it…" Hanzo turned back and glared calmly at the boy. "Let me see… No matter what I do, you'll never admit defeat. So I resigned myself to lose, but you say to me that you intend to beat me seriously once more. You want us to find a way for you to win in a fight, is that it?"

"Yep." Gon smiled happily.

"IDIOT!" Hanzo sent Gon flying with a punch and knocked him out unconscious.

Leona slapped her forehead. What the hell just happened?

* * *

It was now Kurapica's turn as both he and Hisoka were called up. Gon was taken to another room for medical attention. Netero had reassured Hanzo that the match would go to Gon and that the boy was now an official licenced hunter, the first hunter to be qualified in this year's exam.

Though while Leona was worried about Gon, the next match was going to decide who was going to be **her** opponent. This match was going to have her on edge the whole time. Whoever it will be, she'll have to be prepared to fight them. She knew Hisoka had the most skill between him and her blond friend, but Kurapica had also shown that he was also a pretty decent fighter too…

Kurapica began to move to the centre when Leona felt her arm suddenly grasp one of his white sleeves, causing the blond the look back at her. She gave him a nervous look, should she say good luck? Don't lose to Hisoka? But all words were lost in her mouth.

_Oh, who am I kidding…_ Leona mentally sank in depression. She knew it was selfish of her to wish that Kurapica would lose this fight just so she could avoid fighting Hisoka again. She was such a bad friend for thinking like this.

Looking at her expression though, Kurapica wasn't so stupid as to not realise what a predicament he would put the girl in if he won. The girl wasn't the only one to notice that she stood in the position after his match. However, he was also in a situation where he would very much like to avoid fighting a friend if possible. He never told her but, when Netero had asked who he wanted to fight the least, Kurapica had chosen Leona. Mostly because he was a gentleman who wouldn't fight a girl if unnecessary, and also because he had felt that their friendship had gotten to a point where he would feel uneasy fighting her.

The blond gave Leona a reassuring smile, her hand leaving his sleeve. "Don't worry, I won't let Hisoka win." In a way, Kurapica was also pretty selfish too.

* * *

Hello guys! I'm back! Yes, I'm not dead! University and work kept me in writer's block and very little time to work on this chapter, so I'm very sorry this chapter took so long to come out! I'm currently planning for the next chapter already, so that should be out not too long later as well.

(1) Ji-ji means grandpa or old man in Japanese.

So, Kurapica is going to fight Hisoka! Who will win? But more importantly, who will lose? This very match will decide Leona's opponent, and she will not like the outcome either way!

Oh and regarding the previous chapter, for those who didn't get the word play joke I was implying; The Nile when said fast enough sounds like **denial**. Kurapica is in 'denial'! Get it? Haha!

**Please review peoples! It really motivates me to know that people like this story, so if you're still following the story, reviews are very much appreciated!**


	16. Chapter 16: Hisoka

**Lead By Fate**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HunterxHunter or any of Yoshihiro Togashi's characters, though any other characters would be mine.

**Summary:** What if Leorio didn't take the Hunter Exam? What if his little sister took it for him instead? How would she play part in Gon's little group? Originally a FemLeorio story, but got switched to Leorio's little sister instead, but the concept is pretty much the same.

**Pairing:** Kurapica x OC

**Note:** _Italic_ for thought. _**Bold Italic**_ for sound effects.

* * *

**Chapter 16: Hisoka**

Tension filled the air when the Kuruta stood before the Magician in the centre of the room; the second match of the final exam. While from the sideline, Leona was growing more and more nervous by the second, just watching the two sent butterflies in her stomach. Who will win? Who will be her opponent? Will she have to fight her friend, or will she have to fight her worse nightmare? She didn't want to know! Reminding herself to calm down was no longer effective; all her worries and other emotions were all boiling up and mashing themselves together inside her.

Hisoka was smirking with confidence as he leered at Kurapica; a card posed ready. The younger boy also brought out his double tanto – unsheathing the blades, his green eyes set in a determined glare that brought shivers of excitement through the jester. Both stood prepared for battle.

Leona's arm unconsciously latched itself onto the nearest person who turned out to be the young white-haired ex-assassin. "I can't stand this… My heart's not ready!" She cried quietly.

"What's your problem?" Killua gave her a weird-out expression at her sudden clinginess.

"Second match! Hisoka versus Kurapica!" The new juror for this match didn't waste any time with small talk and nonchalantly began the match. "Begin!"

The girl gave him a stare of doom. "My problem? My problem is that I don't want to fight either of them when one of them lose!" One may say Leona's turmoil was over-dramatic, but to the brunette girl who had never fought in a tournament match like this before… well she would say she was justified.

Killua blinked blankly. "Ah that's right. According to the chart, you fight whoever loses this match." He gave a thoughtful look before shrugging. "If it's based on strength alone, then Hisoka would definitely win this match. But since this is Kurapica, he might be able to think up something…"

Leona gave a soft sigh.

Unlike with Gon's match, Kurapica and Hisoka didn't rush at each other at the referee's call. Both instead chose to stand calmly, carefully observing the other for any signs of weakness or an opening, both staring the other down. It was Hisoka who broke the silence first.

"So you plan to beat me in this match? Those are pretty tough words, you think you could actually do it, boy?" He began springing his deck of play cards from one hand to another.

"I will try my best." Kurapica replied as he positioned his blades in a cross formation, his determination unwavering.

The jester's smirk widened. "Good, this way it'll be much more interesting." And without warning, Hisoka flew a razer-sharp card at the blond.

Kurapica immediately deflected the attack by striking the card in mid-air, as he dashed towards his opponent in a mad rush. A second card flew and had somehow secretly gotten behind him, aiming for his back. Luckily, Kurapica had sensed it. _I won't be fooled!_ Without pausing, he quickly shifted to the side so the card flew right past him and straight back at the jester, who caught the card with ease.

"Oh, I like that spirit." Hisoka complimented as the blond got within range and slashed at the man's side. But the jester's was quick enough to dodged with a backward summersault, his powerful legs propelled him high into the air before landing a few metres away.

Leona was gaping while Killua looked impressed; both hadn't expected their blond friend to be able to force Hisoka back. While Leona knew Kurapica was a capable fighter from back during the fourth phase, this was the first time she had seen him fight so furiously. _But I still wouldn't want to fight him, were he to lose…_

Killua on the other hand, couldn't help feel a little envious of the Kuruta. He would have liked to face Hisoka, but he wasn't even ranked high enough in the fight pyramid or in the same group. He had to fight the third round of his group, which consisted of Gon, Hanzo, the weak archer and the guy with much too many piercings. By rank, he was even lower than Leona, who at least got to fight in the second round of her group… _Well, it's not like I _wanted_ to become a Hunter anyway._

Hisoka suddenly began walking confidently towards Kurapica. "You know, you should probably give up. There's no point fighting now, you've already lost."

"What makes you think that?" The blond frowned in confusion before he noticed a crack in his right tanto. _What? How did this happen?_

Hisoka smirked as he continued to walk closer. "I told you so~."

Kurapica grew weary and instinctively backed away. The jester must have somehow cracked his blade, but his swords shouldn't have been that weak…

The Kurata made a leap backwards to put more distance between them, however… "Where do you think you're going?" Hisoka leaped forward, not allowing his attempt at escape. Within seconds, the blue-haired clown was right in front of the blond, swung his arm swiftly and completely tore the blade off of Kurapica's right tanto.

_**Clank!**_ _**Clank!**_ The sound of his blade hitting the marble floor shook Kurapica as he stared at his now broken tanto. _This is… absurd! How could a simple card break a metal sword?_

"Oh dear, one of your swords is broken, now what will you do?" Hisoka mocked as he shuffled his desk. "It's useless to keep fighting me as you are now."

From where she was standing, Leona saw the jester break off the blade like it was made of paper. The brunette girl bit nervously on her lower lip, she can't possibly compete with that! "Scary… Hisoka's really scary…"

"There was probably a crack in Kurapica's blade." Killua frowned as he explained. "That probably explains why he was backing away before."

"And Hisoka knew?"

"Yeah." The younger boy crossed his arms. "Looks like you'll probably end up fighting Kurapica after all." Leona sighed again in obvious distress.

Back to the match, Kurapica proceeds to rip the cord of rope that attached his double tanto together, discarded his broken tanto and prepared to resume fighting. The Kuruta's green eyes unconsciously flared red for a moment in anger; he made sure Hisoka realise that just because he lost one of his weapons, doesn't mean he'll give up the fight. The cries of his clansmen constantly at the back of his mind helped to urge him closer towards his goal. He would not let them down; he **will** become a hunter!

Dashing towards the clown, the blond slashed at Hisoka, who skilfully dodged the attack and jabbed his hand into the boy's ribs. Kurapica fell to the floor in pain. He side was throbbing, but when he felt it he was surprised to discover that the older man hadn't pierced him like he first thought. _It'll probably leave a bruise later._ Nevertheless, Kurapica pushed himself back up and attempted another strike, only to have his sword arm caught. A powerful kick from the jester sent him flying across the room, despite being quick enough blocked it with his arm.

"Kurapica!" came Leona's cry just as he felt the impact of his back hitting the marble floor. _This isn't working… I'll have to try another approach._ Kurapica thought as he pushed himself up again, this time requiring a bit more effort.

Hisoka watched as the Kuruta struggled to stand up. His interest in the blond was slowly growing steadily as they fought. It was the determination – the undying fire that refuses to burn out in those green eyes – the type of eyes that drives his lust to kill.

The jester covered his face with his hand. _Oh, but I must calm down. It's a bad habit to pick fruit before it's ripe…_

"Kurapica! Just stop already!" Hisoka turned to look at the brunette girl calling out to her friend to quit the match. In that instant, an eerie smile reached his face; he had an idea.

Finally finding his footing, Kurapica brought his tanto up again.

"So you're still not willing to give up?" The jester said more than asked.

"I'll never give up!" was the reply.

Hisoka grinned evilly. "Even if you winning meant that your **friend** will fight me instead?" At that question, Kurapica blinked in surprise and shifted to look towards Leona, who in turn, stared back at him. "You're willing to sacrifice your friend for the sake of being a hunter? That's pretty cruel of you… Aren't that right, Momo-chan?"

"Stop calling me that!" Killua held back the raging Leona.

The blond ducked his head down slightly in shame. It was in some ways true, he knew how much Leona was frightened of the insane clown, and his determination to win this match wasn't helping her at all. But if he quit the match, he would end up fighting Leona, and that, he equally did not want to do. Yes, he was a terrible friend for putting her in the spot…

"Kurapica!" Leona yelled out. "Don't worry about me! Just beat Hisoka and win the match! But afterwards… I expect an apology!" The girl grinned; she had made up her mind. She didn't want to hinder Kurapica's performance by forcing him to consider her feelings. Whatever the end result may be, she won't care anymore.

The blond boy smiled and nodded in understanding; a huge relief lifted off his shoulders. Looking back at Hisoka, the jester seemed neither pleased nor displeased at the turn or events, only a look of interest.

"Hmm… I see now. You think **you** can make me give up. I don't think so~" The man sang.

"Yeah, I'll make you give up." Kurapica smiled with renewed determination and dashed once again towards his opponent. "I don't care if you break **both** my swords, I won't stop until you say it!" With a loud battle cry, a surge of anger triggered his eyes to turn brilliant ruby red, shocking everyone in the room.

To the Kuruta, time seemed to suddenly slow down. He shifted the grip of his tanto to the reverse grip and swung a powerful horizontal slash to Hisoka's side. The man was able to jump out of the way, but Kurapica didn't stop, he continued to strike at Hisoka left and right, forcing the latter into the defence. To an onlooker, the blond seemed to have suddenly gotten faster. But despite this, the jester was still able to block the sword using his cards; stopping the attack and performing a drop sweep to Kurapica's feet. The blond jumped to avoid it, but had almost failed to evade another strike aim at his head. Hisoka was able to leave a cut on the side of his right cheek.

Kurapica leaped back to distance himself from the clown, but only for a second; he saw Hisoka pull out a card and flew it towards him again. He would not let the same thing as last time happen again. Kurapica ran towards the flying card and grabbed it in mid-air before throwing the card back at Hisoka, piercing the jester in the right shoulder. Finally with as much strength that he could muster, the blond boy jabbed the hilt of his tanto into his opponent stomach and sent Hisoka skittering backwards from the blow.

Releasing himself from his red-eyed state, time went back to normal and Kurapica's breathing grew heavy. _Maybe I over did it…_ The blond thought, he would normally avoid fighting in anger – especially in that state – but if the situation calls for it or if he's angered enough… Kurapica would instinctively go into what he calls the "red eye mode", where his strength, speed and reflexes increases due to adrenaline rush, but his ability to rationalise because of his high level of anger decreases greatly; and Kurapica hates being unable to have control of himself.

"Wow, Kurapica's so cool… and pretty scary too." Leona muttered more to herself. She was both amazed and frightened by how skilled a fighter her friend can be when he's serious. _And those red eyes…_ Seeing them again, reminded her of whom he really was, a Kurutaian.

Beside her, Killua frowned. "Yeah, but this is where things start to get worst…"

"Applicant 44, Hisoka, can you continue the match?" The ref called out.

Across the room, the blue-haired jester had an extremely crazed look on his face. He kept muttering to himself and his body was tensed and shivering at the same time. The man even pulled out the card that Kurapica used on him from his shoulder and began licking the blood off it; Hisoka had officially gone mad.

The next thing he did was even stranger; Hisoka dropped the card and began calmly walking towards Kurapica with open arms; indicating that he was defenceless. The man didn't stop until he was right up close to the blond before leaning his head down to whisper something only he could hear. After a moment, Kurapica's green eye suddenly turned red again, and everyone tensed, anticipating another collision.

It never happened.

The jester just walked away and announced his forfeit, making Kurapica the victor. Everyone from the sideline was confused by the turn of events, wondering that was said between them. Either way, the match was decided and the juror announced a thirty-minute break before the next round.

* * *

"Leona, I am sincerely sorry for leaving you to fight with Hisoka." Kurapica bowed his head in apology.

Leona sweat dropped, while Killua sniggered, nudging her with his elbow. "I can't believe you made him apologise for winning that match."

"I didn't think he would take it so seriously!" The girl argued nervously.

Since there was a thirty-minute break, the three friends had decided to locate to the front stairs of the hotel, where Kurapica decided to make good of his promise and apologise for his inconsideration of Leona's feelings towards fighting against the jester. Since Kurapica was announced victor, the girl must fight Hisoka in the 4th round. It was something Leona **should** be anxious about, but she had already decided to not worry about it so… she won't.

"But enough of that Kurapica, what happened at the end of your match? What did Hisoka say to you?" Leona couldn't help asking.

Kurapica gave a solemn look, "He said he had information on the Spiders…" That got both Leona and Killua's attention.

"Spiders as in… the Phantom Brigade?" Leona's eyes were wide with shock.

"So he's got some connection with them." Killua stated with a look of interest.

Kurapica nodded. "I don't know how he knew I was after them. I never said it out directly."

"Do you trust his word?" Killua asked.

"I can't say if he's trustworthy. But I'll do whatever it takes to get even a little information on the Spiders." Kurapica replied, his eyes full of determination.

Leona sighed as she reassuringly put an arm over her blond friend's shoulder. "Well, you're a Hunter now, so at least you're getting closer to your goal." The girl grinned happily for him.

"I-I guess." Kurapica blushed slightly at her close proximity. "But I probably really should have let Hisoka won. I'm sorry…"

"It's alright, don't worry about it." Leona assured him, before pausing to stare at his face with a frown. The blond blinked in question, but before he could ask, the girl had already pulled out a band aid and stuck it over the cut on his cheek. "There, that's better." She smiled.

"Oooh… Getting chummy now, are we?" Killua teased with a catty smirk.

Leona blushed bright red, "Shut up brat!" She snapped, before pulling away from Kurapica and smacking the younger boy over the head.

Kurapica sighed as the two began fighting as usual.

* * *

Once the thirty-minutes were up, everyone arrived back inside the exam room for the 3rd round of the final phase. It was Hanzo versus Pokkuru.

The match had gone very much like Gon's match; where Hanzo had the advantage in strength and proceed to bash Pokkuru like he did with Gon, while the short archer refused to give up and endured the torture just like their young green-clad friend had. However, when the ninja pulled Pokkuru into an arm lock, the archer didn't show the same stubbornness as Gon did to the idea of a broken arm.

"Sorry, but with you, I won't hold back." Hanzo had told him, and that finally broke Pokkuru into forfeiting the match.

Leona bit her bottom lip, nervousness settling in again. It was finally going to be her turn and suddenly her earlier conviction was thrown out the window. She was going to fight Hisoka, **Hisoka**! Her stomach churned when she saw the jester look her way and smirked.

A hand squeezed her shoulder reassuringly; it was Kurapica's. "Be careful." Were his words of comfort, in which Leona could only nod before walking towards the centre of the room.

"Fourth match! Hisoka versus Leona!" The new juror called out, and the two opponents stood facing each other. Leona had to gulp down any last shreds of doubt before preparing herself; her make shift Bo staff held tightly in her hands. Hisoka continued to smirk.

"Begin!"

At the call, Leona got into stance; left foot in front, right foot at the back and holding the Bo tilted in an angle, tip pointing at eye level. Remembering all those Bo lessons from Uncle Beni; now was a good time to use them in combat like she was taught. On the other side, the jester pulled out his deck of cards and once again began springing the cards from one hand to another, smirk never leaving his face.

"You have certainly grown since that time in the swamp, but you're still not ripe enough yet, Leona-chan." Hisoka smiled, tilting his head. "But I really wanted to see how much you've grown, which is why I decided to quit my first match, for you."

_You can't be serious…_ Leona's eye twitched in irritation. _He quit that match… so he could fight ME?_ Thinking back to the first time they fought, she really hadn't been prepared for a fight at all. But now, she had no excuse to **not** be prepared.

The jester began walking closer towards her. "So, don't disappoint me, show me what you can do…" Without warning, Hisoka flew a card aimed at her head.

Reacting instantly, the brunette girl dodged out of the card's way and swung her Bo across Hisoka's head. The strike was easily blocked with his left arm, and that gave Leona the chance to successful aim a kick at his left side. The older man's eyes were wide at the shock of being hit; he swiftly punched the girl in the stomach, who in turn quickly swung her weapon again to strike him across the face before doubling over on the floor in pain.

Reaching up to touch where his face has been struck, Hisoka's eye gleamed with fascination. _How interesting…_

Leona on the other hand, clutched her stomach in pain. _That really hurt…_ Her eyes couldn't help but water a little, before she quickly wiped it away. In terms of strength, Hisoka surpass her by a mile, but she wasn't going to give up so easily. She pushed herself back up to face the clown.

This time, Leona decided to attack first by attacking Hisoka's right shoulder with her staff, which was blocked, and left side of the body, which was also blocked, before leaping up to swing down on his head. At this, the jester dodged out of the way, letting her hit the floor to strike at her open back. Fortunately, Leona was able to escape by forcing her body into a rotation that allowed her to both dodge and swing her weapon down on Hisoka's own back. But the jester was still fast enough to tumble himself out of the way.

_Damn, this is difficult._ The girl breathed heavily, her Uncle Beni had taught her many fighting moves, but the rotating body attacks were the hardest to perform when not balanced properly.

From the sideline, both Kurapica and Killua were watching their female friend in amazement; Killua even whistled. They were surprised at how well Leona was holding herself up against Hisoka. Her fighting techniques weren't too bad either.

"I guess otenba-san(1) can put up a good fight after all." The ex-assassin couldn't help but compliment; Kurapica nodded in wide eye agreement.

Even President Netero and the other examiners were impressed, since reports say contestant number 403 rarely demonstrated proper martial ability – until now. But Netero gave a thoughtful look. _Hmm… I think I've seen this somewhere before…_

Hisoka's smirk grew wider and suddenly sprinted towards Leona in impossible speed, the surprised girl yelped as she saw him slice at her with a card in hand. Reflexes kicked in and Leona barely escaped by arching her body into a bridge position before summersaulting and letting her foot kick the jester under the chin. She quickly moved back to distance herself afterwards.

Rubbing his chin, Hisoka began chuckling evilly. "So very interesting, Momo-chan. You fight like a monkey."

At that, Leona couldn't help but blush in irritation. "I told you to stop calling me that!" _And why a monkey? I hate monkeys!_

But the jester just continued to chuckle insanely, "I can feel it again…" Leona instantly grew nervous as she felt the man's killer intent slowly rising…

Hisoka licked his lips anxiously. With all the built up excitement from his previous match, the jester had become very restless, making it harder for him to hold himself back. It was just like back in the fourth exam, where he became so agitated after crossing paths with both Leona and Kurapica; he couldn't help but kill someone to ease himself of his urges.

_Oh little peach, you are just too tempting…_

Without warning, Hisoka charged again to strike at Leona's head. It was faster than last time but she still managed to swiftly move out of the way and directed a kick at his stomach. However, the jester took the chance to grab her leg and swung her across the room.

_**Thud!**_ Leona's head began to spin when she hit the marble floor.

"Leona!" Kurapica called out in warning. The jester was already upon her as he slammed his fist down – hitting the floor where she had landed a second ago, had she not rolled out of the way in time.

_This is bad…_ Leona was trembling; Hisoka was suddenly fighting more fiercely than before and it was scaring her to death. _I have to do something…_ With one hand grabbing the end of her Bo, the girl secretly twisted her weapon to release the lock, before swinging it straight at Hisoka's head. The man moved his head back to dodge, but was surprised when he was still hit between the eyes, forcing him to stagger backwards. It wasn't until he looked up again that he realised the true nature of her weapon, a three-part-staff.

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" Hisoka grinned evilly. "You make it harder and harder for me to hold back… Mo-mo-chan."

Suddenly, Leona felt an extreme pressure all over her body and found that she unable to move. _W-what's happening? Why can't I move?_ She was seriously beginning to freak out; the pressure was both burning and freezing at the same time. Fear was taking over her mind and she almost screamed when Hisoka's face appeared just inches away from her face.

"But unfortunately, I won't be the one backing out this time."

Leona really did scream this time, as she tried but failed to strike back at the jester with her weapon. The man's body seemed to just vanish before re-appearing at her side and slashed twice at her three-part-staff. Within seconds, her weapon fell apart on the floor; the ropes that held it together were sliced in half.

"…Uh…uh…" The brunette girl continued to tremble as she stared wide-eyed at her now unless weapon that Uncle Beni had made specifically for her, but that wasn't what really scared her... Leona ducked her head down in defeat.

"I-I give up…"

"Match set! Winner Hisoka!" The juror announced the end of the match. "We'll begin the 5th match after thirty minutes time!"

"Damn… well I guess that was to be expected." Killua frowned, while Kurapica said nothing and ran to his friend's side.

_Shame that she gave up,_ _but still a good match overall. _Netero thought to himself as he tried to remember where he had seen that fighting style before; it was awfully familiar…

"Leona, are you alright?" Kurapica asked with a concerned tone as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, you still have other chances." He could feel the girl still trembling from the fight, but despite that, she still nodded before bending down to pick up the scattered parts of her weapon.

"Oh Leona-chan~" Leona looked up at Hisoka, while Kurapica glared. "Next time, we'll fight for real." With that said, the jester licked his lips before walking calmly back to the sideline.

With the mad clown finally gone, the brunette girl could finally relax a little. But with what she had experience just a few minutes ago, Leona knew she was going to have a hard time forgetting it. _What the hell was that anyway…?_

* * *

Once the two were back at the sidelines, Killua gave her a cheeky grin. "Oi otenba-san, you gave up because he broke your weapon? That's so laaaaame."

"…" But Leona didn't respond; only looked away.

Now Killua looked worry. "Ah man… You don't have to be so gloomy… Geez."

Kurapica was also worried about her unusual behaviour and checked her over to make sure she really didn't have any injuries. "Are you sure you're okay Leona?"

"… Yeah, I'm fine." Leona sighed heavily before sitting herself down on the marble floor and curled up into a ball. "I just… need to rest."

Suddenly, there was an awkward silence between the three friends. Kurapica, because he felt like he should say something but didn't know what, and Killua, because the atmosphere just felt… well awkward.

When a female friend is in need for cheering up, what does two young males do without making it seem weird or corny? Last time Leona was upset, Kurapica tried holding her hand, but that out of the question now because there are other people around... As for Killua, he knew next to nothing about how to deal with a gloomy girl, especially Leona. At times like these, both boys dreadfully missed their fourth missing friend.

_Where's Gon when you need him?_

* * *

There you have it guys! Chapter 16! XD I was fighting with writer's block to finish this so there may be too much mindless fighting in this chapter. I thank chidori-no-kage for being a great friend and helping me beta this chapter until 1 in the morning! Arigato! XD

(1) Killua called Leona otenba-san, which means tomboy in Japanese.

So the next chapter will have more of a main focus on both Killua and Gon. I don't think I've written much about their relationship in this story (since I've been focusing so much on Kurapica and Leona), so I hope to cover some of that in the next chapter. Hope you guys look forward to it! And once again I'll try to update soon, but I can't guarantee it especially since I'll be going on holiday soon… I'll be overseas in Asia for about a month.

**Anyways, please read and review! Your thoughts on this chapter are very much appreciated.**


	17. Chapter 17: White Haired Assassin

**Lead By Fate**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HunterxHunter or any of Yoshihiro Togashi's characters, though any other characters would be mine.

**Summary:** What if Leorio didn't take the Hunter Exam? What if his little sister took it for him instead? How would she play part in Gon's little group? Originally a FemLeorio story, but got switched to Leorio's little sister instead, but the concept is pretty much the same.

**Pairing:** Kurapica x OC

**Note:** _Italic_ for thought. _**Bold Italic**_ for sound effects.

* * *

**Chapter 17: White Haired Assassin**

_"Let me tell you something, you're not suited to be a Hunter."_

_I don't really want to be a Hunter…_

Blood trailed and dripped down from Killua's hand. Not his blood; the blood of the old man who now lay on the marbled floor, dying in his own pool of blood. His kill... Why did he kill him?

_"You were born and raised to be a killer. Killing is all you'll ever want to do."_

_I don't want to kill anymore… I want to be friends with Gon…_

Why **did** he kill the old man? Killua couldn't remember. Perhaps he just didn't want to be a hunter… or perhaps he never had a reason. He just… killed him. Staring down at his bloody hand, Killua retracted his sharp claws.

But… Gon didn't like violence; Gon wouldn't want him to do this. A slight panic filled Killua. Would Gon hate him now that he had killed?

_"Killers don't have friends. Who would want to be friends with a killer anyway?"_

_But… Gon doesn't mind… I told him… He didn't care…_

_"You're not qualified to have friends."_

Dread. The thought that Gon might not want to be his friend ate at him inside, until that feeling turned into numbness. In the end, Killua still didn't know why he killed the man, even as he walked out of the examination room, even as he walked out of the hotel…

* * *

Leona still couldn't comprehend what had just happened.

Turning on the sink tape, the girl let the rushing water run down her hands as she washed them. The brunette girl currently occupied the Women's bathroom after the hunter exam abruptly ended. Killua had intervened in her fight with Bodoro in the 7th round; he had stabbed the old man in the back with his sharp-clawed hand and was immediately disqualified.

_I never really understood that brat Killua, _she thought, _but this time topped everything he has done before._ The kid had never tried to help Leona before, so the thought that Killua would do so didn't make sense. She didn't believe she was in any trouble, but maybe he thought she was in some kind of danger? That still wasn't any reason to kill and get himself disqualified. Could Killua's brother have something to do with it?

Releasing a heavy breath, Leona walked out of the bathroom and was surprised to find Kurapica standing near the door. He had a serious look on his face.

"It's been confirmed that Bodoro has passed away due to extreme blood lost." He explained. "All the remaining examinees are to take a hunter information session in the seminar room now."

"I see..." Leona looked sadly down at her feet. So it really happened, she became a hunter by default and it was all because of that brat… But still, she was a pro-hunter now; she should be elated by that fact. She should be celebrating that Leorio will finally get to attend medical school; she had achieved what she had set out for after all…

So why couldn't she seem to bring herself to feel happy?

"What do you think of all this Kurapica?" Leona asked her blond friend as he turned towards the seminar room. "Do you think Killua really did it on purpose?"

Kurapica gave a moment of thought before answering. "I don't know. But one thing's for sure, he wasn't himself."

"Well, of course, he hadn't been himself since his fight with his brother." Leona grimaced at the memory before frowning. "Geez, what could that brat possibly be thinking?"

"Perhaps he wasn't thinking…"

"Huh?"

Kurapica brought his hand to his chin as his mind worked its cogs. "In fact I was thinking of bring it up with President Netero. I believe that Killua's brother might have controlled him somehow. It's possible with pressure and manipulation."

Leona blinked in surprise, that's something she hadn't thought of. "That… could explain why Killua was so out of it after that fight too. I mean sure I was upset after my fight with Hisoka, but Killua didn't seem to fit the category of upset."

"And those needles he used to alter his appearance… Maybe they're special needles that are capable of more than just face changing." Kurapica pointed out. "Maybe the brother stuck one on Killua without anyone noticing and forced him to kill."

Leona nodded in agreement before crossing her arms. "If those needles could change his pretty face to look like some ugly dude with ridiculous piercings, I'd say anything is possible with those needles. Though I don't know how reasonable that argument would be."

_Naturally, if you word it like that… _Kurapica sweat dropped before speaking out loud. "I just think they shouldn't disqualify Killua for his actions that probably weren't of his own will."

"Yeah…" Leona sighed again, "Besides, I think when Gon wakes up and hears about this, he's going to be pretty upset."

The blond nodded. "Gon's the main reason why I'm going to appeal for Killua. I can't imagine how Gon would feel when he finds out…" Because they both knew, when it really came down to it the white-haired boy was much closer to their green-clad friend than either Leona or Kurapica. Everything was for Gon's sake.

"**We** are going to appeal for Killua." Leona corrected. "Even if doing so might mean I'll be the one disqualified."

"I hope it wouldn't come to that either, but let's not waste any more time. We need to get to that information session. I'm sure President Netero will be there." And with that, the two friends quickly made their way to the seminar room.

* * *

Satotsu, the first phase examiner of the 287th Hunter Exam and a respectable Archaeological Hunter, had taken upon the duty of informing Gon – once he woke up – of his success in passing the hunter exam.

It was anticipated that the stubborn boy would refuse his new title and believe that he wasn't worthy of it, but with some convincing from the butler-like hunter, Gon finally accepted the hunter licence. He had vowed that he wouldn't use the licence until he had repaid his friends and proven to himself his worth as a hunter.

But now that the main event was over, Satotsu must also relay all that happened in the final exam, including how Killua managed to fail, which was the part he was quite hesitant about.

Satotsu would consider himself somewhat of an observer and analyst, and over the course of this exam, something that particularly stood out was the friendship between the two youngest contestants. A type of friendship that is quite rare to find especially in the Hunter Exam, since most people don't allow enough trust for such friendships to bloom. But in the case of Gon and Killua, trust between the two seemed almost immediate – or what has been observed. With him detailing the recent events, Satotsu would be able to see just how deep Gon's bond with Killua was; Gon's reaction will tell…

"Killua failed? But why… and how?" Gon asked in disbelief.

"That is… he made a mistake and was disqualified." He was honestly unsure how he was going to break it to the young lad, but Satotsu figured that the truth was the only way to go in such situations. "He interfered in a match and killed the opponent. It happened not too long after the 7th match began. I had a feeling he probably disqualified himself voluntarily."

"Satotsu-san," Gon said seriously. "What exactly happened while I was asleep?"

"I'll explain starting from after your match." Leaning forward, Satotsu began to recollect.

"The 2nd match had been Kurapica versus Hisoka. After fighting for a while, Hisoka whispered something to Kurapica and then renounced the fight. The 3rd match was Hanzo versus Pokkuru. The fight went the same way as yours; however Pokkuru admitted his defeat when Hanzo threatened to break his arm. The 4th match was Hisoka versus Leona. Much like the second match, they fought for a while too, but the end resulted in Leona admitting her defeat. Then there was the 5th match with Killua against Pokkuru. But just as the match started, Killua immediately forfeited, reasoning that it wasn't fun to fight Pokkuru, and gave him the win. I believe he must have thought that he would win his next match, but looking back at it now, it seemed like he had made a misjudgement…"

Gon inwardly sweat dropped. _Killua…_

* * *

"This is the Hunter Licence. Despite what you may think, it's just an ordinary card…"

Not paying much attention to their lecturer, Leona stared blankly at the Hunter manual that was handed to her once they entered the seminar room.

The room looked like a medium-sized auditorium with long desks that lined each row of steps down until they reached the stage on the bottom platform. It was relatively big for the small number of people that occupied it, so the remaining examinees didn't hesitate to spread themselves out. Leona had taken a seat in the desk behind Kurapica's.

Currently, President Netero, his bean-like assistant and some of the examiners were all situated on the platform, and had just begun the information session. They didn't even give any time for her and Kurapica to bring up their request. But knowing her friend's determination, Kurapica would bring it up even if it meant interrupting the session. Leona on the other hand, had decided she would let the blond do most of the talking, because if they wanted to revoke Killua's disqualification, they needed someone very persuasive to convince the President…

_And all this happened because that brat was so up himself and quit his first match…_ Leona mentally sighed. Thinking back, none of those complications would have happened if the white-haired boy had just taken the 'boring' victory.

* * *

**Several hours ago…**

_The brunette girl felt her mouth twitch awkwardly when Killua announced his forfeit without even attempting his match. It was his choice sure, but Leona couldn't help but feel that the boy was being extremely arrogant._

_With the fifth match already decided though, the jury immediately announced the sixth match between Bodoro and her. But suddenly, the old warrior raised his hand for the examiner's attention._

_"I'd like to request that the match be placed later." he demanded._

_"You're reason?" Netero asked._

_"I believe Miss Leona is not in the best condition to fight at the moment, and as a respectable warrior, it is unthinkable for me to fight a woman, much least an injured one."_

_Upon hearing this, Leona glared at Bodoro. "Hey! I'm not that weak! Don't underestimate me, I can still fight-!" but winced when her stomach started aching. He must have noticed that she had been clutching her stomach for some time; the place where Hisoka had landed a punch in her last match was still hurting._

_She felt Kurapica's hand on her shoulder. "Don't be reckless; this is a chance to let you recover." He reasoned._

_"But…"_

_"Request granted." Netero finalised, deciding for her. "We'll commence with the next pair."_

_"R-Right, the sixth match will now be Gitarakuru versus Killua! Please step to the centre!" The jury announced, and the two opponents stepped in. This time, Killua actually looked ready to fight his opponent._

_"Match start!"_

_Killua lowered his body, preparing to spring, and was about to move when Gitarakuru suddenly spoke. "It's been awhile, Kil."_

_Leona observed the white-haired boy go from mildly confused to full blown fear for probably the first time in the exam. He watched his strange opponent pull out, one by one, the piercings or _**needles**_ from his face; and while doing so, Gitarakuru's head began to deform and reconstruct itself until the last needle was removed. Long raven hair, that hadn't been there before, cascaded down the man's back. His masculine squared jawbone had become rounder and more feminine; his skin had turned sickly pale and eyes had become larger and more cat-like, with pupils of dark voids._

_"I-Illumi…niisan." Killua uttered._

"_Huh?"_ _Leona's eyes blinked several times as she was trying to take in the sudden turn of events. "That guy was Killua's brother all along?"_

_Beside her, Kurapica was also in disbelief. "He used those needles to change his appearance?"_

_Gitarakuru… or Illumi continued to talk to Killua. "Mum and Milluki told me you hit them."_

_"Yeah, you could say something like that." Killua replied somewhat stiffly._

_"Mum was crying. She said she was so proud of how much you've grown."_

_"Ah…"_

_It was then that Leona suddenly realised this was only the second time she was getting information about Killua's family. The first being Gon telling her that Killua came from a family of assassins, and now she was finding out how screwed up their family was…_

_"But she was still worried about you leaving on your own so she sent me to check up on you." Illumi explained. "To be honest, I'm only here because I needed the hunter licence for my next job. I didn't think I would meet you here, I didn't know you wanted to become a hunter."_

_"I don't really want to be a hunter…" Killua confessed. "I just wanted to try it out."_

_"Oh? Is that so? That's a relief." Though Illumi's impassive face didn't change as he said that. "So then let me tell you something, you're not suited to be a Hunter. You were born and raised to be a killer; a dark passionless puppet. You have no other need or desire other than the pleasure of killing others, because killing is all you'll ever want to do. There is nothing else you want."_

That's… such a mean thing to say. _Leona thought as she watched the older brother talk to Killua as if he was some mindless machine. If this was the type of thing the boy went through at home… then she was beginning to feel sorry for him. Sure he was a brat, but nobody deserves this type of treatment…_

_By now, Killua was looking down at the ground like a child being scowled. "There is… There is something else that I would like to have…" _

_"No, there isn't."_

_"Yes, there is!"_

_Illumi stared deep into his young brother's eyes. "Then tell me, what is this other thing you want?"_

_"I… want to become friends with Gon." Killua hesitated before finally speaking his mind. "I don't want to kill any more. I just want to have fun with Gon and be a normal kid-"_

_"That is impossible." Illumi interrupted. "Killers don't have friends. Who would want to be friends with a killer anyway? Spending so much time with Gon will only fuel your need to want to kill him, because you'll want to see if you can. It is in your nature to do so."_

_He was stunned silent. _

_"Killua!" Leona called out; she couldn't stand this anymore, the way their family saw things was just all screwed up! "I don't know about you, but isn't it obvious from the start that both you and Gon are friends?" Both Killua and Illumi looked up at her in surprise, causing Leona to frown impatiently. "I can't believe you didn't realise this, and you two get along so well. Stop worrying and win the match already! You should know Gon already thinks of you as a friend!"_

_It was small, but she was sure she saw a light of hope in Killua's eyes._

_"Is that so?" Illumi tilted his head in thought. "That's concerning if the other one already thinks his Kil's friend..." He suddenly clapped his hand. "I know; I'll just kill Gon."_

_It wasn't just Leona; everyone stood shocked in silent horror at the man's declaration._

_"Friends only get in the way of a killer." Illumi said as he held up his bobbed needles and began walking towards the door. "Where is he?"_

_The juror rushed to stop him. "Please wait! The match isn't over yet-" But with a flicked of the wrist, three needles pierced the man's head. Immediately, his head began to deform._

_"Where is Gon?" Illumi asked the man impassively, in which the poor juror had no choice but to answer; Gon was held in the room next to the examination room._

_Before any of the judges could do anything, Leona, Kurapica and Hanzo had already moved to block the doorway leading to Gon; ready and determined to stop the assassin at all cost._

_Seeing this, Illumi paused. "Ah! How silly of me, if I killed them here now I'll be disqualified, and the same applies for Gon. Damn, I really need this licence for the next job too..." he contemplated to himself. "The only way is to pass the exam and then kill him; there are no rules against that right?" That question was directed at Netero._

_"Yes, there are no rules against that." The president replied indifferently, which unnerved Leona a bit._

_Illumi turned back to his petrified brother. "Did you hear that Killua? If you want to save your friend you'll have to defeat me. But you can't, because you know that with your current strength you cannot defeat me."_

_Killua stood terrified as his brother reached his arm out towards him. He attempted to move back, but Illumi prevented him, saying that if he did he would initiate the start of the fight. But the older Zoldyeck continued to draw his hand closer. If they made contact it would also mean the start of the fight; Killua was in a tight situation._

_"You know how to end this Killua... But if you do, remember that it's Gon's life…"_

_It was either, fight his older brother or surrender the match; his life or Gon's. Despite how much Killua wanted to save Gon, Leona saw that he just couldn't bring himself to fight Illumi. Something was holding him back, this unnatural terror that froze his entire body. At the back of her mind, Leona sympathised with the boy; if she was told to she wouldn't be able to bring herself to fight her brother either._

_As Illumi's hand drew closer, panic filled Killua more and more, until finally he ducked his head and uttered, "I surrender."_

_Disbelief; nobody had expected the boy to give up without a fight. For a moment the room went completely silent again._

"_Ah! That's good." Illumi clapped his hand. "And that concludes this match."_

_Laughing lightly, he patted Killua on the shoulder. "I lied, Kil. I wasn't really going to kill Gon, I was just testing you. Now I have my answer." But moving in closer, Illumi muttered, "You're not qualified to have friends, nor do you need them. You should just listen to Father and I. Go back to doing your job as you always have. There will be a time where it is necessary to pass the Hunter Exam, but now is not the time."_

_Then after the end of the match, Killua simply closed himself off and didn't say or react to anyone. Both Leona and Kurapica tried to talk to him, but he won't respond. It was like déjà vu of her first match, but instead of Leona sulking, it was now Killua. However, there wasn't enough time to find out what happened when the seventh match was announced soon after._

_With Killua forgotten for a bit, both Leona and Bodoro got into stance when once again a new juror declared the start of the match._

_Bodoro was obviously still uneasy about facing a female opponent, but he had no other choice now. At the same time, Leona still hadn't completely recovered from Hisoka's punch, but she was a lot better off than she was before. Considering the fact that Bodoro _may_ go easy on her and that Leona had _probably_ regained her health, the girl concluded that they were both most likely evenly matched._

"_I still would have preferred you at least bring a weapon with you though." Bodoro voiced his displeasure._

_Leona frowned._ _"Don't underestimate me just because I'm a girl. I'm just as capable a fighter as you! I don't need my weapon to make you give up!"_

_It was a challenge, and Bodoro took it. "Hmph, we'll see about that."_

_Charging towards her, the older man showed much vitality, despite his age. Aiming a vertical fist punch (1) at her chest, Leona reacted in the last second by shifting to the side. She grabbed Bodoro's fist and shoulder and tripped the man off balance before pushing him hard into the ground._

_Jumping back, she then allowed Bodoro to push himself up and move back into stance. Once again he charged at her and the two exchanged blows. With some effort, Leona managed to grab his arm again and preforms a shoulder throw._

_Like before, Leona backed away to let the older man recover; however it wasn't until Bodoro was standing again that both opponents suddenly noticed that there was someone standing right behind Bodoro; it was Killua._

_Within seconds, the white haired boy had his clawed fingers impaled into Bodoro's back. Leona could only gasp in shock as she witnessed the whole thing; her opponent falling lifelessly to the ground, and Killua standing over him with a bloody hand and empty eyes._

* * *

"He neither spoke nor glanced at her, or anyone, for even a second; he simply turned around and walked out the door…The committee immediately announced Killua disqualified." Satotsu concluded.

Gon clenched his fist, he had heard enough. Without a word, he threw off the sheets that covered him and made his way towards the door. The examiner called after him, but paused when Gon turned and Satotsu saw the look in his eyes.

"Where is everyone?" Even the tone of his voice was lower.

"In the seminar room…" And Gon was immediately out the door.

"Wait, Gon! You still need your rest!" Satotsu followed suit. He knew it, felt it like a shiver down his spine; Gon was dangerous.

_Things are going to get interesting from now on._

* * *

Here you have it, Chapter 17! I'm so sorry, due to this year being my final year of university; I've been forced to put my focus on my assignments and haven't really touched this story for ages, so this chapter may have come out a bit weak with that really long flashback…

(1) I noticed that Bodoro had used the vertical fist punch on Hisoka in the re-make anime, and decided to use it here too; Google it for more information if you're interested.

Some people have been asking me questions about this story, so I'll answer a few of them.

_How long will you take the story?  
_I plan to end this as Part 1 after the gang rescues Killua and Leona has a little arc of her own, before they split up to go their separate ways. There will be a part 2 and probably a part 3, up to the Election arc, depending on how creative I'm feeling.

_Will you follow the original story?_  
I'll follow the timeline of events that occur in the manga, but will not follow it strictly because my main focus will be Leona's side of the story.

_What's the town's 'tradition' when Leona turn's 16?_  
That will soon be revealed as the story progresses. It's not actually that important, but I'm not telling you what it is right now. ;)

If you guys have any other questions about this story, feeling free to ask in the reviews. Once again, I'm sorry for the late update. Chapter 18 is already underway, so it shouldn't take too long this time.

**Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews! I'm so happy you guys like this story so much, it makes me blush! XD **


	18. Chapter 18: We're Not Finished Yet

**Lead By Fate**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HunterxHunter or any of Yoshihiro Togashi's characters, though any other characters would be mine.

**Summary:** What if Leorio didn't take the Hunter Exam? What if his little sister took it for him instead? How would she play part in Gon's little group? Originally a FemLeorio story, but got switched to Leorio's little sister instead, but the concept is pretty much the same.

**Pairing:** Kurapica x OC

**Note:** _Italic_ for thought. _**Bold Italic**_ for sound effects.

* * *

**Chapter 18:**** We're Not Finished Yet**

_**BAM!**_

The door of the seminar room was literally kicked open, startling most of the occupants in the room. Gon stormed in, scanned the room for a certain assassin-cum-examinee and found him situated near the front of the room.

"Gon…" Leona watched the younger boy make his way down the steps towards Illumi. She may have been a bit off when she said he would be upset. No, Gon was absolutely pissed. Something that Leona had never seen from the boy before; it was a bit unnerving.

Once Gon was levelled with Illumi, he glared daggers at the assassin. "Apologise to Killua."

"Apologise? For what?" Illumi asked simply.

Gon frowned. "You don't know what you did wrong?"

"Nope."

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

"Do I need to earn the right to be his brother?" Never once did Illumi lose his composure, nor did he show any form of concern. This peeved Gon so much, he gave no thought when he shot his hand out to grab the man's forearm and swung him into the air – surprising everyone in the room with his sudden strength. However, Illumi quickly regained his balance and was able to land back on his feet like a cat, despite the fact that the boy never lost his firm grip on his arm.

"Killua doesn't need to earn the right to be my friend either!"

_This boy is…_ Looking down, Illumi noticed that Gon was gripping his forearm hard enough to break one of the bones – probably the ulna – and felt a small sense of wonder wash over him. Perhaps, Killua's friends aren't as feeble as they appear, but that could potentially be just as dangerous.

"Let's go." Gon finally said while pulling on the man's arm. "Don't bother apologising; just take me to where Killua is."

"And then what will you do?"

"I'll rescue him obviously!"

"You make it sound like I kidnapped him, but Killua left on his own." Illumi pointed out.

But Gon wasn't having any of it. "He didn't do it by choice! He was forced and manipulated by you guys! That is the same as kidnapping!"

_Oh dear… _Leona mentally sighed. _If you had gotten here just a bit earlier Gon…_ Both she and Kurapica glanced at each other in understanding.

"Actually Gon," it was Netero who spoke. "We were discussing this very subject before you came in. Both Kurapica and Leona have lodged complaints. We are discussing now the fairness of Killua's disqualification."

Kurapica took this as an opportunity to further elaborate on his claim before Gon burst in the room. He went into detail about Killua's odd behaviour after his match and how that could have been an indication that he was being hypnotised. Due to Killua's family background, manipulating him to kill would have been easier than if it was done on someone else; Killua was never taught moral limits and won't have any hesitation with the order.

Leona also added to her friend's argument that since the killing had occurred during her fight, Killua could have also possibly been trying to help her, meaning the one who should be disqualified would actually be her. But regardless of the reason, the conclusion was that Killua must have been either manipulated or forced to kill against his will, and hence should not be disqualified for his actions.

The President heard their theories until the end, but that was all it was – speculation. "We have no real proof that there was any manipulation involved or that Killua had been hypnotised, it's really all just a guess isn't it?" Kurapica regrettably nodded. "Regarding the match between Leona and Bodoro, it's true that it happened during the fight, but each of you had advantages and disadvantages that evened out any odds. Bodoro despite his age had the advantage of experience and despite Leona's injury; her fighting skills were more effective. In my opinion, there wasn't any need for Killua's intervention; not in **that** match anyway."

Leona didn't miss the emphasis, and the sad part was that she also thought the same thing. She knew that if there were a need to interfere, it would be during her fight with Hisoka. But she had been able to hold out on her own just fine, so there was no question that she wouldn't be able to do the same with Bodoro…

"You know what I find suspicious?" Pokkuru suddenly spoke, turning around in his seat to glare at Kurapica. "How is it that **your** fight ended the way it did? What did Hisoka say to you that made him quit? I can understand how threats can result in the one being threatened to forfeiting the match, but in your case it was completely the opposite, it was more like an agreement. Why don't you tell us what he said?"

Kurapica didn't appear fazed. "I don't have to answer you. If my qualification isn't natural, then victories by default can't be considered natural either."

This ticked the archer off, "Just what are you implying with that?" _Ouch…_ Leona pouted; after all she technically passed by default as well…

"Hey! Geez! If you don't mind, I want to get this thing over with and go home already." Hanzo sighed loudly in exasperation.

The room was becoming more and more unsettled; it was stopped however by Gon's voice. "None of this is any of my business. It's not something we should be arguing about either. If you're not happy with your qualification then train until you're satisfied. As for Killua, it's a pity he failed this time, if he re-takes the exam next time, he'll definitely pass and earn the title of Hunter."

"But if he was manipulated and forced to kill people against his will …" Gon tightened his grip on Illumi's arm. "Then I won't forgive you. I'll bring back Killua and make sure he never sees you again!"

Illumi's void-black eyes bore into his bright, determined ones. It wasn't until the assassin moved his free hand towards Gon that he felt a dangerous eerie sensation and immediately released his arm and backed off a few feet.

_He can sense it._ Illumi noted to himself.

"Well, is everything alright now?" Netero spoke, reminding everyone where they were. "It's just as Gon said, examinees are free to choose whether they deserve their new title or not. But regardless of what you decide we won't change our verdict; your successes will remain as well Killua's disqualification."

With one final nod that ended all arguments, the President smiled to lighten the atmosphere. "I say we resume the Hunter information session now, and since everyone is present, we'll restart from the beginning so nobody misses out."

Once everyone was seated and Gon was given an information manual, Netero's green assistant began his lecture once again. He covered many things from Hunter benefits to common problems that they would run into. There were even certain rules that all Hunters must follow; luckily, none of them prevented Leona from using her license for her brother's medical education. It all took around 2 hours for the session to finish and it was already late in the afternoon when Mr. Beans finally concluded his lecture.

"Thank you all for listening. With that, I am finished with my explanation. From here on out, all seven of you are now registered pro-hunters!"

* * *

"In the end, we weren't able to do anything for Killua's situation…" Leona sighed, once she and Kurapica stepped out of the seminar room. Almost everyone else had already left the room before them.

"I had a suspicion that things would turn out this way." Kurapica admitted. "But it was worth a try to at least voice our opinions even if it was useless."

"I wonder if Gon's okay…" Both turned back to look at their younger friend, only to find him confronting Killua's brother again.

"You should give up." Illumi told him.

"As if I would! Killua is my friend, and I'll find him whatever the cost!"

Looking up, the assassin noticed Killua's two other 'friends' staring back at him with as much determination as the little one in front of him, and something else…protectiveness?

"Hmm, Killua has probably gone back home – in Kukuru Mountain; our family estate sits on top of that mountain." Illumi finally said before making his exist. "Well, it's not like you'll be able to reach him anyway."

As the three watched him disappear down the hall, each had their own different thoughts in mind. Now that Gon has an idea of where Killua is, he was determined even more to find his white-haired friend. Kurapica on the other hand, was weary of the Zoldyeck, he wasn't sure if they should trust anything the man said. While Leona couldn't help but think that cockiness must be a trait that runs in their family.

* * *

The Hunter Exam has now officially ended. In front of the hotel that was their final testing area, all seven newly licensed Hunters stood before the President for the last time as he delivered his parting words.

"The moment you step out of this building, we will be considered as equals; Hunters that could be either companion or enemy. I wish you all well until the next time we meet again, but for now its farewell to all of you." And just like that, the old man walked through the door and left them.

Somehow, Leona felt this kind of ending rather… dull. As if they just handed you the license and said 'now off you go'. Or perhaps it was because the reality still hasn't hit her yet. Either way, she **was** a fully licensed Hunter now, she'll have to call Leorio and Uncle Beni and tell them the good news soon.

But first thing's first. "Gon, how are you feeling? How's your arm?" Leona asked her young friend when they situated under a tree in the hotel's garden.

"Oh, I'm fine." Gon replied. "Satotsu-san said my arm will need to be in a cast for a few months, but it doesn't hurt or anything."

"You'll have to make sure you don't use that arm in the mean time or it won't heal." She explained. "And when you need to wash it, use a cloth. Don't move it too much either, it'll affects the healing process."

"Alright, thanks Leona. You know a lot about this stuff, don't you?" Gon smiled.

Seeing the smile, Leona was pleased to know that the boy was slowly going back to his old cheerful self. "Well, I may have picked up a few things from Leorio-niisan's textbooks…"

Gon blinked. "Niisan? I didn't know you had a brother, Leona."

"Oh, I guess I never told you. My brother's the reason I wanted to become a Hunter in the first place."

"Ah, that's kind of like me. Except, my dad's the reason I came here…" Gon trailed off slowly before suddenly looking up again. "Do you know where Kukuru Mountain is, Leona? That's where Killua is supposed to be."

Leona blinked at the sudden subject change, but eventually shook her head. "I've never even heard of Kukuru Mountain before, let alone know where it is." Regrettably, geography was not her strong point. It didn't help that taking the Hunter exam was the only time she had ever left home. If she was seriously going to become a Hunter, she'll need to build up on her worldly general knowledge… "Do you know where it is, Kurapica?"

But their blond friend appeared to be deep in thought.

"Um… Kurapica?" Leona called out; she had thought he had been a little too quiet.

"Oh… Sorry, what was that?"

"We were talking about Kukuru Mountain. Do you know where it is?"

"No, I don't." Kurapica admitted. "But I'm sure we'll find it if we searched online…"

"Yo!" A voice suddenly called out to them, it was Hanzo. The ninja walked up to them with a friendly grin. "I'm going back to my country. It was only for a short time, but it was fun being acquainted with your guys." _Wow, it really had just only been a few weeks…_ now that Leona thought about it, but it felt more like months.

"Yeah, it was fun for me too!" Gon grinned back; and as expected, it appeared the boy held no grudges against Hanzo for breaking his arm. Both Leona and Kurapica just nodded in agreement.

Reaching into his pocket, Hanzo took out three cards and handed them to Leona. "If you guys ever decide to visit my country, let me know. I'll show you all the best tourist spots." With that, he gave her a suggestive wink before bidding them all farewell and walking off.

_What was that?_ Leona raised an eyebrow before looking at the cards in her hand; both Gon and Kurapica looked as well.

**Cloud-Hidden Ninja  
Hanzo**

All three friends sweat dropped in disbelief. It was enough that he was a particularly talkative ninja, but a ninja that actually tries to standout? At least he doesn't walk around wearing orange or some ridiculous colour like that…

"Hey!" Another voice called out to them, this time it was Pokkuru. The archer stood before them looking at Kurapica apologetically. "Sorry for losing my wits back there."

"Ah no, I was at fault too. I'm sorry." Kurapica apologised as well.

"No, I was mad because you were right. I was frustrated that I became a Hunter in such an unsatisfying way, and I took it out on you. But I'm over it now." Pokkuru smiled. "Since we're all Hunters now, let's make the best of it! I've decided I'm going to travel the world and discover new unknown species; an Exotic Beast Hunter!"

"Wow, an Exotic Beast Hunter…" Gon said in wonder. While Leona didn't even realise that there was such a job. What kind of Hunter should she be? She hadn't really thought about it. No… first she should worry about her brother's education…

"We should keep in contact and help each other out." Pokkuru suggested before pulling out his own card and handing it to Gon. "Here's my email address. Let me know when something comes up." And just like Hanzo, he left them with a parting word.

"Everyone's going their separate ways; it feels kind of sad…" Leona mused. Gon nodded.

"It would feel that way since everyone has been through a lot together." Kurapica agreed as well. "We should also make our way to the lobby. There should be computers there we could use."

Out of the corner of his eye, Gon spotted someone passing by and waved at them. "Ah! Satotsu-san!" To his friends he said, "I'm going over. I've got something to ask him." before quickly walking over to the mouth-less examiner.

"We'll be waiting at the lobby for you then, Gon." Kurapica called out to him.

"Okay!"

* * *

"Kukuru Mountain, a 3722 metres-high mountain, it's located in Dentora's province in the Republic of Padokia."

Once Gon arrived at the lobby, he found Leona and Kurapica already at a computer looking up information about the mountain – they were using Kurapica's hunter card at the moment.

"Republic of Padokia, that's where Killua is… Where is that?" Gon asked.

With a few clicks, Kurapica had the world map on the computer screen, with a dot showing where they are currently and a cross showing their destination.

"This is the Republic of Padokia." He informed them. "It's a stable country that even allows in ordinary tourists. By airship, it'll take us about three days to reach the area… When should we leave?"

Gon grinned happily. "Let's go today! Right now!"

"I don't mind." Leona also approved.

"Got it, I'll order the tickets right now." And Kurapica began clicking and typing away.

Leona couldn't help smiling. Though Gon had never asked them to go with him, both she and Kurapica had already mutually agreed to tag along with their green-clad friend. After all, he **was** going to visit the Zoldyeck's place; a family of assassins. That can't be the safest place to be… Though this would also mean going back home would have to wait. She could see it now; a mental image of Leorio sobbing waterfalls while hugging her and crying out her name. Yep, she's was going to have to call home very soon.

"Oh Kurapica, could you look up on a Hunter named 'Ging Freecss' afterwards?" Gon suddenly asked.

"Sure. I'll look on the Hunter's site. There should be a list of Hunters there."

Leona's curiosity pecked. "Who's that, Gon?"

"My dad." The boy replied with a small smile.

This surprised his two friends. _That's right. Gon had said the reason he took the Hunter Exam was to find his father. _They both had almost completely forgotten that fact, with all the recent events that occurred.

"Ging Freecss… Found it." Kurapica pointed to the name on the screen. "Let's go in."

Once he clicked the link, both Gon and Leona leaned closer over the blond's shoulders.

**The information on this person is in  
ABSOLUTE SECRET.**

Kurapica was shocked. "What? Even on the Hunter's site?"

"What does that mean?" Both Gon and Leona asked.

"It means that all available information about him on the internet are forbidden and under high security. He must have been registered under the 'top secret' list." Kurapica turned to his friends. "Only someone who's incredibly powerful in society and incredibly rich can go on that list."

"Wow Gon…" Leona patted the boy's shoulder. "Your dad must be someone extremely important."

"Yeah…" Gon nodded. It looks like finding his father would be a lot harder than he imagined. "But that can wait, right now Killua comes first!"

Both Leona and Kurapica gave each other a look before smiling. Everyone was putting something off to go find Killua. It just goes to show how close the friends have become throughout the duration of the Hunter Exam; and Leona wouldn't have it anyway other way.

"Our flight departs in two hours. We better hurry."

* * *

As the sun began setting over the horizon, Isaac Netero – Chairman of the Hunter's Association, looked out of his office window and saw an airship flying across the sky. A smile tugged his beard-covered lips.

Pulling out his phone, the elderly man dialled an almost long forgotten number and waited at the ringing tone.

_**Ring Ring… Ring Ring… Ring Ring… Click.**_

"…**Old man, are you finally at the age where you start calling the wrong number?"** a flat voice answered.

Netero couldn't help but grin. "Hohoho! Oh, but I'm quite sure I've called the right number, since I'm talking to the man I'm looking for."

"**When was the last time you actually needed me for anything?"**

"Oh but, I never said anything about needing your services." The grin never left his face when Netero heard the other man sigh over the phone. "I called to simply chat to an old friend, can't you give an old geezer that much?"

A snort could be heard. **"One does not just simply idle chat with you, Netero. But I'll humor you; what do you want?"**

"Just wanted to know when you started taking up students again, Benitori. I met one at the last exam. I have to say, it was quite a delight once I remembered why her style was so familiar; you taught her well."

"**So you met Leona, eh? I guess by the sounds of it, she passed."**

"Ever the observant one, aren't you? That's why you're no fun to tease. But yes, she did in fact pass, along with six other applicants."

"**I see, a good year. Who were the examiners?"**

"Menchi and Buhara were one of them."

"**Ah… They did well."** Benitori complimented the examinees.

"Indeed." Netero stroked his beard. "Since you are close to one of our candidates, I'll be expecting you to conduct the 'secret exam' on Leona; monthly reports are appreciated. I'm surprised you didn't teach her sooner."

"**Demanding old geezer, I believe in well-rounded students."**

"Hohoho! As expected from a member of the Hunter's Resource Team. Single-star Combat Hunter, Benitori, it was a pleasure speaking with you again, old chap."

"**Likewise, Chairman Netero; I knew you were incapable of idle talk."**

"You know me too well, old friend. You know me too well." And with that, the President hung up his phone with a small smile.

He looked forward to what would become of this year's new hunters.

* * *

So it looks like I lied when I said this chapter wouldn't take too long. I'm sorry! I've been putting it on hold for other commitments… but here it is now!

There wasn't much that happened in this chapter, though you did find out a bit about Benitori. Next chapter, the gang heads to rescue Killua. But Leona needs to make that little phone call to her brother for approval. What will Leorio's reaction be?

Find out in the next chapter! Muhahaha!

**Thank you so much to those who have reviewed this story! Keep them up! I love reading them and knowing what you think about it!**


	19. Chapter 19: The Testing Gate

**Lead By Fate**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own HunterxHunter or any of Yoshihiro Togashi's characters, though any other characters would be mine.

**Summary:** What if Leorio didn't take the Hunter Exam? What if his little sister took it for him instead? How would she play part in Gon's little group? Originally a FemLeorio story, but got switched to Leorio's little sister instead, but the concept is pretty much the same.

**Pairing:** Kurapica x OC

**Note:** _Italic_ for thought. _**Bold Italic**_ for sound effects.

* * *

**Chapter 19:**** The Testing Gate**

Leorio was anxious; heart pounding, palm sweating, pacing around the room anxious.

"Oi Benitori! You **sure** they finished the hunter exam already? It's been three days since then! Leona should have called by now!" The tall brunet man yelled at the Hunter casually reading the newspaper on his couch.

Looking up, Benitori sighed. "It was confirmed by the Chairman himself. He isn't the type to call before the end of the exam. As for why Leona hasn't called yet, perhaps something held her up."

Leorio gasped as horrible possibilities ran through his head. "What if she was injured during the exam and she's in a hospital right now? Or something bad happened right after the exam?"

"Or maybe she's planning a surprise return?" The Hunter offered. "I don't believe Leona knows that we know the exam has ended already."

"That's a possibility too I guess…" Leorio mumbled, before continuing to pace around the room. "Still… it's not like her to not tell me things right after it happened…"

Benitori returned to his newspaper with a mental sigh of exasperation. Perhaps it was a bad decision on his part for informing Leorio about the end of the exam before his sister had the chance to. Perhaps if he hadn't, he wouldn't be dealing with the anxious younger man right now and for the last 3 days. At the time after the call from the Chairman, it had seemed a good idea, but now it lead to this annoyance. It did worry him slightly that Leona still hadn't called them back, but only slightly. If she didn't call or come back in a week's time, he'll take action. But for now, they'll wait.

Suddenly, a knock on the front door rang through the apartment. Leorio made a mad dash for it.

It wasn't his sister behind the door, much to his disappointment. But after a quick glance at the nicely dressed, teenage male holding a bouquet of flowers, Leorio felt another growing horror run through him.

"Hi! Is Leona-san in?"

Leorio felt his eye beginning to twitch in irritation, his suspicion was confirmed. Looking out and down the hallway, he was irked to see a couple more boys standing around outside his apartment wearing similar attire. _Fuck._

"Listen here you." Leorio roughly grabbed the collar of the boy standing at his door. "Get your little ass and your little friends out of here right now, or I'll do it personally myself." The threat got instant results; the boy nervously nodded before dashing away screaming like a little girl. The others soon followed after.

Slamming the door shut, Leorio leaned back on it with a sigh. "Shit! They're already here, and it's not even that time yet!"

Benitori had to think a bit before it finally struck him. "Ah, you mean it's **that** time." He shakes his head in amusement. "Perhaps, it's a good thing Leona's not here right now."

As much as he hates to admit, Leorio had to grunt in agreement.

_**Ring Ring… Ring Ring…**_

Pulling out his phone from his coat pocket, Benitori didn't recognise the caller ID number showing on the screen. He answered it anyway.

"Yes?"

"**Uncle Beni! It's me, Leona."** Ah, there was the call they've all been waiting for.

"Ah, Leona, you've finished the exam." Leorio looked up at the sound of his sister's name.

"**Yes, yes I did. I passed, Uncle Beni! I'm an official licensed Hunter now!"**

"I see. Congratulations."

"Leona!" Leorio practically leaped at the older man, snatching the phone out of his hand. "Is that you, Leona? Why did it take you so long to call back? Didn't you finish the exam three days ago?"

"**Eh? How… how did you know I finished three days ago, Niisan?"**

"Ehh…Benitori told me." That's right, Leona doesn't know about her mentor being a Hunter. "But don't worry about that right now, you're not hurt or anything, are you?"

"**No, I'm fine, Leorio-niisan. And it's not because I didn't want to call back, but I couldn't call at all. I was on an airship for the last three days and I didn't have access to a phone. I'm currently at Padokia right now…"**

Leorio widen his eyes in shock and worry. "What are you doing all the way in Padokia? Did you get lost? Do you need Niisan to come get you?"

"**N-no, that won't be necessary brother! A lot of things happened during the Hunter Exam…"**

* * *

Leona sighed. While she knew she should have seen it coming, she didn't expect her brother to react so frantically about the fact that she didn't go straight home. Well, that's older brothers for you. After telling Leorio all about the friends she made during the exam and what happened during the final exam, she had to convince her worry-wart brother to let her search for their lost friend in an unfamiliar country. She specifically left out the fact that this friend they were searching for was an elite assassin from a family of infamous assassins, and they were going to visit their lair… But even so, Leorio was still overly concerned. Eventually, Uncle Beni took over the phone again.

"**How long will you be there for?"** He asked.

"Um, I don't really know, but I'll regularly call to tell you our progress. I expect it'll take a while though…"

"**Hmmm… Alright, stay safe and be careful. I'll keep your brother in check until you get back."**

Leona couldn't help but smile when she heard a "What do you mean keep me in check?" in the background; obliviously Leorio. "Thanks, Uncle Beni. Sorry for the trouble."

"**Yes, you owe me big time. But we can discuss that later."**

Leona gave a small laugh before saying farewell and hanging up the public pay phone. She was going to need to buy her own cell phone one of these days.

When she told her brother she was in Padokia, she was more specifically in the airport of the Republic of Padokia. It wasn't until when they boarded the airship in Zaban City that Leona realised she didn't have access to a phone to call home, so the moment they got off the airship, she went straight to the nearest phone available. In the meantime, both Gon and Kurapica had gone off somewhere to look for information on how to get into the Dentora province.

_But something's not right… How did Uncle Beni know when the exam ended? Damn, I should have asked…_

"Leona!" Gon waved at her when she was spotted heading in their direction.

"Sorry I took so long you guys." Leona said as she ran up to them.

Gon grinned reassuringly. "Don't worry, we didn't wait that long."

"We found out, there's a train we can take to get to Dentora." Kurapica explained, "Gon and I already got us tickets for the next train."

"Awesome! Then what are we waiting for? Let's go." Leona smiled excitedly. Though a part of her knew it was dangerous, the other part was more than a little intrigued to see Killua's home.

The train ride took about two hours before they arrived in the Dentora region. All the while, Gon was excitedly staring out the window, taking in all the mountainous scenery. Both Leona and Kurapica weren't as enthusiastic, but they occasionally stared out the window too. When there were closer to their destination, the friends managed to spot the looming darkness of Kukuru Mountain in the distance.

"So that's the base of the infamous Zoldyeck family…" Leona commented. _The darkness is really fitting…_

Kurapica nodded. "We should start gathering information once we arrive."

"Alright, that sounds like a plan."

"I can't wait to see Killua! He's place looks so cool already!" Gon grinned, sticking his head outside the window.

_He's not worried at all that we're going into the lair of killers?_ Both Leona and Kurapica shared a look of concern for their younger friend.

"Eh, Gon, perhaps you shouldn't stick your head out like that…"

* * *

After asking a grocery seller about the mountain, the lady pointed them to a tour bus that would not only take them to Kukuru Mountain, but to the Zoldyeck family estate. Leona was shocked, to said the least, she didn't expect that the assassin family's base was a **tourist **attraction. Though the way these people talked about them, it was almost as if the family was a legend. Nobody has ever seen them before.

_It's weird. They don't hide their location, but no one knows what they look like. What's with that?_ Leona mused with a frown.

Once they got on the bus and the trip began, a pretty uniformed lady spoke as their tour guide. "Welcome everyone! Thank you for taking the Terror Bus Tour today. We will be visiting Kukuru Mountain, home to the famous Zoldyeck family of assassins…"

While Gon was happily looking out the window watching the scenery, both Leona and Kurapica looked around the bus. They saw a lot of genuine tourists snapping pictures on their cameras, but also saw some suspicious-looking people too. Two men sitting at the back of the bus, one of them rather large in built, didn't appear like they were here for sightseeing. They carried with them what looked like concealed weapons, and seemed the type you didn't want to mess with. Where they here for the Zoldyeck family?

The bus ride took about an hour, and occasionally the guide would give bits of information about the mountain and the assassin family. They found out that Killua had quite a large family, consisting of a great-grandfather, grandfather, grandmother, father, mother and five children; Killua being one of the five. All of them were assassins.

_Gosh… talk about family business._ Leona thought nervously.

Once the bus finally stopped, the three friends found themselves staring at an enormous gate with equally enormous walls beside it. Darkly decorated with stone dragons at the top and around the frame, the structure was easily over ten stories high. The gate was marked with 7 numerals along the centre, but nobody knew what their purpose was.

"That is… wow… I don't even…" Leona struggled to find the right words to describe what she was seeing. She had never seen anything like it. But one thing's for sure, the Zoldyecks must **love** to stand out. Both Gon and Kurapica just stared with an amazed expression.

"This is the front gate of the Zoldyeck estate." The guide explained. "Also known as the Door to Hades because no one who has entered in ever returned alive. To enter, you must pass through the door beside the security checkpoint." To the lower right corner of the large gate was a smaller door. A small building was positioned next to it; the 'security' checkpoint. "But the area beyond the gate is private property, so we are not allowed to proceed." The lady finished.

"Wait… This is the front gate?" Leona asked incredulously. "But the mountain's still so far away!"

Guide lady smiled. "That's right! The Zoldyecks own Kukuru Mountain as well as the surrounding land."

_Holy crap! They _own _the mountain? _Leona's head was spinning with just how freaking **rich** Killua's family would be. "And, all the rest is like their private garden…"

"Hey, Ms Guide, what do we have to do to get inside?" Gon asked innocently.

Guide lady hummed, a finger poking her own cheek. "Little boy, did you not hear what I just said? If you go inside, you'll never get out alive! There are assassins living in there…"

"It's all a sham."

Suddenly, the two suspicious men towered over their group. "A family of assassins that no one's ever seen… Ha! Did you know that just a photo of their faces is worth a hundred million?"

Leona blinked in shock. _Damn, if I had known I would have taken one…_

"But it's all just a case of rumors becoming legend to hide the dull reality. They're probably nothing special." The two arrogant men strutted towards the security building and the big one literally torn the door off its hinges. He grabbed the poor old guard in the building and demanded he open the gate.

"I-I can't do that! My master will not be pleased!" The old guard plead.

The shorter man, holding a large sword, simply smirked. "Don't worry; we're going to kill that master of yours."

With a stressed sigh, the guard reluctantly gave them the key to the door, only to be tossed aside once the men grabbed the key. They disappeared behind the door with a laugh.

"Are you okay?" Gon ran up to help the fallen guard.

"Yes, I'm fine." The old man sighed before staring at the door the men just walked through. "Man… Mike's going to end up eating between meals again…"

"Huh?"

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!" The screams of the men caused Leona to jump and unconsciously grab onto Kurapica's tabard.

There was a moment of tense silence before suddenly the door opened slightly. A skull peeped through the gape. Leona immediately shot her hands up to cover her gaping mouth while both Gon and Kurapica went on guard. The skull was soon revealed to be a skeleton and another – the remains of the two now clearly dead men – being held by a giant **massive** claw that all but tossed the remains like garbage on the ground.

Screams of the guide and the other tourists filled the air as they all bolted back into the tour bus in utter terror.

"Mike! The master said you're only supposed to eat at the assigned times!" The guard yelled at the thing that had disappeared back behind the door. "Don't blame me if you get fat!"

Now Gon started to look curious while both Leona and Kurapica were still horrified at what they saw.

"What was that?" Kurapica asked incredulously.

"I-I don't know… But whatever it was, it's huge!" Leona still had her hands over her mouth, a reflex action to anything that seriously shocked or scared her – this was one of those times.

"Hey you guys!" Guide lady shouted out to them. "What are you doing? Get on the bus, we're leaving!"

"Ah, actually," Gon stood up calmly with an innocent cheerful smile. "You can leave; we're going to stay here."

Both Guide lady and even the old guard looked stunned at what the young boy said.

Leona gave a mental sigh. Truthfully, she didn't want to stay, but… _only for you, Gon._

* * *

"I see… it's a real pleasure to meet Killua-kun's friends. I've been working here for 20 years, and you're the first ones to come in peace." The guard, who introduced himself as Zebro, smiled and poured them all a cup of tea. "Since I work here, I'm not really supposed to say this, but… it's a very lonely place. Nobody ever visits, expect for people like them." He pointed to the garbage can that now holds the remains of the two men from before. "I guess it's just the way things are around here though. But I'm glad you came. Thank you." The man smiled and bowed deeply. "However, I can't let you inside."

Gon, Kurapica and Leona all stood in silence. Were all they efforts to come here in vain? They arrive at Killua's home only to be turned away?

"You saw it, didn't you?" He continued. "The paw of that giant creature… That's Mike, the guard dog of the Zoldyeck family. It only obeys the orders of the family; otherwise it does whatever it wants." Zebro lit a cigarette. "It still loyally obeys the orders that were given ten years ago, which was to kill all intruders. That's why I can't let you guys in; I won't let Killua's friends be reduced to bones."

Leona sighed in distress. What now? Looking at Gon, she knew the boy wouldn't take this sitting down. Heck, knowing him, Gon might even be crazy enough to take the key and go in anyway. It's not the first time he was unintentionally suicidal.

"Zebro-san, how is it that you're unharmed?" Kurapica suddenly asked, causing everyone to look at him. "You go inside, right? If not, you wouldn't have a key."

"That's a good observation." The guard smiled. "But you're only half right. To enter, I don't use the key – that's reserved for intruders. So many have come in the past trying to open the door, and when they discover they can't, they try to destroy it. It quickly got annoying, so the side door with a lock was built to lure intruders to that. They steal the key from me, and I don't resist."

_The whole key thing was a trap! _Leona gawked that the realisation.

"I take on the appearance of a security guard, but I'm actually only a groundkeeper. I clean the mess that Mike makes."

Kurapica quickly caught on. "The real door doesn't have a lock!"

"Exactly."

"Seriously?!" Leona couldn't hold in her shock anymore.

Gathering in front of the gate, Leona attempted to open the stone doors. She pushed and pushed with all her might (remember she could hold up the weight of a kid, a teenager and a full grown man) but the doors would not even budge.

"Ehhh… guys, a little help?" Leona called over her shoulders, and the two boys quickly came to her aid.

The girl took the left door, Kurapica took the right door, and Gon with his good arm – the other still in a cast – stood between them in the centre. Together, they all pushed as hard as they could, but alas they still could not make the door open. They even tried different methods; pushing, pulling, lifting… none of it worked.

"Grrr! It's not working! We can't open it!" Leona shouted in frustration.

Zebro chuckled. "That's because you guys aren't strong enough."

Leona pouted. "But we even combined forces…"

"Here, let me show you." Taking off his guard coat, Zebro revealed his thick muscular built that Leona had mistaken for fat. That's the last time she was going to underestimate someone… "The door's official name is the 'Testing Gate'. Anyone who cannot open this gate is unqualified to enter the Zoldyeck estate."

Breathing out for a short moment, Zebro placed his hands on the doors… and pushed.

"Holy cow, it really does open…" Much to the shock of Leona, Gon and Kurapica the door actually opened, and not just slowly either. The man had thrust the door open in a quick instant with ease.

Holding it there for a few seconds, the groundkeeper eventually stepped back and let the door swing itself closed with a low bang. "The door automatically closes itself, so the moment you open the door you have to run through quickly." Zebro explained before putting his coat back on with a sigh. "Every year it becomes harder to open. But if I can't open the door I'll get fired, so I don't really have a choice. Mike was ordered to not attack anyone who entered through the Testing Gate."

_I still can't believe the old man can open it. How does he do it?_ Leona wondered.

"By the way, each side of the first door weighs two tons."

Now Leona really wanted to scream. "Two tons?!"

"That's not a weight that can be pushed by normal people…" Kurapica stared in disbelieve as well.

"What does he mean by first door?" Gon asked.

Zebro pointed up at the door. "There are a total of seven doors on this gate. The weight doubles with each door as you go up. It was built so that the doors would open corresponding to our strength. When Killua entered, he opened from the first up to the third gate."

Gon tried to do the math. "That's… 12 tons!"

"No Gon, it's 16 tons." Kurapica corrected, making the younger boy grin sheepishly.

Leona sighed in exhaustion at the thought, so this whole time Killua had every right to brag about how strong his was. "16 tons… That's absurd!"

"You see now?" Zebro stared up at the giant gate. "These people are superhuman. The world they live in is completely different to yours."

"I don't like it," Gon frowned. "We're here to visit a friend, why should we be tested like this?" Then the boy turned to the groundkeeper. "Zebro-san, could you lend me the key? I don't mind being considered an intruder. And if you refuse, I'll just climb over the gate."

"Gon!" Everyone stared at him like he was insane, which was probably not far from the truth. Leona just knew this was bound to happen. "Gon, be reasonable! You want to be maimed by that monster? Its arm is even bigger than you!"

"I don't want to get hurt; I want to see my friend, Killua." He replied stubbornly. "And I refuse to enter through such a door!" The brunette girl slapped a hand over her face.

"You're quite right about the testing part," Zebro scratched the back of his head is slight distress. "But if you go in by force, you'll only get yourself killed.

"That's right Gon." Kurapica tried to convince him as well. "We still have time, let's think of some way to get through gate one instead of doing something rash." But the green-clad boy remained firm; he had his hand out for the key. He wasn't changing his mind.

The two older friends gave each other a look. "It's useless; he's not going to listen to us." Leona whispered.

Kurapica sighed. "Indeed…"

Thankfully, Zebro was also stubborn enough to refuse Gon the key. He couldn't let Killua's friends get killed, that just doesn't sit right with him. So the groundkeeper tried another approach.

"Wait a moment." He walked back into the small security building; Gon and Kurapica followed suit. Leona made to follow too, but stopped to look back up at the Testing Gate.

The sun has already set by now, and it was getting dark, but there was still enough light to see the surrounding area. The girl still couldn't believe that there were people who could be so strong to push such a large amount of weight; and here she thought she was already quite strong for someone her age…

_I wonder if Uncle Beni could open the door._ Leona mused. Her mentor's true strength had always been a mystery to her, he always seemed to be holding back, so maybe there was a chance he could possibly open the Testing Gate. _But that's still means pushing 4 tons! 4 TONS!_ If Uncle Beni couldn't push open the door though, would that make Zebro-san stronger than her teacher? Heck that would mean **Killua** was stronger than him too, and being his student, that just doesn't seem right to her.

What was the maximum weight she could push? Leona hadn't even considered such a thought until now.

"How could you possibly know that?! **Put Killua on the phone!**"

Leona almost jumped at the sound of Gon's angry voice coming from the small building. Quickly, she ran over to see what was going on. The young boy was holding a phone to his ear in conversation with someone, while both Kurapica and Zebro seemed to be equally surprised as her at his outburst.

"What's going on?" Leona whispered to Kurapica.

"Gon's talking to the family butler right now. It doesn't look like it's going well though." The blond replied, before stepping outside with her. "What were you doing?"

"Umm," Leona pouted a little. "Just thinking how unfair it was that Zebro-san is the only one among us that could open the gate."

Kurapica gave her a weird look. "Well, he works here, so he has to be able to open the gate."

"Hmm… then couldn't he just-" She was interrupted when Gon suddenly stormed out of the building and towards the Testing Gate. "Gon? …He's pissed, isn't he?" Leona sighed.

"And he looks like he's going to climb the wall." Kurapica stated.

"WHAT?!"

_How could he say that?_ Gon thought furiously as he remembered the phone conversation. Swing his fishing rod up; Gon was able to hook the line somewhere at the top of the gate. If they wouldn't let him see Killua, than he would force his way through; he didn't care what it takes. Making sure the hook held firm, the boy began climbing his way up the wall.

"Gon! Stop it!" Leona panicked. "You don't have to do it this way!"

"It's alright; you and Kurapica can stay here. I'll go alone." Gon continued to climb up.

"Like hell I'll let you do that! I'm not letting you get yourself killed!" Before the boy got too high, Leona grabbed onto his waist to pull him back down.

"Leona, please let go."

"Both of you; calm down!" Kurapica said sternly.

"Gon's the only one who needs to calm down!" Leona refused to let go of the boy. "I mean, can't we just ask Zebro-san to open the door and let us slip through with him?"

Kurapica blinked in surprise, while Gon frowned. "Wouldn't that get Zebro-san in trouble?"

"Actually, Leona-kun is quite right; we could do it that way." Zebro said, causing the three friends to pause and look at the groundkeeper. "It would be considered as you passing through the gate and Mike won't attack you."

"Zebro-san…" Gon finally got down from the wall, and only then did Leona release her hold on him.

"Though while doing it this way, Mike won't attack you," Zebro continued. "It's a rule that you have to pass the gate before you can meet anyone in the family. But it's getting late, you guys can rest and train at the servant quarters."

"Train?"

Zebro nodded. "Everyone who works for the Zoldyeck family must be in top shape, even the lower servants. So we have ways that will train you to pass through the gate. Would you like to do it that way, Gon-kun?"

Looking down, Gon eventually unhooked his fishing line from the gate. He still didn't like the idea of being tested, but if it had to be this way, then so be it; as long as he got to see Killua again. "I'll do it." He replied. "And I'm sorry for causing you trouble, Zebro-san."

At his words, Leona and Kurapica sighed in relief. Zebro smiled, "Do you like animals, Gon-kun?"

Gon blinked in surprise. "Yeah, I used to play in the forest with them all the time back at home."

"I thought so." Zebro turned to face the Testing Gate. "Then I'll open the door again, and I want you to see Mike for yourself."

* * *

Once they finally got inside, Leona looked around to see that the landscape hadn't really changed, which was a relief because she was half expecting something scary behind the door. Well, for now it wasn't that scary.

"Mike! Come here!" Zebro called out into the forest. There was silence for a moment, until Leona heard the low rumble of something large getting closer. Everyone turned to see Mike coming out of the bushed.

It was the biggest damn dog she had ever seen.

While Leona knew there were other animals that were of similar or even larger size, she couldn't stop herself from breaking out a nervous sweat. The monster dog was terrifying; it had long ears and a long nose with razor sharp teeth. Its thick messy fur didn't hide its lean iron muscles and those claws looked deadly sharp. Not only that, its pitch black cold eyes told her it really could kill them without a second thought. She wasn't the only one that felt that way; both Gon and Kurapica were horrified by the presence of the dog too, perhaps more so for Gon.

The monster dog moved to lie down on the ground, but even then it still towered over them.

"You understand now, Gon-kun?" Zebro asked the young boy. "It is a perfectly trained hunting dog. It's nothing like the wild animals that you're used to. It can't be communicated with, even by someone like you who's good with animals." The dog simply sat there staring at them, unnaturally still. "It's currently memorizing your appearances and scents. There's nothing else on its mind, like a machine. Do you think you can fight him, Gon-kun?"

Gon shook his head furiously. "No, I'm scared. I don't want to fight him..." Forget Gon, both Leona and Kurapica wouldn't want to fight that thing either.

Smiling at the boy's honesty, Zebro faced their little group. "So how long do you plan to stay here?"

"Until we meet Killua!" Gon replied firmly, causing his two friends to smile at him. "We won't leave until we do!"

Chuckling softly, Zebro began walking down the trail. "Then please come this way."

Giving each other a look, the three friends followed the old man; leaving behind the monster dog that did nothing but watch them walk away.

_Lovely, now we have gate pushing training to look forward too._ Leona thought sarcastically. She's not sure what to expect, but hopefully it isn't anything worse than what Uncle Beni comes up with; and there was also Gon's still healing arm that they needed to consider too. _Killua, you better appreciate the effort Gon is going through just to see you._

Somewhere in the deep dark corners of the Zoldyeck mansion, Killua sneezed.

* * *

So now the gang is getting closer to the Zoldyeck mansion!

This chapter ended up being a bit longer than I thought it would, but all the better for you guys right? I'm glad people still like this story and are still willing to read it. I'm sure it's because I take so long to update chapters that people get put off, I'm terribly sorry about that. Also, if you guys find any mistakes that I haven't picked up, please tell me.

Anyways, not so much KurapicaxLeona interaction in this chapter, but they're traveling with Gon in a group, and their main focus is meeting Killua and making sure Gon doesn't do anything stupid, so there wouldn't be many.

Also, **that** is coming! Hehe, I'm quite sure you know what I mean. It'll be revealed soon enough.

**Thank you to those who have taken the time to review this story! Keep them up! I love reading them and knowing what you think about it!**


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Hunter X Hunter, Humor